July27, 2015

Newspaper of the Year

•Saraki’s wife’s probe: Kwara PDP clears Tinubu P5 •Buhari meets APC lawmakers ahead of resumption P4 •JAMB redistributes candidates below cut-off marks P5 •Bayelsa ‘got £5m Alamieyeseigha looted fund in 2012’ P4 •Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

VOL. 10, NO. 3288 MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

19 dead, 27 injured in Damaturu blast NEWS Page 58

•www.thenationonlineng.net

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

N150.00

Presidency, Boko Haram begin talks

SANs: prosecute Senate rules forgery suspects

•Hope rises for Chibok girls

By Leke Salaudeen, Adebisi Onanuga, Joseph Jibueze and Robert Egbe

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

H

OPES of freedom for the 219 Chibok girls have been rekindled, with preliminary talks between the Presidency and some Boko Haram leaders.

The new deal is being brokered by some confidants of the Presidency and the sect.

Some key commanders of Boko Haram in detention are also eager to be part of the initiative, The Nation learnt.

The new understanding came amid security reports that about 500 insurgents in a neighboring country are interested in renouncing terrorism - in line with the reconciliatory agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Continued on page 4

N •From left: All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) 2014 Best Male Artiste in Northern Africa Ahmed Soultan; Minister of Culture, Kingdom of Morocco, Mohammed Amine; President/Executive Producer, AFRIMA, Mike Dada and Head of Culture Division, Department of Social Affairs, AUC, Angela Martins at a strategic meeting between AFRIMA and the Ministry of Culture, held in the ministry in Rabat, Morocco...at the weekend.

ATIONAL Assembly Clerk Salisu Maikasuwa, senators and any other person found culpable in the illegal amendment to the Senate Standing Order should be prosecuted, some eminent lawyers said yesterday.

The police have declared the Standing Order, which was used for the June 9 election of Dr. Bukola Saraki as Continued on page 4

•INSIDE: ENERGY WORKS LTD UNVEILS 90MM STAINLESS STEEL CLAD SEPARATOR P49

N300b CBN workers’ pay bailout for 27 states ready Cash disbursement begins in two weeks

By Simeon Ebulu, Group Business Editor

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HERE is good news for cash-strapped states.

The N300 billion Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) lifeline, which will enable them pay their workers, will be ready in two weeks.

Of the 36 states, 27 have applied to draw from the cash relief packaged by President Muhammadu Buhari through the apex bank.

The CBN facility is one of the threepronged reliefs designed by the Federal Government to help financially troubled states.

The other two are: •sharing of the $2.1 billion (about N414 billion) 2014 Income Tax/Education Tax; and •dividends paid to the Federation Account through the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) by the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited.

Besides, the states’ loans are to be rescheduled.

President Buhari, about three weeks ago, directed the CBN to package the loan to enable the states pay the backlog of salaries owed their workers.

The CBN is to package a Special Intervention Fund ranging from N250 billionN300 billion to the states WILL THE with low interests.

CHIBOK Investigation revealed GIRLS EVER RETURN? Continued on page 4

?

•A car belonging to suspected insurgents destroyed by the military.

•SEE MORE PICTURES AND STORY ON PAGE 4

Troops kill terrorists on Dikwa-Maiduguri road

•JIM OVIA PRAISED FOR $1.5B METHANOL PLANT P53 PASSENGER STEALS $1,400 ON BOARD P11

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

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NEWS The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) policy restricting importers of some items from accessing foreign exchange is generating heated debates.

The directive categories 41 items as ‘not valid for forex’. OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE reports that although the ‘policy will help curb a situation where poverty is being imported and jobs exported, there is need to review the list to ensure that raw materials are not taken as finished goods

I •Head of Operations, Oando Marketing Plc, Adeboye Temidayo cutting the tape to inaugurate a service station in Kaduna.

With him are (from left)District Head of Doka, Alhaji Bunun Zazzau; a dealer, Haliru Lawal; and DPR Controller, Alhaji Mohammed D. Makera.

•From left: Progrmme Manager, Brand South Africa, Africa and Middle East, Sindiswa Mququ; South Africa Consular General, Lagos, Ambassador Sam Monaisa; Acting Chief Marketing Officer, Brand South Africa, Sithembile Ntombela and Brand South Africa Ambassador, Dr. Zweli Mkize atSouth African/Nigeria Dialogue Season in Lagos... at the weekend.

•From left: Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries, Walter Drenth, National Retail Artist, House of Tara, Rhema Akabuogu, Kunbi Oyelese of April By Kunbi, Mai Atafo of Mai Atafo Inspired, Senior Brand Manger CSD & ACE , Nnenna Ifebigh- Hemeson and Celebrity Photographer, Kelechi Amadi-Obi at the Fayrouz L'original 2 Grand finale in Lagos... at the weekend.

•From left: Director, Regulation & Monitoring, National Lottery Regulatory Commission; Prince Jeminiwa, General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN, Richard Iweanoge, and two lucky winners, Adekoya Bolatito Khadija and Olola Seun, during the presentation ceremony of MTN Tru Talk Best 11 promo in Lagos... at the weekend.

N its heydays, it supplied the plywood needs of many and employed hundreds. Now, the vast empire called Epe Plywood is a shadow of the dream of its founder – Oodua Investment Company.

But, Epe Plywood is not alone in its afte. Take a stroll around industrial areas in Ikeja, Ilupeju, Kano, Kaduna and elsewhere in the country, and you are bound to be confronted by huge factories that are either dead or dying.

Most of these companies are into enamelware, steel drums, steel pipes, wire rods, iron rods and reinforcing bars, wire mesh as well as steel nails.

They are also makers of security and razor wire, wood particle boards and wooden doors.

Some other dead or dying industries are into toothpicks, glassware, kitchen utensils, tableware, textiles, woven fabrics, clothes, plastic products, polypropylene granules, cellophane wrappers, soap, cosmetics and tomatoes/tomato pastes.

Over the years, importers have found pleasure bringing in these items through the ports and other entry points. Local manufacturers of these items have been the worse for it. Several government policies to remedy the situation have achieved little or nothing.

An average of $300 million is spent on the 41 items on the restriction list from subsidised official foreign exchange window monthly – meaning about $12.3 billion has gone into subsiding imports of finished goods in the last six months.

Succesive governments have been worried over the state of local industries. Policies upon policies have been formulated to remedy the situation.

The latest in the efforts to protect local manufacturers of plywood, tooth picks and others is from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The policy bans importers of any of these items from sourcing foreign exchange from the Bureaux de Change and the interbank market.

In a circular by its Director, Banking Supervision, Olakanmi Gbadamosi, the CBN said: “In the continuing efforts to sustain the stability of the forex market and ensure efficient utilisation of forex and the derivation of optimum benefits from goods and services imported into the country, it has become imperative to exclude importers of some goods and services from accessing foreign exchange at the Nigerian forex markets in order to encourage local production of these items.

“The implementation of the policy will help conserve foreign reserves as well as facilitate the resuscitation of domestic industries and improve employment generation.

“For the avoidance of doubt, please note that the importation of these items are not banned, thus importers desirous of importing these items shall do so using their funds without any recourse to the Nigerian foreign exchange market.”

The policy has, however, led to a blame game between the CBN and members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS). While the apex bank alleges non-remittance of forex earnings by OPS members who retain such in foreign domiciled accounts, thereby mounting demand pressure on the bank for forex, the OPS says the CBN’s action encourages investors and manufacturers to pay for inefficiencies in governance and management of resources.

Another grey area is the classification of some of the restricted products.

OPS members see some of the products as raw materials.

The CBN position For the CBN, members of the OPS must understand there is a yawning gap in the demand-supply chain of the nation’s foreign exchange earnings, therefore necessitating an adjustment on the demand side by reducing the pressure from importers of finished goods.

The CBN, while describing the intense pressure it has had to cope with in defending the naira between January and May, stated that $575 million was expended on wheat importation, $375 million on fish and $349 million on electrical and electronic appliances and components.

CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele said the country spent an estimated N1.3 trillion on items that could be manufactured locally, adding that Nigerians need to have a soul-searching conversation on the impact the import regime has on the economy, especially industrialisation and job creation.

He said: “Sometimes, policy changes are forced on policymakers as a result of exogenous shocks beyond their control. While most people do not like to be forced to do something, one of the hallmarks of effective policymaking is to be nimble and responsive when such situations arise.

“I am happy to inform and underscore that this policy change is in line with my long-held belief that Nigeria cannot attain its true potential by simply importing everything.

“At some point, we have to all decide what we really want for our country, and I believe that the time is now right for that deep and honest conversation.”

The CBN boss maintained that the huge amount of money that Nigeria spends on importing things that could be produced locally have become a significant drag on the foreign exchange reserves.

Emefiele said: “Most of you are aware of the often-quoted number of N1.3 trillion, which is what we spend on the average importing rice, fish, sugar and wheat every year.

“Each time I ponder these issues; many vexing questions trouble my mind. Let me take the case of rice for illustration. Why should we keep importing rice into Nigeria when vast amounts of paddy rice of comparable quality produced by poor hardworking local farmers across the rice belts of Nigeria are being wasted and ignored?

“What will it take for these importers to stop the importation and instead go into processing these locally produced rice? Why are these importers not utilising the vast expanses of arable land for rice cultivation instead of taking the easy route of importing rice?

“Do we, as a people, realise how many jobs we are creating for other countries by ignoring local production and simply concentrating on imports?

“How can we keep complaining about the depreciation of the naira when all we do as a people is to import everything from ordinary Geisha (canned fish) and toothpicks, to even eggs?”

“Let me emphasise that the CBN does not have the power to outrightly ban the importation of the items we listed in our circular.

“Of course, anyone listening to me now would know what I could have done if I had that power. But what we

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

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•Obasanjo

•Dangote

•Emefiele

•Yusuf

•Onafowokan

Few decades ago, Nigeria was one of the world’s largest producers of palm oil but today we import nearly 600,000 metric tonnes while Indonesia and Malaysia combine to export over 90 per cent of global demand

‘ Between importing

poverty and exporting jobs have done is to simply say that the Central Bank of Nigeria cannot continue to support the imports of these items using Nigeria’s hard-earned foreign exchange.

“Importers who may want to continue bringing in these goods or services into the country will have to source their foreign exchange from private sources.

“Let me reiterate that the Central Bank of Nigeria will continue to be vigilant around this policy and will keep reviewing the list of these items as we become comfortable that items can be produced locally if we apply ourselves sufficiently enough.

“I believe that the current situation we find ourselves affords us a unique opportunity to embrace self-sufficiency in Nigeria, reduce our appetite for everything and anything foreign, conserve the country’s scarce foreign exchange, and create jobs here at home for our people.”

Exporting hard currency In what appears to be an attempt to derail the policy, the CBN says those offended by the policy have resorted to exporting hard currency across the borders with neigbhouring countries.

The CBN said large quantum of cash is now being transported through the borders following its foreign exchange denial to importers of restricted products.

The apex bank said it was collaborating with relevant agencies to ensure that the culprits are apprehended.

“The apex bank has noted the unwholesome practice of movements of huge foreign currency cash across Nigerian borders by individuals and corporate bodies without compliance to extant law of declaration to the appropriate authorities. The bank is already collaborating with other relevant agencies of government to ensure compliance to the provisions of the law,” the CBN said.

The CBN also reminded the Bureau de Change (BDC) operators that they are not allowed to sell more than $5000.00 to any individual customers for business travel/personal travel allowance, monthly mortgage payment, school fees abroad, credit card payment, Utility bills, Life insurance premium payment.

The CBN said: “The bank, however, stated that the BDCs are only authorised to deal in foreign currency cash and to sell not more than US$5000.00 to an individual customer and strictly for the following transactions: (i)business travel/personal travel allowance; (ii) monthly mortgage payment; (iii) school fees abroad; (iv) credit card payment; (v) utility bills vi) Life insurance premium payment.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Central Bank of Nigeria has directed that BDCs are not authorised to fund import transactions in any form whatsoever, either by cash or wire transfer.

Accordingly, authorised dealers are hereby barred from effecting wire transfers from the account of their BDCs’ customers henceforth.”

The apex bank added that it would not take desperate measures to satisfy those it described as “few misguided interests in the market.”

The CBN wondered why the country should keep allocating scarce forex to rice importers when vast amounts of paddy rice of comparable quality produced by poor hardworking local farmers across the rice belts of Nigeria are wasted, and farmers are falling deeper into poverty “while we export their jobs and income to rice producing countries?”

It added: “Few decades ago, Nigeria was one of the world’s largest producers of palm oil but today we import nearly 600,000 metric tonnes

and massively produce locally to create jobs for our growing young population.”

Dangote said without such ban by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, he would not have been able to grow his cement business. His company now exports cement when only 10 years ago Nigeria was importing cement massively.

“When Obasanjo introduced the policy, he was massively criticised by multinationals and the same foreign media. But today, we are self-sufficient in cement production,” Dangote said.

Dangote maintained that those criticising Emefiele for the decision do not have the interest of Nigerians at heart.

He urged the people in the Southsouth to focus on the development of palm plantations instead of importing palm oil. He enjoined Nigerians to see this as an opportunity to invest in fish farming rather than importing fish.

“Although fish is a major staple

cluded raw materials through proper definition and identification of HS codes of some restricted items. We have staked at least N11 billion on expansion in the last two years. The loans we have taken within that period had to be restructured to cater for devaluation and changing interest rates. With this forex restriction, it seems the CBN is asking local firms like ours to shut down.

“Exporting out of Nigeria is a very difficult task due to a lot of factors and circumstantial policies. The manufacturing sector needs an intervention from the CBN to address the gaps created by the policy.

“Ambiguous definition of macroeconomic policies is prone to disaster. You are trying to create jobs but you are losing jobs”, Onafawokan said at a dialogue with CBN on foreign exchange policy organised by Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Lagos.

The Managing Director, Nosak Group GoddieIsibor, said some of the

Restricted items all •Rice •Cement •Margarine •Palm kernel/Palm oil products/ vegetables oils •Meat and processed meat products •Vegetables and processed vegetable products •Poultry chicken, eggs, turkey •Private airplanes/jets •Indian incense •Tinned fish in sauce(Geisha)/ sardines •Cold rolled steel sheets •Galvanised steel sheets •Roofing sheets

•Wheelbarrows •Head pans •Metal boxes and containers •Enamelware •Steel drums •Steel pipes •Wire rods(deformed and not deformed) •Iron rods and reinforcing bard •Wire mesh •Steel nails •Security and razor wine •Wood particle boards and panels •Wood Fibre Boards and Panels •Plywood boards and panels •Wooden doors

•Toothpicks •Glass and Glassware •Kitchen utensils •Tableware •Tiles-vitrified and ceramic •Textiles •Woven fabrics •Clothes •Plastic and rubber products, polypropylene granules , cellophane wrappers •Soap and cosmetics •Tomatoes/tomato pastes •Eurobond/foreign currency bond/ share purchases

while Indonesia and Malaysia combine to export over 90 per cent of global demand. Under these circumstances, the CBN will do the little it can to protect the jobs and incomes of local farmers, using some of the same principles Western Economies use to justify the protection of their farmers through huge subsidies.”

food in Senegal, the country does not import fish….. why should we be importing fish in Nigeria with all our God given ocean resources?” he asked.

But, the Managing Director of Coleman Wires and Cables, George Onafowokan, believes there is need for a review of the policy, adding that some of the products listed under the prohibited list have not been thought through.

According to him, the development will put several investments at risk with implications for job losses, quality of loan assets in the banking system and the welfare of citizens.

Onafowokan noted that his company having staked about N11 billion on expansion within the last two years is facing a huge challenge that may affect its productivity and workforce profile.

“The CBN’s policy should have ex-

affected items are raw materials.

“The CBN should go back and remove raw materials so that we don’t kill industries with the hope that we are going to increase production,” he said.

For CBN’s Director of Monetary Policy, Moses Tule, the apex bank would do anything within its power to ensure that macroeconomic policies are sound.

On the need to distinguish between finished products and raw materials, he said the policy would be revisited.

“On the definition of the items, I take that as a takeaway, to look at what we can do in that regard,” he said.

Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Remi Bello noted that the consequences of the CBN policy have been far reaching on companies with high exposure to the forex market.

The OPS position The President, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, threw his weight behind the CBN, describing the decision as “excellent and one of the best decisions taken so far by the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele”.

He described the CBN’s intervention as appropriate for the economy, saying: “We cannot be importing poverty and exporting jobs.”

He added that the measure would encourage his firm “to look inward

Bello urged the apex bank to enlighten stakeholders on the value of its policies, adding that the OPS was worried that many items are not valid for forex.

In a communiqué signed by its Director-General, Mr. Muda Yusuf, LCCIsaid the policy has shown CBN’s limited understanding of the manufacturing process of many of the sectors affected by the directive.

“Many of the restricted items are irreplaceable raw materials in the manufacturing process of many industries and this policy will cause significant damage to the Nigerian manufacturing sector and economy. We affirm that while there are several items on the list which any patriotic Nigerian will not object to, there are many others that will harm the manufacturing sector.”

The LCCI advised the CBN to review the policy.

“The new CBN policy is ambiguous as the restricted items are not welldefined and specific, plunging both manufacturers and banks into confusion regarding CBN’s intent. We urge the CBN to immediately amend the policy with full product definition and specification of all restricted items, including HS Codes and excluding any items which are non-substitutable industrial raw materials from the list.

The CBN policy should also allow appropriate time frames for items which require some time interval before local substitutes can be created for imported raw materials.

“We call CBN’s attention to the fact that the fundamental forces the CBN is struggling against are economic and fiscal policy dependent while the bank continues to exert monetary policy tools almost to a point in which economic harm may result. The fundamental factors are diversification of the Nigerian economy in terms of exports and government revenue, issues around downstream oil sector deregulation and upstream oil sector fiscal regimes, power sector efficiency and creating alternative economies in solid minerals, agriculture, manufacturing and other sectors towards building a productive, export-led local economy.

These matters cannot be resolved through exclusive deployment of monetary policy tools.”

LCCI urged the CBN to liase with the Federal Government so that more appropriate economic and fiscal initiatives can be designed to help manufacturers.

LCCI also called on the CBN to harmonise its policies with other agencies of government, including Customs, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Standards Organisations of Nigeria (SON) and Immigration.

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

NEWS

•Another car belonging to the insurgents destroyed by the military •Weapons recovered from the insurgents by the military

•Soldiers with a motocycle recovered from insurgents

Troops kill terrorists on Dikwa-Maiduguri road From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

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HE Army yesterday said troops killed many terrorists on DikwaMaiduguri Road.

But the casualty figure remained unknown. The Nation saw a photographs of some Boko Haram fighters lying dead. The operation were kept under wraps.

A statement by Army spokesperson Col. Sani Usman Kukasheka said recent military operations against Boko Haram insurgents had been Continued on page 59

•A vehicle belonging to the insurgents in flames after the encounter

•A recovered IEDs

Chibok girls: Presidency, Boko Haram begin preliminary talks Continued from page 1

But the President is being cautious in rushing at the new offer from some leaders of the sect to avoid what a source described as the “costly mistakes of the past administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

Buhari has asked security agents to “screen or certify” those spearheading the new negotiation to ensure that the government is dealing with the right Boko Haram leaders.

Some Boko Haram leaders are believed to have been overwhelmed by the President ‘s

olive branch.

It was learnt that the President’s reconciliatory agenda made some confidants of the sect to initiate a fresh negotiation between the Presidency and some Boko Haram leaders.

It was gathered that at the preliminary level, a “cautious understanding” has been struck by both parties.

Some mileage gained so far include the following: •likely release of some Chibok girls to underscore the readiness of Boko Haram for negotiation;

•involvement of some Boko Haram leaders, on whom the United States Government placed ransom, in the peace deal; and •commitment of the Buhari administration to the negotiation.

A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The President’s appeal for peace in the Northeast is yielding dividends because a fresh facilitation of talks between the Presidency and Boko Haram has started.

“This latest negotiation, which is at the preliminary stage, is being promoted by

some mutual confidants of the Presidency and Boko Haram.

“The new deal may lead to the release of some Chibok girls to set the tone for a comprehensive negotiation by both sides.”

Responding to a question, the source added: “The President is extremely cautious on this offer of negotiation. “ Buhari has ordered security agencies to screen or certify those Boko Haram commanders interested in facilitating this latest negotiation to ensure that they are bonafide leaders Continued on page 59

£5m Alamieyeseigha looted fund given to Bayelsa govt

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ORE than £5 million recovered from the funds stolen by former Bayelsa State Governor Dieprieye Alamieyeseigha was handed back to the state government in 2012, it was learnt at the weekend.

Nigeria’s retiring High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK) Dr. Dalhatu Tafida who broke the news at the at the weekend in Birmingham where he spoke with the Nigerian communi-

By Olatunde Kazeem London Bureau Chief

ty on the amount of stolen funds received from the UK by the Federal Government through its High Commission in London.

Tafida’s visit to Birmingham was part of a thank-youtour as his tenure ends on August 15, after an eightyear stint as Nigeria’s chief envoy in the UK. He had earlier visited Manchester, Liv-

erpool, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Newcastle and Belfast.

According to Tafida, the £5 million was received from the British authorities and handed over to two government officials from Bayelsa State, who came to London for the transfer.

He told his audience that the money was lodged a Bayelsa State government account with the London branch of First Bank Plc. Alamieyeseigha, who was

impeached, tried and convicted, got a presidential pardon in March 2013 – courtesy of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Justifying the clemency extended to Alamieyeseigha, a former presidential adviser to Dr. Jonathan, Dr. Doyin Okupe had told reporters in 2013 that the former governor was pardoned because he had been remorseful.

Continued on page 59

•Another car belonging to the insurgents destroyed by the military

N300b CBN workers’ pay bailout ready Continued from page 1

that the apex bank, however settled for the higher figure in view of the magnitude and the depth of the financial commitment of the states .

The decision on the N300 billion relief package was reached at the end of discussion at the last National Economic Council (NEC) meeting, chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in Abuja last Thursday.

At the meeting were CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele and the governors.

A CBN source told The Nation yesterday that barring any unforeseen circumstances, disbursement to the states will begin in two weeks.

There was no information yet on the identities of the states seeking the relief package, even as it was learnt that in making their requests, each of the 27 states submitted deContinued on page 59

House crisis: Buhari meets APC lawmakers ahead of resumption

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HEAD of their resumption tomorrow, President Muhammadu Buhari will today have a parley with House of Representatives members elected on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform.

Details of what to be discussed at the meeting were not given, but the Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu said the parley will hold at the New Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, by 5pm.

It is the first time the Presi-

dent will be meeting with all members of the APC in the House of Representatives.

He had met separately with Speaker Yakubu Dogara and Femi Gbajabiamila, who contested the speakership position but lost in ‘controversial circumstances’ to the former.

The duo of Dogara and Gbajabiamila will be leading members of their factions to the meeting.

But there were expectations that the lingering crisis rocking Green Chamber of the National Assembly will be Continued on page 59

SANs: try Senate rules forgery suspects Continued from page 1

the President of the Eighth Senate, a forgery.

Prof. Itsay Sagay, Yusuf Ali (SAN) and Monday Ubani yesterday called for the prosecution of those who had a hand in the alteration of the standing rules applied to pick the Senate President, his deputy and four principal officers.

But the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice in the defunct Second Republic, Chief Richard Akinjide (SAN), held a contrary position.

He argued that the police lacked the power to meddle in

what he described as the Senate’s internal affairs.

Sagay said he was not surprised by Maikasuwa’s alleged involvement in the matter.

He said the Clerk should be suspended immediately and be put on trial.

His words: “Forgery is forgery. It is a crime. And it is a crime that should be prosecuted. As far as I am concerned, Continued on page 59

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

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NEWS

Kwara PDP: we ’re behind ordeal of Saraki’s wife

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HE Kwara State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has claimed responsibility for the investigation of Senate president’s wife, Toyin Saraki, for corruption.

In a statement yesterday, the state PDP said it was the petition it sent to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that got Mrs. Saraki into trouble.

It debunked claims that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and its National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, were behind her ordeal.

The EFCC last week invited Mrs. Saraki, who was the Kwara State’s First Lady between 2003 and 2011, in relation to alleged questionable inflow of funds into companies in which she has interest.

The statement, by the party’s spokesperson, Rex Olawoye, reads: “It has become imperative to inform

•Party exonerates APC, Tinubu

the public that we have every reason to believe that a petition recently submitted to the EFCC by the PDP, Kwara State Chapter, is largely responsible for the invitation and eventual criminal prosecution of the former Kwara First Lady and wife of the Senate president, Mrs. Toyin Saraki.

“It will be recalled that our party had, sometime early this year, discreetly submitted a petition to the EFCC detailing how certain individuals in high places under the past administration of Dr. Bukola Saraki milked the state dry and left the people more impoverished than they met them.

“In the petition, we carefully chronicled how state officials, including former First Lady, former Special Adviser to the Governor on Millennium Development

Goals (MDGs), Mr. Ope Saraki; Personal Assistant (PA) to ex-Governor Bukola Saraki, Mr. Abdul Adama from Kogi State; a former Commissioner for Information, Mr. Tunji Morounfoye, all working in a ring, got enmeshed in a cesspool of corruption unprecedented in the history of Kwara State or any other state for that matter.

“Although we believe that the arrest and prosecution of Mrs. Saraki is long overdue, we, nevertheless, take solace under the fact that the long arm of the law seems to have finally caught up with her and her cronies. We are particularly delighted that our painstaking efforts at chronicling the monumental heist that defined the eight years, almost uneventful rule of former Governor Bukola Saraki in Kwara, has not gone unnoticed.

“We, therefore, commend the EFCC for its resourcefulness and painstakingness. We pledge our cooperation with the EFCC and all other relevant anti-graft agencies to ensure that all those who knowingly looted our collective patrimony, but now walk the streets of Kwara free with their ill-gotten wealth, do not go unpunished.

“We urge the anti-graft agency not to buckle in to pressure or blackmail that is already being mounted by political jobbers over Mrs. Saraki’s invitation by the EFCC. “Instead of sponsoring paid activist-for-hire to stampede the EFCC out of the prosecution, one would have thought that the most moral thing for Mrs. Saraki and her handlers to do now is to allow the law to take its cause.

Since the duo of Ope Saraki

and Tunji Morounfoye are already standing trial for their crimes, one would expect Mrs. Saraki too to seize the moment and clear her name, instead of playing to the gallery.

“For the avoidance of doubt, we reiterate that the offences Mrs. Saraki is being accused of are criminal in nature and such offences are not known to be statute-barred.

“Therefore, the fact that it took over five years after Mrs. Saraki left office as Kwara First Lady before she is eventually brought before the law does not matter.

“What matters is that justice is ultimately served, especially for the sake of the hard-working Kwara civil servants, poor Kwara farmers and the promising children of Kwara who were and are still being subjected to all manner of deprivation as a result of the rapaciousness of a privileged few who could

not contain the temptation to steer clear of the cookie jar.”

The statement has contradicted the position of a group of senators loyal to the Senate president, under the aegis of ‘Like Minds’.

The senators had questioned the investigation, expressing concerns that the probe might be politicallymotivated. They suggested that the leadership of the APC might be hounding Mrs. Saraki as a way of getting at her husband.

Joseph Waku, a chieftain of the APC, had also on Saturday accused Tinubu of masterminding a “baseless petition” that led to the invitation of Mrs. Saraki by the EFCC, a charge the former Lagos governor denied.

Saraki has been locked in battle with the leadership of the ruling APC over his emergence as Senate president on June 9, contrary to the party’s position.

‘PDP, APC spent N3.23b on adverts for presidential poll’

By Adedeji Ademigbuji

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•From left: Associate Pastor, Covenant Christian Centre Yinka Odewale; President, Wisemens’ Fellowship, The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Victory Chapel (LP 21) Daniel Adebola; Gospel Artiste Lara George; Host Pastor Bisi Olowoyo and Guest Speaker Pastor Jide-David Modede, at the RCCG Wisemens’ 2015 Convention, in Lagos...at the weekend.

HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Party (APC) spent N3.23 billion on political campaign advertisements for this year’s general elections, according to a report at the weekend.

According to the report by Compliance and Content Monitoring Ltd (CCM), the PDP accounted for about N2.5 billion (77 per cent of the total spending) and APC spent N728 million (23 per cent).

CCM said the media advertisements were placed on radio, television, press and billboards for the PDP and the APC presidential campaigns between December 2014 and March.

The report was unveiled after a thorough analysis of over 260 broadcast media (radio and television), 48 print (newspapers and magazines) media and over 1,000 outdoor billboards across the country.

The firm focused on the two main parties, taking into cognisance the nation’s geographical zones, the advertising campaigns of the different political parties, individuals and groups in support of the presidential candidates.

The Managing Director of CCM Limited, Mr. Tunde Onadele, who spoke at the unveiling of the report, said about 253 creative materials were deployed across radio and television channels in all the 260+ stations monitored by CCM, with PDP utilising 145 materials. APC deployed 107 materials.

The split across media platforms showed that the two parties utilised mostly television and press platforms for over 85 per cent of total campaign spending.

The report highlighted that gross media rates were used in CCM’s calculations and the data across the monitored stations account for about 85 per cent of the national coverage.

Admission crisis: JAMB redistributes candidates below cut-off marks T ASUU kicks against admission policy

HE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) yesterday said it had redistributed candidates with lower cut-off marks than what their first choice institutions required.

It urged candidates and parents to check the board’s website from Friday, for their names and institutions.

The board said the policy was meant to ensure that every candidate with a reasonable score of 180 and above was placed somewhere in an institution.

JAMB, according to a statement in Abuja by its Head of Media, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, reiterated that the national cutoff marks of 180 for universities and 150 for polytechnics, colleges of education and innovative enterprise institutions in the 2015 UTME were benchmarks to set the tone for this year’s admission exercise.

It said the decision to have nationally-accepted cut-off marks was to serve as a guide and pruning mechanism to give the tertiary institutions qualitative and manageable candidates to choose from a pool of candidates desirous of tertiary education.

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HE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the University of Ibadan has kicked against the policy of reassignment of candidates against their choices being adopted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

It said JAMB has made the admission process chaotic and exposed candidates to fraudsters, adding that the board must respect candidates’ preferences and choices for tertiary institutions and consider the security of lives of candidates, cost, proximity, quality, and rights of the Nigerian child in arriving at any policy.

ASUU called on Nigerians to join in calling for the scrapping of JAMB, saying it has outlived its usefulness.

Its chairman, Prof. Segun Ajiboye, described the policy as insensitive, exploitative of the children of the poor and abuse of their fundamental human rights of freedom of choice.

The union lashed out at the Prof. Dibu Ojerinde-led JAMB Board for allegedly being insensitive to the plight of the masses, whose parents have not been paid for months by some governors, but are now being forced to pay N1,000 to know where

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

they are reassigned against their choices.

In the absence of a substantive minister of Education, the ASUU boss called on President Muhammadu Buhari to call JAMB to order so as not to make the children of the masses in public schools suffer.

Calling on the President to probe the over N1 billion that would be generated from the purchase of scratch cards of what he called ‘unpopular policy’, Ajiboye berated the racket on the sale of scratch cards, which have been mopped up at JAMB offices by agents who now sell it for N1,500 to candidates.

But JAMB explained that the policy to redistribute candidates to needy institutions was done to assist the candidates and their parents.

It noted that the ASUU UI chapter’s claim that it was anti-poor was not untrue.

It described the union’s claim that it would make about N1 billion as proceeds from candidates buying cards to check their redistribution status as unfounded.

It said the checking of candidates’ names will be free.

•To monitor institutions over discrimination From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

The statement reads in part: “However, universities and other levels of tertiary institutions are at liberty to go higher. But not lower, depending on their peculiarities and the performance of candidates

that choose them. Universities are centres of excellence anywhere in the world and ours should not be an exception.

The policy witnessed in University of Lagos (250 cut off mark) is aimed at ensuring that our universities admit only the top best as done glo-

bally.

“JAMB is working round the clock to ensure that Nigerian universities are among the best in Africa and perhaps the world in the next ranking and to also utilise the available spaces and admit more candidates bearing in mind

the admission criteria of various needy institution.

“The board wishes to state that no candidate would be denied any right to aspire to tertiary education, even as it is aware that some universities have their own admission cut-off marks acceptable by the

board for courses they offered.

Please be informed that the board ensures that these institutions apply this cut off marks uniformly across all candidates without discrimination.

“The decision of the Board on the print-out for this year exercise was done in good faith not to jeopardise the right of candidates due to individual cut-off set by some Nigerian tertiary institution.

Those candidates who do not meet the cut-off marks of such institutions will be placed in needy institutions within their geopolitical zone depending on available space in such institutions.

“The board’s aim is to accommodate as many candidates as possible instead of just pushing them to schools we know ab initio doesn’t have the carrying capacity to admit all.

“For instance, University of Lagos with a carrying capacity of about 9,000, has over 60,000 applying. The question is what happens to the over 50,000? We have other institutions like that and what we are doing is to ensure that the balance are also place in other needy institutions.”

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

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NEWS Why NHIS bought N990m property, by ex-chief

Dogara planning to lock us out, APC loyal lawmakers allege

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HE immediate past Executive Secretary of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Dr. Femi Thomas, has explained what informed the acquisition of a parcel of land near the scheme’s Abuja Head office.

The land was acquired for N990 million.

He listed a desire to solve the acute accommodation challenges facing the scheme, the need for enough space for future expansion and the value of the two plots in the highbrow Cadastral Zone, as reasons.

Thomas said the plots situated beside NHIS Headquarters on Plot 297, P & W Mafemin Crescent, off Solomon Lar Way, Utako District, Abuja, were purchased with a N300 million structure developed on it by its former owner.

He spoke through his media aide, Adeyemi Adesola, who blamed the controversy now raging over the transaction on those he described as fifth columnists and sell-serving individuals, who believe that it must be business as usual.

The statement reads: “They are mischievous people who are plant by some vested interests to project their selfish agenda.

They have made every effort to discredit and rubbish the reputation of every administration that has passed through the scheme.’’

According to the statement, the former executive secretary took the “NHIS to an enviable pedestal during the one and half years that he held the forte”. ‘’The history of the NHIS has not been exceptionally long. But we can all see that substantial growth and progress have been made in the last two years,’’ he said.

He described as “total falsehood that due diligence was not followed in the acquisition of the landed property”, pointing out that NHIS’ supervising Health Ministry approved it.

His added: ‘’When the management wanted to buy the land, as it is the practice, we called the Federal Ministry of Works, and they sent their evaluation department to come and evaluate the property and the report by the ministry put the value of the property at N1.5 billion. ‘’Beyond that level of due process, the purchase was approved by the Ministerial Tenders’ Board because it was beyond the approving power of the NHIS Tenders Management Committee. ‘’The negotiation was so tight that we could not pay agency fee.

The evaluation report by the Federal Ministry of Works showed that the landed property which is about 4000 square metres has a piled foundation for the development of a seven-storey building valued at N300 million.”

Adesola said it was news to the former NHIS chief that past management before him turned down previous offers, describing such allegations as a deliberate plot to stain his record.

The allegation, Adesola said, was a calculated attempt to discredit his boss and tarnish his image.

“My boss was not aware of previous offers made to his two predecessors at N300 million and N450 million respectively,’’ he noted.

He said: “The need to purchase the land was necessitated by the acute shortage of space for staff. In the office, two or more staff were sharing a desk and we realised this may hamper operation and efficiency. ‘’We also know it made a sense of economic of scale to buy this parcel of land, which has two plots beside our head office than having another headquarter extension in Gudu. We were also conscious of the rate at which the value of land in Abuja appreciates. So, we believe it is not a bad investment for the scheme’’.

The statement described as unfounded that N49.5 million was paid as agency fee to a firm believed to be owned by Thomas’ associate.

He said no agency was paid on the property.

Lawyer: Saraki, Ekweremadu must resign for alleged forgery From Odunayo Ogunmola, Ado-Ekiti

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UMAN rights lawyer Morakinyo Ogele has urged Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, to resign from office following the police investigation, which established a case of forgery of the Standing Rules in the Senate leadership election.

He also advised the police and the Federal Ministry of Justice to arraign Saraki, Ekweremadu, the Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa and others who allegedly conspired to forge the Standing Rules to conduct the June 9 election.

Ogele, who described forgery as a “very serious offence”, said both Saraki and Ekweremadu disappointed Nigerians by getting to office when they knew that the document upon which their election was conducted had been forged.

In a chat with The Nation in Ado Ekiti yesterday, the Akurebased legal practitioner, said he was disappointed in Ekweremadu, who himself is a lawyer, for his alleged involvement in the forgery mess.

Ogele, who is the National Coordinator of Ekiti Redemption Group (ERG), urged senators to begin the process of impeachment against the Senate president and his deputy, if they refuse to resign from office on account of the alleged forgery.

The ERG boss called on the people of Kwara Central Senatorial District and Enugu West Senatorial District to start the process of recalling Saraki and Ekweremadu from the Red Chamber for their alleged involvement in the forgery mess.

He explained that although the deputy Senate president is still presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, Ogele said the forgery scam has “imposed a huge moral burden on Ekweremadu, who, he said, should know”, as well as Saraki.

Ogele added that Nigerians would never accept the leadership of the Senate by Saraki and Ekweremadu, whom he accused of bringing the integrity of the institution they represent into ridicule and odium on Nigeria.

He warned pro-Saraki senators against “trying to defend the indefensible”, warning that Nigerians would be forced to march on the National Assembly and occupy the place, if the Senate president and his deputy remain adamant despite the weight of allegation against them.

•Loyalists Group: no division within our fold From Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja

•Gbajabiamila

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OUSE of Representatives members loyal to Femi Gbajabiamila yesterday alleged that Speaker Yakubu Dogara was planning to lock them out of the lower legislative chamber when the National Assembly reconvenes tomorrow.

They claimed the Speaker has concluded plans to use the sergeant-at-arms to shut them out of the chamber.

Addressing a news conference in Abuja, the group claimed that Dogara was planning to resort to “the extraordinary measure as a punishment for the group’s rejection of his distribution of the remaining four principal offices.

Their spokesman Nasiru Sani Zangon Daura claimed that other members have dissociated themselves from Dogara’s “Trojan” offer of principal officer positions to some members of the group.

He added that the speaker’s offer was an attempt to woo some of their number to his camp at the expense of the party’s position. The spokesman claimed that the alliance between Speaker Dogara and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was formed to sabotage President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda for change in the country.

Restating their members’ commitment to the APC’s mani-

festo, Daura declared that his group would resist any attempt to infringe on their legislative privileges and rights.

He stated that to have a genuine agreement that is not tainted by the PDP, the Dogara group must first cut off ties between them and the PDP, “and secondly, engage in serious reconciliatory discussions with the group through our approved members under the leadership of Femi Gbajabiamila.”

“We know that this unholy agreement between the disloyal Dogara group and the PDP entails the deployment of PDP members and the disloyal APC group in strategic positions in the structures and committees of the House,” he said.

The Loyalists Group said there was no division within its rank and it was ready for election of principal officers of the House.

The group said it has accepted the apologies of Mohammad Monguno, who accepted the proposal of Speaker Yakubu Dogara at a briefing on Saturday.

It said Monguno was misled.

At the Saturday briefing, Monguno expressed support for the selection of Alhassan Doguwa and Pally Iriase as House Leader and Chief Whip.

Monguno, who was not at yesterday’s briefing was said to be bereaved and out of Abuja.

He was represented at the meeting by Asabe Bashir, who is representing Dambia/ Gwoza/Chibok Federal constituency of Borno State.

She said: “He has sent in his

unreserved apology for his inability to attend this press conference.

“He is bereaved; he lost a brother yesterday in Borno and he had to travel to attend the funeral. The idea of this press conference came up after he already left. So, he called the leadership of the Loyalist Group and apologised for his inability to attend this press conference. And to buttress his point, he called me here to represent him.”

Efforts to contact him and the Spokesman for Consolidation Group, Abdulmumin Jibrin, on phone failed.

The Loyalists Group, however, stated that its stance on the crisis was meant to prevent the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from taking over the National Assembly and subverting the anti-corruption fight of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Spokesman of the group Nasiru Sani Zangon Daura said the connivance and unholy alliance of disloyal 39 APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members was capable of derailing the anti-corruption fight of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“We hereby sincerely accept the apology made by Hon. MT Monguno for being misled into attending the press conference organised by Speaker Dogara’s group yesterday (Saturday).

“We are also cognisant that in politics, there are always the subversive activities and antics of fifth columnist in any political movement to content with.

“We are also aware that this unholy alliance is a bid to truncate President Buhari’s agenda, which include his anti-corrup-

tion stance by using the National Assembly to, at the very minimum, slow it down, if they cannot stop this presidential initiative dead cold.

“We know that this unholy agreement between the disloyal Dogara group and the PDP entail the deployment of PDP members and the disloyal APC group in strategic positions in the structures and committees of the House.

“The purpose of this strategic deployment is to enable the PDP to indirectly dictate the pace and activities of the National Assembly to the detriment of our party’s goals and objectives.

“President Buhari has stated severally and just recently at the party’s NEC meeting that party decisions are supreme. We stand by him.

“We also note the APC National Executive Committee (NEC) position concurring with the above statement of the president. We stand by our party.

“We also need to state that the APC Governors Forum appointed mediation and reconciliation committee under the leadership of Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal held meeting in the Sokoto State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro and at the conclusion of that meeting with the APC Loyalist group, it was resolved together with the governor that he will meet us again for a second meeting after he would have met with the Speaker Dogara group.

“This second meeting between Governor Tambuwal and our group is yet to take place. “

PDP accuses Buhari of seeking $2.1b World Bank loan

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HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of seeking a $2.1 billion loan from the World Bank “for purposes unknown to Nigerians”.

The party challenged Buhari to explain the terms and projects for which the alleged loan was being sought, even as it called for the publication of details of public expenditure by the twomonth old administration.

At a news conference in Abuja yesterday, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP,

From Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja

Chief Olisa Metuh, alleged that the Presidency was acting alone in the alleged loan arrangement.

“What is the loan for? What are the terms and who are those working the papers? Who are the people to decide on how the money will be spent? Is it true that the $2.1 billion loan is meant to pay back huge contributions for the APC presidential campaign expenses?

“If truly this government is transparent, it should come out

clear on this loan as well as publicise details of its expenditure in the last two months.

“This is more so as we have information that the Presidency acting alone, has gone into discussions with the World Bank for a loan of $2.1 billion for purposes unknown to Nigerians”, Metuh stated.

The party expressed worry over what it described as “ineptitude, avoidable inactivity, lack of policy direction and absence of ministers” to coordinate government affairs.

These, the PDP said, had left

the nation’s economy sour with continued slide in the naira, which it said has fallen from under N200 to the dollar in May to an all time low of N240, “in addition to the excruciating loss in the capital market, which has lost over N1.1 trillion in the last two months”.

The party predicted more economic losses for the country and doom for the “gains earlier achieved by the PDP administration in growing the economy to the biggest in Africa and one of the fastest growing in the world”.

•From Left: Representative of Central Bank of Nigeria Alhaji Adamu Mohammed; officials of Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA): vice president Mr. Emma Nwankpa, Director General Sir Emeka Okereke and vice president (Works) Mr. Nonye Osakwe at ECCIMA Forum in Enugu ...yesterday PHOTO:NAN

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

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NEWS •From left: Former Chairman, Saki East Local Government, Muda Ogunsola; Guest, Tunde Bello; Head Girl, Toyibat Anifowose; Head Boy Kamali Adeola; Guest Lecturer, Amao Alaga and the Director, Mimbar Children School, Akinwale Akinlabi at a lecture marking the school’s recognition day in Ibadan… yesterday

Ilaje water project for inauguration

Judge decries discontinuation of trial O

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HERE is discontent in the Ekiti State judiciary, following the discontinuance of trial of three persons charged with the murder of Mrs. Rebecca Adewumi in Omuo-Ekiti in 2012.

The late Mrs. Adewumi was hacked to death by a gang of youths, known as Imekula, which claimed that she was a witch.

The suspected killers were believed to be acting on the orders of some prominent individuals.

Mrs. Adewumi was accused of using sorcery to “torment” her stepson, Ola, who later died of an undisclosed ailment.

Three persons were arraigned at an Ado-Ekiti High Court for their alleged complicity in the murder.

They are Chief Olatunbosun Orojo, the Olisa of Ilisa

From Odunayo Ogunmola, Ado-Ekiti

Quarters, Omuo, Mrs. Ademola Adewumi and Feranmi Abe. Trial was at an advanced stage when judiciary workers went on strike. After suspension of the six-month strike, a Notice of Discontinuance was issued by the Office of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice.

The Notice of Discontinuance was backed by a letter from a representative of the deceased’s family, Gabriel Omokanju.

The move to halt the case displeased the judge, Justice Monisola Oluwatoyin Abodunde, who said although the accused “are discharged, they are not acquitted.”

She said: “You are hereby discharged but not acquitted.

You are discharged not on the basis of the merit of the case.”

Justice Abodunde said the court was aware of the powers of the Attorney General under Section 2(11) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, to discontinue cases at whatever stage, noting that she would not tamper with such (powers) as exercised in the case.

According to her, the move to settle the matter out-of-court came when the case had reached an advanced stage as both the prosecution and the defence had closed their cases and 10 witnesses had been called and cross-examined.

She regretted that the exercise of such prerogative by the attorney general at such an advanced stage when judgment was being awaited only meant a waste of time and resources of the court, which would also affect expected returns to the National Judi-

cial Council (NJC).

Justice Bodunde observed there should be a stage in the trial of a case after which such powers could not be exercised by the attorney general, hinting at possibilities of initiating moves to cause such limitations to further sanitise the judicial processes.

The state’s counsel, Paul Alabi, told the court about the Notice of Discontinuance and the supporting family letter.

Alabi, prayed the court that, based on the two documents, the accused should be discharged, as both the prosecution and defence had closed their case.

He apologised for the stress and the time expended by the court on the matter.

The defence counsel, Lekan Olatawura, supporting the prayer of the prosecution counsel, urged the court to discharge and acquit the accused persons.

Buhari, Ambode, Atiku greet Odusile

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RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Abdulwaheed Odusile, on his electoral victory.

President Buhari said with his credentials, experience and antecedents as a highly respected and reputable professional, Odusile could be expected to lift the NUJ to greater heights.

The President, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, assured Odusile and the newly elected executive officers of the Federal Government’s cooperation.

He assured the NUJ President and all journalists that his administration will consistently uphold their right to perform their duty without hindrance.

“The President looks forward to working with Odusile, the NUJ executives and media practitioners as the Federal Government strives to end Boko Haram, improve national security, rebuild and expand national infrastructure, accelerate the pace of economic development and create more jobs.

“President Buhari wishes

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

Odusile and others a very successful tenure in the service of their profession and country.”

Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Habib Aruna, praised the peaceful and democratic process that preceded Odusile’s victory.

The governor urged him to ensure that professionalism and high ethical standards are entrenched in the practice of journalism.

“I congratulate you on the singular felicity of your emergence as the NUJ Presiden.

“I urge you to work assiduously to improve the professional standard for the practice of journalism and also ensure that high ethical standards are adhered to.

“This is the only way to ensure credibility in journalism as the Fourth Estate of the realm,”the governor said.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, in a statement by his media office in Abuja, said the timing of Odusile’s emergence was signifi-

cant and momentous.

The former Vice President urged him to endeavour to key into the desire of the people for Change and good governance.

Atiku urged him to lead the NUJ to support the Federal Government’s anti- corruption campaign.

He said Nigerians need probity and transparency in public life, noting that the anticorruption campaign would register success, if journalists embrace the campaign and use their profession to further the government’s goals.

Osun Assembly committee summons judge

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NINE-member investigative committee of the Osun State House of Assembly has summoned Justice Folahanmi Oloyede to appear before it tomorrow.

Justice Oleyede, in a petition, alleged that Governor Rauf Aregbesola and his deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, misappropriated public fund.

The judge is seeking the impeachment of Aregbesola and Laoye-Tomori.

She is expected to appear before the committee to substantiate the allegations raised in her petition.

A letter to the petitioner

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

signed by the committee’s chairman, Akintunde Adegboye, who is also the Deputy Speaker, reads: “You are to appear before the committee constituted by the Speaker, Najeem Salaam, saddled with the responsibility to investigate the allegations raised in your petition.

“And you are enjoined to appear with your evidences to substantiate the allegations.”

The chairman warned that protesters would not be tol-

erated within the Assembly premises.

He added that no troublemaker would be allowed to disrupt the peace of the state.

Other members of the committee include the Majority Leader, Timothy Owoeye, Oladoyin Olayinka, Afolabi Olalekan, Adeleke Ogunsola, Gbola Adebayo and Akinola Olasunkani.

The technical assistants are the House’s Director of Legal Services, Kayode Titiloye and the Director of Legislative Management, Simeon Akinwale Amunsan.

NDO State Governor Olusegun Mimiko will tomorrow inaugurate the first phase of the N4billion water project in Aboto, Ilaje Local Government Area.

The project involves the building of two million gallons per day of raw water intake and treatment facilities.

Commissioner for Information Kayode Akinmade, in a statement, yesterday said the contract is in two parts- pipe laying and water main section at Aboto.

The statement reads: “The pipe laying will cover 45.5kilometres. Declaring that the project will take a new dimen-

sion, the statement hinted that 10 kilometres of the pipe laying have been completed by the contractors.

“The water project will take a new dimension. It involves the building of two million gallons per day raw water intake and treatment facilities and laying of 45.6 kilometres water rising main on Igbokoda-Ugbonla road.”

Mimiko is expected to inspect the rehabilitation and overlay work on the 33.48 kilometres Igbokoda-Ubgonla road.

He is also billed to inaugurate a N 1.97million, 1.7km concrete walk way bridge in Bolowo.

Award for Ekwueme, Euba, others

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HE Nation Assistant Editor (Arts), Mr. Ozolua Uhakheme, will on Wednesday, be honoured with an award of excellence by the Department of Creative Arts, University of Lagos.

This followed his contributions to the development and growth of its Centre for Cultural Studies (now Department of Creative Arts).

A statement by the depwithalongside scholars, like Prof E.J Alagoa, Prof Laz Ekwueme, Prof Akin Euba, Prof Abayomi Barber, Prof Dele Jegede, Prof Sherifdeen Adetoro, Prof A.V.E Mereni.

Others are the late Prof Bode Osanyin, Prof Ebun Clark and

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•The Nation man Ozolua too Prof Duro Oni, Demola Olayiwola, Yemisi Shyllon, Dr Bruce Onobrakpeya and the General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries, Dr Daniel Olukoya.

Also to be honoured are the former Editor, The Guardian on Sunday, Jahman Anikulapo, Chioma Okpara, Tajudeen Sowole and Tolu Lamidi.

The event, to hold at the department’s Creative Arts Theatre, near Faculty of Social Sciences, by 1pm, is part of the department’s grand celebration, tagged: Reunion and award ceremony.

236 medicine stores shut

HE Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) in Ekiti State has sealed off 236 pharmacies and stores for contravening its regulations.

They were shut down by PCN officers in Ado-Ekiti and other communities.

PCN’s Deputy Director and Head of Enforcement Stephen Esumobi decried the increasing number of illegal drug shops in Ekiti State.

He urged the people to pur-

From Odunayo Ogunmola, Ado-Ekiti

chase their drugs from licensed pharmacies and patent medicine vendors.

Esumobi said of the 240 shops visited, only four were given a clean bill.

According to him, the raid was not to make people redundant or create unnecessary panic, but to ensure compliance to rules, particularly on proper registration.

‘Corrupt officials’ll be punished’

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HE Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE) has said it will apply anti-graft law in dealing with erring operatives.

Director of Operations Seni Ogunyemi gave this warning at a monthly management meeting in Abeokuta.

He said:”You should be

careful of any act that could tarnish the corps image, rather be disciplined and dedicated to duty.

“Hardworking and dedicated men and officers would be rewarded appropriately. Be prompt in sending information concerning your operations to the headquarters for necessary action.”

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

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NEWS NSCDC arrests suspected vandal From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

THE Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Osun State has arrested a man, Ahmed Abdulahi, for allegedly stealing cables from the transformer at the Ekoinde Waterworks in Irepodun Local Government Area.

Parading the suspect, the Commandant, Tajudeen Balogun, said his men also arrested “buyers” of the stolen cables- Salisu Abubakar, Usman Mohammed and Badmus Musiliu.

Balogun said two suspected vandals were caught stealing the cables but his men arrested only one. The other escaped.

He said Abdulahi led the NSCDC team to where one of the buyers was arrested.

Balogun added that the two other buyers were apprehended after the first buyer mentioned their names as accomplices.

He said: “Two suspects went to the waterworks at Ekoeinde and vandalised the cables attached to the transformer, which powers the station.

“Our men were alerted and they arrested one of them. The other escaped.

“This has been going on but we are determined to stop this.

“There is no way the waterworks can pump water because the cables which are expected to supply electricity to the place were vandalised.

“The suspects will be charged to court after conclusion of investigations.”

I’ll not be distracted, says Aregbesola

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SUN State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has said his administration remains focused in its commitment to improving the state’s fortune, despite the calculated efforts of adversaries.

The governor spoke at a parley with the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) on its 42nd Annual General Meeting at the Government House in Osogbo, the state capital.

He said at this critical stage of the nation’s economy, all hands must be on deck to ensure that the “ailing economy” is healed, rather than making a governor the scapegoat.

Aregbesola said it was unfortunate that the country found itself in the present economic doldrums, adding that the situation must be seen by all as a national problem.

He vowed not to be distracted in the provision of social welfare programmes for the people, adding that Osun has the highest development index in the country, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The governor said Osun was next to Niger in the poverty reduction index released by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2012.

He said, “As horrifying as the picture our opposition has been painting to you of our people, I am sure that you would have noticed that all what they are saying do

•Aregbesola (left) presenting the state emblem to Nwosu and his deputy, Kayode Oluwasona.

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

not reflect in the faces of the accommodating people you see around.

“You will have also noticed that Osun is one of the best places to be in Nigeria.

Osun had the highest development index in Nigeria in 2012.

“The Bureau equally said we are next to Niger in the poverty reduction index and we would have been above Niger because the large chunk of Niger’s rating was influenced because of its boundary with Abuja and others.

“Social welfare pro-

grammes, such as our Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES), have impacted 40,000 youths so much that the World Bank is ready to partner any state on our model.

“We have also embarked on feeding our school children through OMEAL programme. The programme has increased school enrolment, it has also employed 3,009 women.”

Aregbesola described detractors who condemned the state’s airport project as illinformed, saying on the strength of the historical relevance of the project alone, it should have earned his administration kudos.

He regretted that critics merely looked at the surface without looking at the abundant opportunities that lay ahead for the state.

“To those who condemn our airport initiative, I want to tell them that the history of aviation in this part of the world started from IdoOsun. And the building of the airport did not even start with our administration but the one before us.

“With this historical issue, it is up to us to continue with what the previous administration started.

“It will not take time to develop the airport to an aircraft maintenance hub in Af-

Car loans for 623 civil servants

Ekiti PDP factional chairmen trade words

EKITI State Governor Ayodele Fayose has approved the disbursement of car loans to 623 civil servants.

Commissioner for Finance Toyin Ojo said the loans, which range from N80,000 to N1.5 million, depended on the salary grade level of the beneficiaries.

The commissioner added that the loan would be disbursed in a single tranche. He promised that another batch of beneficiaries would be announced before December.

HE leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State has taken a dramatic turn with 11 of the 14 State Working Committee (SWC) members saying they would not leave the party despite their differences with Governor Ayo Fayose.

The party is polarised into two. The Fayose-backed faction has Idowu Faleye as chairman.

The other faction, to which the 11 SWC members belong, has Tunde Olatunde as chairman.

Olatunde, at a briefing at the weekend, claimed that Faleye’s name was not in the party’s register.

But Faleye said he would not join issues with Olatunde, maintaining that he is the recognised party chair both at the state and national levels.

Communities to monitor projects THE Chairman of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) State Implementation Committee in Ekiti State, Dipo Anisulowo, has said supervision and monitoring of government projects remain major factors in ensuring that projects are implemented and delivered on time.

Anisulowo spoke in AdoEkiti when members of the House of Assembly Committee on Due Process, MDGs and Multilateral Relations visited him.

He said as critical stakeholders the lawmakers and the host communities would be involved in the monitoring of MDGs projects.

The chief of staff to the governor pledged the full cooperation of the MDGs Office to the Committee.

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•Fayose’s protégé chairman’s name not on party register From Odunayo Ogunmola, Ado Ekiti

Olatunde debunked rumours that eight SWC members planned to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Olatunde, who was joined at the briefing by the Secretary, Tope Aluko and State Auditor, Tunji Olanrewaju, maintained that Faleye could not claim the party’s chairmanship as he had been suspended.

He said the strained relationship with Fayose stemmed from the time he made Faleye, a returnee, the chairman in flagrant disobedience to the PDP’s constitution, among other alleged infractions.

Olatunde said: “I want to emphatically say that Faleye

is parading himself illegally as the state chairman. He is a labour unionist and not recognised as the party leader.

Though, he could be recognised as a chairman in the Government House.

“Faleye is not a registered member of our party. The constitution stipulates certain conditions that you must meet before you can be a state chairman.

“He is from Ido Osi Ward 1 that had produced the youth leader. So, it is unconstitutional for a ward to produce two exco members and for a non-registered person to be elected an officer of a ward, let alone a state.”

Faleye, in a telephone chat yesterday, said he had been performing his official functions as the chairman, includ-

ing leading state caucuses to meetings at the national level.

He said: “We don’t need to join issues with them, they were not recognised at the last meeting at the national secretariat.

“If my name is not in the register as they claim, how come I am the one leading party officials to meetings at the national level. We held a meeting at the headquarters last week and we are having NEC meeting next week and I will lead our delegation there.

“All I know is that I am the recognised chairman at the state level and I am the recognised chairman at the national level. I don’t want to join issues with Olatunde and his group.”

Why we banned Okada in Akure, by SSG

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HE Ondo State government at the weekend suspended the operations of commercial motorcyclists, popularly called Okada, in Akure, the state capital.

This followed last Thursday’s protest by motorcyclists over alleged government policies.

A statement by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Rotimi Adelola, said no commercial motorcycle would be allowed on major roads in Akure.

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

The affected roads include Adesida Road to Oyemekun to FUTA South Gate and all adjoining routes, federal secretariat to state secretariat to NEPA Junction, Arakale Road to Army Barracks and all adjoining routes.

Also affected are Oda Town to state secretariat and all adjoining roads, FUTA North Gate to Shasha and all adjoining roads, Fiwasaye Road to Agbogbo,

Oba Ile to Mobil- Fiwasaye Roundabout, Cash Hold to Adofure, State High Court to Hospital Roundabout to Oshinle and many others.

The government also suspended ticketing of commercial motorcycle operators across the state.

The statement said to get to the root of the protest, the government has set up an investigative panel, and any unregistered commercial motorcycle would be impounded.

Adelola lamented that

some civil servants were assaulted and locked in or out of their places of work.

“It is unbelievable that men who carry out their daily businesses unmolested in the capital city can wantonly molest others and destroy government property, all in the name of a protest.

“Protests, government knows, are legitimate means of expressing grievances. Destructive protests are, however, way beyond what is permissible in any civilised society.”

rica. We only have just three aircraft maintenance hangers in Africa. We need not go to Europe or America to get our aircraft maintained.

“All we need to attract that business is to develop the facility that we have in IdoOsun. We have signed an agreement with two firms, knowing that aircraft maintenance business is a moneyspinning investment.”

AAAN President Kelechi Nwosu praised the governor for patronising only qualified advertising agencies.

He said the state was a nice place to be in with its accommodating people and tourism sites.

‘Be patient with Buhari’ From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

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HE Spiritual Head of Mercy Prayer Ministry, Prophet Moses Muyideen Kasali, has urged Nigerians to be patient with the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Addressing the congregation at the ministry’s auditorium at Ojedeji, Moniya, Ibadan, Kasali cautioned party leaders and elders against greed and imposition on the President.

He said: “Now that the Federal Government has agreed to ‘bailout’ the states, it is pertinent for governors to use the money for the intended purpose.

“The crisis in the National Assembly is a carryover of the old order. It was caused by the fact that we have murdered merit.

“We don’t follow merit again. That is why all these internal wranglings are rearing their heads. In a gathering of men, three types of people exist - the prime movers, the lackadaisical and the destroyers.

And this is where credible leadership comes in.

“It is sad that today, most of these politicians are after what they can rake from the system. What our politicians today are practising is Timocracy not democracy.

Timocracy is a governance philosophy where people are drafted into governance as a result of the spoils of office.”

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

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CITYBEATS

CITYBEATS LINE: 09091178827

Three held for ‘diversion’ of N39.4m drugs

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HREE persons have been arrested by the police for allegedly diverting and stealing a 40-foot container containing $200,000 (about N39.4m) worth of drugs belonging to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The suspects are Emmanuel Onyike, 51, Alabi Daudu, 68, and Paul Aina, 58. About 500 cartons of the drugs were recovered from them.

Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Zone II Onikan, Lagos Joseph Mbu said the suspects were nabbed following a June 15 petition by Bankole Michael.

Mbu said the complaint claimed that he gave the contract of transporting the drugs to Adeogo Transport logistics, represented by one Adeoye Shina. But the manager and the driver allegedly diverted the drugs to an unknown destination and disappeared instead of delivering them at the Society of Family Health (SFH) Warehouse in Sango-Ota, Ogun State.

Mbu said suspects were arrested by the Zonal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) operatives, who through intensive phone tracking and intelligence gathering got Onyike on July 18 at Ikorodu.

During interrogation, the suspects confessed and mentioned Paul and Alabi who were arrested on June 20 by X-Squad operatives.

Other members of the syndicate include Babawale, Ikechukwu, Shola and Alhaji. Onyike led the ZSARS team to a warehouse located at Igando where 500 cartons of the diverted drugs were recovered.

Onyike, an amputee said: “It was this Alabi and one Babawale still at large that lied to me that they wanted to carry batteries to somewhere and begged me to help find a vehicle that would convey the

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HE era of indefinite blackout because of equipment breakdown is over, Assistant General Manager, Public Affairs, Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) Plc, Mr Pekun Adeyanju has said.

Adeyanju spoke with The Nation last Saturday following the replacement of a faulty transformer servicing Odogbolu and Oseni streets, among others, in Palmgrove, Lagos.

Residents are excited because power supply has improved since the transformer was replaced two

16 hoodlums arrested in Ijora HE Rapid Response Squad (RRS) has arrested 16 persons described as social miscreants in Ijora, Lagos.

RRS Commander Olatunji Disu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), said their arrest was part of the security outfit’s ongoing efforts to rid the state of criminals. The suspects are: Uguru Michael, Nwibo Solomon, Adamau Muhammed, Lawal Ibrahim, Dairu Muhammed, Igboke Ndoka, Gambo Garuba, Orife Phillips, Wasiu Bojuola, Azeez Adeboye, Saeed Ojuola, Abdullai Usman, Okudete Nwaokwu, Ezekiel Nwayim, Chibozie Nworu and Nwegone Mathew.

Disu said the raid followed complaints on the activities of hoodlums, who have been terrorising residents.

“We received complaints from residents and business owners and officers from the RRS were deployed to comb the area and the result was the arrest of the 16 people,” he said.

Disu added: “The exercise will be continuous. The state government is determined to rid the state of criminals and create an environment for peaceful co-existence among residents and business owners.

“The raid will not be limited to Ijora; we have had it in Oshodi and we are going to ensure that every part of Lagos is covered in the renewed fight against criminals; in Lagos, criminals have no hiding place.”

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•The suspects

By Ebele Boniface

batteries. I trusted him (Babawale) not knowing that he had another thing in mind.

“When I confronted him to know why he lied to me, he told me that the driver he wanted to carry the batteries disappointed them. They said they had another thing to divert in the wharf and I helped them to contact one Alhaji who provided a truck for them.

They promised to share the money according to how one participated, unfortunately the ZSARS operatives struck and arrested them while the gang member called Sesan who supposed to sell the diverted or stolen goods for them ran away when he heard that police had struck. It was Alabi and Babawale who changed the plate number of the truck to beat security checks on the road. This is the

third time I participated in diversion work because I don’t see it as a crime because no application of force was involved.

“The first time I followed them, we diverted PVC chemical (which is used to produce plastic containers). The second one was diversion of juice which they told me was gotten from auction. We used to sell empty containers for between N120, 000 and N130,000 after selling the content.

Alabi, a father of six, said he helps armed robbers or car snatchers to sell stolen goods.

Aina said he is a supplier of petrol chemical product at Apapa.

He said: “I did not know that they were thieves. They told me to provide a driver for them. I called one driver named Ramoni but he stole battery from a nearby company and the gang rejected him so he would not spoil their

plan to divert drugs. They did not give me a dime. This is my second time I followed them to do diverting work. The first one was diverting long pipes. When we were arrested, I spent six months in Kirikiri Prison. I swore that I would never follow them to rob or do diverting work again but hunger and financial constraint made me to listen to them. Alabi invited me and told me that they needed a good driver. When I found one, he started drinking to the point that he got drunk and they rejected him so I had to follow them so that they would not see me as the one that would spoil the work. They gave me N38,000 to look for another driver but I consumed the money. I had to follow them to cover up but we were unsuccessful because SARS operatives arrested us. Tell police to forgive me, I will not do it again.”

New transformer excites residents

By Basirat Braimah

weeks ago.

“The residents have every reason to be excited at the timely replacement of the equipment because many still believe that the status quo remains in our operations. But all that has gradually changed since over a year ago when the privatisation of electricity distribution took place. To us at IKEDC, the consumer is king. The time when faults were left unattended to is

over; this is a new order which consumers must be alive to.

“The transformer in question would have been replaced much earlier if not for the fact that we realised that a bigger one would be needed to service the affected people in the area. And as soon as it was available, we did the needful. This is the spirit that we operate with and which consumers must realise,” Adeyanju said.

He urged consumers not to

tamper with equipment in their domains, advising them to give prompt information on any fault that could disrupt electricity distribution in their areas.

“Although, our monitoring teams are always on their toes, consumers will make us serve them better if they can make information about any fault available to us without delay. It is our avowed commitment to prevent consumers’ agonies,” he added.

•Executive Secretary of Oshodi-isolo Local Government, Dawood Adeola Olajobi (second left) and Mrs Christiana Faleye (in cap) clearing drains during the last environmental sanitation in Oshodi. With them is Council Manager, Mr. Kola Hundeyin (fifth left) and other council officials.

Group donates to libraries

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LAGOS based nongovernmental organization (NGO), Hope and Dreams Initiative, has embarked on creating reading rooms in public schools nationwide.

Its founder and coordinator, Nguzo Ogbodo, said the current drive is aimed at improving the reading culture of school children and raising awareness through the creation of those rooms.

“We are in Warri, Delta State at the moment. From here, we will be going to other States on our next visit. This body was founded in 2011 when I came home for Nigerian Law with my kids. When I told my six years old then who loves to read that there’s no children’s library, she couldn’t believe it.

She demanded that I call my friends, raise and build a library for the children in the community we lived in. That was how it all started,” she said.

Hope and Dreams Initiative, she said, intends to campaign for the girl-child education “because we believe that when you educate a young girl, you have empowered her whole generation.

“What we do is that we ask for a room and we equip them with age appropriate books and materials. We are open to any States that wants to build a children’s library. Our main goal is to have a children’s library in every State. We get our books from an organisation in New York, USA,” Ogbodo added.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

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CITYBEATS

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Court saves seven-year marriage

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•Dr Adebule (second right) with (from left) Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment, Hakeem Ogunbambi; Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainge Services, Ayodeji Adenekan and and Head of Service, Mrs Folashade Jaji... at the weekend

Stop blocking canals, deputy governor tells residents L AGOS State Deputy Governor, Dr Idiat Adebule has urged residents to desist from dumping refuse in canals and drainage. Such “indecent” acts, she said, cause flooding when it rains and pose danger to government’s and others investment.

Mrs Adebule, after monitoring the monthly environmental sanitation at Ojo Local Government, expressed her displeasure at the state of canals within the council.

She lamented that residents were fond of dumping refuse in canals within the council.

This, she noted, had blocked the free flow of water, thereby causing environmental hazards and flooding.

“Today, we are here at Ojo Local Government and it is

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

disheartening that our people are still in the habit of dumping refuse in the canals and as we have noted, this is the reason why almost all the canals are blocked, despite all our previous efforts and intervention here. Our people must desist from doing this; they are mostly affected by problems caused by such acts and government is also worried that funds that are supposed to be channelled to other developmental projects are used to clear canals and drainage all the time,” Mrs Adebule said.

She continued: “Our people usually blame government for flooding dur-

ing the rain, but it is important we understand that we are the major cause of these things. The government had cleared most of these canals here in the recent past, yet today, we are faced with the same problem and challenge of blocked drainage and canals and as usual, government is expected to clear them again”.

The Deputy Governor said public enlightenment and sensitisation would be increased to educate the people on the dangers of improper refuse disposal and the need to obey environmental laws for their own safety and well being.

She said government agencies, Community Development Committee (CDC) and Community De-

Passenger arrested smoking on Arik London flight

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IRPORT policemen have arrested Lawal Oluwabusola for smoking on board on Arik Air Flight from London to Lagos.

A statement by Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Airport Command Livinus Chukwuma said the man was apprehended on arrival at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

According to Chukwuma, the suspect went to smoke in the lava-

•Another caught ‘stealing’ $1,400

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

tory, triggering off the emergency alarm system and causing confusion among passengers.

The PPRO said the suspect’s action negated the in-flight safety procedures.

Chukwuma said the suspect has been arraigned in court in accordance with Section 2(1) of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria

(FAAN) bye law 2005 and Section 166(1) (d) of the criminal law of Lagos State.

The police also arrested another man for stealing $1,400 from a female passenger scheduled to fly on Air France.

Chukwuma said the passenger was resting on a couch in Gabfol lounge at MMIA waiting to board the flight when she forgot her purse containing the cash.

Council gives out free uniforms, books

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gege Local Government in Lagos State has donated uniforms and exercise books to pupils of primary and junior secondary schools in the council area.

Its Executive Secretary, Omofunmilayo Adejombo, said the gesture was a follow-up to the promise he made at the inception of his administration while on a tour of some of the primary schools in the area.

“I promised to make available uniforms and writing materials to our pupils then.

Ever since, my administration had been devising ways to actualise the promise despite our lean purse,” he said at the presentation.

Adejombo, a lawyer, said the gesture was to assist parents and guardians of indigent students who cannot afford to provide such

basic necessities to their children and wards.

The council boss said it is heart-rending to see the economic poverty of the people so evident in the appearance of many of the pupils.

While appreciating the efforts of the teachers, especially their commitment to raising the children, Adejombo charged them to help the children a bit further by encouraging them to have faith in themselves.

He added that despite their indigent background, they can still rise above all challenges to make a breakthrough in life.

“The courage and confidence imbued in these children at this stage would go a long way to assist them in having a strong platform on which to build a rewarding future,” Adejombo said.

velopment Associations (CDAs) would be empowered to relay the message to others and ensure that everyone protects the environment.

The monitoring team visited Ojo-Igbede, Mogaji, Ifelodun, Alaba International Market and Ajagbandi area of the local government.

LAGOS Island Customary Court in Lagos has saved the seven-year-old marriage of Mr and Mrs Taiwo Dallas.

The judges, it was learnt, reconciled the couple after a mediation.

The petitioner, Mrs Monsurat Dallas, a 39-yearold businesswoman, had accused her husband of not trusting her.

She said: "When we got married, he rented an apartment for me in Ajah where I lived with his son, one of his workers and a maid but still he didn't trust me or my movements. He also told me he was done with his first wife but few months after our union, they reconciled but they lived separately.”

Mrs Dallas said she moved to where her husband lives but that didn't change anything.

Her husband, she said, was fond of beating her, adding: "There was a day he beat me mercilessly and I reported to his twin brother but he didn't say what I wanted to hear at that moment. I was once admitted in the hospital because of the beating.

"He took our first son away from me when he was barely four-years old to live with his first wife and this is the woman I am not on good terms with.

As I speak, my son lives with them," she added.

The petitioner said her family once tried to reconcile them but her husband said he was no longer interested in the

By Basirat Braimah

marriage.

She said: "Since he openly said that he doesn't need me anymore, I moved on. In fact, I now live with another man whom I intend to marry. I also don't need him anymore."

The 48-year-old Dallas said he married her because she got pregnant few weeks after they met through a friend.

Dallas, a thrift collector (aka alajo) said:"The reason I rented a comfortable apartment for her was because she almost terminated the pregnancy. I just didn't trust her because there was a day I visited my house and I was hinted by neighbours that a particular man visited her whenever I was away from home even if I never saw the man."

The respondent said he took their son from her because she wasn't taking proper care of him, adding that she doesn't listen to him.

He said: "She had left the house I rented for her and I had no choice than to take our son with me to my previous wife's place. At times, she came home at odd hours drunk."

Mr Dallas said the only time he beat his wife was when she refused to sweep the house, adding that he slapped her when she almost dipped her fingers into his eyes.

The court's President, Chief Awos Awosola, urged the couple to maintain peace always.

"I plead with you both to go home and continue in love and peace,'' he said.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

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NEWS

•National President Association of Water Drillers and Rig-Owners Practitioners (AWDROP), Mr. Michael Ale (middle), Alhaji Ishola Quadri, Youth Leader Oyo State Wing (sixth left) and Akinmoladun Kehinde, Chief Whip (fourth right) when members visited the National President in his office in Ibadan, the state capital.

Eight die mysteriously in Akwa Ibom river

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IGHT people died mysterious in a river at Ikot Abia-Enyie in Nsit Atai Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, it was learnt yesterday.

The Nation gathered that eight pupils, who were returning from school in Ikot Abia-Enyie in Nsit Atai Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, drowned in the Atang River.

Atang River divides Ikot Abia-Enyie village into two; with all the facilities in the area - a health centre, a primary and a secondary school, located on the other side of the river.

Besides the eight pupils, a pregnant woman was also said to have died in the river.

The pregnant woman, it was learnt, was trying to make her way back from the health centre.

Chairman of the village council Chief Etop Umanah, who conducted reporters round the area, said the pupils drowned following the downpour which led to the river overflowing its bank.

Umanah said it was the custom to wait for the pupils and women at the bank of the river during the schools’ closing hours whenever there was downpour.

He explained that it was unfortunate that before the men from the village could get to the river to rescue the

From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

pupils, the water had carried them away.

According to Umanah, the bodies of the pupils were recovered three days after.

He added that in the preceding year three pupils and a pregnant woman died in the same river, noting that as the pupils tried to come back from school, the pregnant woman was trying to make her way back from the health centre.

His words: “This village, Abia-Enyie lost eight children to Atang River this year as they were returning from school following a downpour which aided the river to overflow its bank. Last year, we lost three pupils and a pregnant woman in the same manner.

“The village is one village; it is split by this river. All the facilities of this village – a health centre, a primary and a secondary school are all situated at the other side of the river. We cannot stop the children from going to school.”

Speaking during the inspection of some facilities in the rural area, Commissioner of Rural Development Mr. Ekong Sampson told reporters that the Akwa Ibom State government was ready to end the deaths associated with Atang River.

NNS Delta: we’ll hunt illegal refineries’ operators

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HE Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta has said it will not stop hunting operators of illegal refineries.

Its Commander, Commodore Aliyu Sule, who spoke with reporters on a recent demolition, said the anti-oil theft operation had destroyed about 13 refineries in Egbokodo and Kantu communities, in Warri South and Warri South/ West council areas.

Speaking at the weekend, Commodore Sule added that three illegal refineries, one wooden boat laden with suspected crude oil were destroyed in Egbokodo.

In Kantu, 10 illegal refineries, two pumping machines, five tents and over 20 metallic and plastic drums filled with illegally refined diesel and other products were also burnt.

Attributing failure to apprehend perpetrators of illegal refineries to poor in-

From Bolaji Ogundele, Warri

telligence, Commodore Sule noted that there was need to “change our tactics to get active intelligence...”

The Commander said: “If you get to a place and you can’t effect arrest for prosecution, you destroy it. At Kantu in Warri South West LGA, we destroyed about 10 illegal refineries. I understand there are more there.

We shall go back there.

“The illegal refineries degrade the environment terribly. If you were in Warri on Tuesday, there was one tick smoke all over as if there was going to be rain. It was the handiwork of illegal refiners. The aquatic life of the environment is being affected. It’s obvious when you get to those locations.”

Also, the NNS Delta paraded four suspected illegallyrefined fuel marketers arrested at the old Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), Warri.

No state has got ‘bailout’ cash yet, says Oshiomhole

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DO State Governor Adams Oshiomhole yesterday said no state had received the ‘bailout’ cash yet.

He also said President Muhammadu Buhari was sad that some states could not pay salaries, adding that Buhari would deal with challenges.

Oshiomhole spoke to reporters at Sabongida-Ora in Owan West Local Government Area after attending a reception in honour of Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase.

He explained President Buhari did not want to preside over a country whose workers were not paid salaries.

According to him, “who gets what has to be a matter

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

of creativity, of priority and of proper costing and prudent management. The good news is that the President is there to stand by us beyond cash giving.”

Oshiomhole added: “Nobody has got any dime but there is always a time lag between when you conceptualise a solution, when you reach a conclusion and when it begins to manifest. No governor has got any money under the bailout but we are working together to see that it is done in a way that the benefit is a target group.

“The media has been occupied with bailout. There are conversations going on between the governors and the

federal authorities and President Buhari has been positive in recognising that he doesn’t want to preside over a country whose workers are not paid.”

Oshiomhole, who also spoke about Buhari’s trip to the United States of America, said Nigerians would start seeing the benefit within the next 18 months.

He said: “Our visit was beautiful. I think in the history of our country, America has not felt the amount of warmth with a President. I have not seen an American President talking in the manner President Obama did.

When a President says to you in the next 18 months, use me; we will go as far as you al-

low us to go because we recognise that if Nigeria’s problems are solved, the African continent will be stable. We fix Nigeria; we have fixed Africa.

“The world, using President Obama’s language, believes that our President is a man of integrity. It is about integrity. Once the people do not trust you It does not matter what your intentions are but if they trust you, they are more likely to follow you through challenges to claim ownership of the public policy you introduced in order to deal with the problems that confront us. Obama said they want to do less talking and more actions. The visit was good for Nigeria.”

Rivers APC: Wike in panic over Buhari’s probe

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HE Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said Governor Nyesom Wike is in panic over President Muhammadu Buhari’s readiness to probe the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

The party, in a statement by its spokesman, Chris Finebone, said Wike should not be afraid if he did not soil his hand as minister of state for education.

The statement reads: “It has come to the attention of the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), that the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike and his party, the PDP have been thrown into panic mode since President, Muhammadu Buhari dropped the hint that corrupt ministers and officials of the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan would be probed.

“As part of the cauldron of confusion in which the governor and his party have been

From Precious Dikewoha, Port Harcourt

thrown into, the spokesperson of the governor, Opunabo Inko-Tariah recently came out with what would pass for a litany of incoherent ironical lines which clearly typifies the quandary in which the governor and his party now find themselves.

“Like the proverbial sinking man who is bent on dragging anyone in sight, Wike babbled between name-callings of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and President Buhari to threats of resistance in an obvious display of disconcerted state of mind and disorientated thought process.

“On one hand, the governor, through Mr. Inko-Tariah, claimed to support the fight against corruption and that everything should be done to retrieve our stolen commonwealth but quickly turned around to recommend what the scope, span and colour of the probe should be. Not

done, the governor threatened resistance should Mr. President not adopt his own (Wike’s) anti-corruption crusade template.

“For a governor who set up a probe panel with a mandate to probe only the last 18 months of his predecessor’s administration to now turn around to insist that the President should extend his probe to cover the last 30 years says so much about the character and persona of Governor Nyesom Wike. One may ask, between the governor’s 18-month probe and that of the President which spans four years, which is a more selective probe? Is it that Governor Nyesom Wike thinks Rivers State is now a state populated by nit-wits?

Governor Wike’s warning to the Department of State Security (DSS) on the arrest of Dame Gesila Khan, INEC REC for Rivers State is understandable to even the

most naive observer. We believe that the humongous sum of N700 million reportedly found in her account must be funds the Jonathan Presidency and Nyesom Wike paid out to the woman to buy the mandate of Rivers people in the last general elections. Sadly, they did not tutor her well enough on how to deal with such huge amount of money. You cannot have a perfect crime.

“Finally, Gov. Wike’s lamentations are not as a result of the governor’s concern for former President Goodluck Jonathan; Wike is clearly weeping for himself because his indictment on the humongous fraud that took place in the Federal Ministry of Education and Universal Basic Education Commission all under his watch as Minister of State and substantive Minister, clearly hang on his neck like the hangman’s noose waiting to snap.”

PDP to Appeal Court president: disband Rivers tribunal

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HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted the constitution of the National and States Houses of Assembly Election Tribunal for Rivers State (Panel 1).

The party, in a letter to the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, argued that the tribunal was not legally constituted.

PDP, in the letter dated July 24, by its lawyer, Godwin Obla (SAN), contended that the tribunal’s Chairman, Justice Victor Uchenna Okorie was appointed in violation of Paragraphs 1 (1) and (2) of the Sixth Schedule to the Consti-

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

tution.

The party noted that Justice Okorie, being a judge of the Customary Court of Appeal in Imo State, was not qualified to chair of an election tribunal, because he is not a judge of the High Court as required.

The PDP urged the Court of Appeal president to disband the tribunal. It also filed an application before the tribunal to challenge its jurisdiction to continue to hear the petition by Senator Magnus Abe of the All Progressives Congress (APC) against the winner of the election into

Rivers South East Senatorial district, Olaka Nwogu, his party, the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Part of the letter by Obla reads: “We urge your Lordship to timeously look into this matter by taking appropriate steps to correct the anomaly by disbanding and re-constituting a new panel, failing which we shall be constrained to take immediate steps by recourse to legal proceedings in the Federal High Court for the interpretation of the relevant statute as they touch and affect the said panel.”

In a motion filed before the tribunal, PDP seeks among

others, an order restraining the chairman of the tribunal, sitting at the Apo division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), from further presiding as the chairman.

The party also asked the tribunal to set aside all the directions issued, judicial rulings delivered and the entire proceedings of the tribunal from the date of the panel’s inaugural sitting till date.

It is the party’s contention that the tribunal lacked the competence and jurisdiction to sit as a tribunal constituted in violation of the constitution.

THE NATION SPORTINLIFE MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

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MONDAY JULY 27, 2015

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

EDO POLITICS

Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole will bow out of office next year, after completing his second term. Those itching to succeed him are warming up for primaries in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the succession battle in the Southsouth state, the contenders’ strengths and weaknesses and the issues that will shape the exercise.

•Odubu

• Obahiagbon

• Imansuangbon

• Ihonvbere

• Airhiavbere

•Ogiewonmonyi

• Obaseki

• Osunbor

• Oshiomhole

Who succeeds Oshiomhole?

H

E took Edo politics by storm in 2007. He had no rival during the governorship poll, as it were. Indigenes and other residents were rooting for the renowned labour leader. He won the election, but he was denied victory.

When Comrade Adams Oshiomhole’s mandate was stolen, people protested the daylight robbery, until it was restored by the Supreme Court. When he assumed the reins, he did not disappoint his supporters. Based on his score card, the mandate was renewed for a second term.

In seven years, Oshiomhole has lived up to the electorate’s expectation. The comrade-governor will vacate office next year, following the expiration of his two terms of eight years.

Is Oshiomhole grooming a successor? How prepared is the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the challenge of succession? Will the party remain the same after the primaries?

Unlike 2007, the ruling party is more confident. The party wields the power of incumbency at the federal and state levels. Many people have also acknowledged the performance of the governor, unlike his predecessor, Mr. Lucky Igbinedion of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who governed between 1999 and 2007.

In Edo, the PDP is in a dilemma. The party, led by Chief Dan Orbih, has boasted that it will bounce back. For almost eight years, it has been left in the cold, following its defeat at the polls. Thus, its dream of regaining power has always been aborted. Besides, the party is now a divided house. Observers contend that the struggle for the governorship ticket may further polarise and weakened the platform.

Many factors will shape the contest. They include the pedi-

gree of the flag bearers, the governor’s performance and renewed clamour for zoning. Both the APC and the PDP will have to respond to the agitation for power shift by Bini people during the electioneering. According to a source, “the people of the capital city believe that they should produce Oshiomhole’s successor.”

No fewer than 10 APC chieftains are warming up for the shadow poll. More are likely to join the race. The aspirants include the deputy governor, Dr. Pius Odubu, a defector from the PDP, Gen. Charles Airhiavbere, former university don Prof. Osarheimen Osunbor, a philanthropist, Kenneth Imansuagon, the Chief of Staff, Works Commissioner Osarodion Ogie, and Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon Igodomigodo.

A source said that former university don, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere may be drafted into the contest. Also, some stakeholders who wants a technocrat to succeed Oshiomhole, are rooting for the economist, Godwin Obaseki. He is the dark horse. However, in the opinion of the APC chairman, Anselem Ojesua, it is too early to think about succession.

Imansuagbon Imansuagbon has been holding consultations with party leaders, traditional rulers and leaders of thought across the three senatorial districts. He has also been courting ordinary folks through philanthropist gestures.”When I’m governor by 2016,Edo people will see more of my philanthropist nature,” he said. The aspirant has faith, but it remains, if his faith can move mountains during the primaries.

Obahiagbon Obahiagbon is a former member of the House of Representatives. He was not a bench warmer. He defected to the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), shortly before the 2011 elections. Although he had wanted to represent his district in the Senate, luck did not smile on him during the recent elections. However, he is widely acknowledged as a loyal, committed and dedicated chieftain of the ruling party.

A source said that the governor has a soft spot for the wordsmith. “That was why he was allowed to return to his position as the Chief of Staff, after losing the senatorial primaries. But, the governor has not given his word to anybody,” added the source.

Osunbor Osunbor, who hails from Edo Central, is believed to be working assiduously to get the APC ticket. But, according to a source, many APC leaders see him as a new comer, who should queue. He has the credentials, the reputation and the qualification. But, he is new in the APC,” he added.

In 2007, the former university teacher was the candidate of the PDP. Although he lost the election, victory was wrongly allotted to him by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), led by Prof. Maurice Iwu. Following protracted litigation, he was displaced by the court. Recently, he defected to the APC. When he left the PDP, many PDP chieftains were taken aback.

• Continued on page 18

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THE NATION MONDAY JULY 27, 2015

Many factors accounted for why the PDP lost relevance in Edo. The ‘eight years of Igbinedion administration, according to observers, were years of ineptitude, inefficiency and gross maladministration ’

POLITICS

•Anenih

•Igbinedion

Airhiavbere

Ihonvbere Ihonvbere is a household name in the pro-democracy family. He is popular among intellectuals. The university don-turned politician is highly cerebral. He is also a good administrator. However, the political scientist lacks a formidable structure. Assessing him, a party chieftain said: “Professor is good in handling administrative tasks. But, he has no political base.” During the struggle for the senatorial ticket in his district, he lost his deposit.

Odubu Odubu is an experienced politician. He is a loyal deputy governor.

He is popular in the ruling party.

But, his fate lies in the hand of his boss and other party leaders.

Ogiewonmonyi The engineer served briefly as the Minister of Works under Dr. Jonathan. He is also close to General Ogbemudia. But, party members see him as an independent minded chieftain, who is not tied to the apron-strings of the governor.

Obaseki Obaseki may not be a card-carrying member, but he is highly connected. He is from a prominent Benin family. He is the Chairman

•Members of the Anambra State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the party's congress at the weekend, where former factional chairman Prince Ken Emeakayi was returned as the new state chairman.

•Edebiri

•Onolememen

Who succeeds Oshiomhole?

• Continued on page 17

The same factor may also work against the retired soldier, Airhiavbere. In 2012, he was sponsored by the PDP leader, Chief Tony Anenih, the acclaimed ‘Mr. Fix it,’ to challenge Oshiomhole. It was a miscalculation. The PDP lost its deposit and the ego of the eminent politician was deflated. Recently, the former governorship flag bearer called it quits with the PDP, saying that the party does not have future in Edo politics.

•Ize-Iyamu

of the Edo Economic Team. If he is backed by the governor, he will be another Willie Obiano, who was brought from the banking sector to serve as governor. A source said: “The people of Benin Kingdom; the royalty and chiefs; and prominent indigenes will not raise an eyebrow. They will rally round him.

But, there will be gridges against his candidature by other contenders.”

Idahiagan Herry Idahiagan is the AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner for Justice. For him, the contest is not a do-or-die affair.

Irhiabor Sources also said that a party chieftain, Omo Irhiabor, is in the race. But, they said he may be using the contest to bargain for appointment.

PDP’s permutations Since 2008, the PDP has been in agony in Edo. Its efforts to bounce back into reckoning has been futile.

Ahead of next year’s election, party chieftains have returned to the drawing board. But, the gladiators are divided and working at cross purposes. A section of the party believes that only the founding fathers can rescue the party. To this group, the these chieftains have not

defected to another party. Therefore, they are loyal. But, another caucus has disputed this ,claim saying that the so-called founding chieftains are the architects of the PDP’s misfortune. In the opinion of the second group, many of the founding fathers have dented the image of the chapter, owing to their corrupt tendencies while steering the affairs of the state.

To observers, Edo PDP is at crossroads. It has been decimated by strife and rancour. Also, the defeat of the party during the recent has compounded its woes. On May 29, the crisis-ridden chapter an orphan, following its exit from federal power. The implications is that its leaders cannot rely on the federal might to trounce the APC in next year’s poll.

The two groups locked in a supremacy battle have not reconciled.

Former Governor Lucky Igbinedion, who ruled Edo between 1999 and 2007, is the arrowhead of the first group. The group is led by former Senate Chief Whip Rowland Owie. During the recent 52nd birthday of Hon. Osagie IzeIyamu, Igbinedion declared that the next PDP governorship candidate would be a founding member of the party. Whoever is going to be the next governor of the state must be one of the founding members of the PDP. He must also be a member of the ‘family,’ he said.

Since 2008, the PDP has been in agony in Edo. Its efforts to bounce back into reckoning has been futile. Ahead of next year’s election, party chieftains have returned to the drawing board. But, the gladiators are divided and working at cross purposes

But, Owie reasoned that, if the former governor sponsors a candidate, the flag bearer will be tainted.

He said the people of Edo are not assailed by amnesia, stressing that they are still infuriated by the failure of the previous PDP government. Obviously, that failure led to the defeat of Osunbor and Airhiavbere in 2007 and 2012.

Many factors accounted for why the PDP lost relevance in Edo. The eight years of Igbinedion administration, according to observers, were years of ineptitude, inefficiency and gross maladministration. When he completed his first term, there was a cry of despondency by the electorate.

But, his illustrious father, the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, said his son, who had failed, should be allowed to repeat the class. “People say Lucky no pass.

Lucky no good. If a person does not pass in a class, should he not repeat the class. Let Lucky repeat,” he said.

In 2007 Oshiomhole urged the people to halt the drift. He complained that Edo was groaning in hopelessness. He also said godfatherism must end in Edo State. Thus, he challenged Anenih to a duel.

When he left power,the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said that Igbinedion has a case to answer.

Thus, his credibility was at stake.

He opted for plea bargaining and regained his freedom. But, few months later, he asserted himself as the PDP leader. The former governor said the way forward for the PDP is for the party to remember its beginning. He said PDP will bounce back, if is ticket is given to a foundation member.

But, Owie objected to Igbinedion’s claim. Reiterating his readiness to join well-meaning stalwarts to search for a credible candidate, he maintained that it is risky for the party to field a candidate that is connected with the previous PDP failed government. He added: “The 2016 governorship will not be based on political platform. It is going to be who that candidate is. For the PDP to be seen to have broken ranks with irresponsibility, we have to be sure that our candidate for 2016 will not have any relationship with previous failures of the PDP government in Edo.”

PDP aspirants PDP governorship aspirants include Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who is believed to be of the candidate of the Igbinedion camp, Senator Ehigie Uzamere, Chief Solomon Edebiri, Mathew Iduoriyikemwen, Lucky Imasuen, and Mike Onolememen. Sources said that a special committee has been set up by top hierarchy of the party with

a mandate to search for a popular candidate. The search for a popular candidate became more imperative, following the defeat of the PDP in 2007and 2011 elections.

Ize-Iyamu The priest is the former Secretary to Government in Igbinedion administration. He is also the former Southsouth leader of the defunct ACN. Many people have described Ize-Iyamu as a hardworking politician; a strategist and organiser. In 2012, he was the Director-General of the Oshiomhole Campaign Organisation. He has the support of Igbinedion. But, some elders, including Dr. Sam Ogbemudia and Owie, are looking at another direction. A party source said that Anenih may not be comfortable with his candidature. He had joined forces in 2012 against the Iyasele of Esanland, when he and Oshiomhole rejected godfatherism, saying: “No man is god.”

Edebiri Edebiri is a Bini man from Edo South. The businessman and philanthropist is a veteran contestant.

He contested for governor in 2007 in the platform of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) and in 2012 ran in the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). The aspirant has set up a group, ‘Solomon Edebiri Volunteers.’ The mandate of the group is to recruit 180,000 volunteers before the end of December. His associate, ray Okpekpolo, said, if elected as governor, Edebiri will beat Oshiomhole’s record :”We want to make sure that people know this man so that when the time for party nomination comes, it will be difficult to reject him.”

Uzamere Senator Edobor Uzamere is said to enjoy the support of former Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. His prospect of getting the ticket waned, following the defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan. Many thought that he would have had a smooth sail, if the election had taken place when Dr. Jonathan was in the saddle.

Iduoriyekemwen His admirers call him the ‘Major.’ Iduoriyekewen is a former member of the House of Assembly.

According to party sources, he has a deep purse. said to have deep pocket. He is also a former member of the Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Iduoriyekemwen, the sources said, has personal relationship with former President Jonathan and other top PDP leaders.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

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COMMENTARY EDITORIALS

LETTER

America’s gesture • A lot depends on Nigeria concerning U.S.’ promise to help trace our looted funds

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HE latest offer by the United States government to help Nigeria track down billions of dollars in stolen assets must come to Nigerians as good news. Announcing the offer to his audience comprising mostly Nigerians in Washington last week, President Muhammadu Buhari spoke of a new resolve by the U.S. government to help identify the accounts; he spoke of a matching determination by his administration to prosecute the individuals involved – all in the effort to undo the damage done to the integrity of Nigeria by the activities of the individuals and compromised institutions.

The offer is said to be sequel to the request by the president to his United States counterpart, Barack Obama, to help locate and return $150 billion believed to have been stolen by corrupt Nigerian officials.

We see the US offer as important in a number of ways. Coming barely two months after coming into office, the offer is no doubt a measure of how seriously the world has come to take the Buhari administration’s resolve to combat the virus of graft and impunity in the nation’s public life. In the same vein, the request stems from the acknowledgement of the role that countries like the United States – with its vast global network of intelligence – can play to stem the scourge of illicit fund transfers from relatively poor countries like Nigeria.

As important as the offer is, however,

we also note that the collaboration is neither a novelty nor does it guarantee that the looted funds will ultimately be repatriated. A lot will certainly depend on what our officials choose to do or not to do. A good example is the Abacha loot.

The international watchdog, Transparency International, reckons that the late Sani Abacha actually plundered an estimated $5 billion in the 1990s – all of which was laundered across banks in Europe and America. At the moment, only a fraction of the recovered loot is known to have been repatriated while a huge chunk of the repatriated sum is also on record to have been re-looted by officials.

With rigour and integrity missing in the efforts, the result was the scandal that the Abacha loot – and re-loot - has since become.

If we may restate the point, the offer by the US government is only a first step.

We expect our officials to put their acts together by showing that they mean business this time around. The Buhari administration must show in words and in deed that the corruption, sloppiness, underthe-table dealings and outright bad faith which characterised the previous recovery efforts is now a thing of the past. It goes without saying that the nation deserves the services of the brightest and best attorneys as it goes after the looters of the common wealth.

The bottom-line is that we expect the anti-corruption agencies to pursue every lead, every audit trail to their logical con-

clusion. That is the context in which the offer makes sense. The lesson must be taught that there can be no hiding place for those who used the privilege of their high offices to abuse public trust. The same goes for their collaborators. All illicit funds must be returned to the treasury just as we expect adequate punishment for the culprits.

We must say also that a new framework of transparency in the management of recovered funds is long overdue. We see this as the surest way to assure Nigerians and the international community that recovered funds will not disappear into thin air once again. If that calls for a new legislation – so be it.

‘As important as the offer is, however, we also note that the collaboration is neither a novelty nor does it guarantee that the looted funds will ultimately be repatriated. A lot will certainly depend on what our officials choose to do or not to do. A good example is the Abacha loot ... Only a fraction of the recovered loot is known to have been repatriated while a huge chunk of the repatriated sum is also on record to have been re-looted by officials’

$2.1bn World Bank loan •Assistance for the North-East is test case for Buhari government’s resolve on corruption

A

S the epicentre of the inhuman activities of the Boko Haram, the northeast obviously deserves a lifeline, either for rebuilding devastated infrastructure or assisting in resettling the over one million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from that area. This is why we welcome the low interest rate loan of $2.1billion from the World Bank, through its International Development Agency (IDA). According to agreed terms of the loan, the first 10 years will be interestfree, with additional provision for a further 30 years that would offer interest rate that is lower than the prevailing capital market rate.

The fact that Boko Haram insurgents in the last six years have consistently unleashed inconceivable terror on the en-

‘We want to remind President Buhari that the battle against graft is one of the strong reasons why Nigerians voted for him in the March 28 presidential election. At the end of the day, what we want to see is how far his administration can go in tackling the issue of corruption in funds management, including of course this northeast World Bank loan’

tire north gives a background understanding to the eagerness of not only the World Bank to assist through this loan, but the world’s desire to give succour to the affected people. This perhaps informed President Muhammadu Buhari’s commendation of the World Bank package at a meeting with representatives of the bank and others, as part of activities marking his recent four-day state visit to the US. The president urged the World Bank to send a team that would work in concert with the government’s team to identify areas of need. We agree that without this collaboration, it is doubtful if the bank can make any meaningful impact with the repayable fund.

But again, we should not lose sight of the fact that once the country has met the bank’s processes of award, the loan belongs to Nigeria and not the World Bank.

Although we are not oblivious of the mismanagement of some previous loans from the bank and other sources; we strongly believe that the World Bank should not be dictating to the nation how such funds would be spent. If experience is anything to go by, the bank usually, under the guise of providing assistance, spends a large chunk of such loan on consultants and others brought by it to supervise and lay the foundation for utilisation of the money.

What the nation as a sovereign entity does with borrowed money is her business even though we, without equivocation, abhor imprudent spending of pub-

lic funds — be it grants or funds generated by any government. This is where this particular loan for the rebuilding of the infrastructural and human capital development of the northeast becomes a test case and a big challenge to the President Buhari administration.

Nigerians and indeed the entire world are patiently waiting to see how the government would disburse the loan and for what purposes.

The tasks of rebuilding infrastructure, resettling displaced people and restoring reasonable peace in the northeast with this loan might become herculean when realised that theBoko Haram war is still growing in intensity.

This is where we expect the government to set out clearly, ab initio; the action plan for the fund; and within what framework. This will ensure tracking of progress made between funds disbursed and achievements on ground.

We are concerned about the security situation in the northeast and indeed the entire country.

We want to remind President Buhari that the battle against graft is one of the strong reasons why Nigerians voted for him in the March 28 presidential election. At the end of the day, what we want to see is how far his administration can go in tackling the issue of corruption in funds management, including of course this northeast World Bank loan.

PMB should be President for all

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IR: There is no denying the fact that the Igbo in a swoop voted for former President Goodluck Jonathan in the last presidential election. However, one sees no error in that calculation as politics is a game of interest. Just as equally the Hausa-Fulani voted massively for the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari. Democratic tenets tend to lean towards a zero sum game. The winner should ideally wipe the slate clean of the election result and lead the populace with fairness. Failure to do that is myopic and could construe the leader as a bigot.

Even former President Jonathan with all his leadership flops knew that it was politically expedient to appease those who did not vote for him. Hence, he spent a lot of political capital attempting to woo the North to his support. Though, one may have to question his judgment. The North accused him of taking their mandate.

The poet said that love may be blind but the world could see. President Buhari may be earnest in his desire to change the country but his decisions, so far, are not inclusive of the whole nation. His choice of chief security officers does not reflect the picture of the political zones. Without any intention to preempt the president’s political direction, his exclusion of the Igbo in such pivotal appointment is so glaring to be ignored.

But one is grateful for Nigeria’s political landscape. A policy initiative that is not balanced is bound to have repercussions. The ethno-religious structure of the country necessitates diligence in winning the support of more than one of the three major groups.

A wise leader will position himself, at best, to be acceptable to the nation and by political expediency, to have the support of two of the major groups. He runs the risk of not having an effective administration, talk less of winning a re-election, if he neglects the significance of regional factors.

The clarity in President Buhari’s government is impressive. Any lover of progress of the country will do well to be patient for his policies to mature. Though some of his earlier supporters may be shifting uncomfortably in their position because what they are seeing is not what they expected, the end will justify the means. I believe some segments of the economy will have to sacrifice as a result of some of his policies for the growth of the nation.

The president’s party should extend their wings to cover the country. You do not succeed as a ruling party by showing your inability to overcome your antipathy over electorates who do not favor you during the election. The dynamics of Nigerian politics is very fickle. Your political enemy today could be your best associate tomorrow. Good leadership is making your opponent respect you.

•Pius Okaneme, Umuoji, Anambra State.

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

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

CARTOON & LETTERS

S

IR: Black market. Blacklist.

Blackmail. Black magic. Black sheep. These are terms that colonialism forced on the African people in its ruthless determination to completely conquer us, obliterate our history, paint our most cherished ideals in an evil light and redefine bad things with African representations. But the African people did not just roll over and die; they mounted a conscious resistance by using their own indigenous languages to paint their terms and ideals in good light when it became impossible for those terms and ideals to be seen in good light using the colonialists’ languages.

But there was little that could be done when the post-colonial African governments, continuing to tow the path cleared by the colonial invaders and in conjunction with their foreign counterparts, sacked the remaining genuine history of the African people from the classrooms and replaced it with the history of the colonialists. The indigenous languages that had ensured the survival of our terms and

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Journey to an African Africa ideals and their painting in good light was criminalised and tagged “vernacular”.

As a pupil in primary school and later a student in the secondary school, I was a witness to the ruthlessness with which African puppets, their strings being tugged by their foreign masters, attempted to crush the speaking of our languages in our schools. The class captains and prefects were charged with the task of writing the names of vernacular speakers. Those found guilty were dealt with the next morning on the assembly ground.

Not only that, they took it further.

Students who performed well in English and French languages examinations and competitions were

Consider more varsities for Lagos

S

IR: Following the protest by prospective University of Lagos students against being screened out of post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination for 2015/2016 session, it was reported that the University of Lagos through its registrar Dr Taiwo Ipaye stated that only 9,000 of the 32,000 applicants were eligible for screening.

The Joint Admissions and matriculation Board (JAMB) on the other hand was said to have adopted a policy whereby candidates of universities with surplus applicants for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) were to be reassigned to other universities with lower number of candidates than their capacities.

The excuse given by UNILAG is healthy and convincing because wisdom dictates that you should not bite more than what you can chew. The new JAMB policy too is

a good move towards addressing admission problems usually faced by universities in densely populated areas and lowly populated areas.

Some parents of the affected prospective students have criticised UNILAG and JAMB for the sudden change in procedure, believing that they should have been sensitised well ahead of the new move.

In balancing the equation between the parties involved in this regard, every one of them can be adjudged justified. Notwithstanding, a way out of this bottleneck is for the Federal Government to create more universities in densely populated areas like Lagos with the population of about 17 million considered to be more than the population of some countries in West Africa.

• Goke Fayose Iju, Lagos

rewarded with big gifts and made poster pupils and students for the government-approved textbooks, while their counterparts who excelled in Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and other indigenous African languages were given derogatory names and made to feel ashamed of having a mastery of their own languages.

Now, whatever movement the African people create to reclaim Africa for Africans, abolishing the terms that colonialism forced on the people must be a priority. It is not enough to claim that we have gained independence from the colonial invaders. It is not enough to celebrate a clownish form of independence from a “master” and yet that “master” is still celebrated as hero in our history books. It comes to seeing that, as a prelude to the total reclamation of Africa from the colonial hijackers and their defini-

tion of Africa, our history books must change, the history of the colonialists and their definition of us must be yanked out permanently and burned in the fire of our own radiant history.

Our terms, our ideals, the definitions of us, must emanate from us.

We are not on a revenge mission and as such it would be ridiculous that while we are taking off the robe of “mis-definition” of us by the colonial hijackers, we change blacklist to “whitelist” or blackmail to “whitemail”. That in itself will be counterproductive. While we are trying to rid ourselves of oppression and “mis-definition”, we are not trying to force a definition on people that they are not willing to take on. While we are asserting our freedom to be, we are not trying to take away other people’s freedom to be, no matter what roles they

played and still play in the “misdefinition” of us and our people.

Our history, that predates the conquest of the colonialists must be taught as not just wars for clan domination, as the colonialists painted it, but as necessary battle for survival against a ruthless force that was consuming everything in sight and that was bent on consuming the African people no matter the resistance they put up. Our history must be taught that, as against what the colonialists said that Africa was a dark continent, that Africans had been building houses, erecting structures and had been writing before the colonial invasion. Our history must return to our classrooms.

It is not enough to throw tantrums and shake angry fists at those who rewrote our history to suit their purposes; the total redefinition and eventual reclamation must be carried out by clear-headed thinkers who know how arduous the journey to an African Africa will be and are determined to go all the way in spite of whatever is thrown their way.

• James Ogunjimi Lagos

Re: Drained, duped and dumped SURE-P

S

IR: Your editorial comment titled “Drained, duped and dumped” of Thursday July 16 made an interesting reading. The exploitation of youths engaged under the SURE-P/FERMA is lamentable. The fact that there has never been a rejoinder from the SURE-P authorities is an indication that they are culpable. What is happening under SURE-P/FERMA is a replica of the insolent behavior of SURE-P/GIS (Graduate Internship Scheme). These hapless youths are owed several months salaries.

Specifically my organization is a partner-client to SURE-P/GIS where we employed four of such youths taking them through the rudiments of specific skill areas such as accounting, program, M&E, communications

etc. For five months running these interns are yet to be paid their stipends which we have been augmenting for since they joined us.

Worse still, the SURE-P/GIS operators are not responsive to questions and enquiries. Phone numbers are provided yet they do not go through while calling them.

Emails are provided yet they do not respond to email other than to say your email is waiting attention which never comes. I have personally written them not less than four emails intimating them about some issues including those of two of the interns that had absconded from our organization.

They never replied.

Do they monitor these youths at all? Do they visit their respective employers at all to see how these

interns are doing? One wonders how many of these youths have left their various duty posts and are still collecting the stipends they didn’t work for. Or perhaps the SURE-P/GIS operators are aware of these youths leaving but collecting their stipends? I am not sure! SURE-P/GIS and SURE-P/ FERMA are just two of such parastatals stinking of corruption.

Search light should be turned on others including ministries and departments. The need to call the anti-graft agencies to look into this matter is necessary to investigate and bring to book the culprits so as to stem the tide of corruption bedeviling us in this country.

• Dr. Tola Winjobi tolawinjobi58@yahoo.com

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

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COMMENTS

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F all the arguments to redeem the image of the Nigerian military as it battles unimpressively and unconvincingly against terrorism, the most mystifying must be the illogic that blames media treatment of the anti-terror war for the continuing demystification of the country’s armed forces. The signs of a possible prolongation of the already protracted defiance of state capacity by the Islamist militia Boko Haram are observable, despite oft-repeated assurances from official quarters that the insurrectionists are doomed.

Media blaming was discernible when the Director of Defence Information, Major-General Chris Olukolade, launched his two books in Abuja on June 30. The title of one of the books in particular, Issues in the mobilization of public support for military operations in Nigeria, was suggestive enough. The other book was called The Voice and battles of the Nigerian military.

It is instructive to note that Olukolade stated his aim in a pre-launch message: to “celebrate the Nigerian military and my career therein.” Given this celebratory goal, the event was not a stage for self-contemplation. In other words, the military emerged from the event smelling good. But not the media, which needs to ponder the wider and graver implications of Olukolade’s remarks about its performance in the context of the anti-terror war Speaking about the men and women whose job is to “splash military stories across pages around the world”, Olukolade reportedly said: “I think they misrepresent our stories not out of sheer mischief but out of mere disorientation.”

According to a report: “He added that the only way to reduce the level of misinformation is to increase the skills of journalists and media executives to report issues of military affairs. Mr. Olukolade noted that he has always sought to reduce the instances of misinterpretation of military actions but also eliminate public empathy towards the use of the military power when the need arises.”

It is interesting that Olukolade’s message to the media

‘It goes without saying that fighting the war against Boko Haram is specifically a military responsibility, while reporting the conflict is a media responsibility... In the final analysis, the military cannot reasonably expect an anti-terror partnership with the media that will negate the essence of its watchdog role.’

S

WEET moments have always been but a chanced rarity in the land. Laughter is a scarce asset that dwells mostly in the mien of its seeming monopolist owners. These are but few gurus of cash and power. Power they deploy as their majesties deem fit to command and suppress the thoughts and destiny of a sprawling but less privileged majority.

Not even the periodic sequence of post-1999 charades either masqueraded as political parties’ primary elections or general polls craftily staged to outwardly legitimize the intrinsically illegitimate – candidate anointment, imposition and selection in flagrant disregard to the extant regulations on internal democracy or national electoral laws – were least able to restore the hope of a better tomorrow to a beleaguered people until the miraculous event of December 10, 2014.

The inaugural edition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Primary Election, as imperfect as it might have seemed, was indeed a fortune-changer for the Nigerian citizenry. On this day, all things answereth not to the commands of dollars amongst Nigerians politicians who, for the first time ever, voted for their conscience by offering the party’ ticket to an aspirant widely reputed for his financial incapacitation. To find Nigerian politicians being bought over by the widelyacknowledged Muhamadu Buhari’s virtues of discipline, integrity and patriotism, instead of flying filthy lucre, was indeed awesome to the average citizen in whom the long-lost hope for socio-economic and political recovery of a bed-ridden nation was instantly reincarnated.

To the naive, it was the ‘Change’ mantra of the APC that eventually endeared the party and its candidate to the electorate on March 28. Truth be told, Nigerians have long been so wizened by innumerable past broken promises of change which predated October 1, 1960 that the most conceivably beautiful rhetoric of mankind can hardly inspire them to such a gargantuan risk. The risk of defying the globally respected and efficacious wit of the Yoruba elders which admonishes thus – a Satan that enjoys long-term acquaintance is more preferable than an unknown angel. If anything, the English, being another globally respected race of witty sayings acquiesces with this West African ethnic nation in a bird in hand is worth more than a thousand in the air.

On that epochal day at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, the open dramatization of the ‘Change’ being promised through the transparency of an open-field contest conferred irresistible admiration, affection and, ultimately, acceptance on the eventual candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, even amongst the rank and file of the then ruling party, the PDP. Yet, that APC-like risk cultivated within the PDP fold by elements disgruntled, generally, by the intra-PDP pre-election realities that were unlike the APC’s.

Rainfall is indeed a respecter of none. Days leading to the hitherto destined February 14, therefore, turned a season of

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Positive terrorism was reformulated and reinforced by no other than former military president Ibrahim Babangida in a Sallah message on July 15. Babangida was perhaps more frontal in his accusation that the media has been pro-terrorism in practice. He said: “Going by the news and information we get every day, I feel very strongly that the media has a greater role to play in the management of information.

The types of headlines and lead stories that are promoted in favour of the insurgents could only help to motivate members of Boko Haram rather than demotivate them.”

Babangida also said: “I expect, with a deep sense of patriotism, to see a greater deal of positive news promoted in support of military efforts at confronting this menace than a celebration of Boko Haram carnage, day in and day out…Each time we celebrate the dastardly acts of Boko Haram on the front pages of our newspapers and electronic platforms, it is a score for Boko Haram. We must weigh such information against our collective national interest. Do we subscribe to Boko Haram or to the Nigeria nation?”

Evidently, Babangida considers the media guilty of anti-state activities, guilty of romancing and romanticising terrorism and terrorists. What deepens the gravity of Babangida’s charges is that they were made by an ex-military ruler and seem to reflect the current thinking in the military as expressed by Olukolade. This may be interpreted as a strange and complex manoeuvre by the military and its friends to shift an essentially military burden. It is disturbing because the externalisation of responsibility mirrors possible internal confusion and frustration.

It would appear that there is a misapprehension of the media’s role in the “reconstruction of reality”.

Reporting realities does not necessarily suggest poverty of patriotism or partying with terrorism. The military got

it wrong.

It must be thought-provoking that Abubakar Shekau, the elusive Boko Haram leader, was this year among “The World’s Most Influential People” listed by TIME. The identified influencers in the 2015 TIME 100 included four Nigerians and Shekau was the most intriguing of them, specifically because he is an antihero. According to the TIME portrait, “the citizens of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, know Abubakar Shekau all too well: he is the most violent killer their country has ever seen.”

Of course, Shekau’s terrifying profile is compounded by the outrageous seizure of more than 200 schoolgirls

by Boko Haram terrorists in Chibok, Borno State, over one year ago. With most of the kidnapped girls still missing and the world still in shock, Shekau and his followers are like an open wound on humanity’s conscience.

Before the TIME ranking, an international think tank, the Project for the Study of the 21st Century, said the Boko Haram insurgency was the fourth deadliest conflict in the world in 2014 and responsible for 11, 529 deaths. It is noteworthy that the think tank added that the figure of fatalities could be underestimated.

The activities of Shekau and his destroyers necessitated ongoing emergency rule in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, and prompted the formation of a multinational regional force expected to crush Boko Haram, including fighters from Nigeria and neighbouring Chad, Cameroon and Niger.

To underline Boko Haram’s unignorable notoriety, the National Economic Council (NEC), after a July 23 meeting, released alarming information about its deliberations: “On Boko Haram issues, governors of Yobe and Borno raised the alarm of five local government areas of the two states being in possession of the insurgents.” Is it possible that reporting the dominance of terrorists in the affected local government areas, for instance, could be interpreted as a celebration of terrorism by the media?

The anti-terror war is a real war in real life, affecting real people; and communicating these realities is part of the media’s real job. It goes without saying that fighting the war against Boko Haram is specifically a military responsibility, while reporting the conflict is a media responsibility. It may well be that, as far as the military is concerned, the media’s professional focus on the twists and turns in the fight against terrorism is itself terrorism of sorts. This may well be positive terrorism. In the final analysis, the military cannot reasonably expect an antiterror partnership with the media that will negate the essence of its watchdog role.

Saraki, Dogara: Victory as sour

By Rasheed Olokode summer torrents that tormented every Nigerian soul outside the sailing Ark of Change. For the first time ever, the PDP had a cause to shiver and shudder in trepidation. Realising that every tick of the clock was an additional suppression of its own suppressive machinery by which it had always and still intended to repress the people’s wish, it stylishly caved in, forcibly snatching a sick leave to surreptitiously reinforce its tricks.

Little did this retreating power cult know that the six-week postponement, contrived on a warped logic, would, ironically, expose it as a fallible weakling before the very crowd that, for 16 years, had dreaded it as an invincible behemoth. Regained, thus, was the long-lost sweet of the citizens which they hoped to savour from the May 29 ascension of a new order till eternity.

Certainly, the sweetness of March 28 that begot the sugariness of May 29 was not merely the victory and ascension unto power of an opposition party but the transparency and all-inclusiveness that characterized the Presidential Election, traits that were not only reminiscent of the APC’s shadow poll, they were indeed the obvious necessities of the post-poll concession offered by the then incumbent President to the delight of all and sundry.

But, alas! Just some few days after, specifically on June 9, some symptoms of the supposedly exiled politricks reappeared on the floor of our ‘hallowed’ chambers to once again, sour my people’s sweet, probably indelibly.

Let no one engage in self-delusion that the Nigerian masses perceive the new Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, and House of Representatives, Hon, Yakubu Dogara, as products of the much-beloved democracy. Rather, to many a Nigerian, the twosome is but offspring of loathed democrazy, who crafted treachery to score off-side goals.

Truly, what aches the masses is far from what pains the politicians. That Saraki and Dogara defied their party ranks low in the people’s scale of concern. After all, it’s no new reality under the Nigerian sun, going by the anti-party emergence of Tambuwal which actually delighted and, ultimately, benefitted the masses.

Salient, here, is the line between the Tambuwal episode and the Saraki-Dogara drama. Critically viewed from the perspectives of the masses on whose behalf political actions or inactions are supposed to be contrived and implemented, the former is never a justifying antecedent for the latter.

Tambuwal’s emergence was never divisive or conspiratorial, as it was engineered by an unprecedented breaking of barrier of partisanship by lawmakers, across party lines, who spoke with one voice to elect their leader. Since Tambuwal never spited his party, the PDP, with negotiated reliance on the then relatively huge strength of the opposition APC, he has entered the Guinness Book of Records as the first Nigerian Fourth Republic Speaker with an uninterrupted tenure.

Worse-still, Saraki and Dogara with their staunch promoters within and outside the APC have, so far, failed to realise that growing popular resentment and venom against prolonged misrule by the former ruling party was the secret beneath the masses’ delight that greeted every misadventure or misfortune of the PDP, as illustrated in the Tambuwal 2011 rebellion.

They also missed it, as they failed to recognize the invaluably facilitative role played by such popular anti-PDP sentiments in the eventual defeat of the erstwhile indefatigable.

And, what is, perhaps, most unpleasant and, probably, unforgivable to the masses is that Saraki and Dogara’s victories have come with a back-door restoration of power to the cult which the long oppressed and suppressed people had not only perceived as the source of their woes but which they had prayed, fasted and deployed their constitutional sovereignty to crush in the last polls.

As it stands, Nigerians are not unaware that, with the present configuration in our bicameral parliament, the legislative capacity of the PDP to launch a vengeful and anti-people war to reclaim their lost asset, rather than voting to aid the change that Nigerians expect from the new administration, has just been boosted. Boosted not by the twosome’s victories but by their messy manner, since posterity was already waiting closeby to exalt, particularly, Saraki, if, at that crucial moment he had opted for heroism by pushing for a considerable delay of proceedings or rejecting the nomination in honour of his absent APC colleagues. At least, we were all living witnesses to frequent delays in general elections, which were nevertheless held sacrosanct by our Temple of Justice.

Soiling the mood of the citizenry at a rare moment of great and sweet expectations; reversing the positive background setting of those who would make laws for Nigerians in the next four years, who have been thus polarised into warring camps by the resultant discord; and, returning Nigeria’s global perception to the low and infamous level which it was just about exiting. In these and listless other sour points lies the disservice that Saraki and Dogara’s selfish victories have done to themselves and the nation, at large.

• Olokode, a media consultant, writes from Ikeja, Lagos

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

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COMMENTS

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T is not certain why suicide bomb attacks have resurged with a high degree of lethality since the coming on stream of the Buhari administration. From Plateau to Yobe; Adamawa to Borno, it has been a catalogue of deaths as the sect through the instrumentality of suicide bombs have killed and maimed thousands of innocent people at their worship places in the mosques, churches and other public places.

One theory which will draw appeal from military apologists is that which seeks to posit a positive correlation between the phenomenon and the successes recorded at the battle field in the days preceding the last elections.

One person that will quickly identify with this proposition is the former Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Kenneth Minimah. He had while handing over to his successor, Major Gen. Tukur Buratai said during his tenure, they were able to reclaim all territories earlier lost to the terrorists, sufficiently degrade their potency and reduce them to a band of criminals and petty thieves. In view of these successes, he was confident that Boko Haram terrorists’ insurgency was “at a certain defeat” By logical inference, Minimah may have been saying that the easy resort of the terrorists to suicide bomb attacks is a consequence of the degradation and decimation of their fighting power. Having been dislodged from the swathes of territories under their control, their remnants then infiltrated the larger society and have to take resort to suicide escapades to keep their weird campaign on. There is some plausibility in this theory even as that appeal is still within the realm of conjecture.

The other plank of the explaining variable

‘It is no longer a matter of promises or the trading of blames as people are yearning for a quick end to the insurgency. Our people have died enough. Any legitimate action to end the conflict will be generally acceptable to all’

I

Emeka OMEIHE 08112662675 email: EmekaOmeihe@yahoo.com

Buhari and terrorism war is that which seeks to link the escalation to the order by President Buhari for the military to be withdrawn from the checkpoints in the country. Those who subscribe this view cite the escalation of violence immediately after the order was issued. That order has since been rescinded with the soldiers returning to the checkpoints. But the suicide bomb attacks have refused to abate.

It has remained a matter of educated guess why suicide bomb attacks which formed the initial strategy of the terrorists at their budding stages have resurged with such a high degree of lethality that have left at their wake a harvest of deaths, shock and awe.

This notwithstanding, Buhari has initiated actions in several fronts to underscore the point most poignantly that he will go the whole hug to make good his electoral promise to wrestle Boko Haram insurgency to the ground. He has amassed an international coalition against the scourge with firm promises of assistance. His just concluded tour of the US was also part of the strategy to get further commitment of that country’s leadership in the crusade against the festering Islamic fundamentalist war.

But as the president is committed to these efforts, some of his actions and utterances have not gone down well with the larger public. One of such was the hasty order for the withdrawing of soldiers from the checkpoints.

By rescinding that order almost immediately after it was issued, the impression was given that the president did not fully appreciate the complexities of the matter before he assumed office. Or was it meant to ride on a populist

NCREASINGLY, analysts and the Nigerian public are looking up to the annual report of the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) to grasp the true situation of the nation’s economy, especially from the perspective of the banking sector. The 2014 report is out and remains as pungent as ever. Knowing how its report has become critical in decision-making, NDIC expectedly attaches much importance to the report.

Ideas are only interesting if they lead to results. The idea of deposit insurance in Nigeria is blossoming year after year. The overall verdict of the 2014 annual report pronounces a positive outlook of the economy: “The banking industry performance and level of soundness in 2014 indicated that 23 Deposit Management Banks (DMBs) were rated sound and satisfactory; only one DMB was rated marginal during the period under review. Overall the banking industry was safe and sound in 2014” – the report asserts.

The barely two-month old administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is very likely to welcome the report for the assurance that the administration has not much to worry about in the fundamentals. So he’ll be able to concentrate his energies on tackling corruption and other financial crimes. He will do well to give special attention to the cyber variant of financial crime that has reared its ugly head in the banking sector. As the report shows, a whopping N6.2 billion was lost by depositors and banks in 2014 to cyber crimes with the majority of cases related to internet banking and ATM scams. According to the report, the total number of such scams grew astronomically from 3,786 cases in 2013, to 10,612 cases in 2014. While it involved about ¦ 25.61billion in 2014 (compared to N21.80billion the previous year), the actual loss was N6.19 billion.

This is obviously a worrying signal that has the potential to erode the confidence of account holders and scare away those yet to enter the banking net. Nigeria, with 170 million population, has only about 28.5 million adult bank accounts holders. In February 2014 the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) introduced Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs), an initiative which obliges customers to do biometric registration and obtain a unique number for proper identification, which is part of measures to stem bank account fraud. By the end of June when the deadline for obtaining the number expired, only around 12 million account holders had complied.

On a positive note, the report reveals that total loans and advances granted by banks across the country climbed from ¦ 10.04 trillion in 2013 to ¦ 12.63 trillion in 2014. The report is however quick to point that, despite significant improvements in banking industry’s asset quality, the volume of non-performing loans rose from ¦ 321.66 billion in 2013 to ¦ 354.84bn in 2014. But it allays any fears by stating that the ratio of the bad debts to total loans is within the regulatory threshold of five percent. Accordingly “all the DMBs in the industry had liquidity ratios in excess of the minimum prudential requirement of 30 per cent, as at 31st December 2014,

crest since complaints had been rife of the inconveniences suffered by commuters on account of the strictness of the soldiers?

There are also mixed feelings regarding President Buhari’s statements while hosting the National Executive Council of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF). He had told the group it was most worrisome that the Nigerian military had to rely on South African mercenaries before it could gain recent successes in the war against Boko Haram and described the situation as “shameful and worrisome”. The venue of the disclosure was inappropriate. So also was the subject matter. This is more so given the undue politicization of the Boko Haram insurgency in the period leading to the elections.

The matter was such that the contending political parties sought through all manner of subterfuge to rope in the other as sponsors of the insurgency. The observed ambivalence of a section of the northern elite to come clearly against the scourge did not help matters. It is therefore only proper that utmost care is taken in the renewed commitment to battle Boko Haram. A few examples of the very dangerous level the blame game had degenerated before now would suffice. The Northern Elders Forum had late last year in a statement by Dr. Hakeem Baba Ahmed and Solomon Dalung alleged that most of the “conflicts in the north are being engineered to weaken the north both economically and politically by interests who intend to exploit such weaknesses for electoral advantage”.

Former governor of Adamawa State,

Muritala Nyako in his caustic and controversial letter to northern states governors’ forum titled “on-going full scale genocide in northern Nigeria” accused the federal government of killing the citizens and attributing the killings to the “ so-called Boko Haram”. He further alleged that kidnappers must have the backing of the federal administration for them to move freely with “abducted children”. The kernel of his submission was that Boko Haram was being sponsored to decimate the north.

The authors of these statements are still alive. So also are the peddlers of sundry allegations that added complications to the prosecution of that war. President Buhari has rightly identified the fact that Boko Haram has international dimensions and only within that context can the war be successfully be fought. That is the right way to go. It will therefore be very interesting to hear the views of all those who had before now sought to poison the minds of the public on the nature and character of that war.

There is no attempt here to reopen old wounds. But given events of the war since Buhari took over, it is apposite to reflect on some of these sweeping allegations so as to create a safe ground for the commitment of all and sundry to its eventual conclusion. No doubt, there is renewed public interest in the war against Boko Haram both from the side of the government and the larger public. We are interested in a quick conclusion of the war against the senseless killings and decimation of our people. But even at this, we are no less interested in the processes and activities that will bring about that much desired end.

It is no longer a matter of promises or the trading of blames as people are yearning for a quick end to the insurgency. Our people have died enough. Any legitimate action to end the conflict will be generally acceptable to all. So if takes the services of mercenaries either from South Africa or elsewhere for the insurgency to be defeated so be it. Whatever losses the nation may suffer in terms of image or such very intangible things as prestige will be doubly compensated by the lives we stand to save from its quick conclusion. After all what difference will it make when we now go cap in hand seeking foreign assistance? Only then shall we be able to understand the nature and character of that insurgency. Then also, shall we be in a good position to know the leitmotif of the Boko Haram insurgency We are waiting!

NDIC: Feeling the pulse of Nigeria’s economy

By Bashir Ibrahim Hassan indicating that all DMBs were sufficiently liquid”, the report says.

The NDIC, as part of its mandate, carried out the risk assessment of all deposit banks in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria to provide reliable information on the banks’ risk assets quality, adequacy of loan loss provisioning and capital adequacy positions. And the result is something quiet promising: the assessment reveals that 15 banks have ”high” and “above average” composite risk rating, while eight others had “low” and “moderate” rating, showing their level of compliance with banking rules and regulations, their risk appetite and the adequacy of their risk management frameworks.

Credit risk, one of the many types of risks banks are exposed to, has a significant impact on the profitability of Nigerian banks. Therefore, while on the one hand the regulatory bodies (CBN, NDIC etc.) need to be cautious in setting up a credit policy that might negatively affect profitability, on the other hand, the banks’ boards also need to know how credit policy affects the operation of their banks to ensure judicious utilisation of deposits. After all, approaches to risk management in general have changed across organisations and the whole world in recent times, as economists have observed. This necessitates the recognition by many business leaders that risks are no longer mere hazards to be avoided – they also, in many cases, constitute opportunities to be embraced.

This balancing act can be seen in the result of the report on credit distributions in the 2014 NDIC annual report. The report said the oil and gas sector led the banking industry sectoral credits distribution, accounting for 25.74% of the top 10 of 22 sectors of the economy that accounted for 87.35% of total credits, compared with 81.99% in the previous year.

The manufacturing sector was next with 13.19%, while the other sectors accounted for 12.65%, as against 18.01% of the total credits extended by the DMBs in 2013.

NDIC’s achievements in the financial sector also include the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between it and the Poland-based Bank Guarantee Fund (BFG) in 2014.

The issues included cooperation around Cross Border Supervision; Cross Border Resolution Colleges; Early Warning Models and Macro Prudential policy etc. Similarly, the

World Bank granted technical assistance to the NDIC for development of Target Fund Ratio Framework. The assistance will enable the NDIC determine adequacy of its Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) as well as address the deficiencies identified during the 2011 assessment of its compliance with the International Association of Deposit Insurers (IADI) Core Principles for effective Deposit Insurance System (DIS).

At the regional level NDIC is in the forefront of the effort to articulate a collective vision for the continent. This was displayed at the Kenya meeting of the African Mobile Phone Financial Service Policy Initiative (AMPI) roundtable on the future of mobile phone financial services in Africa. Clearly, this is a fast growing area of e-commerce that needs effective regulation, especially with the vulnerability of the webbased platforms. With the speed at which telecommunication is evolving and breaking barriers to sharing information and accelerating collaboration across different markets, the role of regulatory bodies has become, more than ever before, imperative and urgent.

The report also reminds the public of the state of the NDIC’s efforts at seeking the bill for the repeal and re-enactment of the NDIC Act 2006, which was pending before the just concluded 7th National Assembly and had scaled through second reading and was subjected to public hearing. One of the major issues contained in the proposed amendment is granting the NDIC power to pay insured amounts to depositors in the event of imminent or actual suspension of payment by an insured institution before the revocation of its licence.

This is to forestall legal actions such as the ones shareholders of Fortune International Bank Plc. and Triumph Bank Limited instituted challenging the revocation of their licences, which is still pending in court.

The bill generated unnecessary furore from unsuspecting quarters last year. But the 8th National Assembly needs to urgently look at the bill with a view to giving it speedy consideration, in view of the need to bolster the powers of the NDIC to carry on with its enormous work of protecting depositors by providing an orderly means of compensation in event of failure of insured financial institutions in line with international best practice. Surely, NDIC contributes to the financial stability of the economy through its function of assisting monetary institutions in formulating and implementing banking policy. It has a lot to achieve if given the correct measure of power. Its annual report is now the stethoscope the public confidently uses to take the pulse of the banking sector.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

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TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015

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As President Obama eloquently said, PMB’s integrity, is perhaps his greatest asset.

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See page 39

E-mail:- law@thenationonlineng.net

Since the news of Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike’s unscheduled visits to Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, broke, it has been the talk of town. Last week, Justice Mohammed moved fast to stop such visits in future. He barred politically-exposed persons from visiting his residence and office. Henceforth, his security detail from the Department of State Services (DSS) and police orderly will be part of his interaction with “politicallyexposed lawyers”. Is the CJN’s directive in order? Under what cirtumstances can a politician visit a judge? ADEBISI ONANUGA sought lawyers’ views.

CJN bars politicians from home, office •Lawyers hail decision

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INSIDE:

HE Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) is not just any judicial officer. He is the foremost judge in the land and controls all other judges. So, like Caesar’s wife, the CJN must be above board.

CJN Mahmud Mohammed knows too well that he occupies a delicate post and that he should distance himself from anything that will tarnish his image.

This may be why he moved fast last week to ensure that he keeps politicians at bay following Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike’s unscheduled visits to him on July 6 and 8. The governor did not see His Lordship, but the visit sparked a major row. To many, the visit must be in connection with Wike’s governorship election dispute at the tribunal.

But the governor’s Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Ipunabo Inko-Tariah, said Wike wanted to discuss the lingering crisis in the state’s judiciary, among other issues.

However, in a bid to protect the judiciary and stave off pressure over electoral disputes, Justice Mohammed barred politicians from visiting him.

The CJN refused to accede to requests for courtesy calls by governors and legislators who had petitions pending against them at election tribunals and the

Unpaid wages: An abuse of labour rights -Page 28

courts.

He also warned High Court judges and other judicial officers to stay away from politicians as they strive to discharge their duties without fear or favour.

Where a lawyer who is politically-exposed is to meet with the CJN, security operatives must be present during such interaction.

The directive is the first of its kind by a CJN and will forestall attempts to drag the judiciary into politics.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers has dismissed the governor’s explanation. Its spokesman Chris Finebone said: ”The excuse by the governor that his visit had something to do with the matter of appointment of Chief Justice for Rivers State flies in the face. That was a mere facade. We understand how government business works and the governor needed not to personally pay any visits to the CJN over that matter in the way it was done.”

Finebone said the APC was aware of Wike’s visit to the CJN but decided not to make it a media issue and based on the party’s unflinching belief in the CJN’s integrity.

The party asked the governor to desist from secret visits to the CJN with a view to influencing the outcome of election petitions in various tribunals.

‘How to recover stolen funds’ -Page 37

The office of the CJN, through its media aide, Ahuraka Yusuf Isah, clarified that no meeting took place between the CJN and the governor.

Isah said the CJN “is veritably committed to upholding the integrity, neutrality and independence of our Judiciary”.

But political observers are contending that as officers in the temple of justice, the offices and residences of judicial officers should not be an all comers affairs but must be insulated from politicians.

They also reasoned that there is the need to effectively protect the judiciary’s sanctity and impartiality.

Is the CJN’s directive in order? Does the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers prohibits such visits?

What the code says Rule 1 of the Code says: “A Judicial Officer should avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all his activities; A Judicial Officer should respect and comply with the laws of the land and should conduct himself at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence •Continued on page 26

Can Buhari appoint INEC acting chairman?

-Page 38

THE NATION TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015

26

LAW COVER CONT’D

CJN bars politicians from home, office •Continued from page 25

in the integrity and impartiality of the Judiciary.”

On Social Relationships, the Code says: “A Judicial Officer must avoid social relationships that are improper or give rise to an appearance of impropriety, that cast doubt on the judicial officers’ ability to decide cases impartially, or that bring disrepute to the Judiciary.”

The Code added: “ A Judicial Officer should disqualify himself in a proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned...”

Lawyers are of the view that the restriction is welcome and is in line with the oath of office judges swore to uphold.

•Ngige

•Nwobike

‘

As officers in the temple of justice, the offices and residences of judicial officers should not be an all comers affairs but must be insulated from politicians

Lawyers speak To Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN), a former Edo State Attorney-General Chief Charles UwensuyiEdosomwan, Dr. Joseph Nwobike (SAN), Lagos lawyer Olukayode Enitan and Executive Director Access to Justice (AJ) Joseph Otteh, the order is a step in the right direction.

Ngige said the directive is not only commendable but timely.

Uwensuyi-Edosomwan (SAN): “It is a welcome development but the circumstances that would make the CJN to come out to give such directive is better imagined than real.

“Nigerian politicians have no respect for the institutions at all.

All they are interested in is their selfish agenda. I think the CJN has made a correct call. There is need for us to protect the integrity of

•Enitan

•Otteh

•Edosomwan

that office and that of other judges as well.”

Nwobike said the entire members of the judiciary should be protected from unholy visitations and interactions by persons with potentially conflicting interests.

“The foregoing notwithstanding, it is not being suggested that politically exposed persons and lawyers cannot meet with or visit mem-

bers of the judiciary in respect of official matters,” he said.

Enitan said the CJN’s directive cannot be faulted. ”A visit to any judicial officer by a public officer for official purposes and in public glare is perfectly in order.

“However an official visit by a potential or existing litigant who is a public officer would definitely raise eyebrows but a private visit

‘ raises alarm bells even though the judicial officer may be totally unaware of the visit as has happened in the instant case.

“The simple reason is that it suggests to the members of the public the possibility of an unconscionable relationship, and as you know, perceptions are very important, particularly in the judicial process.

A

FORMER Chambers Global editor, Mr. Lloyd Pearson, has praised the listing of “Nigeria’s Top 100 Lawyers” by City Lawyer Magazine.

He described the publication as a brave effort by its editor Emeka Nwadioke, a Lagos-based lawyer.

Announcing the ranking on his official website, Pearson who held senior editorial positions at leading legal directories in the United States and UK, recalled that he had taken interest in the ranking since 2014.

“Last year I wrote about a proposed new survey of the top 100 lawyers in Nigeria. News of the planned list – the first to be published in Nigeria by a native company – caused a furore locally,” he said.

Pearson noted that while some “disgruntled younger lawyers” said it was a conspiracy to stop them from competing with older, established names.

“There were even threats to sue the publishers to prevent the release of the list.”

According to Pearson who has held senior editorial position at White and Case, the world’s largest law firm, “despite what appeared to be insurmountable challenges, City Lawyer Publishers bravely went ahead and released the results,” adding that the publishers have assured that “print copies are on the way.”

Hinting on the survey’s methodology, Pearson noted that peer review “was the main way”

•From left: Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) General Secretary Mazi Afam Osigwe, Mrs Joy Ahmed and Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court at an event.

Ex-Editor hails ‘Top 100 Lawyers’ list in which the awardees were determined, saying “Senior advocates in Nigeria were asked the question: ‘If you could not handle a case/brief yourself, to whom would you, with utmost confidence, refer it?’ And the lawyers with the highest number of nominations (were) selected to the list.”

Pearson has worked on several legal directories including

‘Chambers Global,’ ‘Chambers USA,’ ‘Chambers UK,’ ‘Best Lawyers,’ and ‘Best Law Firms’ survey.

He later joined Herbert Smith, a leading international law firm, and moved to White & Case in New York to manage the firm’s global directories programme. He is the industry’s first dedicated law firm directories manager.

Meanwhile, writing under

“Editors’ Pick” in The Global Legal Post, Ms. Catherine Berney said there was “much ado” about the ranking.

A CEDR mediator and globally renowned governance specialist whose clients include the UK Law Society, Goldman Sachs, and Baker and McKenzie, Berney stated that the publication is envisaged to be “transparent.”

The full list of the Top 100 lawyers

“There are rules that a judicial officer is to conduct himself by and whilst none of the Rules specifically prohibit such visit, the clear intendment of all the Rules prohibit a Judicial Officer from doing anything that will raise a question of impropriety or the appearance of impropriety or partiality or prejudice in all his activities whether privateofficial (judicial and administrative) or social.

Otteh said it is possible some of the CJN’s predecessors may have practised a similar policy of avoiding visits by political office holders although they practised some quiet diplomacy around it.

“I think this is a legitimate resolution: visits to the CJN by politically-exposed persons is fraught with risks that adverse perceptions may be drawn from such visits by members of the public.

“Rightly so, particularly when it is remembered that these persons may have litigations in courts and someday those litigations may reach the Supreme Court.

“Even where they don’t, the CJN has come to be regarded, rightly or wrongly, as being capable of exercising some leverage over how justice services are mediated or delivered in courts nationwide,” Otteh said.

To him, no CJN worth his salt would want to influence judicial outcomes in other courts, but that possibility is not a “never heard of circumstance in our recent history.”

What should be done Ngige said there is an urgent need for review of Code of Conduct for Judicial officers to take care of this type of ‘strange’ visits.

“In the same vein, spouses of politicians in our courts should be recused from hearing political cases in their courts,” he suggested.

Otteh believes the CJN’s decision will help boost public confidence that courts can be trusted to decide cases on the basis of facts and law before them, and not on the basis of “directives from above”.

“The Nigerian public needs that reassurance,” Otteh added. features leading litigators, transactional lawyers and lawyers in the academia who have shaped the legal industry over the years.

They include acclaimed litigators Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and Mr. Rickey Tarfa (SAN) and ‘new kid on the block,’ Mr. Adeniyi Adegbonmire who, perhaps as a validation of his ranking, was recently listed among those to be conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in September.

Others include Nigeria’s oldest surviving Senior Advocate, Chief Richard Akinjide (SAN), Prof. Ben Nwabueze (SAN), Prof. Alfred Bandele Kasunmu (SAN), Chief F. O. Akinrele (SAN) and Chief George Uwechue (SAN). Aside from leading human rights activist, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) and renowned arbitrator Mrs. Funke Adekoya (SAN), the nonSANs who also made the list are respected solicitors such as Messrs Asue Igbodalo, Lawrence Fubara Anga and Bankole Sodipo.

According to Nwadioke, the allgloss compendium highlighting the career paths and accomplishments of the awardees will be released soon.

The foreword to the over 100page compendium was written by renowned Justice Emeritus of the Supreme Court, Hon. Justice George A. Oguntade (CFR) while the Board of Advisors is chaired

by Prof. Akin Oyebode of the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos.

27

THE NATION TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015

BOOK REVIEW

Easy way to resolve election petitions

A

T times like this, lawyers would be craving for literature that can hone their legal skills.

From the traditional laws like Land, Marriage, Matrimonial, Torts, Breach of contract to libel, books abound for their use.

With the increase in election petitions since 1999 general elections, it is gratifying to welcome a new literature on how a petitioner can discharge the burden of proving his or her case.

The arrival to the market of a 102-page book: “Forensic Advocacy and Election Litigation in Nigeria”, by a former Edo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Omoruyi Augustine Omonuwa(SAN) whom the Ondo State Commissioner for Justice, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) described as someone “in his usual intellectual depth scholarship and analytical mind” should be applauded.

The learned author in the introduction while giving the definition and scope of the subject, quoted the definition of the subject matter by two learned authors: Andrew R. Jackson & Julie in their book, Forensic Science 2nd Edition (2008) as “the application of science to the resolution of legal disputes.

Science is valuable in this context because it has the potential to provide reliable, pertinent and definite information about a given case.”

Omonuwa, therefore, submitted that “Forensic Science has helped in the development of the law in several jurisdictions where it has been fully accepted and practised. In these jurisdictions, it is no longer difficult to prove the identity of a suspect nor his criminal culpability when eventually he is arraigned for the offence... It is no longer in doubt that forensic science is useful to the development of the law in any society”.

He summarised the branches of forensic science as follows: · Forensic Science and Law of Contract; · Forensic Science and the Law of Torts; · Forensic Science and Construction Law; · Forensic Pathology; · Forensic Toxicology; and · Forensic Serologist among others.

The learned author on page 19 defined Forensic Advocacy as the “art of channeling the energies and resources of forensic experts by legal practitioners in proof of his case before a court. The legal practitioners through his mastery of the legal intricacies underlying his case, is able to determine what manner of forensic evidence is needed to prove a particular charge or fact in issue in civil proceedings”.

Forensic Science: The Evidence, Act and Criminal Trials a Nigeria is discussed on pages 20 – 22, while pages 22 – 25 are dedicated to discuss Forensic Advocacy and Election Litigation. Here the tenor of section 138 of the Electoral Act 2010 for the grounds for the nullification of an election where the burden of proof was placed on the petitioners came to fore. He cited the cases of Nwobodo V. Onoh (1984) ALL NLR; Buhari V Obasanjo (2005) 2NWLR (Pt. 910) 24; Awuse V Odili (2004) 8NWLR (Pt. 876) 481 and Ajadi V. Ajibola (2004) 16 NWLR (Pt. 898) 91.

Name of Book:

Forensic Advocacy and Election Litigation in Nigeria

Omoruyi Augustine Omonuwa (SAN) Book reviewer: Gbolahan Gbadamosi Author:

No of Pages:

102

As an active participant in the post-2007 General Election petition i.e. Adams Oshiomhole V. Prof Osunbor & Ors (2007) 18 NWCR (Pt. 1065) 32 CA, Omonuwa devoted 17 pages to discuss Forensic Advocacy as a New Vista in the 2007 Post Election litigations (page 25 – 41).

He refreshed our memory where British Forensic expert, Andrian Forty was a Petitioner Witness in the case of Dr. Kayode Fayemi & Ors V. Segun Oni & Ors (2009) 7NWLR (p1. 1140) 223 CA. The election according to the petitioner was fraught with “irregularities, massive rigging and all manner of electoral malpractices.”

Prior to Fayemi’s case, the author recalled the first time the service of the Forensic expert (Forty) was used in post election litigation in Nigeria. The case of Olusegun Mimiko & Ors V Chief Olusegun Agagu & Ors (2009) 7 NWLR (Pt.1140) 342 CA, was cited. Forty’s report on the case, according to Omonuwa on p. 27 “had to pass the test of relevancy and admissibility in the course of proceedings.

Although the respondents resisted the admissibility of this report, the Practice Direction made pursuant to the Electoral Act of 2006, made it easy to admit the said report. It is no longer news that it was with the aid of this report that the petitioner was able to establish his case at the tribunals”.

On Oshiomhole’s case in which he participated, the author submitted that “The trial court used the voters register as well as the accreditation of voters as a basis for determining the lawful votes, although there was no actual manual recount of the ballot papers, it would have been tidier if the said ballot papers were subjected to forensic analysis to determine the genuiness of the thumbprints on them.”

Subsequent Elections in Nigeria and Forensic Science is another important issue raised by the learned author on p. 43 where he submitted that in the aftermath of the 2011 Presidential Election, there was the allegation by the then Presidential Candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change(CPC) that the election was rigged, ……. “Unfortunately though in view of the time frame allowed under the Electoral Act 2010 and the Practice Direction made pursuant thereto, the petitioner had no time to prove these weighty allegations”.

On Page confession of a Captain in the Nigerian Army that Army and other security agencies were compromised and used to rig the Governorship election that ousted Dr. Fayemi of Ekiti State from the office.

With the use of forensic analysis the voice recording of the suspected conspirator’s and co-conspirators in the rigging plan and execution was instructive though the confes-

sion came too late as the report confirmed an 80 percent accuracy of the voices of the public figures by the Army Officer in the Ekiti rigging incident.

Coming to this year’s General Election and Forensic Advocacy, the learned silk noted the unique strategy of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to use electronic cards i.e. Permanent Voter’s card (PVC).

He said in all the proceedings going on at the various election petitions, “data from the card readers will be subjected to Forensic Analysis preferably by information communication technology experts”.

He added on page 47 that “It is equally expected that these will form the basis for forensic advocacy by the respective parties, thus making the job of the adjucator (the elector tribunal) less arduous”.

On the way forward, Omonuwa suggested the following points:The proposal for the review of the Evidence Act should be done to take cognisance of forensic advocacy. The rules for the relevancy and admissibility of forensic evidence should be included. The use of the sections dealing with expert evidence would not suffice in the circumstances as the experts contemplated therein are expected to proffer opinions as distinct from a forensic scientist who is expected to present a scientific report. ·Our law enforcement agents should be adequately tutored in the area of forensic science. This would improve on their investigative skills, especially the gathering and protection of evidence in a crime scene. A lot of in-service training and refresher courses may suffice in the circumstances: •Legal practitioner, especially those wanting to be successful in election petitions should endeavour to understand the fundamentals of forensic advocacy within the parameters of the Electoral Act and the Practice Directions made pursuant thereto. No doubt, a symposium in the continuous legal training programme on this would equally suffice.

•he curriculum content of our undergraduate training for lawyers should be expounded to include a training in the fundamentals of forensic science and; •The electoral reforms should include a review of the Electoral Act to streamline and reduce the difficulties involved in the admissibility of forensic reports in election petitions proceedings.

Adequate references were made to the use of Forensic Science in Election Jurisprudence in other jurisdictions, namely the United States, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands where he affirmed that, “ in all of these cases, the point that came clearly, is that election as a process is not error free, even with the use of electronic or digital technology”.

For easy reference the book has four appendixes with indexes.

I recommend the book whom the author dedicated to the immediate past Minister of Justice Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN)CFR “ for restoring dignity and professionalism to the office of the Attorney-General and

•From left: Sub-Dean Faculty of Law, Dr. Kemi Adekile; Bursar, Lateef Odekunle; Registrar, Dr. Taiwo Ipaye; Deputy Governor, Osun State, Dr. Laoye Tomori and Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academics, Prof. Jide Alo, during the valedictory for the late former Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Lagos, Professor Michael Iyiola Jegede(SAN).

MACH NEWS 9 - LAW FOLDER JULY 28, 2015\COVER

Minister of Justice in Nigeria” to all and sundry.

“I, therefore, adopt the words of Jegede (SAN) in the Foreword: “the increasing reliance on electronic register, voters’ Card reader and finger print verification machine the manner and mode of proof of evidence by forensic means makes this initiative and the book itself a worthy companion for lawyers while interest is in Election Litigation and the development of our law”.

In conclusion, I am positive that the desired aim of this book according to the author which “is to create an increased awareness in forensic advocacy and help determine how potentially useful it could be ought to be in the resolution of post-election litigations in Nigeria” would be met.

NBA Ikorodu plans co-operative society, lawyers’ estate

By Robert Egbe

T

HE Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikorodu Branch, is set to establish a Co-Operative Society and Lawyers’ Estate for its members.

The Chairman of the branch, Adedotun Adetunji, who made this made this known during the Annual General Meeting (NBA) of the body, also said the branch had amended its bye-laws, adding that the amended laws take immediate effect.

He said when work on the Co-operative Society was completed, the 166 lawyers on the association’s register, as well as new members, would have a befitting Lawyer’s Estate.

The AGM, which was the 10th to be organised by the branch since its formation, and which held at the branch’s secretariat in Ikorodu, featured the adoption of the branch’s amended By Laws, the adoption of its 2014/2015 Audit, Treasurer’s and Secretary’s, and Chairman’s Reports respectively, as well as a public lecture.

The reports highlighted the Executive Committee’s activities in the past one year, since being sworn into office on July 7, this year. In April, last year, the branch made history by equipping the Ikorodu Court House with 24-hour’ internet services, becoming the first NBA branch in Lagos to do so.

The chairman gave an update on the branch’s website, urging past chairmen to supply the information required by the secretariat, so that the website can be up and running.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015

28

LAW AND SOCIETY Lagos lawyer Ayokunle Akinpelu writes on why workers are worth their wages.

Unpaid wages: An abuse of labour rights J

UST when one thinks the ugly past of working without pay, was over for Nigerian civil servants, the workers’ survival and welfare have again come under severe attack for over five months, and this is due to no fault of the workers.

Ordinarily, the average civil servant is usually paid mere pittance by the state. But even the pittance now seems a luxury as about two-thirds of the states of the Federation are unjustifiably in arrears of civil servants’ salaries and benefits.

The law seems weak in aiding and rescuing civil servants whose livelihood is being emasculated by their employers.

The helplessness of the current situation, in which the civil servants have found themselves, exposes the fundamental limitations of the Nigerian Labour Law. The Nigerian Labour Act represents the key framework for the protection of every class of workers including skilled and unskilled workers, private and public workers as defined under Section 91 of the Labour Act. The Nigerian Civil Servant is therefore not excluded from the protection of the Nigerian Labour Act. The Nigerian Labour Act not only makes provision for employment issues but also protects wages. Section (7) of the Labour Act provides that a worker should have a written statement that specifies the rate, manner and period of payment of his salary. Section (15) of the Act provides that;”wages shall become due and payable at the end of each period for which the contract is expressed to subsist, that is to say, daily, weekly or at such other period as may be agreed upon. Provided that, where the period is more than one month, the wages shall become due and payable at intervals not exceeding one month” The combined interpretation of the provisions of Sections 7 and 15 of the Labour Act above would mean that every employer, inclusive of the government, is bound to issue within three months, a detailed letter of appointment stating the amount of the agreed wages and period of payment.

Upon fulfilling those responsibilities, the employer shall further ensure that such wages are paid at the agreed time and if the employment subsists for more than a month, then such payment shall be paid monthly. A Month, according to Section 18(1) of the Interpretation Act Cap I23 LFN 2004, is defined as meaning a calendar month reckoned, according to the Gregorian calendar. It would therefore mean employers shall make payment at the end of each Gregorian calendar month.

Unfortunately, while the Labour Act makes provision for the protection of workers in Nigeria, it has failed to provide any sanction on any person who fails to obey the letter and the spirit of the Act. The non-provision of both penal and civil sanctions is a recipe for anarchy in the labour market especially as to payment of wages in Nigeria.

Scandalously, the state governments, who ordinarily should be the most protective of their workers welfare, are now the biggest culprits needlessly owing salaries of civil servants for periods up to five months.

This executive lawlessness is subjecting civil servants to economic hardship, pains and penury. There is no known instance of any of the state governors responsible for this mindless decimation of their workers’ wellbeing having stopped salaries of public officials in the affected states nor have stopped the undeserved and bogus pensions they pay to ex-governors and other public officials as a sign of regard and commitment to their workers salary as first line priority. Not one instance yet, and this speaks volumes of the sense of service lacking in these states some of whose governors just handed over the huge debt portfolio to their successors.

A government should at all times maintain, and comply with the provisions of the law. This responsibility is one that has been entrusted on them, neither by providence nor circumstances but by the constitution to which all persons, including the government, must submit. Section 1(1) Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (CFRN) as amended provides

thus “this Constitution is supreme and its provisions shall have binding force on the authorities and persons throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” The Labour Act having been passed by the legislature, pursuant to enabling powers from the constitution, must be obeyed by private and public employers, including the government.

Any contravention of the Act should therefore be seen as a direct contravention of the Constitution that must not be tolerated by the society, and to which such violators must face the wrath of the law irrespective of their status as private or public organisations.

Civil servants are the minds through which government responsibilities are undertaken. They ensure the implementation of government policies and directive principles of the constitution. They assist the government in carrying out the responsibilities assigned to her, responsibilities that cannot be subrogated to other sections of the Nigerian society.

Therefore, every government that is serious about fulfilling the responsibilities that has been saddled on her must ensure that civil servants are properly and timely paid their salaries and benefits. Provision of Infrastructural development need not be at parallel lines, or be mutually exclusive with payment of workers’ salary.

While it is necessary to commit to infrastructural development, it must be noted by every government that the law does not command the impossible. As such, pretending to undertake misplaced infrastructural elephant projects at the detriment of workers’ basic welfare is an affront on the rights to human dignity of the affected workers.

The Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy as enshrined in Chapter II of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) does not encourage the starvation of any class of people including civil servants.

Section 16 (1) of the Constitution provides that the government shall “control the national economy in such manner as to secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice and equality of status and opportunity. Section 16 (2) (b) further directs that “the material resources of the nation are harnessed and distributed as best as possible to serve the common good.” It is, therefore, imperative that every government must find a balance between the welfare of the civil servants and the infrastructural development of the society.

The failure of the government in securing the welfare of the civil servants and the lack of attendant enforceable sanctions and remedy for the mass of affected workers, indicts our Labour Law as too weak to bring the government in check when it abuses workers mass rights as currently being done.

While a short term resolution is being expected to assuage the needless pains Civil Servants have been put through over the months, it would be necessary to re-evaluate the Labour Act to meet with the new dynamic labour challenges that workers are facing.

Perhaps, it is time to make payment of workers’ salaries the priority before any public official is paid. If workers cannot be

‘

It would therefore be instructive that the new government pays proper attention to the plight of the workers and ensure that their salaries and benefits are paid promptly, and likewise must not turn a blind eye to the perpetual refusal of some state and local government to pay salaries of their diverse workers

‘

•Akinpelu

paid, we can as well not pay public officials who are responsible for the proper, or improper, management of the resources in the first place. Sanctions and penalties for defaulters of the Act, which is inclusive of the government, should be better spelt out, and enforced.

In provision of sanctions and penalties, the amendment must not only criminalise the breach but also provide for compensation for the aggrieved workers. An effective system must also be developed to ensure that such breaches are reported while also providing for the non-victimisation of the whistle-blower.

Fortunately, the newly inaugurated administration in setting a new agenda for the country has emphasised the indispensable role of the Nigerian worker, and the Labour Unions. It would therefore be instructive that the new government pays proper attention to the plight of the workers and ensure that their salaries and benefits are paid promptly, and likewise must not turn a blind eye to the perpetual refusal of some state and local government to pay salaries of their diverse workers.

It should ensure, in keeping up with “Change” mantra that it provides for a robust system that ensures a satisfying reward for workers. The new administration must also create a proper monitoring strategy that tracks private employers who also breach the provisions of the Law with respect to prompt payment of workers’ due salaries.

The new administration must not just seek to create jobs for the unemployed but also seek to keep the employed paid so that the fundamental objectives of the state can be achieved.

It would be a disaster that the new administration, which has the goodwill of the masses, including the currently oppressed Civil Servants, should fail in providing a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework that ensures the betterment of workers’ welfare in Nigeria.

•Akinpelu is a Lagos based lawyer

Lawyer seeks tribunal’s relocation

C

•Akpadiaha

HAIRMAN Nigerian Bar Association ( NBA) Eket branch, Mr. Akpadiaha Ebitu has called for the imme diate relocation of the Akwa Ibom State Election Petition Tribunal back to the state to alleviate the sufferings of lawyers and litigants in the matter.

The Tribunal was relocated to Abuja where it sits to hear petitions file against Governor Emmanuel Udom.

Ebitu said: “We have been told that the reason given by those that asked for the relocation is that the Tribunal members and witnesses to the litigants were either harassed or threatened, that the security of the members were not guaranteed “My reaction is this simple: Those who sold these blatant lies to achieve their purpose of relocating the tribunals to Abuja are definitely up to some mischief as same cannot be the Akwa Ibom that I am based and practise law in peacefully.

“My membership of the NBA National Executive Committee since 2004 has afforded me the opportunity of visiting 32 out of the 36 states and based on this, I can conveniently say that no state in Nigeria is as peaceful as Akwa Ibom in the pre or post-election period.

“Therefore, for any Akwa Ibom citizen to paint a picture to achieve his inordinate ambition is to say the least, very unfortunate and should be condemned by every right thinking Akwa Ibom citizen who loves the state.

“I, therefore, unequivocally condemn in the strongest

By John Austin Unachukwu

terms those behind this regrettable development which now gives a very erroneous impression that Akwa Ibom is a violent state.

“Granted but not conceding that per chance, the Tribunal orders a rerun of any of the elections, will they also call for the relocation of the election to another State and ask voters to go there and vote?

“If according to them the Police and other securities agencies cannot guarantee the safety of the Tribunal members, the litigants and their witnesses now, how can these same security agencies guarantee the safety of the voters in the rerun?

“If the reason for the relocation is for the safety of the witnesses according to them, will those witnesses not return to Akwa Ibom State after testifying in Abuja?

“I am sure that if above questions had been considered by those unpatriotic Akwa Ibom people, they definitely would have had a rethink.

“I even wonder why those behind the relocation think that they will have any advantage over their opponents because I know the Tribunal with the calibre of people there cannot be influenced by them and they will definitely give justice properly on the merit of the case.

“My only concern is the avoidable cost it has brought on lawyers and litigants alike.

Newspaper of the Year

AN 8-PAGE PULLOUT ON NORTHERN STATES

TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015

Apart from the Sambisa forest, the base of the Boko Haram insurgents, there is Kamuku, another stretch of vegetation covering four Northwest states and Niger, used by criminals. The good part is that the state governments have teamed up to rid the forest of hoodlums. ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE reports

PAGE 29

INSIDE Plateau police table needs before IG

PAGE 30

Airtel rehabilitates school in Kwara

•Governor Nasir el-Rufai and others at the forest HE horrors of Boko Haram inside Sambisa forest are well documented. Not so the evil perpetrated in and from the Kamuku forest, which stretches across four northwest states of Kaduna, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, and the Northcentral Niger.

While Sambisa has served the insurgents as an operational base, den to keep hostages and routes through which to ferry arms and other supplies, the Kamuku vegetation has provided cow thieves places to keep stolen animals, as well as a base from which to strike such cities as Kaduna and rob and kill victims. Criminals using the forest as hideout are not members of the Boko Haram group, though, but they are no less dreaded.

The governments of the states, seing the present and future threat of the forest, came together with an action plan to smoke the criminals out of the forest. They want to tame the evil forest and contain other security challenges peculiar to their states. They fear that Kamuku could breed future inrity. surgents.

He said, “The forest which is in The governors met in Kaduna to brainstorm ways of address- the centre of the Kaduna, Niger, ing the security threats posed by Katsina, Kebbi and Zamfara, has the forest. Even though, the been of serious security concern. resolution of the meeting held So, we need to address it because behind closed doors in the state that forest is capable of breeding Government House was not dis- future Boko Haram. So, we have closed, the host Governor Nasir just met to brainstorm with a view el-Rufai told reporters their dis- to fashioning out a coordinated apcussion was mainly about secu- proach in tackling the security

T

Coalition against the other evil forest ‘The forest, which is in the centre of Kaduna, Niger, Katsina, Kebbi and Zamfara states has been of serious security concern. So, we need to address it because that forest is capable of breeding future Boko Haram. So, we have just met to brainstorm with a view to fashioning out a coordinated approach in tackling the security challenges in our states. This is has become necessary to avoid spillover’ challenges in our states. This has become necessary to avoid spillover.

“We met with security chiefs in charge of our respective states so that we can as quickly as possible bring an end to the loss of lives, cattle rustling and loss of property.”

He disclosed that the five state governors have the support of the

federal government in the plan.

Even, the Federal Government has demonstrated commitment to collaborate with the state governments. But the most gratifying news is the arrest of nine accused cattle rustlers and recovery of over 2,000 cows in the Kaduna axis of the forest.

The breakthrough was achieved after the joint security operatives, including the military, police and others raided the bandits hideout in Birnin Gwari and Damari village. Three suspects were killed in the gun battle with the security operatives.

Governor el-Rufai, who visited the forest, commended the security personnel for their “swift intervention”, pledging that the government would offer maximum support to ensure success of the operation.

He said that the operation was part of the new offensive in the Northwest against cattle rustling.

“So far, so good. We are satisfied •Continued on page 30

PAGE 31

Questions over conflicting traffic lights

PAGE 33

Closing in on oil looters

PAGE 36

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THE NATION TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015

THE NORTH REPORT

•Inspector-General of Police Mr Solomon Arase addressing the Plateau State command HERE seemed to be a balance of demands as Inspector-General of Police Solomon Arase visited the Plateau State command. His mission was to press home the directive of Inspector-General of Police Solomon Arase’s visit to Plateau State was as much an opportunity President Muhammadu Buhari that the police should really take to orientate the command on stepping up internal security duties as it was for the state charge of internal security, while commissioner to press for solutions to enduring challenges. YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU reports the armed forces concentrate on securing national borders.

He stated further, “In the entire Mr Arase made that much clear welcoming the IG to the command retired Major General, so the chunk One of it is the issue of Fulani and but he also lectured the state headquarters in Jos, said, “Plateau is of retired generals in the state is the natives. There have been age- Plateau state, the population of the personnel on human rights abuses, one of the states in the North Central found in Plateau South senatorial long disputes between them over policemen 6000 plus, the problem roadblocks, extortion, bail, zone...comprising three senatorial zone, and that is a problem on its arable land and grazing land. And it we have over that is barracks has been so serious that you have accommodation. The barracks we training and promotions. Arase zones; Plateau North, Plateau Central own.

Mr. Oki also said, “In the Central given us two mobile units to assist have here need renovations. We told them of a brand new police to and Plateau South. Each of these senatorial zones has their peculiar zone, we don’t have serious us and they are really doing have tried in our own capacity to evolve from what used to be. repair the ones we can, but there is His hosts also had their list of crime situation. Like in the south, the problems with crime, but in the wonderful job in that place.

The second problem in Plateau still need for more to be renovated. demands if those of the IGP were main problem we have there is North, we have two areas that is proliferation of arms, nearly every disturbing, and the government as North is the issue of rustling, the The headquarters too needs some to be adequately met.

The state Commissioner of home in the south has arms. In every well as the command have been on crime is very rampart there and we •Continued on page 31 Police Nasiru Oki while house there you will find at least one it to make sure everything went fine. are doing our best to curb the crime.

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•Continued from page 29 with the work done by the armed forces in trying to contain the problem of cattle rustling and general security threats that have lingered for too long.

“The joint operation is between six states that share the Birnin Gwari forest, that is Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina, Sokoto and Niger. This operation is the Kaduna State end, but it is also happening in the other affected neighbouring states. We will recover stolen cattle and tackle the security challenges in the area,’’ he said.

Over 700 cattle have been recovered.

The nine arrested suspects, under interrogation by el-Rufai and Kaduna State Police Commissioner, Umar Shehu, said they were innocent. One of them who was allegedly arrested with rustled cattle told the governor that he is a farmer.

But after touching his palms, el-Rufai said they were too soft to be a farmer’s.

The security operatives also informed the governor that one of the accused identified as Iliya had local bulletproof, otherwise known as ‘Odieshi’ or anti-bullet charms.

With the recent arrest, residents of villages bordering the forest expressed the hope that crime in their area will be curtailed. Virtually each of the five states bordering Kamuku forest has had its share of attacks by the criminals in the last four years, with Kaduna and Zamfara the worst hit.

Plateau police table needs before IG

•Some of the suspects

Coalition against the other evil forest The criminals suspected to be a large group had invaded villages in the two states of Kaduna and Zamfara, killing not less than 25 persons.

In October 2012, a group of high profile gunmen from the forest who always disguised as armed robbers, invaded Dogon Daji community in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing at least 20 villagers including those who were leaving a mosque after the morning prayers.

They carried out the brazen attack in the early hours of the day after embarking on a house to house search and shooting and

killing people indiscriminately.

Some of their victims were stabbed to death, while others were slaughtered.

Sources in the village claimed the killings were a revenge attack by armed robbers as the community vigilance group helped capture some robbers who were attacking passengers and motorists in the area some weeks prior to the attack.

Some villagers sharply disagreed with the armed robbery theory, insisting that the attackers had other motives beyond armed robbery.

In Zamfara, the same group

of gunmen under the guise of armed robbery attacked several villages in the remote villages of Zamfara bordering the forest and killed 27 persons.

The Nation gathered that the Zamfara attack was also a revenge mission, after some criminal gang members were arrested or killed and the gangs blamed the villagers for informing on them.

A police source in Gusau said they were not suspected to be members of Islamist sect Boko Haram, which have infiltrated most of northern Nigeria, but another terrorist group.

Out of the 27 persons, 18 were

killed at Dangulbi village in Marua Local Government Area and the rest from other surrounding villages of Diya, Guru and Sabo Kasuwa.

Eyewitnesses said the gunmen numbering over 30 stormed Dangulbi around 2am with an informant who was directing them to the houses of key members of the vigilance group.

Since the 2012 attacks, crimes around the forest have been unceasing, and even though previous governments of the respective states took several security to contain such criminality, there was no permanent solution.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015

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THE NORTH REPORT

Benue communities agonise over road

W

HEN will the agony end in Agedam and Genger communities in Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State? One of their most important roads, Shima Gyoh Road, has been in disrepair for over 10 years since contractors abandoned it.

The bridge linking both communities have been destroyed as a result of the disrepair, throwing the residents into all manner of trouble.

Three years ago, the state government began construction again on the Genger Bridge but the work was abandoned and it has remained that way till date.

Many residents lamented the situation.

Mr Matthew Zakari, a resident of Genger, said, “It really baffles me that things like this still happen in Nigeria. The abandoned road is a major setback in terms of attracting development to the community. I wish the state government can do something about it because without anything being done, more harm would be caused to those of us living in the area especially during this rainy season.”

Pastor Onojah Ameh, of the United Evangelical Church whose church building is threatened by the bad state of the road, describes

By Benjamin Idoko and Joshua Obelle

the dwindling fortunes that the church has had to battle with.

“It has been a bitter experience for the masses living in these communities and especially the church building. The entire fence has been brought down by flood from the stream which leaves the church building under threat. It will be a thing of joy for the church and the entire community if the government does something urgently about this.

“Because of the heavy water flow, [pedestrians and motorists] find it difficult to cross to church. This is not a good development. So with prayers we are calling on the government whether federal or state to come to our rescue.”

The dust generated from the untarred road has also brought members of both communities, children and adults alike face to face with health hazards.

Gabriel Abu, a graduate of the Federal College of Education, Obudu who resides along the untarred road in Agedam, bemoaned his fate.

“The amount of dust we inhale durContinued on page 33

•Continued from page 30 kind of repair especially the tailoring section and the stores, the roofs are leaking seriously, such that each time there is rain, the men have to evacuate their properties and leave the place. And at the end of each rain, the men have to return there to mop up the water and clean up the place.

“In this command we have efficient mechanics and electricians; if any of our cars develops a problem, I can beat my chest that they will repair it here without looking for mechanics outside. The men in this unit are very competent and able.

“Sir, we want to commend you sir for the ‘operation safer highways’ you gave to us, they have been position in a very strategic point and are helping situations too. The ones you gave us before too have been given to divisions and the divisions are making adequate use of them too in combating crimes in the state generally. However, like Oliver Twist, we are asking for more, Sir. “We...need to establish an additional Area Command in Plateau Central.

“Sir, we are also requesting for an additional Mobile Squadron because of the volatility of this place. There have been structures on ground, all that is needed now is to renovate the place and staff the Quarters.

“In addition, Sir, we shall be grateful if we can have a transit camp in this place because of officers who are being transferred to this place.

When the officers come on transfer they have no place to stay, you see

Plateau police table needs before IG them hanging around, sleeping at the headquarters. So if we have a transit camp in this state it will help us seriously.”

Mr Arase said, “In as much as I appreciate the efforts of the policemen and women for making sure internal security of Plateau State remains one of the best in this country, I wish to challenge you to do more...I have listened to your commissioner on the challenges you are facing. But I can assure you that in spite of dwindling resources and logistics, we should continue to do our best because President Muhammadu Buhari is very passionate about your welfare, Mr President is ready to do all that is necessary for you to deliver on your mandate.

“Let me inform you of the strategic thrust of this administration, first and foremost is the issue of roadblocks; [they have] been dismantled and...will remain so, but that does not mean that occasionally, when there are security threats we will not engage on ‘stop and search’. And we talk about stop and search, we are not expecting you to go back to the old ways of harassing members of the public or collecting money on the highways. This administration has a zero-tolerance for corruption, we will not encourage it. It is my belief the

people that you serve are very nice people and when they see that you are serving them responsibly, they have a way of tour hing your life the way you never expect. So there is no point for you to start extorting them on the highways.

“Secondly, we are averse to the commercialisation of bail, and that is why I have insisted that our investigation process should be inteligence-driven. By this, I mean if you have a case brought before you, you should gather sufficient evidence before inviting the parties involved. And by the time you invite them before you, I expect that it should not take more than 24 hours for you to reach a decision to proffer charges or allow the person to go on bail.

“We have been able to launch the “Safer Highways” currently we have 555 of such vehicles across the 36 states of the country. We have also ensure that all those issues that compel you into corruption like fueling of the vehicles and feeding while on patrol will be addressed soon. It is also good to let you know that when cases are brought before you, you should be able to distinguished between civil cases and commercial cases and also tried to resist been dragged into taking corruption.”

Airtel rehabilitates school in Kwara

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ELECOMS firm, Airtel Nigeria Limited has rehabilitated a primary school, Iyeru-Okin, in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State.

Airtel Nigeria has earlier done a similar thing at Oremeji Primary School II, Ajegunle, Lagos Stata, St. John’s Primary School, Oke-Agbo in Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State, Community Primary School, Amumara, Imo State and Presbyterian Primary School, Ediba, Cross River State under its Adopt-a-School Programme.

Speaking during the commissioning of the newly transformed Iyeru-Okin Primary School, the Managing Director of Airtel Nigeria Ltd, Segun Ogunsanya said under the company will adopt government-owned schools in rural and semi-urban communities for rehabilitation or rebuilding.

Represented by Chief Sales Officer Godfrey Efhebor, Mr. Ogunsanya said that is embarking on the programme as part of its corporate social responsibility or CRS. He said, “We are pleased to partner your government and indeed the people of Nigeria to participate in the area of primary education for the undeserved rural poor; education, to us, is the bedrock of development of the nation and the best place to start is the formative stage of children.

“Nigerian government has taken various initiatives in this direction but has often not reached the poorest section of the society.”

Airtel managing director added that has brought notable transformation to these schools by providing ultra-modern blocks of classrooms, borehole, furniture and provision of uniforms, bags and educational materials on an annual basis.

His words: “Last year hundreds of pupils and teachers benefited from Airtel free eye screening ex-

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

ercises conducted in the adopted schools. In addition to this, several teachers in the schools have been trained by Airtel in collaboration with state Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) of the various states.

“It is pertinent to add here that we have not just come to upgrade infrastructure and go away, but we will continue to support the adopted school on a long-term basis. It is certain that government alone cannot bring about the change we all are craving for, but we know that an enabling environment is necessary for change to happen.

“We are hopeful that this project will add value to the lives of the children of Iyeru-Okin community, and who knows we may be providing classrooms for the grooming of future employees of Airtel Nigeria.

“I will request the government to keep supporting our efforts as we strive to contribute our quota to making Nigeria a better place.

Specifically, we want to urge the community members to help protect the facilities from hoodlums and vandals.”

In a remark, the state Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed said the Airtel’s gesture deserves commendation and applause.

The governor who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Alhaji Lamidi Alabi said that “the project represents a contribution to our educational development through corporate social responsibility intervention. We are therefore grateful to board, management and staff of Airtel for initiating and completing this project.

“While soliciting similar intervention to other schools across the state, I urge other organizations to emulate Airtel and give back to the communities in which it operates.

•The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Alhaji Lamidi Alabi (right) at the inauguration of the project in Offa. With him are the Ojomu of Offa, High Chief Joseph Bayo Akinola (middle) and Airtel’s Chief Sales Officer Godfrey Efhebor

‘We have not just come to upgrade infrastructure and go away, but we will continue to support the adopted school on a long-term basis. It is certain that government alone cannot bring about the change we all are craving for, but we know that an enabling environment is necessary for change to happen’ I understand that Airtel has upgraded three blocks of classrooms and equipped with white box, chairs and tables. Further the company is providing uniforms and school bags for 400 pupils including other support infrastructure materials.

“Doing so will not only be prag-

matic, it will also create significant goodwill for such communities and the companies. On our part we remain committed to promoting the security and welfare of the people through targeted social and physical infrastructure. We are also implementing policies to stimulate economic activities and

attract investment inflow as pathway for people’s economic empowerment.

“In line with this determination, I will soon outline our strategic programmes for the socioeconomic and infrastructural development of our state.”

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of SUBEB, Dr. Musa Dasuki said the programme would touch the lives of many in Offa and humanity at large.

Dr. Dasuki, who was represented by Direct of Planning, Research and Statistics in the board, Raudat Yusuf said the project comprises the renovation of three blocks of eight classrooms, three offices; installation of lightings and ceiling fans; construction of borehole with an overhead tank; provision of 43 sets of table for the pupils; eight set of tables for teachers; 400 school uniforms and 400 school bags for pupils.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015

THE NORTH REPORT

Mission to liquidate insurgency now or never, says Shettima

‘The appointment of new service chiefs on July 13 seems to have made Shettima a happy man. Two indigenes of his state are among the security chiefs. They are the National Security Advisers (NSA), Maj. Gen Babagana Monguno and Chief of Army Staff, Maj-Gen. Tukur Buratai’

Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima is hopeful that the insurgency battle will soon be over, with the appointment of new service chiefs, reports VICTOR IZEKOR

H

APPY days are here for Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima, who once lamented how he was being treated under former President Goodluck Jonathan. As governor of a state, which is the epicentre of Boko Haram insurgency, Shettima was kept in the dark about security issues in his domain by the then government.

He was not invited to security meetings neither was he informed of postings of security personnel. Borno is close to Chad, Cameroun and Niger, the three countries which Boko Haram either uses as a launch pad or crosses into after attacking Nigerian communities.

In the negotiations with those countries on how to stem the Boko Haram insurgency, the Jonathan administration also did not carry Shettima along. The governor may have drawn the ire of the government then because of his declaration that the military was not as equipped as the Boko Haram insurgents.

Following that statement, the soldiers deployed in the Government House in Maiduguri, the state capital, were withdrawn and replaced with policemen.

During Jonathan’s visit to troops in Baga after the town was recaptured from insurgents, Shettima, as host governor, was not on hand to receive him. Reason: he was not aware of the former president’s visit. Watchers felt the federal and state governments should collaborate on the war against insurgency and as such were worried by the development. To elder statesman, Alhaji Shettima Ali Monguno, the federal and state governments must work together to defeat Boko

Haram. He lamented what he called the communication gap between the two tiers of government, saying it was not good for insurgency battle.

Faced by what he felt was an adverse situation, Shettima declared: “I am an unhappy man.”

With his state under Boko Haram siege, he was not getting help from the Jonathan administration, which should have supported him with men and materials. Why was this so? Was it because Jonathan and Shettima are not members of the same party? Things are now looking up for the “unhappy” governor.

The appointment of new service chiefs on July 13 seems to have made Shettima a happy man.

Two indigenes of his state are among the security chiefs. They are the National Security Advisers (NSA), Maj. Gen Babagana Monguno and Chief of Army Staff, Maj- Gen. Tukur Buratai.

Speaking when he hosted the Lt. Gen. T. Y. Danjuma-led Insurgency Victims Support Fund in Maiduguri, Shettima expressed joy at their appointment. According to him, with the duo working in concert with other top security chiefs, the battle to liquidate insurgency is now or never. This, he said, is the best opportunity to curb the insurgents’ excesses.

He said President Muhammadu Buhari’s choice of Monguno and Buratai as NSA and COAS was a “classic case of putting square pegs in square holes because both men have been given the mandate of liberating their state, which is the epicentre of Boko Haram activities”.

Shettima said: “Monday, July 13 was the happiest moment of my life. President Muhammadu

•Governor Shettima

Buhari made a strong statement by his decision to appoint two highly competent sons of Borno to the offices of the National Security Adviser and the Chief of Army Staff. I think his strategy was to get people with ancestral knowledge of the Borno terrain.

Maj. Gen. Tukur Buratai is even a direct victim of Boko Haram attacks. He lost family members when his residence was attacked earlier this year in Buratai, a town in Biu local government area. Monguno was destroyed and once occupied by Boko Haram and that is where the new NSA, retired Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno hails from. In fact, a key family member of General Monguno is still being held captive by Boko Haram insurgents.

“These two Generals are from Borno, they know exactly where it pinches and most importantly, they understand the terrain and can easily connect with communities to get local support. Added to them is also the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Sadique Abubakar who hails from Bauchi, also in the Northeast.

AVM Abubakar spent many of his formative years in the military here in Borno State. He spent over 10 years in Borno; he knows the terrain very well also and can connect with the people. I think for us, it is now or never because the President has generously put sons of Borno and the Northeast to lead the battle for the freedom of Borno, the Northeast and the rest of Nigeria, from the murder-

ous threats of insurgents”.

Since Buhari assumed office on May 29, there has been a thaw in relationship between the federal and Borno State governments.

Unlike in the past, Shettima is now being recognised by the Federal Government. He was a member of the Federal Government delegation to Chad and Niger where the joint military operations of Nigeria and its neighbouring countries against insurgency were discussed.

Shettima was also a member of the Federal Government delegation to the United States where securities and other issues were

thrashed out. The Federal Government through the National Emergency Reflief Agency (NEMA) has also relieved Borno State of the burden of maintaining millions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), a programme, which costs billions of naira. Under the Jonathan administration, the state bore the huge cost of the programme as the Federal Government only gave it N200 million for the scheme. The Federal Government also distributed relief materials to the IDPs at random.

•Izekor, a journalist, wrote from Maiduguri

Centre trains 1,200 addicts From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

N

O fewer than 1,200 drug addicts have been given an opportunity to lead a productive life upon being weaned off drugs.They have been trained in skills by a Kaduna Statebased organisation, the Nigas Rehabilitation Centre.

The founder of the organisation, Alhaji Lawal Muduru made the gesture known at a briefing in Sokoto.

According to Muduru who said the centre was established in 2006, the graduates were part of the nearly 1600 inmates who had been rehabilitated by the centre.

He said that the graduates who were hitherto drugs addicts were trained in carpentry, blacksmithing, ICT, tie and dye, shoemaking, saloon operations, cosmetics production and sewing and knitting, among others.

Maduru said the Centre assisted them with tools to start up their own businesses so as to facilitate their re-integration into the society.

“This is to make them self-reliant and reduce the likely stigma they may face after leaving the Centre,’’ he explained, adding, “The Centre currently has about 240 inmates, including Muslims and Christians, and the task of taming the drugs menace is not the responsibility of the government alone. NDLEA should be adequately funded, staffed and equipped to make it more efficient [in order to] boost the anti-drugs war.”

•From left: Mr. Saleh Dunoma, Managing Director, FAAN; Hajia Binta Adamu Bello, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Aviation and Dr. Ibrahim Idris, Director, Planning, Research •Participants at the 20th National Ummah Convention organised by National Islamic Centre in Dutse on Sunday & Statistics

THE NATION TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015

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THE NORTH REPORT

•Some of the farmers and officers of the Kwara State Ministry of Agriculture at the event

W

OMEN farmers in Kwara State have decried “incessant attacks” on their farmlands by Fulani herdsmen.

The women drawn from Asa, Offa, Kaiama, Baruten, Patigi, Edu local government areas, and parts of Ilorin, the state capital, are members of the Smallholder Women Farmers Association of Nigeria (SHOWFAN).

They spoke at a meeting in Ilorin with the permanent secretary of the state Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, saying they suffered incalculable losses at the hands of cow rustlers.

They were led by the Senior Programme Officer, Centre for Community Empowerment and Poverty Eradication (CCEPE)/ Actionaid Nigeria, Ayuba Abdulrahman at the meeting.

One of the women, Zainab Yahaya, from Kaiama local government area of the state, who narrated her ordeals in the hands of

Kwara women farmers decry herdsmen’s attacks From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

the Fulani herdsmen, said that the losses she incurred as a result of the attack on her farmland made her cry for three months.

The rural women farmers urged concerned authorities to help find a solution to some of the challenges being faced in their farming profession.

They added that they needed government assistance on improved seedlings, access to soft loan, provision of insecticide, fertilisers and knapsack sprayers.

The senior programme officer of CCEPE, in consultation with the women farmers also urged to the state ministry of agriculture to always interact with the farmers, who he said are primary stakeholders, during annual budget preparation.

He said that, “This, in our own opin-

ion will help in ensuring a more robust, pro-farmers and gender responsive agriculture budget.”

Mr. Abdulrahman was optimistic that the needs of the women farmers would be incorporated in the Kwara state 2015 supplementary budget.

In his response, the permanent secretary, ministry of agriculture and natural resources, Elder Ayobola

Samuel, hailed efforts of the rural women farmer in the production of large quantity of agricultural food for the populace, rather than engaging in begging to survive.

He said that stressed that a well fed person will not be susceptible the diseases.

The permanent secretary represented by the director, finance and

‘The rural women farmers urged the authorities to help find a solution to some of the challenges being faced in their farming profession. They need government assistance on improved seedlings, access to soft loan, provision of insecticide, fertilisers and knapsack sprayers’

supply in the ministry, Alhaji M.B. Abioye, enjoined them to continue to live in peace with their settlers, added that government was already looking into the matter with a view to resolve it.

Elder Samuel, who said that the state government has a department for women farmers, added that cognisance of their roles in agricultural production were always taken in the annual budgeting.

He also said that the state government had established state agricultural mall, and enjoined them to patronise the outfit in order to take care of some of their needs.

The permanent secretary said the agro-mall would also provide the link or connection with relevant ministries, commercial banks and micro-finance banks to obtain loan with low interest rates, adding that government could not provide such loan.

Benue communities agonise over road Continued from page 31 ing the dry season is too dangerous to our health, not to talk of our various homes where we do what I call minute-by-minute cleaning, without which one cannot stay in his or her home due to dust particles. Also since the bridge had also been affected, we cannot cross freely to the other side when we need to buy something”.

Owoicho Obelle, a student of the National Evangelical Mission, Gboko, said, “At times, the road gets so bad I cannot even go to school because the water level is so high, making it impossible for me to cross over to the other side. I sincerely hope this present government gives priority to this road so that there can be a new lease of life for the people of these two communities”.

Mr. ThankGod Chigozie, a businessman, also complained about how difficult it has been for him to buy goods from the market.

“This alone slows down our businesses and also the economy of this community is poor compared to other parts of the town. When we manage to cross to the market, on coming back, the commercial motorcyclists overcharge us because they have to take another route to our destination.”

During the rainy season, the road becomes very bad for pedestrians and motorists. This has compelled

area boys in the community to patching the road close to the bridge by trying to repair it in such a way that it will be manageable to ply on. A times, these area boys turn this service to a brisk money making venture where one must pay a fee of either N50 or more depending on what the boys agrees on. This is restricted to only commercial motorcyclists since motor vehicles cannot ply the road as a result of the bad condition of the road and bridge.

Due to the incessant and forceful collection of money in form of rendering help to those concerned, there have been clashes between those area boys and motor cyclists known in the area as ‘hire men’. This often happens as a result of heated argument between the motorcyclists and the said area boys for refusal to pay the fee before crossing over to either side of the stream.

Reacting to the development, Terseer Liambee, a motorcyclist, who lives in Gboko-South lamented that the embarrassment received from the area boys sometimes is unbearable.

“Some of us do not like carrying passengers who are resident in this area because the area boys use to fight us and cease our motorcycle keys each time we don’t have money to give to them,” he said.

Mr Dan Tavershima, who said he is an ND II student of the Akperan Orshi College of Education, Gboko but rides the motorcycle as a parttime job said it even got to a point

•The damaged bridge

where he was beaten up by the area boys because he refused to give them the N50 naira toll.

A passenger on the route, Mrs. Iorzua Iorpuu testified to the brutal manner of the area boys in trying to extort money from the motorists.

“The way these boys do misbehave and brutalize people is too bad. They do this every year when it’s raining season because there’s no one to stop them. At times when you stop a bike and tell the bike man you are going to Genger through Shima Gyoh road, they usually refuse because of the hu-

miliation they get from those hoodlums”, she submitted.

Our reporters however learnt that the police patrol team recently raided the place to arrest the area boys who reportedly fled leaving their work equipment behind which includesdigger, hoes, shovels, ropes and head pans. The Police team took these items with them since they could not lay hands on any of the said area boys.

What could the government officials in the state be doing about the state of the Agedam and Genger

road?

Hon. Michael Injo Yina, the councillor representing Gboko NorthWest constituency, who spoke with The Nation on the reporter on the phone, said, “The Local government chairman is supposed to see that the project be completed.”

Efforts to reach the Head of Department at the Zonal office of the State Ministry of Works in Gboko proved futile.

•Idoko and Obelle are contributors to our CampusLife pages

Website: http://www.thenationonlineng.com

TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015

Page 34

T

HE first issue may well be why the N861m project took off only weeks to the end of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Muhammed administration. Then, consider also that the traffic lights have been causing all sorts of problems for drivers, many of who are notoriously reckless. Rather than stop one stream of traffic and okay another to proceed, for instance, the lights sometimes indicate that everyone should go at the same time.

Before now, most traffic lights in Abuja were not functional, a situation that was worsened by the epileptic power supply. The highbrow areas of the city were a bit better. In most satellite towns, there are no traffic lights, and where they existed, they were mere decorations on the highway. The poles in most places were either vandalised by hoodlums or pulled down by careless motorists.

A few months ago, over 74 traffic lights were suddenly installed by the FCT administration. Why did the FCT Minister wait till the last minute before putting the lights in place?

When the project started a few months back, controversies followed the exercise. Many viewed the action of the authorities of Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to provide infrastructural facilities in the FCT in the twilight of the administration’s tenure, as a last minute bid to cover up its tracks.

The residents said the FCT administration started the installation of the traffic lights as part of efforts to hurriedly complete some abandoned projects before the May 29 handover date, adding that the administration was only trying to mop up funds before the change of guards.

Senator Mohammed hurriedly issued a statement saying that the installation of the new traffic lights was a collaborative project with the Chinese government and that its cost was N861m.

Bala said the contract was packaged in 2012 by the National Planning Commission as a collaborative project between Nigeria and China, explaining that while China funded the contract with N780 million, Nigeria provided N81m as counterpart fund.

He described the allegation that the project was aimed at siphoning funds as a campaign of calumny and mischief against his administration.

Bala said: “Of course, China is bearing the whole cost of the project at the cost of N780m and as usual, with this collaborative project; they nominated the contractor, which is doing the project from China. The only thing we’ve done is to make sure that we provide the counterpart funding for the project totaling about N81m that we’ve provided as a territory and the supervision.

“So, it’s not true, it’s deceptive and it’s misleading for anybody to think that something that we’re getting as a collaborative and multilateral assistance is something we’ve conceptualized as a last-minute bid of a project for us to go away with.

This is a project I believe the incoming administration should be very happy with.”

Bala said he was not afraid of any probe by the incoming government of General Muhammadu Buhari, saying he was ready to account for all his actions within the last five years.

The minister also stated that he had documents and records to account for his deeds.

Even though the minister tried to pacify the people and clarify that the installation and rehabilitation of the traffic lights were not an attempt to complete an abandoned

•The traffic lights started giving conflicting signals soon after installation

Questions over conflicting traffic lights For a territory known for its reckless drivers, the installation of traffic lights was welcome. But the lights also have problems, reports GBENGA OMOKHUNU project, many questions were left unanswered.

For instance, why would the FCTA authorities embark on such a project few weeks to the expiration of the administration?

Many residents are complaining of the conflicting functions of the traffic lights.

Chukwudi, a motorist said: “The new traffic lights are causing a lot of gridlock, especially during rush hours. Most of them were not properly situated. Where is the wisdom in putting about three traffic lights on a street? For example, Mississippi Street in Maitama, has about four traffic lights. The traffic situation there coupled with the many intersections can only be imagined.

His words, “it is a good development, these set of lights are good; those on the pedestrian can cross without fear because the traffic lights have stopped the cars; just that Nigerians are not patient enough, you’ll see some of them still bypassing the traffic lights and it’s quite absurd. The

‘The new traffic lights are causing a lot of gridlock, especially during rush hours.

Most of them were not properly situated.

Where is the wisdom in putting about three traffic lights on a street? For example, Mississippi Street in Maitama, has about four traffic lights. The traffic situation there coupled with the many intersections can only be imagined’ timing is also funny because it seems the contractors were just waiting for the outcome of the elections and now that Jonathan was unable to return, they just want to rush up everything so they could get their pay, that’s the scenario I see. This is something that should have been done before now, street lights should not only be built

in Abuja, what is happening in the other 36 states, when you travel out you see street lights too everywhere.

Speaking at a parley with newsmen on the FCT Transport Secretariat policy trust, the FCT Director of Traffic Management Department, Vincent Igberaese, acknowledged that up till now the contractors that

handled the installation of the traffic light projects have not been paid hence the reason for the malfunctioning.

Igberaese said: “All the areas that do not have traffic lights were discovered later that they are suppose to have traffic lights. The problem we are having with the traffic lights is that Nigerians are not patient.

Putting traffic light at all junctions is very important. We are studying the situation, we are still working.

It is appropriate that once you meet a red light whether there is a vehicle coming or not or the road is free or not you are expected to wait until it gives you a green light before you go. Even when the red light is still on you will still see people going against the traffic rule and blocking other people that are suppose to pass. These are some of the reasons why we are having problems with the traffic light.

“Traffic light is to ease movement •Continued on page 35

THE NATION TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015

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ABUJA REVIEW

Residents seek Dutse Road expansion

R

ESIDENTS of Dutse Satellite town in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have urged the area council to expand the Dutse-Bwari Road and relocate roadside traders at the Dutse market road to ease traffic congestion.

Danladi Joshua, a resident of Dutse Alhaji, said that the volume of traffic congestion along the Dutse market road has become so unbearable that the residents do not know the next steps to take to ease their plight that is why they need the leadership of the area council to come to their aide in solving the problems that the roadside traders are causing the people.

According to Joshua, if the leadership can expand the road for it to accommodate vehicles and also chase the roadside traders into the market, it would ease the traffic flow in the area, saying that the most of the roadside traders do not care the suffering they are causing road users because they want to make ends meet.

“These traders casing this traffic congestion always come with the excuse that they have to make ends meet, and this congestion is mostly at the junction of Dutse Alhaji, the first gate of Dutse satellite town, because the market is located closed to the road and this rush to beat the traffic jam sometimes causes accident at the junction. ”We thank the council chairman for constructing the new market and it has enough space

From Gbenga Omokhunu

inside, but we are saying that the authority of the Bwari Area Council should expand the road and ensure that the traders who sell their products outside the market are sent into the market, and that would ease the traffic congestion along this Bwari road,” he said.

Agatha Ohia, a trader in the market said that why most of the traders use outside the market, is as a result of the fact that the market is usually locked as early as 6.30 in the evenings, and those that have not finished selling their wares would then choose to trade outside to sell more.

“Some of the traders that sell outside the market have shops inside the market and others do not have, and some of them are bread sellers who believe they do not need shops and prefer the roadside. The truth is that, even if they do not have shops inside the market to sell, that should not give them the right to use their wares to obstruct traffic flow. ”If the authority of Bwari area council can map out strategy to expand the road for motorists and relocate most of this traders that do not have shops inside the market. After that, they should set up taskforce to monitor the use of the market and the control of roadside traders even in the evenings, this can go a long way in solving this traffic congestion we always experience on this road, mostly on Monday Market days” she said.

‘The authority of Bwari area council [should] map out a strategy to expand the road for motorists and relocate most of these traders who do not have shops inside the market. After that, they should set up a task force to monitor the use of the market and the control of roadside traders even in the evenings; this can go a long way in solving this traffic congestion we always experience’

•Abuja pedestrians shun the bridge meant for them

•Traffic gridlock near Dei-Dei Market, Abuja

FCTA gets media department, new CPS T HE Federal Capital Territory Administration has established a media and communication department as part of efforts to better interface with the public.

To this end, the FCT Administration carried out mass redeployment of information officers who were recently promoted.

Those affected in the redeployment exercise are officers who were promoted to the rank of Deputy Director and they include Mrs. Grace Zamani, Mr. Cosmos Uzodima and Mr. Mohammad Hazat Sule.

Our correspondents gathered that Mrs. Zamani has been moved from Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) to Public Enlightenment and Civic Orientation, Mr. Uzodima was equally moved from Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS) to Research and Publication Division, while Mr. Sule has been moved from office of the Chief Press Secretary to Media and Communication Division.

In a two paragraph letter from the office of Establishment and Training dated July 2, 2015 and made available to our correspondent stated that all redeployments are with immediate effect.

The letter signed by the Chief Admin. Officer of the Department, Mr. Omosoluyi Bamidele on behalf of the Director reads in part: “I am

From Gbenga Omokhunu and Grace Obike

directed to inform you that approval has been given for your redeployment to Department of Information and Communication Headquarters with immediate effect. You are expected to hand over to Anthony Ogunleye (CIO) who is being informed by a copy of this letter to take over from you.

“You are therefore to report to the Ag. Director, Information and Communication for further posting

instructions please.”

It will be recalled that the new Chief Press Secretary, Ogunleye joined the service of FCT Administration in 1994 as Information Officer. Until his appointment, he was the Public Relations Officer of Education Secretariat of the FCT Administration where he effectively coordinated other agencies in the Secretariat.

He equally served as Head of Public Relations in Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat and Health and Human Services Secretariat.

Ogunleye is happily married and the union is blessed with children.

Questions over conflicting traffic light signals •Continued from page 34 but it is creating more problem for us because of the way we are using it. I agree that some of the traffic lights are giving conflicting signal.

As a department we have set up a maintenance team that goes round to look at all these problems and rectify them but the main problem we have as a department is that some of the traffic lights were constructed be contractors and up till now they have

not been paid and they have not handed over to us. It is known that prior to this time we have never had a maintenance unit, maintenance of traffic light was done on a performance contract basis. The companies do not want to do maintenance due to the issue of payment.”

He also disclosed that again, the Federal Capital Territory Administration has reiterated that the ‘Park and Pay’ scheme which was suspended in April last year after several court cases nullified the establishment of the scheme will still take off in Abuja better than it was.

This is as a result of the indiscriminate ways of parking by the motorists in Abuja.

He said “the Parking and pay was suspended but it will come back on the streets because if you look around now, we park indiscriminately. I am sorry to say that we are not doing what we are supposed to do for a city like Abuja.”

Speaking also was the Director of Directorates of Road Traffic Services (DTRS) otherwise known as VIO, Abdullahi Danjuma, who said, the traffic laws of the city must be adhered to.

He urge residents to cooperate with the traffic agencies to sanitise the city.

According to him, the administration has so far tested 8, 000 vehicles through the computerised vehicle testing center.

He added that six additional licencing centres have been added to the Mabushi and Secretariat centres for better service delivery across the federal capital city.

He said: “We have made the registration of vehicles seamless, less than 48 hours”.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015

36

ABUJA REVIEW

H

IS intention to fight corruption was there even during the campaigns.

President Muhammadu Buhari left no one in doubt in that regard. And it was just as well because corruption has almost brought the country to its knees.

He also made it clear that the searchlight will beam first on the immediate past administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Not even the declaration by Jonathan in the tail end of his administration that probe limited to his administration will amount to witch hunt has been able to stop Buhari in his stride.

Buhari, last week Wednesday in the United States of America fingered some unnamed Jonathan’s cabinet ministers to be involved in theft of Nigeria’s crude oil.

Monies that would have been used to develop the country, create infrastructures and provide jobs for millions of unemployed Nigerian youth, rather than go to the Federation Account, have been siphoned to private accounts.

Threatening to prosecute and freeze the accounts of the culprits, Buhari disclosed that the noose is already closing in on those that have cases to answer.

According to him, his government is presently tracing the countries where the oil were exported to and the subsequent bank lodgements.

He said: “We are now looking for evidences of shipping some of our crude, their destinations and where and which accounts they were paid and in which country.

“When we get as much as we can get as soon as possible, we will approach those countries to frozen those accounts and go to court, prosecute those people and let the accounts be taken to Nigeria.

“The amount of money is mind burgling but we have started getting documents. We have started getting documents where some of the senior people in government, former ministers, some of them plotted as much as five accounts and were moving about one million barrel per day on their own.

We have started getting that document.

“I assure you that whichever documents we are able to get and subsequently trace the sale of the crude or transfer of money from Ministries, Departments, Central Bank, we will ask the cooperation of those countries to return those monies to federation accounts.

“And we will use those documents to arrest those people and prosecute them. This, I promise Nigerians,’’ he added.

Like the popular saying say that every day is for the thief but one day is for the owner of the house, the day of reckoning is indeed fast

T

HE National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has been described as a foremost institution in the provision of quality and comprehensive education in the country.

Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Hon. Justice Mahmud Mohammed made the endorsement at the fourth annual lecture in his honour titled “Law as an instrument of Excellence and integrity”.

It was organised by the institution’s School of Law in Abuja.

The CJN added that NOUN which was resuscitated in 2001 by the Obasanjo administration was designed to provide unrestricted tertiary education to Nigerians.

His said, “I know it is a fact that the National Open University of Nigeria was initially established on the 22/July/1983 as a medium for open and distance learning in Nigeria. Although it was suspended by the government on the

Closing in on oil looters approaching for those that have soiled their hands in the oil sector.

VP and VIP mix-up It is no longer news that there was a mix-up in the Press Briefing Talking Point of the resolutions of the 59th National Economic Council (NEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa last Thursday.

The talking point circulated by the Council Secretariat to State House correspondents at the end of the meeting in line with practice by past administrations, disclosed that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who presided over the meeting, informed the NEC of plans by Boko Haram to dump refuse laden bombs in his house.

After the story started generating reactions on the social media, the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, in a statement on the same day denied the report.

According to him, there was typographical error in the talking point and the aspect of ‘house of the vice president’ in the talking point should have read ‘houses of VIPs’.

He said: “A press briefing note circulated today by the Secretariat of the National Economic Council, NEC, contains a typo on the very last line of the last paragraph.

“That paragraph should read ‘The Vice President also disclosed that security reports has it that scavengers are now being prepared by insurgents

From the Villa

By Augustine Ehikioya

to dump refuse laden with bombs in the houses of VIPs.’ “The last line erroneously says ‘in the house of the Vice President.’

Please take note of the correction.” He said Following the conflicting reports, some Nigerians have viewed them with skepticism and not knowing what to really believe.

The mix-up, no doubt, has also raised some questions whether the Council Secretariat has no qualified and capable hands or they were just handling their jobs with levity.

If they escape last week’s mix-up unpunished, they need no prophet to warn them of greater consequences in the event of such mistake again.

So they must sit up now as they cannot afford such dangerous slip in fu-

ture meetings.

Presidential Sallah bash In the spirit of the season, wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari a forthnight ago organized sallah party for Nigerian children at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Not less than three thousand children turned up for the party in the old Banquet hall, which was decorated to children’s taste.

While loud speakers rendered various songs to the delight of the children, giant screens were also mounted showing different cartoons.

Balloons of different colours were used to form different shapes hanging on the hall ceiling as decorations, while they were also used to form giant babies and animals placed at various

CJN hails NOUN From Gbenga Omokhunu

25/April/1984, it was resuscitated on the 12/April/2001 by the former President of the federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR with the sole mission to provide qualitative affordable distance learning.

“The success story (of NOUN) lies in testimonies of its astuteness, past and present. Indeed for our dear citizens, the university is now an indispensable tool for achieving educational empowerment.”

The chief Justice of the federation also added that NOUN being the biggest institution in the country with its unique mode of education delivery, is providing unrestricted access to educate prisoners, artisans, house wives and other underprivileged Nigerians.

He said: “With over 408,000 stu-

‘NOUN being the biggest institution in the country with its unique mode of education delivery, is providing unrestricted access to educate prisoners, artisans, housewives and other underprivileged Nigerians’ dents, it is Nigeria’s largest single tertiary institution offering over 50 programmes and 507 courses. It is indeed laudable, from prisoners to full time artisans, and even house wives in Nigeria, NOUN unique model now allows all to simply

combine their daily work and routine with flexible school schedule”.

Mohammed further stated that this year’s lecture provided a special avenue to bridge the divide in other to dialogue on issues that binds us all.

points.

While two bouncing castle were mounted for the children, funny dressed clowns were also on hand to make the children laugh.

The children, who were given packaged meals and drinks at the party, also took part in fashion parade and dancing competition.

Beside the children catching fun in the hall, Mrs. Aisha Buhari also remembered and sought for prayers for the less privileged children and for those at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP)’ camps due to insurgency.

Speaking at the occasion, she said: “The future of this great country lies in your hands. You are to complement the efforts of government by working very hard in school and to be obedient to your parents.

“Tomorrow, you may be the President, the President’s wife, senator, honourable members, governors, medical doctors, teacher, journalist, engineer, nurse, lawyer and the rest of our honourable professions.” She added She also did not fail to advise the children’s parents, a great number of whom came with their children to the party, on the need to encourage and monitor their children.

While both Muslim and Christian children attended the Sallah party, it will not be a bad idea if a similar party is organised in December for the Christmas season.

“This event has provided a veritable forum for us to bridge the divide, boarders, language and geography in order to dialogue on issues which commonly bind us all. This further relates me to the fact that the role of NOUN is crucial to the fulfilment of improved education for all persons in Nigeria irrespective of our desired background”.

The Vice Chancellor National Open University of Nigeria, Prof.

Vincent Ado Tenebe said: “The NOUN school of law was one of the units approved by the federal ministry of education through the National universities commission (NUC) in 2003. Thereafter we produced the detailed program proposal in line with the NUC BMAS. This is what other universities use all over Nigeria. Our students receive lectures and we have firstclass course materials prepared by seasoned academics and professionals in law and legal studies.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015

37

LAW PERSONALITY Babatunde Fashanu became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2002. In this interview with ADEBISI ONANUGA, he gives recipe for recovering of stolen funds and bares his mind on other contemporary issues within the judiciary

‘How to recover stolen funds’ T

HE administration of Muhammadu Buhari has promised to recover sto len funds by politicians. How do you think government should go about this?

It is no longer a matter of conjecture that corruption is endemic in this country. I think the problem is so big and if government says it wants to take a wholesome approach to it, it will never do any work. It will not benefit the people in terms of development. It has to be selective; some people are just coming out of government and others were there before.

I think they have already set up economic commission under the Vice President to look into some clear cases of financial misdemeanour on the part of some public servants. There are cases where funds were allocated to local government councils, but it didn’t get there or where it did, one tenth gets there. There, the records are shocking and the papers are there. They can easily pick them up. There are also some former governors who have lost their immunity.

The best thing to do is to pick them up to provide accounts of their stewardship when they were in government. I think, this is the best time for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to come alive, because the anti-graft agency has been virtually asleep for some time now. They can look at the lingering and obviously misleading records of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). If it is found that records were messed up, the law takes its course by either EFCC or ICPC taking over the investigations and press charges on those suspected to have had a hand in such a fraud. I am sure that if there is no respect for any person, there will be positive results from the trial.

But the EFCC saddled with fighting corruption has been losing a large number of cases. What do you think can be done to curtail the rate at which the EFCC loses cases?

They are losing cases because people they take to courts have money to get the finest of lawyers to handle their case. I know EFCC too have SANs helping them in most of their cases, but the system is in such a way that courts favour accused, unfortunately. It is sad that some cases that are obvious still do not get a head way.

How can anyone explain that a public officer to whom money was handed over to, ostensibly for general development and the money gets missing without traces?

Although it is clear that the money is missing, the burden is still on the accuser to prove that money was given to the accused. This is abnormal. It should have

been the reverse. The man who spent money or in whose possession public money allocated to him got missing should have been the one to explain what he did with the money. It is so sad that we have this kind of system in Nigeria. Really, where we cannot change this warped system, we then need a specialised court.

It takes more time to dispense with cases at the Court of Appeal. What do you think can be done to quicken dispensation of justice at this level?

Suspects cannot always appeal a case; there comes a time when the judge will get to the end of the case which is what happens in most civilised climes. Then, like I said, the appellate system too, they need to help them with modern working tools so as to make dispensation of justice faster. I said that because at the Court of Appeal, you still need to compile records; especially as appeals have so much to do with records of what happened at the lower court. The records should be done very fast by installing technical aids so that they could dispense cases fast. So, when you deal with 20 people and they go to jail, and you are able to recover some money, like the former President Olusegun Obasanjo did when he was in government, it will serve as a deterrent to others. Mind you, our constitution still has to be amended to make our justice system perfect or near perfect. If we adopt the legal system; continental laws, in use in countries like France, Germany or the entire European system, it will benefit us.

Which among these international laws do you think can be borrowed from these countries to make our society better and corruption free?

Personally, I think continental laws are one of them. When you talk of corruption, which like I noted at the start of this interview is endemic and a serious disease requiring serious solution, we mean acts that inhibit the general development of the nation and people of a country. We can retain the common law, but if we must fight corruption we must adopt the continental system. But I know it can be used for political purposes. But if we want to do it, we make

‘

good study of it So as not to misuse it. I think it a law that we need to critically look into, especially in our fight against corrupt practices by public officers.

A federal high court in Port Harcourt nullified the elections of local government chairmen in Rivers state but few days after, the National Industrial court gave a ruling reinstating the chairmen. Can the NIC overrule a federal high court?

It is not possible because though, both are superior courts of record under the 1999 Constitution (subsections (c) to (k) of section 6), their specific jurisdictions are stated in section 257 for the Federal High Court (FHC) while that of the National Industrial Court (NIC) are in section 254(C). But with regard to their powers, they both have the powers of a High Court. So, they are courts of coordinate powers in their respective specified jurisdictions as to subject-matter.

We all know that when Local Government elections were to be held in Rivers State during the administration of former Governor Rotimi Amaechi, the PDP went to the FHC joining INEC in the suit asking that the voters register be not released to the State Independent Electoral body. Though that was surprising to me because being Local Government elections, that should concern only the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission which should ordinarily be within the jurisdiction of the state High Court. But, I haven’t seen the claims as I am not involved in the cases but are relying on what we read in the newspapers and electronic media. So, it depends on how the claims are couched that will determine whether the FHC was the proper court to go. From my deductions, what was taken to the FHC was for a restraining order on INEC so that it would not release the voters register to the State IEC. The court said they should maintain the status quo, but later on, elections were conducted to the state Local Government councils which the PDP claims was in defiance of a subsisting court Order. The chairmen emerged and were sworn in and councils were constituted following the results. So, the case came up again before the Judge who, in his wisdom, nullified the elections upon a complaint that the court

I know EFCC too have SANs helping them in most of their cases, but the system is in such a way that courts favour accused, unfortunately. It is sad that some cases that are obvious still do not get a head way

‘

•Fashanu

Order was breached. Though the opposing argument is that no order was breached because there was no order not to conduct the elections. That was the situation. The new Governor, Nyesom Wike, then dissolved the councils, purporting to appoint caretaker committees upon which some employees of the Local Governments went to the NIC complaining that such action affects their employment and is unlawful and got an Order of the NIC restraining the dissolution of the Councils which runs in conflict with the FHC order . This is so because if you say don’t dissolve the Councils, then the elected ones would continue to stay there.

So, which of the orders of the court should be obeyed in your wisdom?

Both Courts are of competent jurisdiction to make orders whose orders must be obeyed, but they have the same powers as a High Court meaning their power is not superior to the other. Therefore, those affected by the orders can choose which one to obey and your guess is as good as mine as to which parties will obey which order.

Of course, that could lead to anarchy, hence, the solution is for the parties to go to the Court of Appeal by appealing against both courts’ orders as they affect them.

Fortunately, it seems the FHC case had earlier been referred to the Court of Appeal by the Presiding Judge on point of law referral. The Court of Appeal can be moved to accelerate hearing and give judgment quickly which will then have precedence over both courts’ orders.

‘Plea bargain encourages looting’

By Joseph Jibueze

A

•From left: Chairman NBA Lagos, Mr. Martins Ogunleye; former President, Commonwealth Lawyers Association, Boma Ozobia, and former Chairman NBA lagos, Mr. Alex Muoka, during the inauguration of the new NBA Lagos Executives led by Martins Ogunleye

FORMER High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr Christopher Kolade, has urged anti-corruption agencies to de-emphasise plea bargaining because it encourages looting.

To him, imprisonment and forfeiture of all stolen assets will better deter stealing of public funds rather than asking those found culpable to return what was stolen to avoid a jail term.

Kolade, who spoke during the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) distinguished Management Lecture, urged President Muhammadu Buhari maintain zero-tolerance for corruption and monitor those under him closely.

The lecture had the theme: Managing Nigeria’s Resources for National Development and Political Stability.

Kolade said managing the country’s resources for political stability is challenging, though the nation is in no shortage of wisdom and expertise to get to where it should be.

“To attract investments and retain them, we need to manage the way we talk to ourselves and project ourselves to the outside world so as not to devalue ourselves as a market,” he said.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015

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LAW & SOCIETY

Court refuses church’s bid to nullify order

A

•From left: Justice Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta (JSC), Chief Judge, Anambra State; Justice Peter Nnanna C. Umeadi and Justice Olukayode Oriwola (JSC) at the 60th birthday lecture in honour of Justice Umeadi in Onitsha, Anambra State.

Can Buhari appoint INEC acting chairman?

L

ATELY, there has been contro versy as to whether the President’s powers to appoint a substantive Chairman for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) also includes powers to appoint anyone to act in an acting capacity. This intervention is designed to contribute to the raging debate as well as offer insights into the legal position having regard to the relevant statutory enactments and provisions on the subject matter.

The powers to appoint a substantive Chairman of INEC are regulated by Sections 153(1) and 154 (1) (3) which provide as follows: 153 (1) “There shall be established for the Federation the following bodies, namely: (a) Code of conduct Bureau; (b) Council of states; (c) Federal Character Commis sion; (d) Federal Civil Service Com mission; (e) Federal Judicial Service Commis sion; (f) Independent National Elec toral Commission; (g) National Defence Council; (h) National Economic Council; (i) National Judicial Council; (j) National Population Com mission; (k) National Security Council; (l) Nigeria Police Council; (m) Police Service Commission; and (n) Revenue Mobilization Allo cation and Fiscal Commis sion; 154(1 & 3) “Except in the case of ex officio members of where other provisions are made in this Constitution, the Chairman and members of any of the bodies so established shall, subject to the provisions of this Constitution, be appointed by the President and the appointment shall be subject to confirmation by the Senate ... in exercising his powers to appoint a person as Chairman or member of the Independent National Electoral Commission, National Judicial Council, the Federal Judicial Service Commission or the National Population Commission, the President shall consult the Council of State” The summary of the above constitutional provisions is that the President retains the power to appoint INEC substantive chairman subject to confirmation by the Senate after consulting with the Council of State. Therefore, the power of the President to appoint a substan-

By Wahab shittu

tive Chairman of INEC is clearly not in doubt.

The next question is whether the outgone Chairman of INEC, Professor AttahiruJega was entitled to assign responsibilities to anyone within the INEC hierarchy to take over his responsibilities pending the time anyone would be appointed to act in acting capacity and before the appointment of a substantive chairman? The answer to that query can be resolved by reference to Section 160(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which provides as follows: 160(1) “subject to subsection (2) of this section, any of the bodies may, with the approval of the President, by rules or otherwise regulate its own procedure or confer powers and impose duties on any officer or authority for the purpose of discharging its function.”

The clear implication of the foregoing is that Professor AttahiruJega could only delegate such powers to anyone with the prior express approval of the President or else the action would be unconstitutional.

However, the next question is whether the President can appoint anyone as Acting Chairman of INEC as he had done recently?

There appears to be no clear answer to this controversy from constitutional provisions. However, reference can be made to the provisions of Interpretation Act to resolve the controversy.

Sections 11(1)(a, b,c) and 11 (2) on powers of appointment conferred by an enactment generally provides : 11(1)(a, b,c) “Where an enactment confers a power to appoint a person either to an office or to exercise any functions, whether for a specified period or not, the power includes: (a) Power to appoint a person by name or to appoint the holder from time to time of a particular office; (b) Power to remove or suspend him; (c) Power, exercisable in the manner and subject to the limitations and conditions (if any) applicable to the power to appoint – (i) To reappoint or reinstate him; (ii) To appoint a person to act in his place, either generally or in regard to specified functions, during such time as is considered expedient by the authority in whom the

power of appointment in question is vested.

(2) A reference in an enactment to the holder of an office shall be construed as including a reference to a person for the time being appointed to act in his place, either as respects the functions of the office generally or the functions in regard to which he is appointed, as the case may be.”

Clearly from the above, powers to appoint include power to remove or suspend, power to reappoint or reinstate and power to appoint in an acting capacity. Therefore, President Buhari clearly has powers to appoint an Acting Chairman of INEC by virtue of the provisions of Interpretation Act. It would seem that on the strength of the provisions of the Interpretation Act, such an appoint in an acting capacity pending the appointment of the substantive Chairman of INEC would not require prior Senate approval as it arises by virtue of the express powers conferred on the President by constitutional provisions. It is only when such appointment relates to a substantive position of the Chairman of INEC that the Senate approval must be sought and obtained before the appointment would be deemed valid and constitutional.

The controversy as to whether President Buhari has the powers to appoint an INEC Acting Chairman pending the appointment of a Substantive Chairman should therefore be regarded as closed.

•Shittu

N Ogun State High Court sit ting in Sagamu has dis missed an application by the Registered Trustees of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) seeking to set aside an order restraining it from building on a piece of land in Odofin Village, Shimawa Road, Sagamu Local Government Area.

The trustees sought an order setting aside an interlocutory injunction made against it in April. They also asked for an order setting aside the service effected on it for not complying with Section 97, 98 and 99 of the Sheriffs and Civil Processes Act, LFN, 2004.

UBA Co-Operative and Multipurpose Society had approached the court seeking for declarative reliefs and possession of the land in dispute against the defendant in the suit N0. HCS / 01 / 2015.

The Cooperative society had alleged that the defendant illegally invaded and demolished its property acquired from Olowoto-olisa Chieftaincy Family years ago.

It claimed that the demolition was done on the November 28, 2014 with the assistance of one Alhaji Taoreed Farounbi (aka Alado) and some hoodlums who invaded the land and carried out the act.

The claimant also stated that Baale of Mowe and Baale of Imedu nla were also among those who invaded its property.

On April 1, 2015, Justice Oshinuga had granted order of interlocutory injunction against the defendants in the suit.

However, on April 7, 2015 the defendants had approached the court vide a motion on notice seeking to set aside the orders and to also set aside the service effected on the defendant.

Counsel to the claimants, Omodele also filed its counter affidavit with a written address opposing the defendant’s motion on notice.

The defendant did not file a reply affidavit or reply on point of law to the claimants opposition.

The trial judge heard the defendant’s application and after taking arguments from both parties and adjourned for ruling.

By Adebisi Onanuga

Delivering his ruling at the resumed hearing of the matter last week, the trial judge, Justice Oshinuga, dismissed the application for lack of merit.

The court awarded N10,000.00 cost against RCCG for wasting the time of the court and ordered it to file memorandum of appearance and its statement of defence in the suit brought against it by the UBA CoOperative and Multipurpose Society.

The court held that substantial justice would not be done on the matter if it relied only technicalities. The court stated that the purpose of service is to get the defendant informed of the case in court. Justice Oshinuga therefore held that the service of the originating court process on the General Overseer of RCCG, who is a principal officer of the church, was proper and that it substantially complied with Order 9 Rule 3 of the Rules of the court and that the fact that the claimant failed to obtain the leave of the court to serve outside the jurisdiction does not vitiate the suit.

The court noted that the defendants had up to seven days under the rules of the court to react to motion for interlocutory injunction after service but chose not to come before the court until the order was made.

The trial judge noted that RCCG hid under the 30 days rules but only filed a motion on notice to set aside the orders of the court and the service of the originating processes.

The court held that the service made by the claimants is a proper service and that under Section 99 of the Sheriffs and Civil Processes Act, it is the duty of the court registry to endorse writ of summons and not that of the litigants or their counsel and not doing so cannot be visited on the litigants.

“The defendant cannot enjoy the favour of this court”, the court held adding, “It is not the law that the defendant should not enter appearance either conditionally or unconditional which it failed to do. The defendant did not come properly

Lawyer advocates specialised courts for commercial disputes

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AGOS lawyer, Babatunde Fagbohunlu (SAN), has said specialised courts are better for resolving commercial disputes than the conventional courts.

Fagbohunlu, who specialises in commercial litigation and is a member of the National Committee on the Reform and Harmonisation of Arbitration/ADR Laws in Nigeria, listed the advantages of such courts to include sensitivity of the judges in such courts to the importance to the economy of quick resolution of commercial disputes.

“First of all, specialised courts mean enhanced efficiency,” Fagbohunlu said, “You would have a group of judges or a team of judges who are specialised in handling commercial disputes, who have an understanding of what the needs of the commercial community are and who have sensitivity to the importance to the economy of quick resolution of commercial disputes.

“And you can only have those qualities when you have a team of judges who are focused specifically on resolving commercial disputes, in the sense that they belong to a specialised commercial division.”

Fagbohunlu, who regularly represents Nigerian as well as foreign and multinational clients in arbitrations administered by arbitral institutions such as the International Court of Ar-

By Robert Egbe

bitration of the International Criminal Court (ICC), also addressed the question of whether arbitration is cheaper than regular litigation.

He said: “Is arbitration really cheap? Is mediation and reconciliation really cheap? I think it’s very easy to say when you look at the type of fees that arbitrators charge today and when you compare that to the fact that when you go to court, you pay very minimal fees to file your case, you don’t have to pay the judge to hear your case, he’s a public servant and is paid by the state.

“When you think about that, you’re likely to come to an intuitive conclusion that arbitration is definitely more expensive than litigation, but what needs to be borne in mind is this; if you have a good case, and you take it to arbitration and win, you are likely to recover all that you have expended, unlike in the courts where there’s a lot of controversy as to whether if I win a case against you, then I’m entitled to recover from you all the money I paid my lawyer. So, there’s controversy as to whether that can happen in court. With arbitration, it is specifically spelt out in the Arbitration Act that I can recover all the fees I paid to my lawyer. I can recover it from you because you lost the case.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015

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LEGAL OPINION LAW AND PUBLIC POWER

53 convicted in four years for copyright offences

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O fewer than 53 persons have been convicted in four years for piracy and violation of copyright laws, Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) Afam Ezekude, a lawyer, has said.

He told newsmen that over 20 containers of pirated good have been seized within the period.

The convictions were secured at various divisions of Federal High Court for film, book, music, cable and software piracy.

The sentences range from fines of up to N250,000 to maximum terms of imprisonment without the option of fine.

“It is instructive to note that prior to 2011 the commission did not secure up to 10 convictions throughout its existence from 1989 to 2010.

“NCC is currently prosecuting about 172 criminal copyright infringement and civil cases at various divisions of the Federal High Courts,” Ezekude said.

According to him, it was all towards realising NCC’s vision to harness the potentials of creativity for national development; and mission to advance the growth of the creative industry through the dissemination of copyright knowledge and efficient administration and protection of rights.

On whether NCC has achieved its mandate so far, Ezekude said: “To a very large extent we have been able to fulfil our mandate. The primary mandate of the Commission is enforcement and prosecution of copyright offenders and in those two key mandates we have done a significant lot.

“We have had a very good working relationship with the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), which has led to the seizure of over 20 containers which is unprecedented in the history of this Commission.

“Some of these convictions are not just a slap on the wrist of the offenders but severe prison sentences for Copyright offences. We intend to continue to prosecute copyright offenders,” he said.

On enforcement challenges, Ezekude said his men have suffered attacks during raids at markets but will not relent.

“We have got to realise that this is a risky job. Wheen you go to places like Alaba International Market in Lagos, you don’t expect that you are going to have an easy ride because these people see this kind of piracy as a way of life and they are ready to do anything to protect their so called means of livelihood.

“But we have a job to do and we will continue to do our best against offenders so that the copyright owners can reap the fruit of their work

with gabriel AMALU

By Joseph Jibueze

and investment.

“The pirates should know that in the last four years it has not been easy for them and the next four years while I remain in charge, we are going to ensure that we make their lives absolute hell.

“So my advice for them is to find another day job because the people at the NCC are more serious than ever before to make sure that Copyright owners are protected and the owners of Copyrights get the benefits of their talents and investments so pirates should beware.”

Ezekude said an effective copyright regime facilitates development through foreign direct investment, job creation, access to knowledge, information, transfer of technology, trade, services, domestic innovation as well as research and development.

Recounting NCC’s recent raids, he said: “The commission carried out the public burning of 722,000, 000 units of pirated copyright works and contrivances estimated at N6.5billion, comprising literary, musical, film works and contrivances, including those from the broadcast industries, which were confiscated between 2007-2011.

“The purpose was to demonstrate the commission’s commitment to zero tolerance policy on piracy and send a warning signal that piracy would no longer be a profitable venture. We conducted 235 anti-piracy surveillances in piracy endemic locations across the country.

“The commission carried out 201 strategic anti-piracy operations against book, software, broadcast, film and music piracy in different infamous piracy hotbeds across Nigeria, including Alaba International Market, computer village Ikeja, Ajegunle, Ojuelegba and Ijora in Lagos State; Ariara Market Aba, Abia State; Ochanja market, electronic market, and upper Iweka Market in Onitsha, Anambra State; as well as other markets in FCT Abuja, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross Rivers, Edo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Kano, Kaduna, Kogi, Niger, Zamfara, Plateau, and so on. We arrested 443 suspected pirates.

“We have removed 6,081,384 assorted pirated copyright works comprising of books, software, DVDs, VCDs, CDs, MP3, and so on, from different piracy outlets and seaports across Nigeria with estimated market value of N6, 423,221,600.

“This value of the materials removed in the course of the anti-piracy operations, represents income that would have been lost by gov-

email:gabrielamalu1@yahoo.com For comments: 08033054939 (sms only)

•Ezekude ernment and copyright owners across the country to people who indulge in the criminal and nefarious act of copyright piracy.

“Then there is the unprecedented confiscation of a total number of 20 40ft/20ft containers of infringing DVDs, VCDs and books of foreign and local titles at different seaports across the country, in collaboration with the NCS.” Ezekude said NCC’s challenges include the increasing cost of overhead operations against drastic reduction of budgetary allocations; inadequate human and institutional capacity, low level of awareness arising from lack of funds to execute public enlightenment campaign, lack of office accommodation and communication facilities; insufficient operational vehicles and rising cost of prosecution.

Despite the challenges, its efforts, he said, has resulted in over 50 per cent increase in sales and profit, business expansion and job creation in the copyright–based industries and has boosted tax earnings from the industry practitioners.

For instance, he said the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), a collecting society for music and sound recordings, in the last four years, shared over N240million to their members as royalty.

Nigeria, he said, is more favourably perceived in the global fight against copyright piracy, having been consistently removed from the United States 301 List of countries that are not seriously addressing copyright piracy and other intellectual property crimes.

To boost the digital enforcement skills of its staff, Google trained 210 of them on Internet Piracy and Digital Literacy Programme; while several of its staff has undergone numerous training.

NCC has also conducted anti-piracy sensitisation campaigns on the commission’s zero tolerance for piracy at different piracy endemic markets, he said.

“In order to improve the protection and market viability of Nigerian creative products, the commission developed and launched an electronic platform for registration of copyright works, the Nigerian e-Copyright Registration System (NeCRS),“ Ezekude said.

President Buhari’s visit to USA

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OR many Nigerians, and I guess President MuhammaduBuhari (PMB) already knows, the expectations from his presidency, is nothing short of the miraculous.Like the Israelites, during their days in the wilderness, Nigerians want all promises actualised, pronto. This expectation, is attenuated by the promises,made at the campaign stumps, by candidate Buhari and his party, the All Progressive Congress (APC). The expectations is also heightened by the fact that the past 16 years of democracy, under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was for majority of Nigerians,very debilitating.

So, for many, there is the expectation that PMB’s visit to the United States, the world’s leading democratic and economic power, will thrust a momentum, to confrontthe gigantic national challenges. As PMB already confirmed, these challenges include insecurity, unemployment, energy crisis, economic collapse, and the behemoth: corruption. There was therefore the expectation,that the US would finallysellto Nigeria, the special ammunitionsto fight boko haram. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened.

There is also the hope that those who plundered the national treasury, and kept their loot in the western nations, would feel the heat of Uncle Sam. Of note, there areconflicting reports as to how the US would assist Nigeria, to recover the humongous sums stolen from her. While some reports say that the US would help trace the loots, some others say, that US has asked our government to seek out the looters, and pass the information over to them, for action. Others talked abouttraining on the know-how, as to how to recover the loots. There is even the online reports, that the US government and other G7 nations have handed PMB, the list of politically exposed persons, with over a billion dollars, in the western vaults.

Some Nigerians have however argued that relying on the US, to help Nigeria deal with her many problems, is a waste of time. That may well be so; but there is no harm in trying. It is also hoped that the US would appreciate the role of Nigeria in Africa, and come to her aid. Indeed, if Nigeria should collapse under the weight of her external and internal challenges, quite a number of Nigerians would end up in the US, legally or illegally. Also, if insurgents gain a foothold in Nigeria, the rest of Africa would pay with inter-state instability.

As President Obama eloquently said, PMB’s integrity, is perhaps his greatest asset. So, we are hopeful. But, many Nigerians were surprised at the presidential entourage to the US.Many of those in the team, had had no business, travelling officially with the president. But for a few Ambassadors on the list;most of those on the trip, were just on a short holiday. The reason for that lapse, may perhaps be because PMB is yet to form his cabinet, and so the governors who should be in Nigeria minding their own challenges, got themselves a few days reprieve, from home pressures.

Indeed, most of the Governors should actually be in their states, 24/7, seeking ways out of theirseveral quagmires. As sub-national officials, the governors werenot in a position to enter into any bilateral relationships with the US officials, neither do they have any diplomatic experience to share with PMB. Understandably, most of them, savoured the opportunity to stay aware from their workers, who are knocking at their gates, for their several months’ unpaid salaries.

For the other non-state officials, it is really inappropriate to allow them make the trip, as official entourage of Mr President; and possibly eavesdrop on state affairs. We must remember that they have not forsworn to keep official secrets, and always act in the best interest of the country. So, what were they doing on theentourage?It is hoped that it wouldn’t happen again. In fairness, however, PMB’s visit has brought a lot of gains and prestige to Nigeria, and it is hoped that more tangible benefits,willflow from it.

Re: Nigeria and threat of a new Biafra

My piece on the above volatile subject, drew a number of reactions.

One interesting argument came from a caller, on phone number 08034666554; who said that ironically, it is the Igbos that are pan-Nigerian, in deeds and in words, as they live and invest in all parts of the country.

He asked other Nigerians, to emulate the Igbos, if truly they have faith in the future of the country.

An extreme contrary view, came by text message,from phone number 08182260217.

The fellow after abusing me, and Nigeria, which he called a zoo, also threatened: “we attack you (sic) on your way and kill you”. Asking me, to go to hell.

Adieu,

•From left: John Atuanya, Mrs. Hope Chukwuma, Acting Chairman, Law Reform Commission, Mr. Kefas Mogaji, Mr. Olasunkanmi Rafiu, Mr. Rapheal Obi and Obla Monday during a courtesy visit to Mogaji in Abuja.

Ogbueshu Donatus Ejiofor Nebo

By next Friday, July 31, 2015, my family and friends would join me, as we journey to Umuabaka, Umuavuba,Ibuzor,Amofia-Amokwe, Udi, Enugu state; to be with my in-laws, to bid farewell to my father-inlaw,OgbueshuDonatusEjiofor Nebo, who joined his ancestors and the saints in heaven, at 79.

Ogbueshu was a good man, who loved and cherished humanity. He waspeaceful and hadimpeccable character. I remember with nostalgia, my several enchanting and hilarious encounters with him, as he told his stories, and listened to mine.

As Papa is laid to rest, at his family grounds; I ask the entire Nebo family, not to mourn, but to sing the Alleluia, for Ogbueshu is journeying to eternal rest. JeenkeomaOgo’m.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015

LAW REPORT

‘When a confessional statement by a co-accused can be used’ IN THE SUPREME COURT OF NIGERIA HOLDEN AT ABUJA ON FRIDAY, THE 3RD DAY OF JULY, 2015 BEFORE THEIR LORDSHIPS JOHN AFOLABI FABIYI, J.S.C. OLUKAYODE ARIWOOLA, J.S.C. MUSA DATTIJO MUMAMMAD, J.S.C. CLARA BATA OGUNBIYI, J.S.C. JOHN INYANG OKORO, J.S.C. SC.504/2012 (2015) LPELR-24837(SC) BETWEEN: THE STATE ……...……..………...............................…. APPELLANT AND JAMES GWANGWAN ......………………….......…………. RESPONDENT LEAD JUDGMENT DELIVERED BY JOHN INYANG OKORO, J.S.C.

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N July4, 2006, while PW5, one Abioye Moses was on duty at the Police Station, Ajase Ipo, a team of police officers led by one Cpl. Inusa Ibrahim arrested and brought to the station, one Joshua John together with one cartridge where he (Joshua) confessed that he belonged to a sixman gang of armed robbers whose names he mentioned, including the respondent herein.

All the named persons except one were arrested and, according to PW5, they all confessed to participating in robbery activities in Offa and its environs. After investigation, four of the six accused persons were charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery and armed robbery contrary to Section 6(b) and 1(2) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act Cap. R11 Laws of Federation of Nigeria, 2004 respectively. During the trial, the prosecution called five witnesses and tendered one locally made gun and two life cartridges. The prosecution also tendered in evidence what it termed the confessional statements of the accused persons.

The respondent and others standing trial with him objected to the admissibility of the said statements on the ground of involuntariness which led the trial Court to order a trial within trial to determine its admissibility.

However, midway into the trial within trial, it was aborted by the learned trial judge on the ground that the respondent’s and other accused persons’ evidence amounted to a retraction rather than a challenge to its voluntariness. He proceeded to admit the statements into evidence. In his judgment the learned trial judge convicted the Respondent along with others for the Offence of Criminal Conspiracy to commit Armed Robbery and sentenced them each to 14 years imprisonment. Dissatisfied, the respondent appealed to the Court of Appeal which found for the Respondent herein, set aside the decision of the learned trial judge and entered a verdict of discharge and acquittal for the Respondent. Also, not being satisfied with the stance of the lower court, the appellant appealed to the Supreme Court where two issues were distilled from the appellant’s ground of appeal and same were adopted by the Respondent. The issues so distilled are:

1. Whether the lower court was right to have held that the prosecution did not sustain the charge of conspiracy against the Respondent before the trial court.

2. Whether the Court of Appeal was right to have concluded that the prosecution did not prove its case beyond reasonable doubt against the respondent.

Learned counsel for the Appellant argued both issues together and submitted that in order for the prosecution to succeed whenever the commission of a crime is in issue against an accused person, he must establish its case beyond reasonable doubt, see MILLER V. MINISTER OF PENSION (1947) 2 All ER 371 at 373, LORI V. THE STATE (1980) 8 - 11 SC.81 (1980) LPELR-1794(SC) and AKALEZI V. THE STATE (1993) 2 NWLR (Pt.273) 1 (1993) LPELR-313(SC).

He contended that the pieces of evidence in the confessional statement of the Respondent, when juxtaposed with the confession of the other accused persons established beyond reasonable doubt an inference of conspiracy to commit armed robbery. It was his view that from these exhibits, there was clear evidence of agreement or confederacy among the accused persons including the Respondent to strike their deadly act along Offa-Ajase-Ipo highway. It was further argued that by all known settled principle of law, Exhibit 8 is a confessional statement which was enough to sustain the Offence of Conspiracy against the appellant and that the learned trial judge was right to have convicted the respondent in the circumstances. He opined that a Court of law can infer conspiracy from the criminal acts of the parties including evidence of complicity, see IWUNEVE V. THE STATE (2000) 5 NWLR (Pt.658) 550 at 560 and OSONDU V. FRN (2000) 12 NWLR (Pt. 682) 483 at 501.

Finally, learned counsel faulted the decision of the Appeal Court that the evidence of PW5 did not corroborate the confessional statement of the Respondent. He submitted that the evidence of PW5 in this case is not a repetition of the evidence of the appellant but an independent testimony which not only affects the appellant, but connects him with the offence of conspiracy to rob. The learned Attorney General urged the Court to resolve the issues in favour of the

appellant.

In response, the learned counsel for the Respondent referring to the case of IDOWU V. THE STATE (2000) 7 SC (Pt.II) 1 at 80 - 81 (2000) LPELR1429(SC) amongst others submitted that where a person is charged with any criminal offence, the onus is on the prosecution to prove the charge beyond reasonable doubt. He referred to Section.135 (2) and 139 of the Evidence Act 2011.

Learned counsel submitted further that where an accused person is charged with the offence of criminal conspiracy, the prosecution has to prove the conspiracy as laid in the charge and that it was the accused that engaged in the said conspiracy, see DEBOH V. THE STATE (1977) NSCC 309. He opined that to prove the above, the prosecution has the burden of proving not only the inchoate or rudimentary nature of the offence charged, but also the meeting of the minds of the accused persons with a common intention and purpose to commit the particular offence. He relied on GBADAMOSI & ORS V. THE STATE (1991) 6 NWLR (Pt.196) 182 and OBIAKOR V. STATE (2002) 10 NWLR (Pt.776) 612 , (2002) LPELR-2168(SC).

Learned counsel noted that the learned trial judge relied heavily on the alleged confessional statement of the respondent to convict him for the offence of criminal conspiracy whereas the Respondent challenged the voluntariness of the said statement. That he told the court that he was tortured and forced to sign the statement but the learned trial judge terminated the trial within trial and admitted same without testing it according to law. Learned counsel also submitted that the trial court erred in law when it relied on the legally inadmissible confessional statement of the Respondent to convict him for the said offence of criminal conspiracy and that the Court of Appeal rightly interfered to set aside the said conviction. He cited the cases of SELE V. THE STATE (1993) 1 NWLR (Pt.267) 282 (1993) LPELR-3030(SC) and IYARO V. THE STATE (1998) 1 NWLR (Pt.69) 256 (1988) LPELR-1575(SC). Again, learned counsel faulted the trial Court’s reliance on the statements of coaccused persons as corroboration to convict the Respondent.

This, he contended, is wrong in law, placing reliance on the case of MBANG V. THE STATE (2009) 18 NWLR (Pt.1172) 159 (2009) LPELR-1852(SC). He urged the Supreme Court to hold that the Court of Appeal was right to hold that evidence of PW5 and that of the other accused persons did not amount to corroboration. He cited the case of OKADICHI V. THE STATE (1975) NSCC page 124.

Finally, he submitted that evidence or statement of a coaccused cannot constitute evidence against an accused person unless the accused has adopted the statement by words or conduct, see the case of KASA V. THE STATE (1994) 5 NWLR (pt.

344) 269 (1994) LPELR-1671(SC) and Section 29(4) of the Evidence Act 2011. Learned counsel then urged this Court to resolve the issues against the appellant.

The Court having considered the arguments of learned counsel on both side stated that

it is now well settled that in our criminal jurisprudence, in order for the prosecution to succeed whenever the commission of a crime is in issue that the onus is on the prosecution to establish the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt and this would be achieved by ensuring that all the necessary and vital ingredients of the charge or charges are proved by evidence.

See YONGO V. COMMISSIONER OF POLICE (1992) LPELR - 3528 (SC), (1992) 4 SCNJ 113, OGUNDUJAN V. STATE (1991) LPELR - 2333 (SC), (1991) 3 NWLR (Pt.181) 519, AKIGBE V. IOG (1959) 4 FSC 203, ONUBOGU V. THE STATE (1974) 9 SC 1 at 20 (1974) LPELR-2700(SC), BABUGA V. STATE (1996) LPELR - 701 (SC), (1996) 7 NWLR (Pt.460) 279.

The Supreme Court considered the provisions of Section 6(b) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act and stated that the pith and substance of the offence of conspiracy do not lie merely in the intention or thoughts of two or more persons to do an unlawful act or a lawful act by unlawful means, but in the agreement between them to carry out their lawful intention. That the actus reus of the offence of conspiracy is the agreement between at least two persons to do an unlawful act or a lawful act by unlawful means. That there is no need to prove that the parties actually met and put their heads together especially nowadays where communication is made easy and cheap by the introduction of the mobile phone. See GREGORY GODWIN DABOH & ANOR V. THE STATE (1977) LPELR - 904 (SC) pp 25 – 26 paras F - A, per Udo Udoma, JSC, NJOVENS V. THE STATE (1973) 5 SC 12, (1973) LPELR - 204 2 (SC), LAWSON V. THE STATE (1975) 4 SC (Reprint) 84, (1975) LPELR -1765 (SC). The Court held that in order to prove a charge of conspiracy, the prosecution must establish the element of agreement to do something which is unlawful or to do something which is lawful by unlawful means. Conspiracy according to the Court is an offence which is difficult to prove because it is often hatched in secrecy. It is usually inferred from the facts and evidence led. More often, circumstantial evidence is used to point to the fact the confederates had agreed on the plan to commit an overt act to infer conspiracy.

See DAVID OMOTOLA & ORS V. THE STATE (2009) 7 NWLR (Pt.1139) 148, (2009) LPELR - 2663 (SC).

Relating the above principles of law to the instant appeal, the court stated that all the evidence available to the court from which conspiracy was inferred come from the alleged confessional statement of the Respondent and the co-accused persons. That at the trial before the learned trial judge, the Respondent herein challenged the admissibility of the alleged confessional statement on the ground that same was not voluntary but was a product of torture by the police who forced him to sign the said statement.

In the circumstance, the learned trial judge opened a trial within trial which was terminated half way on the excuse that the Respondent’s evidence amounted to a retraction and the Court proceeded to admit same

holding that the said statement was free and voluntary and thereby constituting a valid confessional statement to sustain a conviction.

It was based on the said statement and those of the co-accused persons, that the Respondent and others were convicted and sentenced. The Lower Court however found otherwise and set aside the said conviction. The Supreme Court held that the trial within trial begun by the trial Court was in order but when it was called off midway into it and the subsequent admission of the statements in evidence rendered the said alleged confessional statement irregular, inadmissible and unreliable. That having cast doubt on the voluntariness of the statement by the Respondent herein, the learned trial judge ought to have allowed the trial within trial to reach its logical conclusion. The abrupt stoppage of the exercise, was held to be fatal to the case.

On the decision of the learned trial judge that the evidence of PW5 and the co-accused persons corroborated the alleged confessional statement of the Respondent. It was held that: First, where an accused person makes a confessional statement as to his participation in a crime, he is not confessing for his accomplices.

An accused person’s confession is only evidence against him and not against co-accused persons and it is a misdirection which may lead to the quashing of the conviction. That a confessional statement of a co-accused can only be used against an accused person if he voluntarily adopts it. See OZAKI V. STATE (1990) LPELR - 2888 (SC), (1990) 1 NWLR (Pt.124) 92, EVBUOMWAN V. COP (1961) WNLR 257. Therefore, the use of the statements of co-accused persons against the Respondent without him adopting them as his was unlawful and has a vitiating effect on his conviction by that Court. On the issue of corroboration, the Supreme Court agreed with the Court of Appeal that the evidence that is regarded as corroboration is clearly not a repetition of the evidence sought to be corroborated, otherwise, there will be no need for the original evidence.

See OKADICHI V. STATE (1975) NSCC 124. That for a piece of evidence to be corroborative, it must be independent testimony which affects the accused by connecting him or tending to connect him with the crime. That the evidence of PW5 in this case which was itself a repetition of the evidence of a co-accused, one Joshua John, could not by any stretch of imagination be taken as corroboration of the statement of the Respondent. It was further stated that the said evidence of PW5, by all intents and purpose, was hearsay. That the Court of Appeal was therefore on a sound wicket when it set aside the decision of the learned trial judge on this issue.

On the whole it was held that there was indeed no evidence from which conspiracy can be inferred. The decision of the Court of Appeal which set aside the judgment of Kwara State High Court was affirmed and the Respondent was discharged and acquitted of the offence.

•LawPavilion Citation: (2015) LPELR-24837(SC)

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SHOWBIZ

Why I’m yet to have collabo with Olamide, others, by Femi Adams

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•President Buhari addressing Nigerians in Diaspora at the event

Buhari wows Nigerians on EbonyLife TV

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NTERTAINMENT and lifestyle network, EbonyLife TV, last Wednesday, hosted President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR) and young professionals in Washington, D.C. to a ‘Meet & Greet’ interactive session.

The session, held in honour of the President’s historic visit to the United States, had young technocrats and professionals across a wide range of career and business endeavours in attendance.

Guests had the rare opportunity of sitting face-to-face with the president to discuss issues of national importance.

The president’s entourage had Governors Rochas Okorocha, Adams Oshiomhole, Abiola Ajimobi, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura; Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States, Professor Ade Adefuye; Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele; Senior Special Assistant on Me-

dia and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu; Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, among others in attendance.

Addressing the congregation, President Buhari thanked the channel and Diaspora young professionals for according him the opportunity to grace the interactive session. He restated his promise to tackle insurgency and general insecurity in the country, while emphasising his determination to build a vibrant economy as well as invest heavily in the education sector.

Host of the Meet & Greet, and CEO of EbonyLife TV, Mo Abudu, thanked the president for allowing the inclusion of the interactive youth programme in his very busy schedule.

“We thank you, Mr. President for taking time out of your incredibly busy schedule to meet with our young professionals in the Diaspo-

Money Gang records unveils Blixxy Rhyme King

I

N ITS quest to take the music industry by storm, the Money Gang Records last Thursday presented ‘IRIONOR’, a first single by Blessed Okoh. Okoh, who goes by the alias Blixxy Rhyme King is the first HipHop and R & B artiste to do rap in Edo with a Yoruba, Hausa and English blend.

The artiste believes his talent and competence to mix different languages and produce music with a global appeal is his unique selling point.

The record label’s Chief Executive Officer, KunleAgboola, while unveiling the new artiste said that his music style is unique in that he has the ability to rap on every beat and has a flavour in Ishan dialect which is unprecedented.

Agboola stated that the music will project African culture, tradition alongside Hip-Hop, R&B. He also added that the Money Gang Records has been around for a decade now, intends to have a clothing line under the brand ‘knuckles.’

Blixxy who said the label’s theme is “Give yourself a knuckle and belief in your muscle,”maintained that music and fashion are intertwined. Hence, the record label’s intent to venture into

ra. Mr. President, you are loved and those here today are just a tiny percentage of the youths that wanted to be here today but whom we just could not accommodate.

Please, Mr. President, our youth truly want to engage with you. I have been overwhelmed these last few days with the outpouring of love and participation from them towards this event and I’m sure they would love another opportunity to make a similar and more inclusive event possible,” she stated.

EMI Adams, a young and promising upcoming artiste, signed to Dannys Record, whose new single Aminatu is currently making waves, has revealed why he is yet to have a collaboration with top music artistes, despite meeting with them on a daily basis.

“I have a studio, where these artistes come to work and do their sounds and tracks,” said Femi, who toured Ghana and Kenya in 2009. “But I am not ready for collaboration now. I just don’t want to do collaboration just in the name of doing a song with a popular face. I want to stand out first.

“Approaching them is not a challenge for me, because we are like brothers. But you know in everything you do, you have to be set. I am just waiting for the right time.

My dream is to be associated with high-class personalities and become among the most sought after local and international brand.”

When asked about his experience being an artiste, he responded “I never choose a song that I can’t relate to in some ways, shape or form.

This isn’t just a dream of

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunaknmi

mine. It’s a goal I’m determined to achieve and I won’t give up. Everyone have dreams, goals; I am just going to the extreme.”

Better known by his stage name FM music, Femi Adams

has produced many songs which include Aiye, Fly Away and Aminatu, his current single.

Femi Adams has also performed alongside fellow artistes like: Olamide, Adol, Skally mental, Bigiano and Z-World Terry G among others.

Startimes launches 5th anniversary promo

C

OME Thursday, July 30, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, television service provider, Startimes will be celebrating five years of delighting Nigerian households with Pay TV services.

The event, according to management, is organised to celebrate past achievements, the present success within Nigeria and Africa as a whole, and the promising future of the brand winning a five year broadcasting

By Ovwe Medeme

rights of German Bundesliga football.

In the spirit of celebration, the outfit has kicked off an anniversary promo for existing and prospective subscribers with lots of goodies on display. Prizes to be won, according to Startime’s management, include a star prize of an all-expense paid trip to Germany for 10 customers.

Among those expected to

grace the gala are the President of Startimes group, Pang XinXing, as well as other key industry players and government dignitaries.

There will also be an interactive public discourse to further enlighten Nigerians on the subject of digital migration.

The brand began full operation in Nigeria in 2010 and since has kept growing stronger and bigger with subscribers rising from zero to millions and its TV chan-

nels and content from 40 to about 200.

Presently, Startimes covers about 80% of the continent’s population with a massive distribution network of 200 brand halls, 3,000 convenience stores and 5,000 distributors. The brand owns a featured content platform with 320 authorized channels consisting of news, movies, series, sports, entertainment, children’s programs, fashion and religion among others.

By Joe Agbro Jr.

DeOnlySaint hits stage with Mr. Olopa

clothing lines will reveal the swags needed to project the brand further.

He noted that the name Money Gang emanates from the passion of the team for positive success.

The Marketer of the brand, Ali Ibrahim, noted that the issue of piracy is avoidable once the product is well priced, available and affordable, citing his past feats in the successful marketing of ‘Oruka’ and some others as good leverage to build on.

A

•Duncan Mighty and his bride

Celebrities grace Duncan Mighty’s wedding

L

•Blixxy Rhyme King

AST Saturday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, celebrities like Sammie Okposo, Phyno, YemiAlade, Mike Ezuruonye, Patoranking, among others came out to support one of their own, popular Nigerian singer, Duncan Mighty, who exchanged marital vows with his heartthrob, Vivien.

According to reports, after the church service, there was an after wedding concert

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunaknmi

which featured performances from top Nigerian music acts such as Phyno, Terry G, Patoranking, Iyanya, Harrysong, Kcee and Faze amongst others.

It will be recalled that Duncan Mighty proposed to his lovely fiancée of two years last year November, as she celebrated her birthday in front of friends and family.

HIP-hop artiste, Dr Adesina Chinedu, better known as DeOnlySaint, has come out with his first single titled Mr. Olopa featuring Kelcube.

The single which is currently enjoying airplay on radio stations across the country and on social media is set to be backed by a video as the singer is set to hit the shooting location soon.

DeOnlySaint, who is also a Medical Doctor who graduated from the University of Benin, started his music career at the age of eight by singing in a church choir. He later joined a defunct music group DRW during his high school days.

The artiste who is born to a Yoruba father and Igbo mother, was previously into rap before switching to afro-pop. He is managed by Lednit Scream Aloud Entertainment and Kuronbefun Entertainment, However, despite the success he’s garnering from his debut single, the artiste says that he is not resting on his

•DeOnlySaint

By Joe Agbro Jr.

oars as he’s currently planning on recording his next single with eclectic producer, Indomix. He also hopes to feature some top Nigerian artistes on the song.

THE NATION MONDAY JULY 27, 2015

47

If we don’t get a good judgment from the Federal ‘Government we would go to international court for

justice, because what is happening in Rivers State is evil

’

POLITICS Following his dismal performance in the last governorship election in Oyo State, what does the future hold politically for the flag bearer of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the contest, Mr. Seyi Makinde? JEREMIAH OKE looks at the journey so far for the young electrical engineer.

What next for Seyi Makinde?

A

FTER his failed bid to govern Oyo State, what next for the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) during the last general elections, Mr. Seyi Makinde? He finished fifth, behind Governor Abiola Ajimobi, former Governor Rashidi Ladoja of Accord Party, former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala of the Labour Party and Senator Teslim Folarin of People Democratic Party (PDP).

In spite of his enthusiasm, this is not the first time the maverick, young electrical engineer would fail to make impact at the polls. He has suffered many political setbacks under the current dispensation. In 2007, he contested the Oyo South Senatorial seat under the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), but lost the seat to the PDP candidate, Senator Kamorudeen Adedibu. In 2011, Makinde, who had defected to the then ruling party in the state earlier, participated in the primary for the Senate.

But, he did not receive the nomination form from his party. In 2014, police raided his offices, which led to the arrest of several members of his campaign team. Makinde decried such arrest and described it as intimidation tactics against his election run. In 2015, he moved to the SDP, following his inability to clinch the governorship ticket of the PDP. With his passion to help the poor and the needy in society, observers believe Makinde, would have done better politically if he had started from the grassroots. When he entered politics in 2007, he sought to go to the Senate, on the platform of the defunct ANPP. Similarly, he was contested for the senatorial ticket of the PDP in 2011. In spite of his unsuccessful bid for the Senate, he joined the race to govern the state during the last general elections.

From all indications, the accomplished electrical engineer is a political neophyte; considering how politics is practiced in Nigeria, especially in the PDP – the party through which he originally sought to govern the state. He has not been consistent with one political platform. He has also been overly ambitious; if he had started from the House of Representatives, in a bigger political platform, his political career would have blossomed.

A political scientist and Special Assistant to Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Dr. Gbade Ojo, said Makinde can only achieve his dream if he belongs to the right party. He said: “Platform is a big issue in Nigerian politics. Whatever Makinde wants to do, he should start from identifying with a party that has the structure and credibility to win elections. Secondly, he has to remain consistent, by resisting the temptation to jump from one party to the other.

“He has to start now and position himself, because permutation starts in the next one and half years. No matter how good you are, if you belong to the wrong party, you cannot win election in Nigeria. But, even if you don’t have experience in Nigeria and you belong to the right party, you will win election.

So, the first hurdle for him is to identify the right party and become

an active member. “ Similarly, spokesman of the Labour Party in Oyo, Mr. Oludare Ogunlana, urged Makinde to have a base and be consistent where he belongs. He said: “Makinde is a popular candidate. He has the potentials of even becoming the president of Nigeria. All he needs to do is to have a base and remain consistent. He is a young man and he should be more focused in youth development. Makinde is representing our generation.

“Belonging to a credible political platform is very important for any ambitious politician. So, he should work on his platform. Going by his performance in the last election, Makinde was able to deliver his ward, unlike Folarin who messed up his ticket. If Makinde had accepted his senatorial ticket, he could have won and that would have prepared him for his governorship ambition. Makinde is young, exposed, and vibrant. If he could move to a credible party; he is a future governor.

“Makinde should also mend fences with some of his senior political colleagues. If you want to win election in Ogbomoso, for instance, you must not fight with somebody like the former governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala.”

A senior lecturer at the Department of Mass Communication, the Polytechnic, Ibadan, Oyo State, who pleaded for anonymity said out of the five factors that contribute to electoral victory, as far as the governorship election is concerned, Makinde has four in his disposal. He therefore urged him to work on the remaining one. The journalism teacher and political analyst argued that if Makinde returns to the PDP, he cannot achieve his dream of becoming governor in the nearest future.

According to him, the first factor is that the candidate must be widely accepted in his constituency and the state at large. Other factors are; platform (party) which he lacks, security agencies, electoral body, and financial ability to run campaign.

He said if Makinde could run for the governorship on the platform of a credible party, he has the potentials of winning.

His words: “It is obvious that any credible party who presents Makinde as its flag bearer in 2019 will have it smooth. He is a good product, going by his antecedents. He has all it takes to become a winner.”

Makinde ran a peaceful and issuebased campaign prior to the last general elections. At a point, his campaign train met with that of one of his opponents in Oke-Ogun area.

The electrical engineer cum politician merely stopped his convey to demonstrate his political maturity.

In fact, he doled out cash to the political disciples and supporters of his opponent.

Besides, he has no political bag-

‘Rivers State is back in the grip of cultists’ Hon. Lucky Worluh was the Chairman of Emouha Local Government Council, one of the elected councils in Rivers State whose executives were recently sacked by Governor Nyesom Wike under questionable circumstances. In this interview with PRECIOUS DIKEWOHA, Worluh speaks on the legal tussle, the motive behind the dissolution and the next plan of action.

O • Makinde gage in Oyo politics. He is loved by both the young and the old, for his generosity and his political diplomacy.

During the campaigns for last election, Makinde attended all the governorship debates. In almost all the debates, he did not engage in character assassination; he talked about what he has going for him and what he intends to do for the people. At one of such debates held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, he said: “I have empowered many people in my own capacity as individual and I think I can do more if they allow me.”

Observers say he is a successful businessman and a public-spirited individual. Makinde has this to say about his involvement in politics: “I’m looking for a new and challenging call to publicly serve and give back to the society that shaped me; one that will allow me to make the best use of my existing skills and wealth of experience in managing people and executing projects that would be to the best of the people”.

Though, Makinde is yet to hold any political office, he has proved that one doesn’t need to hold political offices to show concern about the less privileged. He has touched the lives of people in diverse ways. He constructed a block of three-classrooms for his alma mater, Bishop Philip’s Academy, Ibadan, which was equipped with information and communication technology gadgets such as computers and a five KVA generating set to power them.

Makinde also doled out scholarships to outstanding students from Bishop Philip’s Academy and committed a lot of money to the empowerment of less privileged youths and elderly people in the society. He sank boreholes at various communities in Oyo State. He procured medical equipment and dispensing of medication to the aged. He sponsored a medical team from the United States of America to help the people overcome their health challenges. He constructed gas-powered turbine to generate electricity for the people of Ajia town in Ibadan. It was inaugurated on September 17, 2011.

With his passion to help the poor and the needy in society, observers believe Makinde, would have done better politically if he had started from the grassroots. When he entered politics in 2007, he sought to go to the Senate, on the platform of the defunct ANPP

N dissolution of the board and its replacement with caretakers The matter was before Justice Akanbi’s court. We, as ALGON, had protested over the matter before the Court of Appeal, saying that Akanbi, who is of Federal High Court, is not supposed to be sitting on this matter.

Two, even when we discovered that, he insisted that he would go ahead with the matter. We did oral application, but he refused. We did a written one, but because Akanbi and the PDP had decided what they wanted, they went ahead and told us that he did not see some of the papers we filed.

Having petitioned Akanbi to the CJN, we were expecting that the matter would have been transferred to another judge. This is a judge that his son works with Governor Nyesom Wike as a Personal Assistant. It is obvious and clear that something is wrong with the judgment of Akanbi.

Look, if this kind of Jankara judgment could take place in this democracy, then Nigeria is in coma and we need very active oxygen to deliver this country.

On the order by the National Industrial Court, which ruled against the dissolution.

The Industrial Court told the Rivers State government and all other agencies not to dissolve the local government council. When we went to Bayelsa, PDP lawyers were there to argue that they should vacate the order through the advice of State Attorney General, but the judge told them that the order cannot be vacated. The Industrial Court also told them that if they want to argue the decision of the court, they should come on October. I was surprised that we are yet to get to October and the state Attorney General went ahead to give wrong advice to his principal on how to remove elected chairmen. I am very happy. When the time comes everybody will account for their role in this matter. I know that the Federal Government would not fold its hands on the matter.

For me, whatever is happening is PDP politics. When the police barricaded the council to maintain peace and order, PDP Spokesman Olisa Metuh and Wike went on air shouting, calling on the Federal Government to respect the court order. But, remember that the same police, through Joseph Mbu, the former Rivers State Commissioner, barricaded the local government council in Rivers State, but nothing happened.

On the involvement of Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who is looking into the two judgments Osinbajo is a professor, we are aware of his legal reforms in Nigeria; he is also a Christian and not like the Christians who cannot practice what they preach. As ALGON, we have confidence in him and that was why we decided to play cool. Nobody has the right to push us out of the council because in my LGA, we are predominantly APC. But, we decided to leave the council because we don’t want to resort to self-help.

To start with, even if the Akanbi judgment was against us, is there any

•Worluh order from Akanbi to remove the local government council? The answer is no. He would have also waited for stay of execution which we filed, but Wike went ahead and inaugurated Caretaker Committee the same day the judgment was given. They were screened by the State House of Assembly the same day. In my Emohua LGA, the caretaker chairman came to the council to inaugurate his executive on Saturday. For me, it is an act of illegality.

Every fund that these illegal caretaker committees will touch they will account for it. It is like kangaroo judgment they knew what was going to be the outcome of the judgment. What kind of government is this? Are we in banana republic? If we don’t get a good judgment from the Federal Government, we would go to International Court for Justice, because what is happening in Rivers State is evil.

On the timing of the board dissolution after Federal Allocation The major reason for the dissolution of the elected councils was because of the funds. Wike only wants to have access to the councils’ funds.

The man who is the governor of Rivers State we all know his history in this state and in his village. We also know the antecedents of those around him. I will continue to say it; the reason for the dissolution of the council executives was because of fund. They want to siphon the fund and to ensure that some elected council chairmen who have planned the way forward to develop their area do not succeed. But, one thing is certain, criminal cases never get rotten and any money misappropriated would be accounted for at the right time. The money belongs to the tax payers. Mr. President has done well by releasing the fund. Before now, the former President only released money to PDP states.

I would have executed some capital projects, if this money was given to me. I had already mapped out areas of special interest that could benefit my people. The caretakers set-up by Wike have been hungry for so long; (they are) looking for what to grasp and whatever they grasp cannot be accounted for. Let me tell you one thing, few days before dissolution of the local government council, fund has already been paid to the state.

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

49

NEWS

Buhari: God made me, but U.S. made me The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, narrates President Muhammadu Buhari’s encounter with his U.S War College classmates of 1980 at the Blair House in Washington.

S

HORTLY after the August 1983 military coup that brought a 33-year-old Muhammadu Buhari to power, he received a phone call from a top personnel in the United States Army.

General Smith was the Commandant of the U.S. War College from which General Buhari graduated in 1980. The school’s 1979 set had graduated its first Nigerian, General Wushishi, who was the Chief of Defence in the just ousted Shehu Shagari government.

“Please, be kind to him,” General Smith said over the phone.

The essence of the phone call was not just to congratulate Nigeria’s new Head of State, but to ensure that the first Nigerian to graduate from the U.S. War College would not suffer any indignity under the government of the second Nigerian to graduate from the same

W

EST Africa’s foremost manufacturer of pressure vessels, process equipment and steel structures, Energy Works Technology Limited (EWT) has unveiled the first ever 90mm Stainless Steel Clad Separator built in Nigeria.

According to EWT, the 90mm Stainless Steel Clad Separator is part of the “Local Fabrication of Pressure Vessels “ project of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB). The manufacturer said it aimed at deepening local content in the Oil and Gas sector by improving the capacity of indigenous Oil and Gas companies.

Welcoming stakeholders to the epoch-making event which took place in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, the Group Managing Director, Obijackson Group, Dr. Ernest Azudialu Obiejesi, who was represented by the General Manager,Projects, at Nestoil, Austin Agomuoh, said the Obijackson Group was committed to the cause of deepening Local Content in the Energy sector.

He said: “This landmark achievement by Energy Works is a reflection of the Obijackson Group’s vision to maximise the potentials inherent in the Local Content Act signed into law in 2010. “ As a successful indigenous conglomerate with a range of capabilities across the Energy and Maritime sectors, we are convinced that the next step for us is to support smaller fabricators. This will have a multiplier effect on eco-

•Buhari (middle) with some of his classmates at the U.S. War College

school.

On Wednesday, July 22, members of the U.S. War College Class of 1980 gathered at the Blair House in Washington, DC, to welcome the man they had selected as their football team referee 36 years ago.

“Being referee all those years ago taught me to be fair and just,” President Buhari said during the meeting.

Among the former classmates gathered were Lt. General Granrud (Commander of the U.S. forces in Japan Rtd), Brigadier General Jack Pellica, General Ronald Griffith (Former Vice Chairman of the U.S. army central command ), Colonel Lany Gordon and Colonel Paul Summerville.

General Smith has since passed on, as have all the directing staff and a larger percentage of the old students from the set.

“This just shows that all of us are on the queue,” President Buhari said, “waiting for our turn.”

The Nigerian Commander-inChief said he hoped that the U.S. would continue its tradition of training Nigerians in the war college. At the time he attended the school, he was the only African in

his class. The only other foreigners were from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, Indonesia, Thailand, France and Japan. The Japanese student went on to become the head of his country’s army.

President Buhari then went on to update his classmates on his life since he last saw them: his different appointments, his accomplishments and his family.

“I have just received my 13th grandchild,” he said.

He added that the wife they knew him with at the time had since died, and that he had also lost a son and a daughter from his new wife.

“Of all my eight children,” he said, “only one is a boy.”

Some of his former classmates were curious to know if President Buhari would place his only son, Yusuf, in the army.

“I stopped him from joining the army,” President Buhari replied.

He explained that the military he joined was very different from what it is today, adding that he was the second Nigerian to be sent to the U.S. War College—based on his records alone, without connections.

“Things took a wrong turn in Ni-

geria,” he said. “Your records no longer mattered.”

Some of the former classmates present at the meeting stated that at the time they met President Buhari back in 1980, they knew little about Nigeria or Africa. They credited the Nigerian leader with giving them their initial enlightenment about the continent. Others recalled how he always overworked himself.

However, President Buhari described his war college experience as being responsible for his subsequent life of hard work, endurance and perseverance.

“I contested for president three times and failed,” he said. “Then I did it the fourth time and won.”

A roar of laughter followed the president’s apt illustration.

He then rendered his narrative of the collapse of the Soviet Union, breaking into 18 republics and how that influenced his decision to join politics.

“The collapse of the Soviet empire in 1980 without a single shot being fired convinced that the multi-party democratic system was the best for all countries.”

President Buhari then expressed appreciation to President Barack Obama and to the U.S. for

the role the country played in Nigeria’s successful elections, recalling Secretary of State, John Kerry’s visit to him and to former president Goodluck Jonathan, as well as to Attahiru Jega, the electoral commissioner at the time. “Kerry read the riot act to all of us,” he said, “saying that the conduct of the election must be free, fair and in line with the Constitution.” He added that, without US intervention, the electoral malpractices of the past twelve years would likely have happened again.

“God made me but America made me,” he said.

The Class of 1980 gave President Buhari the full assurances of their support, stating that they were willing to use their experience to assist him in any way they can, particularly with tackling terrorism in northeast Nigeria. They promised to put together and forward to him a compendium of their thoughts on the security situation in Nigeria.

In September, President Buhari will be meeting once again with his former classmates, at another event scheduled to take place at the United Nations.

EWT unveils 90mm stainless steel clad separator

•From left: Representative of the Group General Manager, National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Chinasa Asoluko; National Chairman, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Emeka Ene Kentebe; Agomuoh; Managing Director, Energy Works Technology (EWT) Limited, Emeka Nnadi and General Manager, Zonal Coordination and Board Projects, NCDMB, G.U. Ginah; at the unveiling of the 90mm stainless steel

nomic growth and reduce importation of vessels such as this.”

EWT Limited’s Managing Director Emeka Nnadi, noted that the successful completion of the 90mm thick, 316 stainless steel clad Inlet Separator has demonstrated the viability of the Nigerian Content Development Project and its potential impact on the Nigerian economy.

Nnadi said: “This Separa-

tor is designed for 99 barg pressure and is aimed at increasing efficiency of SPDC’s non-associated Gas reservoirs at the Soku Gas Plant. It is evidence of the proficiency of Nigerians.

“With the delivery of the vessel, we are certain that the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board will be able to demonstrate the increased in-country capability that has been added to

the Oil and Gas industry within the past five years.”

He went on: “The learning curve for EWT during the production process was epic. We are proud to say that we have acquired the technical knowhow to form, assemble, weld and test all ranges of thick walled pressure vessels”.

Speaking in the same vein, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board,

Denzil Kentebe said that EWT has added immense value to Local Content in the Oil and Gas industry.

Kentebe said: “The manufacture of this vessel is proof that local organisations can actualize the lofty goals of the Local Content Law. As a Board, we have worked to strengthen indigenous companies and have demonstrated our dedication to developing them. This launch validates

our trust in the Obijackson Group and its subsidiaries and also in other indigenous organisations.”

The Vessel Separator is 90mm thick, 3.2m in internal diameter and is inlaid with 316 stainless steel while the overall length of the vessel is 12.03m. The inlet Separator will be used to knock out entrained liquids from the feed natural gas in the reservoirs at SPDC’s Soku Gas Fields.

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

TRANSFER TRANSFER.. . . TRANSFER TRANSFER.. . .

NATION SPORT

Arsenal joins race to sign Marco Reus A

RSENAL FC look to hijack Liverpool’s move for Borussia Dortmund star, Marco Reus.

The German has also drawn interest from Real Madrid.

Marco Reus struggled with his fitness last season as a torn ankle ligament kept him out for nearly six weeks in the first half of 2014-15.

He also suffered from muscular problems towards the end of the second half.

But the German international once again showed what he is capable of with a delightful solo effort against Juventus yesterday, which Borussia Dortmund won 2-0.

The 26-year-old’s future at the club has come under some speculation this summer.

Borussia Dortmund struggled in the league last season as they ended up seventh in the Bundesliga table. Following the departure of Jurgen Klopp from the club, future of a lot of players has attracted unwanted rumours and Marco Reus hasn’t been an exception.

Marco Reus committed his future to the club by penning down a new contract in February, but both Real Madrid and Liverpool have been linked with him this summer. New Real Madrid manager Rafael Benitez is said to be keen on signing the German international, while the Merseyside club are reportedly lining up a move for Reus as replacement for Raheem Sterling, who has joined

Marseille agree deal for Diaby

F

RENCH media outlet L’Equipe has learned that Marseille are closing in on former Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby.

The 29-year-old is a free agent after the Gunners opted against extending his deal, and Premier League outfit West Brom moved to confirm they had offered the Frenchman a contract.

However, the latest reports suggest that Diaby has accepted a proposal from Marseille and will be moving to Stade Velodrome in the coming days.

Having been given the all clear by club doctor Christophe Baudot, OM decided to make an offer to the former France international that contains a relatively low salary with huge appearance bonuses.

•Diaby

Manchester City.

Yesterday the Express reported that Liverpool have been handed over a “boost” in their quest to sign Reus, as Borussia Dortmund make a move to sign Ajax

youngster Davy Klaassen.

While this transfer might not have to do with Reus’ future at the club, the fact that both these players are similar in style and can play in same role, fuelled reports

that the Dutch international might be signed as a replacement for Reus.

The Telegraph reported earlier today that Arsenal have now joined the race to sign Reus.

Dundee United sign Sneijder COTTISH Premiership side Dundee United have completed a deal to sign Rodney Sneijder, the brother of Netherlands international Wesley.

The 24-year-old, who is the younger brother of the Galatasaray midfielder, arrives in Scotland on a two-year deal after being released by Almere City in his homeland.

"This is an excellent opportunity for me to develop and progress as a player," he told the club's

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Salah not staying at Chelsea - Mourinho

•Reus

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OSE Mourinho is unsure where Mohamed Salah will play his football in

Irish international Cunningham seeks Bristol City exit

R

EPUBLIC of Ireland international, Greg Cunningham is headed for the exit door at Championship club Bristol City, after helping the club get promoted.

Cunningham, a former

Manchester City player and owner of four international caps, started just nine times in 24 appearances last season as Bristol City cantered to the League One title.

Mbemba closes in on Newcastle switch

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EWCASTLE United hope to complete the signing of Chancel Mbemba on Thursday after agreeing personal terms with the defender and a deal with his club Anderlecht.

The 20-year-old will finalise his switch to St James' Park providing he can obtain a work permit, which will be decided by a Football Association (FA) panel.

A statement from the Premier League club on Sunday read: "Following an agreement between Newcastle United and Anderlecht for the transfer of Chancel Mbemba, the player has been in Newcastle and has agreed personal terms with the club and undergone his medical.

"The documentation in relation to the club's application for a Governing Body Endorsement [GBE], required in order for

official website.

"This is the right time for me to explore Scottish football and I look forward to meeting my new teammates and the Dundee United fans. I want to help the club achieve success this season."

Former Ajax and Real Madrid midfielder, Wesley wished his brother well on Twitter, posting: "Congratulations and good luck @rodneysneijder at @dundeeunitedfc #brother #newclub #scottishfootball."

Mbemba to obtain a visa, was submitted to the FA on Wednesday morning [22nd July].

"Unfortunately, the FA are unable to consider the club's application until Thursday of next week [30th July].

The FA advised the club they were not able to convene a panel any sooner.

•Mbemba

Manager Steve Cotterill revealed left-back Cunningham, 24, was set to sew up a new home imminently.

"Greg Cunningham is discussing a move with another club that will probably go through on Monday," Cotterill told Bristol City's website.

"Greg had very little playing time last year with the emergence of Derrick Williams and Joe Bryan, so we've decided to let him move on.

"I know that leaves us short on numbers, but we had young Lloyd Kelly who played tonight and did very well, and we couldn't really stand in Greg's way when he had this opportunity.

"We'll be looking to strengthen in that area.

We're already on to something else and maybe that one will drop for us next week.

"We wish Greg well, he was great for us and we wish him all the best with his new club."

While on Manchester City's books from 201012, Cunningham completed loan stints at Leicester City and Nottingham Forest before moving to Bristol City where he tallied 91 league appearances for four goals.

2015-16, but the Chelsea boss has made it clear the Egyptian will be leaving Stamford Bridge.

Salah joined Chelsea from Basel in January 2014, but he spent the second half of last term on loan at Fiorentina as part of the deal that saw Juan Cuadrado move in the other direction.

Fiorentina claimed to have an agreement to retain Salah's services for the upcoming campaign, only to be met with resistance by the player, who they say "expressed his desire to join another club".

That has led to the Serie A club considering legal action and Mourinho has

acknowledged only one thing is certain regarding Salah's future.

Speaking after Chelsea's International Champions Cup fixture against Paris Saint-Germain in Charlotte, United States, the Portuguese said: "He doesn't belong to my squad and he's not staying here.

"The important thing is that he plays like he did at Fiorentina, so [I'm] happy with him going on a loan.

"Italian football is difficult football to play, especially for attacking players. So if it's not Fiorentina it's Roma or Inter or Juve - I don't know. Maybe he has a loan.

"He's a good boy and a good player. He needs more top-level football so I'm happy with any decision him and the club make."

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

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NEWS

PDP can’t provide virile opposition, says APC

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HE All Progressives Congress (APC) has foreclosed the possib ility of the rival Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) providing a credible opposition to the APC-led government unless its spokesman Olisa Metuh desists from issuing convoluted and fustian statements just to be in the news.

“Today’s statement is the most tortuous yet by the PDP and, honestly, sounds more like a compendium of beer parlour gossips and side talks than a serious criticism of a sitting government,’’ the APC said in a statement issued in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

“To be in opposition does not mean you have to constitute yourself to a nuisance by rushing to the press with all sorts of hot air statements. It is the qual-

ity, rather than the frequency, of your interventions that makes you relevant as an opposition in a democracy,’’ the party said.

It said that in the light of the above, the APC will not dignify the latest in a series of confused statements by the PDP with any response.

The statement reads: “We can only say that we have been justified, and indeed prescient, in our earlier offer to organize a crash course for Olisa Metuh so that he can more effectively perform his role as the spokesman of the main opposition party.

“Those who thought we were joking with that offer can now see that indeed, Mr. Metuh is seriously in need of some form of coaching on his new role.”

The party said for the record, no government in Nigeria’s recent history has

been as focused and systematic as the one headed by President Muhammadu Buhari in restoring good governance, especially coming after the worst stretch of governance, lasting 16 years by the immoral and reckless PDP. It is worth noting that even the leader of the world’s foremost democracy, President Barack Obama, said that much during the recent visit to the United States of President Buhari, when he described him (President Buhari) as a man of integrity with a clear agenda.

The statement further reads: “President Buhari is working hard every day in the priority areas of tackling security and corruption, rebooting the economy to provide jobs for our teeming youths and generally to restore good governance. We are sorry for those who are

too blind with hatred to see this.

“We know that the PDP is terrified by the expose of how the Federal Government it led has looted the treasury and created an environment for impunity to thrive, as well as the fate that will befall those who were part of the show of shame and disgust.

“But we assure Nigerians that this government will not interfere with the work of the security and anti-corruption agencies, and also that under the Buhari Administration, only the guilty needs to be afraid.

“In the meantime, no amount of mumbo jumbo from the PDP will stop the Buhari Administration from its tough but inevitable task of restoring Nigeria’s lost glory.”

Ekweremadu: no case against me •N160m raised for party secretariat

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MBATTLED Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu has said he is not being investigated by the police.

Ekweremadu spoke at the fund-raising for the permanent headquarters of PDP in Enugu State.

His words: “I am sure you see and hear what they say in the media. Most of those things are not true. No police is investigating me because there is nothing to investigate.

“What is happening in the Senate is purely a Senate affair and will remain that”.

From Chris Oji, Enugu

He maintained that the party’s leadership has evolved ways of restoring its leading position in the country while urging members to make useful contributions to realise the set goal.

One Hundred and Sixty million naira was realised at the fund-raising, with the bulk coming mainly from contractors.

The fund-raising was headed

by Festus Oshaba of Ferotex construction, who gave N30 million. The least donation being N15 million.

Emeakayi is Anambra PDP chairman From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

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ORMER Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Anambra State, Prince Ken Emeakayi, has returned as the party’s leader.

Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, Kenneth Enenmuo is the Vice Chairman, Central Senatorial Zone. James Nzube is Secretary and Emma Nzekwe is the Publicity Secretary, among others.

Emeakayi, who was the sole candidate for the position, got 958 votes, while nine votes were void.

The election was supervised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), led by the commission’s administrative secretary, Oscar-Lee Amaechi.

In his acceptance speech, Emeakayi promised to ensure that members unite for the battle ahead.

He said everyone would be carried along, adding that the era of crisis was over.

Obasanjo defends comment on Soyinka

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•Lagos State Governor Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (second left) with the couple, Mr. & Mrs. Ikekpere Victor Kanu-Uche, groom's father & Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence, Dr. Samuel Chukwuemeka Kanu-Uche (right), his wife, Nneoma Florence Uche (left) and Ogun State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga (second right) during the Solemnization of Holy Matrimony of Chibuzo & Ikekpere at the Methodist Church Nigeria, Diocese of Lagos Mainland, Hoare's Memorial Methodist Cathedral, Yaba...at the weekend.

‘Critics of Ikpeazu’s bond for infrastructure wrong’

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RESIDENT of the Igbo Question Movement (IQM), Mr Ben Onyechere yesterday faulted those opposed to Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s bid to obtain a bond to help boost infrastructural development.

The political analyst and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief said the governor should be encouraged in his bid to transform Abia rather than being vilified.

“It is only people who are enemies of progress that can speak against such intention of government to the extent of a paid advertorial in which

By Joseph Jibueze

they advertised their ignorance and ineptitude,” he said.

According to him, the criticism by a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia is a manifestation of a negative attitude towards the state’s developmental programme and “depicts mindless politicisation of the future of Abia.”

“They have shown that they are not perturbed by the nature of infrastructure in Aba for which reason they have embarked on a fruitless campaign of calumny against the entirety

of Abia State, otherwise how can anybody stand or sit against the much needed fund intended for the upgrading of facilities such as moribund industries which can generate employment for the teeming youths of Abia?

“It is for this reason that it is clearly indicative that these people have no genuine intention for Abia citizenry, otherwise they will not discourage the intention of rehabilitation of infrastructure in Abia.

“In as much as payment of salaries is very cogent and uppermost to the Ikpeazu’s administration, it should be un-

derstood that the few months of salary backlog is not peculiar to Abia State alone which is the reason for the impending bailout by the Federal Government.

“As at today the governor has instructed the financial department to clear such backlogs with immediate effect, for which reason he has forfeited his own allowances. Be it loan or bond, it is penitent that government must seek other ways of generating fund to expand the economy of the state so that commerce for which Abia people are known can pick up again,” Onyechere said.

‘No one is threatening to kill Otti’

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HE Abia State government has debunked claims by governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr Alex Otti, that his life was in danger.

The state government advised Otti to follow his case at the tribunal.

Otti alleged that his guest house in Abuja was attacked by gunmen and a policeman killed.

From Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Godwin Adindu, said Otti’s claim was untrue.

The statement reads: “Otti is merely trying to whip up sentiments to attract the sympathy of the security agencies and the tribunal to his disastrous petition. His lamentation is the cry of a drowning

man.

“My enquiries with the police spokesman, Mr. Emma Ojukwu, showed that the incident did not happen at Otti’s guest house, neither was the policeman killed at his residence.”

Ojukwu confirmed that some houses were attacked but not Otti’s guest house and he was not around at the time of the incident.

“The claim is part of Otti’s plan to influence the tribu-

•Otti

nal through emotional pressure to move the sittings to Abuja,” Adindu said.

ORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo has again defended his position that literary icon Prof Wole Soyinka is a ‘poor’ political analyst.

He, however, said the Nobel laureate could rank amongst the best consultants when it comes to wine matters.

The former leader who spoke in an interview on Channels Television programme christened ‘Book Club’ on Saturday night maintained the view he expressed in his three-volume autobiography, My Watch.

He disagreed that his book was controversial, saying the readers were entitled to their opinion on what he felt should be documented for posterity and that nobody was under any obligation to believe his view.

Obasanjo wrote in the book: “For Wole, no one can be good, nor can anything be spot-on politically except that which emanates from him or is ordained by him. His friends and loved ones will always be right and correct no matter what they do or fail to do. He is surely a better wine connoisseur and a more successful Aparo (guinea fowl) hunter than a political critic.”

Soyinka took an exception to the comment on his person in an article he titled ‘Watch And Pray, Watch And Prey’,which he wrote last December.

But in an interview granted a private television station, Channels, on a programme tagged ‘Book Club’, Obasanjo, while holding on to his words, said what he wrote about Soyinka was purely his view, adding that Soyinka did not have to agree with it.

The former President, who insisted his book was not written to please anybody, agreed there was a lingering feud between him and the Nobel Laureate, who, he said, had vowed that the differences between the two of them would not be resolved on earth.

Obasanjo, however, said he had told Soyinka that, in that case, whichever of them gets to heaven first should wait at the gate to welcome the other.

His words: “Wole Soyinka is a gifted man. I have always acknowledged that but he is a bad politician and I have also always said that; and that is my own point of view. He may agree with it, he may not agree with it.

Ibeno Petrochemical to generate jobs, says Akwa Ibom governor •Ovia hailed KWA IBOM State Governor Udom Emmanuel has said the $1.5billion methanol plant in Ibeno will generate thousands of jobs for residents of the state.

The plant will also help in the drive towards industrialisation of the state.

Emmanuel spoke in Uyo, the state capital while commending the Chairman of Quantum Petrochemicals Company Limited, Mr. Jim Ovia, for such huge investment.

The governor said: “ We have done the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the Certificate of Occupancy (C-ofO) has been issued and the site has been cleared and ready for work to start. Once the gas purchase agreement with Exxon Mobil is finalised, work will commence immediately.”

Ovia said the company would positively affect the lives of the people of the state and Nigeria.

“Petrochemicals are vital to our everyday life. The plastic bottles that allow us to drink sanitary water, the clothes that we wear, the fertilisers that are used to grow crops, the tires on our cars that brought us here today, the shovel that we will use to break the ground today, the pharmaceuticals we take everyday to enjoy a healthy life are all derivatives of the petrochemicals in some form,” he said.

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

56

FOREIGN NEWS

Obama charges Kenya on human rights, ethnic divisions

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E S I D E N T Obama spoke out yest e r d a y about corruption, ethnic divisions, terrorism and human rights in a rousing televised speech on his last day in Kenya, his father’s homeland.

Speaking to thousands at the Kasarani National Stadium, Obama encouraged Kenyans to “choose the path to progress” by fighting corruption and terrorism and by treating women and girls as equal citizens.

“Kenya has come so far in just my lifetime,” said Obama, the first sitting U.S. president to visit the African nation. “Kenya is at a crossroads, a moment filled with peril but enormous promise. Because of Kenya’s progress, because of your potential, you can build your future right here, right now.”

He called for an end to ethnic divisions and described corruption in the country as a “cancer.”

“Treating women and girls as second-class citi-

•President Obama inspects a guard of honour at the State House Nairobi on Saturday.

zens is a bad tradition. It’s holding you back,” he added. Some Kenyans said they were pleased that Obama addressed human rights, ethnic divisions and

equality. But for many, just seeing Obama — who was born in Hawaii but his father was from Kenya — was the main goal.” The Kenyan government has consistent-

ly denied allegations of election fraud.

During his three-day visit, Obama spoke to Kenyan leaders about security and terrorism before departing

Car bomb in Turkey kills two

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CAR bomb exploded yesterday in southern Turkey, killing two security officers and wounding four other people, officials said.

The attack was launched when a vehicle carrying security personnel was ambushed on its way to an emergency call, the Diyarbakir provincial office said.

Diyarbakir is a province in southeastern Turkey, a heavily Kurdish area, and is home to the city of the same name.

No one has been arrested in connection with the explosion, officials said The bombing comes as Turkey grapples with a wave of violence near its southern border with Syria and is ramping up its effort to fight terrorists.

On Thursday, at least five ISIS militants in northern Syria approached the border and fired on a Turkish border unit,

killing a soldier and wounding two others, the Turkish military said.

Authorities say ISIS was also to blame for a suicide blast Monday that killed more than 30 people in Suruc, a Turkish town that borders Syria. And after the Kurdistan Worker’s Party, or PKK, killed two Turkish police officers Wednesday, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu vowed to take action.

“We will not stay silent in the face of those who kill our police officers in their sleep,” Davutoglu said.

Turkey initially decided to attack ISIS during a national security meeting Thursday headed by Davutoglu. Turkish forces arrested 590 suspected terrorists, bombed ISIS positions in northern Syria and targeted the PKK in strikes in a daylong operation Saturday.

It was the first time Turkey

had attacked ISIS and the PKK simultaneously.

“This is a big deal for the U.S. and the coalition, to get the Turks on their side,” retired Air Force Lt. Col. Rich Francona, a military analyst, told CNN. “This is a gamechanger.”

The U.S. reached a tentative agreement with Turkey last week to increase U.S. and coalition access to Turkish air bases.

“We attach great importance to our cooperation with the U.S. and believe that it will result in an effective fight against the ISIS threat,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

The PKK issued a statement declaring a 2013 ceasefire agreement with Turkey to be over, according to the proPKK Firat News Agency. The statement referred to the slaying of the two police officers,

calling it an act of “retribution” carried out by “local branches” without orders from the central PKK command.

Kurdistan Regional President Masoud Barzani expressed concern about Turkey’s bombardment of PKK positions in Iraq’s Kurdish area, but he called on all parties to stay calm “because peace is the only solution to problems, and years of dialogue is better than an hour of fighting.”

Turkey believes the PKK is exploiting ISIS’ efforts. The PKK has been fighting for independence since 1984 and is feared to be making gains.

The group is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, but PKK militants have come to the aid of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters who have been fighting ISIS in northern Iraq.

Explosion kills six at Mogadishu hotel

Colombia suspends raids on FARC camps following rebel truce

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OLOMBIA’s government is suspending aerial bombings of guerrilla camps in a bid to de-escalate fighting and breathe new life into struggling peace talks.President Juan Manuel Santos made the announcement Saturday night at a military ceremony in Cartagena, saying the confidence-building move was in response to the decision by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia to declare a unilateral cease fire.FARC leaders said on July 20 that they were resuming a unilateral truce the rebels had suspended two months earlier following an army bombing of one of their camps that left 26 people dead.

That raid in turn followed a series of deadly attacks by the FARC, including a nighttime attack on an army platoon that killed 10 soldiers while they were asleep.In March, Santos made a similar gamble, banning one of the military’s mostsuccessful tactics in its fight against the rebels in recognition of progress the being made at the peace table.

But since then, mistrust on both sides has grown as fighting has intensified.

For the first time since peace talks began nearly three years ago polls show that more Colombians favor a military solution to the conflict than a negotiated settlement.Reflecting some of the cynicism this time around, Santos said that the ban on aerial bombings could be lifted if the FARC camps pose a risk to civilians or infrastructure targets.Nonetheless he tried to frame his move as a bid to accelerate talks after both sides agreed to seek a bilateral cease fire in the coming months even before a final peace deal is reached.

EMENI forces allied with a Saudi-led coalition fought Houthi militia for control of the country’s largest air base north of Aden yesterday, local residents said, hours before a humanitarian truce declared by the coalition was meant to start.

The al-Anad base, 50 km (30 miles) from the major southern port city, has been held by the Iranian-allied Houthi movement for much of a fourth-month-old civil war, and is seen as a strategic location commanding the approaches to Aden.

A Saudi-led Arab coalition allied with southern secessionist fighters retook much of Aden last week in the first significant ground victory in their campaign to end Houthi control over much of Yemen and restore exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Houthi fighters and army units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh captured Aden at the outset of the war, prompting Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia, an ally along with the United States.

A ceasefire declared by the coalition is due to take effect at 11.59 p.m. (2059 GMT) on Sunday for five days to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid. Four months of air raids and war have killed more than 3,500 people. Aden has suffered especially, with severe shortages of fuel, food and medicine.

The port city and other southern provinces have been largely inaccessible to U.N. food aid, and about 13 million people — over half the population — are thought in dire need of food.

Coalition warplanes carried out raids near Sanaa late on Saturday and shortly after dawn on Sunday, residents reported, adding that the targets included a military base near the city.

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The bomb destroyed part of the Jazeera Palace Hotel in Mogadishu. Photo: Mohamed Moalimu

nearby when the bomb exploded and described a “huge blast” that smashed his window. He said the hotel, which has been attacked several times in the past by Islamist gunmen, had been “torn apart” by the blast.

Photographs shared on

the rule of law and human rights. Some Muslims cheered at his message, saying that they are always targeted after every terror attack in Kenya.

Houthis, Saudi-led coalition fight for Yemen air base

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T least six people were killed yesterday when a suspected car bomb exploded at a heavily guarded hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu housing diplomatic missions and frequented by government officials and international workers.

“We have seen around six people killed, most of them hotel security guards,” said government security officer Mohamed Jama, adding that casualty numbers might rise.

A huge blast shook the area on Sunday afternoon sending a thick plume of smoke high into the air. The African Union force, AMISOM, which is fighting al-Shabaab insurgents, confirmed the explosion at the Jazeera Palace Hotel.

“There was a heavy explosion at the Jazeera Palace hotel, there are casualties,” said police officer Abdirahman Ahmed.

Local resident Abdihakim Ainte, a political analyst, was

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

Sunday for Ethiopia.

Obama told Kenyans that while security measures must be strengthened, the war on terror must be approached while respecting

social media showed one side of the multi-storey hotel shredded by the explosion.

Mohamed Moalim was inside the hotel when the bomb exploded. “It was a truck loaded with explosives - and the biggest ever (explosion) around this area,” he said.

The diplomatic missions of both China and Qatar are based in the hotel.

There was no immediate claim of responsiblity, but the al-Qaeda-affiliated alShabaab have attacked the hotel before as part of their regular bombing campaign.

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FOREIGN NEWS Israeli police clash with Palestinians at holy shrine

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ENSIONS surrounding Jerusalem’s most sensitive religious shrine erupted into open conflict for the first time in months yesterday as Israeli police clashed with Palestinian youths whom they said planned to attack Jewish worshippers.

Security forces made a rare foray across the threshold of the Al Aqsa mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, to confront protesters who had barricaded themselves inside with an armoury of boulders and petrol bombs, according to police.

Inspector Mickey Rosenfeld, an Israeli police spokesman, said officers were acting on intelligence that the youths planned to riot in protest at the arrival of Jews marking Tisha B’Av, a religious mourning ceremony commemorating the destruction of the two ancient Jewish temples. The temples are believed to have stood on the site of the 36.5 acre Al Aqsa compound, which Jews call the Temple Mount.

Four Israeli officers were injured by flying rocks and fire bombs as they attempted to close the mosque doors to lock

the protesters inside, said Inspector Rosenfeld.

“Police did not storm the mosque,” he said. “They closed the doors to lock the masked protesters inside to prevent further disturbances. The protesters had opened the doors and between the doors and themselves had erected barricades to prevent the doors being closed.”

It was the first serious clash at the complex since last November when Jordan – which administers the holy site – recalled its ambassador in protest over the entry of police into

the mosque.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, had earlier briefly ordered the closure of the compound, which sits in the Old City in mostly Arab East Jerusalem, in punishment for the attempted murder by a Palestinian of Yehuda Glick, a campaigner for Jewish prayer rights in the area.

Mr Netanyahu later acted to reduce tensions by forbidding high profile visits by members of his own coalition and Likud party, some of whom had accompanied hard-line Jewish campaigners to the site.

Pope signs up for World Youth Day

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OPE Francis opened the registration period for next year’s World Youth Day in Poland, using a tablet computer to sign himself up from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square during the traditional Sunday blessing. In Krakow, an electronic clock was installed on the Renaissance Holy Mary Basilica to count the days remaining until the event, initiated by Polish-born St. John Paul II. The late pontiff’s secretary, Card.

Stanislaw Dziwisz, celebrated a Mass to draw attention to the youth festival, while Krakow residents danced a traditional Polonaise dance in the vast Market Square in a gesture of invitation.

At the Vatican, the young man and young woman joined Francis in prayer for the release of the Rev. Paolo Dall’Oglio, kidnapped two years ago in Syria as well as for the release of Orthodox bishops being held “and all the other people in conflict zones who have been kidnapped.”

Francis called for renewed action by local and international authorities to win their release from captivity.

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opposition. Rivals accused him of violating the constitution by running for another five years in office.

The election commission said on Friday that the president, who cited a court ruling saying he could run again, had secured 73 percent of the vote.

Nkurunziza’s re-election bid has plunged Burundi into its biggest crisis since an ethni-

RESIDENT Barack Obama of the United States of America’s visit to his father’s homeland of Kenya and also Ethiopia might have an atmospherics of a jamboree or a homecoming of some sort for ‘our son’ or perhaps a State visit. It is rightly so as this will be the first time a sitting US president will be visiting the two countries. Also the symbolism is not lost on the people of Kenya, having produced the first African-American president as the leader of the free world-The United States of America. Kenyan babies “born over the weekend have had names as “AirForce One Obama” Michelle as in the president’s wife and Malia and Sasha as in the president’s daughters. Businesses are booming and the entire nation is caught in Obama-mania frenzy.

But in all of these, two events stand out.

One Saturday, when he headlined the Sixth Global Entrepreneurship Summit which he initiated in Egypt in 2009.

Second, tomorrow’s outreach to the African Continent through the window of an African Union official visit. They both offer critical opportunities for President Obama to showcase his administration’s legacy for the upliftment of the underprivileged in Sub-Saharan Africa.

He has consistently and rightly so, followed through with his Cairo Declaration of 1990 by hosting the first in the annual series in April 26-27, 2010 in Washington D.C. Subsequent ones have since been held in Morocco, Malaysia, and Indonesia among other Muslim Majority Countries (MMCs).

According to the White House, the annual gathering draws participants from around the world ‘to represent their home countries, regions, sectors, and communities at the Summit. They include successful entrepreneurs, investors, academics, and leaders of entrepreneurship networks, non-profits, foundations, and businesses who are invested in promoting business or social entrepreneurship in Muslim communities around the world.

It represents an opportunity to highlight and support business and social entrepreneurship in Muslim-majority countries (MMCs), including their minority populations, and Muslim communities around the world.’

Through this Summit, the United States seeks both to join existing efforts and inspire

By Evelyn Osagie

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AVE the Children, an international Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has raised alarm over the number of separated, and often traumatised, Burundian children arriving daily at the remote Nyarugusu refugee camp in Western Tanzania.

According to the NGO, their numbers have risen sharply from around 1,600 at the end of May, to more than 2,600 by July 19, this year.

According to the organisation’s Interim Country Manager, Lisa Parrott, at least 1,150 people fleeing the escalating violence and intimidation have reportedly registered at the already over-crowded camp since penultimate Friday alone, with at least 60 per cent of these new arrivals thought to be children.

“The psychological strain on refugees, especially children, is almost impossible to measure but we have seen that many children are now arriving in a much worse physical and mental state than a few weeks ago,” Parrott said.

Save the Children, she said, is working with local partners to implement child protection and education programmes including three Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) and three Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS), which are expected to serve 1,200 children.

She lamented that overall, around one fifth of Burundian refugees are thought to be infants under five, many of whom are arriving with symptoms of severe malnutrition, anemia, malaria, diarrhea and other conditions.

Parrot said: “The children who have made it to the camp in the last week have walked for days on end with nothing but the clothes on their backs and little or no food. Schools and churches are being used to shelter the refugees; fuelling fears that schools in the camp may be unable to open this month.

Obama tasks Ethiopia on political freedom and rights abuses

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•The pontiff extended an invitation to the world’ s Roman Catholic youth to join him in Krakow.

PHOTO:AP

U.S. calls Burundi vote ‘deeply flawed’ .S. Secretary of State John Kerry called Burundi’s election this week “deeply flawed” and urged President Pierre Nkurunziza to hold a “meaningful, serious” dialogue with the African country’s opposition, the State Department said.

Nkurunziza won a third term in Tuesday’s election, which was boycotted by the

NGO raises fear over Burundian children in Tanzanian refugee camp

cally charged civil war ended in 2005. Dozens of people have been killed in weeks of protests and more than 170,000 have fled to refugee camps in neighboring states.

“It is imperative that the government of Burundi re-engage in a meaningful, serious dialogue with opposition and civil society leaders to reach a consensus on the way for-

ward,” Kerry said in a statement on Friday, declaring the vote “deeply flawed”.

The ruling CNDD-FDD party dismissed U.S. criticism of the election that came even before voting began. Party chief Pascal Nyabenda said U.S. officials’ remarks were “negative and nihilistic” and implied “the Burundian people cannot rule themselves.”

IKE the visit to Kenya, President Barack Obama’s trip yesterday to Ethiopia represents the first time a sitting U.S. president has been to this East African country and according to its government, it is a sign of the nation’s growing stature.Grave concerns remain, however, over political freedoms in this nation of more than 90 million - Africa’s second largest - and opposition figures fear that the visit, coming on the heels of an improbable 100 percent ruling party win in elections, will give international legitimacy to a repressive government.

With its history of pan-African activism, Ethiopia is also the home of the African Union and on Tuesday Obama will be addressing the whole continent from the organization’s new headquarters in Addis Ababa.After centuries of ties - the first bilateral trade agreement was signed in 1903 - only now is a U.S. president visiting, noted Communication Minister Redwan Hussein. ”The choice by a sitting U.S. President to visit us was made because we have become more visible and important enough to be visited,” he told The Associated Press. “Being visited by the first sitting American president will enhance the confidence and aspirations of Ethiopians.”

Global Focus DAYO FAKUADE, Foreign Editor sms 08134230367

daborgu@gmail.com

Obama’s Global Enterpreneurship Summit new efforts to promote entrepreneurship and innovation.

The Summit agenda was designed to highlight and celebrate the work and talents of many great entrepreneurs from MMCs and Muslim communities around the world. It provides a platform for foreign participants to connect with American stakeholders and develop partnerships that provide innovative solutions and support entrepreneurial ecosystems.

The president rightly noted at the opening of the Sith Summit yesterday in Nairobi, Kenya, that ‘entrepreneurship means ownership and self-determination, as opposed to simply being dependent on somebody else for your livelihood and your future. Entrepreneurship brings down barriers between communities and cultures and builds bridges that help us take on common challenges together. Because one thing that entrepreneurs understand is, is that you don’t have to look a certain way, or be of a certain faith, or have a certain last name in order to have a good idea.

The challenge is — it’s very often hard to take those first steps. It’s hard to access capital. It’s hard sometimes to get the training and the skills to run a business as profession-

ally as it needs to be in this competitive world. It’s hard to tap into the networks and mentors that can mean the difference between a venture taking off and one that falls flat.

And it’s even harder for women and young people and communities that have often been marginalised and denied access to opportunities. You run into old attitudes that say some people, because of where you come from or what you look like, don’t have what it takes to lead or create a business. And sometimes it’s subtle. You go into pitch an idea and maybe the response you get might not be as enthusiastic as if someone else pitched the exact same idea. Sometimes women or folks from communities that historically have not been viewed as entrepreneurial may not have the means of opening those doors just to get in front of the right person’.

The goals of the Summit remain as lofty as they were when it started six years ago. Giant strides have been made in its ability to provide a competitive edge in a world full of opportunities but unequal access especially for women and girls in a male-dominated business and economic environment.

It is note-worthy that the initiative surpassed its last year’s pledge of providing ad-

ditional 1billion dollars commitments from banks, foundations and philanthropists for this year’s which will benefit 1,600 network of women entrepreneurs across Africa. This will further shore up the capabilities of women and girls in these countries as major players in the development of human capital.

Three women entrepreneurial centres have already been designated to be set up in this regard in Zambia, Nairobi and Mali in Africa.

President Obama also noted the efforts of the United States Overseas Private Investment Corporation’s $100million support for Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiative making more capital available to women-owned enterprises around the world.

This year’s Summit was attended by entrepreneurs and business leaders drawn from more than 120 countries all over the world.

Obama will arrive Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for a formal visit to the African Union Headquarters tomorrow making him the first U.S. President to ever visit the African Union.

Critics have questioned the timing of the visit to Ethiopia, coming shortly on the heels of a less than credible presidential election last May and the continued human rights abuses of the ruling party as well as blatant erosion of fundamental human rights in the country.

Upon arriving to the AU Headquarters, President Obama will hold a bilateral meeting with the African Union Commission Chairperson Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and Commissioners.

President Obama is also due to deliver a speech to the continent from the Nelson Mandela Hall at the AU Conference Centre, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

It is hoped that the meeting will provide another concrete step to broaden and deepen the relationship between the AU and the US. Skills acquisition, to provide the youth with employment opportunities; industrialisation and infrastructural development, youth and women’s empowerment, trade, investment, and peace and security, particularly the fight against terrorism and extremism, are all areas that will be addressed at the African Union by the president.

The president has previously visited Egypt in June 2009, Ghana in July 2009, South Africa, Senegal and Tanzania in 2013.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

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NEWS Northcentral APC cautions EFCC From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

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HE Northcentral chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the chairmen of APC in the geopolitical zone have cautioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to beware of manipulation by desperate politicians out to settle political scores.

This followed the invitation of the Senate president’s wife, Mrs. Toyin Saraki, by EFCC. In a statement, the party, which expressed its commitment to the anti- corruption war, said the EFCC should guard against being used by politicians with inordinate ambitions.

The statement was signed by Mr. Haddi Ameto (Kogi), Alhaji Mohammed Jibril Adamu (Niger), Alhaji Usman Abdukmalik (FCT), Alhaji Ishola BalogunFulani (Kwara) and Mr. Letep Dabang (Plateau).

They added: “To say the least, this invitation is curious, the timing is suspicious and it raises more questions than answers.

“We are worried that an APC chieftain, Senator Joseph Waku, has alleged that a chieftain of our party in the Southwest was the mastermind of a baseless petition over which Mrs. Saraki has been invited by the EFCC. “We are also disturbed by the allegation that the same APC chieftain has promised to help secure a second term for the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, if Mrs. Saraki is persecuted.

“This is unacceptable and these allegations suggest that some APC chieftains have cut deals with the EFCC to punish perceived political adversaries.”

“Mrs. Saraki left Kwara State Government House with her husband since 2011, why did the EFCC choose to invite her for questioning on July 28, the same day the National Assembly is scheduled to reconvene from recess? It is difficult to believe that this is a mere coincidence because some senators have vowed to bring the Senate President down by all means.

Baptists meet

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HE monthly Executive Committee meeting of the Itesiwaju Baptist Association holds today at 6:30pm at Araba Baptist Church, Ilasamaja, Lagos.

It will be presided over by the moderator, Rev. Gbenga Ojo of Araba Baptist Church and consultant, Rev. A.P. Oyeyemi of First Baptist Church, Itire, Lagos.

Issues affecting the association and memberchurches will be discussed.

19 dead, 47 injured in suicide attack

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INETEEN people have been confirmed dead in a suicide attack on a market in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital.

Forty-seven were injured and hospitalised at the Gen. Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital.

One of the deceased was identified as a female vigilance group member, who was screening the people entering the market. She was said to have died when the bomb went off.

The Medical Director of Gen. Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital, Dr. Garba Fika, told our correspondent that 19 people were confirmed dead and 47 injured.

From Duku Joel, Damaturu

He said two of the injured were undergoing surgery, while another two were referred to the Federal Medical Centre, Nguru for advanced medical care.

Police spokesman Toyin Gbadegesin said the explosive was triggered by a teenage girl.

The attack, according to an eyewitness, was orchestrated by a female suicide bomber, who detonated the explosive on her body.

The attack occurred about 9:30am at the popular Sunday Market.

Mohammed Ali, a vigilance group member in

Damaturu, said the female bomber pretended to be queuing behind a truck pusher, who was being checked into the market and in the process, detonated the explosive, which killed the female vigilance group member, who was screening the people entering the market.

He dismissed a report that the bomber was a mentallyill woman.

Red Cross and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) officials corroborated the casualty figure.

The Northeast Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Mohammed Kanar, told our reporter in Damaturu that a com-

bined team of Red Cross officials, NEMA and State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) had evacuated bodies and taken the injured to the Gen. Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital.

An officer with the Explosive Ordinance Department (EOD) said five un-detonated explosives were recovered from the bag of the suicide bomber.

Governor Ibrahim Gaidam condemned the attack, describing it as callous, barbaric and unjustifiable.

In a statement by his Director of Press, Abdullahi Bego, the governor said free medical care would be given to the injured.

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From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

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LECTRICITY consumers in Kano city are to enjoy uninterrupted power supply, fair billing and customer intimacy soon, the management of Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) has said.

The Communications Coordinator, Mohammed Kandi, said in a statement in Kano yesterday that the assurance was made at a Customer Consultative Forum organised by KEDCO as part of its determination to review electricity tariff.

KEDCO, as the other 11 DISCOs, said it would soon introduce a new tariff, which will be cost reflective and fair to all electricity consumers in Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states.

Urging its customers to accept the tariff proposal, the company said it would cover losses.

The statement said: “Under the new privatisation arrangement, DISCOs will pay for the cost of energy delivered to their network by the generation companies, the cost of delivering the energy through the transmission lines (the national grid) and their operational costs with funds collected via tariffs from customers.”

Ex-Governor Audu gets support From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

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•From left: Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), Mr John kennedy Opara; Director General, National Transformation Institute, Prof. Vincent Anigbogu and Speaker House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, praying at the inauguration of the Maiden Youth Pilgrimage to Israel in Abuja...at the weekend.

PHOTO: NAN

Plateau explosion: Three more dead

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HE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has confirmed that 112 injured persons are on admission in four hospitals, following Saturday’s explosion in Plateau State.

The explosion was caused by a chlorine cylinder used for water treatment at Lamingo plant by the Plateau Water Board.

The NEMA Northcentral Coordinator, Abdulsalami Mohammed, said three more persons had died, in addition to the initial five killed by the explosion, which razed many houses.

He named the hospitals as Jos University Teaching Hospital, Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Plateau Specialist and OLA Hospitals, all in Jos.

•112 hospitalised •Buhari orders probe From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

Mohammed said: “The situation has normalised, but the area has been cordoned off to prevent danger.”

He described the incident as “very unfortunate”, saying the community around the water treatment plant would be relocated.

His words: “The community around the plant will be relocated. In fact, we have just been told that the people of the community were initially relocated and compensated, but they returned later.

“This time, once they are relocated, we will make sure that no one is allowed to return.”

Plateau State Governor Si-

mon Lalong expressed shock at the incident and sympathised with the families of the eight persons killed after they inhaled excess chlorine.

He said the situation had been contained, adding that steps had been taken to ensure that the contamination did not affect the quality of water pumped to the public.

“We have taken steps to clean the main water pipes and ensure that the water supplied through them is safe for consumption,” Lalong said.

He said measures had been taken to address the issue of expired components of the treatment plant, to prevent a recurrence.

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered investi-

gation into the chlorine gas explosion.

In a message of commiseration to the families of the victims and to the government and people of Plateau State, the President said an investigation was necessary to avoid a recurrence.

Buhari, according to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said: “The investigation should unravel the facts as to whether this was just an accident.

“Whatever is the case, we need to get to the bottom of this unfortunate and tragic incident.”

The President prayed that Allah should grant the souls of those who died a peaceful repose and grant a quick recovery to those who were injured.

EFCC begins trial of sacked Taraba acting governor HE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has begun investigation into the alleged looting of Taraba State’s treasury by the sacked Acting Governor, Garba Umar, popularly called UTC. Umar’s name is on a list with 10 former governors standing trial for alleged corruption.

The anti-corruption agency invited him in a letter dated June 6, signed by the Head

KEDCO pledges uninterrupted power supply

From Fanen Ihyongo, Jalingo

of Economic Governance, Olufunke Adetayo-Ogumbode.

The letter, entitled: “Investigation Activities –Letter of Invitation”, was received by the Taraba State government on July 17, requesting the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Anthony Jellason, to ask Umar to report to the EFCC for “an interview.”

Jellason was fired by Umar

when he (Jellason) was the commissioner for Agriculture. Jellason’s sack, including that of ex-Governor Danbaba Suntai’s loyalists, by Umar, was believed to be political.

The Nation learnt that the majority of Taraba indigenes demanded the probe of the former acting governor, for allegedly stealing billions of the state’s funds and leaving Taraba in a debt of over N20billion, mostly incurred

from bank overdrafts.

Following the plane crash involving ex-Governor Suntai on October 25, 2012, Umar, his deputy, became the acting governor between November 14, 2012 and November 21 last year when he was sacked by the Supreme Court for “illegally and unconstitutionally occupying the office.”

It was reported that “Umar, during his illegal reign, threw to the dogs, fi-

nancial and administrative instructions with impunity.”

He was also accused of lack of accountability and fiscal recklessness.

Umar is to answer questions on three-count charge, including conspiracy, theft and abuse of office, according to the EFCC. Its letter reads: “The commission (EFCC) is conducting an enquiry into a case of conspiracy, abuse of office and diversion of public funds.”

PRESSURE group in Kogi State, the Confluence Women Mandate (CWM), has attributed the rising crime rate to bad governance.

It said lack of employment among youths rendered most of them tools to be used by the devil.

The women, who spoke when they visited an All Progressives Congress (APC) leader and governorship aspirant, Prince Abubakar Audu, in Abuja, expressed concern at the development.

Addressing Audu on the situation as it affected the state, the group’s Coordinator, Hajia Asabe Nuhu, said steps must be taken to halt the slide, to avoid further deterioration.

Wada woos youths From James Azania, Lokoja

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HE Kogi State government has said its policies were geared towards empowering youths to become self-reliant, despite the economic realities.

Governor Idris Wada, who spoke through the Senior Special Assistant on Special Projects, Alfa Ibn Mustapha, on the premises of the Nigeria-Korea Partnership Institute of Vocational and Advanced Technology, Lokoja, said government would provide the right training for the younger generation.

He said the institute, to be inaugurated tomorrow, would provide vocational training in computer technology, automobile technology, electrical and electronics, among others.

Wada said his administration’s investment in education was to ensure that the state trains manpower that could man the transformation drive of his government.

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

NEWS Nigerian troops kill terrorists on Dikwa-Maiduguri road Continued from page 4

•Chairman, Arik Air Sir Joseph Arumemi Ikhide (second left) presenting a plaque to the Inspector General of Police Mr. Solomon Arase at a reception in honour of the Police chief by the Sabongida Ora community in Edo State...at the weekend. With them are Sir Arumemi Ikhide’s wife Mary (left) and Arase’s wife (right).

Buhari meets APC lawmakers ahead of resumption Continued from page 4

laid to rest at today’s meeting believed to stave off a stormy resumption.

The lower legislative chamber has been battling with a leadership crisis since its constitution on June 9 following the refusal of members to honour the position of the APC leadership on how to share

principal offices.

On June 23, an attempt by the House to reconvene was disrupted by an attempt by Speaker Dogara to fill the remaining four principal officers with names not recommended by the APC leadership.

Speaker Dogara had formally written a letter to APC

National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, explaining why he cannot abide with the ruling party’s advice.

Shehu, confirmed the meeting to State House correspondents yesterday.

Shehu said: “President Muhammadu Buhari will be meeting with the APC members of the House of Repre-

sentatives at the new Banquet Hall of the State House on Monday at 5pm.”

The Presidential spokesman said he had no clue as to what the President will discuss with the lawmakers, pointing out that those invited would be in the best position to state why they have been invited.

£5m Alamieyeseigha looted fund given to Bayelsa govt Continued from page 4

“He was tried, jailed and dispossessed of his property.

He has been remorseful and there is no law against the granting of pardons to any criminal,” Okupe had said.

Alamieyeseigha was arrested at Heathrow Airport in September 2005 by the Metropolitan Police and initially remanded but later granted bail.

In breach of his bail requirements, he left the UK and returned to Nigeria in 2005. He entered a plea bargain in a Federal High Court after being convicted on six counts of making false declaration of assets.

Part of the money recov-

ered, according to the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative of the World Bank, consisted of $1.5 million in cash, seized at the time of arrest and $2.7 million held in bank accounts (Royal Bank of Scotland PLC, Santolina Investment Corporation account in excess of GBP 1.8 million) and London real estate worth $15 million (four properties registered under Solomon & Peters Ltd. as sole proprietor).

In May 2006, a London court ordered the confiscation of the seized cash pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act, after Mr. Alamieyeseigha skipped bail and returned to Nigeria; bank accounts and London real estate were confiscated

pursuant to a December 2007 United Kingdom High Court summary judgment; and a July 2008 judgment left to confiscation of remaining assets in the United Kingdom, Denmark and Cyprus.

Pursuant to his July 2007 plea in Nigerian High Court, he was sentenced to a twoyear prison term and his assets in Nigeria were ordered seized.

Commenting on the alleged refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to ride in a Rolls Royce from the Heathrow Airport when visiting Britain as a president- elect in May 2015, Tafida said it was untrue that Buhari declined the offer.

The envoy said: “The story

is not true. It didn’t happen.

I went to the airport to receive him right from the plane. I took him to where he stayed and we left back to Nigeria together.

He rode from the airport with me in my official car, which is a bullet proof Mercedes Benz (marked FGN1).

To God who made me, Buhari did not refuse anything we gave him. That was what I gave him for the six days he spent. Even, when he took over, I called him, I spoke to him. Buhari is my brother.”

The retiring High Commissioner confirmed that the High Commision indeed has a Rolls Royce, “but we didn’t send rolls Royce to pick Buhari”.

SANs: Try Senate rules forgery suspects Continued from page 4

the first thing is that he should be suspended as clerk of the NASS and then should be prosecuted for forgery.

“It has always been my view from the very first day (June 9, 2015) that Saraki fraudulently got himself into Senate presidency, that it would not have been possible without him compromising the clerk of the NASS. “It was the clerk himself who convoked the little crowd of PDP senators that were there and APC senators that were there.

“In other words, he was the one who got the proceedings started when over 60 of the APC senators were away somewhere else. I am, therefore, not surprised that he was involved in altering the rules of the Senate illegally.”

Ali urged law enforcement agencies to do their work.

“If a crime has been committed by anybody, the rule of law should take its course,” he said, adding that the police know the appropriate organ to report to if there is need to prosecute the suspects.

Former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja branch, Monday Ubani also maintained that all those found culpable in the alleged forgery

should be prosecuted.

Ubani said: “The only thing we expect now is that those involved be arraigned and charged to court. Even if they are senators and are involved in the forgery case, we expect that the appropriate agency should take up that matter and prosecute them and to also ensure that the case is tried speedily and concluded because it is very important to us.”

Ubani cited China where he said the rule of law will be allowed to take its full course in such a matter to buttress his view for the prosecution of those found culpable.

“China is not a godly nation.

They don’t go to church on Sunday. But do you know why China is working today? It is because they allow their laws to work. The rule of law is supreme in China”, he noted, emphasising, “as long as we don’t allow our laws to work, Nigeria would not grow.”

“The moment we begin to obey our laws and do the right thing with our laws, Nigeria will begin to work. Let whoever is culpable be charged to court and be prosecuted successfully.”

Second Republic lawmaker Dr Junaid Muhammed said if the police report was correct,

Maikasuwa should face the music.

Muhammed, a House of Representatives member in the Second Republic, condemned the clerk for his involvement in the conspiracy against due process in the National Assembly.

“Maikasuwa, as a civil servant should have acted in a manner that will support a vibrant institution like the National Assembly, but he has undermined the process of the second era of government,” Muhammed said.

He advised Maikasuwa to go back to his state if he want to be a politician. “What he did to undermine the democratic process is treachery,” Muhammed said.

However, to a former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Chief Richard Akinjide (SAN), the police lack the power to meddle in the Senate’s internal affairs.

Akinjide is in doubt if any lawmaker can be prosecuted on the basis of the police report.

He said: “It would have been better to first see the police report and rules which governs the Senate. But don’t forget, the National Assembly is sovereign. You cannot mix National Assembly rules with

party rules. They are two different things. I was in parliament for two terms and I know that party rules are different from parliament rules.

“If they break the rules of the National Assembly, they have not committed any offence. Two, this is not a matter for the police. The National Assembly is sovereign, so it is not a matter the police should be investigating.

“It will be absurd in the House of Commons in London or parliament in America for the police to investigate what they did well or didn’t do well. With the greatest respect to the police, I think they are wrong in what they’re doing.”

very successful, with the terrorists are on the run.

The statement reads: “In compliance with the directive of Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Maj.-Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, the Nigerian troops have increased the tempo of their offensive as they killed many terrorists during a recent combat operation along DikwaMaiduguri Road, in Borno State.

“Through a combined operation, involving the ground troops and Air Force, the military mercilessly dealt devastating blows on the terrorists who could not escape during the encounter.

“Some of the items recovered from the terrorists included vehicles heavily laden with Improvised Explosives Devices (IEDs), motorcycles, trucks mounted with anti-aircraft

guns, anti-aircraft gun, general purpose machine, gunbox of anti-aircraft gun ammunition and rifles.”

The Army said that in one of the recent operations, the military attacked terrorists’ logistics base, where an IED was planted with connected wires traced to a kingpin’s residence.

It added: “Due to recent concerted efforts, roads and towns hitherto being held by Boko Haram terrorists and laced with mines, such as Biu-Buni Yadi-Damaturu and Biu-Sabon Gari-Damboa roads, were liberated and cleared of mines and made safe for public usage.

While renaming the counterinsurgency operation as “Operation Zaman Lafiya Dole”, the COAS urged the troops not to wait for Boko Haram to attack but to take the battle to the insurgents.

Chibok girls: Presidency, Boko Haram begin preliminary talks Continued from page 4

of the sect.

“The position of the President is that why he is not averse to a peace deal, the Federal Government must avoid the costly mistakes of the past which led to a waste of time and huge resources.

“The President wants the release of the Chibok girls and quick restoration of peace to the Northeast; he is ready to negotiate with the right people for sustainable results.”

But there are strong indications that the leader of the sect, Imam Abubakar Shekau, is yet to be involved in the new deal.

“I think we are still at the preliminary stage. At the right time, there is a way the negotiation offer will be forwarded to their leader.

“But the fact that some Boko Haram commanders, whom US placed ransom upon, might be part of the negotiation shows that the crisis can be resolved, if all hands are on deck, “ another source added.

The defunct Joint Task Force(JTF) in the Northeast on November 23, 2012 placed ransom on 19 leaders of Boko Haram.

The list had comprised five members of the Shurra Committee (the highest making body of the sect) and 14 Boko Haram commanders.

But one of the Shurra Committee members, Mohammed Zangina (a.k.a Mallam Abdullahi/Alh. Musa) was allegedly killed in a shoot-out with the Joint Task Force(JTF) in Maiduguri.

With Zangina out, those still wanted are four members of the Shurra Committee of the sect, Imam Abubakar Shekau (N50million); Habibu Yusuf (a.k.a Asalafi) N25million; Khalid Albarnawai

(N25million); and Momodu Bama (N25 million).

The fate of Momodu Bama was also unknown as at press time, following conflicting reports on whether he is alive or dead.

The Boko Haram Commanders being sought for by the JTF are Abu Saad (N10million); Abba Kaka (N10million); Abdulmalik Bama (N10million) Umar Fulata(N10million); Alhaji Mustapha (Massa) Ibrahim (N10million); Abubakar Suleiman-Habu (a.k.a Khalid) N10million; Hassan Jazair N10million; Ali Jalingo (N10million); Alhaji Musa Modu (N10million); Bashir Aketa (N10million); Abba Goroma (N10million); Ibrahim Bashir (N10million); Abubakar Zakariya (N10million); and Tukur Ahmed Mohammed (N10million).

Buhari’s “peace agenda” has motivated 500 Boko Haram members in a neighboring country to signify interest in renouncing terrorism.

A third source said: “These 500 insurgents said they were specifically encouraged by the rapprochement of the President.

“They have offered to surrender in return for integration by the administration of the President.”

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said: “If the President gets the right partners in doing a deal, he will consider a peaceful resolution. He has said that unambiguously in the course of the visit to the U.S. If that doesn’t work out, the President has the will and willingness to crush terror using the army.”

N300b CBN workers’ pay bailout ready

Continued from page 4

tails of its indebtedness to the banks, the amount owed to contractors, arrears of workers’ salaries as well as outstanding pensions.

Presidency sources said Buhari’s recourse to the measures was intended to ease the pains workers have been undergoing.

Many attribute the sudden dip in states’ finances to the crash in global oil prices that have cut Nigeria’s revenue by over 50 per cent, but some

governors have blamed it all on the Federal Government, which they alleged owed them backlog of billions they claimed to have spent on maintaining federal facilities in their domains.

They argue that had the Federal Government lived up to its responsibilities and relieved them of that burden, they would have had no course to seek for any palliative from it.

As the states await the disbursement of the CBN pack-

age, opinions are divided over the rationale behind the President’s directive.

Workers and many economic experts have hailed the President for his intervention, which they say is not discriminatory, adding that it will bring life to the economy. Others, including some members of the National Assembly, have approached the court to determine if Buhari has the powers to grant relief to states without recourse to authorisation from the legislature.

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

CITYBEATS Ladipo traders sue Mushin council

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OME traders at Ladipo Auto Spare Parts Market have urged the Lagos State High Court to restrain Mushin Local Government from demolishing their shops or ejecting them.

In a motion ex-parte, they are praying for an order of interim injunction restraining the council from “unlawfully” carrying out any demolition in the market or ejecting them from their business premises at Ladipo Main Market, Mushin, pending the hearing of the motion on notice.

They are also praying for an order maintaining the status quo and suspending actions relating to their ejection from the market, or its closure, pending the determination of their suit.

The traders are Nnamdi Chukwuka, Franco Offai, Vitus Okoyeagu, Felix Okafor, Peter Benson, Richard Olisakwe, Godwin Onyeka, Emeka Ikeh, Romanus Ezimora and Darlington Ugochukwu.

The applicants/claimants through their lawyer Mr Richard Nwankwo, is also seeking the court’s leave to argue their motion ex-parte for interim injunction and motion on notice for interlocutory injunction during the long vacation.

The traders claimed that on June 29, without any prior notification, the council’s agents brought a letter addressed to the

By Joseph Jibueze

Chairman, Ladipo International Auto Spare Parts Market Association, ordering the market’s closure.

According to them, the agents allegedly demolished parts of the market, damaged their shops, good and property with the help of miscreants, hoodlums and “rented policemen” some of whom were armed.

They said despite the intervention of the Commissioner of Police who met with the parties on July 21 and the pending suit, the respondents continued to threaten and harass them with ejection and demolition.

In a supporting affidavit, Chukwuka said the traders have current and subsisting rents at the market, adding that they pay their rents as when due.

Despite their tenancies, he claimed that the council through its Executive Secretary, Jide Bello, has been threatening to demolish their shops under the guise of redeveloping the market.

He said a letter from the council ordered the market’s immediate closure, despite the plaintiffs being legitimate tenants.

“The respondent also deployed some earth moving/heavy equipment, breaking down shops, removing roofs, not minding that it was drizzling…The hoodlums went on looting spree, carting

away some expensive motor parts, cash and other valuable.

“The downpour also damaged several vehicle parts like brain boxes, which are sensitive to water,” the deponent said.

According to him, if the council is not restrained, it may result in “more vicious violation and infractions of our rights and forcible ejection without recourse to the court.”

The council has given a final notice and reminder about its redevelopment of 60 per cent of Ladipo Main Market which it claims it owns.

The notice, signed by Project Consultant Abbas Adenekan and Developer Onyekachi Chris, directed the traders to evacuate all their good and belongings before Friday.

It added that there would be full scale demolition of the structures on the 60 per cent of the market, and advised traders who need temporary space to contact the project consultant.

“The construction period will not exceed five to six months as scheduled,” the notice added.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

TWOREM holds convention

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HE Way of Reconciliation Evangelistic Ministries (TWOREM Int’l) a.k.a Prophetic & Solution Chapel, Lagos, will on August 3 begin its Holy Spirit Convention 2015 with the theme: “Let There Be Light.” It will end on August 9.

The convener, Rev’d./Prophet Oladipupo Funmilade-Joel a.k.a Baba Sekunderin, who is the President, TWOREM Int’l, said the programmes, which include anointing, would begin on August 3, while thanksgiving would hold on Sunday, August 9.

He said the events would hold at the Sekuderin Int’l Miracle Prayer Mountain, Adegbayi Olode, New Ife Road, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Billed to minister are Prophets Fumilade-Joel and Folorunso Macaulay as well as other speakers.

Seasoned gospel artistes including Evangelists Toyin Ilori (Akoko-Mi-To), Bukola Akinade (Senwele) and Joy Oluwashina Osuba will spice up the events.

•Mushin Local Government Executive Secretary Babajide Bello with some residents and council officials during environmental sanitation at the weekend

Methodist church hails school principal

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MERITUS Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria Dr Sunday Ola Makinde and others have extolled the virtues of Mrs Ruth Awobiyi, outgoing Principal of Methodist Girls High School (MGHS), Lagos.

Mrs Awobiyi, wife of former Editor of Sunday Times Mr Tunde Awobiyi, was MGHS principal for 11 years.

She was the longest serving Nigerian principal of the school.

At a send forth for her by the school at the church diocese in Yaba, Lagos, Dr Makinde and some key officers of the church hailed Mrs Awobiyi for improving the school’s fortune.

“You have fought a good fight in the teaching profession and you have finished the race graciously,successfully, gracefully, credibly, and honourably-Angels do no more,” Makinde said, adding: “ She was appointed in 2004 when I was Archbishop of Lagos. But when other schools returned to us by the forwardlooking Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu have changed their principalship three or four times within 15 years, this is not the case with MGHS.’’ He went on: “Under her, the school witnessed academic excellence, social stability , spiritual growth, development and staff discipline. It was like what we used to have at Wesley College, which I attended and United Missionary College which the principal attended. Two of my granddaughters who attended this school under your principalship made an upstep-and-jump from there to the university’’.

Describing Mrs Awobiyi as a disciplinarian, Makinde

•Dr Makinde (second left) with Archbishop of Lagos Most Rev Sunday Ajayi blessing Mr and Mrs Awobiyi at the ceremony

By Jane Chijioke

who shared the same compound with the school as prelate , said,’’ I cherish your family life, with your husband and children, which your pupils, who will be mothers of tomorrow will emulate’’ Methodist Conference Education Board Chairman Rt. Rev Michael Akinwale described Mrs Awobiyi as an asset to the church, saying: “The good legacy you have planted in Methodist Girls High School will no doubt stand the test of time and it will remain indelible in our memory.’’

Rev Okon Ekerendu, former Education/Health and Medical Secretary in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, said Mrs Awobiyi is leaving an indelible legacy for our generation and generations yet unborn.’’

In her response, Mrs Awobiyi said: “I am just a pencil in the hand of the Lord

who is the author of all that may be ascribed to me either as achievements or attributes.

But I will not forget the cardinal role of my families especially my mother, Victoria and husband, Tunde, as well as the Church of God and dedicated staff’’ “When I assumed office 11years ago I never imagined I will end up as the longest serving Nigerian principal out of my 25 predecessors in this great school. “While our European predecessors as principals chalked up as long as 20 to 35 years, only one Nigerian, Mrs Modupe Senbore, defied the usual Nigerian ‘’banana peels’’ and hurdles for 10 years .

“When I came in 11 years ago, I never imagined that I would be able to beat the ‘’banana peels’’ that have made it impossible for any Nigerian principal to be at the helm.

Only Mrs Modupe Senbore was principal for 10 years,

unlike the Europeans who lasted between 20 and 30 years”.

During her tenure, Mrs Awobiyi paid workers 13th month salary, provided 15 flats as staff quarters, uninterrupted water and power supplies.

She also refurbished classrooms, Information Communication Technology (ICT) and science laboratories, and ensured regular staff training.

Under her, the school also had a fleet of vehicles.

Before the ceremony started, Mrs Awobiyi led visitors round some on-going projects, including a multistorey hostel, fresh landscaping of the entrance and premises of the school, among others. She said support never came from the government since it handed over the school 15 years ago, adding that the projects were being executed from about N130 million savings.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

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SPORT EXTRA

Bassey leads home-based stars to Eagles camp

O

N-FORM Enyimba forward Ezekiel Bassey aka Hazard is one of a dozen fresh faces who will lead players from the Nigeria league to a Super Eagles training camp next month.

Some of the other fresh invitees from the domestic league include Bright Ikechukwu (FC IfeanyiUbah), Aneifiok Godspower (Kano Pillars), Nelson Ogbonnaya (Heartland) and Prince Aggrey (Sunshine Stars).

AfricanFootball.com has specially gathered that the training camp is tentatively fixed to begin on August 17 and will serve for both the Super Eagles AFCON qualifier against Tanzania the following month as well as the start for the CHAN qualifier against Burkina Faso in October.

RESULTS Int'l - Club Friendlies Groningen 2 - 1 Roda JC Lienden 0 - 2 De Graafschap Sheffield 2 - 2Newcastle Lyon 0 - 2 Villarreal Newport 0 - 0QPR C. Palace 0 - 2 Sporting CP Aberdeen 1 - 0 Brighton Atalanta 2 - 1 Erminio Hearts 1 - 3 Everton Palermo 2 - 0 Kalloni Arsenal 1 - 0 Wolfsburg Accademia 0 - 18Frosinone Reims 1 - 2 Sevilla Bologna 1 - 0 Sudtirol Hull City 0 - 0 Hannover 96 Besiktas 2 - 2 Nice Winterthur 1 - 4 Stuttgart Arouca 0 - 1 Maritimo

“The Eagles coaches will players in the league who are doing well currently, not with those who have made a name for themselves over the years,” an official informed AfricanFootball.com.

“They have worked closely with coaches in the various league clubs to find out about these players both on and off the pitch.”

Bassey, for one, has dazzled for six-time champions Enyimba in the first round of this season’s league since his switch from hometown club Akwa United.

“He has been our best player this season, he scores and creates goals that fans in Aba have nicknamed him Hazard (after Chelsea and Belgium star),” re-

• Bassey marked Enyimba sporting director Jude Anyadufu.

“His No 1 fan is his mother, who is a principal of a secondary school in Akwa Ibom State, who travels to watch her son play in our home matches.”

Bulgarian coach protests against FC IfeanyiUbah

B

ULGARIAN coach Mitko Dobrev has petitioned against FC IfeanyiUbah to the League Management Company (LMC) over some monies that were not paid to him by the Nigerian premier league club on his dismissal.

AfricanFootball.com has learnt that Dobrev, who has since returned to Bulgaria, has asked the LMC to order IfeanyiUbah to pay him a month’s salary of $5,000 being his severance pay.

His contract also stipulated he be paid a sign-on fee of $10,000, which he was not paid.

His agent, Geoffrey Aghogi, confirmed to AfricanFootball.com Dobrev has petitioned to the LMC, adding that the coach was forced to sign his termination letter even when it was known that he cannot read English.

Dobrev, who has also coached Heartland and Hearts of Oak in Ghana, led the club then known as Gabros to win the Nigeria National League Super 4 in February and the Anambra State Federation Cup in May. He was fired after IfeanyiUbah lost at home to title-chasing Wikki Tourists.

FIRST SENIOR GUNNERS GOAL Ujah hits goal No. 8 for Iwobi happy over feat Bremen RSENAL forward Alex

N

IGERIA international Anthony Ujah has continued his impressive run with German Bundesliga club Werder Bremen with his eighth goal of the pre-season in a 3-1 win over Spanish La Liga side Sevilla.

Ujah, who played the first 45 minutes of the game, scored Bremen's second goal in the 32nd minute.

Ujah joined Werder Bremen from FC Cologne this summer.

In England, compatriot Victor Anichebe was among the goals as West Brom thrashed Swindon Town 4-1 in a preseason game also on Saturday, netting his first goal as the team’s build-up for the new EPL season.

Anichebe scored in the 23rd minute to give ‘The Baggies’ a 2-0 lead.

He scored three goals last season in 21 games for the Midlands club.

Fellow Nigerian Brown Ideye was close to goal twice, first in the 77th minute, when he failed to beat Swindon goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux in a one-on-one situation.

The second was when his long-range effort was spilled by the goalkeeper for Sessegnon to score for the fourth goal.

In a related vein, Leeds United midfielder Thomas "Tom" Adeyemi scored his team's consolation goal as they lost 2-1 to German club Hoffenheim. Adeyemi joined Leeds from Cardiff City.

A

Iwobi is over the moon after scoring a goal in their 6-0 defeat of French side, Lyon in an Emirates Cup game on Saturday.

Iwobi, 19, scored the third for the Gunners after 35 minutes and should have doubled his tally when he put the ball in the back of the net two minutes later, but was ruled offside.

The Nigerian youngster has been impressive in Arsenal’s pre-season run and having capped with an excellent performance in front of his fans at the Emirates Stadium, the 19-year old says he was in shock and couldn’t believe he had scored in front of his home fans.

“When Aaron passed me the ball I couldn't believe it. I just swung my left foot at it and fortunately it went in and I was like 'oh my gosh',” he told the website after the game.

“I couldn't believe it, I was in shock. I didn't know what to do or how to celebrate but I enjoyed it! I have dreamt about it so many times but I never thought it could feel as good

• Iwobi as this.

“My family, my friends, my close friends even my uncle was here today so I was glad to get a goal for them,” he added.

Iwobi has represented England at junior levels but is eligible for the Super Eagles and has declared himself for Nigeria, and even trained with the Nigeria U23 squad earlier in the year.

Aaron Samuel suffers ankle injury

N

IGERIA international Aaron Samuel Olanare has suffered an ankle injury while in action for his Chinese Super League team Guangzhou R&F on Saturday.

The extent of the injury is to be determined after a scan this week.

The former Sarpsborg 08 of Norway forward suffered the

injury when he attempted to turn with a ball in the early minutes of the game which his team lost 1-0 to Shijiazhaung Ever Bright 1-0.

He was substituted in the seventh minute of the encounter after he could not continue.

The big striker has scored seven goals for his team this season.

TODAY IN THE NATION

MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL 10 NO 3288

‘It is no longer a matter of promises or the trading of blames as people are yearning for a quick end to the insurgency. Our people have died enough. Any legitimate action to end the conflict will be generally acceptable to all’ EMEKA OMEIHE

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

T

HOSE who hate history and have discouraged our schools from making it a compulsory course of study in our secondary schools should follow the interplay between Sambo Dasuki and Buhari’s men.

For many, it has gone beyond whether the DSS had warrants, or whether the former NSA had 12 vehicles and five armoured cars, or whether Dasuki had a right to wrap soldiers around his home, or whether his driver spirited away five million dollars, or whether he was guilty of treasonable felony, or whether he clucked peevishly at Chatham under Jonathan.

For many it is a story not of 2015, but of 1985. According to the story, Sambo Dasuki, then a dashing and ambitious army officer, led a group of soldiers to pick up then military leader Muhammadu Buhari. It was IBB’s coup.

Sambo was IBB’s boy. The mission was to stop Buhari from firing IBB and a few other soldiers whose conducts were out of sync with the perceived moral gravity of the Buhari junta.

Buhari, then as now, was a fatalist, and knew of the plot but reportedly did nothing about it. When Dasuki burst into Buhari’s presence and told him his reign was over, the tall, gaunt and defiant leader still demanded Dasuki and his men to give him the military salute as he was still their superior officer. They obliged before arresting their quarry.

Buhari spent a long time in captivity. When he walked into a free air, he waltzed back into politics. He dueled IBB over June 12. Later, his body language and speech cadences reflected an unfinished match with the man who truncated him, and he ran for president several times. Some said he had to triumph over IBB, and the marker of that triumph was to take back what IBB took from him. His honour lay in returning to the throne.

In the course of this epic duel, Dasuki materialised, sword in hand. He broke the first lance in Chatham House, and according to newspaper reports, he subsequently urged all means necessary to stop Buhari and his whirl-

SAM OMATSEYE

IN TOUCH

intouchnation@gmail.com 08054501081(sms only) Twitter: @samomatseye

•Winner, Informed Commentary (DAME)

The Family Dasuki

•Col. Dasuki

wind of electoral change.

Dasuki’s failure is common knowledge.

So when DSS attacked, the temptation was to reconstruct the standoff as comeuppance.

Buhari sought his pound of flesh, it is alleged.

Whatever the truth of this matter lies in the speculative realm. And all we urge is the adherence to the rule of law. Dasuki is not above

the law, and if he has questions to answer, his historic war with Buhari should take a backseat to the preeminence of the law of the land.

What fascinates me further though is the irony of the Dasuki family. They are royalty, and the first hint was when his father mounted the throne as sultan. Some in the royal porch thought he had no right to the preeminent seat of the caliphate. In not many words, they called him an impostor. But he soldiered on as the first feather of the royal cock. Questions about his legitimacy haunted him, until the Khalifa, the goggled tyrant, swept him aside. Earlier in his career, Sambo had left his precious perch as a senior officer and ADC to IBB as well documented in Debo Bashorun’s book, Honour For Sale. Things did not seem to work. It was a duel between two eminently undemocratic forces seeking the public to adjudicate on who was legitimate. It is as though it was anticipated in Soyinka’s dark and cynical play, Kongi’s Harvest, where the king and the dictator provide the Hobson’s choice.

Neither Abacha who ousted him nor the Dasuki family had any legitimacy on the streets, just as Kongi and the oba, and the result was a yam harvest that nourished no one in society.

It took several years and Boko Haram for a revival of the Dasuki name. GEJ appointed him NSA, and the justification lay in his royal roots. He, a prince, was asked to work the paupers, Boko Haram, to a berth of peace in the Northeast. This column warned that Boko Haram had contempt for princes, and a Dasuki provided an antithesis of the militant’s dreams. It was GEJ’s capital misreading of the conflict of philosophy and social hierarchy of the northern cauldron and conundrum.

His stewardship stumbled and fell, and Boko Haram became another manifestation of the royal family’s failure. Just like Mark Twain’s famous novel, the prince could not abide the pauper and vice versa.

It was partly because of the prince’s failure that voters swept GEJ out of power and Dasuki floated along in the epic gale.

The DSS standoff is the latest of the Dasuki epic, and something tells me we have not heard the last of it. It is stories like that of Dasuki that provide resources for imaginative novelists to tell tomes of stories of big families, slaughtered ambitions, hubris, intrigues, capitalist acquisitiveness and how such theatrics reflect and prey on the rest of the society over generations.

Such books include Dostoyevsky’s Brothers Karamazov, John Updike’s Rabbit trilogy, Thomas Mann’s Buddenbrooks etc.

Since the Dasuki family tasted the throne, it has lost its innocence. It is like Anton Chekhov’s famous short story called The kiss, when a man lost all concentration for a long time after an unknown lady kissed him in a dark room.

He could not replicate the experience and spent the rest of life in despair of that magical moment.

TEARS FOR WIKE

J

UST like his Ekiti counterpart, Governor Nyesom Wike is one of the few people in Nigerian politics who should not be burdened with high office. His handling of the task of education minister was such a scandal that it was obvious that GEJ – no superior himself – had thrust an illiterate in charge of churning out persons of letters. He might have gone to school and evinced a measure of articulation. But his is education without culture. That was why Leo Tolstoy launched a campaign “to educate the educated.”

His latest iniquity was a parody of Jesus when he promised to come back like a thief in the night.

Wike decided to do his own in broad daylight. He paid two shameless visits to the Chief Justice of the Federation, Mahmoud Muhammed. The CJN understood the integrity of his office and the compromise that the governor’s call implied for the

promise of justice in the land. He promptly made it public.

Wike quickly clutched at straws to defend himself. He said he wanted to discuss the state of Rivers State renewal of the acting chief judge position. He said he was not there to influence the man over the ongoing case between him and Peterside Dakuku on the governor poll.

As they say in my village, “talk another thing.”

Does he know he is governor? Does he know that a governor should understand what is called conflict of interest? If, as he claims in his release, that he belongs to the body of benchers, who taught him law and how roguish were his teachers? Did he not know what due process was? Why did he have to visit twice and fail before he knew what he should have done in the first place? That is, write a letter. If he did not understand it, the CJN knows.

RIPPLES

ONAIYEKAN ADVISES BUHARI TO TREAD SOFTLY ON ANTI-CORRUPTION PROBE –News

Please leave the PRESIDENT alone.

Let him do his work...CHANGE has come

F

OR fuel marketers in Nigeria, the current interlude in government, or if you will, break in transmission should last forever. They are in a boom time! They are making a killing; or more directly, they are killing Nigerians so very gleefully and they are waltzing to the bank to boot.

Since the last days of the Jonathan administration when the almighty oil marketers executed a heist under the guise of unpaid subsidy, the market has not been the same. The subsidy logic, which was born with a bad case of ‘K’ leg, now has a bad limp. But the more warped this subsidy logic is, the better for this gang of marketers and their collaborators at the oil and finance ministries. Hardball admits that the subsidy logic is a befuddlingly complicated one. Despite the fact that he has written about this matter for more than 20 years, long before the phrase, ‘oil subsidy’ was coined; when such banalities as ‘appropriate pricing’ and ‘market forces’ were in vogue, yet this ‘logic’ beats him silly.

Let us try making sense of this current bazaar and the limping oil subsidy logic of

He knows that corruption charges have hung over the judiciary in matters of election adjudication. If Wike (clumsily spelt Wilke in his own advertorial) did not know that, then he should not be in that position. Due process, especially in matters of justice, is sacrosanct. Tears for Wike!

He stated that he visited the CJN as “a member of the Body of Benchers.” So was it not Wike the governor who visited but Wike the member of body of benchers. The letter he eventually wrote, was it written as a member of the Body of Benchers or as governor? On what authority does a member of the Body of Benchers go to the CJN to resolve issues about the chief judge of Rivers State? He can’t answer these questions without exposing his mediocrity and lack of goodwill for the law.

In any decent society, Wike would quit his perch as governor. But the man who acted as a boor as

•Wike minister and irritant now as governor does not know better than harass and threaten journalists in advertorials over his own wrongdoing.

is not the opinion of the columnist featured above HARDBALL •Hardball Fuel marketers’ bazaar Nigeria’s oil cabal. A few days before the handover of government from Goodluck Jonathan to Muhammadu Buhari, the marketers staged a ‘coup’. It was the season of change so everything was fair in the name of change. “We are being owed hundreds of billions,” our oil marketers screamed. We cannot import, we cannot pay bank interests, etc. They soon induced scarcity and hiked pump price to as much as N250 per litre for about two weeks.

As soon as PMB took over, they allegedly had a meeting with government and they reverted to N87 per litre. But that was to last for about two or three days.

When they found out that PMB was not going to call their subsidy bluff immediately, they decided to resort to ‘stealing by trickery.’

For instance, for nearly two months, marketers pretend to be selling petrol at the ‘subsidy’ pump price of N87.00 per litre, but that is a ruse, 99.9 per cent of them are selling at between N100 and N120 per litre. Meanwhile, the marketers’

co-conspirators, the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), tells us that the PMB administration has incurred N56.784 billion debt on petrol subsidy alone in the first 30 days of this administration. This is just petrol; what about kerosene?

Oil marketers and PPPRA are telling us that even as they sell petrol at the pump price of (average) N100 per litre, they are still subsidising it to the tune of N47.32 per litre. They also insist that we consume 40 million litres of petrol per day without fail! What this means is that the accurate pump price of petrol shone of ‘subsidy’ is roughly N150 per litre!

More ‘K’ legged logic: PPPRA (this sounds like loud farting!) used to tell us that ‘subsidy’ and pump price were increasing because the price of crude oil was rising at above $100 per barrel. Today, the price of crude oil has fallen to about $50 per barrel, yet pump price and ‘subsidy’ continue to rise. Well, call it maddening logic and you are in order.

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