July 09, 2015

Newspaper of the Year

Collapsed building: Synagogue indicted NEWS Page 56

•South Africa hails coroner’s report

•Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

VOL. 10, NO. 3270 THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

37 teachers killed in Zaria blast, says NUT •19,000 displaced by insurgency

NEWS

Page 4

•www.thenationonlineng.net

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

N150.00

•INSIDE: COURT REMANDS EX-GOVERNORS OHAKIM, NYAKO IN EFCC CUSTODY P5

•Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode (middle) with a group of local, international investors and banks during a meeting at the Lagos House, Ikeja…yesterday.

STORY ON PAGE 12 PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES

House crisis: Gbajabiamila rejects Dogara’s peace deal APC loyalists kick as Speaker’s men shut out Southwest, Northeast

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HE House of Representatives leadership crisis seems to be getting worse, with the two camps digging their trenches deeper.

Speaker Yakubu Dogara’s group says it has conceded Majority Leader to the Femi Gbajabiamila group, following the intervention of the committee headed by former

principal officers of the House The Dogara group is now playing the ‘The must be in tandem with principle ‘zoning card after same group of equity and Federal Character as had...rejected the zoning formula of prescribed by the constitution ’ the party prior to the mock election’ From Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja

Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, who is now Sokoto governor.

But the group yesterday

said the position must not go to Southwest and Northeast.

The House has supportted

the position of Dogara’s group, stating that the stability of the country should be uppermost in the minds of the

aggrieved parties.

Deputy Chairman, ad hoc Committee on Media and Publicity, Abdulrazak Namdas,

said to exclude any geo-political zone from the principal officers meant the country was heading to sectionalism, which the APC is trying to eliminate.

The Gbajabiamila group, under the name “APC Loyalist Group, House of Representatives”, said the proposition is “ unacceptable”.

Continued on page 4

Govt to take care of Chibokgirls’ parents •Buhari faults Jonathan’s handling of abduction From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

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RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari yesterday maintained that the handling of the Chibok girls issue by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration was not impressive.

He spoke when he received the #Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) camapigners at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where they made numerous demands of the government.

Buhari also said it was a matter of right for the government to take care of the escaped girls and parents of the over 200 secondary WILL THE school girls abducted from

?

CHIBOK GIRLS EVER RETURN?

•President Buhari speaking to members of the Bring Back Our Girls campaigners in Abuja …yesterday.

PHOTO: AFP

Continued on page 4

•WHY I FLED, BY MULTIPLE TWINS’ DAD P5 P577 MAN HELD WITH $2M CASH IN LAGOS P61

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

2

NEWS

Wanted! A cleaner for civil service •From left: Director, Marketing, West Africa, VISA, Kehinde Adekeye; Business Development Manager, Oluwatoyin Badeji; Head, Cards, Stanbic IBTC, Ademola Adeniran; Deputy Manager, National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), Onyemenam Ike Daniel and Assistant Manager, NLRC, Menye Henrietta at the Stanbic IBTC/VISA Gold Credit Card promo draws at Stanbic IBTC Lagos headquarters...yesterday.

The monumental rot pervading the federal civil service is a threat to the anti-corruption stance of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. This has forced six deputy directors to sue the Federal Civil Service Commision (FCSC) to court. Deputy Editor YOMI ODUNUGA and DELE ANOFI examine the consequences of the decadence.

A

•Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mounir Gwarzo (second left); Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ghana, Adu Antwi (left); Secretary-General, Ghana’s SEC, Mory Soumahoro (second right) and a Commissioner in SEC, Zakawanu Garuba at the inaugural meeting of West Africa Securities Regulators Association in Abuja...yesterday.

PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

•From left: Assistant Brand Manager, Harpic, Longe Ebunoluwa; Marketing Director, Reckitt Benckiser, West Africa, Oguzhan Silivrili; Harpic Brand Ambassador, Helen Paul and Marketing Manager, Reckitt Benckiser, West Africa, Bamigbaiye-Elatuyi Omotola at the unveiling of the new Harpic TV/Brand Ambassador in Lagos...yesterday.

•MTN Foundation (MTNF) Director, Mr. Dennis Okoro (second left) and Executive Secretary, Ms. Nonny Ugboma at the Eighth graduation of the MTNF-MUSON Music Scholar Programme at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos... yesterday.

With them are from left: MTNF awardees, Ms. Olusola Olufa; Mr. Oladimeji Adelaja Mr. Olusegun Alphonso.

PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN

GROUP of senior civil servants is seeking the immediate intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari to save the federal civil service from collapse.

The concerned workers, who are in the deputy director’s cadre, allege that the rules guiding the service on matters of career progression have been deliberately manipulated and consequently jettisoned by successive chief executives of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF).

According to them, Mr. President will require a strong political will to rescue the service from further decay.

The rot, they said, is deeper than what ordinary Nigerians can comprehend.

Lacing their claims with evidence of total disregard for rules regarding appointment and promotion of officers, they blamed the unimpressive input of the civil service to national development as the direct consequence of the rot in the system.

It was gathered that contrary to the Statute Book, the result of the 2014 promotion examination for the directorate level was released for deputy directors without their scores attached.

The affected officers said it was the first time such development would occur. Though the scores were not released, out of the 138 that took the examination, only 23 names were listed as promoted officers.

Again, in violation of the extant rules, another batch of 10 names was released following the uproar that followed the release of the first list.

According to the aggrieved officers, corruption was responsible for the piecemeal release of the results, a development they said, never happened in the service since the introduction of promotion examination for civil servants.

A source, who pleaded for anonymity said: “I make bold to say the situation was like that because there was no vacancy. Yes, 60 per cent was the cut off mark and it was believed that more than 98 per cent of them must have scored above that.

“But the question is: How can it be ascertained whether they passed or not if the scores were not displayed?”

When it dawned on the authorities that the aggrieved officers would not stop their protests, another batch of 10 names was released.

It was even learnt that another batch of 35 names, included those who never sat for the examination was about to be released but later shelved for fear of throwing the service into chaos.

Meanwhile, the implication for those whose names were not on the two lists was that they failed the examination. Now they were being asked to retake another examination.

The examinations, billed for early this month could not hold because of the situation at hand as many of those scheduled for the examination did not see any reason they should rewrite an examination they have written twice and passed.

The authority is at the cross-roads as there in no precedent to back their action.

Illegal recruitment thrives One of the affected officers said: “If the reason for the list they refused to release was due to lack of vacancy, then they should wait till they have vacuum in the system. We should not be made to take it again against the rules.”

He alleged that the reason behind the action of the chairman of the FCSC and the HCSF was basically corruption, saying, “I believe that it was to fix their own candidates into the available vacancies, including those that did not take part in the examination.

There are evidences to prove many of these manipulations and I think it will do the civil service and the future of this country a lot of good to expose these absurdities.”

In a document obtained by The Nation, it was alleged that the FCSC and the OHCSF, have in the last six years brought the civil service to the current state of decadence.

The document reads in part: “In utter violation of extant Public Service rules, in 2013, several unqualified officers were brought into the service from unscheduled private sector organisations, including MTN and placed on the post of a director (administration) and director (accounts) above serving officers.

“Some hundreds of new entrants were recruited in the guise of ‘regularisation’ into the service as directorate cadre officers on Grade level 17 among the hordes of aides of political appointees of President Goodluck Jonathan.”

It was learnt that a commissioner in the FCSC, last year, could no longer live with the deceit perpetrated in the commission, protested verbally and formally the placement of 15 newly recruited officers on directorate level.

Also in another document available to The Nation, there were revelations that the commissioner, from the Northwest was pitted against his counterpart on one hand and commission chair on the other hand.

First, his protest was predicated on the unilateral decision of the chairman to extend the presidential waiver from Ebonyi, Bayelsa and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), that were disadvantaged for not having directors in the federal civil service, to cover Ekiti, Oyo and Ondo states that were not disadvantaged.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

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NEWS

•Chief Obasanjo

•President Buhari

•Oronsaye

Secondly, and more damaging to the civil service was that due process and all known rules were completely jettisoned. Out of the 15 appointments made from the presidential waiver, eight failed to meet the requirements as prescribed in the Scheme of Service, Commission Guidelines on Appointment, Promotion and Discipline, the Public Service Rules (PSR) and Establishment Circular.

Rules abused, relegated The document gave graphic details of the position where the affected officers, who were all appointed as directors in 2013, ought to be based on their years of first appointment into the civil service.

Going by rules guiding career progression in the service, Musa Saaed Talle, who was first appointed in 1989, could not have risen to the position of director until next year.

Mr. Chukwu Demis, whose year of entry read 1990, should become a director in 2019. In the case of Omogo Benard OC, his due promotion date to a directorate position should be 2017 as he joined the service in 1993. Aduda Gabriel has a unique case, being a relation brother to the Senator representing the FCT. He was alleged to have failed a Confirmation/Promotion examination while working with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which led to his forced resignation. Not quite seven months after, he was brought into the service as the Director, Economic Research & Policy Management in the finance ministry. Aduda joined the service in 1996 and he should not rise to become a director before 2023.

Afe Idowu, who entered the civil service same year as Aduda and has also joined the director’s cadre. Similarly, Alo Williams’ year of entry was 1997 and his due promotion date to the director’s cadre should be 2025.

The luckiest, Eseduwo Famonu, was employed with a 1999 Higher Diploma Certificate and a 2000 PGD in Admin/Local Govt. With just 14 years experience, the former Lecturer II at the Federal University, Otuoke is the Director, Recruitment and Appointment, Federal Civil Service Commission.

If the rules are followed, Famonu should become a director in 2028.

Several memoranda by the commissioner, who said the oath he took on his appointment was pricking his conscience, were not treated.

The HOCSF, Danladi Kifasi, though appointed in August 2014 is aware of the development because his OHCSF was copied when litigation began in March 2015.

The role played by the FCSC and the OHCSF in the rot was also pronounced in the abuse of presidential waiver. It was also stated in the docu-

•Jonathan

•Kifasi

ment that, “the presidential waiver was wantonly utilised by the FCSC and the OHCSF as a license for wholesale arbitrariness.

“While former President Goodluck Jonathan approved waiver of five directors for two Southsouth states and two directors for the FCT because they were disadvantaged, the FCSC chairman, on her own, added two more states, just to be able to bring in her cronies.

“Even at that, due process was not followed as internal advertisement was not carried out, which would have enabled qualified deputy directors to apply. In the last six years, the two bodies have used corrupt means to fast-track career advancement of their cronies, using all manner of means including ‘regularisation’, ‘proper placement’, ‘advancement’, ‘conversion’, and ‘upgrading’ to place their favoured candidates on abnormal levels in violation of all known rules.

“For instance, one Joseph Erim was allegedly moved from Grade level 09 to Grade level 16 before being moved to Grade level 17 three months after.

Promotion in the service today has become a case of just anybody with the right connection or a big purse.

“They can be promoted or transferred to the post of director arbitrarily. Currently, there is a director in the National Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) that has never worked as a civil servant before. These are facts that can be verified by intelligence agencies. So, what value do we expect officers like these to add to the system?”

The rot in the service has also been traced to the unprofessional handling of the appointment of the Heads of Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF) in recent times.

The incumbent HCSF and four of his predecessors were either not core civil servants or recruited without due process, it was revealed. Against the extant rules that only administrative officer can become the Head of Service, Kifasi is a chartered accountant.

None of the last four HCSF was re-

cruited at entry point of Grade level 08.

One of the aggrieved officers said: “Even as we speak, a market woman is a director in one of our ministries.

Her past experience was the ownership and the management of a shop in one of the choice malls in Abuja. A radiographer is a permanent secretary in the OHCSF. “To drive home the point on how deep the rot in the federal civil service has gone, adherence to entry point rules was jettisoned long time ago.

Entry points in the civil service are Grade level 08 to 12, but not beyond 12.

“Today, officers are being recruited even at directorate level. As a matter of fact, Stephen Oronsaye was never a civil servant, he was recruited into the service as a director and he even became the HCSF. “This could be one of the reasons why a 2004 presidential directive similar to our case was conveniently ignored. The directive, dated September 7, 2004, and signed by Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, Special Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, stated that having taken the promotion examination, a candidate should not be made to take a fresh examination on the basis of lack of vacancy.

“President Obasanjo intervened because the matter was also a subject of litigation. Obasanjo’s intervention saved the situation and the needful was done. But, in this case, there was no such intervention and that is why I think they are going ahead with the court option. It is beyond comprehension, the effrontery with which the presidential directive was disregarded by the current authorities in the FCSC and the OHCSF. “The 2004 directive by President Obasanjo set a precedence on which these new victims based their agitation. But the former administration of President Jonathan would have none of it. Maybe that is why Kifasi has not shown concern about this injustice because he is a beneficiary of the rot in the system. “ The directive from the Office of the special adviser to the President on Policy and Programmes Monitoring Unit, dated September 7, 2004 with reference number PRES/PPMU/ HOS/09/07 was addressed to the Head of Service.

It reads: “Re: Year 2004 Promotion Exercise for Officers on Salary Grade Level 14-16 in the Federal Civil Service “Further to our brief discussion this morning and Mr President’s directive, I write to inform you that His Excellency’s attention has been drawn to the circular from the Federal Civil Service Commssion Ref. No. FC6296/ VOL.XV/3 dated 8th July, 2004 on the above subject.

“You will recall that as a result of the controversy generated because of failure to promote officers in hype administrative cadre on salary Grade Level 14, 15 and 16, who fulfilled promotion conditions including success at prescribed examination in year 2002, you, in circular Ref. HCSF/ PSO/AOD/102/S.3/C.1/1 of 10th December, 2002 exempted this category of officers from participating in a fresh examination for that which had been scheduled for the 16th-17th December, 2003.

“As you are aware, the problem has

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With the fact that the civil service is central to the success or otherwise of a government, it will do this government a lot of good to address this situation.

This is because the corruption which this government intends to fight is deeply rooted in the civil service.

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become intractable, more so in view of the fact that it is now a subject of litigation at the National Industrial Court.

In order to resolve this, His Excellency has directed that you immediately step into the matter to prevent it from deteriorating and find a lasting solution.

“One way would be to ensure that the backlog of officers who passed their examination in the year 2002 exercise should be cleared by utilising available vacancies before any consideration is given to cases of transfers, upgrading, etc. in effect, this category of officers should be exempted from the proposed exercise.

“It is essential that you get in touch as soon as possible with the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission to ensure compliance”.

Prof. Ihonvbere signed the memo in his capacity as special adviser on Policy and Programmme Monitoring to the then President Obasanjo.

According to the source, in the case of the latest victims, the directive was conveniently ignored for reference purposes.

Industrial Court to the rescue It was gathered that the injustice forced six deputy directors, who had earlier written the examination to articulate their grievances and headed for the National Industrial Court, on March 26, 2015 to seek redress. They took the action for themselves and on behalf of others in the administration cadre.

The six are John Magbadelo, Mrs Ada Ihechukwu Madubuike, Mrs Ganiat Ayodele, Olusegun Oginni, Mrs Janet Ayorinde and Otajele Musa.

Giving an insight into expectations of the victims, the source said: “As for these six officers, I think their minds are made up because with my interaction with some of them, they are ready to face whatever punishment or reward that might follow their action.

“One of them told me that witchhunt, intimidation or outright dismissal from service would be of no consequence to them because the fight was not about them as individuals but for the sake of the entire civil service and its survival.

“He said they do not have to be direct beneficiaries of this fight if they succeed because successive heads at the FCSC and the OHCSF would be well aware of the consequences of jettisoning the rule books. Nigerians should be wondering by now why execution and results of most government policies ended up, adding no value to the lives of Nigerians. When a market woman was made a director, accepted she is a graduate, but where is the cognate experience to give professional direction to memos on her table or give required coordination to teams saddled with the responsibility of executing a technical assignment.

“It is simply impossible. Imagine the case of the director in charge of recruitment and appointments at the FCSC. What do you expect from such an officer if not decisions based on nepotism, tribalism and incompetence, because that’s what brought him to that office.

“With the fact that the civil service is central to the success or otherwise of a government, it will do this government a lot of good to address this situation.

This is because the corruption which this government intends to fight is deeply rooted in the civil service.

“The earlier President Buhari started to look in the direction of the Federal Civil Service, the better for his determination to fight corruption”.

Commission chair speaks In a recent interview with The Nation, FCSC chairperson, Mrs. Ayo admitted that the core values of the civil service were being gradually and steadily eroded due to a number of factors.

She, however, denied being an accomplice or complacent about repositioning the service and restoring it’s lost glory.

Vowing to rid the service of corrupt, indiscipline workers, she disclosed that 79 bureaucrats have been dismissed in the last two years.

According to her, the commission

has initiated plans to weed out bad eggs out of the service.

Consequently, she said the commission has treated a total of 208 cases of indiscipline in the service, with 79 summary dismissals.

According to her, 29 senior officers were retired and four demoted.

The decadence in the service has over the years led to a deliberate programme distortion. The commission chair blamed the rot on military incursions into politics and vowed that the system would be cleaned up.

She said: “Let me say this, we have lost the core values of the civil or public service and this core values are what we want to re-enact or re-enforce.

When you see a soldier, you know who a soldier is. He greets you good morning even if it is 2pm. That is part of their unwritten tradition.

“The civil service has its unwritten tradition also and it has its own formal tradition and we imbibed this core values on the job. Nobody ever came to teach. Yes, you may have your own natural tendency to be polite to have been brought up in some good families. But then, the moment you come into the civil service, the core values mould and shape you to the extent that you now comport yourself as a civil servant.

And who is a civil servant? He is that polite civil person, who recognises himself as a servant of the public. And why are you a servant? Because you are paid from the tax payers’ fund and you are serving your country in that capacity. You will ask, what are these core values? Meritocracy, this is the first one, our founding fathers when they negotiated our independence during the constitutional conferences between 1952 and 1960 adopted meritocracy and political neutrality as the first basic core values to shapen what we call the public service.

“Then it was called the Nigerian Public Service. Against that background, the public civil service commission was established on April 1, 1954 and these core values translated into ensuring that we recruit patriotic, highly cultured and disciplined officers to work in the public service. Other core values are integrity, political neutrality, discipline, professionalism, patriotism and humility.

“The civil servant is only seen but not heard, impertiality, regardless of your tribe your race, your ethnic background, or your religion. Once you are on this job you must be impartial. So, it’s about impartiality, accountability and transparency.

“On my assumption here as chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission in 2012, I brought out five objectives which have been my guiding principles. These were adopted by my colleagues because a tree does not make a forest. The first one is that at the recruitment level, you will ensure standard, merit, quality control; because if we do not ensure standard and merit, then of course we will not have the same quality of people that will man the service. I also said transfers, recruitments, all these will be done strictly on qualification and rules and regulation.

“I said I would ensure collaborations with the office of Head of Service because before I got here, there used to be friction between this two offices.

You will only get friction if you have territorial ambition, we have our own mandate.

“They have their own mandate, as clearly defined in the 1999 Constitution. And then of course I went on to say we want to be globally competitive and as such we will try as much as possible to make the civil service ICT based, which is what everybody does the world over.

“And finally, this I said nearly everywhere, we will have zero tolerance for corruption. Of course you know clearly that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as per Section 153 of that constitution, states clearly our functions, appointment and promotion of civil servants, discipline and dismissal.”

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

NEWS

•From left: Governors Kashim Shettima (Borno); Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna); Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) (third right); Simon Lalong (Plateau) (second right) and Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta) (right) after a meeting with the United State team led by Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken (fourth right), Assistant Secretary of State, Linda Thomas-Greenfield (fourthleft) and Ambassador James Entwhistle in Abuja...yesterday.

Military arrests ‘mastermind’ of Jos, Zaria bomb attacks

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HE Army yesterday said the suspected mastermind of the bomb and gun attacks in Jos, Plateau State and Zaria, Kaduna State, had been arrested.

The announcement came as the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) announced that it lost 37 members to the Zaria blast.

A statement by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, said the suspect and two of his accomplices were arrested at a checkpoint in Dadin Kowa, Gombe State.

“The terrorist kingpin and his colleagues, who disguised in a trailer while trying to evade checks, were fished out by troops.

“Consequently, security cordon was established in the general areas especially along Bauchi, Gombe and the Northeastern part of the country by troops of 3 Division and Special Task Force, as well as the Department of State Services,” the statement said.

The Army added that the suspects were being processed for further action and would soon face the law.

It urged the public to be more

37 teachers died in Zaria blast, says NUT

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IGERIA Union of Teachers (NUT) President Micheal Olukoya yesterday said 37 teachers died in Tuesday’s blast in Sabon-Gari, Zaria, Kaduna State.

Olukoya said many other teachers who were victims of the blast are hospitalised in various health centres in the state.

According to him, 272 teachers have so far died in the hands of Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State. Over 19,000 teachers have been displaced in the Northeast since the outbreak of the insurgency.

Olukoya spoke in Abuja at a programme to commemorate the NUT Founders Day. Olukoya urged President Muhammadu Buhari to curb the insurgency.

Olukoya challenged the government to tilt its development programmes in favour of the education, saying there is the need for a reFrom Gbade Ogunwale, Augustine Ehikioya (Abuja) and Abdulgafar Alabelewe (Kaduna)

vigilant and security-conscious and to report any suspicious persons, movements and facilities to the security agencies.

Suspected Boko Haram terrorists on Sunday carried out coordinated bomb and gun attacks on worshippers at the Yan Taya Mosque in Jos, Pla-

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

view of retirement age of teachers from 60 to 65 years.

He argued that the retirement age of university lecturers and judges was recently raised from 65 to 70years because of the assumption that they tend to perform better, having garnered enough experience in the course of service.

“The older the teacher, the more caring and tolerant he is to the students with improved dexterity in the pedagogy of teaching acquired over time.

“We, therefore, wish to restate our demand that the retirement age of primary and secondary school teachers in the country be raised from 60 to 65 years,” Olukoya said.

teau State where scores were killed and many injured.

It was followed by another blast at the Shagalinku Restaurant on Bauchi Road. No fewer than 51 persons were killed and many injured.

A similar attack had occurred at Sabongari, Zaria on Tuesday with 26 persons killed and 36 injured when a young woman with a baby strapped onto her back detonated an explosive in the midst

of a crowd of local government workers. She was subsequently blown off alongside the innocent baby.

Also yesterday, President Muhammadu Buhari expressed condolences to Nigerians who lost relatives in the latest terrorist atrocities in Jos, Kano and Zaria.

A statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media Continued on page 55

Govt to take care of Chibokgirls’ parents Continued from page 1

Chibok, Borno State on April 14.

He said: “Nobody in Nigeria or outside could have missed your consistency and persistence, demonstration of the injustice meted on you, the parents, the community and Nigeria.

“Representing the government of Nigeria, I cannot rationalise the government’s incompetence in dealing with

this issue. We only ask for your patience.

“I’m impressed with the presentation of BBOG by Mrs .

Uwais, which is comprehensive enough, and the leadership of the Chibok community has made a comprehensive representation as well as leader of this group, the cleric that represents the group.”

Buhari added: “It’s unfortunate that the security and feder-

Continued on page 55

Boko Haram offers to swap prisoners with Chibok girls

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OKO Haram extremists are offering to free more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped from a boarding school in exchange for the release of militant leaders held by the government, a ‘negotiator’ told The Associated Press.

He said Boko Haram’s offer is limited to the girls whose mass abduction in April 2014 ignited worldwide outrage and a campaign to “Bring Back Our Girls” that stretched to the White House.

The initiative reopens an offer made last year to the

government of former President Goodluck Jonathan to release the 219 students in exchange for 16 Boko Haram detainees, he said. The man, who was involved in negotiations with Boko Haram last year and is close to current negotiators, spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to reporters on this sensitive issue.

“Another window of opportunity opened,” in the last few days, according to Fred Eno, who has been negotiating with Boko Haram for more Continued on page 55

House crisis: Gbajabiamila rejects Dogara’s peace deal Continued from page 1

With the proposition of the Dogara group, Gbajabiamila or any member from the Southwest cannot be Majority Leader. The same goes for Mohammad Monguno and others from the Northeast.

On June 25, the House descended into chaos as Dogara refused to read a letter from the party, expressing its choice of candidates for principal officers.

Violence broke out in the chamber, forcing the Speaker to adjourn proceedings till July 21.

Dogara’s group spokesman Abdulmumin Jibrin said the group’s decision was the out-

come of the interaction it had with the Tambuwal-led committee.

The lawmaker said the concession “ is huge”, adding that in the event that the proposal is refused by the Gbajabiamila group, the APC caucus in the House would resort to House rules by going into another election to choose the principal officers.

Jibrin said: “We went to the meeting and you have always known our position, we believe that we did not go against any provisions of the laws of the party or the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria electing the speaker or his deputy.

“We also believe that there

should be a level playing ground for everyone in terms of the occupation of the remaining offices of principal officers- that has always been our position.

“But after a very lengthy meeting with His Execelleny, the immediate past speaker, governor of Sokoto State, we were able to make a far-reaching concession and this is to allow for peace to reign in the House.

“Three things we agreed, one, we maintain the position that we do not recognise the letter written by the party in quotes and I give you reasons.

“We have utmost respect for the chairman of the party, but that letter did not pass through the relevant organs of the party.

“It was neither approved by the National Working Committee, the National Executive Council, not even the caucus was consulted and it was a product of one or two governors and, of course, the National Chairman.

“Let me maintain the fact that we respect the national chairman and we will only respect a letter through legal organs of the party. Our position is that we do not recognise the

existence of such letter.

“Secondly, the principal officers of the House must be in tandem with principle of equity and Federal Character as prescribed by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

According to the lawmaker, the six positions - majority, Speaker, Deputy Speaker, House Leader, Deputy House Leader, Whip and Deputy Whip - must go to the six geopolitical zones to reflect the principle of equity and fairness.

“And to that end after the deliberation, we have agreed to concede the position of the House leader to Gbajabiamila’s group and we took this decision, bearing in mind that we need peace in this House and we want to get down to work.”

He said the third decision was that the position must not go to anyone from the Southwest or the Northeast, adding that it would be greatly unfair for a single zone to have multiple offices.

“We expect the Femi group to accept this concession so that we can be able to move forward.

“In the event that they do not accept, we also provided that

it should be left for us to choose principal officers of the House in line with the standing rules of the House, so we have to come back and hold an election.

“The entire APC members would hold an election to elect the House leaders. If someone says he has 174 members, fine let’s hold an election and see if he actually has that majority he claims. Let’s hold election in line of the standing rules of the House and that is our position,” he said.

But, in a swift reaction, the Gbajabiamila group in a press statement signed by Hon. Rufai Chachangi for “APC Loyalist Group, House of Representatives,” said they had no agreement with any group yet, and that Tambuwal was yet to get back to them.

The statement reads: “We the 174 APC Loyalists group of the House are aware that there was a private discussion between Governor Aminu Tambuwal and President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday evening at the State House .

Also aware that Gov. Tambuwal briefed the press that there would be a meeting between him and Speaker Dogara’s group same day.

“To the best of our knowledge, no counter-offer has been made to the APC Loyalists group after her first meeting with Tambuwal peace committee wherein the APC Loyalists clearly stated that in line with party supremacy resolution reached at last APC NEC meeting, the position of the party on Femi Gbajabiamila as the House Leader is nonnegotiable.

“We understand that the Dogara group is now playing the zoning card after same group had hitherto before the speakership election of June 9th, 2015 rejected the zoning formula of the party prior to the mock election. Interestingly the six geopolitical zones in the country are not recognised by the constitution . But if they wish to play the zoning card then the Senate and House cannot be headed by the North.

“For avoidance of doubt, the issue of Southeast being denied a principal officer’s seat in the House is hogwash. We Continued on page 55

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

5

NEWS

Alleged money laundering: Ohakim, Nyako, son, two others remanded in EFCC custody

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USTICES Adeniyi Ademola and Evoh Chukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja yesterday ordered the remand of former governors Ikedi Ohakim (Imo State) and Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State and three others be remanded by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following their arraignment.

While Ohakim was arraigned separately on a threecount charge before Justice Ademola, Nyako, his son, who is a serving Senator, AbdulAziz, and two of their aides Abubakar Aliyu and Zulkifikk Abba were arraigned before Justice Chukwu on a 37-count charge. The charges against them border on corruption, abuse of office and money laundering.

Ohakim, who was arrested by operatives of the EFCC on Tuesday, is being prosecuted for allegedly paying $2, 290,000.00 (about N270,000,000.00), to purchase a property at Plot No. 1098 Cadastral Zone A04, Asokoro District, otherwise known as No.60, Kwame Nkurumah Street, Asokoro, Abuja.

It is the EFCC’s contention that the amount is above the threshold approved for an individual going by Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2004. He is also accused of deliberately neglecting to disclose all his assets in the declaration submitted to the EFCC and the Code of Conduct Bureau.

One of the counts reads: “That you, Ikedi Ohakim, on or about the 26th of January, 2013 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the Federal High

Commission fails to arraign Lamido, sons THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday failed to arraign former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido and his two sons at the Federal High Court sitting in Kano.

They are to face a 24-count charge relating to alleged mismanagement of over N1.3 billion.

The three detainees were yet to arrive in Kano from Abuja for the trial. Lamido and his two sons were said to have missed their flight from Abuja to Kano.

EFCC lawyers were sighted at the court premises without the accused persons and suddenly left.

It was further learnt that the former gov-

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

ernor and two of his sons may be arraigned today.

The prosecutor, Simeon Akpah, said the inability of the anti-graft agency to arraign the father and his two sons was as result of flight problem.

He said the agency was expected to fly them into Kano on Tuesday afternoon, but could not because of flight problem and were expected to be flown in yesterday afternoon.

The court is expected to go on vacation beginning on July 13. The former governor was alleged to have awarded contracts to some companies owned by his children.

•Ex-Imo governor laments harsh condition at EFCC custody From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

Court, while under arrest for an offence under the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Establishment Act, 2004 knowingly failed to make a full disclosure of your assets by not declaring your ownership of the property known and described as Plot No. 1098 Cadastral Zone A04, Asokoro District- it is also known as No.60, Kwame Nkurumah Street, Asokoro, Abuja and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27(3)(c) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Establishment Act, 2004 and punishable under the same section.”

Ohakim pleaded not guilty to the charge, following which the prosecution lawyer, Festus Keyamo, sought a date for the commencement of trial. He also asked that Ohakim be remanded in prison custody.

Defence lawyer Chris Uche (SAN) urge the court to allow

his client remain in EFCC’s custody pending the determination of his client’s bail application, in view of the prosecution’s indication of its intention to oppose bail for the ex-governor.

Although Uche had urged the court to allow either Ohakim’s wife, Chioma (who was in court) or his brother to stand surety for him to enable him return home, he later applied that his client be allowed to remain in EFCC custody in view of the prosecution’s objection to his proposal.

Following complaints by Ohakim that he was subjected to harsh conditions at the EFCC, from where he was brought to court, the judge directed that he be kept at the EFCC’s custody and be allowed access to his wife, doctor and medications.

Ohakim, who was allowed to address the court, said when he reported at the EFCC office the previous day, “one of the

operatives came to me at about 6pm and said I was going to spend the night with them.

“They took me to a basement cell, where I was made to sleep on the floor, and the toilet was leaking profusely. No arrangement was made about feeding for me. I was not allowed access to my medications,” he said.

In view of Keyamo’s assurance that he would file his counter-affidavit to Ohakim’s bail application early today, Justice Ademola adjourned hearing to 12noon today.

On their part, Nyako, Abdul-Aziz, Aliyu and Abba were accused to have, at various times between 2011 and 2013, used five companies – Blue Opal Nigeria limited, Serore Farms & Extension Limited, Pagoda Fortunes Limited, Towers Assets Management Limited and Crust Energy Limited to siphon over N15 billion from the Adamawa State coffers.

One of the counts reads : “That you Murtala H. Nyako, Abdulaziz Nyako, Zulkfikik Abba, Abubakar Aliyu, Blue Opal Limited, Sebore Farms & Extension Limited, Pagoda Fortunes Limited, Tower Assets Management Limited and Crust Energy Limited between January and December 2013 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did disguise the genuine origin of an aggregate sum of N6,366,280,000 (Six Billion, Three Hundred and Sixty-Six Million, Two Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira), which sums you reasonably ought to have known to be proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit; moneys derived from the theft of Adamawa State Government’s funds.”

They pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to them, following which the prosecution lawyer, Aliyu Yusuf, asked the court for a date for the commencement of trial. He also requested that the accused persons be remanded in prison custody.

Defence lawyer, Kanu Agabi (SAN) asked the court for an adjournment in order for it to properly go through the charges, as it was served rather late by the prosecution. He told the court that while a bail application for the accused persons had been filed, it would be proper for the accused persons to be held in EFCC custody.

Ruling, Justice Chukwu ordered that the accused persons be remanded in EFCC’s custody and adjourned to July 10, 2015 for hearing on their bail application.

YABATECH terminates Bursar’s appointment

By Jane Chijioke

T •From left: Former Minister of Industry, Chief Onikepo Akande; Chairman, Splash FM, Chief Adebayo Akande; Chairman of the occasion, Chief Kola Daisi, at a lecture titled: Slaying of the Supreme Command Sine Qua Non For Nigeria’s Development and Progress, at the University of Ibadan...yesterday.

Permanent Secretary shuns Saraki’s invitation

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HE Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Anastasia Mabi Daniel-Nwaobia, has shunned the invitation of which asked her to provide a breakdown of May 2015 Federal Account Allocation A June 29 memo, addressed to the permanent secretary marked: “Request for Federal Account Allocation Committee (May 2015) Breakdown” asked Daniel-Nwaobia to appear and furnish the Senate President, Bukola Saraki with the breakdown of the federal allocation .The memo signed by the Chief of Staff to the Senate President, Senator Isah Galaudu, requested the permanent secretary to appear yes-

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor

terday by 11am at Room 301, Senate New Building.

The memo read: “Recall that the National Assembly was inaugurated on the June 9, 2015 thereby marking the beginning of the legislative activities of the Eighth Senate.

“In view of the above, I write to request for the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) May 2015 meeting breakdown.

“You are also invited to come with relevant heads of agencies for a briefing on the subject matter with the Senate leadership scheduled as follows: Wednesday July 8, 2015;

Time 11am; Venue Room 301, Senate New Building.”

Another memo, this time by the Clerk to the National Assembly dated July 8 also addressed to the permanent secretary entitled: “Re: Invitation for a briefing” said: “I refer to our letter Ref. No. NASS/S/ SP/COS/CORRP/15/1/05 of June 29, 2015 on the above subject matter and your text message of July 7, 2015 to the chief of staff to the Senate President signifying your inability to honour the invitation “You action is a deliberate violation of the Section 67(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“You are, therefore, requested to appear before the

Senate leadership as contained in our aforementioned letter on Wednesday July 8, 2015 at 2.pm prompt.”

The memo was copied to the Office of the Head of Service “for your information and guidance, please.”

Another memo by Galaudu also dated, July 8 entitled: “Re: invitation for a briefing” said: “My earlier letter dated June 29, 2015 on the above subject matter refers.

“Please note that your text message of yesterday, Tuesday July 7, 2015, which I received by hours of 20:02 pm suggesting that you would not make today’s meeting is unacceptable.

HE Governing Council of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) has terminated the appointment of its Bursar, Mr Olugbenga Ibirogba.

In a statement by the Director of Public Relations, Mr Charles Oni, the school said Ibirogba was found guilty of working against the interest of the school.

The statement reads: “Ibirogba had, in four separate letters to council and management, vehemently denied being the writer of petitions in the mainstream and social media that cast aspersions on the college management.

“The onus was on the council to investigate whether he wrote the petitions or not before deciding on further action, having already investigated and established the falsehood of the petition.

He was therefore placed on suspension to allow for further investigation in line with Section 17 of the Act establishing the polytechnic CAP F17, Lacos of Nigeria.”

It said Ibirogba once wrote to the management begging that his disciplinary slate be wiped clean.

Chief Judge, others lament failure of Child Rights Act From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

THE Chief Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Justice Ishaq Bello, Solicitor General of the Federation (SGF), Abdullahi Yola and others have regretted the lack of proper application of the Child Rights Act promulgated about 12 years ago.

They attributed this failure to the absence of key institutions and facilities needed for full application of the law, a development they said accounted for the reason children suspects in criminal cases were still being remanded in regular prisons as against specialised remand centres provided for in the Child Rights Act. Justice Bello, Yola and National Programme Manager of the J4A (a non-governmental organisation), Dr. Bob Arnot spoke in Abuja yesterday at a sensitisation workshop on the Child Rights Act (Enforcement) Procedure Rules organised jointly by the Federal Justice Sector Reform Coordinating Committee (FJSRCC), the FCT Judiciary and the British Department for International Development through its Justice For All initiative.

Justice Bello contended that following the inadequacies, judges and magistrates, who ordered the remand of children in regular prisons, could not be blamed for the increase in children prisoners.

Justice Bello said he had acquired a parcel of land for the building of a standard home, where children charged with criminal offences could be remanded.

“A lot of these young children are brought before the High Court and Magistrates’ Court and the judges and magistrates have no choice than to remand them in prison. Then the public will then be criticising the judges and magistrates with all garbage languages when there is over-flooding of prisons with children,” Justice Bello said.

He said the land acquired for the standard Borstal Home was deliberately sited close to the FCT Judiciary’s Family Court.

“We hope that whoever is appointed the minister of Justice will join hands with us to build the needed facilities in proximate areas,” he said.

Other such facilities which absence were said to hamper the absence of the Child Rights Act include Child Care Centre, Children Attendance Centre, Children Correctional Centre and Emergency Protection Centre.

Justice Bello signed the new Child Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules intended to guide proceedings involving children and their interests at the event.

By the new Procedure Rules, assessors, who have been appointed and trained by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, will now sit with judges and magistrates in order to properly constitute a Family Court.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

6

NEWS

‘Bailout’ for states not from Jonathan’s savings, says Presidency

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HE Presidency yesterday denied claims by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the relief given to state governments and public sector workers were from savings by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said the PDP claim was false and ridiculous.

The statement reads: “The Presidency deplores the attempt by the PDP and its agents to create an unnecessary controversy over the well-intentioned effort by President Muhammadu Buhari to give some relief to state governments and longsuffering public sector workers.

“We also reject the banal and ludicrous demand by the PDP’s Spokesman, Olisa Metuh, that the PDP government, which was ousted by

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

Nigerians at the last general elections for running the country aground, be given some credit for “saving” the funds that were disbursed as part of the intervention package approved by President Buhari.

“Metuh’s claim that a significant amount of the funds came from savings accumulated in the Excess Crude Account and handed over to the Buhari administration is completely false and deliberately intended to mislead the public.

“As we clearly stated yesterday, the funds approved by President Buhari for sharing to the three tiers of government on Monday came entirely from dividends and taxes paid to the Federation Account by the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Company (NLNG), not from the Excess

Crude Account.

“The disbursed NLNG dividends and taxes were paid into the Federation Account in June this year and confirmed by the Central Bank’s Statement to the Federal Government on July 7, 2015. The funds cannot therefore be considered “savings” by the Jonathan Aadministration which left office in May, 2015, as disingenuously claimed by Metuh.”

It added: “Instead of being repeatedly impugned and castigated by the PDP and its agents for honestly telling Nigerians that the nation’s treasury has been immensely depleted and its resources looted or squandered under previous administrations, President Buhari should be commended for the openness, transparency and accountability, which he has now brought to the management of national funds.

“It was in keeping with that disposition, that the President

promptly disclosed the accrual of the NLNG dividends and taxes to the Federation Account at his recent meeting with governors and approved the convening of a special session of the FAAC to share it.

“As a governor, who was present at the meeting remarked, under past administrations, the states never had the benefit of such disclosures.

“Mr. Metuh and others who now ungratefully see Monday’s disbursement of the NLNG proceeds as their ‘legitimate’ earnings and not a ‘bailout’ from the Federal Government may wish to tell Nigerians if such earnings were ever disclosed by the PDP Federal Government and paid to the states in the past.

“The public may also wish to note that the Buhari administration itself has never referred to the actions which it has taken to ease the current financial difficulties of states as a ‘bailout’.”

N70m suit: PDP denies authorising campaign expenses by Alli, Usman

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HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has denied authorising the multi-million naira transactions allegedly made by its former National Chairman, Ahmadu Alli, and former Minister of Finance Nenadi Usman during the general elections.

Alli was the director-general of PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation. Mrs. Usman, a senator, served as the organisation’s director of Finance.

Activist-lawyer Festus Keyamo’s Chambers sued PDP, Alli and Usman following alleged refusal to pay for services rendered by a firm,

By Joseph Jibueze

Silon Concepts Limited, during the presidential campaign.

The firm was said to have been engaged to organise the broadcast of campaign messages by former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Keyamo is urging the court to, among others, compel the defendants to pay the outstanding N70 million as well as N15 million as cost of the suit.

He is also demanding an annual interest of 10 per cent on the N70 million until fully liquidated.

PDP, in its statement of de-

fence, said although Alli and Usman were its members, it did not authorise all the transactions they made before and after the presidential election.

The party’s statement of defence is dated June 18 and filed by its lawyer, Kwon Victor, before an Abuja High Court in Kuje.

PDP said it had nothing to do with the Jointrust Dimension Ltd’s Zenith Bank account number 1010740698, which funds allegedly passed through.

Mrs. Usman has filed a notice of preliminary objection to the suit. Her objection is dated July 2.

•Alli

Among others, she argued that she was PDP’s agent and had carried out the transactions on the party’s behalf.

Alli is expected to respond to the suit, which has been adjourned till September 24.

•From left: Director, Ecumenism Dr. Akintoye Braimoh; Secretary, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Elder Isreal Akinadewo; Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Lagos State Chapter Apostle Alexander Bamgbola at a news conference on thanksgiving service for Lagos State elected officer.

PHOTO: OLUSEGUN RAPHEAL

Court refuses Nyanya blast suspect’s request for freedom From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

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USTICE Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja has refused a request for freedom made by Sadiq Ogwuche, the alleged mastermind of the April 2014 bomb blast in Nyanya, Abuja, in which over 70 people died.

The judge, in a verdict yesterday in a fundamental rights enforcement suit by Ogwuche, resolved the sole issue for determination against him, to the effect that his repatriation from Khartoum, Sudan, where he allegedly escaped to after the incident on July 15, 2014 and subsequent detention without trial did not amount to a violation of his fundamental rights and that he was not entitled to compensation.

Ogwuche had sued the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), accusing them of violating his fundamental rights as guaranteed under chapter four of the constitution for detaining him for over 90 days without being taken before any court for trial.

He urged the court to declare his detention illegal, order his release either conditionally or unconditionally; award N600 million damages against the respondents, and order the defendants to offer him public apology to be published in two national newspapers.

The DSS eventually arraigned him while his case was pending. He is now being tried, with some others, for terrorism before Justice Ahmed Mohammed, also of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

In his judgment yesterday, Justice Ademola agreed with the respondents that Section 35(4) of the Constitution, which prohibits undue detention of a suspect, is not applicable in cases of terrorism.

He equally agreed with the defendants that section 35(7) of the Constitution, which provides that a person accused of terrorism does not benefit from Section 35(4).

The judge further agreed with the respondents that rights guaranteed under Chapter Four of the Constitution are not absolute in cases relating to security, and that Section 27(1) of the Terrorism Prevention Act (TPA) allows an accused person to be detained for 90 days before being taken to court.

“In conclusion, this court takes judicial notice that in the course of argument in this case, the applicant has since been arraigned before Justice A. R. Mohammed of Court 7 of the Federal High Court. In the circumstance, this court agrees with the contention of the 1st and 2nd respondents that the applicant’s fundamental rights are not breached.

No order for cost is made,” Justice Ademola said.

Glo renews value added services

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ELECOMS giant, Globacom, has unveiled a plan to further excite the youth market with several repackaged offerings on its Value Added Services (VAS) platform in voice, web, text and video channels.

Subscribers across age brackets, it said, would enjoy enhanced VAS offerings on Glo Mpaper, Glo Lifestyle Update, Voice Lifestyle Update, Soccer on Voice, Image Store, Glo Mobile School, Glo Mobile Tutor and Genie Voice, which can be received as SMS, Voice, Web or Video.

The company’s Regional Chief Marketing Officer, Mr. Ashok Israni, said the products were rejuvenated to resonate with the youth market and increase the network’s dynamism.

He said: “Our Value Added Services are the best in the industry, and Nigerians should sign on to the Globacom network to stay connected for a limitless access to these innovative services powered by our underground fibre optic cable.”

Israni stated that five national newspapers - Vanguard, The Nation, Nigerian Tribune, Daily Times and BusinessDay - were available on the Glo Mpaper, which could be accessed as SMS by dialing *335# to receive the latest global news on the go daily at any time.

He also announced ThisDay Alert, which is an exclusive news alert service that could be accessed by sending “menu” to “31266” to get news, sports, lifestyle and entertainment news as text, web or video.

The chief marketing officer said the products were specially enhanced to resonate with the youth market and increase the network’s dynamism.

Buhari orders ‘immediate interventions’ for troubled local industries

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HE nation’s ailing and moribund textile, mining and agro-based industries will soon be revived to reduce unemployment, it has been learnt.

President Muhammadu Buhari, who gave this indication yesterday, said he had ordered “some immediate interventions” to address challenges faced by industrialists.

He spoke when a delegation of foreign investors visited him at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Buhari, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said the creation of more jobs for youths was the key objective of his

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

administration’s economic agenda.

This, he said, would be pursued with the greatest possible dedication.

He said: “I still recall with clarity that at some point, the textile industry in Nigeria was employing about 320,000 Nigerians. But today, the same industry employs less than 30,000 people and the factories operate below capacity or they are completely closed.

“I have made a promise to Nigerians that jobs will be created as part of efforts to revive the economy and that promise will be fulfilled. We will move as fast as we can to resuscitate the textile and mining industries, and

also improve production in our agricultural sector.

“Now that we are trying to create jobs, we cannot allow industries and factories to close down. Instead, we should be making every effort to ensure that we reopen the closed ones and attract new ones to reduce unemployment,” Buhari told the investors who are the proprietors of Olam Farms Nigeria Limited.

He assured the delegation, which was led by Mr. Mukul Mathur, that his administration would encourage investments in agriculture and other sectors of the economy by creating a more favourable environment and enabling laws.

The president said he ordered the interventions to address challenges faced by industrialists after

being briefed by Mministries of Agriculture and Industries, Trade and Investment.

“We will move very quickly to see what we can do to help you and other investors in the country so that you can help us to create jobs for our people,” the president told Mathur and his team.

Mathur told the president that Olam Group of Companies was established in Nigeria in 1989 and employs about half a million Nigerians, directly and indirectly.

He, however, said the group was facing difficulties with the reversal of some government policies in 2010 and 2013, which could lead to the closure of some of its industries in the country.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

7

NEWS Ondo PDP lawmakers escape arrest From Damisi Ojo, Akure

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OLICE detectives yesterday stormed the election petition tribunal in Akure, the Ondo State capital, to arrest two lawmakers from Ilaje Constituency I and II. The detectives claimed they were ordered from Abuja to arrest Malachi Coker and Abayomi Akinruntan, who are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The lawmakers were said to have been sworn in by the Speaker, Ms Jumoke Akindele, without certificates of return.

The Speaker, it was gathered, had to mobilise other lawmakers to intervene in the matter.

The lawmakers were, however, not arrested. Sources said there is immunity in the court, stressing that they could only be arrested on the streets

N2b housing project for Ogun workers

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HE Ogun State Housing Corporation, in collaboration with Shelter Afrique, has promised to build a N2billion housing estate for civil servants.

The estate, to be located at Kemta - Idi–Aba in Abeokuta, would be for the contributors to the National Housing Scheme.

The corporation’s General Manager, Ms Jumoke Akinwunmi, said this at a meeting with the Resident Regional Representative of Shelter Afrique, Oumar Diop in Abeokuta.

She thanked Shelter Afrique for the partnership, assuring them of government’s cooperation.

Diop said his firm was ready to provide affordable shelter for workers, who had not benefited from the previous housing schemes in the state.

Tribunal rejects Isiaka’s INEC witnesses From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

A

BID by the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Gboyega Isiaka, to list 124 electoral officers as respondents in his petition against Governor Ibikunle Amosun suffered a setback yesterday.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the affected officers, on Tuesday, appealed to the tribunal to strike out the names of the 124 persons listed as the fourth - 128th respondents.

The application was filed on their behalf by their counsel, Olusina Sofola (SAN), pursuant to Section 9 (2) of the 1999 Constitution.

The Chairman, Justice Henry Olusiyi, relying on Section 127(3) of the Electoral Act, said the 124 persons joined in the petition “are not necessary parties and ought not to have been joined” by Isiaka.

“It is trite that no cause or matter shall be defeated by reason of misjoinder or non joinder of parties.”

“INEC and the other respondents have made out a good case to strike out the names of the fourth to 128th respondents.”

•Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun (third left), Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo (second left), Senator Daisy Danjuma (right), Yemisi Shylon (left), the author, Hakeem Adenekan (third right) and his wife, Adeyinka, at the launch of the book, Abeokuta, at the June 12 Cultural Center, Kuto, Abeokuta.

Bailout: Don’t be ungrateful, APC tells Fayose

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HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has slammed Governor Ayo Fayose’s comments that the state’s share of the bailout ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari is the amount due to Ekiti from the Federation Account.

The party described Fayose’s comment as “an act of ingratitude taken too far, irresponsible statement and an attempt to deceive Ekiti people and shortchange workers who are still owed arrears of salaries, allowances and bonuses”.

But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) urged the governor “not to bother himself with the APC’s antics”.

The ruling party urged Fayose to “avoid the unnecessary distractions and nuisance the opposition has turned out to be”.

The APC, in a statement yesterday by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said while other governors, labour unions and

PDP to governor: don’t be bothered by APC’s antics From Odunayo Ogunmola, Ado Ekiti

workers were thanking Buhari for bailing out states, Fayose chose to grandstand and attempted to play down the good gesture.

The APC challenged Fayose to tell the people what he planned to do with the fund, saying the governor had done little to offer acceptable explanation on how he had managed the state’s finances since coming to power last October.

Olatunbosun said: “His statement that Ekiti wage bill is N2.6billion has given him away as a liar who wants to shortchange Ekiti people again.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the state’s wage bill is N1.6 billion and if we include subventions to higher institutions, pensions and political appointees’ salaries which is N600 million, everything amounts to N2.2 billion. We wonder

where Fayose got the figure of N2.6 billion.

“We have said it many times that Fayose is paying some election contractors and he has not denied this categorically. His latest inflation of the wage bill is to prepare workers’ minds that he would not use the bailout fund to pay backlog of salaries and allowances.

“We are aware that Fayose is yet to pay last September salary, last year leave bonus, June salary, March to June co operative deductions, core subject and rural allowance from March to June while he has not released four months subventions to the state university. He also owes pensioners a backlog of allowances as well as traditional rulers.

“Fayose’s claim that the bailout fund is the state’s entitlement is very unfortunate as the fund is not Ekiti State allocation from the Federation Account but a

New Deji assumes office

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HE Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladewusi, yesterday entered the palace amid ecstasy.

The traditional ruler was accompanied by chiefs, religious leaders, government officials and his wife.

Aladewusi’s entry signals his assumption of office as Akure monarch.

The monarch entered the palace in the heart of Akure at 2pm. He was received by chiefs.

The monarch was later taken round the various sections by chiefs. Rites were performed at each section of the palace.

Major roads in Akure were blocked as a result of the cer-

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

emony. The major market (Erekesan) was closed in honour of the monarch.

Residents gathered at the palace to pledge their loyalty to the monarch.

Oba Aladewusi thanked the government, kingmakers and indigenes, promising to ensure rapid development of the town.

The 47th Deji of Akure enjoined his subjects to co-operate with him to develop the town.

Governor Olusegun Mimiko, who was represented by Deputy Governor Lasisi Oluboyo, enjoined Akure indigenes and other residents to maintain peace to guaran-

10,000 hospitality workers may lose jobs

T •Oba Aladewusi

tee development.

Mimiko prayed that the monarch’s reign would bring development to Akure Kingdom.

‘Remove petroleum subsidy’

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special intervention fund for which he is supposed to be grateful to the President.

“His mentor, former President Goodluck Jonathan, did not give such bailout to any state. This has revealed that Fayose has not stopped his hate campaign against the President even after electoral campaign is over. At any given opportunity, Fayose has continued to lambast and embarrass the President.

“Fayose’s outburst is ingratitude of the highest order which does not represent the collective opinion of Ekiti people, who are always appreciative of good deeds.

“President Muhammadu Buhari should be praised for directing that all money should be paid into the Federation Account from where the bailout money came from. This is a result of his anti-corruption drive.

“While we apologise to President Buhari on behalf of genuine Ekiti people and thank him for the bailout fund, we urge Ekiti work-

HE Synod of the West of The Presbyterian Church of Nigeria has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to revitalise Nigeria’s refineries and build new ones as a means of ensuring the regular and adequate supply of locally produced petroleum products.

This, the church, said in a communiqué at the end of its 20th Regional Synod meeting at Lekki, Lagos State, was to eliminate the recurrent scarcity of petroleum products in the country.

It said the subsidy removal would end the importation of petroleum products and its consequent sharp practices, as well as create jobs.

The synod asked the government to pay at-

ers to be vigilant and monitor how Fayose spends the fund. Anything short of paying the backlog of their salaries and allowances should not be accepted.”

But the state PDP Chairman Idowu Faleye, in a statement yesterday, praised Fayose for pursuing his development projects “in the face of the war against him”.

Faleye said: “It could only take a courageous man to still have time to think about the development of his state with the kind of war waged against him by the outgone APC lawmakers.”

The PDP chair described the actions of the opposition party as enough indices to truncate democratic settings and cause wanton destruction of life and property.

He said: “We commend the governor for his astuteness, bold steps and love for the people of Ekiti State inspite of the confrontations by the black minded fifth columnists and agents of retardation.

“What we are saying is that the governor should not bother himself with the antics of the APC.”

tention to agriculture and the solid mineral sector as a means of diversifying the economy and generating more revenue.

A communiqué by the Moderator of the Synod, Rev. Marvellous Kalu and the Synod Clerk, Rev. Bassey Ayek, lamented the worsening security situation in the country.

The duo pleaded with the government to engage adequate global coalition to tackle the security issues.

On power generation and distribution, the Synod wondered why regular power supply had become a jinx in Nigeria. It called on the Federal Government to do all it can to break the jinx and ensure adequate, regular and affordable electricity supply.

EN thousand workers in the hospitality business in Ikotun Egbe, a suburb of Lagos State, may lose their jobs soon.

Their employers, the Pilgrims Hostels Operators Association of Nigeria (PHOAN), blamed the development on the dwindling fortunes of its members.

The group noted that its woes began shortly after a two-storey guest house owned by Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) collapsed last year.

The chairman of the association, Prince Adekanbi Adedayo John, said: “Because of the lull in our business, we may have to lay off a large number of our workers, if the situation persists.

“About 10, 000 workers may be affected by this decision. We are not happy about this because we know that it would obviously have ripple effects on the workers and their families.

“PHOAN is the biggest employer of labour in this area for over a decade. Our

By Innocent Duru

business thrived all these years because of SCOAN’s popularity, which attracted visitors from all over the world to the area.

“The church’s activities before the incident, served as the economic livewire on which PHOAN and other smaller businesses relied on.“ A member of the group, Ozumba Sunny, said: “The chances of turning Nigeria into a religious tourist haven have been put on the line by the church’s predicament and this has brought hardship to the people, who earn a living as food vendors, drivers, mechanics etc.”

The Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), Kafaru Aminu, said: “Many of us have been struggling to feed our families and pay school fees in the last one year, yet we have huge bank loans hanging on our necks. We are on the verge of losing our investments and the only way this can be averted is if the fortunes of the church improve.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

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NEWS Three remanded for alleged robbery in Edo From Osagie Otabor, Benin

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N Oredo Magistrate’s Court in Edo State has remanded three suspected robbers - Osamudiamen Ailemhe, Akin Arogundade and Kehinde Usman - in prison custody.

The suspects were arraigned on a two-count charge of armed robbery.

Police prosecutor Sylvester Omor told the court that the suspects attacked and robbed some residents at 21 Ore-Oghene Street, Benin, the state capital, and collected four phones worth N45,000.

The suspects’ pleas were not taken.

The Magistrate Caroline Nwoha ordered that the suspects be remanded in Oko Prison.

She ordered the case file to be sent to the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice.

The case was adjourned till August 30 for mentioning.

Also, three other suspects, who were arraigned for allegedly breaking into a building and stealing property worth N450,000, were granted bail by an Egor Magistrate’s Court.

The suspects allegedly committed the offence at No. 7 Okoro Street, Ugbiyoko Quarters, Egor Local Government Area.

According to the charges, the suspects entered the building with a hammer and a saw blade and stole two laptops, one iPad phone, one camera, three Nokia phones, a wristwatch, school bag and N23,000 cash.

The Magistrate, Igho Braimoh, admitted the suspects to a bail of N100,000 each and a surety in like sum.

The case was adjourned till July 29 for hearing.

Man dies during ‘deliverance’ in Edo

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45-YEAR-OLD man, Osayande Ekhator, has died during a deliverance service at a Pentecostal church at Uselu Quarters in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State.

The victim’s family had taken him to the Holy Ghost Deliverance Centre, also called Hope Ministry, for spiritual cleansing when the incident occurred.

Relations alleged that the victim was beaten to death, adding that they saw his body with bloodstains.

The father of the deceased, Pa Ekhator, told reporters that he suspected that the de-

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HE host communities of Diebiri-Batan in OML 42, Warri Southwest Local Government Area of Delta State, have urged the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) to obey a court order to maintain the status quo.

The State High Court, sitting at Otor-Udu, Udu Judicial Division, ordered the oil company and others operating in that area to recognise Alex Fenimime as the chairman of the community.

The order followed NPDC’s operation at the OML 42, which allegedly violated relevant laws and best practices in the award of contracts and the employment of indigenes without due process.

In the statement by Fenimime, which was copied to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Police Commissioner, Joint Task force (JTF) Commandant, Effurun Barracks, Warri; State Security Service (SSS) Warri; Managing Director, NECONDE Energy Nigeria Limited and Richard Anthony, the community’s mediator requested that NPDC ask its contractors to stop work and convene a top management meeting.

Fenimine said: “By the enrolment of order in suit No. OSHC/88/2013 before Justice F. N. Azinge (Mrs) on May 27, 2014, parties in this suit were ordered to maintain the status quo, which makes me (Alex Fenimime) the substantive chairman, and to allow all matters to be addressed to me...”

liverance went wrong when his son was thrown to the ground, with his hands and legs tied.

He said: “They forced him and tied him up, as usual, and threw him down. From there, they carried a bucket of water and poured it on his body.

“The mother asked why.

They said that was what they usually did; that after struggling, they wanted him to have some rest. After about five minutes, she came out crying that Osayande was dead.”

A sister of the victim, who

spoke in confidence, alleged that the victim was “beaten to death”.

She said the “killers” also planned to deposit his remains at a mortuary.

“They beat him to death.

They removed his clothes, bathed him and clothed him.

“They said they wanted to take him to a mortuary. But we refused.”

A resident, who pleaded anonymity, said there were bloodstains on the head of the deceased.

“I think he was hit on the head. I saw blood on his head when his body was placed in a vehicle,” the resident said.

Resident Pastor, Mrs. Isoken Ekundaye, denied the allegations.

The cleric said several “lunatics” had been healed in the church.

She said: “We don’t kill here; we don’t beat here. If they bring insane people, we heal them.”

Some youths invaded the church and destroyed its property.

Police spokesman Stephen Onwochei, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), said the pastor had been arrested and the case transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for investigation.

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

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HE Directorate of Security Service (DSS) yesterday arraigned five suspects before an Evboriaria Magistrate’s Court, Edo State, for allegedly stealing N2,090,000 belonging to a man, Suberu Shaibu.

The suspects - Murktar Shuaibu, Kabiru Shuaibu, Abdul Momoh, Enesi Jamiu and Abubakar Lawal - were arraigned on a two-count charge of stealing.

They were said to have committed the offence on June 28, in Benin, the state capital.

The suspects’ pleas were not taken.

Prosecutor’s lawyer E. Aubrey applied for the suspects to be remanded in the DSS custody, pending the time the bail application would be heard.

The Magistrate, Frank Idiake, said a bail would be considered in the course of the trial.

He ordered that the suspected be remanded in the DSS custody.

The matter was adjourned till August 10.

Delta communities shut NPDC’s facilities From Polycarp Orosevwotu, Ughelli •From left: Secretary-General, Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN), Jacqueline Odiadi; President, APBN, Foluso Fasoto; Lafarge Corporate Communications Manager, Ademola Ojolowo and Second Deputy President, APBN, A. I. Olorunfemi, at the plenary on: Building Sustainable Institutions: The Path of Growth and Prosperity, at the APBN 2015 Summit of Professionals in Abuja.

PHOTO: AKIN OLADOKUN

Police kill three suspected kidnappers in Rivers

OML 42: ‘NPDC •N2.3m recovered must obey courtorder’ from robber From Polycarp Orosevwotu, Ughelli

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

DSS arraigns five suspects for N2.09m ‘theft’

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HE Rivers State Police Command has killed three suspected kidnappers in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

In a statement yesterday by the command’s spokesman, Ahmed Mohammed, the police said the kidnappers were killed at 9:30pm on Tuesday when they attempted to abduct a resident, Richard Otu, from his home.

The police said they also arrested a member of a threeman robbery gang in Port Harcourt yesterday and recovered a vehicle and N2.350 million, among other items, from him.

Mohammed said the police rescued Otu from his assailants.

He said: “On July 6, at 9:30pm, policemen responding to a distress call, pursued and engaged suspected kidnappers, who abducted Richard Otu in his Toyata Highlander Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) when he was entering his house on the East-West Road in Port Harcourt.

Seven arrested at cultists’ party in Delta

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THEATRE Arts graduate and 300-Level Political Science student of the Benson Idahosa University, Benin, the Edo State capital, are among seven suspected cultists arrested yesterday in Delta State by a crack team of the Quick Response Squad.

The suspects, who were arrested with uniforms and paraphernalia of the Black Axe (Aye) cult group, were allegedly picked up at various locations in Warri, Effurun and Ughelli.

But there was a mild drama at the McDermott Road in Warri when the girlfriend of the 30-year-old Theatre Arts graduate of Imo State University, Owerri, stripped naked in a bid to stop his arrest.

The Commander of QRS, Mr Lamido Alkali, confirmed the arrest.

He said it was meant to carry out the directive of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Solomon Arase, who set up a special unit to rid the Niger Delta of cultists.

Alkali said: “The IGP set up a special unit to From Rosemary Nwisi, Port Harcourt

“Three of the suspected kidnappers got fatally injured during the encounter; the victim and his vehicle were safely rescued.

“Items recovered from the suspects include one AK-47 ri-

From Shola O’Neil, Warri

curtail cultism, starting with Edo State, where a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) was deployed. There have been subsistent arrests. As a result, a lot of the cultists scattered and ran out in search of safe havens in neighbouring states.

“Police Commissioner Alkali Usman Baba got wind of this and alerted divisions and commands under him to look out for them.”

Alkali said the squad, having got reports that members of the Black Axe cult group were having their annual convention - which started on July 7, also known as the 7-7-7 Day - he deployed men to look out for the group’s members.”

The QRS Commander said the interest in the cultists followed revelations that “most cult members have either participated in one robbery or the other and the secret cult groups are gateways to participate in heinous crimes”.

He warned that the IGP and Delta police com

fle, one magazine, five 7.62mm live ammunition, one locally made pistol and one Dane gun.

“Also, on Tuesday evening, at 4:30pm, near the Railways in Port Harcourt, the police, following a tip-off, chased a gang of suspected armed robbers and arrested

one of them. The other two escaped.

“A Toyata Highlander the gang used, two AK-47 rifles, four magazines, 92 rounds of 7.62 live ammunitions and N2,350,000 were recovered from them.

“Investigation continues to arrest the fleeing two.”

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OKODIAGBENE, Okerenkoko, Akpatagbegbe, Akpataegbemu and Omadino communities in Warri Southwest Local Government Area of Delta State yesterday protested the non-implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), operators of the Jones Creek Oil field.

The spokesman, Sheriff Mulade, said the communities’ major complaint was the breach of the MoU between the oil company and the host communities.

He urged the Federal Government to probe NPDC and its major contractor (Nestoil), adding that the award of contracts had not followed due process and government’s local content policy.

Mulade urged security agencies, especially the Joint Task Force (JTF) to avoid playing into the hands of the two oil firms (NPDC and Nestoil).

The spokesman said the oil companies had shortchanged the communities for too long.

He said: “We are appealing to the Federal Government to investigate NPDC and Nestoil over ‘connivance’ to award contracts to themselves and their cronies.”

Bayelsa PDP loses bid to get APC’s petition struck out

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HE National and House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, yesterday rejected efforts by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to strike out a petition by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mr. Assimih Egbegi, the lawyer to PDP candidate for Bayelsa West Senatorial

From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

District, Mr. Foster Ogola, urged the court to throw out the petition of APC’s candidate, Mr. Eddy Julius.

Julius, who is challenging Ogola’s victory, prayed the tribunal to disqualify the PDP senator for allegedly presenting a false certificate.

When the tribunal resumed

hearing to cross-examine the witnesses by the petitioner’s lawyer, Mr. Somina Johnbull, Egbegi attempted to terminate the matter on what he called a point of law.

The lawyer claimed that Julius’ petition was defective because it failed to comply with the rules of the tribunal.

He said the petitioner failed to file the list of witnesses and

other documents in his petition, adding that such a requirement was compulsory.

Egbegi said: “Don’t treat this issue of not filling the list of witnesses, as mandated by the tribunal, with kid gloves.

We should comply with the rules of this tribunal.

“The failure of the petitioner to comply with the mandatory requirement is a condi-

tion precedent to the invocation of this tribunal. We urge this tribunal to strike out the petition with heavy cost on the respondent.”

But Johnbull reviewed the cases cited by Egbegi to justify his position.

The lawyer averred that they were mere petitions lacking in facts and witnesses.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

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NEWS ‘Resuscitate Erunmu dry port’ From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

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HE Oyo State Council of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OYCCIMA) has called on the Federal Government to resuscitate the Erunmu Dry Port and Okerete Border Market.

Its president, Aasiwaju Olaitan Alabi, spoke yesterday at the group’s annual general meeting in Ibadan, the state capital.

Alabi called for the re-opening of the Ogbomoso International Market. He urged Governor Abiola Ajimobi to set up a tripartite committee to examine areas of collaboration between the chambers and the government.

Alabi said this would help map out strategies to maximise the opportunities in the facilities and enhance the state’s socio-economic development.

Hospital to use residency cards

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HE Ondo State government yesterday directed heads of hospitals and health centres to begin the use of the residency card, Kaadi Igbeayo.

Commissioner for Information Kayode Akinmade said the directive was handed over to public health coordinators through the Commissioner for Health, Dr Dayo Adeyanju, at a meeting at the Mother and Child Hospital, Akure.

Adeyanju said the steps taken by the government was not aimed at making money as it was discovered that many of the people benefitting from the government’s free medical services are non-indigenes.

The commissioner said residents with the card, especially expectant mothers and children, receive free medical services.

Those without the card will pay stipends for services rendered to them.

Adeyanju called on the people who have registered for the card to visit registration centres to collect them.

The commissioner launched a semi-automated chemical analyser for the early detection of diabetes in expectant mothers.

Oyo Speaker warns youths From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

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OUTHS have been advised to shun violence and anti-social vices capable of derailing the nation’s socio-economic development.

The Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Michael Adeyemo, gave the advice when members of the state’s National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) visited him.

Adeyemo said over 70 per cent of the population are youths and that if the nation must develop, the youth must act positively.

The Speaker said the “getrich syndrome” by the youth had done greater damage to the country’s image.

The group’s president, Ayo Babalola, urged the Speaker to influence a bill to make local governments take care of local chapters of NYCN.

•Residents of Osogbo, the state capital, waving at Aregbesola’s convoy.

Aregbesola not reckless, says Osun ALGON

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HE Association of Local Government of Nigeria in Osun State has said Governor Rauf Aregbesola is not financially reckless.

ALGON chairman Soji Ajayi said the government’s inability to pay salaries should not be linked to the alleged misappropriation of state resources. He said doing such was mischievous and sinful.

Ajayi, who appealed to the workers to suspend their strike, said it was unfortunate that they are passing through hard times.

The ALGON chairman praised the workers for their perseverance and understanding.

Ajayi said: “We want to ap-

•OPL: stop hate campaign From Adesoji Adeniyi, Ibadan

peal to the workers to suspend their strike. We sympathise with them and I must say that we feel their pains too. It is unfortunate that we’ve found ourselves in this situation. But things will soon be okay.

“The financial crisis we are witnessing in Osun is not Aregbesola’s doing; in fact it is not limited to our state alone.

Twenty-three states are also witnessing the same financial quagmire; 18 of them owe between three to eight months salaries.

“It is sinful and mischievous

for anyone to say that the financial challenges in Osun are as a result of the spurious financial recklessness of the governor.

“With all sense of modesty, the accruable resources of the state have been judiciously and prudently managed by the governor.

“The resources of the state have been used for peoplecentred development and the massive developmental projects across the state are proportionate to the funds available to the state.

“Aregbesola is prudent and transparent. In a matter of time, Osun will come out strong and

Aregbesola cleared and freed.

“We want to appeal to workers to resume work. The strike is affecting the state’s economy.”

A Civil Society Organisation, Osun Progressive Left (OPL), has warned the opposition to stop its “hate campaign” against the government.

The Convener, Wale Adebisi, said any attempt to tamper with the governor’s mandate would be resisted.

He cautioned a civil society organisation, Centre for Human Rights and Justice, allegedly sponsoring the impeachment campaign not to allow its plan cause a breach of public peace.

Ondo PDP loses four petitions, APC two

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HE Ondo State Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Akure, the state capital, yesterday dismissed four petitions by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates on technical grounds.

Besides, the tribunal nullified two petitions byAPC candidates, challenging the victory of two PDP lawmakers.

The three-member panel,

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

led by Justice Anthony Ogar, dismissed a petition by Adeyinka Banso (PDP), who is challenging the victory of APC lawmaker, Sule Maito (Akoko North West 1).

The panel also invalidated a petition by PDP’s Kunle Olujuyigbe against the lawmaker representing Akure South II, Olajide Sunday.

The petition by Adeniyi Olugbemiga (PDP) against APC‘s Kazeem Sulaiman (Akoko Southwest 1) was also dismissed.

The lawmaker representing Owo II, Mukaila Ayinde (APC), recorded victory over his opponent, Abayomi Ode (PDP).

However, APC‘s Festus Aregbesola lost his petition, challenging the victory of the

Fake doctor: My life in danger, says friend •Ministry vows to recover nine yrs salaries, allowances

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HE friend of the fake doctor, George Davidson Daniel, has said his life is in danger.

Dr. Daniel, whose identity was assumed by his bosom friend, Martins Ugwu, told reporters yesterday at a briefing in the Ministry of Health, Abuja, that he was afraid.

“I hope when I leave here, my safety will be guaranteed and I hope that the concerned security agencies will know what to do.”

Daniel, who did not want to respond to questions from reporters, said he never envisaged that a day like this would come.

“I never thought that a day like this will come. The event has distracted me and I hope that after today, I can move on with my life,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Linus Awute, vowed to recover all the funds collected by Ugwu in the nine years he was with the min-

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

istry.

Awute directed the Director of Finance to compute the money paid to him within the period he assumed his friend’s identity.

The ministry also absolved itself of any wrong in the employment of the fake doctor.

The permanent secretary talked about the rot in the system, saying the fake doctor got the job a week after he applied for it.

Besides, he said from the way the suspect behaved, it was obvious he (Martins) was not working alone.

Awute urged international agencies and development partners to disregard all petitions from the suspect.

He said the suspect and his gang do not mean well for the ministry and the nation.

•Ugwu

lawmaker representing Akure South 1, Kemisola Adesanya (PDP).

Gbenga Edema (APC) also lost his case against PDP’s Coker Malachi (Ilaje 11) on technical grounds.

APC’s counsel Titiloye Charles said his clients would challenge the rulings but the PDP counsel, Remi Olatubora, said the verdicts were in order.

Ex-rep Daramola donates hospital to EKSUTH From Odunayo Ogunmola, Ado Ekiti

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FORMER House of Representatives member, Bimbo Daramola, yesterday donated an ultramodern hospital in Ire Ekiti to the management of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH).

The 36-bed hospital, named after his late mother, Joan Taiwo Daramola, was handed over by his father, Francis.

The keys were given to the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Kolawole Ogundipe, who was represented by the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, Dr. Kayode Ajite.

The hospital is equipped with a consulting room, Xray and t-scanning room, seminar room, modern laboratory, theatre, emergency unit, male, female and children’s wards, neo-natal ward and others.

The hospital is expected to serve neighbouring communities, such as Oye, Ilupeju, Itapa, Osin, Ayegbaju, Imojo, Itaji, Oloje, Afao, Igbemo and Ijan.

The foundation stone was laid on December 22, 2011 by former Governor Kayode Fayemi and it was inaugurated by former House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal on November 8, last year.

Daramola described the hospital as a non-profit project aimed at decongesting EKSUTH. He thanked Governor Ayo Fayose for approving the handover. The former lawmaker pleaded for the construction of the Ado—AfaoIre and Ijan-Igbemo-Ire roads for easy accessibility.

Ogundipe thanked Daramola for contributing to healthcare delivery in the state. He said the facilities would assist in training medical students and bring medical care closer to the grassroots.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

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NEWS

RAMADAN KAREEM

Ramadan 22, 1436AH

•Muslim women at the Tafsir at Masalanchin Tsofon Makabarta Fadaman Madah in Bauchi...yesterday.

RAMADAN GUIDE WITH FEMI ABBAS e-mail: femabbas@yahoo.com Tel: 08122697498

Laylatul Qadr

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IGHTS are naturally pregnant. They give birth to wonders in the day. In human life, the essence of night is not just to sleep and rest. It is also to plan how the day is to be well spent. Thus, the great things that men do in the day are initiated in the nights.

This is confirmed by the Almighty Allah in Qur’an 97:3 thus “The Night of power is better (and more prosperous) than one thousand months.” That Night of power, commonly known to Muslims as Laylatul-Qadr, is the mother of all nights.

It is the night in which the secret of human destiny is encapsulated. It is the night that combines all three divine features of Ramadan: blessings, forgiveness and emancipation of the faithful from the claw of Satan. It is the night in which Allah’s favour is showered on His obedient servants.

If only one night (Laylatul-Qadr) is more prosperous, for Muslims, than 1000 months according to the Qur’an, then meeting that one night once in a life’s time is enough for a true believer to gain entry into Al-Jannah. And, by analogy, it means that the average life span of modern man as determined by Allah is 83 years and four months. That is what 1000 months amount to in calculation of years.

Yet, in His mercy, Allah makes that night available to us every year. That makes it an endless opportunity for whoever seeks the favour of his Creator.

The exact night of Laylatul-Qadr in the month of Ramadan is not specified. This is to enable the faithful ones make efforts in seeking the favour of Allah, by searching for the night. Even Prophet Muhammad (SAW) could not be specific about identification of that night.

When he was asked about Laylatul-Qadr, all he could proffer as solution was for the Muslims to search for it among the last ten odd nights of Ramadan. Those are the odd nights that precede the last ten odd days of Ramadan. They are the 21st, the 23rd, the 25th, the 27th and the 29th nights of Ramadan.

But since one is not sure of which of those nights will actually be Laylatul-Qadr, the best way out is to wake up in all the last ten nights. And each night is spent by observing Nawafil (superogatory Salat), recitation of the Qur’an and the chanting of Allah’s glorification: Tasbih, Tahmid, Istighfar, Tahlil and Salat ala-n- Nabiyyi.

The number of rakats to be observed is not specific. It is according to one’s ability. Ditto the chanting. The recitation of the Qur’an can be done in Arabic only by those who understand Arabic and know the meaning of what they are reciting.

Others may recite the Qur’an in their vernacular languages or in English. The essence of reciting the Qur’an is to understand what the book contains to be able to meditate on those contents and act according to their meanings. It is of no use reciting what you do not understand. Even those who understand Arabic very well do sometimes make mistakes in the recitation of the Qur’an. After all these, one can then supplicate to Allah in a very sober and humble mood.

The best supplications are those already provided in the Qur’an. They are the supplications made by the Prophets who preceded Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and those made by the last prophet himself. Most of those supplications start with Rabbana (our Lord!) And, they contain all that any human being may wish to request from Allah.

In the night of power, thousands of Angels are dispatched into our own world (the earth) to say Amin to the prayers being offered by sincere Muslims.

PHOTO: NAN

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HE son of late Sheik Adam Al-Ilory, Abdullah Adam Abdullah, has urged Muslim leaders to exhibit humility, noting that such quality is needful for spiritual growth.

Speaking AT the Ramadan lecture/Iftar (breaking of fast) organised by the University of Ife Muslim Graduates Association (UNIFEMGA), Lagos chapter, held at Surulere in Lagos, Sheik Abdullah insisted Muslim leaders must be humble govern with the fear of Allah.

Quoting from a chapter in the Holy Qur’an, he clarified that the manner in which Allah created humans had made it burden upon them to show humility in their endeavours.

•Sheik Abdullah (with mic), fmr national president, Tunde Popoola and Engr Buhari (right) at the lecture.

Sheikh urges leaders to be humble

By Basirat Braimah

He said: “If everyone realises that Allah makes and unmakes, no one would display

an iota of pride towards another person. There is no one who is so rich that he cannot be made poor; no one who is so poor that Allah cannot make him rich.

“Whatever condition or situation you are today, whether you consider that desirable or not, Allah can reverse such in no time. We should therefore always fear Allah, show humility and goodness to fellow human being. Muslims should increase their act of good deeds”, he said.

He noted that Suraat A’ala clarified that it was Allah who enabled and endowed Prophet Muhammad (SAWW) specially to ease the task of prophet hood for him, noting “Muhammad would ordinarily not have chosen to undertake such a great assignment.”

“This chapter allows us to appreciate Muhammad and the attributes with which Allah endowed him. The stages we passed through in life have caused us to reach where we are today. One of the importances of the Suraat is that Allah can do anything for anyone at any time. Nothing is difficult for Allah, nothing is impossible”,

he said.

He added that the Suraah is a warning that life is vanity, that eternity is sure and that Allah enjoined man to take care of the hereafter than the current earthly life.

“A critical lesson of Surat-ul A’ala is that Allah serves us and that we don’t serve God; that a time there was we were nothing and Allah made us something; that we were something not because we were wise but because He (Allah) decided to make us as such,” he said.

The Lagos Chapter Chairman of the Association, Engr Muhammad Buhari, thanked members in attendance, commending them for their donations towards the event, urging members to redouble their spiritual commitments to noting that Muslims should be awake to look for the night of majesty.

Notable members who graced the event included Former National President, Alhaji Tunde Popoola; Bro. Abdul Lateef Akintunde; Bro. Yusuf Abdulateef; Bro. Abdugafar Arowogbadamu; Bro Kamil Oladipupo; and Bro. Taiwo Ayanboade.

We shall set up scales of justice for the day of judgement, so that not a soul will be dealth with unjustly in the least. And if there be no more than the weight of a mustard seed, we will bring it (to account): And enough are we to take account.

Qur’an 21 vs 47 Sponsored by ALHAJI KHAMIS OLATUNDE BADMUS Asiwaju Musulumi of Yorubaland

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

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BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

ECA: Jonathan approved $2.1b withdrawal, says Okonjo-Iweala From Chioma Onyia, Abuja

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ORMER President Goodluck Jonathan ap proved the withdrawal of $2billion from the Excess Crude Account (ECA), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said.

In a statement endorsed yesterday by her Media Adviser, Paul Nwabuikwu, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, said the payments were used to pay for petroleum subsidies.

The statement read said: “For the avoidance of doubt, at no time did Dr. Okonjo-Iweala say that FAAC approved such expenditures. What she said was that all these expenditures were discussed at FAAC meetings attended by Finance Commissioners from the 36 states. It is therefore clear that there was no misrepresentation by Dr. Okonjo-Iweala.

“If monies were used to pay for subsidies for the Nigerian people and duly approved, why is Okonjo-Iweala’s name being battered in this way?”

He argued that there was no question of mismanaging any resources here.

‘The present challenges we are facing should not deter us from growing our economy. It shouldn’t stop us from investing. It’s just a passing phase. Other countries that we refer to as developed started from somewhere’ •President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote

Senate asks CBN, Customs to recover $30b waiver funds T

HE Senate yesterday mandated the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to set machinery in motion to recover over $30 billion waivers granted to rice importers by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki gave the mandate when top officials of the CBN led by its Governor, Godwin Emefiele visited him in Abuja.

Saraki who insisted that the money must be recovered and paid back to government coffers said the waivers were granted on taxes and duties to certain companies.

He sad the country cannot succeed in attempts to build a buoyant economy when some people are enjoying unneces-

•External reserves now $31.89b, says CBN Gov From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor

sary tax holidays.

The CBN governor, he said, should immediately collaborate with the NCS to ensure that the money is recovered and paid back into government coffers.

He said the Senate will, when it resume plenary, reconsider Customs Act especially relating to waivers, to strengthen it and plug loopholes.

On the issue of smuggling, he said no matter how good the policy on import substitution may be, if smuggling continued the way its going on

now, the policy will not be successful.

He said government must find ways and means to stop big time smugglers that are well known.

Saraki said fiscal discipline has now become important more than ever before.

He urged the CBN to fish out government agencies that are used to not remitting accrued funds to the Consolidated Revenue Fund and force them to do the needful.

He said the diversification being underscored by President Muhammadu Buhari, should be pursued with vigour.

The CBN boss in his brief-

ing said the efforts of President Buhari to block all leakages as well as the vigilance of the CBN on foreign exchange reserve had started yielding result.

According to him, the external reserve which declined from $37.3 billion in June last year to $29.1 billion at the end of June this year has risen to $31.89 billion as at July 7th, this year.

Emefiele described the trend of the increase as extremely gratifying.

He said given the understanding that a fall in oil prices is temporary, and that some speculative activities were ongoing in the foreign exchange

Spear, IHS Energy partner on reservoir management

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

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PEAR Engineering Consulting Services has been appointed the official representative of IHS Incorporated in Nigeria. IHS is the owner of the Fekete Reservoir Management suites and a global leading source of information, insight and analytics in critical areas that shape business landscape.

The partnership will provide efficient reservoir and well performance management services from the globally recognised brand to interested oil and gas industry operators in Nigeria, Egypt and Equatorial Guinea, Spear Engineering said.

Its Group Chief Operating Officer of Spear Ventures, the parent company of Spear Engineering Consulting, Remi Akano said: “We are very excited to work with IHS Energy. As a company which delivers up-to-date expertise in individual professional disciplines, our drive is always to offer best-in-class, yet cost-effective solutions that will impact positively on the efficiency, productivity and the bottom line of our clients in the oil and gas industry.”

He said this is why one of the focuses of its service is to provide reservoir analyses and studies that will result in optimum strategy for clients’ field development planning as well as managing existing producing assets.

•From left: Managing Director, Easy Taxi, Adaora Asala; Group Head, Channels Services, Access Bank, Segun Ogbonnewo; Vice President and Area Business Head, West Africa, MasterCard Omokehinde Ojomuyide and Executive Director, Commercial Banking, Access Bank Plc Roosevelt Ogbonna, during the launch of PayWithCapture, a new multi-banking payment solution by Access Bank in Lagos.

market, the CBN took a number of proactive actions.

The actions, he said include further tightening of monetary policy, closure of the official foreign exchange window, review of operators’ net open position, placement of 72-hour limit on foreign exchange utilisation by customers, introduction of a two-way other based quota system, introduction of a bank-around CBN tentative rate and bank on selective items from assets to foreign exchange.

He said the policies have led to significant stabilisation in exchange rate and an improvement on the market segment, having earlier traded at as high as N206 to a dollar.

According to him, the naira to dollar exchange rate has appreciated and remained around N197 to a dollar in the interbank market in the last five months.

He insisted that the issues that currently confront the country is the need to diversify the structure of the economy from being import dependent to being an economy that produces what Nigerians should consume.

The CBN chief said liquidity consumption in the financial market remains relatively stable so far this year as growth money supply boomed as expected and capital and deposit as well above industry averages.

He said in view of this, the strategic demand of the country’s abandoned system remained remarkably good.

The CBN, he said, will continue to be vigilant in the market to ensure that there is no tolerance for speculators.

He said that Nigerian foreign reserve remained the country’s common wealth “and we must all strive to work together to protect this and prevent speculators and ruin seekers from plundering it.”

Technical fault shuts trading on New York Stock Exchange

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HE New York Stock Ex change (NYSE) sus pended trading in all securities on its platform yesterday for hours, over what it called an internal technical issue.

The fault led to a cancellation of all open orders as investors shifted activity to other venues.

NYSE, a unit of Intercontinental Exchange Inc, said the halt, was not the result of a cyber attack. Other exchanges were trading normally.

“We will be providing further updates as soon as we can, and are doing our utmost to

•United Airlines grounds flights produce a swift resolution, communicate thoroughly and transparently, and ensure a timely and orderly market reopen,” an exchange spokeswoman said.

There are 11 US stock exchanges, and NYSE-listed stocks continued to trade on other venues, such as those run

by Nasdaq OMX Group and BATS Global Markets.

“This is one of the rare cases where the fragmented markets we live in actually serve a purpose,” said Dave Nadig,

director of exchange-traded funds at FactSet Research Systems. “If this happened (elsewhere), you would just be sitting staring at a blank screen.”

Trading however resumed late yesterday afternoon, more than three hours after the technical outage that halted activity.

The issues at NYSE came on the same day that computer problems led United Airlines to ground all its flights for about two hours and the home page of the Wall Street

Journal’s website temporarily went down.

The US Department of Homeland Security said there were no signs that the problems at NYSE and United Airlines stemmed from “malicious activity,” CNN reported.

Nearly all US trading is done electronically, and the NYSE outage again raised questions about the technology at exchanges after major glitches in recent years.

A technical problem at NYSE’s Arca exchange in March caused some of the most popular exchange-traded

funds to be temporarily unavailable for trading. And in August 2013, trading of all Nasdaq-listed stocks was frozen for three hours, leading US Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Mary Jo White to call for a meeting of Wall Street executives to insure “continuous and orderly” functioning of the markets.

United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said on Wednesday that it was closely monitoring the situation at NYSE. The White House said President Barack Obama had been briefed on the matter.

West African capital market regulators agree on information sharing

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HE economic integra tion of the West African sub-region moved a step closer with capital regulators of the sub-region forming an association known as West Africa Securities Regulators Association (WASRA) to support the integration of the capital markets within the sub-region.

From Nduka Chiejina, Assistant Editor and Chioma Onyia, Abuja

Addressing reporters yesterday during the signing ceremony of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Abuja, the Director General, Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commis-

sion (SEC) Alhaji Mounir Gwarzo said capital market regulators in the sub-region have not had a close collaboration and close interface within the Commissions in the past.

Based on this, the sub-regional regulators have looked at corporate entities that are listed in more than one jurisdiction “so

we can have interface either in terms of financial literacy or in terms of enforcement to see that countries come together and share information.”

Since information is critical to the capital market and the association, Gwarzo said they “looked at the issue of information and agreed that we are go-

ing to form a team within our own jurisdictions who will have a close interface with the various jurisdictions particularly as it relates to some companies that have dual listings so that whatever they do anywhere, that information is shared among us, we think this is good for the market and also good for investors.”

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

BUSINESS NEWS Customs destroys 8,000 cartons of poultry products in Lagos

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•From left: Chairman, Board of Directors, Unity Bank Plc, Thomas Etuh; Inspector-General of Police Solomon Arase and Acting Managing Director/CEO Unity Bank Plc, Aisha Azumi Abraham, during a courtesy visit at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.

Investors seek partnership with Lagos •Ambode assures of enabling environment, return on investment

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GROUP of local and foreign investors yes terday met with the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode where they expressed their readiness to partner with the state government on infrastructural development.

The meeting held at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja, had directors and team leaders of top multinationals in attendance including Julius Berger, JP Morgan, Wested Group, Contraco Nigeria, among others.

Director of Julius Berger, Mutiu Sunmonu, who spoke with reporters shortly after the meeting, said the session with the governor was fruitful, just as he expressed optimism that it would go a long way to define the way the state government intends to go in boosting its economy.

“I could say that the governor has very bold steps and very bold ideas for Lagos State. This interactive session has also opened the way for further discussions such that we can actualise some of the projects that we have discussed today. I think it’s really a thing of pride that His Excellency has

opened his door for investors,” he said.

On his part, the Managing Director, Senior Country Officer for JP Morgan in Nigeria, Oluwatosin Adewuyi, commended the governor for convening the meeting, saying his company is excited to partner the state government in achieving its economic goals.

He added that it would go a long way to enhance the confidence of investors to put their money in projects that would improve the lives of the citizenry.

“I’m very excited, some bold and creative plans and I believe that is actually what is required in the next decade in Lagos. It’s always refreshing to spend time with the Governor who understands financing, and he does. It was two hours well spent and its best for us to move Lagos forward.

“We’re a global bank and so, essentially our key skill set is to attract investors into countries and taking local companies out of Nigeria to raise capital and so from our perspective there’s a myriad of projects that need to be financed and that’s where we need to come in,” he said.

Leader of the team of in-

vestors, Pastor Idowu Iluyomade said both the state government and the local and international investors and banks are looking forward to a long term partnership that will be beneficial to the growth of the state.

In his remarks Ambode said the meeting was in line with his campaign promise to open the state for greater business as well as create enabling environment for investments to thrive.

He also assured that the state will witness substantial infrastructural development in the first four years of his administration.

He said: “What we have just done is to meet with a group of investors who have actually taken keen interest in what has been happening in Lagos in the last six weeks.

“We have business men and investors who are interested in our infrastructure, water, health and also power. Like I’ve always said, Lagos is going to greater heights, they have shown commitment this afternoon, they have also promised that the next four years, Lagos will be something totally different from

what it used to be.

“We’ve had fruitful discussions; we’ve looked at areas where we can partner together and areas where they can actually even invest freely, because they have confidence in Lagos state and that’s why they’ve been able to demonstrate that Lagos is actually open for every other investor to come into.”

Governor Ambode said the state government has shown its capacity to become the hub of investment in Nigeria, just as he assured the investors of his commitment to ensure they get return on their investment.

“We’re committed. We’ve shown that we’re credible enough to be the hub of investment in Nigeria. We’ve also shown that we are going to be transparent and we are going to be credible and that we would obey the rule of law and ensure that investments are safe in Lagos.

“As you’ll see, we believe strongly that we want to grow the GDP of Lagos and create more jobs for our people and that’s the step we’ve taken today, we’ll take the right steps and the right decisions,” the governor said.

DPR warns marketers on fuel hoarding, price hike

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HE Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has warned oil marketers and depot owners against hoarding of premium motor spirit (petrol) and selling it above the official pump price of N87 per litre.

At a meeting with members of Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) and Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) yesterday in Lagos, the DPR accused the marketers of being responsible for the lingering fuel scarcity.

The oil industry regulator also warned the marketers against selling petrol above the regulated price. It stated that the fuel they sell was imported under the Petroleum Support Fund (PSF) scheme and shouldn’t be sold above N87 per litre.

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

DPR’s Head, Downstream, Alphonsus Mudei who stood in for the Director, Mr. Mordecai Danteni Baba Ladan, said the Department would no longer tolerate deliberate flouting of the law by marketers.

He said: “In the last few months, the nation has experienced epileptic supply of PMS, which has reflected in the sale of this product above official pump price. We have evidence to buttress this. We find this trend unacceptable given that marketers with whom we have constantly interacted with have benefitted from the Petroleum Support Fund, which has enabled marketers to operate their businesses at a level that should guarantee constant and uninterrupted supply of products.

“However, some marketers

have consistently flouted government’s directives by selling above ex-depot price, which in turn translates to higher prices at the pump.

“The DPR has resolved henceforth that it would not allow a situation whereby supply of PMS is dictated by the private interests of marketers and dealers to the detriment of the Nigerian public, neither will the Department condone any act of selling PMS above official pump price in government licensed facilities under any guise whatsoever.

“We once more caution those of you who still engage in the practice of selling PMS and DPK above government stipulated prices or who engage in acts of hoarding of these products to desist from it in the interest of the public, the economy and your petroleum business.”

The Zonal Vice Chairman, IPMAN Western Zone, Kunle Bamigboye, said IPMAN members suffer fuel starvation the most. He stated that none of their members gets two trucks of PMS in a month because of lack of fuel. He lamented that they buy PMS at below the regulated price only from the depots of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) but the supply is very irregular.

However, when they buy form the depots of DAPPMA members, the price is always above the pump price and as businessmen, they have to sell above the regulated price to make profit.

Another IPMAN member, Olumide Ogunmade said if the NNPC will supply them fuel regularly, they would stop buying from the private depots and none of their members will sell above N87 per litre.

HE Comptroller-Gen eral, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi has ordered the destruction of over 8,000 catorns of seized frozen poultry products at Seme border area of Lagos State, to protect local industry and save the nation’s economy.

Findings revealed that the market value of the seized products is over N52million.

Speaking at the official launching of operation ‘hawk descend’, Abdullahi, who was represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs (DCG) Musa Tahir said the town hall meeting was organised to put an end to the smuggling of poultry products into the country.

Abdullahi told the gathering which included poltry farmers, traders, community leaders and other seecurity agencies that the Cutoms has

By Oluwakemi Dauda

put together a special action plan that will allow the nation’s poultry farmers to remain in business and boost the economy.

Nigeria, he said, could no longer be used as dumping ground and warned the smugglers to desist the illegal trade or face the law.

The Customs boss said the over 8,000 cartons were seized by the combined efforts of his officers at Federal Operation Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’ Ikeja,; Seme, Idi-Iroko and Western Marine Command, Apapa.

Abdullahi therefore, directed all his officers covering Lagos, Oguns, Oyo, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti to declare zero tolerance to smuggling of poultry products and bring the perpetrators to book.

World Bank commends NDIC for target funding

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HE World Bank has commended the Ni geria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) for its robust Target Fund Ratio Framework which enables the Corporation to meet its obligation to depositors.

Head, World Bank Technical Team, Mr Julian Casal, gave the commendation at the end of its 4-day working visit to the NDIC for a formal presentation of the Target Fund Ratio Framework and capacity building to workers of the Corporation.

A statement from the NDIC signed by Mallam Hadi S. Birchi, Head, Communication and Public Affairs said Mr Casal praised the NDIC’s Target Fund Ratio Framework which was described as “suitable in determining the adequacy of the Corporation’s deposit insurance fund (DIF); adding that the framework was a ‘model’ and expressed their intention to adopt the document as a benchmark for other African deposit

From Nduka Chiejina, Assistant Editor

insurance corporations.

Responding, NDIC’s Managing Director and Chief Executive, Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim expressed appreciation to the World Bank for its continuous support to the Corporation’s capacity building initiative and effective discharge of its mandate.

Before concluding its assignment, the World Bank team, comprising Messrs Jan Philipp Nolte and John O’Keefe interacted with the NDIC workers from relevant departments with a view to clarifying the data and other issues considered in establishing the target fund ratio framework.

They also interacted with other stakeholders in the banking sector, including officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) on issues relating to banking supervision and distress resolution.

Perm Sec in trouble over FAAC allocation

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HE Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Anastasia Mabi Daniel-Nwaobia, may have incurred the wrath of the Senate for her refusing to honour an invitation to give the breakdown of May Federal Account Allocation meeting.

A memo dated June 29, addressed to her and marked “ Request for Federal Account Allocation Committee (May 2015) Breakdown” requested Nwaobia to appear and furnish the Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki with the FAAC meeting breakdown.

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor

The memo signed by the Chief of Staff to the Senate President, Senator Isah Galaudu, asked her to appear yesterday by 11am.

The memo read in part: “Recall that the National Assembly was inaugurated on the 9th of June, 2015 thereby marking the beginning of the legislative activities of the 8th Senate.

“You are also invited to come along with relevant heads of agencies for a briefing on the subject matter with the Senate leadership.”

Etisalat’s photography competition begins

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TISALAT in association with the African Art ist’s Foundation (AAF), organisers of Lagos Photo Festival, has announced the 2015 edition of the Etisalat Photography Competition themed ‘I love Nigeria’. This year’s competition will run between July 6 and September 28, and photographers are expected to submit images in four categories: places, people, fashion and food through www.lagosphotoapp.net

Speaking on the competition, Director, Brand and Experience, Etisalat Nigeria, Enitan Denloye, said: “Since commencing operations in Nigeria over six years ago, Etisalat has remained committed to delivering innovative, life changing, products and services to customers and supporting creativity and innovation. This commitment has led to our continuous support of the LagosPhoto Festival and the development of the arts in the Nigeria.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

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THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

THE NATION

BUSINESS ENERGY

E-mail:- energy@thenationonlineng.net

Why Lagos is not yet among oil producing states L

AGOS State’s hope of joining the league of oil producing states this year may have been dashed following the crash in oil price. Crude price fell from an average of $100 per barrels to below $50 per barrel by first quarter of this year.

During the third quarter of last year, a consortium led by Yinka Folawiyo Petroleum Company Limited took a final investment decision (FID) to develop the first phase of the Aje field, shallow water asset in oil mining lease (OML 113).

But, after taking the FID for the development of the $220 million

Stories by Emeka Ugwuanyi

project, oil price fell and it is only recovering gradually, standing at an average of $60 per barrel.

The first phase of the development was anticipated to produce 10,000 barrels of crude oil daily but the price dip forced many firms to review their work programmes and workforce.

The former Lagos State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Taofiq Tijani, told The Nation that low oil price coupled with non-passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB)

stopped the reasons there is no exploration for fresh oil discovery.

He said besides low oil price and eforts by Folawiyo, Afren and Lekoil in Lagos, oil business is basically a Federal Government issue. Lagos is not a regulator. The oil and gas business in Nigeria is on the exclusive legislative list.

“The only benefit Lagos State will have is, once those companies start producing, it can be called an oil producing state and definitely it will get the benefit of derivation and that is what the state is looking forward to.

“The state government has also established an oil and gas agency - Ibile Oil and Gas Corporation.

The government has also appointed a general manager to head that agency. The agency too can go out and look for technical partner to have an asset that it can develop and also get revenue for the state from such areas just like other states such as Delta and Bayelsa States,’’ he added.

He also said exploration have not increased over the years because the Federal Government has not put the right legislation in place to encourage people to come and carry out exploration,

and principally because the National Assembly has not concluded the PIB. “I believe that once the PIB is concluded and passed, it will encourage people to come and invest in the oil and gas sector because they will be in the know of the fiscal policies in place. You have to know the fiscal policies or fiscal regime before you do your economic analysis. I think this is a major factor that is holding down exploration. Hopefully this new government will do anything possible to rectify this problem in order to stir up exploration activities,” he added.

N291b subsidy debt: Govt, marketers in waiting game

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FTER a stakeholders’ meeting convened by the government early last month when the oil marketers were promised reimbursement of their outstanding fuel subsidy, the marketers are yet to hear from the government. The marketers have also decided to continue to quietly wait despite the government’s “worrisome” silence.

The Executive Secretary, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Mr. Obafemi Olawore in a telephone chat with The Nation, said since the meeting with the government, they (marketers) have not heard from them (government). He said: “We have met with the government and they promised to pay but we have not heard from them since then.” He refused to make further comment on the issue.

The implication of non-payment of the debt is that the interest has continued to soar. As at the time the Federal Government made the last payment in April, the outstanding was a little above N200 billion but by end of May the Executive Secretary, Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA), Mr. Olufemi Adewole said the debt has gone up to N291 billion. The major marketers and DAPPMA members are jointly owed the subsidy debt. Therefore, with the increasing interest on the loan, the debt will by now be well over N300 billion.

The marketers have since May refused to make further imports of fuel. They have insisted that until the government clears the arrears,

they will not import. Currently, it’s only the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) that imports and the Corporation only has the capacity to meet 50 per cent of national demand of about 40 million litres per day of premium motor spirit (petrol). The situation accounts for the recurrence of scarcity and selling of the product above regulated price of N87 per litres by some filling stations especially those owned by independent marketers.

To ease distribution and make the product accessible to consumers, NNPC gives the marketers part of its imports to sell in their retail outlets. NNPC doesn’t have adequate retail outlets that will enable fuel consumers access the product.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mr.Taiye Hassan Haruna at the beginning of last month, had a closed door meeting with the ministry’s agencies and stakeholders in the oil and gas industry including members of MOMAN, DAPPMA, Pipelines and Products Marketing Company Limited (PPMC), Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), members of the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).

The stakeholders reached an agreement to ensure steady flow of fuel but with a promise from the government that outstanding subsidy debt would be paid but a month after, the promise has remained unfulfilled.

FCT wins NNPC’s 2015 quiz • Bursary now N250,000

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HE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) representing the North Central Zone has won the 2015 NNPC annual national quiz competition.

The contest was won by three students from some secondary schools in the FCT. They will enjoy university scholarships to be sponsored by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in any institution.

Speaking during the grand finale of the event at the NNPC Towers, Abuja, the Group Managing Director of the Corporation, Dr. Joseph T. Dawha, felicitated with the winners, assuring of the readiness of the NNPC to sustain the programme to mentor the leaders of tomorrow to succeed in their academic pursuits.

Dawha said the competition, which is the 14th edition, has lived

up to the objectives for which it was instituted, adding that most of the winners of the competition in the past have graduated with flying colours from various universities across the country.

According to him, since the competition made its debut 14 years ago, it has helped in developing the interest of young Nigerians in studying science and technology courses in tertiary institutions across the country and beyond. He said the scholarship scheme has not only helped the development of science and technology in the country but has also gone a long way in assisting the nation’s future leaders to prepare towards contributing their quota to national development.

He assured that NNPC would not relent in supporting this competi• Continued on page 33

•From left: Tekena M.T Braide Secretary REIF(1st) ( Mr Ibifiri A.C Bobmanuel President RIEF (2nd) kudo EresiaEke (4th) Senibo B.J Clapp Jumbo Trustee RIEF( 4th) and Chief Giadomerico Rassari Trustee RIEF (5th)

Firm unveils gas technology

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FIRM, has developed a natural gas technology using - a dual fuel High Pressure Direct Injection (HPDI) for off-road trucks and locomotives.

MANTRAC Managing Director Edmund Martin-Lawson said users of high horsepower applications, such as those in mining and locomotives need the technology because of its environmental and financial benefits to them.

The firm also introduced a lineup of dual-fuel products called ‘Dynamic Gas Blending’ (DGB) kits. These products, which leverage Mantrac’s high-horsepower diesel engines and burn a range of fuels including field gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) are available in Nigeria now.

HPDI and DGB retrofit kits according to the company, are available to customers of caterpillar engines, standing behind the performance to guarantee the performance and reliability of its gas solutions.

Application of the utility gas generator would ensure efficient use of resources, reduced energy costs as well as increased revenue opportunities for the end users.

He said the base load generator set power plants could range in size from just a few megawatts (MW) for a small island to cover 100mw for larger metropolitan areas. The power plants could be built with many two to six mega-

By Ambrose Nnaji

watts size class generators operating in parallel as a central source of electricity for the local electric grid.

Martin-Lawson said power plant solutions could operate at the highest point of between two and 50Mw and ranges from 100 to 33,000 hours yearly.

He said most 100 hour-per-year plants would be diesel fuelled and cover a super peak while natural gas fueled power plant economics favour higher hour applications and longer duration peak demand.

He said electric utilities could operate gas engine generators continuously to serve base electrical loads.

This, he said, is, particularly, advantageous in the absence of a reliable centralised power plant, or where the economics and availability of natural gas fuel are key drivers.

He said cat utility grade parading switchgear would operate multiple generator sets together and in parallel with the main utility grid.

According to him, the power produced from these generators during the peak times of day could be transmitted to meet local customers’ needs or sold in open, real-time markets at the spot price for a profit.

It also provides utility scale gas

rental power modules through the cat rental power that could be quickly sent and installed to make up immediate power shortages, he added He said natural gas presents huge opportunities as its availability increases, along with the development of technologies to use in more products.

He said the company was committed to developing technologies that would boost growth in natural gas in the country.

He said the company provides caterpillar generators and engines for the oil and gas sector and industrial users with a range of output to 14,000kva, including gas applications.

According to him, the options of gas-powered generator sets give the industrial customers up to 70 per cent saving on running costs The generator sets, he said, were made to run on abundant gas sources with fuel flexible options, ranging from 20 to 9700 eKW, with customisable options to match your power needs, adding that the generator sets are easy to install.

He noted that the country’s economic growth and industrialisation drive depend on the amount of energy available.

He said with the increased economic activity in the country and as the world evolves into a more digital economy, there is need to ensure reliable power supply in the country

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

ENERGY Power improves in Lagos as Ayade, Okowa inaugurate N3b Egbin exceeds 1000mw output Fynefield's fuel depot C

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ROSS River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade and his Delta State counterpart Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa have inaugurated the 40million-litre capacity petroleum products depot built by Fynefield Petroleum at the Calabar Free Trade Zone.

The facility has capacity for 40,734,724 litres of petroleum products. It takes 20,413,594 litres of premium motor spirit (PMS) or petrol, 10,157,073 litres of dual purpose kerosene (DPK), and 10,164,057 litres of automotive Gas Oil (AGO) or diesel.

Ayade praised owners of Fynefield Petroleum for the huge investment, describing it as a significant milestone and a big boost to the economic and social development of the state and Nigeria. He said the facilities would provide several employment to Nigerians as well as enhance speedy distribution of products across the country.

He thanked Fynefield Petroleum’s management for choosing Cross River as the location for the depot.

“We are very glad you chose to make this huge investment in Calabar. We can assure you that it is a very good decision,” he said.

Ayade said his administration was already working on the identified challenges. “My administration is aware of some of the challenges that

Stories by Emeka Ugwuanyi

you have mentioned and we are already working on them. I assure you that the evacuation corridor will no longer be a challenge. In no distant time the construction of 240 kilometre highway from Calabar down to ikot-Ogoja will commence, the contract has been signe few days ago.

“On the issue of draft which I understand has increased your cost of doing business because you are not able to load your vessels to full capacity; this government has thought it wise to set up a special task force to dredge the channel. In 18 months’ time modern vessels will be able to berth in Calabar because we are commencing the construction of a deep sea port,” he added.

Okowa lauded the project as a huge investment, a source of employment for youths and a boost to petroleum products distribution in the Southsouth and in the North.

Acknowledging the challenges faced by depot operators in the area, the governor appealed to his Cross River colleague to look into the areas of concern raised, assuring that he was confident that Ayade appreciated the importance of providing an enabling environment for business to thrive.

Managing Director, Fynefield Petroleum FZE, Gabriel Ogbechie

said the depot was built to enrich the distribution chain of petroleum products in the country. He said the depot would, in addition to Cross River, serve neighbouring states, such as Akwa Ibom, Abia, Imo, Taraba, Plateau and others in the North.

He said the investment was the company’s contribution to the economic development of Cross River State in particular and Nigeria at large.

“This facility will provide direct employment to over 50 individuals and hundreds indirect jobs because trucks will come to the facility from all over the country to lift petroleum products,” he said.

On the challenges in the distribution of products, Ogbechie said poor road network was the most critical. He urged the federal and state governments to attend to road infrastructure challenge, especially the Calabar-Ikot Ekpene road and Calabar-Ikom-Ogoja road, which links Cross River with the Northern part of the country.

He also said due to the low draft of the Calabar River channel, which is 6.4 metres, they had to load 15,000 metric tonnes of products into vessels as against the 30,000 tonnes capacity thereby increasing operational cost.

USTOMERS of the Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCos) in Lagos have confirmed that electricity supply has improved remarkably when compared to previous supply.

The improvement, however, was as a result of improved generation at the Egbin Power Plc. The 1320 megawatts (mw) capacity plant is currently producing over 1000mw for the first time since it started operation.

Many customers in Lagos said the hours of supply have doubled and some areas that have been darkness are getting supply. However, some areas are still battling darkness.

The management of Egbin said the improvement in generation was due to continued investment and upgrade activities on the plant by the Sahara Power Group and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), the new owners of the company.

It said before the company was privatised in November 2013, the average generation was below 500MW because the plant’s six turbines were in deplorable state.

The Chairman, Egbin Power Plc, Mr. Kola Adesina said the improved output is a testament of the unfolding success of the privatisation and power sector reform in Nigeria. He attributed the achievement partly to the direct intervention of the Federal Government in

Firm trains employees in Ghana

F

•From left: Mantrac Nigeria strategic Planning and Marketing Manager, James Agama; Managing Director, Edmund Martin-Lawson; General Manager Power System, Ibrahim El Bassioney; Gas large project segment Manager, Mohammed El wafa and Territory Marketing Cordinator, Olamide Alliu, during a press conference in Lagos.

Operators urged to invest in gas processing

T

O make gas available, operators in the oil and gas industry have been urged to invest in gas processing facilities.

The Chief Executive Officer, Seven Energy International Limited, Philip Iheanacho, made the call when he spoke with The Nation in Lagos.

He said such investment is necessary given the dearth of the product, adding that it is responsible for the shut-in of several megawatts (MW) of electricity. He said many power plants have capacity to generate but no gas. He noted that some of the power plants might deteriorate if they are starved of gas and kept idle for so long.

He said: “For us to meet the amount of gas required by the power sector there is urgent need for more investment in gas processing. I also feel concerned that some of the power plants may begin to depreciate in the next few years if we don’t get gas to run them in time. Once you are completing the construction of a gas plant there is need to introduce the gas and run machinery steadily.

“There is possibility the power plants will deteriorate in few years

By Ambrose Nnaji

because when you build a power plant some metallic particles are competing with it, which implies that you start supplying it with gas to enable it run on a continuous basis.”

He said the immediate past government did well in setting a framework for gas. He gave them kudos in the power sector reform, noting that the changes would take time to materialise.

He urged the government to work with stakeholders in the oil and gas sector who are interested in gas development and look at making gas projects more viable and bankable.

There was also the need to look at optimising credit enhancement for power projects in order to encourage investment, he added.

Iheanacho called on the government to look at facilitating access to gas market. “We should as a country be doing annual bid round for oil and gas acreages. It is not a big deal doing it on a regular basis because that will bring in those interested in investing in the sector.

“If we have more valuable

projects, we will have access to the banks. Government has to look at more innovative ways to attract capital by looking at innovative ways of creating more projects in the upstream sector,” he added.

Iheanacho said there is huge potential in gas business in Nigeria because it has a huge population that needs energy, and also has abundant deposit of hydrocarbon resources.

However, the infrastructure that will connect the population demand to the resources is still missing, he said, adding gas is fundamental to solving our power problem in Nigeria.

He said his company is engaged oil and gas exploration, development, production and distribution, and is committed to become a leading supplier of gas to the Nigerian domestic market for power consumption. We have built capacity to attract medium to long term investment funds from reputable international and local financial institutions that share in our optimism to harness Nigeria’s gas resources.

its determination to resolve the power crisis. “This is driving the increase in power supply in the nation, boosting socio-economic development. Prior to this, we had invested heavily and had the plant ready to generate power at full capacity but there was no gas to do so. This is indeed a good development for the power sector in Nigeria,” he said.

Egbin’s Chief Executive Officer, Dallas Peavey said about N50 billion in new capital has been invested in the power company post-privatisation. He noted that the Sahara Power/KEPCO partnership has brought to the power plant an unprecedented level of innovativeness, professionalism, human capital development and continuing investment in new technology.

Peavey also said the company focused on human capital development for efficient service delivery.

He said: “In 2014, 107 young Nigerian graduate engineers were recruited into our Graduate Engineering Programme (GEP). In the true spirit of national development, the engineers were sent to the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) for year training under the Graduate Skills Development Programme. They graduated last week and have begun to contribute their quota in strengthening the company and power sector.”

MC Technologies has trained 16 of its employees from across Africa at a week-long leadership programme in Ghana.

The management course, designed by FMC Technologies University’s Talent Development group, was customised to fit the diverse population as well as the logistical requirements for the region. The university, launched in 2012, gives employees the opportunity to advance their skills.

Management Essentials include modules on Transition to Leader; Cultural Diversity; Human Resources Fundamentals and Crucial Conversation. Participants were from a variety of professional backgrounds, job responsibilities and cultural backgrounds.

Ajikere Abuchi, Surface Operation Supervisor in Port Harcourt, said: “The training was the best I have ever had in my career and touched on every aspect of what I need to carry out my leadership responsibilities. In my 14 years of working with FMC Technologies, I have found that the company has a

great regard for staff training and development. It gives staff the flexibility to acquire knowledge from other departments and encourages employees on their career paths, and that contributes to a conducive working culture and environment.”

“The course was a great success, and a positive step toward strengthening the nationalisation of FMC Technologies’workforce.

The focus on collaboration between diverse cultures during the training resulted in building strong relationships and networks.

Equally importantly, the company is building momentum in the nurturing of strong leaders from countries such as Angola, Egypt, Ghana and Nigeria,” he added.

The company said it focuses on developing people and skills across the continent, with future programmes on mentor/coaching; collaboration with educational institutions in the region; career development (job rotation/changing assignments); project management training; and additional leadership programmes.

FCT wins NNPC’s 2015 quiz • Continued from page 18

tion and other community-based efforts aimed at building national human capacities and capabilities stressing that the NNPC would continue to execute many more strategic community development projects, particularly those that would improve Nigerians.

Dawha announced the increase of the bursary from N100,000 to N250,000 yearly for all NNPC scholars in their first degree programmes.

The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Taiye Hassan Haruna represented by the Director Reform and Coordination Mrs. Edna Eneh commended the NNPC for giving the young ones the opportunity to compete at the national stage stressing that hard work is the only way out of hard life.

The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education Dr. MacJohn Nwaobiala represented by Mrs. Justina Ibe, Director Support Services in the Ministry applauded the NNPC for encouraging science based education, saying it would

help sustain the programme of the Federal Government.

A pioneer winner of the NNPC quiz competition, Modungwo Andrew Nwabu, expressed gratitude to the NNPC for the award of scholarship that saw him through his university education and called on the winners to do the Corporation proud.

The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Ohi Alegbe said the NNPC as a responsible and responsive corporate citizen, would continue to contribute its quota to adding value to the educational sector through its annual quiz competition.

The list of finalists for the competition were made up of the champions of the six geo-political zones, including Akwa Ibom for the Southsouth, Anambra for the Southeast, FCT for the Northcentral, Lagos for Southwest, Katsina for Northwest and Gombe for Northeast.

The contest was in English Language, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Biology and General Knowledge.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

17

COMMENTARY EDITORIALS

LETTER

Arase and police roadblocks

Not yet •Boko Haram is no group to negotiate with, unless they are considerably weakened

I

N the six weeks preceding the April 22nd presidential election, the Nigerian military launched a fierce onslaught against the extremist Boko Haram insurgents reclaiming scores of towns and villages in the North-East zone previously captured by the sect and freeing hundreds of its captives. Most Nigerians were, however, unimpressed. They could not fathom why it was only six weeks to reelection that the former President Goodluck Jonathan administration was taking decisive action against a six-yearold insurgency that had claimed thousands of lives, displaced an even larger number of persons and practically paralyzed social and economic life in Nigeria’s North East.

This was a key reason why the majority of the Nigerian electorate decided to vote for incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who was widely perceived as best placed to rid the country of the Boko Haram plague given his military antecedents. However, the defeat of the PDP and the emergence since May 29 of the APC as the country’s ruling party has not stemmed the tide of Boko Haram atrocities with the immediacy desired by Nigerians. Indeed, the pre-election momentum of the Nigerian military has ebbed and the insurgents, utilising hit-and-run guerrilla tactics and suicide bombers, appear to be gaining the upper hand again.

It can logically be deduced from this that the string of victories recorded by the Nigerian military against Boko Haram prior to the elections stemmed, not from a care-

fully planned counter-insurgency strategy but rather a last-ditch desperate attempt to aid Dr Goodluck Jonathan’s reelection bid. Thus, the country still finds itself burdened with a largely crippled military hobbled by the structural, psychological, logistical and ethical problems that had humbled a once proud professional outfit before a rag tag Boko Haram force.

At least 500 persons have reportedly been killed by Boko Haram insurgents since President Buhari’s assumption of office. Its victims over the last one month have included Christians and Muslims who have been killed in savage attacks in Potiskum, Yobe State, Jos, Plateau State, Kano metropolis and Zaria, Kaduna State to name a few. Many Nigerians are understandably getting increasingly frustrated and disenchanted given the high hopes they reposed in President Buhari to decisively tackle the country’s security challenges. But it is early days yet.

On its part, however, the administration sent out a wrong signal of weakness when the President’s Special Adviser on media and publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, recently indicated its willingness to negotiate with the extremists. Yes, a political resolution should be kept on the cards. But negotiation cannot be an immediate option for an organisation as anarchic, barbaric and nihilistic as Boko Haram. It is only when the organisation has been decisively broken militarily and is thus forced to seek a negotiated settlement that any political solution can be meaningful.

President Buhari has shown a commitment to ending the insurgency. He has visited the presidents of Chad and Niger Republics while the latter as well as the President of Benin Republic and the Defence Minister of Cameroun have also visited him in Abuja. The result has been the on-going evolution of a multinational task force billed to be fully operational at the end of July. He has also relocated the Military Command Centre to Borno State, the epicentre of the insurgency.

But then, the President must be sensitive to the fact that people are being killed by the insurgents on a daily basis and this must not be allowed to continue.

The urgent and comprehensive overhauling of the current military high command will surely send a positive signal both to the military and Nigerians that this president indeed means business as regards the total routing of Boko Haram.

‘Many Nigerians are understandably getting increasingly frustrated and disenchanted given the high hopes they reposed in President Buhari to decisively tackle the country’s security challenges. But it is early days yet’

Cracking the Ikorodu heist •Kudos to the Lagos Police Command for apprehending the dare-devil robbers but…

I

T was a most audacious outing by men of the underworld in the afternoon of June 24, when they held Ikorodu town hostage for hours and successfully robbed two banks. By the time the bandits escaped through the waterways with their loot, the State Command had lost more face than the banks lost cash.

It is apposite that robberies will always happen but for a gang to hold out an entire town in a megacity like Lagos and ransack two banks in broad daylight unchallenged draws the picture of a near Hobbesian state. And the questions are: could the state be so vulnerable; so unsecured and unmanned? In fact, a police division is within sight of the scene of the crime and the hoodlums reportedly fired shots in its premises and dared the policemen to respond. Of course, the men in uniform reportedly fled like crazy at the first boom of the robbers’ gun.

‘While we commend the State Command for its efforts in making sure that criminals are always apprehended eventually, we ask that the entire policing template of the state be reviewed and revamped to suit a fastgrowing city like Lagos’

Though the police in this instance were neither proactive nor responsive but the good news today is that the miscreants have been apprehended by the Command. At least some of them; which we expect would culminate in the round-up of the rest. The out-gone State Police Commissioner, Mr. Kayode Aderanti, had over the weekend, paraded four men who had confessed to being members of the gang. Also on display were a couple of four-wheel drives they confessed to have acquired with the proceeds of the crime.

Better late than never, we aver, but modern policing has gone beyond mere reactive chasing and shooting after criminals. A few months ago, the same scenario as happened in Ikorodu had played out in Lekki axis of the state. Yes, the armed men were also reportedly apprehended, but after the fact of the loss of innocent lives and property.

While we commend the State Command for its efforts in making sure that criminals are always apprehended eventually, we ask that the entire policing template of the state be reviewed and revamped to suit a fast-growing city like Lagos. We expect a police force that is more proactive, that is steeped in intelligence and that can preempt crime much more than it apprehends criminals.

We also suggest the fortification of the divisions in a manner that they can hold out against hoodlums no matter how intense the attack may be. In the Ikorodu and Lekki heist, we expected that signals would have gone out from the threat-

ened divisions for reinforcement from the nearest area commands; we expected a nearby rapid respond squad to have been alerted and a helicopter squad to have been pressed to action.

Where was the marine unit of the police? It is scary to think for a moment that the entire bodies of water surrounding Lagos State are no man’s land?

All these are certainly not too much to expect of a police force of a state of Lagos’ magnitude. It may be all right for the Inspector-General of police to swiftly shuffle around the ‘erring’ state commissioners; it may have the effect of making them to sit up but that would amount to playing to gallery if certain important measures are not taken.

During the Ikorodu ‘operation’ the fleeing policemen were reported to have said that they had never seen such kinds of arms as were borne by the robbers.

The boom of the robbers’ guns alone disoriented them. The IG must do more; the Lagos State Government must collaborate with the police high authority in order to benchmark the entire security architecture of the megacity to some of the best in the world. It surely goes beyond passing down operational vehicles and bulletproof vests. We need to see more training and specialization, more segmentation and more depth.

The Ikorodu and Lekki robberies ought to be embarrassment to the state government too. We say never again should such brazen, daylight lockdown of the state by armed robbers happen.

S

IR: A London based watchdog, Amnesty International gave a damning report in 2011 about the Nigeria Police brutal preoccupation thus: “Beware of police roadblocks in Nigeria. If you cannot pay a bribe, you can end up dead”!

The watch-dog merely alluded to cases of unstable characters in uniform who mount the highway; extorting, dispossessing, brutalising and extinguishing innocent lives day by day.

Is that how life has become so cheap in Nigeria, you are wont to ask? I have heard a senior police officer saying “if Nigerians conduct themselves in an orderly way, they will not have to worry about police brutality and extrajudicial killings”! That is how callous and mindless policing in Nigeria can sometimes get.

The seeds of cheapness of life have long been sown by high police officers who encourage violations and abuse of human rights and have now produced the crop of violence and ultimate death of Nigerian citizens in the hands of their officers at the roadblocks. If the highest police command continue to applauds sit-ins, lie-ins, stand-ins, and all other violations of human rights, it can only lead us into a state of banal impunity, further extrajudicial killings and self induced anarchy.

The decision of the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase on the immediate deployment of highway patrol vehicles to fill in the vacuum created with the recent presidential order for dismantling of military roadblocks on highways is understandable. Earlier, Arase had frowned at the police mounting roadblocks in the country, saying it breeds corruption and impunity. He warned then that any police personnel caught mounting roadblocks anywhere in the country would be made to face the law.

“The drive will be clear, coordinated, massive, firm and sustained and it will target and tackle issues relating to commercialization of bail process, the nuisance of roadblocks and abuse of police powers, particularly, in relation to pretrial detention.

It is expected that the IG will honour the thrust of his policy statements. As you can see, he is on the same page with the Amnesty International that spits fire over the rottenness of the Nigeria Police. The group in its report said: “Many unlawful killings happen during police operations. In other cases, the police shoot and kill drivers who fail to pay them bribes at checkpoints... Some are killed in the street because, as the police later claim, they are ‘armed robbers’; others are killed after arrest, allegedly for attempting to escape. Many disappear in police custody and are likely to have been extrajudicially executed.”

Nigerians can only but hope that the Inspector General of Police, with his enviable track record as a blunt and daring officer will stand up to the plague; punish the aberrant criminals in the agency and, surmount the inhuman roadblocks that have been grossly erected between the Nigerian citizens and the police. By so doing, Arase would have added his voice among that of Nigerian populace who are advocating for police restructuring and change.

• Erasmus Ikhide, Lagos

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

• Executive Director (Finance & Administration) Ade Odunewu

•Deputy Editor Lawal Ogienagbon

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

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•Deputy Editor (Nation’s Capital) •Press Manager Yomi Odunuga Udensi Chikaodi •Group Political Editor Emmanuel Oladesu •Legal Counsel John Unachukwu •Group Business Editor Simeon Ebulu • Manager (Admin) Folake Adeoye •Group Sports Editor Ade Ojeikere •Acting Manager (sales) •Editorial Page Editor Olaribigbe Bello Sanya Oni

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

18

CARTOON & LETTERS

IR: The recently announced presidential bail out approved by President Muhammadu Buhari for states owing workers months of unpaid salaries will, no doubt, be a welcome development to concerned workers across the country and, indeed, many of the affected states.

S

An integral part of the bailout strategy as announced by government is for the federal and state governments to share $2.1 billion (about N497 billion) sourced from recent LNG proceeds to the federation account. Equally, the federal government has directed the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to arrange a special intervention fund that will offer steady financing to the states. The package, which is between N250 billion and N300 billion, is to serve as a soft loan available to states to access to settle arrears of salaries.

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

Presidential bailout for states Additionally, the President has approved a debt reprieve plan devised by the Debt Management Office, which will help states to streamline their commercial loans which is presently put at around N660 billion, and extend the life span of such loans while reducing their debt-servicing expenditures.

Another part of the plan is to free up more money currently being used for debt servicing by guaranteing the elongation of the loans in the benefit of the states.

To those in support of the move,

it is the best option available, for now given the parlous state of the nation’s economy occasioned by dwindling global price of oil.

However, those who are against the move hinged their stand on the fact that it would further entrench corruption in the system. They argued that, in as much as it is true that the national economy is experiencing a downward trend, most of the states actually compounded the situation through financial recklessness.

It is essential to point out that in

a troubled economy like ours, government bailout is one of the economic measures that could rescue the polity from a possible or a definite collapse. It is customary, even in advanced democracies, for government to roll out bailout strategies in order to preserve democratic institutions and provide soccour to the downtrodden.

The snag, nonetheless, is for how long will the federal government continue to bailout the states, especially if the economy doesn’t record a significant improvement

Courage in the face of adversity

S

IR: To be alive is to know the fear of death, and to be human, fear of every kind. From the womb, we are conditioned and excited by it, ashamed of it, yet ultimately governed by it. This is why fear is the main tool of any dictatorship.

A sage once said, “It is not life that matters, but the courage you bring into it.” On the surface, this statement seems paradoxical; after all, the dead are incapable of courage, so how can courage be more important than life? But it is true.

Any man or woman can live a life hidden in the darkness of fear, but every accomplishment in life demands courage, and courage demands self-sacrifice. To achieve success, one must risk failure. To win, you have to submit yourself to the possibility of defeat. Does this then mean that our lives matter only as much as goals and accomplishments or how much we have sacrificed?

Of what value is the courage of a thief, a murderer or a dictator?

Once again, “it is not life that mat-

ters, but the courage you bring into it.” If your courage inspires fear in others, then the impact of your life is a negative one and it is the lives of others you have sacrificed for your own gain. If, on the other hand, you show courage, and your courage and self-sacrifice inspire the same in others, then your life is of great value. We know of men and women like this throughout history: Jesus, Joan of Arc, Mandela, Martin Luther King, people whose courage led them to great exploits, whose sacrifice etched their names in history, heroes for their just cause.

If Nigerian democracy is a just cause, then Bola Ahmed Tinubu is one of such heroes.

He was a chieftain in NADECO, resisting the Abacha regime, going into exile in order to provide logistical support for Radio Kudirat, then the mouthpiece of the opposition.

In his first term as Governor of Lagos, Tinubu warned his fellow party members in AD against cooperation with the PDP in 2003. His advice went unheeded and, as a con-

sequence, he was the last of the AD governors left standing in the wake of the Obasanjo political tsunami.

Alone, but undaunted, he pressed forward with political reforms in his second term, despite every attempt of the Obasanjo administration to lay political siege to his Governorship. When the statutory allocations for Lagos State were denied, Tinubu improved the State’s Internal Revenue Collection service, harnessing the economic strength of Lagos to deliver on the ambitious promise of progressive governance.

Not content with the vindication of his stewardship of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu once again fought to build a new progressive party from the ashes of AD. Despite resistance from the Afenifere, who mischaracterized his political vision as an attempt to hijack Yoruba leadership, his courage nevertheless inspired leaders and voters alike in Ogun, Oyo and Osun states to abandon the PDP and pitch their tent under the ACN banner.

But it was the joint effort with

Muhammed Buhari and Ogbonaya Onu to integrate their parties and midwife the APC that would turn the tide in Nigeria’s democratic journey in a manner never seen before, producing Buhari, himself a man of courage, as the President of Nigeria.

There is no question as to the greatness of Bola Tinubu’s political acumen and skill; Nigeria never fails to produce individuals of remarkable talent. But he stands alone today as a national political champion and leader of the Yoruba people because of his uncommon courage and his willingness to make personal sacrifices so that the cause of good governance might go the distance. Like all heroes, he has faced betrayals, insinuations and stigma, maligned by those whose personal ambitions are threatened by his prominence. But those who seek to demystify do so in vain, for there is nothing mysterious about courage.

• Senator Roberrt Borrofice, Abuja

as soon as expected? This is where the states need to be more creative and inward looking in shoving up their Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, base. It is better not to have states than to have states that are not economically buoyant.

Such would only serve as a huge burden on the country.

Creative strategies must be evolved to drag more taxable citizens into the tax net. Governments all over the world run on the taxes paid by the citizens, we cannot be an exception. The cost of governance must be reasonably pruned down. There is no point keeping arrays of needless aides if the economy cannot afford such. Our leaders need to start leading by example. All meaningless extravagant tendencies that could plunge the states and, indeed, the nation into deeper economic mess must be shunned. Transparency and accountability must become the order of the day in all government establishments.

It is equally fundamental for both the federal and State governments to address the issue of over bloated civil service. If it is true, as it is being alleged, that some MDAs keep more than the required number of staff that is actually needed, efforts must be made to deal with such. It is particularly undesirable for any government to spend the bulk of its resources in paying the wages of a lethargic and parasitic workforce. More importantly, the Federal Government should step up efforts to improve the national economy. One way of doing this is to develop the non-oil sector. Our current national economic predicament is a direct result of the failure of the federal government to diversify the country’s economy.

Succeeding administrations has for long been paying lip services to the development of the non-oil sector. This trend must change. ones and our economy will be the better for it. God bless Nigeria!

• Tayo Ogunbiyi, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

19

COMMENTS

Terrorism: A historical perspective – 5

T

HE Boko Haram at its inception was more of a religious movement founded by Muhammad Yusuf apparently of Kanuri extraction and with some level of western education. Because of the grinding poverty and unemployment of the youth, he attracted some followership to himself and it seems in the competition for power by politicians his services were sought but after electoral victory, he and his movement were discarded and security forces were unleashed on him before he was killed in police custody. His death was a signal for widespread revolt which is now led by certain Abubakar Sekau who may be in the pay of Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb and with possible link with the Somali Al-Shabab.

What is significant now is the apparent foreign involvement in what is going on. Compared with the Islamic revolutions of the Western and Eastern Sudan, Boko Haram and Maitasine movement can hardly be said to be Islamic movements. Boko Haram seems now to be rooted in local grievances against constituted authority and its followership is the army of the unemployed and uneducated and those with smattering knowledge of the Holy Quran and with the possible sponsorship of aggrieved politicians and the enemies of Nigeria both inside and outside the country.

What is common to all these ‘Sudanese’ Islamic movements is their roots in economic grievances and political oppression by the rulers. They seem to begin during the dry season when food and water are in short supply and when the hard times prevailing lead people to expect the coming of the Mahdi sent divinely to bring liberation and succour to the oppressed. Boko Haram with its murderous campaign of killing Muslim and non-Muslim men and women including children can hardly qualify as an Islamic movement.

Finally, in the long history of Kanem Borno dating back around 800AD when Sayf Bin Dhi Yazan founded the Sawfawa dynasty, the area has witnessed political erup-

tions necessitating transfer of its capitals from Njimi during the 12th century and to N’gazar Gamu in the 15th century. Borno also witnessed the invasion of the kingdom by the Fulani jihadists which precipitated a change of dynasty from the Sayfawa to that of Muhammad elKanemi in 1810. Borno again was invaded by an Arab conquistador named Rabih Fadl Allah who occupied the place between 1894 and 1897 before he was driven out by the French and the British imperialists in the area.

Chad itself had never from colonial times till now been a stable country and has never been under civil administration. The French referred to it as territoire militaire du Chad and it has continued to be governed by soldiers after independence from France with consequent instability necessitating Nigeria’s military intervention in the country in the 1980s. In other words, what is happening now in the area is history of political instability repeating itself.

The joint military operation by Niger, Cameroons, Chad and Nigeria whose territories are now threatened by the terrorist regime of Boko Haram has become a necessity because Nigeria alone can no longer protect its borders.

In 1983, General Muhammadu Buhari as GOC (General Officer Commanding) of the Third Armoured Division of the Nigerian army had to send the 23rd armoured brigade under Colonel Joshua Dogonyaro to drive away Chadian rebels invading Baga, a city that witnessed the killing of 2000 of its citizens by Boko Haram terrorists recently.

It is hoped that the 7500 African troops presumably coming from the neighbouring states to Nigeria would be able to drive out the Boko Haram and destroy all their fortifications. It is unbelievable that a movement that started from local grievances has now snowballed into a major threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty. The lesson in all these is the appreciation of the nexus between domestic and foreign policies and the need for military preparedness knowing that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.

‘Since terrorism cannot be stamped out, it is obvious that what is needed is containment. This is because the deep seated prejudice of one group against the other cannot be legislated out of existence. In any case there is no world government with effective sanctions to call to order any group, nation and non- state actors that may go out of line with what is globally acceptable.

One can only hope that the futility of terrorism will eventually dawn on its advocates and with time terrorism may go out of fashion’

W

ORKERS in the country are an endangered specie. They work themselves to the bones only for a few people to reap from their sweat. They work like elephants but eat like ants. The lot of the worker is nothing to write home about. Virtually all employers treat workers with disdain. They pay them peanuts and in most cases, this pay is delayed. Where it is not delayed, the workers are owed for months. At times, the salary arrears may be in years.

Though they work for the good of their organisations, workers do not know good times. Things are always tough for them. They anxiously look forward to the end of the month, but when it comes, there is nothing to take home. The take home pay, which cannot take them home, is simply not there for their collection, yet it is month end. Workers are the butt of jokes at home and in many other circles. People look at them and take pity on them - a hardworking man, which has been rendered redundant by the system.

The system is not helping matters; it is also guilty of the offence that it should do something about. In the past, it was unheard of for government to owe workers. This was why

451 DAYS AFTER

STILL WAITING FOR CHIBOK GIRLS’ RESCUE

On the whole, terrorism globally cannot be easily wiped out. This is because the root of it is deeply rooted in the inequality and uneven development in the world. Furthermore the relationship of the under developed world with the West has been like the partnership beJide tween the horse and Osuntokun its rider for centuries and the effect cannot be easily wiped out. Furthermore religion and faith are not subject to rational thinking and since religious differences exist they will continue to be exploited by unscrupulous leaders to advance whatever causes they espouse.

Racism is also an ingrained problem and it is sometimes the basis of the arrogance of one race against the others. Racially inspired violence and acts of terrorism has found the black man most of the time at the receiving end. Terrorism will continue to be a problem, until through education and determined political action the world decides to attempt to remove the root of the problem.

Since terrorism cannot be stamped out, it is obvious that what is needed is containment. This is because the deep seated prejudice of one group against the other cannot be legislated out of existence. In any case there is no world government with effective sanctions to call to order any group, nation and non- state actors that may go out of line with what is globally acceptable. One can only hope that the futility of terrorism will eventually dawn on its advocates and with time terrorism may go out of fashion.

Whatever the case may be, force is not the most efficacious way to put an end to terrorism because a lone wolf terrorist who is determined to die and take others with him or her is beyond the watch of whatever military force that may be marshalled against him or her. At the end of the day liberal education, global commitment to fairness, poverty eradication, racial equality and religious and cultural tolerance and accommodation seem to be the way out.

•Concluded.

Worthy of his hire many scrambled for job in the civil service. They knew that once they are employed, their future is guaranteed. No matter what, they are assured of their salary and promptly too. And they had job security. Again, chances of rising to the top were also there. We have heard of messengers rising to the directorate cadre and even becoming permanent secretary after obtaining the requisite qualification. That was the beauty then of working in the civil service.

Painfully, this beauty has been replaced with ashes. Today, some workers are cursing the day they joined the civil service. They are wondering whether it is the same service they joined years ago where they were paid promptly and had all the facilities to discharge their duty. In their subconscious minds, they compare what things were then with what they are now. They yearn for the good old days; but will the old order return? The emerging new order of owing workers’ salary should not be encouraged at all because of its inherent dangers.

As the citadel of bureaucracy, the civil service should be employer of example. It should be the compass for other employers to find their way. But if it owes salary as is the case in some states today, it will have no moral justification to talk if those in the private and other sectors do not pay their workers as when due. Or maltreat their workers as some Chinese, Lebanese and

Indian firms do. These employers can so behave because those who should call them to order are no better. Can a governor who has failed in his obligations to civil servants summon an Indian or Chinese or a Lebanese firm’s chief executive for maltreating his Nigerian worker? The answer is no.

These Indian, Lebanese and Chinese firms are killing our compatriots in installment and the government does not give a care in the world. The workers are mostly categorised as casual - that is they are not permanent staff with rights and privileges.

They are only entitled to their meagre salary. The salary cannot meet their own personal expenses not to talk of taking care of family needs. To keep these workers permanently under, these firms put some Nigerians in top positions to do the dirty job of defending the indefensible for them. Whenever things go wrong as they often do in these companies, these Nigerian executives are the ones to clear the mess.

They do the job without shame.

Where the company is at fault, they blame it on the workers, describing them as a bunch of illiterates who ran into problem because they could not interpret simple instructions. To them, their companies are always right even when they are wrong. So, when a worker is electrocuted, he is at fault; when a machine severs his limb, he is to blame; when a heavy object falls on his head and

he dies, he is careless and when there is a fire and he suffers first degree burns, he was not vigilant enough. This is the sad story of the worker, who toils, but gets no just reward. He toils for his bosses to be better off.

Can we blame these foreigners for taking us for granted in our own country, where they are making a killing? But all this wealth does not reflect in their workers’ lives. What is galling is that they dare not do the things they do here in their home countries. They fear the laws of their countries and their leaders.

Over there, workers are treated as kings. So, why can’t they replicate that here? They will only start doing that if our leaders change their way by treating workers with respect. You respect a worker when you pay his salary promptly; you respect a worker when you provide a conducive working environment for him. A worker should not only be good enough to bake the cake, he should also be good enough to eat in the cake.

Thank God that President Muhammadu Buhari has come to the aid of states owing salaries with a N713 million bailout. This portrays him as a caring father.

Lawal Ogienagbon lawal.ogienagbon@thenationonlineng.net SMS ONLY: 08099400204, 08112661612

The president does not want the workers, who are his children to suffer through no fault of theirs.

The money has come as a respite for the states. We only hope that they will use it strictly for paying workers’ salaries. As the labour movement said on Tuesday ‘’...Mr President should please prevail on the governors to ensure that when they get the money they should not blow it on other things’’.

To do that will show the governors for who they truly are - callous, inhuman and without feeling for the suffering of others.

And they should start thinking of how to generate funds to pay their workers without fail because it is not every time they are in crisis that they will run to the president for a bailout.

‘You respect a worker when you pay his salary promptly. A worker should not only be good enough to bake the cake, he should also be good enough to eat in the cake’

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

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COMMENTS

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ASTOR Sam Adeyemi, a leadership consultant reminded our political leaders without character and their warring colleagues during a Channels Television programme last week that leadership ‘is service, sacrifice and compassion for the people’.

Some five decades earlier, Obafemi Awolowo posited that ‘the aim of a leader should be the welfare i.e. the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of the people whom he leads.’ But Awo, known for calling the spade by its proper name, also told his desperate colleagues then jostling for power some home truth. ‘Given a choice between the white man, the traditional rulers and the educated elite’, he said, ‘the average Nigerian would choose the white man first because with him he was sure of fairness and justice’. The people’s angst against the traditional rulers, he continued, followed their acquisition of new powers without the attendant checks and balances that existed in the pre-colonial era. As for the new educated elite, the people found it difficult to trust them because of their greed and dishonesty. Incidentally, not even the departing British had faith in the ability our political elite to hold the nation together. Speaking before foreign policy association in New York City on January 19, 1945, Oliver Stanley reminded them that “it is the British presence alone which prevents a disastrous disintegration and British withdrawal today would mean for millions a descent from nascent nationhood into the turmoil of warring sects”.

That turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophesy. In 1962, less than two years after their departure, the northern and eastern political class decided to impose a leader on the West. They threw the West into a political turmoil with its attendant violence, deaths and loss of properties. According to Trevor Richard, ‘to cut Awo to size’, they created Mid-west out of West while suppressing the self-actualization quest of 11 national groups made up of 3.2 million Efik/Ibibio/Annang, 700,000 strong Ijaws, 220,000 Ogonis and 8.000 Ngenis and others

‘The answer to crises of leadership, like crisis of identity, underdevelopment and others that have bedeviled our federation since 1966 is restructuring. Those who argue otherwise are probably those benefiting from current anarchy’

B

Nigeria crisis of leadership totaling 5.3 millions(1963 census) in the COR areas of the Eastern Region. The new inheritors of power pushed the nation into war over sharing of offices. They annulled the most credible election in our nation’s history. The brought a decline in the quality of leadership manifested in 16 years of PDP reign of impunity and bare-faced stealing. The masses majority of whom live below $2 dollars a day watched in disbelief as the political elite in the name of privatization and monetization shamelessly shared our national patrimony among their members. They stole N1.7 trillion in the name of fuel subsidy. They shared billions earmarked for rural electrification project. They cornered a disproportionate share of the annual budget making themselves the highest paid lawmakers in the world.

Two weeks ago, without caring about the example they were setting for our children, Bukola Saraki admitted to reporters that while 51 of his elected APC colleagues were waiting at another venue to honour an invitation from President Buhari, he ‘sat inside a small car parked in front of the assembly from 6am until 10am’ from where he walked into the assembly hall where he was adopted senate president by 49 opposition and eight APC senators.

Ekweremadu had no qualms narrating how he was helped by PDP stalwarts to hijack the senate vice presidency that by convention belong to the ruling party.

As if the acts of indecency and lack of character evident in the narrations by our new leaders was not enough assault on our sensibilities, reactions by some of our respected public opinion moulders were no less tragic. What do we make of Olisa Agbakoba’s ‘‘you cannot blame Saraki because he simply capitalised on the situation as an astute politician’; Chekwas Okorie of UPP’s ‘sanctioning Saraki and Dogara will hurt the party more than it would

EING a non-Catholic, I have not always followed nor even read papal encyclical until now. And was it an enormous surprise? The 184 page Pope Francis encyclical was a very powerful piece: extremely well written and with the authority of a great leader. It has great wisdom; it is sensitive, insightful, and lucid even when discussing very scientific and technical subjects.

If you love elevated language, good turn of phrase, dialectics and syntax, Pope Francis’ encyclical met all of those and more. Unsurprisingly, the power of the argument contained in the encyclical, not less the subject matter, elicited global response. Days before the publication of the encyclical, the global media went into frenzied speculations on its content — in fact an Italian newspaper, L’ Espresso, leaked its content before the due day. Understandably, the reaction to the encyclical was mixed. Across the world except perhaps in Nigeria and Africa, the continent that incidentally is most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, there was scarcely any response! Elsewhere politicians, scientists, environmental activists etc, weighed in forcefully with their opinion.

By Africa’s silence, the continent has further strengthened its reputation as a laggard that is animated only when issues of money arise. It appears on the matter of climate change, Africa’s agenda is money. Yet, as Pope Francis was eloquently formulating a position that underscores the plight of Africa’s dismal condition in the face of the ravages of climate change; the continent was missing in action. This is sad.

As Nigeria and Africa sleep, in the rest of the world, various peoples and interest groups were taking positions on climate change. Three perhaps absurd reactions came from two American politicians—actually the three men are Catholics and belong to the Republican Party and they are all gunning for the American presidency in 2016. Rick Santorum wanted the Pope to leave science of climate change to scientists, but was reminded that Pope Francis was not actually ignorant on the subject, that he has a Master’s degree in Chemistry. The other political figure was Jeb Bush, who waffled something to the effect that the Pope should not get into political issues since he is not a political leader. No one fully understood what Jeb Bush’s comments meant and it was dismissed as not making much sense. Marco Rubio shadowboxed on this issue. The Republican Party is known for being very edgy on the issue of climate change.

This is not difficult to understand. American big business establishment have always been reluctant to embrace climate change, because doing so will mean accepting responsibility that man and their business model is the source of

hurt the people involved’ because APC NEC has more northerners” and Abubakar Tsav’s description of protesting outwitted 51 senators as those who ‘are interested only in monetary aspect of position’. Others have even reduced Chief Adebisi Akande’s “Most northern elite, the Nigerian oil and other business cartels, who never like President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption stance, are quickly backing up the rebellion against APC with strong support by fuel subsidy barons”, to fighting for Yoruba interest.

Undoubtedly, the latest betrayal by our political elite was only symptomatic of the crisis of leadership that has bedeviled the nation since the destruction of regional political parties that served as recruitment and training ground for national leaders in 1966. And I think it affords us another opportunity to look back and see where the rain started beating us. Why was the Sardauna who never had an opportunity of university education faithfully and selflessly served the people of the north, sending northern youths without discrimination to the best universities around the world and others to military institutions? Why was Awo who sold water, fire wood, worked as house boy, road mender and plank seller to train himself at home and supported by his wife to finish up law degree in London at almost 40 years of age able to mobilize Yoruba young elite born with silver spoon such as Bode Thomas, Rotimi Williams and Fani Kayode to reposition the Yoruba race within a decade? Why was Zik able to facilitate the admission of eight Ibos, three Ibibio’s (sponsored by their people) and one Yoruba who worked for his press to his Alma Mata, Lincoln University in 1938? The simple answer is that they all like the Jews took pride in serving their own people.

Our founding fathers accepted the challenge that we are a nation of many cultures and dif-

ferent world views. Nigeria today is not markedly different from what it was about 70 years ago precisely in 1947 when Awo described her as ‘a geographical expression’ or when in 1948 Balewa described it as ‘a British intention’. The desire of all Nigerian nationalities making up the federation at independence was to have a nation of their own within the greater Nigeria nation. Thus when Action Group was formed in Owo April 25, 1951, the party’s motto was “United through federation, freedom for all, and life more abundant”. And when NPC was inaugurated in Kaduna By Balewa, Ahmadu Bello, Dr. Dikko, Makama Bida, Abubakar Iman and Yahaya Gusau in September 1951, its manifesto focused on “regional autonomy within a united Nigeria’ and its slogan was ‘one north, one people, irrespective of region ethnic and religion”. Each group managed its own affairs and sent to the centre those that best represented their world view. The Yoruba sent Bode Thomas, Arthur Prest and S.L Akintola, a rabid Yoruba irredentist who became a thorn on the flesh of the colonial masters and other ethnic groups who called for his substitution by someone with a broader national outlook, a request Awo turned down. The East reached out for their best- Alfred Nwapa, Eni Njoku, and Okoi Arikpo and the north, Balewa Kashim and Muhamadu Ribadu. They all turned out as good representatives of their people and equally as great Nigerians.

Leadership itself is a function of a people’s culture. Thus to the Yoruba, Awo is a hero, for the same reasons he was to the Igbo a villain.

To the Yoruba where the culture dictates that a defeated General commits suicide, Ojukwu who escaped to Ivory Coast shortly before the end of the war and returned to join NPN and the forces he once fought against was a failed leader. But it was for those same reasons he was canonized a saint by his people. To the Lagos noise makers, Ahmadu Bellow was a feudal lord, a British stooge for asking for the delay of independence, but to the thousands of his uneducated subjects he saved from second colonization by southerners, especially the Igbo that dominated all major institutions before independence on account of western education, he was a saint.

We have lived in denial for about 50 years. It is time to face our demon. The answer to crises of leadership, like crisis of identity, underdevelopment and others that have bedeviled our federation since 1966 is restructuring. Those who argue otherwise are probably those benefiting from current anarchy. And for those who still underestimate the value of culture, they should take a closer look to find out the magic behind the roaring success of ‘African magic’ from DSTV marketing directors.

Pope Francis and climate change

By Paul Odili climate change. A point, the papal encyclical highlighted over and over.

Those who wanted to discredit the Pope labeled him anticapitalist. Yet any objective reading of the encyclical would show that the document was not by any means anti-capitalism. Rather Pope Francis expressed his thoughts with a profundity expected of a leader of a major institution like the Roman Catholic Church, who is concerned about the world and the direction the world is going.

For lovers of a better world and its future and those not blinded by material quest, Pope Francis clearly spoke their minds, when he said: “The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth. In many parts of the planet, the elderly lament that once beautiful landscapes are now covered with rubbish…Humanity is called to take note of the need for changes in lifestyle and changes in methods of production and consumption to combat this warming, or at least the human causes that produce and accentuate it. Numerous scientific studies indicate that the greater part of the global warming in recent decades is due to the great concentration of greenhouse gases…given off above all because of human activity.”

Pope Francis captured the total neglect of the environment, the poor human and health condition of a typical third world country like Nigeria, when he noted: “Some forms of pollution are part of peo-ple’s daily experience. Exposure to atmospheric pollutants produces a broad spectrum of health hazards, especially for the poor, and causes mil-lions of premature deaths. People take sick, for example, from breathing high levels of smoke from fuels used in cooking or heating.

There is also pollution that affects everyone, caused by transport, industrial fumes, substances which contribute to the acidification of soil and water, fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and agro-toxins in general. Technology, which, linked to business interests, is presented as the only way”.

Pope Francis laments our inability to deal with this problem adding: “Regrettably, many efforts to seek concrete solutions to the environmental cri-sis have proved ineffective, not only because of powerful opposition but also because of

a more general lack of interest. The exploitation of the planet has already exceeded acceptable limits and we still have not solved the problem of poverty.”

While Pope Francis acknowledges the great stride science and technology have brought to the human society, he warns those who place their absolute trust in technology, explaining that: “Technology tends to absorb everything into its ironclad logic, and those who are surrounded with technology “know full well that it moves forward in the final analysis neither for profit nor for the well-being of the human race”, that “in the most radical sense of the term power is its motive – a lordship over all”. This bears repeating, technology’s ultimate objective is power.

Elaborating further Pope Francis expresses his deep mistrust of man’s capacity to control so much of the power technology confers on him. “There is a tendency to believe that every increase in power means “an increase of ‘pro-gress’ itself”, an advance in “security, usefulness, welfare and vigour; …an assimilation of new values into the stream of culture”, as if reality, goodness and truth automatically flow from tech-nological and economic power as such. The fact is that: “contemporary man has not been trained to use power well”, because our immense tech-nological development has not been accompa-nied by a development in human responsibility, values and conscience. Our freedom fades when it is handed over to the blind forces of the un-conscious; of immediate needs, of self-interest, and of violence. In this sense, we stand naked and exposed in the face of our ever-increasing power, lacking the wherewithal to control it. We have certain superficial mechanisms, but we can-not claim to have a sound ethics, a culture and spirituality genuinely capable of setting limits and teaching clear-minded self-restraint.”

This is a truly frightening insight, which no reflective man should ignore. Pope Francis’ powerful comments should set every human being thinking. I hope it does. I hope we can sit back and rethink the world for our sake and the future of unborn generations. This is by no means a call to abandon technological evolution—far from it. The point is that power without restraint even, technological power is troubling and there is need for caution.

•Odili was formerly Delta State Green Economy Project Lead

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

21

COMMENTS

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HENEVER I mention Senator Bukola Saraki, I find myself having to speak from different perspectives. First and foremost, he is one of the highest elected officials in the government of our viciously mismanaged, poor and stumbling country.

But more closely, in our Yoruba culture, I have to regard Bukola as a son. His father, Dr. Sola Saraki, and I were about the same age – if Sola and I had been born and raised in the same traditional Yoruba town or village, we would have belonged to the same age-grade association or Egbe Ibile, and that is supposed to create a certain peer loyalty. Moreover, Sola and I considered each other as friends.

We did not know anything about each other when we first met in the Nigerian Senate of the Second Republic in 1979, he elected from Kwara State and I from Ondo State. For most of the four years 1979-83, each of us was so engrossed in our legislative and party duties (he as Majority Leader from the NPN and I as Secretary of the UPN Parliamentary Caucus) that we didn’t particularly relate to each other.

But towards the end, we somehow gradually established some mutual empathy. And by the time we both came out of the Buhari Military Government’s detention in 1984, we had become much closer. Sola invited me to join him when he made his first return home after his release from detention, and I saw a whole night of very fond and tender reception by his Ilorin people.

I congratulate Bukola for his successes in Nigerian politics – his elections and long tenure as Governor of Kwara State, and now his position as Senator of our Federal Republic. I have met many people who regard him as one of the likely bright lights of Nigeria’s future politics.

From that hope-filled perspective, I sincerely wish that Bukola had not been part of what has been happening in the Nigerian Senate in the past few weeks. I have read the long statement he made to the media. I admire the way he went all out – open-mindedly canvassing and talking to Senators from every party – in his bid for the position of President of Senate. That is how the democratic political game should be played.

I don’t know, however, what one should make of his story that some persons wanted or tried to kidnap him in order to foil his Senate presidential bid, but as a father I would urge him to let go of that story. It sounds too much like a self-serving, self-justifying, fab-

T

HE outcome of the last elections at all levels in Nigeria is a clear indication that Nigerians were done with the old order and eager to have a change that will move the country to greater heights.

To be able to flush out the People’s Democratic Party, which has been in power for 16 years with a promise to retain power for 60 years despite its monumental profligacy of unimaginable quantum, it took the significant alignment of politicians from across four political parties and an extraction of the PDP to dislodge the umbrella of corruption, impunity and bad governance from power at federal level and in 22 of the 36 states of the feeble federation.

The coalition named All Progressive Congress, APC, wouldn’t have succeeded in the elections but for the choice of Muhammadu Buhari as its candidate. Buhari is possibly the only clean former Nigerian leader garbed in a popular toga of an intolerant disposition to corruption and corrupt practices; and disciplined enough to lead our country out of the pervasive moral decadence public service and the citizens have been splashed with.

For decades, not just under PDP, Nigeria has speedily slid in abysmal collapse with poverty, unemployment and malfunctioning infrastructures being the hallmark, while the only subsystem that perfectly works is corruption, a “government” of its own, that has been ruling the country to near total ruins.

The popular quest for the end of the throne of corruption and all round impunity was what manifested in the results of the 2015 elections.

However, as early as less than a month into the “new beginning”, it became obvious that we are still held hostage by the old order as the old opposition do not seem to know the source of the votes dropped for them to be in power or of what use their victory should be deployed as they consistently display infantile political antics that has so far undermined our collective interests and thirst for good governance.

The events at the National Assembly since their inauguration have compromised the decency of a team of lawmakers Nigerians thought would facilitate changes that delivers good governance.

If our contemporary politicians are truly

Bukola Saraki and the Nigerian problem rication – certainly, the kind of thing that can return to hunt Bukola in his future political career.

And, more importantly, although he says he was not aware that APC Senators were asked to meet with President Buhari somewhere else, the moment he found that most Senators of his own party were not present in the Senate Chamber, he should not have rushed along to get himself elected as President of Senate in that kind of circumstance. I don’t know whether the laws mandate that the inaugural meeting of the Senate and the election of the officers of the Senate should be done at one and the same first meeting of the Senate. I doubt it though. I remember that on October 1, 1979, the Senate chamber was not ready for us, and we inaugurated the Senate, broke up in minutes, and returned days later (when the chamber renovations were completed) to hold a full meeting and to elect the officers of Senate.

Since a whole 51 Senators out of the 59 belonging to Saraki’s own party happened to be absent from the Senate on May 9, respect for the orderliness of governance, and for the greatly needed stability of our country, should have dictated that the elections of Senate officers be not rushed through that day – or at least at that very hour. As things have now developed, as things now stand in our country, it is going to be extremely difficult to convince most Nigerians, and most foreign observers, that the Senate proceedings of that day were not deliberately rushed so as to make way for Saraki’s election as President of Senate. And that, believe me, is very far from good – for Saraki, and for our country.

There is a time for everything, and there are times when some things are not merely inappropriate but downright hurtful. In the condition of Nigeria since the presidential election of last April, the widespread perception of manipulations in the Nigerian National Assembly has been very hurtful indeed. Here is the reason. For decades, crooked manipulations of the processes of governance, and unbridled corruption, have ruled supreme over the affairs of Nigeria. In some Nigerian

leaders’ unreasoning push to accumulate power and resources at the federal center for their own ethnic and personal purposes, Nigeria’s federalstructure was essentially destroyed, local and regional development initiatives were ruined, and our people were handed over to oppressive and hopeless poverty.

In the outcome, our country has been coming progressively closer to collapsing and imploding. In the Muslim parts of our country, some of our brightest youths became attracted to religious fundamentalism and violence. Ultimately, one of their terrorist groups became a very major threat to our country, seizing and controlling large swathes of territory in the North-east, and enjoying freedom to kill, wreck and destroy in most parts of the North and Middle Belt - including even the federal capital city of Abuja. Moreover, poverty and bitterness are breeding various kinds of rejection of Nigeria in virtually all parts of Nigeria.

At what was beginning to look like the absolute peak of these troubles, one man named Buhari came forward promising to suppress corruption, straighten up Nigeria, restore sanity, and give Nigeria the chance to survive and revive. A leading politician from the Southwest, Bola Tinubu, championed Buhari’s cause and provided the energy and means to put him before Nigeria. A lot of Nigerians didn’t like Buhari much, but most finally decided to give Nigeria the chance that he was promising, and they voted to give him the presidency. Across the country, hope seemed to start to revive.

But then, unhappily, what looked like the same penchant for crooked manipulations, the evil force that has long been battering Nigeria, reared its head in the Nigerian Senate, followed by the House of Representatives. All of a sudden, hope seemed to vanish all over again.

Even though we all know that there are other factors in the slowing down of the Buhari takeoff, as well as in the growing cracks in the Tinubu-Buhari team, the feeling is likely to be strong for a long time in the future that the happenings in the National Assembly started it all off. And the story of the happenings in

Nigerian thoughts the National Assembly cannot possibly be told without having Bukola Saraki and his Senate presidential ambit i o n squarely in the centre of it.

It doesn’t look good at all. There are now growing speculations that influential Northern forces that are opposed to the Buhari agenda of anti-corruption and change, or that want to re-establish the bogey of “Northern Domination”, have been behind the developments in the National Assembly. That makes the picture much worse and much more troubling.

The big questions now are: How would the record being made these days affect the future of the National Assembly barons concerned?

How indeed would it affect the future of fragile Nigeria itself? In the latter case, we may soon begin to see.

Banji Akintoye

‘It doesn’t look good at all.

There are now growing speculations that influential Northern forces that are opposed to the Buhari agenda of anti-corruption and change, or that want to re-establish the bogey of “Northern Domination”, have been behind the developments in the National Assembly. That makes the picture much worse and much more troubling’

Assembly of boxers and wrestlers

By Denja Yaqub aware of the depth of the severe crisis our country has been plunged in and the desire to pull us out of the doldrums, what should have kick started a government that had “change” as its campaign slogan would not be the consistent brawls that has taken the place of progressive deliberations at the National Assembly and the lamentations of the presidency.

The obvious internal contestations within the APC, not just its leadership, points to the coalition as one that had no common goals beyond contesting elections. This is more factual of the renegades of the PDP, who christened themselves New PDP before migrating out of the dilapidated umbrella to team up with ACN, ANPP, CPC and an extraction of APGA to form the APC. They possibly left the PDP because they couldn’t contend with the overwhelming weight of influence some of its leaders have on who becomes what. Of course other parties, including the ones that collapsed into what is now APC didn’t have as much of powerful power brokers and the PDP extracts knew how to reduce them to liliputs.

However, the leadership of the APC, some of them with good background in pro democracy struggle but clearly lacking in democratic credentials as they are swollen with the anti democratic illusions that they could dictate who occupy what office, even when the constitution spelt out democratic options. It is, for instance, undemocratic for any party, especially a party that rode on the pedestal of the promise of change to insist on dictating who leads the national assembly.

That was part of the impunity of the past, a past the APC promised to change. And perhaps, the party leaders have their candidates, as they announced they do; if an election held and choices other than theirs were made by vote, a true democrat should simply accept defeat and return to further permutations. We don’t need the headache the crisis at the National Assembly has unleashed on us all as

that has become an excuse for our country to be subjected to sole administrator-ship, with the unnecessary delay in constituting the government that promised to change our collective misfortunes and reposition our country to a respectable position in the global community; a community that still consider our country trapped in impunity and lack of patriotic leadership.

It is disturbing that more than a month after assuming office, President Buhari is yet to form a government. A country of nearly 170 million people, with problems almost equal to the population; a country that has almost collapsed can not afford a sole administrator to manage her affairs even for just one day. We need a government and a man who won the presidency on the third attempt at elections should have an idea of what he wanted power for, especially when majority of the electorate were united on why they voted for him. We needed change and we believe that change can be delivered with President Buhari on the driver’s seat.

Lamentations are not attributes of any good leader. We as citizens have lamented enough and the March 28, elections gave us an opportunity to stop lamenting as majority voted for someone we believed have all the will, the capabilities and wisdom to turn our collective lamentations to harvests of collective joy, palliative liberation of some sorts.

The new administration has done well in putting terrorists, who thought Nigeria is a comfort zone for them, on the run, though they still pound some parts of the North East, but limited to their known areas of combat, and the military has obviously woken up from a sluggish past.

President Buhari’s emergence has psychologically renewed hope in every Nigerian that a better future beckons and this can only be sustained if the new administration acts faster than it has done at all levels. It is doubtful if the administration can fix Nigeria without probing the past.

Our past is too messy and the mess will be difficult to clear without interrogating the how, why, who and what drifted us to abyss.

No one will doubt the emptiness of our collective treasury, but we won’t be patient with lamentations. Those who emptied the treasury should be seen off to jail after appropriate trials in court and their loots returned to the federation account for infrastructural development and job creation.

As hopeful as most Nigerians are, the new administration’s success depends largely on the National Assembly. Their body language portend danger for the success of any patriotic government with genuine intention to reclaim our collective dignity, resources and future from the ineptitude of past administrations that have led us so close to dead end.

The boxing and wrestling episodes at the National Assembly as well as the desire of the distinguished Senators and Honourable members to ignore our economic crisis, opting instead, to make wardrobe and other allowances their prime concern is not just unpatriotic but absolutely irresponsible and against the purpose of any serious government or political party that made change a campaign slogan.

• Yaqub is an Assistant Secretary at the headquarters of Nigeria Labour Congress, Abuja.

‘The boxing and wrestling episodes at the National Assembly as well as the desire of the distinguished Senators and Honourable members to ignore our economic crisis, opting instead, to make wardrobe and other allowances their prime concern is not just unpatriotic but absolutely irresponsible and against the purpose of any serious government or political party that made change a campaign slogan.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

22

SHOWBIZ

Nollywood Star, Sola Shoprite dares pirates

Asa to headline Summer Festival

T

By Joe Agbro Jr.

P

ARIS-born Nigerian jazz musician, Asa, will on Saturday, August 1 headline the ‘August in Africa Summer Festival’ holding at the Covent Gardens, West Piazza, London.

Asa, whose latest album, Bed of Stone is still making waves, would close the one-day festival, meant to celebrate African music and musicians.

The one-day music festival is being organised by The Africa Centre, which has for 50 years supported African culture, enterprise and education in the UK. The Festival which takes place between 12pm and 10 pm will feature other African artistes. Among them is Ghanaian music sensation, ODG Fuse, whose hit song, Azonto, • Toyin

• Asa

went viral on YouTube, amassing over 12 million views. His third single ‘Million Pound Girl’ recently debuted at no.5 in the UK, and his debut album also features collaborations with Wyclef and Sean Paul.

Toyin Aimakhu, husband renew vows

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

N

OLLYWOOD couple, Toyin Aimakhu and Adeniyi Johnson celebrate their second wedding anniversary yesterday.

They made headlines recently with rumours of break-up. And perhaps to show that they are really still together, their second anniversary provided the opportunity, as the Tinsel star and his actress wife both took to their Instagram page to renew their affection for each other.

Toyin wrote: “It has been two spectacular years with my Rib and I bless the Lord everyday for sending me such a good, patient, loving and good hearted man. Marriage is a lot of work and commitment, it isn’t easy but you are doing your best to continue to make it work and I pray that the good Lord gives us grace to celebrate many more years together.

“I love you my husband, God knew exactly what He was doing when He sent you to me and may God continue to give you all that makes a man a real man. Thanks to you all for your support, love and prayers during the good times and the time of challenges. God bless us.

Happy wedding Anniversary Okomi,” she added.

Responding, Niyi says: “Seconds turns to minutes, minutes to hours, hours to days, days to weeks, weeks to months and months to year and year turning to years…Your love, your uniqueness, your strength and weaknesses make me love you as the day unfolds. You became not just a friend but my best friend… not just a wife but my mum, not just my

Ruddy Tee joins set to drop debut album

U

NDERGROUND Hip-hop artiste and indigenous rapper, Taiwo Abdulazeez Ojewunmi, aka Ruddy Tee, is set to make his official debut on the Nigerian music scene, as he is now signed on to Strong Breed Entertainment and Records.

The Villager, as he fondly refers to himself, described his style of music as Ogbologbo. Born a twin to a family of seven in the ancient and historic city of Ibadan in Oyo state, Ruddy Tee admits that the strong influence of his Sakara drummer father, who played with Nigerian musical legends such as Ayinla Omowura, Yusuf Olatunji, Razaq Ajao and others, rubbed off on him.

“This was instrumental to my learning to play the Sakara, Gangan and Conga on which I add my fluid rap delivery,” he said.

Ruddy Tee raps fluently in striking Yoruba jabs, spicing same with proverbs. In his delivery, he dips and dives into proper English and pidgin. The rapmeister, as he likes to refer to himself, says that he draws his influences from some rap greatests like Ice Cube, Easy E, Mobdee, Tupac Amaru Shakur as well as pioneer indigenous rap group, Junior & Pretty.

Other musicians billed to perform at the festival include Bonga, Simo Lagnawi, Alim Kamara, Studio Afro Latino, Taali M, Villy and the Xtreme Volumes and True Ingredients.

By Ovwe Medeme

To establish his presence in the Nigerian music industry, Ruddy Tee says that he is set to release his debut album Igboro Kanju - Street of Emergency. The album features tracks like Hip Hop Hooray, Street of Emergency Remix, Once Upon A Time and Happy Day. Ruddy headlined the recently held Lagos International Jazz Festival 2015 as an alternative music act, stirring the crowd to a frenzy with his stagecraft.

• Ruddy Tee

woman but my eternal companion… God bless the day I met you… through the thick and rough, through the rain and shine you stood and still standing (melo melo in @baddo_ybnl voice) even (when they fire catapult of envy in @reekadobanks voice)…. God’s love and grace prevailed….. Thank you for bringing sunshine to my world… I love you now and forever…… please help me celebrate my WIFE!!!!! @aimakhutoyin… All Glory to GOD.”

HE noise about pirates and inability of filmmakers to recoup their investments notwithstanding, fast-rising Nollywood actress and film producer, Sola Gbokoyi, popularly known as Sola Shoprite, is set to hit location for the production of her next flick, Shoprite in London.’

The plus-size screen diva, whose hit film, Shoprite, was widely pirated, has concluded plans to commence work on a sequel to the popular flick. When contacted, she said she is not willing to leave the industry for pirates.

“We are to commence work on a new film titled Shoprite in London soon,” said Shoprite.

“It is the concluding part of our wave-making film, Shoprite. Following the effect the pirating of that work had on my last work, few people expected me to return to location so soon. But I am a firm believer in the Nollywood project and I’ve vowed not to be deterred by the menace of pirates.”

Currently in Oyo town on another movie set, Shoprite has concluded plans to travel abroad to shoot scenes for the new flick, billed to be out later in the year.

According to Shoprite who has previously produced Balewu, Shoprite in London will still stimulate audience along real-life situations.

“Those who watched Belawu and Shoprite attested to the fact that what we are doing is different from the run-of-the-mill Yoruba movie productions,” she said.

“We intend to improve on that reputation in Shoprite in London. A good part of the movie would be shot abroad and I can tell you the lessons inherent in the work are numerous.”

By Joe Agbro Jr.

Speaking on the effect of piracy on the film industry, Gbokoyi, who called on the Federal Government to strengthen the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) in the fight against piracy, said the menace is killing Nollywood slowly.

“You make a film today; next week you will see it in the compilation of 10 films, selling for just N150,” she said. “How can you recoup your investment in such a situation? How can you survive in such an environment? It is a major issue for Nollywood.’’

She concluded that government has not empowered the NCC and untill that is done, “I will continue to dare the pirates by producing more movies,” she said.

• Gbokoyi

Bill Cosby’s Disney Hall Of Fame statue removed

T

HE end is yet to be heard on the multiple sex scandals that have trailed the life and career of Hollywood actor/comedian, Bill Cosby.

The latest is the ordered removal of his Hall of Fame statue, sequel to new facts that emerged, months after a Change.org petition created in 2014 urged Disney World to remove the bust, which stands in the park’s Hall of Fame Plaza, alongside other Television Academy Hall of Fame inductees such as Lucille Ball and Walt Disney.

Bill Cosby’s bronze bust as reported was removed from the Walt Disney resort’s Hollywood Studios theme park on July 8, spokesperson.

The company’s decision comes just one day after unsealed court documents revealed Cosby to have admitted to obtaining drugs to use on women he wanted to have sex with in 2005.

The Wrap reports that the decision was made internally and not due to the petition. They cited “an individual with knowledge of the removal.’’

The embattled comedian admitted in a 2005 deposition that he bought

Quaaludes with the intention of giving them to women he wanted to have sex with. In the same deposition, he reportedly admitted to giving drugs to a female former Temple University employee who filed a lawsuit accusing him of rape that same year.

The suit claimed that the comedian drugged and raped the woman — later

• Bill Cosby

identified as Andrea Constand, the former director of operations for Temple’s women’s basketball program at his Philadelphia mansion in 2004.

Meanwhile, singer Jill Scott, expressed regret and disappointment over the news. The singer-actress expressed in a Tweet on Monday, saying she was “disgusted” with Cosby.

First, she announced that she had defended him only because there wasn’t any definite proof against him. Once she read his newly revealed testimony from 2005, however, her view changed. “About Bill Cosby, sadly his own testimony offers proof of terrible deeds, which is all I have ever required to believe the accusations.”

Noting that she doesn’t believe in using someone as a scapegoat, and that there are many black men imprisoned for crimes without sufficient evidence. “We live in America.

Many African American men are detained or imprisoned for crimes without evidence. I will never jump on bandwagons based on social media or hearsay. Proof will always matter more than public opinion. The sworn testimony is proof. Completely disgusted,” she added.

StarTimes to screen International Champions Cup live

C

OMING on the heels of clinching the exclusive rights for the Bundesliga, the management of digital pay TV, StarTimes have said they are further renewing their bid to boost television viewing experience for subscribers, by screening the prestigious International Champions Cup live on its digital terrestrial and digital satellite platforms.

The 2015 International Champions Cup North America which will be played between July 11 and August 5 will feature the best clubs in the world, competing across 12 regions

By Ovwe Medeme

in Canada, Mexico, England, Italy and the United States.

Manchester United will face Spanish giant, Barcelona, at Levi’s Stadium while English Premier League champion, Chelsea will also face current Spanish League leader Barcelona at FedEx Field in Washington D.C. In total, 10 teams from around the globe, including England (Manchester United F.C., Chelsea F.C.), Portugal (FC Porto), France (Paris SaintGermain F.C.), Mexico (Club

América), Spain (Barcelona), Italy (ACF Fiorentina) and the United States (San Jose Earthquakes, Los Angeles Galaxy and New York Red Bulls) will compete in the 2015 edition.

“We are very excited to have exclusive rights to broadcast the International Champions Cup 2015. Football is Africa’s favourite sport and this tournament will certainly be enjoyed by all our subscribers on StarTimes Sport 2, StarTimes Sports Premium and other StarTimes sport channels,”said Gary Rathbone, Director of Sport at StarTimes.

25

THE NATION

EDUCATION

THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

Many Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates prefer the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN). They believe that the university gives its students the best. But, students must be disciplined to complete their programmes at the institution, reports ADEKUNLE JIMOH Ilorin

•UNILORIN entrance.

What makes UNILORIN tick, by VC, others

M

ANY candidates prefer the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) to other universities because of one thing: ‘its uninterrupted academic calendar’.

The 40-year old university sits comfortably on top of the list of "The Statistics of Choice of Institutions" generated from the enrolment

records of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

It has topped the list for two years running. In the 2015/2016 UTME, which was fully computer-based, 107,491 of the 1.4 million candidates that took the examination chose UNILORIN as their most preferred institution to attend. For the 2014/

2015 UTME, the university had 105,000 seeking to be admitted into the university. Second placed University of Benin for both years, recorded about 30,000 less candidates (71, 497 this year, and 76,000 last year).

Records show that the university has steadily grown. In 2011, it was the 8th most preferred university, which improved to fifth in 2012; second and second in 2013.

-Page 27

•Continued on page 26

CAMPUS LIFE

INSIDE

Don urges varsities to lay good foundation

However, while the university is increasingly popular with new applicants, its authorities have not hesitated in wielding the big stick against deviant and erring students.

Strict adherence to rules and regulation is required of students.

And many who have fallen foul of the rules have been shown the way

‘Religious Studies THE absence of moral values is responsible for must be made Nigeria’s political and UNIZIK’s 65 socio-economic woes, compulsory in professor of Church repentant secondary History, Rotimi cultists Omotoye has said. schools’ -Page 29 -Page 38

•Prof Ambali

•A 10-page section on campus news, people etc

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

26

EDUCATION

Court compels WAEC to release malpractice details

J

USTICE E.S Chukwu of the Federal High Court Abuja has granted the Exam Ethics Marshals International leave to apply for an Order of Mandamus.

This order compels the West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) to make available documents and information related to names of invigilators and supervisors reported, to States’ Ministries of Education for aiding examination malpractice in May/June 2013 and May/June2014 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), as well as the November/ December 2014 WASSCE. Exam Ethics Marshals International is an NGO that has been campaigning against exam malpractice, academic dishonesty and corruption in education since 1996.

In a statement, founding chairman of the group, Ike Onyechere, explained that they applied for the order under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act after WAEC ignored letters to release the

By Jane Chijioke

information.

He said: "Exam Ethics had written a letter dated May 12, 2015 to WAEC requesting the Council to provide information regarding the names of candidates, schools, exam centres, invigilators and supervisors indicted or reported to State Ministries of Education for aiding and abetting exam malpractices in May/June 2013 and November/December 2014 WAEC exams. The request was sequel to a press conference by WAEC where it announced sanctions against examination administrators who aided and abetted malpractice without providing the names of those sanctioned".

He also said WAEC did not comply with the seven days ultimatum statutorily stipulated in the FoI Act which made Exam Ethics to proceed to court to seek for an Order of Mandamus compelling WAEC to release the information in line with provisions of the Act. Onyechere had argued in an

•From left: Treasurer, Adedolapo Faleye, President, Wasiu Onikoro, Legal Director, Olayinka Aregbesola, Public Relations Officer, Lasisi Fatai and General Secretary, Oladapo Akanmu, of the Lagos State University Students Union (LASUSU) protesting the postponement of examinations by management of the institution, at the MRC Hall of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos State on Monday.

affidavit deposed at the Federal High Court on June 2, 2015 that nondisclosure of the names of indicted supervisors and invigilators made it

possible for them to continue to participate in administration of public examinations and continue in the practice of compromising the

integrity of public examinations.

The Court adjourned the case to July 15, 2015 for hearing of the substantive application.

What makes UNILORIN tick, by VC, others •Continued from page 25 out.

The rules guiding student activities as contained in the students' handbook states that: "A student shall not engage in any form of activity, alone or with any other person or group, which interferes with, restricts, hinders or adversely affects the objectives of the university; not engage in any form of activity whether alone or with any other person or group which interferes with, restricts, hinders or adversely affects the rights of any person duly authorized and lawfully present on university premises to express any view of any subject peacefully or which prevents any person duly authorized from entering, passing through, or leaving the university premises for such purposes and not engage in any form of activity which interferes with, restricts, hinders, disrupts, or adversely affects teaching, research, study of any kind etc."

Others are: "Every student (male or female) must dress decently, every student must avoid any dress that may expose sensitive and vital areas of the body; conduct himself/herself in such a way that his/her priority is to live a wholesome life devoid of anti-social activities especially cultism; not engage in any dishonest, false or other misleading representation or activity which affects academic assessments or examination and to obey all examination regulations, among others."

Sanctions for violation of these rules attract fines, restitution, reprimand and warning, suspension/rustication and

T

HE American University of Nigeria (AUN) has created new study-abroad windows to enable highly- motivated students seek experience and active responsibility beyond Nigeria.

AUN President, Dr Margee Ensign, spoke about these opportunities, open from September 2015, during a session to throw more light on the programmes of the Global Liberal Arts Alliance (GLAA).

The GLAA is an alliance of 27 liberal arts universities, including AUN, in 15 countries. The Great Lakes Colleges Association, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, coordinates GLAA activities and projects and was instrumental to its formation in 2009. The Alliance's programmes are financed with the support of the Endeavor Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon

expulsion.

In April 13 students faced the UNILORIN Students Disciplinary Committee (SDC); seven of them were found to have run afoul of the university rules and were expelled.

Two were rusticated for a semester each while four were exonerated.

In the last four sessions the university has disciplined no fewer than 50 students. In the last session alone the university expelled 11 students and rusticated three per semester each based on the offences of association with external cult groups and examination malpractices.

During the matriculation of the 2014/2015 academic session, the Vice chancellor of the university, Prof.

Abdulganiyu Ambali warned the new students to make choices carefully as their choices could determine their future in the university.

"Although everyone with native wisdom and good conscience knows what is right and wrong, many people still find themselves on the wrong lane," he said.

More recently, speaking on the expulsion of some students, Ambali said that it was not an easy decision asking students to leave the institution. But it is one that is taken to protect its integrity, after serious

consideration.

"Management usually feels very sad when it has to resort to asking people to leave, but all the same, the University was established to build students that are found worthy in character and learning. Despite their academic excellence if we feel that character-wise they have refused to be molded, we are left with no choice than to tell them to leave.

"We have about 30,000 students.

When parents send their wards to study it means that their welfare is under our care; which means we have to monitor all of them and if we find one of them as a threat, we often ask that person to go," he said.

Ambali however explained that the severity of the offences varies, and that the university hardly expels students for dress code offenses as there are other forms of punishment adopted for less serious offences. He also said details of the offenses are not made public.

"The specific offences of the expelled students are always released to their parents or guardians but we try as much as possible not to publicise these in the hope that the punishment meted on them will not affect them in trying to further education elsewhere," he said.

Speaking on the issue, the Deputy Director of Information (DDI), Kunle

Akogun said expulsion is not a vindictive exercise at the university.

"There is nothing untoward about the expulsion of erring students at the University of Ilorin. It is not in any way vindictive, as it is a way of enforcing laid-down rules and regulation.

"As a matter of principle, the University of Ilorin has zero tolerance for all anti-social behaviour like cultism, theft, and examination malpractices in all their ramifications. Other offences, which the University frowns at, include indecent dressing, unkempt hair style, fighting on and off-campus, rudeness to constituted authorities, etc.

"And all students are aware of this because one of the first documents given to each matriculated student on resumption at the University is the Students' Handbook, which details all the dos and don'ts on the campus. And once a student signs and submits the Matriculation Oath, he has elected to abide by all the rules and regulations of the school."

Akogun said students who run afoul of the university rules and regulations are properly arraigned before the Students Disciplinary Committee and given fair hearing.

If convicted, they can also appeal to the University Council, within 48

‘We have about 30,000 students. When parents send their wards to study it means that their welfare is under our care; which means we have to monitor all of them and if we find one of them as a threat, we often ask that person to go’

New study-abroad windows at AUN Foundation.

The opportunities include a minor in Globalization Studies, a Global Scholar Programme, and another window open on the platform of Association of American International Colleges & Universities (AAICU), a leadership organisation whose members provide responsible delivery and quality assurance of American higher education outside the US. Under the first two, students will spend a year abroad in two different universities that are GLAA members.

"All three programmes prepare students for leadership and personal effectiveness in our interconnected world through a study of topics of global focus that transcend national

borders," she said.

Dr. Ensign said that although the programmes are hosted by the International & Comparative Politics department in the School of Arts & Sciences, they are open to all students who are interested in an immersive study of real-life global problems.

Meanwhile, the Country Director of PACT Nigeria, a nongovernmental organization active in the area of primary healthcare research, has praised AUN as an ideal, globally-renowned institution where quality research can be disseminated.

AuduLiman passed this verdict at the end of a two-day research evaluation seminar on primary healthcare in Adamawa State. The

seminar was hosted at AUN. "Adamawa State in particular is very fortunate to have a unique institution that has been graded as having one of the best digital libraries in Africa. We should use that resource.

We no longer have to rely on the research at Oxford University, or research at MIT to carry out what to do because the human resource to do that, the technical capacities to do that, and the lecturers are all here in Nigeria," he said.

Liman encouraged other NGOs to consider AUN when choosing a university for such research seminars. The healthcare evaluation research seminar was a joint project of the Adamawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ASPHCDA) and PACT Nigeria.

days of the committee's sitting, if they feel unsatisfied with the SDC’s decision.

He described the number of expelled students as minimal and not one that should generate undue concern.

"Probably because of the general awareness of this body of rules among our students and the attendant penalties against default, the frequency of default is minimal.

In view of this, the number of expelled students is quite negligible.

But even at that, it is a step that the University authority takes with great pains.

Akogun attributed the stability enjoyed in the university to the level of discipline of the students because the institution places equal emphasis on character as learning.

"This is why we enjoy an unparalleled harmony and unprecedented academic stability here. This is why parents will go to any length in making sure that their wards gain admission to the University of Ilorin. And this is why the University has consistently led the table of most subscribed university by admission seekers in the country for the third year running now," he said.

For students who spoke on the issue with The Nation, the rules are not too difficult to follow.

A post graduate student (names withheld), even noted that the current vice chancellor's crusade against anti social vices lack steam and bite, adding that is responsible for pockets of examination malpractices in the school.

The source said that his predecessor, Prof Is-haq Oloyede had a firmer grip on the campus.

"This vice chancellor is laying more emphasis on the infrastructural development on campus; that is why magnificent buildings are springing up here and there on the campus. Prof Oloyede was in total control. I am not saying this man is not trying but I want him to put in more effort in tackling students' vices on campus," the student said.

However, another student of the department of Educational Technology said the strict rules have engendered discipline and orderly behavior of students on campus.

For another 200-level student Of Library and Information Technology, the institution has the rules to thank for eliminating cultism on campus.

"Indeed, that word cultism is alien to many of the university of Ilorin students as we are not aware of its existence here," he said.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

27

EDUCATION

Don urges varsities to lay good foundation

P

ROF Akin Oyebode of the Office of International Relations and Partnerships, University of Lagos (UNILAG), has said universities have a daunting task of laying a good foundation for the next generation.

Oyebode, a legal icon, said this while delivering a lecture titled: ‘A banner without stain’ at the third annual lecture in honour of former vice-chancellor of UNILAG Prof Adetokunbo Sofoluwe.

Sofoluwe, a professor of Computer Science, died as vice-chancellor, of heart attack in May 2012.

Oyebode said universities must adopt positive changes that would go a long way to eradicate mass impoverishment and underdevelopment, and as well set a good path for the next generation to emulate.

He argued that the role of lecturers as those of teaching, research and public service, have not fully been achieved as it is hindered by unscrupulous activities.

He said: “For one thing, our universities have since become, in fact, more tower than ivory while the corrosive viruses of corruption,

Fed Govt trains 22 dons in Geriatric Medicine

F

By Jane Chijioke

favouritism, indolence, incompetence and other unsavory and deleterious developments would seem to have crept into the hallowed precincts of our higher institutions.”

He noted that the Post UTME screening exercise has helped universities to filter high scoring but under performing applicants, many of whom end up being unproductive students when admitted.

He said: “The propensity to manipulate scores at the admission exercise constitutes an ugly and unacceptable development which needs to be deprecated by all men of good will. Whenever and wherever merit is sacrificed on the altar of individual ambition and parochial interest, it signals a descent to the abyss of under development and chicanery. Only the best should be admitted if Nigeria is to be able to stand its own among the nations of the world.”

Oyebode lamented the absence of exceptional role models which has continued to haunt today’s generation, pleading that the development should be urgently attended to, to

‘The propensity to manipulate scores at the admission exercise constitutes an ugly and unacceptable development which needs to be deprecated by all men of good will’

•Prof Oyebode

better the fortunes of the country.

He also decried the attitude of the present generation towards their studies as against their preference for hip hop music and appetite for social media. He warned that consuming the delicacies of the Information Communication Technology should be in measure and in line with acquisition of knowledge and proficiency.

He called to mind the necessity to over haul the curriculums of universities to make changes that would enhance pedagogy and enable the country to meet up with the goals and objectives of the 21st century.

“This country usually trumpets its desire to become great but we seldom agree on what needs to be done. Without marrying mission with vision and expectations with practicability, all hopes of realising our goals as a nation would end up as empty or unattainable. This obligation thrust on us to ensure by our word and deed that we leave a lasting legacy of thoroughness… so as to leave this world a better place than we found it,” Oyebode said.

EDERAL Government through the National Universities Commission (NUC) has trained 22 lecturers selected from 11 Nigerian universities in geriatric medicine at the University of North Texas, Denton, United States of America (USA).

They earned the specialist in Ageing Graduate Certificates.

NUC in response to global and national challenges and opportunities in the field of ageing medicine, identified the need and relevance of building sustainable capacity for production of skilled personnel for enhanced service delivery to older persons.

At a two-day stakeholders' meeting on capacity building for Masters programme in Geriatric Medicine in select universities in Abuja, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. MacJohn Nwaobiala said that the increasing population of older persons is a global phenomenon resulting from decline in fertility rates, combined with reduction in mortality and increased longevity.

He said in 2012, there were 810 million people aged 60 years and above accounting for 11 per cent of total world population. This year, he said they are projected to reach 2 billion (22 per cent increase).

Nwabiala said: "The growth will be more in developing countries including Nigeria. In Nigeria, demographic trends show increasing number of older persons presently estimated at 8.4 million and projected to reach about 29 mil-

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

lion by 2050.

"The Federal Ministry of Education therefore regards the development of Applied Gerontology and Geriatrics as formal courses of study in Nigerian universities, as crucial to the development of systems of health care and social support.

"The focus today by Stakeholders therefore, on developing the aspect of medicine which deals with specialized care of older persons; the prevention and management of the complex medical, psychological, nutritional and social problems that older persons experience, in order to maintain and promote their independence and well being, is a welcomed development."

Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof Julius Okojie said the body is mindful of its core mandate which is to develop and regulate responsive and relevant university education; the implicit response to the need to produce professionals and para-professionals: "equipped with knowledge, skills and competencies to deal effectively with the comprehensive challenges of older persons, therefore, informed the Commission's development of national and international collaborative initiatives with relevant stakeholders."

The Post Graduate Benchmark Statement and Minimum Academic Standards for PG.D, M.sc and Ph.D in Applied Gerontology was formally unveiled along with training module and models of Senior Citizens' Centers.

School offers DBA for executives

B • From left: Vice Chancellor, Prof Olusegun Odumola; member of council, Mrs Olubukola Ajomo; Prof Omole; Chief Fowler; Most Rev Akinde; Member, BoT, Mr Babatunde Fowler; and another member, Mr Major Kehinde Damole (rtd.) at the briefing.

T

HE proprietor of Vivian Fowler Memorial College for girls, in Ikeja, Lagos, Chief Lelia Fowler, has added university education to portfolio with the birth of the Hallmark University located in Ijebu Itele, Ogun State.

The institution, run by the Vivian Fowler Trust Foundation, will receive its pioneer students in October.

At a briefing in Lagos, Mrs Fowler said her experience in founding and funding schools in the last 30 years would be brought to bear at Hallmark University.

She said: "Hallmark University's mission is to pursue excellence. I started off as a lawyer. I practised for 30 years. I was motivated into education by the poor standards then. I started off by providing remedial education to assist those that couldn't get admission and wanted to go abroad.

The second initiative was the Fowler's school for girls - because I love Nige-

Hallmark varsity opens October

By Joseph Eshanokpe

rian kids. The average Nigerian kid will excel if put in the right environment. There is dire need for education. I started the university to give them the enabling environment. We want home-grown children,'' she said.

Mrs Fowler added that she did not go into university education to make money but to contribute her quota to nation building.

She promised that the fees would be affordable compared to the quality of education the institution would offer.

"You are getting the best education for the best cost, '' she added.

The varsity's Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), Most Rev Adebayo Akinde said they would introduce a work and study scheme to assist indigent students.

Contrary to the thoughts that private universities are too many, the former Computer Engineering professor said Nigeria needs even more.

"Let no one be worried about more varsities. We need between 300 and 400 universities. So, they are not yet enough,'' he said.

Most Rev Akinde, the Archbishop, Lagos Mainland, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, said it was a shame that some students leave Nigeria to study in small neigbouring countries such as Ghana. He recalled the good old days in the 60s and 70s of education ''before things went haywire''.

"Our educational system is in trouble. We are not reading. We need retraining. There is need for modification of our curriculum to boost the

LAPO gives research grants to students

T

HE Lift Above Poverty Organisation (LAPO) has given research grants to nine post graduate students in four Nigerian universities.

Six students undergoing their Masters programme at the Nmamdi Azikiwe University, Ambrose Alli University and University of Benin were given N100,000 support grant.

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

Three others studying Sociology at the University of Ibadan were given N200,000 each as support grant for their Ph.D thesis.

Chairman of Governing Council of LAPO, Godwin Ehigiamusoe, said his decision to begin giving out research grant for post graduate students was to help build future leaders.

Godwin said many countries are growing because students' researches are well funded.

He promised to sustain the grant in addition to the scholarships his organisation provides for secondary school pupils.

One of the beneficiaries, Chinwuba Oyinye, said the grant would help her complete her project work

quality of education,'' he said.

Pro Chancellor/Chairman, Governing Council of Hallmark University, Prof Wale Omole, said as its motto In Porsitiari Ad excelentio (In Pursuit of excellence) indicates that the institution will be a citadel of excellence which will "provide holistic education, intellectual skills, advocacy and social responsibility".

Omole, a former vice chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), said Hallmark University will kick off with the following faculties: Natural and Applied Sciences, Management and Social Sciences in its first phase.

In the subsequent phases, Engineering, environmental Technology, Agriculture and Natural Resources will be added.

USINESS eExecutives who would like to develop skills to teach in the university can apply for the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programme of Nobel International Business School (NIBS), Accra, Ghana and Swiss Business School (SBS), Zurich, Switzerland.

The program holds at the NIBS Campus in East Legon, Accra.

Addressing the media in Lagos, President and Executive Dean of NIBS, Prof Kwaku Atuahene-Gima, said the programme, which is internationally accredited, would develop the research, publishing and teaching capacity of the executives who would to bring their business experience to the classroom to help students prepare for the real world.

He said: "Those who graduate will gain acceptance and credibility above and beyond the level of consultants and EMBA-holders as people who can handle the most complex and nuanced business problems for their firms and/or employers."

Vice President of NIBS, Prof Per Jenster, lauded the programme for providing solutions to the complexity of the changing African business environment.

A member of the NIBS international advisory board, Prof John Meewella, explained that the NIBS academic schedule is flexible to enhance successful completion of the programme.

Our Error OUR story, 'UNIOSUN crisis: Dons urge Aregbesola to review recommendations', published on Page 27 of July 02, 2015, wrongly reported that "the Chairman of UNIOSUN Academic Staff Union of Universities Dr. Oluseye Abiona, was among those recommended by the Visitation Panel to be barred from holding any position of responsibility in the university for the next five years."

On the contrary, the panel only recommended that Abiona be removed as the Coordinator of the Centre for Renewable Energy in the university. The error is regretted.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

28

EDUCATION

Parents, pupils urge Ambode to retain school

T

HE Parents’ Forum and pupils of the Aunty Ayo Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School Obalende (AAGCSSS), Lagos have sent a Save Our Soul (SOS) message to the Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, to revisit the decision of his predecessor Babatunde Raji Fashola to hand over the school to the private owners.

The school was founded by the late Mrs Ayo Manuwa for the education of less-privileged girls. She handed it over to the state government in the 80s.

The parents are appealing to Ambode to stop the process of returning the school to the family of the late Manuwa, a process that has already begun.

Chairman of the Parents’ Forum, Mr Saheed Olalere, fears that if given to private owners, children from poor homes would be denied access to education, a policy he said was against the wish of the late founder.

Making the appeal over the week-

By Adegunle Olugbamila and Ajose Sehindemi

end at the retirement programme of the school’s Principal, Mrs Janet Adebo, Olalere said: “As at today, only two public schools are in Obalende, and by allowing private ownership of AAGCSSS, the lessprivileged in the society will not have access to education.”

Giving other reasons for the government not to hand over the school, Olalere claimed that the new owners were not direct descendants of the late founder and do not share her philosophy but are only interested in the school’s real estate.

“No direct descendants of the late Manuwa attended meetings held during Fashola’s era. The extended family members and some officials of the Ministry of Education, who know the history of the school and want to exploit it, were those present at the meetings.

“The renewed interest of the exploiters is because the school remains the biggest governmentowned secondary school in terms

of land mass and students’ population in the Ikoyi-Obalande axis. The land mass is the core of the problem,” he said Olalere said returning the schools would be against the wish of its founder, who voluntarily relinquished the school to the government. Moreover, he said the late Manuwa also founded two other schools – Aunty Ayo International School, a private school, and Aunty Ayo High School - which was taken over by the family while Mrs Sarah Sosan was deputy governor/commissioner for education.

The Parents’ Forum wants Ambode to find out why the governing council of Aunty Ayo International School wants to go against the wish of the founder.

Supporting Olalere, the Chairman of the Obalende Landlords Association, Prince Soji Ladejobi, appealed to the governor not to let poor students be deprived of education.

Some of the pupils also appealed against the sale of their school, urging Ambode to use his office to secure their access to affordable edu-

cation.

The dis-engagement for private ownership is ongoing in the school, as no new pupil has been admitted over the last two years.

But a source in the Ministry of Education, who pleaded not to be mentioned, debunked the parents’ claim that some elements in the ministry were interested in the school. As claimed by the parents, the source also said it is not compulsory that the direct descendants of the late founder must be on ground during meetings, noting that once there are other blood relations that should negotiate on behalf of the family, a deal could be struck.

Speaking with our reporter on phone, the source said: ”If the school has a large land mass, how would that benefit those in the ministry?”

“The issue is simple. The government forcefully took over some schools from their owners some years ago. The government has now decided to return same school to them with certain conditions attached; and those who met the con-

•Ambode

ditions are reclaiming their schools.

“The parents need not be afraid because the government prioritises the interest of the children, and will ensure the last student to leave the school is protected without paying a dime. But parents cannot say they don’t want the government not to return the schools to their real owner.”

The source, however, asked the aggrieved parents to write a letter to the Commissioner for Education, adding that perhaps that would assuage their fear.

Science entrepreneurship training coming

A

• Mrs Iyabo Osifeso, Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Education District VI (right) presenting the Best Student (junior category) award to 13-year old Joseph Awe, for recording the best performance (12As and 2 Cs) in the 2014 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). He also won School Champion Honours in an essay competition and was presented the School Ambassador award by his school, Estate Senior Grammar School, Ilupeju. With them are (from left) Mrs Esther Jesugbamila, (Senior School Principal); Alhaja Adams (Junior School Principal) and his mother, Mrs Adebola Awe.

I

School holds seventh graduation

T was a day of joy for teachers, pupils and parents of Cardinal Nursery and Primary School Iba, Lagos as they celebrated the school's Seventh graduation.

Head Teacher, Mr Samuel Kyei, prayed for the graduands, charging them to do well in their future endeavours.

"You are about to leave one stage to move to another stage. There will be challenges, but with what you have learnt here, you will succeed," he said.

There was also a special prayer session for the graduands led by the school chaplain, Pastor Godwin Ajala Akpemiye, who advised them to be careful, especially with the friends they keep.

By Pascal Okezu

"Peer pressure is one of the most powerful things in the life of teens and it may influence them either positively or negatively," he said.

Ten-year-old Opeyemi Oso, who won the mathematics award, wants to attend a boarding secondary school "to experience life away from home." However, she said she would miss Cardinal.

"The teachers are very good and we have a very conducive environment for learning," she said, counseling those she is leaving behind to "be very attentive in class, and carry out every instruction your teacher gives."

For best in English prize winner,

Ebunoluwa Showemimo, the future after his secondary education may see him in the sciences, as he said engineering is for him.

He too has fond memories of his primary school, which he described as "nothing short of wonderful."

Parents were also treated to various performances by the children, including a traditional zulu war dance, which got everyone in the hall on their feet, and craving for more at the end.

One of the main highlights of the event was the presentation of awards to outstanding parents. Mr Kyei said it was done to encourage the parents to continue to support the school.

Nigerian Mathematical Society elects leaders

T

HE Nigerian Mathematical Society (NMS) has elected Prof Ninuola Akinwande of the Federal University of Technology, Minna as its new President and head of Council to run the affairs of the society for the next two years.

Akinwande, who was the immediate past Secretary of the Society, was elected along with nine others,

From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

at the 34th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Society at University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos.

Other members of the Council are Dr Bashir Ali (Vice President); Prof.

G. C. E. Mbah (Secretary); Dr Sirajo Abdulrahman, also of FUT, Minna (Assistant Secretary); while Dr. E. E. David of University of Port

Harcourt returned as Treasurer.

Also elected were: Prof. S. S. Okoya of University of Lagos (Editor-inChief), Prof. O. Adeniran (Business Manager); and Prof Remi Odekunle and Prof J. E. Oguntuase (ex-offio).

The immediate Past President, Prof. M. O. Osilike of University of Nigeria, Nsukka also made the council.

GROUP, Science Ambassadors Foundation will hold its Third Hen Science Festival from July 13 to 14 at the Federal Science Equipment Centre, Ijanikin, Lagos.

Speaking at a briefing to announce the event, its Coordinator, Mrs Chinyere Nnabugwu, said it was time to start Science-based entrepreneurship programmes to prepare Nigerians for greater achievements in science and technology.

She said most entrepreneurship programmes focus on vocational training such as bead-making, fashion design, hat making, fish farming, and the like, adding that scientific entrepreneurship programmes could help people to develop solutions to problems. She added that science teachers should be equipped to teach schoolchildren scientific principles in an interesting way.

She said: "If we want to become industrialised, how do we get that opportunity when every entrepreneurial programme is bead making, hat making, shoe making and so on?

Science can be made into industrial products. We lack infrastructure, yet there is nothing you want to talk about infrastructure that is not science. Is it energy generation or road? Which one is not science? The midget you are using, is it not science? Your clothes, are they not science? Your shoes, everything, is science. China is investing heavily in science education. Teachers can learn ways to stimulate the enthusiasm of students in science. We want to show them that they do not need to wait for a fully-equipped laboratory to teach science in an interesting manner. Science is magic and it depends on how you will present it."

The festival will feature a two-day training for about 5,000 at the Federal Science Equipment Centre, Ijanikin, Lagos, which would expose teachers to interesting and practical ways of teaching sciences to pupils, how to make instructional materials from resources in their environment, and how scientific concepts apply to daily living in the society.

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

The science teachers expected to attend would be drawn from private schools in Lagos and its environs under the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS).

Lending support for the event, Patron of the foundation, Prof Oluwole Familoni, is optimistic that the training would improve teaching and learning of sciences in schools.

"I am hoping and looking forward to this training that it will be a beginning of something good for private schools where teachers will be well trained, be able to assist their students," he said.

The chemist, who is from the University of Lagos (UNILAG), also underscored the importance of practical demonstration to science education.

"Is there alternative to practical?

NO. It is either you have practical or you do not have practical; there is no alternative," he said.

Outgoing president of NAPPS, Lagos Chapter, Mr Yomi Otubela, said the training would add value to teachers and pupils.

"We all know that majority of teachers and students, even schools are not doing enough in term of practical science classes. So with this foundation, we will be able to teach science beyond laboratory, environment. We will be able to attain to science as a day- to- day activities of the children, be able to take science to homes and even to the market place relating happenings to how science works," he said.

The Southwest Zonal President of NAPPS, Mrs Basirat Alimi, said there were plans to hold another training by the foundation during the Southwest zonal meeting of NAPPS in October.

"Apart from Lagos, we are planning to do it other states. We are having our 10th anniversary by October 13- 15 in Oyo State at Lead City University, Ibadan. We want to use that opportunity because PTA and students representatives and all the proprietors will be there. We are

‘If we want to become industrialised, how do we get that opportunity when every entrepreneurial programme is bead making, hat making, shoe making and so on? Science can be made into industrial products’

Five injured in UNN protest

New dawn for Southeast students

Page 31

Page 31

THE NATION

*CAMPUSES *NEWS *PEOPLE *KUDOS& KNOCKS *GRANTS

CAMPUS LIFE 0805-450-3104 email: campusbeat@yahoo.com

THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.net

email:- campuslife@thenationonlineng.net

No fewer than 65 students of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) in Awka, the Anambra State capital, last Friday, renounced cultism at a ceremony organised by the management. FRANKLIN ONWUBIKO (400-Level Mass Communication) reports.

0

•Some of the repentant students at the event

UNIZIK’s 65 repentant cultists T

HERE was pin-drop silence in the hall as they filed out willingly to confess their sins and seek forgiveness. They were treated like the prodigal son - forgiven and rehabilitated.

The Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) in Awka, the Anambra State capital, last Friday had 65 students publicly renouncing cultism.

The UNIZIK Cult Renunciation Ceremony was organised by the school management at the convocation arena. It was the second time that the programme, which is aimed at ridding the school of cultism, was being held.

The Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Joseph Ahaneku, and his wife, Dr Gladys, led top management staff, including the Deputy VC for Academics, Prof. Charles Esimone, his counterpart for Administration, Prof Innocent Onyeyili, Registrar Mr C.C. Okeke and Director of Information and Public Relations Dr Emmanuel Ojukwu to the event.

The Dean, Students’ Affairs (DSA), Prof Ken Nwogu, led stu-

dents to the event. Clergymen baptised the repentant cultists at the occasion.

In his homily, the guest cleric, Reverend Father Paul Obayi, who is known as Okunerere (consuming fire) within the state, said participating in cultism would always end in destruction. He described cultists as a satanic group that employed deceit to make human beings deviate from the words of God. He noted that membership of such group added no value to life.

Obayi, who revealed that he was an occultist before he was arrested

by God, said cultism put youths in perpetual bondage and eternal imprisonment. Frowning at the rate at which youths are joining cult confraternities, the cleric said: “It is an act of foolishness to join cultism. There is no gain in cultism, because it uses deception to sell the souls of the youth to the devil.”

Obayi advised students to desist from cultism and return to God. He urged them to face their studies and graduate with good grades.

The high-poin of 44 students,

•Prof Ahaneku (second left), his wife, Gladys, Prof Onyeyili (left), Prof Esimone (second right) and Okeke who confessed to being cult mem- dents, saying he was overwhelmed for them contribute to the develbers. The session was officiated by by the number that gave up cult- opment of the nation. What we Obayi, who was assisted by Rever- ism. He advised them to allow God have done today is to submit to God end Father Mario-David Dibie and take control of their lives and never and it will be captured in the Reverend Father Bonachristus to return to cultism. records of this university that, we Umeogu. As the clergymen prayed His words: “We need God to give have trained students, not only in for them, 21 others came out to also us the power to take control of our learning, but also in character.” renounce their membership of cult- society. Because we have submitSpeaking to CAMPUSLIFE, chairism, saying they were directed to ted to His will, God has prepared man of the organising committee, do so by the Holy Spirit. us for the journey ahead. The re- Prof. Esimone said the event was a Prof Ahaneku described the cer- deemed students should be assured move by the management to rid the emony as spiritual irrigation to for- that the university management is school of cultism and breed discitify the school against cultism. He ready to protect their interest.

•Continued on page 30 promised to rehabilitate the stu“We will assist them to to enable

•Another OOU student dies in accident-P32 •600 matriculate at Oduduwa varsity-P33

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

30

CAMPUS LIFE

Nostalgia O

N November 10, 1969, Joan Ganz Cooney, an American television producer and Lloyd Morrisett, an experimental psychologist created “Sesame Street,” a long-running children’s television series. The programme – under the umbrella of the Children Television Workshop (CTW) - is known for its educational content, and images communicated through the use of Muppets, animation, short films, humour and cultural references.

Though an American concept, the programme made so much impact on children – and even adults – of my generation in Nigeria and beyond. So great was the impact that even as an undergraduate I continued to watch it until I called it quits when it gradually fizzled out of our television screens when 24 cable satellite stations took over.

I was nostalgic when I read last week that Sonia Manzano, the beautiful lady with the stage name “Maria” will be leaving the show after a 44 year active involvement. I didn’t know she was still around. I had to fish out a DVD collection of the show I bought to show my son how educational programmes were done in those days. Today, most things revolve around violence and stuffs that adds nothing to posterity.

What caught my attention about “Maria” were the long years she dedicated to impacting the lives of millions of children around the world. On the show, she ran a Fix-It Shop with her on-screen husband, Emilio Delgado.

The two-time Emmy nominee and award-winning writer - who is 65 - joined the show in 1971.

She regularly gave advice to characters like Big Bird and Elmo. She was born in New York City and was raised in South Bronx. Her parents moved to the city from Puerto Rico.

Also an author, her children’s book “No Dogs Allowed,” published in 2004, is one of five books selected by the General Mills - an American multinational manufacturer of consumer foods - ini-

tiative “Spoonfuls of Stories.” Apart from helping children across the United States gain access to books, it also encourages them to read.

The aim of the show over the years was to improve the cognitive skills of preschoolers so that they would be better prepared for primary school education. By using TV as a medium, the CTW succeeded in bringing the educational message to a large proportion of preschool children. In fact, among its target group of 3-5 year olds, “Sesame Street” is very popular. It was reported that over 1.4 million households watch this program whenever it is shown.

How can one forget Cookie Monster, Bert, Ernie and their zany companions? However, it was not merely puppets and a host of clever attention-holding tactics but a welldefined set of educational goals that made “Sesame Street” so successful. I read that more than 1,000 studies have been conducted on the impact and influence of the show on children who watch it.

One of the evaluations showed how children were tested on a variety of items such as identifying body parts, letters, numbers, geometric forms, sorting and classification before and after a six-month viewing period.

Children who watched the programme showed a marked improvement in a variety of cognitive skills; more important, as viewing became heavier, the amount of improvement increased. The more they watched, the more they learned. The results were not restricted to middle-class children alone; disadvantaged children who watched showed marked improvements as well. Perhaps one of the most interesting outcomes is that reading skills improved, even though this was not specifically taught on the show.

One of the studies also revealed that Bangladeshi children who watch the local version, Sisimpur, were reported to show faster attainment of academic skills such as literacy and math, with literacy scores of 4-year-old viewers 67% higher than those who don’t watch.

Similar advances are seen else-

Pushing Out with

Agbo Agbo 08116759750 (SMS only)

•aagboa@gmail.com

where. In Egypt, 4-year-olds who watch the local version of, Alam Simsim, were said to perform at the same level on math and literacy tests as 5-year-olds who watch little or not at all. And children with exposure to Galli Galli Sim Sim, the local Indian version, show significant gains in Hindi literacy, especially those from less privileged backgrounds.

Strong improvements on a whole range of learning outcomes were also measured in Indonesia. Children who frequently watch Jalan Sesama outperform children who don’t watch the show on early cognitive skills (15% higher), letter recognition (10% higher), number recognition (15% higher), and counting (15% higher). And as another study shows, the impact adds up: Children who watch Jalan Sesama regularly over an 18-month period do better on academic skills, with letter recognition up 23% over those who did not watch.

Messages about sharing and growing together, dealing with difficult situations, and accepting others have been at the heart of Sesame Street from its inception. One study that focused on the socio-emotional impact of watching it demonstrates that children who view it with prosocial messages exhibit significantly higher levels of pro-social behaviour - such as cooperating, helping, and sharing - than those who do not watch.

Back to “Maria;” she was able to make an impact because she is one determined lady. Determination is a key attribute of sustained success.

It is sometimes referred to as drive, which was what pushed her to give 44 years of her life toward the development of children across the globe.

Determination is closely associated with resilience: the ability to bounce back from setbacks, rather than giving up. Perseverance and persistence are also highly related.

There is the old saying that a challenge is an opportunity, not a threat and we need to see failure as a chance to learn new ways of doing things. In her long years on the show she must have faced challenges that would have propelled her to call it quits, but she remained and forged on, not because of pecuniary gains, but to impact children.

When I watch children programmes these days, all I see are mostly meaningless cartons that add little to the learning process of a child. Most relish in the gun and violent culture that is prevalent today which is why we need more “Maria’s” to help our children realise that there is more to life than guns and violence.

I believe that violent cartoons have the potential of greatly affecting children’s behaviours growing up. Violence is a learned behaviour and therefore children need to see violence in order to become violent themselves. If a child is viewing their favourite character hitting, kicking, and beating up the “bad guys” a child will learn these behaviours too. And because most of these cartoons do not show any consequences for these behaviours - and in a sense glorify violence children think that this is an acceptable form of problem solving.

It was revealed in one study that what a child watches on TV at eight years will be one of the best predictors of how aggressive he will be as an adult. What the child watches after eight years is not nearly as important as what they watch before that. The study pointed out that TV violence desensitises children to real life violence. They see the cartoon characters beating up the bad guys so when they see a bully at school picking on another kid they are less likely to find anything wrong with that situation.

A new genre of children’s cartoons said to be the most violent has been sweeping across satellite TV for the past few years. This type of cartoon called Anime is a type of Japanese cartoon based on video games. Such shows include Dragon Ball Z, Digimon, Pokemon and a host of others. These are shown on some cartoon channels and others.

My advice in this post-modern age is for parents to pay careful attention on what their children watch.

Omotayo Akande, a 500-Level Chemical Engineering student, has been elected as the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Students Union Government (SUG) president. He shares the secret of his success and what he intends to achieve with OPEOLUWA SONUGA (500-Level Law OAU).

‘I fear for my generation’ •Omotayo

H

OW did you become involved in politics?

I was not politically inclined until I was admitted into Obafemi Awolowo University. Although, I used to read about politics but I started to actively participate in politics after I attended a seminar when I was in 100Level. When I got to 200-Level, I stood for election into the Students’ Union Government (SUG) parliament and I was honoured as the best parliamentarian that year. Over the years, my political profile has been developed through my involvement in various activities of the union.

Would you say this profile stood you among your opponents?

In my opinion, the strong opponent I faced was the first runner-up in the

election, who, I believe, has never been involved in Students’ Union activities. So, I think what really gave me the chance was my activities in the union. When students were suspended, I came up with the idea of Save OAU Campaign, which made students to know me better. They said ‘this is TY, who has been coming to address us and writing press releases’.

But, others did not have this kind of relationship with students.

You are known to criticise executive members when you were in parliament. How would you manage criticism from the parliament?

Criticism is like friction in Physics.

Friction is an opposition to motion but without friction, the body cannot move. This is the way I see criticism.

You need people to see things from different angle and help you to move in the right direction. So, I don’t have problem with being criticised.

What are the challenges you intend to tackle when you come on board?

By the end of my tenure, I want students to judge me on three major things. One, I want to bequeath a vi-

brant union that will improve political consciousness of all students. Two, the welfare of students will be improved and lastly, every student will have a sense of belonging. For these aims to be achieved, we have to take up responsibility and make sure we raise political consciousness on campus Who are your models?

I have people I admire and one of those is President Muhammadu Buhari. I respect his stance on corruption; this will make me to run a transparent administration. Pastor Tunde Bakare is another Nigerian I admire.

He is god-fearing and speaks truth to the powers that be.

How have you been balancing being a student and being in politics?

Before I was elected as union president, I had been involved in unionism.

And this has never affected my academic performance. Unionism is an avenue to acquire leadership skill.

There are things you cannot learn in the classroom.

Do you believe youths are tomorrow’s leaders?

I am a youth and I must be honest with you, I have fear for my generation. It is difficult to see a youth doing simple task effectively. It is a rare thing.

But, I still have hope about tomorrow. I can tell you that majority of our youths have wrong priorities. We have creative minds but our creativ-

ity is not focused on something that will make us better. Our generation needs to change and take life for what it is.

What is your advice for aspiring students’ leaders?

They should always stand for the truth no matter whose ox is gored.

They must also know that everything they do will be history tomorrow; so, they should write good story of today for history to be kind to them.

The repentant cultists •Continued from page 29

plined and responsible students.

A lecturer at the Department of Haematology, Dr Ifeoma Ajuba, said she was shocked by the number of students baptised. She said: “It was the first time I witnessed such mass baptism. I never knew I would meet such a crowd of students denouncing cultism openly.

I was surprised there were ladies among them. I am impressed and I think this is a step in the right direction for the campus to be peaceful.”

One of the converts, who spoke

to CAMPUSLIFE anonymously, described the event as a turning point in his life. He said: “I am grateful to the Vice-Chancellor for giving me the opportunity to be liberated from the clutches of the devil. My advice to my fellow students is to shun secret cultism because it leads to eternal destruction.”

Students praised the management for the initiative. Macdonald Ifeme, president Association of Mass Communication Students, described the event as welcome, urging management to sustain its efforts to make the campus cultism-free.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

31

CAMPUS LIFE Five students were injured when soldiers were drafted to stop a protest at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) Veterinary Medicine Faculty, reports OLADELE OGE.

Five injured in UNN protest

I

T has been more than two months since the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) started its second semester, but there has been no lecture at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

The students protested the development last Wednesday.

It was their second protest over the absence of their teachers, who are said to be on strike over the continuous reduction of their allowances and salaries since April.

The students initially embarked on a peaceful demonstration penultimate week, marching from their faculty to the Administrative Block. They were intercepted at the Freedom Square by security men. The students went back to their faculty, hoping that their grievances would be addressed by the authorities.

Last Wednesday, the students went on another demonstration, moving round the campus with placards, with inscriptions such as: “We are tired of staying at home”, “Benjamin, what have we done?”, “We don’t deserve this, Prof Ozumba”, “Reverse the reduction of our lecturers’ salary and allowances and let them start work”, among others.

T

HE Rangers Supporters’ Club Hall of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu State was a beehive of activities last week.

Members of the National Association of Southeast Nigeria Students (NASENS) gathered in the hall to elect their leaders.

Students’ Union Government (SUG) presidents of some higher institutions in the region led hundreds of delegates to the event, which was graced by officials of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).

Dignitaries at the event included the association’s patron and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Peace Mass Transit, Dr Mmaduka Onyishi, represented by Hon Chika Nzelu, chairman of Board of Trustee, Comrade Francis Agu and Comrade Sheriff Emeka, the Southeast Liaison Officer of NANS. The outgoing president, Peter Ede, described his tenure as a good period in which the association stepped up its activities. He urged his successor to place the interest of the body above personal considerations, saying the association needed to sustain its achievement in the past two years.

The electoral process was not without controversies. There was commotion as some delegates disrupted the process when the electoral committee could not produce ballot papers to be used for the election. When the normalcy returned, delegates agreed that the exercise be conducted through A4 Option, where they nominated and openly voted for their choice candidates.

At the end of the election, Nwele Ifeanyi was elected as president, beating his opponent, Uche Okeke.

Others elected included Dan Ani, General Secretary, Arinze Ede, Director of Finance, Chinenye Peter,

•Soldiers dispersing the protesters at the VC’s office

The students said they could no long remain silent, while their colleagues in other faculties had almost finished their course outlines. They wondered why their lecturers were singled out for allowance reduction.

The students moved to the Administrative Block to meet the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Benjamin Ozumba, in his office. For several minutes, the students remained at the entrance of the office, chanting solidarity songs.

They waited for the VC to address them but he did not leave his office. Soldiers later arrived to disperse the students.

The students remained on the spot, despite being ordered by the soldiers to return to their hostels. There was chaos when the soldiers used force to disperse the protesters. Five students were injured in the commotion that ensued.

Lamenting what they called

•The medical students displaying placards during the protest

unfair treatment meted out to them, the students said the reason for the protest was to ensure that both parties agree to end the academic impasse. They condemned the attitudes of the soldiers.

Addressing the protesters, the Nsukka Urban Police Area Commander, Mr Musa Aladu, described the students’ action as immature, saying the police would not allow anyone to go

Members of the National Association of Southeast Nigeria Students (NASENS) have elected their leaders. The election was held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu. EMMANUEL AHANONU (Corps member, NYSC ENUGU) reports.

New dawn for Southeast students

•The NASENS leaders after their inauguration

Treasurer, Chineny Onovo, Director of Academics and Chigozie Okeke, Public Relations Officer.

Agu, the electoral committee chairman, said elections could not be held for five other positions because nobody showed interest. The positions are both offices of the Vice President, Senate President, Assistant Secretary and Provost. He

promised that elections would be conducted to fill the positions before the inauguration of the executive. Agu hailed the participants for accepting the outcome of the process despite hitches.

Nzelu advised the elected officers to move with the wind of change, blowing across the nation, urging them to be responsible. He

urged for peace and unity in the association, calling on the presidentelect to carry members along in making decision. He promised to donate a bus to aid the association’s mobility challenge.

The outgoing General Secretary, Nnanna Ezichi-Iko, a student of University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), said his leadership skill was

on rampage in the face of insecurity.

Aladu advised the students to be peaceful in their conduct, saying they needed to inform the police whenever they wanted to stage a protest.

The Dean of the faculty was not in the office for comment, but a Veterinary Medicine lecturer, who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE, said: “The problem started last April when our allowances were suddenly deducted without valid reason. When we saw the ugly situation, an official letter was written to the VC for correction but up till this moment, nothing has been done to stop the illegal deduction. This is why we down tool.

“But they want us to go back to classrooms and teach. How can this be done when our grievances have not been addressed? If the authorities want teachers to go back, they should reverse the deduction and pay back the money deducted.” boosted by during his tenure, thanking members of the association for the opportunity to serve them.

He said: “My leadership skill has improved with my ability to communicate. I thank members for the opportunity.”

The outgoing president, Ede, expressed similar views. He said leadership taught him how to handle youth issues as he served as mediator between students, managements and governments in times of crisis.

His words: “In NASENS, we fight against intimidation and oppression by school management and government. This has exposed me to ways to handle youth matters.

While we fought for students, we also tried to discourage them from committing examination malpractices and other vices.”

Ede said greatest challenge that his administration faced was travel challenges, because of lack of official vehicle. Other challenge, he said, was lack of funds to run the association. He advised the incoming leaders to be united and fight for the common good of students.

Ifeanyi, who is a student of Ebonyi State University (EBSU), said he was grateful to God for making his election successful, describing it as a call to service. He said his administration would focus on consolidation of the gains of the outgoing executive, promising to push for programmes that would have positive effect on students. He urged other elected members to support his drive to uplift the association, saying: “A tree cannot make a forest; in unity we can achieve success.

I owe everyone a lot and I will deliver on the promises I made during the campaign.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

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CAMPUS LIFE

• Ekpo cuts the tape to commission the hostel. With him are Dan-Abia (left), Ewa-Henshaw (second right) and Mrs Ekpo.

• The hostle

Medical students celebrate NDDC’s hostel Medical students at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital last Monday trooped out for the inauguration of the 522-bed hostel built by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), reports IBRAHIM ADAM.

R

AIN, often seen as a blessing, heralded the commissioning of the 522-bed space hostel built by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital. The rain could not deter the medical students, who were excited by the prospect of moving into a new ultra-modern hostel.

Their mood was aptly captured by Victor Emanah, a 300-Level student of Medicine and Surgery. He said: “The new hostel is a magnificent edifice. It is one of its kind and it is truly lovely and quiet environment that befits medical students. We cannot wait to move into this inviting and enticing hall of residence.”

Another student, Miss Jessica Bakpo, agreed that the hostel “is in a class of its own. It is bigger, better and very imposing. It certainly has more to offer than the existing hostels in our university.”

The NDDC hostel boasts of ameni-

ties, such as, a giant overhead water tank linked to a solar-water treatment plant. It also has spaces for supermarkets and shops; administrative offices; cybercafé; games rooms and specially-fitted rooms for physically challenged students.

Students who live off campus were also upbeat about the hostel. One of them, Francis Ojike, said the NDDC’s intervention is a soothing balm. He noted that students forced to live off-campus because of accomodation challenge are susceptible to extraneous influences, such as cultism and other vices.

“Some landlords take advantage of the situation to provide sub-standard accommodation at cut-throat rates. In many cases, such accommodation lack the necessary atmosphere for learning as they are usually in high density areas of the town where noise pollution is a constant factor. Besides, they do not provide basic amenities such as

water and electricity,” he said.

The medical student, who hails from Imo State, said off-campus accommodation should be discouraged because of its negative consequences. “We have lived with it because we had no choice. So, we thank God that NDDC has come to our rescue,” he said.

The ceremony attracted the cream of the intellectual community in Akwa Ibom State and members of NDDC’s Governing Board led by its chairman, Senator Bassey EwaHenshaw.

Governor Udom Emmanuel was represented by his deputy, Mr. Moses Ekpo.

Emmanual said, the massive complex would increase the teaching hospital’s capacity to train more doctors in a conducive environment. “This will improve the provision of health services to the people. We are grateful to the NDDC for helping us touch the

lives of people in the state. I am confident that the commission will continue to meet the expectations of the people,” he said.

NDDC Managing Director Sir Bassey Dan-Abia said the commission was determined to complete all on-going projects as directed by the Federal Government. He said of the 19 student hostels being built by the NDDC across the Niger Delta, only one was completed when the current board was inaugurated on December 16, 2013.

“Since we came in, four more hostels have been commissioned and four others are ready. We have commissioned similar hostels in Imo State University, Federal University of Science and Technology, Owerri, University of Benin and Delta State University, Abraka,” he said.

Ewa-Henshaw said the second proto-type hostel at the main campus of the university would be completed soon.

UNIUYO Vice Chancellor, Prof Comfort Ekpo described the hostel as the biggest and the most modern in the university.

“The NDDC has given us a wonderful edifice. This is the best hostel in our university today and the standard is world class. Indeed, the NDDC has given us something to be proud of,” she said.

The Chief Medical Director, Prof.

Etete Peters, said NDDC’s intervention had given the university a solid foundation that would enhance medical students’ training. “The hostel will help to establish the hospital as a first class tertiary health facility in the region,” he said.

Chief Patrick Bassey, a representative of the host community, Ikot Efoi in Uyo local government area, described the hostel as an “intimidating power house that has brought the high and mighty to our community.”

Another OOU student dies in accident

E

•Afilaka (middle) with the students after she received the award

Ondo governor’s aide honoured

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HE National Association of Akure Students (NASS), has presented an award of excellence to the Special Assistant to Ondo State Governor on Appointments, Ms Taiwo Afilaka, for her support.

She was presented with the award at a meeting with her at the governor’s office in Akure, the state capital.

While describing the honoree as “mommy of the association”, the association’s president, Akintade Oluyi, said the honour was a way of recognising Afilaka’s effort to boost youth development

From Kemi Busari

AKURE programmes in the state.

The Senate President of the National Association of Ondo State Students (NAOSS), Israel Fagbemigun, said the “outstanding performance” of the governor’s aide in youth development endeared her to students’ heart.

He said: “Ms Afilaka has affected our lives immensely. She has made efforts to ensure the youth participate in best programmes of the government. We pray God reward you abundantly for all you have been

doing to ensure our wellbeing remain priority of the government.”

Responding, Afilaka dedicated the award to God and to Ondo students. She advised students to embrace dialogue and consultation in driving home their demands.

She said: “I have always known all of you to be responsible students. I advise you to continue to be responsible. You should always embrace diplomacy rather than resorting to violence in telling the government what you want.”

She pledged her continuous support for the association and other students’ bodies.

VEN as the tears are yet to dry for the eight Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye students who died in a road accident penultimate Friday, another student has died — in an accident.

Babalola Arimoro, a 300-Level Business Administration student, died three days after he was involved in an accident that occurred at Olopomerin Junction in Ago-Iwoye, last Thursday.

It was gathered that Babalola was unconscious after the accident, but died on Sunday.

His colleagues were shocked when the news hit them.

Babalola’s course mate, Olamilekan Yahaya, expressed grief, recalling their last moment. Olamilekan said: “He was friendly and gentle. We used to go to school together and had good times. The last time we were together was on June 17 after we wrote out last examination.”

The Students Union Government (SUG) Public Relations Officer (PRO), Damilola Adelesi, described Babalola’s death as shocking. He said: “The accident that claimed Babalola’s life was minor and we thought he

•The late Babalola From Sanya Boluwatife,

OOU

would survive it. It was later we heard he had skull injury. His death has brought another moment. He was loved by everyone. We will miss him. I pray God consoles the bereaved family.”

‘We thought he would survive it.

It was later we heard he had skull injury. His death has brought another moment’

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

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CAMPUS LIFE

Catholic students render free medicare

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O fewer than 100 residents of Ottah-Igbanke Village of Edo State have benefited from free medical consultation and drugs in an outreach, last Sunday, by members of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) chapter of Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Association (FECAMDS).

The outreach, according to association’s president, Marietta Imadojiemu, is held yearly to reach out to people in rural areas.

She said: “We conceived the outreach in line with the objectives of association to offer helping hand to people living in rural areas. We offer them free medical checkups, because we believe they don’t have access to such service.”

Sonia Omorodion, a 600-Level Medicine and Surgery student, sensitised the villagers on hygienic,

From Eddy Uwoghiren

UNIBEN saying unclean environment could lead to outbreak of illness and food poisoning.

Sonia said: “You must be mindful of what you eat. Cover your food properly and don’t drink dirty water, because it causes diseases.”

In the three-hour outreach, villagers were test for vital signs check, blood glucose level, malaria and urinalysis.

There was also a medical consultation.

A 64-year-old Mr Sunday Idada could not hide his joy after he benefitted from the free service. He urged the students to extend the outreach to other rural communities.

Highlight of the event was a drama presentation titled Food Safety. The outreach was held at St Francis Catholic Church in Ottah-Igbanke village.

•Prof Orumwense (second left) joined by the management team to lay the foundation for the projects

VC lays foundation for classrooms, laboratory

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HE Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Prof Faraday Orumwense, has laid the foundation blocks for the construction of a lecture theatres, laboratory and seminar halls for the faculties of Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Education.

The structures, according to institution’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Michael Osasuyi, are needed to boost teaching and learning. Osasuyi said there had been facility challenge in the tree faculties, which made vital lectures and laboratory work to be canceled.

He said: “The foundations for the facilities come at the right time, because we have had complaints from the students on their challenges to get lectures. So, the management reacted promptly. The projects are scheduled

From Eddy Uwoghiren and Ezekiel Efeobhokhan

UNIBEN to be completed within a short time and we urge students to be patient for pain they may go through.”

The ceremony was witnessed by top management team, including the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academics, Prof Abiodun Falodun and Director of Physical Planning, Ehis Emojie, among others.

In his remark, Prof Orumwense said the project would improve the institution’s academic rating, adding that the projects were being funded

by Tertiary Education Funds (TETFund).

He said: “I thank God that this bold initiative is coming at a time that the university is rated as number one in

the country. We must continue to demonstrate leadership to other institutions. We appreciate the Governing Council, TETFund and the school Capital Project Committee for their roles in making the provision of these facilities a reality.”

The VC enjoined staff and students to reciprocate the gesture by taking advantage of the facilities to redouble their effort in teaching and research.

He urged students to imbibe good maintenance culture, saying it was the only way to protect the facilities from dilapidation.

Victor Okoroafor, a student of Department of Mathematics, hailed the management for the projects, describing them as good development.

The projects will be completed between 18 and 30 weeks.

•One of the students attending a resident during the event

Ibadan students get new leaders

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EMBERS of The Federation of Ibadan Students Union (FIBSU) have elected their leaders in an election held at Mufu Lanihun College of Education in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Two delegate each from 34 tertiary institutions in different part of the country participated in the process.

Security men were on ground to ensure the election was peaceful. Voting started 9am and it ended in the afternoon.

At the end of the exercise, Ishola Yusuf, a 400-Level Animal Science student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State, scored 55 votes to defeat other three aspirants and became the president.

Also, Fatimoh Oladimeji was elected the Vice President, having scored 57 votes to beat two others;

From Hammed Hamzat

UI David Adeleke was elected Registrar.

Others elected include Abolaji Oladele, Social Director, Oladipupo Arewa, Sport Director, Kamorudeen Noah, Welfare Director, Timilehin Olayiwola, Deputy Registrar, Adeolu Adeleke, Financial Secretary, Akinola Akinlolu, Public Relations Officer I, Rofiat Omotosho, Public Relations Officer II, Busirat Bello, Treasurer, Abdul Wahab, Auditor and Abdulahi Adegboyega, Protocol Officer.

The electoral committee chairman, Yusuf Akintude, hailed the candidates for conducting themselves peacefully during the exercise. He urged all elected members to fulfil their campaign promises.

600 matriculate at Oduduwa varsity

O

•Prof Adeyewa (middle) with members of the Registry department

Acquire digital skills, VC urges staff

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HE Vice-Chancellor of the Redeemer’s University (RUN) in Ede, Osun State, Prof Debo Adeyewa, has said there was need for university administrators to avail themselves of the opportunities digitalisation of academic activities, saying any institution that failed to train its staff in digital skills would find it impossible to compete with other universities.

Prof Adeyewa made the submission during his interaction with staff of the institution’s Registry Department during the department’s yearly Celebration Day.

By Blessing Olisa-Akaeze

The VC said: “As university administrators, we must ensure that we do all within our powers to compete favourable with other higher institutions, especially our foreign counterparts. We live in a digital world where the internet has globalised all human activities. We have no choice but to be digitally-compliant.

“As higher institution, we are set for global relevance. The task may appear difficult but we know that it is not impossible. Things are changing very fast and we must not be left behind.”

The VC added that the world was

ready to compensate people who were ready to acquire digital skills. He assured that the institution would equip its staff with digital skills to perform certain task online.

Earlier, the Registrar, Mrs Bolatito Oloketuyi, said that the purpose of the celebration was to take stock of the department’s operations and re-energise the staff towards boosting their productivity.

She praised department’s staff for the role they played in the relocation of the university from the former site to its permanent campus.

VER 600 freshers have sworn to obey the rules and regulation of the Oduduwa University in Ipetumodu (OUI), Osun State during the institution’s sixth matriculation held on Saturday.

The Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Olajumoke Olayiwola, advised the students to take their studies seriously for them not to lose their admission.

Congratulating the students, the VC assured the freshers of the institution’s readiness to create a conducive environment for them to pursue their careers. She said the management would ensure a balance of the academic and social life on the campus for students to learn in a relaxed environment.

The VC said: “You matriculate today because of your performance in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and postUTME. You should be proud of your success, because over 3,000 people applied to the institution but a few were offered admission. This is a rare opportunity.”

The Registrar, Dr B.O. Ifonedo, ad-

From Gbenga Aderanti

OUI ministered the matriculation oath on the students, warning the freshers against engaging themselves in act that could disrupt the peace of the school. He said: “Even after the oath is taken, the management would not condone any act that would breach the peace of the campus. We will deal with anyone engaging in nefarious activities.”

Pro-chancellor, Dr Ramon Adedoyin, told the freshers they were in right place to achieve their dreams. However, he admonished them to exhibit good character and diligence to be successful. He said the management frowned at activities of secret societies, confraternities, molestation, armed robbery and prostitution, warning that any student caught would be expelled.

Adedoyin said: “In OUI, we mould students to become future leaders. As such, we do not condone deviant behaviours; we place values on high moral standard with academic excellence.”

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

35

CAMPUS LIFE

Y

OUR Excellency, I feel honoured to write what you are reading. I guess you are having a nice time in the Government House or somewhere out there in one of those luxury suits. I won’t be surprised though if you are still basking in the euphoria of your new life; a governor’s life, in the Government House. It is normal.

But you should not let the exhilaration of your new status take you so far away from the desk. There is no honey moon in the Government house. Election into public office is for service to the society and not a tea party. Your office calls for dedication and commitment to the wellbeing of Abia citizens who, on April 11, stood in the roofless cubicles of INEC, took the indelible ink with their thumbs, and made you their governor.

I didn’t wish to delay so much writing this letter so that you will fix the matter somewhere in your agenda. Students’ affairs are very germane to every society. That is why I decided to write you quickly.

I also find it needful to present this matter early enough before ambitious aides will surround you, to sniff some eulogies into your ears, saying you have done wonders when you really haven’t done much.

You know, it is common for those Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) boys to surround their ogas, guarding him against making contacts with the citizens who elected him.

Those your boys may feel threatened when they see common students visit the Government house to see you. They have the feeling

An open letter to Ikpeazu that the presence of common men around you may shrink their chances of getting some favour from you. Whoever they see approaching their oga will be elbowed off because they think that whoever comes to the Government House has come for some spoils from the governor. But mine is not the case. I am not writing to get some bite of the cake but for the interest of Abia state students.

I wrote to your predecessor Theodore Orji two years ago on the Abia State students’ bursary and the need to quickly move into action.

Not so long after the letter was published on the pages of this newpaper, Gov Orji started bursary payment to Abia students to the tune of N50,000 per student. That was commendable. I equally wrote to him to congratulate him for heeding to the wise advice and acting immediately. But before then, Abia State students paid him a courtesy visit where they made the request.

Jude Ezeibe was the National President of Abia State students then. After the visit, he promised to pay the bursary allowance.

But, the exercise did not last long.

Some students received, while many others didn’t. The people in charge of the bursary said it would be paid in batches. I don’t know how many batches Abia students were eventually pro-rated, but I know that many students did not get Orji’s bursary.

I would not have bothered so much if Dr Orji took responsibility

and admitted that many students did not receive his bursary. But, I fevered when he went to the media saying that he had paid all Abia students. He named the bursary payment among his Legacy Projects. I wondered who gave him the information. Did he actually do a personal investigation before making that comment? Didn’t he know that almost all the students schooling in northern universities didn’t receive the bursary? Didn’t he know that students in Ghana, South Africa and Senegal who I communicated with didn’t receive the money? Didn’t he know that students down here in University of Calabarwho sent their names, did not receive the bursary? Who told him that the bursary went round?

I think our leaders should learn to work with facts rather than relying on fictitious reports from ambitious aides and political sycophants in the political party. It will be self-deceptive of us to override the truth in the name of politics.

The consequence of such deception is incalculable.

His Excellency, you should know that this is the time and season of change in Nigeria. You should know how fast the whirl wind of change is driving through the pines and leaves of Nigeria and you know that President Muhammedu Buhari is not ready to fiddle with any laggard when it comes to the gospel of change. I would not want my state, Abia to be left behind in this change regime.

You are an academic and you know what it means to go to school.

You know how difficult it was for those your students in University of Maiduguri where you lectured.

You know how tough it was for them to pay their school fees and buy text books. I know you could have wished to assist them but you could not do that because of your meagre pay as a university lecturer.

But, this is the time for you to express some concerns over students’ welfare. This is the time you have to show that you really were a part of the school system and you once cracked the nut which Abia state students are cracking today. You have the power to make policies that can collapse the wall of mediocrity in Abia State and guarantee academic independence, at least to some extent in Abia state. Let the Abia state bursary come back and even better now that an academic is in the saddle.

Finally, I figured out a limitation in bursary exercise conducted by your predecessor. The bursary exercise of Gov Orji was not provisioned for post-graduate students.

I would have been a beneficiary if it was. It was exclusively for undergraduates. That was not wrong in as much as it was not good enough. Please sir, I request that your government consider the plight of post-graduate students and those in professional institutions for the bursary. It will add credit to your government and also give you some points to boast of

By Emmanuel Shebbs when counting your achievements after your times at the helm.

In every part of the world, students occupy a prime place in assessing the prosperity and future of a nation. They deserve the best.

They are the foundation whereupon our Nigeria is built. They are the ones to sustain the memories and histories which you will make today. I urge you to furnish an arena effective enough to host academic progress in Abia State students.

It is my interest that you continue to succeed in this administration. It is my wish that your name be chronicled in the list of those who have built a solid framework for the youths and students in Abia state.

His Excellency, I wish you all the best in your political career.

Long live His Excellency. Long live Abia State. Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria.

•Emmanuel, Political Science, UNICAL

Presidential election: An analysis

By Emmanuel Odunfa

T

HE 2015 presidential election was, perhaps, one of the most keenly contested in the annals of our country’s electoral history. The election occurred after a controversial six-week postponement, following insistence by security agencies that it should be pushed forward for them to accelerate the battle against the insurgency in the north east.

It was possibly the most divisive election, drawing Nigerians into a devious web of mudslinging as well as ethnic and religious chauvinism. Eventually, the election turned out to be largely a referen-

dum on key national issues pertaining to the state of the country’s economy and security. This historic election was fought and won by Nigerians who appeared to bestrongly determined to assert their positions as the real employers of those in power, and on whose behalf and whose benefits power should be exercised.

The lesson of who truly wields power and whose interest should really matter in a democracy has definitely been affirmed. President MuhammaduBuhari has his job cut out for him. He will need to swiftly work very hard in addressing the deep divisions in the country while simultaneously addressing the economic crisis and security challenges facing the country. This is not the time to revel in triumphalism or adopt a winner-takes-all approach to governance that has been the graveyard of relationships across Nigeria’s multifarious political, social and economic constituencies.

The election has been a clear revelation on how best to exercise the franchise by Nigerians. The utilisation of the biometric capabilities of permanent voter’s cards and card-readers made the polls

Nigeria’s first technologically compliant elections, with a greater success, despite initial hitches and distraction. The ferocity with which the enemies of free and fair elections fought the utilisation of the new technology was a real revelation about the determination of some politicians to continue to steal the people’s mandate. The subsequent perfection of the biometric voting system in Nigeria would clearly improve the integrity of elections in the country.

The election was historic because for the first time in the nation’s history, an incumbent president was defeated in the polls. It is a huge signal bursting the presumed invincibility of our leaders. Now that Nigerians have demonstrated that they can remove presidents through electoral process, the accountability of leaders to the people is placed on the front burner. Poor governance can henceforth be sanctioned through the ballot. This simple civic message on the power of the electorate could be a decisive turning point in consolidating our democracy. The value of coming out “en masse” to vote, but also staying back in the polling centres

to protect the votes and ensure that they count is becoming clearer.

These are significant indices of the progression of our democracy. It is also important to note that another historic element in these elections is the emergence of a united opposition platform. Previous attempts to form a united opposition party have always hit the rocks. This time around, the emergence of a virile opposition in the form of the All Progressive Congress(APC) made it possible to challenge and defeat the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) after 16 years of virtual one-party rule at the federal level.

The PDP got so arrogant as to announce that its rule would last at least 60 years. The lesson here for the APC is that its longevity would depend on its capacity to promote good and democratic ideals in Nigeria.

Despite the hitches and distractions in the election, the main heroes of these elections are the Nigerian people who showed commitment and discipline by coming out to vote and staying on in their polling units sometimes into the second day as the process dragged. Dr GoodluckEbele Jonathan also ex-

hibited a gesture signalling restraint to his followers and indicating the wish of many Nigerians as greater than individual desire or ambition. By so doing, he left Aso Rock on the high note and would enter Nigeria history as the first President to accept defeat. Also, another important hero to note is the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega. Their heroism spoke so loud in the conduct of the 2015 elections. They were able to deploy technology to achieve credible, free and remarkably fair elections, while maintaining calm in face of subtle intimidation and turbulence.

For Nigerians, this year’s election have restored our bragging rights.

We the people are the employers of those holding power in trust for us and we can dispense with or refuse to renew their contract when they cease to act on our behalf and for our benefit and progress. This has been the most important lesson of the elections. God bless Nigeria.

•Emmanuel, 200-Level Mass Comm., BOWEN

Is same sex marriage practicable in Nigeria?

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ARRIAGE is the legally or formally recognised union of a man and a woman. In some jurisdictions, it is considered two persons the same sex as partners in a relationship.

Same sex marriage means the union between two persons of the same sex. A gay is a homosexual person, especially a man sexually attracted to people of the same sex and not to people of the opposite sex while a lesbian is a homosexual person, especially a woman sexually attracted to persons of the same sex and not to people of the opposite sex. British gay rights artist Peter Tatchell argued that the term gay is merely a cultural expression which reflects the status of homosexuality within a given society,

By Ganiu Mumin claiming: “Queer, gay, homosexual in the long view, they are all just temporary identities. One day, we will not need them at all.”

My major grouse with gay marriage right as recently ruled in the United States is that it is not a possible development in Nigeria, not even in the nearest future. Some people believe that it is a matter of time before Nigeria eventually succumbs to the pressure from the West. In a world where America virtually influences a chunk of policies around the world, such fears are not out of place.

Following the controversies stirred by the gay rights debate in 2013, the practice has come to be

endorsed by one of the most powerful nations on earth. Going by our cultural standpoint, it one cannot imagine gay marriage happening in an African setting, especially Nigeria, even though question has been asked as to how long our supposed cultural standards hold against the threat of alienation by the western world. But one should not forget that Nigerians believe in African tradition.

Marriage is one of the institutions in Africa which is defined as the coming together of man and woman to become husband and wife as opposed to the definition of gay unions.

Marriage is an important aspect of the African culture. And an unmarried adult is seen as irresponsible. His views may not be taken

seriously, especially when it borders on marital discourse.Though culture, according to sociologists, is man-made and subject to changes and modifications. Yet, the same culture is also said to be stable. The firmness of African culture will make it practically difficult to be heralded by an alien culture whose ugly tenets irritate the ears. It is easy for an American to openly declare their gay or lesbian status, no thanks to the proliferation of liberal proclivities of its people. But it is extremely hard for a Nigerian to do same.

It is worthy to note that there was a time adultery in America was punishable by public shame and social alienation but today it is no longer seen as immoral. Same could be said about same sex mar-

riage. One needs not say much as the world has evolved in our time.

The Catholics that kiciked against gay right in the United States could not openly stand against it anymore. We are gradually witnessing the erosion of our values and the subsequent obliteration of our moral fabric.That is scary and it portends danger for the future of our value system.

God has used America to remind the world that the end is nearer than we imagined. Evidence in the two major holy books – Bible and Qur’an –both condemn sex marriage. So, what America has done is a blessing in disguise, a reminder that the world has reached its limits as eter •Continued on page 36

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

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CAMPUS LIFE

‘Islam is not against organ transplant’

A

SSOCIATION of Muslim Health Students of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Sokoto (UDUS) has organised a public lecture with the theme: Organ transplant: Medical, legal and Islamic perspective. The event was held at the auditorium and it was chaired by Dr Anas Ahmad Sabir, chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH).

The lecturer was attended by lecturers including, Mallam Ibrahim Gambo of the Faculty of Law, Dr Ahmed Maigari, Mallam Dahiru Shuni and Mallam A.S. Mainiyo all from Islamic Studies Department. There were also students at the event.

Dr Adullahi Abdulwahab Ahmed of the Department of Surgery in UDUTH gave a medical perspective on the theme, saying the society has a role to encourage organ transplant by making effort to increase public awareness and dispel misconception. He said voluntary donation of organs by healthy people would help in saving the lives of people with defective organs.

Dr Kabir Muhammed of the Faculty of Law spoke on the legal perspective, tracing the history of organ transplantation from prehistoric times in India and Egypt. He said organ transplantation, when done without seeking due consent of the donor, could amount to unlawful

From Halimah Akanbi,

UDUS

infringement of the donor’s right to dignity.

Supported his claim with Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution, Muhammed said Section 48 of the National Health Act of 2014 made provision for consent of the donor as a pre-requisite to organ donation. “The donor must fully understand the consequences of his consent to donate,” he said.

Speaking from Islamic perspective, Dr Abdullahi Raji of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, said human beings were enjoined to use their wisdom to solve problems. He quoted a tradition of Prophet Mohammad, who said Allah did not make a disease without a remedy for it, except old age.

Raji said there was no direct provision in Shariah Law that permits transplantation, but said it could be inferred from logical reasoning since organ transplant has objective to save life. He mentioned Islamic maxims that support organ transplant, saying the deeds should be judged by their goals and purpose.

To back his claims, Raji cited Chapter 5 Vs 32 of the Qur’an, which says: “If anyone saves a life, it will be as if he has saved the lives of all the people.”

Dr Aminu Bala of the Islamic Studies Department said it was haram (illegal) to sell organs or transfer organs on which life depends. He mentioned organs, such as heart and those that are not replaceable.

The Amir (president) of Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), UDUS chapter, Mallam Rabiu Barau, urged participants to spread the message of the lecture and advised them maintain spiritual cleanliness.

On and Off Campus By Solomon Izekor 08061522600

•The students’ leaders taking the oath

Osun students inaugurate leaders

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HE University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) chapter of the National Association of Osun State Students (NAOSS) has sworn in new leaders after its election at the Faculty of Law. The election was conducted by a five-man electoral committee led by Abdulrahman Ishola. After the keenly contested election, Abideen Olasupo was announced president.

Members saw the emergence of Abideen, a Google Ambassador, as good omen for the association, given the new president’s background in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

After he took the oath, Abideen said the association would waste no time in carrying out its projects, promising to organise entrepreneurship summit, Freshers’ Oratory Contest and improve online presence association, among others.

He said: “I am ready to reform the association, using innovation as compass to

‘Students must create wealth’ THE Special Adviser on Youth and Sports to Oyo State Governor, Mr Ganiyu Fawole, has advised students to change their mentality of making money from participating in volunteer activities.

Fawole said many youths may not achieve their aims if they did not stop thinking about how to make money without learning ways to generate it. He was speaking at an induction held for members of All Nigeria United Nations Students and Youth Association (ANUNSA) at The Ibarapa Polytechnic in Eruwa, Oyo State.

Fawole said students must learn how to generate money to contribute to economic growth. He said: “As ambassadors, you are under training to represent United Nations.

In doing so, you need to be trained properly to make you boldly. You may live in Eruwa but you have status that is recognised all over the world.”

Advising the students to change their men-

From Aminat Afolabi,

UNILORIN achieve the aim. NAOSS cannot be left behind in the 21st century when the efficacy of globalisation can be felt by all. I will encourage every member to make positive contribution towards the development of our state. The era of nonchalant attitude of members of executive is over. Each of us will give report of our stewardship of office regularly.”

He praised his predecessor, Tajudeen Lamidi, for the achievement recorded by in the past year, promising to consolidate the gains. Abideen extended hand of fellowship to his opponent, urging for support in moving the association to another level.

Tajudeen urged the new leaders to be hardworking and responsive to the welfare of members.

From Elizabeth Ogunjimi

IBPOLY tality on wealth creation, he said: “Talk to your heart and change your thoughts. If you find yourself doing what you are not good in, look inward and discover yourself. I am a civil engineer but I cannot draw. I know how to mobilise, coordinate and organise people.”

President of the association, Nnenna Ukoha, said the body would continue to groom students for change.

She said: “As members of ANUNSA, the inductees are expected to lead cultured, dignified and outstanding life. It is a thing of joy to bring together leaders and groom them for the service of humanity. The reward should not be expected immediately but later.”

The association’s Staff Adviser, Mr Carim Abiola, advised the inductees to contribute positively to the society.

The highpoint was the oath-taking session, after which the association’s General Secretary, Ajoke Olasanmi, urged the inductees to be good role models to their colleagues.

Is same sex marriage practicable in Nigeria?

•Continued from page 35

riage. So, what America has done is a blessing in disguise, a reminder that the world has reached its limits as eternity beckons.

The traditional belief in Judaism, Christianity and Islam that God forbids homosexuality evident in the Old Testament where the entire city of Sodom and Gomorrah basked in untold depravity. In clear terms, the Bible admonished in Leviticus 18:20 that “you shall not lie with male as one lie with a female; it is an abomination.”

In the QuranQ7, 80-82, we see reference to homosexuality in the story of Lot. Lot said to his people, “You commit such an abomination; no one in the world has done it before.

You practice sex with the men instead of the women. Indeed, you are a transgressing people. With this plethora of injunctions, one can safely say that same sex marriage and homosexually are prohibited by God. Minds may think about the possibility of such a bill to be sponsored in our legislature.

If it escapes the readings, what could be the reaction of our new president? The MuhammaduBuahari I know will certainly make a volte-face. He is known as a disciplined, religious and well cultured African man. In this regard, if anyone is going to legalise gay marriage in Nigeria, it just won’t be him.

Ganiu, 200-Level English, UNILAG

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CAMPUS LIFE

New NCCE boss reiterates commitment to regulation

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HE new Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Prof Monday Joshua, has underscored the body’s commitment to regulating the Colleges of Education (CoEs).

Joshua spoke at the National Technical Committee (NTC) meeting for teacher development facilitated by the United Kingdom-sponsored Teacher Development Programme (TDP) in Abuja.

He said the era when provosts acted like chief executives was over

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

and that NCCE would take its supervisory role seriously.

He said: “But this administration of NCCE would try to put its feet down and do what it is supposed to do. I have planned to remind the provosts that the colleges are under the supervision of NCCE.The supervisor is not going to take away their jobs but the supervisor would supervise.

“We cannot imagine the colleges admitting new students to be read-

‘We cannot imagine the colleges admitting new students to be reading History and Geography, Physics and Chemistry and all that. When those people graduate, where are they going to work?’

ing History and Geography, Physics and Chemistry and all that. When those people graduate, where are they going to work? Already, the environment is saturated with graduate teachers in those subjects; so where will they teach? The colleges have to sit down and address these issues.”

Joshua said the NCCE was aware that the colleges were battling with insufficient funding and would require time to implement the reform agenda of producing quality teachers for the basic education subsector.

Addressing the provosts, he said: “I know their own challenges, especially during the regime of insufficient funding so much turned to revenue generation – and that means admitting as many as you can admit even when you do not have facilities for them.”

He said he would work with the TDP to embark on the accreditation of the colleges and other initiatives.

Rector renews call for Fed Govt to take over HE Acting Rector, Abia State would use his wealth of experience Abia Poly Polytechnic, Aba, Prof Uche to move the university forward.

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Eleazar Ikonne, has renewed the call by the management of the institution for Federal Government to take over ownership of the institution.

Ikonne, who spoke when he led the polytechnic management to the palace of Eze Eberechi Dick, Chairman Abia State Traditional Rulers' Council, and the home of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, noted that the acquisition of the institution by the Federal Government would lessen "the huge financial burden on the state government".

He said the state was struggling to fund four tertiary state institutions, namely: Abia State Polytech-

By Sunny Nwankwo, Aba

nic, Aba, Abia State College of Education Technical, Arochukwu, Abia State School Health Technology, Aba and Abia State University, Uturu.

Ikonne regretted that the state was among the few states yet to given a federal recognition.

The rector, who visited the monarch to felicitate with him on his appointment as the Chancellor of the University of Abuja, urged him to use his new position to lobby for the polytechnic to be run by the Federal Government.

He was optimistic that Eze Dick

At Abaribe's home, Ikonne also made the same request of the senator, urging him to use his office to get better fortunes for the polytechnic.

Both of them thanked the group for their visit and promised to assist the polytechnic.

Abaribe, who expressed his happiness over the award given to him, also advised the polytechnic to improve on its academic standards and products.

He said he had been aware of the challenges facing the school before their visit, promising to assist them towards being taken over by the Federal Government.

FUNAAB FILE

Agro mart opens MEMBERS of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) community now have access to agricultural products at affordable prices, thanks to a new agro mart shed opened by the Directorate of University Farms (DUFARMS).

Inaugurating the mart, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, expressed his delight at the rich display of various agricultural products of FUNAAB. He said the university was promoting the policy of the Federal Government to boost food security.

He congratulated the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Olusola Oyewole, and staff members of DUFARMS on the feat, urging them to ensure that the products get to government offices and parastatals in the state.

Oyewole, who is also the President, Association of African Universities, said the agricultural products were the result of the experience gained by DUFARMS workers sponsored to the Songhai Farms, Republic of Benin Republic, last year to understudy and replicate a prototype of the farm in FUNAAB. He said the FUNAAB Radio would be used to publicise the products.

The Acting Director, DUFARMS, Mr. Michael Jaiyeola, thanked the FUNAAB Management for supporting the farm.

He noted that the construction of the Agro Mart Shed was done using various products from the farm to generate more income and enhance the production process at zero wastage level.

He said the various end products from the farm would include cashew nut, palm oil, garri, cassava flour, yam, cucumber, moringa tree products, pineapple, maize, bush-meat, snail, plantain, banana, tomatoes, palmwine, among others.

Students bag scholarships The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo) has awarded scholarships to two FUNAAB students.

The scheme is for selected community students, who have secured admission into higher institutions during the 2014/2015 Academic Session.

Beneficiaries are: Timothy Idowu, a 200-level student of the Department of Animal Physiology, College of Animal Science and Livestock Production (COLANIM) and Olalekan Fatusi, another 200-level student in the Department of Entrepreneurial Studies, College of Management Sciences (COLMAS).

Each student would get N105,210 to pay his tuition fee, boarding fee and other expenses.

WAPCo owns the West African Gas Pipeline System, which ferries natural gas from Nigeria to Benin, Togo and Ghana.

Abia lawmaker to send 40 students overseas

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• Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), University of Agriculture Makurdi (UAM) chapter protesting the plans by the Federal Government to withdraw funding of university staff schools.

HE lawmaker representing Aba North and South Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Ossy Prestige, has promised to send up to 50 students from his constituency to any country of their choice for their degrees and masters programmes.

Prestige, a first-time lawmaker on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), who defeated Uzo Azubuike of the PDP, made this pledge during a "thank you reception" organised at the Aba Sports Club for the electorate in Aba North and South.

Though he did not say whether the students were going to go in batches or at once, Prestige said that the scholarship would be for residents of Aba North and South irrespective of their state or local government of origin.

He said that the essence of the scholarship programme is to assist students who have the desire to study overseas but lack the financial muscle to achieve it.

Prestige, the immediate past chairman, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Onne Seaport chapter, added that he would assist qualified youth secure employment in the Federal Civil

Kogi varsity plans first African golf course

K

OGI State University, Anyigba has set up a nineman committee to design strategies for the construction and take-off of the first University Golf Course Project in Africa by the institution.

The committee, chaired by the institution's Vice Chancellor (VC), Prof Hassan Isah, is expected to reach out to philanthropists, agencies and organisations for the implementation of the project.

Its members include Alhaji Sadiq

From Olugbenga Adanikin, Abuja

Ozigi, Mr. Samuel Okpanachi, Mr Onate Gabriel and Mr Ali Opaluwa.

Others are Otunba Olufemi Aiyeku, Mr. Emmanuel Bako, Mr Emmanuel Oguche.

At their inauguration, the committee members were charged with preparing for the launching of the golf course.

In an interview in Abuja, the VC noted that the project had been in the offing for about five years, but

that its implementation was stunted by inadequate funds.

"We want to demystify the misconception that golf is for the rich.

The idea for our golf course has been on ground for about five years; the soul has been willing but the financial muscle has been weak. We will resort to a hole golf course to have reduction of cost.

We will make use of the natural resources around us.

"We have chosen the cheapest variety of grass; we have put ev-

erything into consideration. We will use the medium machine to cut cost. There is a lot of customisation and domestication to beat down the cost," he said.

Isah described golf as a game that revolves around natural resources and one that preserves the eco-system.

According to him,when eventually established, the game would be accessible to both the staff and students of the institution.

The VC said the training would focus on fresh students.

•Ossy From Sunny Nwankwo, Aba

Service and other establishments through his contacts as a lawmaker and businessman.

Responding to Prestige's promise, Mr. Kelechi Okoroafo, of the Aba North and South constituency said it was a welcome development and expressed hope that the process would not be hijacked.

"The need for this his promise for us, his constituents cannot be over emphasized - especially as school fees to study in Nigeria and abroad are way too high. It will be our (parents') happiness if he will also fulfill the promises of giving our children work in various government agencies as he has promised.

"Our fear is that many people close to him might demand to benefit from the largess even when they did not work for or believe that he (Prestige) would win the election. We stood our grounds and our votes counted, so he let him supervise the exercise to make sure that it will be hijacked by anyone," Okoroafo said.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

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CAMPUS LIFE SCHOLARSHIPS

AAUA FILE VC sets sports agenda THE Vice-Chancellor, Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko, Ondo State (AAUA) Prof.

Igbekele Ajibefun, has set a sevenpoint agenda for the newlyconstituted Sports Council of the institution at the inauguration of its council members.

Inaugurating the 15-member council headed by Ajibefun's deputy (Administration), Prof.

Francis Oyebade, members were urged to formulate policies that would help promote sport culture; encourage meaningful participation in internal and external sporting events and provide the guidelines for same; and creatively package and brand robust sport programmes that could help to showcase talents among staff/students.

Other agenda are: to stimulate the patronage of the university's sport facilities by corporate individuals and organisations; seek support or partnership from corporate organisations for the university sport programmes/events; and advise the university on the procurement, maintenance and use of sport facilities in the most beneficial way; among others.

Ajibefun congratulated members for being part of the council. "I have no doubt in my mind that with your passion and dedicated efforts, the vision will be accomplished in no time," Ajibefun said.

Provost scores alumni high THE Provost of Al hikma College of Education, Ankpa, Kogi State, Dr. Sani Haroon, has rated AAUA'a alumni high.

Haroon spoke when he led the management of the institution on a courtesy call on the AAUA ViceChancellor, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun.

He said: "In 2008, the Al hikma community sought a prestigious and credible university to affiliate with; and from our investigation, we found that Adekunle Ajasin University is one of the best universities in the country. So, we affiliated with AAUA because of the credibility attached to the university. We are happy to let you know that your graduates who are working with the college are performing very well."

Haroon also said the team would discuss the existing bilateral relationship between the college and AAUA. The college was affiliated t AAUA from 2010 to 2014.

APPROACHING DEADLINE Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship Programme THE United States Department of Agriculture invites applications for Borlaug Fellowship Program available for fellows from eligible developing and middle-income countries. Applicants are selected based on their academic and professional research interests and achievements, level of scientific competence, aptitude for scientific research, leadership potential, likelihood of bringing back new ideas to their home institution, and flexibility and aptitude for success in a cross-cultural environment. The U.S. mentor will later visit the fellow's home institution to continue collaboration. Fellows may also attend the annual World Food Prize Symposium, held each October in Des

Moines, Iowa.

Study Subject(s): Fellowships are awarded for research and training focused on a wide array of agriculturerelated topics, including agronomy, veterinary science, nutrition, food safety, sanitary and phytosanitary issues, natural resource management, agricultural biotechnology, global climate change, agricultural economics and agricultural policy.

Course Level: Fellowships provides training and collaborative research opportunities for generally scientists, researchers or policymakers who are in the early or middle stages of their careers.

Scholarship can be taken at: USA and applicant's home country (Applicants demonstrate their intention to continue working in their home country after completing the fellowship).

Eligibility: To be considered for the Borlaug Fellowship Programme, candidates must:

•Be citizens of an eligible country •Be fluent in English •Have completed a Master's or higher degree •Be in the early or middle stage of their career, with at least two years of practical experience •Be employed by a university, government agency or research entity in their home country •Demonstrate their intention to continue working in their home country after completing the fellowship Scholarship IS Open for International Students including Nigeria Scholarship Description: The Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship Program promote food security and economic growth by providing training and collaborative research opportunities to fellows from developing and middle-income countries. Borlaug fellows are generally scientists, researchers or

policymakers who are in the early or middle stages of their careers. Each fellow works one-on-one with a mentor at a U.S. university, research center or government agency, usually for 6-12 weeks. The U.S. mentor will later visit the fellow's home institution to continue collaboration. Fellows may also attend the yearly World Food Prize Symposium, held each October in Des Moines, Iowa. This programme includes various kinds of fellowships.

Duration of award(s): Fellowship is awarded usually for 6-12 weeks.

How to Apply: Candidates must apply through the online application system with completed application form, 2-3 page program proposal and action plan, signed approval from applicant's home institution, two letters of recommendation, official copy of transcript for college/ university degree(s) received and copy of passport identification page.

Scholarship Application Deadline is September 30, this year.

‘Religious Studies must be made compulsory in secondary schools’ T

HE absence of moral values is responsible for Nigeria’s political and socio-economic woes, professor of Church History, Rotimi Omotoye has said.

In view of this development, Religious Studies, as a subject, must be made compulsory at the secondary school level to equip the young minds against vices of corruption, Omotoye further added.

By Adekunle Jimoh

Omotoye, a lecturer in the Department of Religions at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), spoke at the 159th inaugural lecture of the institution. The lecture is titled: 'Christianity as a catalyst for socio-eco-

nomic and political change in Yorubaland, Nigeria: An account of a church historian.'

Omotoye said: "Church historians should note that the political and socio-economic history of the nation should also be documented because they are inter-related to

• Member, Board of Trustee, Tertiary Education Trust Fund TETfund, Chinedu Onu, (left) Executive Secretary, TETfund, Prof Suleiman Bagoro and Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari during a working visit to the headquarters of TETfund in Abuja.

PHOTO ABAYOMI FAYESE

religious matters; if development is to be sustained and change effected in Nigeria, there is a need for an enduring sense of history.

"Religious leaders irrespective of their religion and political leaders in Yorubaland must continue to maintain religious understanding and peaceful co-existence; archives where diaries of religious and political leaders are to be kept for posterity must be built by the government and be made available to church historians and other scholars for documentation.

"Church historians should also be given priority in sponsorship to local, national and international conferences, so as to make the history of churches and their contributions known to the outside world."

The university teacher, who is also a vicar of Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, urged historians both in Nigeria and diaspora to intensify "efforts in documenting religious activities of Nigerian preachers in foreign countries."

"Many Nigerian historical church documents kept in foreign archives should be retrieved to Nigeria for accessibility to church historians in Nigeria; church historians should avoid distortion of historical facts in pleasing a particular denomination, while church historians in tertiary institutions in Nigeria should also hold annual academic conferences," he added.

My ordeal, by Littoral Varsity Vice Chancellor

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NEASY they say, lies the head that wears the crown; and this adage aptly describes the predicament of the Vice-Chancellor of Littoral University (Institute Littoral Des Etudes Professionelles Superieures (ILEPS), Republic of Benin Prof Ayeni Oyebode.

The announcement of its certification by the Government of the Republic of Benin some months ago, has jolted the university management and students into wild celebrations; nevertheless, the journey to that success has been dotted with thorns.

"We have come a long way into being what we are today," Ayeni told The Nation in an exclusive chat as he represented ILEPS during the Covenant University, Ota Ogun State Eighth Convocation penultimate week.

"We have had to tumble from one problem to another," Ayeni recalled.

"First, we have a lot of sycophants around; people who pretend to be friends of the university on the surface but are devils in real life. We have a lot of lecturers taking on full time appointment here yet they were

By Adegunle Olugbamila

working in another school. Some of them are taking our students to another school just to get commission.

So, it turned out that some schools would just come all of a sudden and reaped what we had laboured for.

“Students are not just helping matters. Some of them thought they could just walk in here and get a certificate but we say no. We have our benchmark and we are interested in delivering quality education and producing quality students and any student not willing to go through that process can simply leave. We are not in a hurry to raise leaders.

We are only interested in student willing to learn.

Ayeni said the university has about 60 full-time lecturers on its

payroll; but owing to financial constraints, management decided to its prune staff, by making of them be on part-time.

With the final certification, Ayeni is optimistic ILEPS can consolidate on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it signed with CU in July, last year.

“CU has been our encourager.

Aside the collaborations, the future is still bright. The fact that we are in collaboration with CU shows that God is still at work with us,’’ he said.

ILEPS, Ayeni added, has also commenced plans for a combined convocation soon, and is mobilising its pioneer students for the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Nigeria.

"Once we are fully stabilised, we

‘Students are not just helping matters. Some of them thought they could just walk in here and get a certificate but we say no’

would begin moves toward working with the Nigerian government for our students who want do their NYSC in Nigeria. We are following dues process. We are being careful not to get blacklisted. We know we have our integrity at stake and the future is now brighter.

“We are only using this platform to send messages to our friends, philanthropists and other organisations for more financial assistance. I have never borrowed a kobo to run this university. But the truth is, I cannot do it alone. We are in our temporary place and we have to pay rent, pay lecturers and meet other responsibilities.

"God gave this university to us by miracle. This is why we are appealing for partnership. We are only looking for selfless individuals and not those who will make a pledge with another commitment by the university in return. It doesn't matter that ILEPS is in another country.

What matters is foresight-bringing African as a continent into the centre of education advancement. That is one of the philosophies of CU

• Prof Oyebodeb

which ILEPS has adopted as our model.

"Our students are performing excellently well. We had one of our Mass Communications undergraduate that did excellently well in MTN Project Fame two years ago, and ranked among the best nine in the Nigerian Idol contest.

"Our permanent site is at Banigbe a few minutes drive from Idi-Iroko.

It's a very large place and we want individuals to invest their Godgiven resources there," Ayeni added.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

39

EDUCATION ANCOPSS seeks adoption of UNESCO recommendation

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• From left: Aina Elizabeth, Assistant Project Coordinator; Master Nnaji; Okpala Francis, Chidebere, Master Uyoatta Emah and other corps members Nwaka Cyprene and Evans Muekara.

HE All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) has suggested the adoption of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO's) 26 per cent of budgetary allocation of developing countries to education.

Also, ANCOPSS seeks more realistic education policies which should be diligently implemented.

Chairman of the Sokoto State chapter of ANCOPSS, Alhaji Abdullahi Marafa, who stated this in Sokoto, explained that such allocations should also be released regularly for effectiveness.

According to Marafa, doing so would prompt governments into realising their aims of bolstering education standard in the country.

He noted that education standard in the country had since nose-dived while stressing that” this approach

Lad beats 70 others to win Spelling Bee

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ING Solomon International Schools, Ewet Housing Estate, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has emerged the overall best in the state’s Spelling Bee held in Uyo, the state capital. The school won the first and fourth place in the senior and junior categories.

Fourteen-year-old Master Daniel Uyoatta Emah, an SS2 science pupil, won the first position in the competition for the schools.

Daniel shoved aside over 70 other contestants from across 35 schools that slugged it out at the finals which held at the Ibom e-Library.

The competition organised for the state by the National Youth Service Corps-Community Development Service (NYSC-CDS), Akwa Ibom State, with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the state Ministry of Education, comprised all public and private schools in the state.

The Project Coordinators, Nsofor Chidibere and Adeshakin Adefemi, said it was in fulfilment of one of the eight objectives of the MDGs which is the promotion of Universal Basic Education, taking into cognisance the efforts of government in deepening education through the free basic education Akwa Ibom State currently operates.

Chidiebere said: “The project was carried out to help pupils improve

T

From Uyoatta Eshiet, Uyo

their spellings, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts, and develop correct English usage that would help them all their lives and reward them with prizes to impress upon them early in life that there is dignity in labour even as we strive to foster a team spirit and sportsmanship within them”.

President of the group, Okpala Francis said the challenge was conducted in two parts- JSS and SSS with two representatives for each school.

According to him, Nnemeka Oliver Chinedu, representing Graceland High School emereged the first runner up, while Emediong Etim Evans from Jesus Saves Comprehensive Secondary School came third.

For the junior category: Nmemma Nnaji from Heritage College slammed Inimfon Jonah of Rayfield International School and Aduese Henry Udoekong of Royal Christian Secondary School both who emerged fist and second runners up in that order.

Expressing his happiness, Daniel, the overall winner, said: “The competition was tough and tasking but I give glory to God for the gift of wisdom.” Daniel also appreciated his school for giving him the chance.”

Daniel’s class teacher, Mr Umoh Edidiong described the contest as a

tough as the organisers went outside secondary school studies content.

Umoh, who is also the Head of English Language Studies of King Solomon Schools, said management decided on Daniel based on his versatility across many subjects.

The Director of Educational services in the Ministry of Education,

Prince Lawrence Udofia, who represented the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education, Mrs Roseline Essien, advised that spelling drilling exercises should be incorporated in the first period of every school hour in schools in the state.

Chidiebere appeals for more sponsors to join them so as to affect more children positively.

From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

will also help greatly in boosting the provision of schools' infrastructure like structures, facilities, library materials and other sundry needs.”

Marafa, who is also the Principal, Sani Dingyadi Unity Secondary School, Farfaru-Sokoto, called on corporate organisations to do more to complement governments' efforts in funding education at all levels.

"Such organisations like commercial banks and other wealthy individuals should assist immensely in funding education at all levels," Marafa said.

"Development partners and other crucial stakeholders should also do more in the above direction, as the era of leaving the funding to government alone had passed.

"There should be strict enforcement of the subsisting fiscal regulations to ensure transparency and accountability in expending funds meant for the funding of education,'' Marafa, added.

Marafa, who lamented inconsistency in such policies, also called for the recruitment of competent and qualified teachers, as well as routine training and re-training.

"The government should also ponder on re-introducing certain motivations to the teachers like responsibility and hard line allowances,'' he urged.

Online educative forum for students O enrich pupils' knowledge, Integrand Capital LLC, an enterprise and publicity support firm, has set up an online educative forum where related educative topics would be taught and interactive sessions allowed for questions.

The programme titled: # Genlivecast, which commences on Saturday, is a volunteer-to- mentor platform where resource persons would teach topics on business, culture, ICT, education, lifestyle, sports, agriculture, entertainment, and tips on employment.

T

By Jane Chjioke

Others include: start-ups, D-I-Y skills, music, environment, and social media.

Each topic would be taught for 30 minutes with another 30 minutes assigned for interactive session. It will run daily from 5pm weekdays, and 12pm on Saturdays, with each day having a different facilitator.

The twitter handle to follow is @Konilingos while the facebook link is IntegrandCapitalLLC. Coordinator of the initiative, Mr Dan-Akan Elias said: "We are intro-

ducing a platform on twitter where a pool of resource persons can teach others from what they know online for free. It will also incorporate facebook link with undergraduates and teenagers in schools as target audience and monthly 'meet-ups' to evaluate impacts on participants and new ideas generated."

He said the topics would be tailored towards enriching participants with information in mini-modules form so they can become enterprising, unlike conventional academicstyle lectures.

Retirees seek qualified teachers in Lagos schools

WO retiring teachers in Lagos State have urged the government to employed professional teachers to fill theh vacant positions in the teaching service.

Mrs Odunewu and her colleague Mrs Dorothy Okoyeocha, who teach at the Amuwo Odofin Local Government Nursery and Primary School, FESTAC, spoke ahead of their retirement.

The teachers, who converted their statutory three-month leave ahead of their retirement, said they had to convert their leave into working leave to fill the gap in the system.

"For instance in my school, we have five professional teachers as we had to use non-teaching staff to support too," Mrs Odunewu said, adding: "Out of the five, two of us are retiring. Owing to lack of teachers, my partner and I turned our leave to working leave up till date because of the interest we have for the school."

Due to this development, Odunayo, who with Okoyeocha, held their 'Pencil Up', a symbolic event usually held by retiring teachers after 35 years’ of meritorious service, is seeking from various gov-

By Ajose Sehindemi

ernments recruitment of more professional teachers to enhance quality education delivery in Nigeria.

Mrs Odunayo, who was retiring as the chief assistant director in the Lagos State Ministry of Education, described the Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN) a United Kingdom- an education initiative programme- as commendable, noting that a further boost in the supply of professional hands could make ESSPIN achieve more successes.

She admonished the Lagos State Governor Mr Akinwunmi Ambode to flood Lagos schools with qualified teachers, a promise he made during his governorship elections campaign.

Although her sojourn as a teacher has been blissful, Odunewu recalled that her major challenge was her inability to give her best to her kids, especially when their attention was most needed.

"Though there were many challenges, my kids come into view as when they were growing. I was not always there for them because I was trying to increase my knowledge but

• From left: Mrs Okoyeocha, Mr Adegboye, and Mrs Odunewu and special guest, Chief Peter Osa Okpoko at the event.

PHOTO: DAYO ADEWUNMI

I thank God for helping me to cope."

Expressing her gratitude to God on her retirement, she said: 'I give glory to God because much water has passed under the bridge. It is not by my making but by the grace of God that brought me to this day as I started this job in July 1980 at Badagry local government," Odunewu recalled.

According to her, she started on Level 4 as an educated teacher, and rose through the ranks to Level 16, the apex of her career and retiring as a Chief Assistant Director of Education.

She thanked her colleagues for their cooperation despite that she is not from Lagos.

Recalling some of her experiences, Odunewu cited her days as a sport

teacher, noting that hard work and dedication earned her laurels.

"As a sport teacher, I paid close attention to the organisation of sporting activities such that my pupils won laurels in several of the competitions they participated in," she added.

She advised pupils to continue to be good ambassadors of the school and to always depend on their ability to do well.

Chairman of the occasion, Prince Julius Adegboye, who felicitated with the celebrant, was happy that one of his children also an alumnus of the school, is a manager at one of the notable banks in the country.

Adegboye, a former chairman of the school's Parent Forum, noted that his interest is still in the school be-

cause of his son's success as an old student.

He said,: "I don't need to give the retiring teachers any advice anymore; in fact they are already out of the system. It is those that are coming behind them that I will advise to be patient and tolerant because the pupils they are controlling are toddlers unlike pupils in secondary schools."

"I rate teachers in primary schools than those in secondary schools because primary school pupils still need a lot of tolerance and so the teachers need to treat them like their own children," he added.

Mrs Okoyeocha expressed her gratitude to God for preserving her during her 35 years’ sojourn in the taeching service.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

40

EDUCATION

Shun social media, face your studies, students told

EDUTALK

Project writing palaver

•Lawmaker distributes 200 WASSCE forms

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EMBER of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Mushin 1 constituency, Olayiwola Olawale, has advised students to shun social media and face their studies squarely to excel in their Senior School, Certificate Examination (SSCE) conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO).

Olawale gave the advice while presenting free forms for the November/December West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) to the first batch of 200 students from the 10 wards in his constituency at the Assembly complex.

"For now, they should do away with social media, what they need to do is to face their studies; more so that exam is approaching. A good student should be fastidious with his studies and make sure that they face their studies squarely", the lawmaker said.

By Oziegbe Okoeki

He added: "Prepare for your exams and shine forth in flying colours. Make us proud in our constituency by excelling in your exams and studies."

Olawale pointed out that there was no better way to develop the youth than through proper and adequate education.

"It is for this reason we are gathered today, to assist our youths in attaining their dreams and academic pursuit through distribution of free WASSCE forms to 200 deserving students in 10 wards that constitute my constituency in Mushin and I am sure that this simple exercise will mould their destinies and transform their lives," he said.

While assuring that he would free tutorials to the beneficiaries, he expressed confidence that the students would record better performance in the examinations because of thorough preparation.

W •Olawale

Olawale, who is a newcomer in the Assembly, also promised to continue with his free computer training programme which has been running for about 13 years and has graduated not less than 1500 youths.

Speaking on behalf of the 10 ward chairmen at the event, Sola Osobajo of ward J, expressed confidence in Olawale's leadership.

Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Adisa Jamiu Abiola and Dorcas Oyeniyi, thanked the lawmaker for the gesture, advising their peers to seize the opportunity to focus on their studies so as to succeed in life.

ICT firm to promote culture

P

• David Adebiyi, a pupil of Mind Builders High School, Ikeja, with the principal of the school, Mr Fasuyi Francis, displaying his certificate as a Microsoft Office Specialist after competing at a recent Microsoft Office competition.

NASUP urges Buhari to stop HND/BSC dichotomy

T

HE National Association of Students Union Presidents, (NASUP), has urged President Muhammadu Buhari, to push policies that would scrap the HND/ B.sc dichotomy.

President of NASUP, Comrade Osaro Louis, who spoke at a briefing said the discrimination between graduates of university and polytechnics have caused untold hardship to many polytechnic graduates.

He urged the Buhari’s administration to look into some key issues that border on students' welfare and free education at all levels in line with the manifestos of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Loius said the Buhari administration should look into issues of students' loans, support for academic research, vocational studies and

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

training centres in higher institutions.

He said APC government should focus on the rehabilitation of decaying infrastructure in tertiary institutions especially those geared towards agricultural development.

Loius said: "We want to specially congratulate the President Muhammadu Buhari on his victory of March 28 presidential election. It is, indeed, an undisputable victory for all Nigerians and the burning passion and desire for change.

"We advise Buhari to discharge services that will center on accountability and shun all forms of tribalism, nepotism, favouritism, corruption, and sentiment to reinstate dividends of democracy."

LANS are underway to hold a cultural event for secondary school pupils in Lagos State.

The event tagged: Culturefest 2015, is being organised by Fountain-3 Technologies, a business planning, Information Communication Technology firm in collaboration with the Lagos State government to raise the cultural consciousness of Nigerian pupils.

The maiden edition of the event will take place at the main Hall of the Lagos State Council for Arts and Culture, Ikeja, in September.

Business Planning Manager, Fountain- 3 Technologies, Mr Francis Martins, said over 1,000 pupils from the six education districts of the state would participate in the event, which would feature cultural competitions, dramas, songs, dances, art and craft exhibitions and display of Nigeria's rich multi-ethnic native attires.

The event would also feature presentation of special recognition prizes to select organisations that have distinguished themselves as "Cultural Education Role Models" in Lagos this year.

Martins said of the essence of the event: "The project is conceived as our quota towards the goal of protecting Nigeria's culture through education, fun and practical display of skills. Fountain-3 Technologies is motivated by the belief that our local cultural heritage should not go into extinction but should rather evolve with the advent of globalisation as a mixture, retaining salient values for posterity.

"Our roots and heritage must be preserved from extinction. Our younger generation also must be taught about her background, her culture, her heritage, to love her first language, to learn about our food, our distinct music, our most modest dressing and our ethical values."

Greenspring to defend football title in UK

A

FTER becoming the first African and Nigerian team to win the annual Nottingham International Cup in United Kingdom (UK) last year, Greensprings will return to the Queensland to defend its title this month.

The tourney, formerly known as Keele International Cup, has been renamed Nottingham International Cup and for this year, Greensprings

will be competing in the professional and amateur categories of the championship. Last year, the school competed in the U-15 amateur event of the tournament For this year, teams from the English Premier League as well as registered football academies and schools outside UK will be part of the competition.

Head of Sports, Greensprings School, Oluseyi Oyebode, said the

with

school will work hard to repeat last year's feat.

"We are hoping that we can go back and do the country and school proud again. Our players are ready and the support from the school, parents and guardians is necessary for us to do well. We are eager to take part in the professional category this year so that we can compete against some of the EPL teams this year," Oyebode said.

RITING a graduation thesis is one task many students, at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels do not find easy. It can be a rather lonely journey - one that everyone has to embark upon, alone, to Kofoworola get the coveted certificate. It reminds me of the last leg of The Gulder Ultimate Search reality TV Kofosagie@yahoo.com show when the contestants no 08054503077 (SMS only) longer spend time together after dinner to share the day's experiences but are consumed with the passion of surviving the task ahead.

With classes and examinations over, students often miss the companionship of their classmates - camaraderie that they developed over years of study - when undertaking their projects. It is not a period to be taken likely.

Sadly, many students are not also ready for it. They lack the requisite skills to make scientific inquiry so they get frustrated, depressed, and, in some cases, give up. This is particularly so at the postgraduate level.

That is why you find many postgraduate students do not complete their projects within the same academic session that they finish their course work.

Some other students do not bother to stress themselves at all. They just get older projects written by students in other institutions, reproduce word-for-word, bind, and submit. This is more common at the undergraduate level. I often wonder how they are able to graduate with such level of plagiarism. But many people I have met have admitted to committing fraud in their undergraduate projects. Some others pay people to write the project for them not caring where they get their data from. However those students who take the trouble to do genuine work learn a lot at the end of the day.

But why is project writing so difficult to undertake? Research is a very important aspect of our lives. It is the reason we are able to grow and develop because once we know how variables interact to produce certain outcomes, we are able to introduce controls that can help us produce the kinds of outcomes we desire. Yet, despite this important benefit of scientific inquiry, the process continually baffles generation after generation of students. The result: our libraries are packed with supposed results of scientific inquiry that provide no directions for future uses because most are not originals.

It is time that management of the various tertiary institutions institute processes to help students conduct better research. Usually, a course in research methodology precedes project writing. However, not many understand it. It is taken as a theoretical course, not one that is capable of equipping the student-researcher with requisite skills to manage their own research process when the time comes. A good knowledge of statistics and data analysis also seems to be a problem many students have. They are unable to effectively analyse their data beyond the basics. Analysis can be a problem when the student does not know what to do with his data. Today, there are many data analysis software that can help students collate their data easily. But they cannot make the best of them without a working knowledge of statistics.

Another challenge that students face in the course of project writing is the cost implication. This is particularly so for science-based projects which entails some costly experiments or fabrications that many can hardly afford. Many times, students have to send their samples abroad to test because the pieces of equipment or technology are unavailable in Nigeria.

We need more institutions, corporate organisations, and philanthropists to invest in research laboratories where students can carry out their researches at affordable cost. I was impressed to read that an organisation, the Lift Above Poverty Organisation (LAPO), provides project grants to students. We need more of such initiatives. The burden of project writing can be reduced greatly if students can access grants to complete their projects.

Then, there is the practice of lecturers using students to do their own research work. I do not know whether to call it a problem but I have heard many students complain about it. How ethical is this practice?

Should project supervisors make students work extra hard - beyond what is required of them - because of their (the lecturer's) own projects?

I am finding it difficult to take a position on this issue because I do not know whether the lecturers are allowed to do so, and to what extent they should credit the contributions of the students that work for them.

In all, our research culture needs a complete overhaul. Students need to learn the process of scientific inquiry in an interesting way, not in a way that intimidates or bores them. Supervisors also need to support their students. The research process can be very tedious and there are times when the young researchers get confused. The supervisors should be there to guide them out of the confusion, not to makes things more difficult.

Belo-Osagie

‘It reminds me of the last leg of The Gulder Ultimate Search reality TV show when the contestants no longer spend time together after dinner to share the day's experiences but are consumed with the passion of surviving the task ahead’

42

Thursday, July,9, 2015

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

NATIONSPORT EXTRA

I have a point Prince William invites England Iturbe: to prove at Roma women to Kensington Palace J

T

HE Duke of Cambridge will host a reception for the England women's team following their return from the World Cup in Canada.

England lost the semi-final to Japan but beat Germany to claim third place.

Prince William will host them at Kensington Palace on 9 July.

"HRH closely followed the Lionesses during the World Cup as they secured the best ever result for an England senior football team overseas," read a Kensington Palace tweet.

"The Lionesses will meet children involved in the FA Skills programme at the Royal Household football pitch at Kensington Palace."

• Players of England celebrate after winning the FIFA Women's World Cup 2015 Third Place Play-off match between Germany and England at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Canada recently

Guardiola wanted to coach Brazil at WC — Alves

T

HE Barcelona full-back Dani Alves says Pep Guardiola wanted to coach Brazil at their home World Cup last year.

Alves, who played under Guardiola for the Spanish champions, was a member of the Brazil squad whose tournament ended with the 7-1 humiliation

by Germany in the semi-finals.

In November 2012 Brazil had

appointed Luiz Felipe Scolari as coach in succession to Mano Menezes while Guardiola was on a one-year sabbatical. Alves said the Spaniard was willing to take over the Seleção but Brazilian officials were afraid of hiring a foreign coach.

“Pep said he wanted to make Brazil a World Cup champion and had an entire strategy to make us a world champion,”

Toure keen to bounce back

M

ANCHESTER City’s players are desperate to bring success back to the club after last season’s frustrations, says Yaya Toure.

Toure has rejected speculation he will leave City during the close-season, despite Inter – managed by former City boss Roberto Mancini – expressing their interest in his services.

The Ivorian returned to preseason training on Tuesday and reiterated his desire to remain at the Etihad Stadium, with silverware firmly on his mind.

“I’m just really looking forward to next season and it feels great to be back,” Toure told City’s official website.

“I’m going to work as hard as I can in pre-season and we’re already looking forward to playing in front of our own fans again in six weeks or so.

“I’ve had a good summer with plenty of rest and I’ve just relaxed as much as possible so I can be ready for the new season. I’ve had two or three years full of competition and constant playing and it was a break I really needed.

“I’m not the biggest fan of preseason if I’m honest, but we all know we have to prepare well

• Toure

and eat properly so we’re good to go at the start of the season.

“As for predictions, I don’t want to say we’ll do this or that – just that we have our targets and we want to make the fans and this club proud. Last season was disappointing by our own standards because we know we could have done better.

“We are looking forward to welcoming some new players as well which will strengthen the team and together we want to achieve something really big this year.

“We are looking forward to bouncing back very strongly.”

the 32-year-old told ESPN Brasil.

“They didn’t want it, because they said that they didn’t know if Brazil would accept a foreign coach.”

“Pep is the best coach in the world, the greatest sports manager I’ve ever seen. He revolutionised football, revolutionised a team and we had the chance to have him with us.

“If you let an opportunity like this go by, then you are not really thinking about the national team.”

Scolari made way for Dunga after the World Cup but the new man fared little better at the recent Copa América as Brazil were beaten by Paraguay.

Guardiola took over at Bayern Munich and has since led them to two titles.

S

• Iturbe

the Premier League for a total price of £418.

"That's more than £250 cheaper per adult than the amount we believe it would be otherwise."

Premier League clubs receive £200,000 each over three seasons to subsidise travelling fans, with some offering ticket deals and others providing free coach travel as part of a £12m fund announced in October 2013.

A recent BBC Sport study discovered Swansea fans travelled further than any other during the 2014-2015 Premier League season, clocking up 4,129 miles at an average of 217 miles per trip.

Footballer dies after collapsing during game

• Dian

A

PLAYER has died after collapsing during a non-league pre-season

game.

Junior Dian was on trial at Ryman Premier League side Tonbridge Angels when he collapsed in the second half of a game at Whyteleafe on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old died in hospital in the early hours of Wednesday.

"This is devastating news and our only crumb of comfort is that Junior lost his life doing something he obviously enjoyed so much," said Tonbridge chairman Steve Churcher.

The Football Association on Twitter "Our thoughts are with the family of Junior Dian who has

passed away after collapsing during a game."

"All our thoughts and sympathies are with his family," added Churcher in a statement on Tonbridge's website.

Dian was attended to by physios from both teams and paramedics, but passed away at St George's Hospital in Tooting. The match was abandoned following the incident.

Tonbridge Angels play in the Ryman Premier League, the seventh tier of English football, while Whyteleafe play a division lower.

The club have announced that they are offering counselling to all those affected.

cent in training.

"When I arrived I was desperate to reproduce what I did at Verona, but perhaps I should have taken things more slowly. I hope to do well from the word go this season."

Having fallen 17 points short of Serie A winners Juventus last term, Roma have strengthened with the likes of Spanish winger Iago Falque while also buying Cagliari's share in Radja Nainggolan.

Striking pair Edin Dzeko and Aleksandar Mitrovic are both reported targets and Iturbe is keen to see the club continue to recruit.

"It's a positive move. Iago is a great player so it's good for us," he added.

"The coach will choose the player who’s performing the best. Gervinho and Adem Ljajic are here too and they can both play in our position.

"We're a strong team, I said that when I arrived here. It'll be very difficult this year Inter and Milan are both strengthening. I hope a few more players arrive he so we become even stronger."

• Guardiola

Swansea City agree to subsidise away tickets WANSEA City fans will pay no more than £22 for an away ticket in the 2015-2016 Premier League season.

The Swans have pledged that tickets purchased through its membership scheme will be subsidised.

With adult tickets at some grounds costing in excess of £50, the club said the subsidy would amount to a £300,000 saving for fans during the season.

"We are well aware of how expensive it is to follow the team to away games,'' Swans director Huw Cooze said.

"An adult can now watch every one of our away games in

UAN Iturbe is determined to build on an indifferent start to life at Roma and stay injury-free during the Serie A club's upcoming season.

Having earned a move from Verona during an impressive 2013-14 campaign, Iturbe failed to live up to his bigmoney move at the Stadio Olimpico as he struggled with fitness setbacks.

The former Porto forward managed four goals in 37 appearances for Rudi Garcia's side, but is determined to demonstrate his quality this season.

"I want to start well, that’s important for a long season," he told reporters at Roma's Pinzolo training camp.

"There's always criticism whether you play well or not, but I don't care what they say.

I only listen to the coach and my team-mates.

"I'm strong mentally, even when I wasn't doing well I kept working hard to improve. I hope not to get injured this season and am just focused on working hard.

"I'm still young and I’m hungry to learn by giving 100 per

• Gary Monk

Klinsmann relieved after Honduras win

U

NITED States are a work in progress and should not be expected to be in top form just yet, coach Jurgen Klinsmann said after their nervy opening-game victory over Honduras at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Captain Clint Dempsey was USA's hero in Frisco, Texas on Wednesday, as he struck twice to secure a 2-1 win that puts Klinsmann's side top of Group A. However, Gold Cup holders USA were unconvincing throughout the clash at the Toyota Stadium, with Carlos Discua's goal for Honduras 21 minutes from time ensuring Klinsmann faced an anxious wait for the final whistle.

But the coach insisted that his team - so impressive in recent friendly wins over Netherlands and Germany - will take time to gel as they bid to win a sixth Gold Cup. "It was not easy at all tonight it was a very tight game," Klinsmann said, in quotes reported by The Guardian.

"It's going to be a journey in which we hope we're going to improve from match to match there will be moments of little struggle.

"Hopefully from game to game we get more in a flow, more in a

• Klinsmann

• Dempsey

rhythm."

Next up for USA is Friday's meeting with Haiti at Foxborough's Gillette Stadium.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

NATIONSPORT EXTRA

TRANSFER... TRANSFER...

Barca won’t sign Pogba this year - Bartomeu

B

ARCELONA has called a halt to their pursuit of Paul Pogba, with presidential candidate Josep Maria Bartomeu insisting the Juventus midfielder is not part of the club's plans for the 2015-16 season.

The Champions League winners, who beat Juventus in last month's final, had an •80million bid for the France international rejected last week and Bartomeu - campaigning to be re-elected as president - revealed that the club had no intention of making an improved offer in this transfer window.

"We will not buy Pogba this year," he told reporters.

•Pogba

"We are not planning with him for next season. He is not part of our sporting plans for 2015-16 at this stage."

The news is unlikely to end speculation over Pogba's future and may alert other clubs to make a move for the 22-year-old.

Barcelona has strengthened since securing the treble in Luis Enrique's first campaign at the helm, with Ardu Turan's signing from Atletico Madrid on Monday coming after the announcement of Aleix Vidal's capture from Sevilla.

The new arrivals will not be able to feature until January under the terms of Barca's transfer ban.

Milner: Rodgers’ll play me ‘central’ at Liverpool

J

AMES Milner expects to play centrally more often after completing his move to Liverpool.

The 29-year-old joined Brendan Rodgers' team on a free transfer in June, ending a five-season stay at Manchester City, where he was deployed in a number of positions but mainly out wide.

However, Milner, who was unveiled as Liverpool's new No.7 on Monday, says the chance to influence games in the middles was part of his reason for moving to Anfield, amid reportedly interest from elsewhere.

"I've been very fortunate to play for some massive clubs during my career so far and this is another one," he told the club's website.

"It's a great challenge for me. I want to play football and play more centrally if I can - and that's where the manager said he sees me playing.

"That's a big thing for me coming to the later stages of my career - I'm not going to say the end of my career because I still feel I have plenty of football left in me. I want to play as much football as I can.

"When I'm sat at 45 and retired, I want to look back and see what I've done and

that I've played games, rather than having come to the end of my career and tailed off."

Departed captain Steven Gerrard has left a hole in central midfield for Liverpool, with team-mate Jordan Henderson widely expected to take the armband, but Milner says he is also ready and willing to lead.

"If you look at the squad here, there is a great mix of home-grown British players

and foreign lads as well, but there's also quite a lot of younger players in there," he added.

"I've been lucky enough to be playing for maybe 13 years or something now - it makes me feel a bit older - but hopefully I can bring that experience to the squad and help those younger guys along.

"Liverpool came so close a couple of years ago to

winning the league and being up against them in that title run-in, it felt like the whole world wanted them to. That shows the love and global respect for the team.

"Hopefully, my experience can help us get into that position again. And if I can use the experience of winning trophies to help the younger guys, hopefully it can help get us [...] win some silverware."

Boateng talks up Galatasaray switch

S

CHALKE midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng wants to join Galatasaray in the summer transfer window, his official representative has revealed.

The Ghana hotshot is certain to leave Veltins Arena after he was suspended by the club at the end of last season, but with another year left on his deal, the Miners have no plans to let him leave on a free

transfer.

Boateng appears to prefer a summer move to Galatasaray, but the problem is the Turkish giants have yet to make their interest concrete.

“It is clear that the player wants to go to Galatasaray, but the club have not contacted us,” agent Edoardo Crnjar told Eurosport.

Boateng has also been linked with a return to San

Atletico keen on Monaco hotshot

S

PANISH giants Atletico Madrid are weighing up summer move for Monaco winger Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco, according to Marca.

Los Colchoneros are on the lookout for an attacking midfielder after agreeing to sell star player Arda Turan to Barcelona, with Benfica’s Nicolas Gaitan the primary target for Coach Diego Simeone.

However, with Atletico not ready to meet the Eagles’ asking price, they appear to be turning their attention to Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco.

Los Colchoneros have been

following the Belgian starlet throughout the last season, and they believe he can develop into a world-class player.

Persuading Monaco to sell will be no easy task after several star players already left, although the Principality club have already recruited the likes of Fares Bahlouli, Mario Pasalic and Guido Carrillo, among other players.

Ferreira-Carrasco, 21, was in scintillating form last term, having managed 6 goals and 10 assists in 36 Ligue 1 outings for the French giants.

Siro, but AC Milan’s interest appears to have cooled off after Nigel de Jong extended his deal and both Andrea Bertolacco and Jose Mauri joined.

The 28-year-old joined Schalke in a big money move from AC Milan, and while he impressed in his first season at Veltins Arena, Boateng was largely disappointing last term.

No Real Madrid bid for Vidal, says Marotta

J

UVENTUS CEO Giuseppe Marotta has denied reports that Real Madrid have made an official offer for Arturo Vidal.

The midfielder, 28, has long been linked with a potential switch to the Spanish capital and reports on Monday suggested Madrid had formalised their interest with a bid.

Marotta, however, told reporters: "Vidal? It's just rumours, Real Madrid have not come forward. We have a great relationship with them."

Monday finally saw Andrea Pirlo's move to New York City from Juventus confirmed and Marotta conceded it will be tough to replace the Italy veteran.

"Today is a day of great nostalgia for Pirlo. Replacing him won't be easy - there are few born like him - but we'll try," he added.

Vidal will soon return to Juve for pre-season training following his successful Copa America on home soil with Chile.

•Verratti

Verratti happy at PSG

T •Vidal

Cuadrado staying at Chelsea

A •Milner

•Yannick

GENT of Chelsea F.C. midfielder Juan Cuadrado, Alessandro Lucci, has moved to rubbish reports linking the player with a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer.

The Colombia international, who joined Chelsea from Fiorentina for £23.3 million during the last winter transfer window, failed to establish himself as a first-team regular for Jose Mourinho’s side, making

just four Premier League starts for the English champions.

“Much to my amazement, I read in some English and Italian newspapers about imaginary figures and agents associated with Cuadrado, so I think it is right to clarify the situation,” Lucci said on tuttomercatoweb.com.

“Cuadrado is a Chelsea player, who (Jose) Mourinho strongly wanted just over five months ago and the

coach truly believes in him.

“He has many admirers but I reiterate that Juan is a Chelsea player.

“I, as his agent and intermediary, will decide with Juan his future, nobody else will.”

Cuadrado failed to score in 14 appearances in all competitions for the Blues last season.

Chelsea are best-priced at 8/5 to repeat as English Premier League champions next season.

HE agent of Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti, Donati Di Campli, has insisted his client is happy at the Parc des Princes amid reports linking him with a move to Barcelona.

The agent of Paris SaintGermain midfielder Marco Verratti, Donati Di Campli, has insisted his client is happy at the Parc des Princes amid reports linking him with a move to Barcelona.

This week, reports in the Spanish media claimed Di Campli met Barcelona presidential candidate Toni Freixa,fueling speculation suggesting Verratti could be on his way to Spain.

Although Barcelona’s “summer signings” cannot be fielded until January due to a transfer ban handed down by FIFA, the Spanish champions have already completed the signings of Aleix Vidal (Sevilla) and Arda Turan (Atletico Madrid)

and Verratti could be the next player to arrive.

However, Di Campli is adamant Verratti is happy in the French capital.

“I haven’t seen Freixa, as was reported in the media, but I have spoken to him on the telephone,” Di Campli told Sky Italia.

“But I speak with a lot of people every day and it doesn’t mean anything.

“Marco is absolutely calm, he is happy in Paris and has a long-term contract. Whoever wants him needs to get in contact directly with Paris St Germain and not with us.

“There’s nothing else for us to add.”

The Italy international, who joined PSG from Italian side Pescara in the summer of 2012, is under contract at the Parc des Princes until 30 June 2019.

Verratti bagged two goals and eight assists in 32 Ligue 1 appearances for PSG in 2014/ 15.

45

THURSDAY JULY 9, 2015

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

Seventeen years have passed like a flash of lightning since the winner of the historic June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief Moshood Abiola, died in detention. The life and times of the businessman-turned politician were recalled by family members and pro-democracy activists, who converged on his Ikeja, Lagos home to mark the anniversary of his death. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU reports.

• From left: Former Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) President Mrs. Priscilla Kuye, daughter of the late Chief Abiola Mrs Hafsat Abiola-Costello, Women Arise and Campaign for Democracy Leader Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN former Lagos State Military Governor Ndubuisi Kanu, former Chairman, Amuwo Odofin Local Government Comrade Ayodele Adewale and Nollywood actor Ayo Badmus at the ceremony.

Abiola: 17 years after O

N July 7, 1998, Nigerians were in a mourning mood. The beleaguered country had woken up to shock of the demise of a colourful politician and liberator, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, in detention. There were protests by university students. The human rights community was enraged. It was a double tragedy. Abiola won the historic June 12, 1993 presidential election as the flag bearer of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP). But, instead of giving him the crown, the military threw him into detention. He never returned alive.

It was a grand conspiracy. The military rulers and their civilian collaborators teamed up subvert the most elongated transition programme under the Babangida administration.

The combative military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, stepped aside in disgrace, following a popular uproar. But, his exit did not herald the restoration of democracy. Instead, the struggle for civil rule led to the detention of the symbol and his death, to the consternation of Nigerians, who shunned ethnicity and religious leanings to give him a popular mandate.

At a solemn ceremony at his Ikeja, Lagos residence, few human rights activities converge to pay tribute to the symbol of democracy. Former Lagos State Military Governor Ndubusi Kanu described him as a man of the people, who secured the mandate to serve, but was brutally denied. Foremost lawyer, Mrs. Pricilla Kuye (SAN) said that his death has created a vacuum.

A right activist, Ayodele Adewale, said Nigeria would have been better, if the military had allowed the popular will of the people to stand.

Also, the leader of the Campaign for Democracy (CD) and Women Arise (WA), Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, lamented that the military robbed the country of Abiola’s services. She said the politician died without realising his vision of the abolition of poverty.

Many Nigerians were fond of Abiola in his life time. He was the people’s man. Abiola worked and made money. But, he also plough back to the society. While alive, he was the greatest philanthropist, who extended a duty of care to his neighbour. The wealthy businessman became a household name as he donated to homes, mosques and churches. Although a Muslim, he never discriminated against other faiths. He also loved life and led a full life, acquired wealth and wives. Having acquired economic, social and media power, he still felt unfulfilled without political power. Paradoxically, the legitimate pursuit of political power ultimately became his undoing.

Seventeen years after, the circumstances surrounding Abiola’s death is shrouded in controversy. Few days before the unexpected death, Abiola was seen in newspaper smiling when some top military brass visited him. There were speculations that he passed after sip tea. His physician, who saw him before he passed on, was not allowed to medically examine him in detention. Irked by what he described as a questionable social visit, the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) vent his anger on him, saying that he visited his patience without a stethoscope. When he died, an autopsy was conducted. The result is yet to be made public.

Nigerians are still rattled by some puzzles: why was Abiola not released, following the death of Abacha and assumption of office by the Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar?

How did he died, having survived five years of humiliation in detention? Was he murdered to prevent the continuation of the struggle for the revalidation of the June 12 election results? Was there a hidden agenda in the entire scenario?

Yet, many people unhappy that efforts to immortalise him has met a brick wall. Although the Abdulsalami, Obasanjo and Yar’Adua regimes did nothing to immortalise him, the move

•The late Chief Abiola by former President Goodluck Jonathan, who officially recognised him as the President-elect to name the University of Lagos, Akoka after him sparked controversy. The former President had to retrace his steps.

Generations yet unborn will learn from the lessons of June 12. It was a free and fair exercise. Even, Abiola’s rival, Alhaji Othman Bashir of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) accepted defeat. Twenty two years after the historic poll, those who annulled it have not shown remorse for their democratic bankruptcy. It is an irony of political life that the unscrupulous elements who subverted the transition programme became the main actors when civil rule was restored in 1999.

Abiola, the Basorun of Ibadan and Aare Ona Kankanfo of Yorubaland, was in psychological trauma in detention. Before he threw his hat into the ring, he had endured the tragic loss of his first wife, Simbiat. But, he had not recovered from the murder of his second wife, Kudirat, when he suddenly died. The Amazon

had sustained the struggle when her husband was in detention. But, Abiola never betrayed the import of his Oyo title: the Generalisimo. He was a man of valour; a great warrior and fighter.

Although he was harassed, abused and blackmailed, he refused to surrender. His life, said Admiral Kanu, was a lesson in determination, consistency and dedication to principles.

According to pro-democracy crusaders, Abiola died a martyr. His death marked the end of an era. He was a colossus, not only in the collective agitation for an end to military rule, but also in the fight for the emancipation of Africa, who led the crusade for reparations in Africa. In his view, the descendants of the poorest of the poor; the hewers of wood and fetchers of water deserved compensation for slavery in Europe and America.

Many factors accounted for his victory on June 12, 1993. But, the greatest factor was his national acceptance. The annulment of the election had implications. It denied Nigeria of a precedent. “Had the election results seen the light of the day, Nigeria would have laid a solid foundation for the sanctity of the ballot box,” said Ayo Opadokun, the Coordinator of the Congress of Democrats for Electoral Reforms (CODER). He added: “The The four elections that took place after the June 12, 1993 elections were flawed because those in charge were accomplices, military lackeys, military confederates and others who assisted the military to annul June 12.”

Another lesson of June 12 was the absence of thuggery and violence on poll day. Also, there were no malpractices. The poll was peaceful nationwide. There were no malpractices, thuggery and violence. To domestic and foreign observers, Nigeria was coming of age. However, Babangida dribbled himself into the dark book of history, emerging as a modern Moses, who saw the promised land from afar and could not get there, having programmed the longest transition process to fail.

Had Nigerians listened to the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, perhaps, the story would have been different. Weary of the military deceit, the late sage cautioned against the illusion of hope. He said the transition programme will lead to nowhere. According to the poll results, Abiola scored 8,341, 309 votes, representing 58.36 percent of the total votes cast. Babangida was dazed. Intoxicated by • Continued on page 46

46

THE NATION THURSDAY JULY 9, 2015

‘

I always wonder when people are saying we are fighting, all over the world, they fight at the parliament and it is not a new thing

’

POLITICS

Buhari not guilty of nepotism, says lawmaker

S

ENATOR Fatai Buhari has faulted those who accusing President Mohammadu Buhari of favouring the North against the South in politcal appointments.

Buhari, who spoke in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, at the 3rd annual Ramadan lecture sponsored by the Fatai Buhari Foundation (BAF), said President Buhari has not made enough appointments to warrant being accused of favouring the North.

The critics, he said, premised their claim on the provision of the constitution that says: “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity...”

Buhari, who is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said: “How many appointments do we have, how many has he made?

You see this is part of the problems we have in this country. I am always surprised the way people jump to conclusion, let’s even assume that he has made 10 appointments so far and all of them are from his hometown, do you know how many appointments are at the federal level aside the cabinet members?

“Let me fault some of these arguments without speaking for Mr. President because some may begin to say I am defending him because he is his name sake and that is why I am biased. It if far from that. In USA, John Kennedy appointed his own junior brother as Attorney General, heaven did not fall, in Pla-

Let me fault some of these arguments without speaking for Mr. President because some may begin to say I am defending him because he is his name sake and that is why I am biased, teau State here in Nigeria, former Governor Joshua Dariye appointed his son as commissioner and not ordinary commissioner but commissioner for finance, heaven did not fall. In Ondo state, former Governor Segun Agagu, may his soul rest in peace, appointed his younger brother as chief of staff, and others I can continue to mention.

“These are precedence and when things like this happens, look at the precedence and ask what is the reason that this thing is happening. If he is unable to justify it then that is another thing but let us give him benefits of doubts and ask whether those appointed so far were appointed on merit or otherwise? The INEC, we the National Assembly members are the one to appoint INEC chairman, Mr. President will only recommend. The tenure of the former chairman, Attahiru Jega has ended and somebody has to be in place in acting capacity. If they now ask somebody to act because she is a female or from a particular region, you are now talking, I think that is unfair.”

The legislator said the appointments in contention are ‘petty ones’.

He added: “Things have really gone bad in this country and we all need to give him a benefit of doubt and allow him settle down fully for governance to straighten all the curve edges in governance especially as

it relates to transparency and accountability, insecurity, decay infrastructure, unemployment and collapse of value system in the polity.

Buhari appealed to Nigerians to wait the list of ministerial nominees before raising any objection.

On the crisis in the National As-

•Senator Fatai Buhari welcoming Chairman of the Oyo State Nigerian Union of Journalists Comrade Gbenga Opadotun to Ogbomoso, Oyo State, during the 3rd Ramadan Lecture organised by the Buhari Foundation.

Abiola: 17 years after • Continued from page 45 power, he declared that although he knew those who would not succeed him, he did not know those who would succeed him. He added: “We are not only in government, we are in power.”

Abiola was conversant with military tricks. He knew that he could not be salvaged by the Army. He enlisted the people in a war for democracy. He said, having voted for him, Nigerians expected him to assume the reins on August 27, 1993. “ I intend to keep that date with history,” he said. Although he declared himself President-elect at Epetedo, he had to go into hiding to escape the barrel of gun.

Abiola fought gallantly. But, it was evident that he lack the experience of a politician. Gradually, SDP chieftains deserted him. They spoke from the two sides of the mouth.

When he travelled abroad to drum support for the struggle, former Information Minister Comrade Uche Chukwumerije mocked him as the first Aare Ona Kankanfo of Yoruba to have deserted the battle field. As June 12 divided the polity, associates were changing allegiance. The Association for Better Nigeria (ABN) led by Senator Arthur Nzeribe, was active in discrediting the election. Former Military Vice President Augustus Aikhomu said Abiola was not fit to rule, adding that the rich are not necessarily philosophical kings.

According to observers, history merely repeated itself on June 12, 1993. Ten years ago, Abiola was denied nomination form by the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN).The gate of the party secretariat was shot against him. Former Transport Minister Umaru Dikko, told Abiola that “the Presidency is not for the highest bidder.”

However, in the aborted Third Republic, he seized the polity by storm. Having banned, unbanned, and banned prominent politicians, the political class was weakened by Babangida, who, according to observers, had assumed full executive powers, without the accompanying checks and balances. Nigeria was groaning in poverty. Abiola said he was ready to lay down his life, which he eventually did. In his famous Epe Declaration, the SDP flag bearer said: “Never before has there been such a cynical and contemptuous abrogation of solemn commitment and fixed programme.”

Babangida prevent Abiola from succeeding him. But, he, however, failed in his self-perpetuation bid.

As he stepped aside, he handed over to an interim contraption headed by Abiola’s kinsman from Ogun State, Chief Ernest Shonekan.

Another kinsman, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo said it was regrettable, but understandable. The interim government lacked legitimacy. It was short-lived. On November 10, 1993, Justice Dolapo Akinsanya of the

sembly, Buhari said: “It is a normal thing, if you look at it from 1999 till date, it has always been a rough start at the beginning of every legislative business. Even the next 9th assembly in 2019, that is how it is going to be, people will always scramble for power. It is a normal

thing in parliamentarian set up where leadership would have to evolve from among the members.

“I always wonder when people are saying we are fighting, all over the world, they fight at the parliament and it is not a new thing. And I hope and pray that the quarrel and the misunderstanding will make Nigeria great and a better place for all to live especially the common man who have voted for change and year for good condition of life where equity, justice and fair play will reign supreme,” Buhari added.

•The late Mrs Kudirat Abiola Lagos High Court dismantled it, saying that it was illegal. Gen. Sani Abacha later sacked Shonekan and proclaimed himself as the Head of State.

The nation was backed to square one. Abacha abolished all democratic structures at the state and federal levels, disbanded the National Electoral Commission (NEC), banned the two political parties and set up the Provisional Ruling Coun-

cil (PRC). Then, he promised to hand over to Abiola. In their naivety, credible politicians were cajoled to serve under the administration as ministers, thereby mocking their antecedents as June 12 travelers. The military Head of State later initiated a self-succession plan, which collapsed when he mysteriously passed on.

Few days after Abacha died, Abiola also died in detention in controversial circumstance. His death in detention provoked outrage and condemnation. Human rights activists alleged that he was killed in detention. The autopsy is still in the realm of conjecture.

Abiola was born on August 24, 1937 in Abeokuta. He started his formal education at the Nawairuu-Deen School, Abeokuta in 1949.

From there, he proceeded to the African Central School, Abeokuta between 1945 and 1950. He attended the Baptist Boy’s High School, Abeokuta between 1951 and 1956.

After his secondary education, he worked as a clerk with the Barclay’s Bank, Ibadan. He also worked in the Western Region Finance Corporation. There, he rose from an Executive Officer to a Higher Executive Officer.

In February 1961, Abiola secured a Western Regional Scholarship to study Accountancy at the Glasgow University, Scotland, graduating with prizes in political economy, commercial law and management accountancy. He was at the Institute of Chartered Accountant, Scotland, majoring in financial planning, business organisation and management. He got his charted certificate in 1966.

When he returned to the country, Abiola worked as a Deputy Chief Accountant at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos. In 1967, he joined the Pfizer Product as Divisional Controller. In 1968, he left for the International Telephone and Telecommunications as a Controller. He rose to become the Managing Director and Chief Executive. He was the first African to attain that position.

Abiola was an investor. He founded the Radio Communications Limited, in conjunction with Haris Communications of the United States in 1974. In 1989, he established Wonder Bakeries Limited and the Concord Group of Newspapers. He received over 200 chieftaincy titles from across the country and over 50 academic awards.

‘Don’t intimidate Ekweremadu’

C

HAIRMEN of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari against the intimidation and harassment of Deputy Senate President Senator Ekweremadu.

The warning was contained in a statement issued in Abuja by the Chairman of Conference of PDP States Chairmen, Dr. Emmanuel Agbo, who is also the Chairman of Benue State PDP. The PDP chieftains vow to mobilise their members across the coun-

From Michael Jegede, Abuja

try to resist any further attempt to harass and intimidate Ekweremadu, whose election by his colleagues as Deputy Senate President to Senator Bukola Saraki of the APC was, according to them, as a result of his outstanding performance in the previous sessions of the Senate.

They called on the APC to accept the outcome of the election of the presiding officers in both chambers of the National Assembly, which took place on June 9, 2015, in good faith and concentrate on giving Ni-

gerians the change they promised them, devoid of complaint.

The statement reads: “We, the States Chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) want to express unequivocally that any attempt to further harass and intimidate the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, a highly respect member of our great party will be met with nationwide resistance by our membership across the entire country. The All Progressives Congress (APC) government pay due attention to the unprecedented violence and mass killings by the Boko Haram sect.

•Ekweremadu

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

47

THE NATION

NATURAL HEALTH E-mail:- health@thenationonlineng.net

Practitioners urged to improve on practice T

RADITIONAL Medicine practitioners have been urged to build more capacity in their area of practice. This, according to the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, will develop the healthcare industry.

Mrs Oyo-Ita believes there is the need for the country to build a critical mass of natural medicine experts to develop the healthcare industry, which will also build confidence in the sector.

Mrs Oyo-Ita spoke at the graduation of Green Centre Academy (GCA) for Advanced Professional Practitioners/Students at the Nigerian Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) in Lagos.

Mrs Oyo-Ita, represented by the Director-General, Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), Mr Sam Etatuvie, said traditional medicine (TM) contribution to the healthcare system is tremendous.

She said: “The Alma-Ata declaration of Primary Health Care (PHC) by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1978 witnessed a response from several countries to improve their traditional medicine use and regulation within the PHC model.”

The perm sec said TM was bedevilid by problems, such as mode of administration, appropriate dosage forms and methods of preparation. Others are inadequate documentation, method of preservation, determination of potency and side effect of herbs.

She said: “The ministry through her agencies is addressing the problems with appropriate intervention to evolve a traditional medicine system that is backed by certification, self-sustaining, affordable and acceptable data and

•A cross section of the graduands with from right, Prof Femi Bankole, Dr Oluwa, Dr Etatuvie, Dr Adewale Bade, Mr Allen Loh and a resource person, Dr Gilbert Ngige.

By Wale Adepoju

can operate as an integral part of the country’s formal healthcare delivery system.”

Oyo-Ita said this underscored the need for collaboration with the centre to achieve needed progress, adding: “In line with its mandate, the ministry has inaugurated a new science technology and innovation (ST&I) policy which its core mission is the evolution of a new Nigeria that harnesses, develops and utilises ST&I to build a large, strong, diversified, sustain-

able and competitive economy that guarantees a high standard of living and quality of life to its citizens.”

She said her ministry would ensure that the capacity building is sustained to achieve the desired objectives.

The perm sec enjoined the graduating practitioners/ students to apply the knowledge, skills and expertise gained for sustainable healthcare delivery system and socio-economic development of the country.

Registrar, Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board (LSTMB),

Dr Bodunrin Oluwa urged practitioners to work within the purview of the profession.

According to him, no law enforcement agency would harass practitioners who know their limitation.

He berated the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) for stifling the progress of traditional medicine (TM).

“There is a lot going on at the moment. The majority of people who constitute MDCN should not have been there. There is going to be revolution against them in the future. How can MDCN control

Seminar on food tolerance

Expert provides ways for longevity OW can people live long?

An integrative medicine consultant, Dr Emmanso Umobong, has said people can live long by improving their immune system with anti-oxidants, such as glutathione, and stay healthy till old age.

Glutathione (GSH), according to Dr Umobong, is an important anti-oxidants in plants, animals, fungi, and some bacteria and archaea, “It helps in preventing damage to important cellular components caused by reactive oxygen species, such as free radicals, peroxides, lipid peroxides and heavy metals,” he said.

He said with anti-oxidants the body can fight harmful substances, and, as such, protect the cells from destruction.

Umobong said people need to have a perfect understanding of their health consider what happens to individuals’ cells at each level.

“These substances that glutathione fights are put together as free radicals which have ability to destroy cell membranes, cellular proteins and the DNA,” he said.

Glutathione is responsible for the activity of the blood cells to carry oxygen around the body.

Besides, it makes it possible for

H

By Oluoma Omeihe

the body to remove all manner of heavy metals and poison generated by heavy substances.

“It breaks all the substances into tiny particles and units and then it is passed out of the body either through faeces, urine or sweat,” Umobong said.

Glutathione, Umobong said, also enhances the proper functioning of neuro–transmitters which are involved in the communication of all the organs of the body.

“It also helps prevent diseases, such as autism, stammering, attention deficit disorder, memory loss and epileptic seizures.

Umobong explained that glutathione in humans begins to diminish as individuals grow older.

“By 40, humans would have lost about 28 per cent of the capacity to counteract free radicals, 36 per cent by 50 years and 48 per cent by 60 years.

“Past and present activities of the cells are controlled therefore affecting all inter-cellular activities.

“Nature knows that this will be the case. It provides an anti-oxidant system to help counter the effect of free radicals. The anti-oxidant system, when overwhelmed by free radicals, is described as oxidative stress,” he said.

Umobong said oxidative stress had been pinned down as the ultimate cause of all degenerating conditions in human beings.

He advised Nigerians to manage stress as they age. This, he said, is important to everyday life.

“The environment needs to be kept clean, eating of good food is highly important , drink clean water and take more of vitamins,” Umobong advised.

•Oduye

ANT to know the food your body tolerates, or the significance of food intolerance to your health? You can keep a date with Dr Titi Oduye of Amelias Organics Limited on July 18, at a one-day Food Intolerance and Celiac disease testing seminar. Venue is R and A City Hotel, 2 Majekodunmi Street, off Allen Avenue, beside Oshopey Plaza, Ikeja; by 9:00 am. Enquiries can be sent to: ameliasorganic@gmail.com According to Dr Oduye, the complex way food affects our everyday lives is an emerging area and diagnosing the cause of symptoms

W

•Dr Umobong

homeopathy, chiropratic and acupuncture, among others.”

The registrar urged practitioners, especially those in Lagos to ensure they register with the appropriate agencies, especially LSTMB so as to carry on their profession legitimately.

“Do not believe MDCN will get you registered,” Oluwa added.

Programme Director, GCA, Dr Darlington Okafor said proper training of practitioners would ensure they gain appropriate skills for safe and effective practice devoid of ‘making bogus claims’.

Our practice has been bastardised by charlatans, he added.

Okafor encouraged practitioners to teach younger generations the art and science of their practice, and stop wrong assumptions.

“Some practitioners in Kaduna State, for instance, erroneously thought that when they passed down their herbal knowledge to the younger generation, the leaves in the forest would disappear. But this is not so,” he said.

Okafor urged them to forget about the “Dr” as an appellation and concentrate on using their knowledge to treat ailments.

He said there are programmes at the centre that can enable them gain admission into the university for alternative and complementary medicine.

“We are collaborating with Beijing Institute for Chinese Traditional Medicine (BICTM), Tianjin University of Sports, Tianjin, China and the National Association of Nigerian Traditional Medicine Practitioners (NANTMP)”, he said, adding that 15 people would be going to China for training.

which seem to be “unexplained” is often difficult. People who experience some of the symptoms of food intolerance are often led by the medical profession to believe that their condition is ‘all in the mind’ and are treated for the physical manifestation of the condition rather than the cause. However there are now answers to questions and ways to identify the cause of your symptoms leading to long term relief.

She noted that although not life threatening like food allergy, food intolerance should never be underestimated as its impact can be significant, severely impacting on the ability to live normal healthy lives.

“Food intolerance is extremely widespread and it is estimated that 45 percent of the population could be affected. Many people with food intolerance experience more than one symptom. Symptoms can often be vague and the root cause of the problem, food, is not always correctly diagnosed. When people are knowledgeable right food choices are made and healthier life span is guaranteed.

There will also be a lecture on the health benefits of essential oils by Mr Dan Gounden Cambridge Nutritional Sciences; UK.

48

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

NATURAL HEALTH

Many reasons why you tire easily every day

L

IKE a cold car engine that would not easily start on a cold day or even on in warm or hot weather, many people cannot get their internal engines roar to life and give them kick-and–go energy to start a brand new day. Even when they struggle out of bed and manage to drag themselves to work, they do not have enough energy to power themselves efficiently throughout the day. The resort to all sorts of energy drinks and to even coffee to no avail. In the end, they drop by at the doctor’s and run all sorts of tests, including HIV test which often turns negative, and have to live with all sorts of drugs.

For some people, making a little more energy is difficult as making a little more money. Some cases are so bad that some sufferers of fatigue have to lean on objects such as walls, tables and doors when they walk about in a room. Mrs. Elizabeth Strand, suffering from Shronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) for many months, couldn’t get out of bed to brush her teeth. Her husband, the now famous Ray Strand, a doctor, couldn’t help her. When Elizabeth’s friend, a medical lay person helped her and she was able to ride her horses again, Dr Ray Strand humbled himself to study nutrition and came up with the book WHAT YOUR DOCTOR DOES NOT KNOW ABOUT NUTRITION MAY BE KILLING YOU. There may be a thousand and one causes of tiredness, fatigue or chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). What causes the problem for one person may be different from how it came about in another. So, treatment may not be uniform. Laboratory tests may be required to provide a clearer insight than a rule-of thethumb assessment may oblige. But in an environment such as ours where income is low and medical tests are expensive, ruleof-the-thumb diagnosis take the centre stage of diagnosis. Thus, a grayish tongue spotting slimy and, maybe, shiny semi mucous matter may indicate overload of yeast (candida albicans) parasite, a factor in this problem. A diet deficient in B Vitamins and magnesium easily pops up as another possible culprit. This column will briefly suggest some causes of fatigue addressed by some doctors over many decades, with hints of possible natural remedies.

Deoxygenation Many people in Nigerian cities are deoxygenated. At home, they inhale air polluted by electricity generator fumes. Municipal electric power cuts have become a feature of Nigerian life.

Polluted air is inhaled in the streets and in commercial areas where every shop owner generates his or her own electricity.

One the road, many vehicles spew heavy fumes inhaled in stagnant traffic, these fumes contain carbon monoxide. Clean air has about 21 percent oxygen. Our red blood cells pick the oxygen on their haemoglobin molecules and deliver it to all the cells. Such blood is oxygenated. Carbon monoxide, on the other hand combines with haemoglobin to form carboxyl haemoglobin which chases oxygen away. Deprivation of oxygen makes the cells tired and easily prone to damage and death. That’s why whole families have been found dead in their sleep who inhaled generator smoke overnight in their sleep. Many deoxygenated people are dying installmentally. For such people, there may be a remedy in oxygen capsules such as VITALAIRE or deep green leafy vegetables. There is help also in herbs which have stored oxygen for man’s use. Among these are spirulina, chlorella, nettle and kale, of which I will speak later in more detail.

Parasite overload We cannot eliminate parasites from our bodies, but we can check an overgrowth of their population to safe rations with the population of unfriendly bacteria, our friends. Helicobacter pylori bacteria, found in ulcer sites in the stomach, may, for example, cause peptic ulcer or prey on it to the point that disturbances of digestion in the stomach leave the body without adequate nutrition and weaken it, causing fatigue. In the treatment of ulcer, helicobacter pylori may be overcome with the help of, say, Golden Seal Root, Pau d’arco, Aloe Vera, kyolic, grape seed extract (a favorite of Dr Strand in almost all conditions) proprietary aromatic oils, Amazon C-F, etc. they also support the healing of the injury when used with healing agents.

Diabetes High blood sugar levels mean low blood sugar level in the cells, particularly cells of the brain which depend largely on glucose for their energy needs. Blood sugar is high because of insulin resistance. Insulin is needed to sweep sugar into the cell. But it cannot do it in the absence of the chromium, a micro nutrient lost when food is refined. So adding chromium to the diet helps. So does taking herbs which contain some amounts of chromium. Fenugreek, horsetail, garlic, bitter melon, cedar berry, cinnamon. Some physicians add to their prescriptions for blood sugar balance vanadyl sufate and zinc, which is deficient in diabetics. In proprietary recipe bracket, diatom, Bell’s Blood Sugar Imbalance and kyolic Blood Sugar among others, help.

Low blood Sugar.

In this condition, the Pancreas gland is possibly over working, pumping out to much insulin to wipe out blood sugar. The sufferer may be consuming too much Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), a taste enhancer, in food, or the diet may comprise largely simple or processed carbohydrates such as bread. Many people do not know that, according to the Glycemic index, the sugar of white flour bread releases faster into the bloodstream than the sugar in cube sugar. Similarly the sugar of Irish potato, and surprisingly, releases faster than the sugar of Sweet potato. Some old- fashioned doctors compound the problems of a low blood sugar patient by advising him or her to take refined sugar loaded soft drinks. While this may help in emergencies, Orange juice or the juice of some other citrus food may be a better option. The best option is the consumption of complex carbohydrates. If the pancreas is over supplying insulin, the cause may be further investigated. Does it have a tumour?

Is it disturbed by flat worms or irritated by heavy metals or Candida or other yeast cells? An overworking pancreas may

as tiredness and lethargy because oxygen is scarce in the cells for energy production. Beyond this it may prevent “pins and needles ( paraesthia), Muscle weakness, depression, problems with memory, understanding and judgment, a sore and red tongue.’’

OBELY, Nigeria most researched herbal blood tonic restores blood count from within 24 hours. To improve iron content of the blood, beet root, Apple, is suggested.

Beet root is rich in potassium, folic acid and iron. Mixing the juices of both is good. Sesame seeds are another good source of iron. Can forget use of black molasses. It has not only iron but also follate, B vitamins, Although Molasses is sweet, its sugar is low acting on the Glyceric Index (GI) table. A good recipe is two tablespoonfuls of molasses and Apple cider vinegar mixed with water. A half cup of spinach juice daily is said to be enough to cure anemia. But do not overdo spinach.

For, like pumpkin leaves (ugwu), it has oxalic acid which, when the leaves are not boiled before juicing, may block iron absorbtion. Tomato is rich in vitamin C which supports absorbtin of iron. Pomegranate, rich in minerals and vitamins, improves hemoglobin contents of red blood cells and helps to promote healthy blood flow. One tablespoonful of dried parsley, a blood cleanser, is said to provide about 10 percent of the daily requirement of iron.

Dates Eating a lot by prophet Mohammed (may the peace of Allah be upon him) is iron rich and have copper which helps haemoglobin formation for people who suffer from numbness pins and needles”, a sign of anaemia, it is important that the diet includes vitamin B12 and folic acid. As many do not absorb B12 easily, the sublingual type which disappears into the blood from under the tongue is advisable. So is the injection type.

THYROID FUNCTION The thyroid gland, which surrounds the neck, is crucial for our lives: its malfunctioning has now been linked to about 200 degenerative diseases, some of which fatigue may symptomise the thyroid sets the metabolic rate. It is, thus, like the slow running jet of motor vehicle engine. When the engine fads while running, we set the jet to a higher work output and do the reverse when the engine is over–running. When the thyroid is slow (hypothyroidism), we are easily fatigue, lethargic, sleep a lot, gain weight easily and prone to diseases.

Uterine fibroids and breast cancer have been linked to hypothyroidism. And when the thyroid over works (hyperthyroidism), it may cause bulging eyes, palpitations of the heart, sweating, insomnia/ even wasting or consumption, Buggle weed like cabbage juice or gastrogen – containing herbs, slow down the hyperactive thyroid. Keep on in the other hand, makes a slow thyroid work faster. The proprietary formula Lugo tabs, improves hypothyrodisim, which has grown, worldwide, in epidemic proportions. Some researchers link this to chlorine and bromated intake, some to immune system disorder, yet others mention nutritional deficiencies, some blame it all on caffeine and refined carbohydrates, others on protein and essential fatty acid deficiencies, demineralisation and hormonal imbalances.

FOOD INTOLERANCE Some foods do not agree with some people, when disagreeable food is eaten, the immune system attacks it and damages tissue which habours it. A major example is gluten in wheat, rye, barley and oat. Food intolerance may cause Coeliac disease. In small intestine, there are finger like projections through which digested food is absorbed into the blood stream, they are called villi. In Coeliac disease the villi are inflamed and flattened, reducing the surface area for absorbtion of nutrients. This leads not only to malnutrition and thinness but also to tiredness as the cells have not enough nutrients to power them. Also called sprue, coeliac disease presents sometimes as “pain and discomfort in the digestive tracts, chronic constipation and diarrhea, failure to thrive in children and aenemia” fatigue may be absent. Vitamin and other nutritional deficiencies are noted. Symptoms of celiac disease may be present in some organs hit by immune fire. The diseases may masquerade as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), a milder form of intestine problem. In some cases, it may cause intestinal and lympth cancers or and Non- Hodgkins disease, and mouth ulcer. A remedy lies in avoidance of gluten foods and in supporting the immune system with friendly bacteria (Probiotic). The Molecular structure of the thyroid gland and that of gluten are similar. Sweating Gluten may expose the thyroid to immune attack. It has been suggested that about 20 percent of thyroid function depends on adequate supply of probiotic.

This suggests that probiotic will help the intestine and the thyroid. The intestine profits from herbs such as KALE, and calamus root. Kale is anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anticancer. It has been found either preventing or helpful in the treatment of five types of cancer, colon, bladder, ovary, breast and prostate. It has large amount of lutein and Zeazanthin which support the treatment of eye cataracts and flaionoids which help out in chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (OPD).

Adrenal fatigue Shaped like bean and seated on each kidney, the adrenal glands remove stress from the body. When they are overstretched, adrenal fatigue or adrenal burn–out may occur.

Stress chemicals fill the body, and with the stress absorbers out, fatigue sets in. The thyroid glands and the adrenal glands are intimately related. So, the health of one affects the other.

In energy medicine, the hypothalamus, the thyroid and the adrenals are seated on the same meridian line. Vitamin B5, Licorice DGL Ginseng, Cordyseps, and kidney herbs help the adrenals. As the kidney and the adrenals sit together, there is an interchange between them.

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soon become a burn-out pancreas. And this may lead to very low levels, if any at all, of insulin and high blood sugar buildup, diabetes in other words. Low blood sugar may set the stage for diabetes. To deal with Flat Worms, such as faciolopsis, picked from eating the intestine (round-about) of animals not well cooked to kill the eggs, Amazon AF helps. Amazon AF, like golden seal root, grape seed extract, and paud’arco, deal with candida and yeast. Ditto kyolic immune and Amazon immune support. Diatom takes out heavy metals and germs.

Apart from the consumption of complex carbonhydrates and care of the pancreas which may profit from the use of Eclipta alba and kale, a member of the cruciferous vegetable family, some authorities suggest a three-piece breakfast. This consists of living foods (flour bread is dead food) which contain carbonhydrate, proteins and fats. Two weeks ago, I suggested Golden melon/wheatgrass/spirulina for Ramadan breakfast.

Orange juice replaces golden melon which is going out season.

I haven’t failed to keep them in the fruits basket since I read in Leslie Kenton’s THE NEW RAY ENERGY in 1970s about their store house of Potassium and the importance of this substance for the creation of energy. Dr Max Gerson has gone on to show how he used vegetable and fruit juices, rich in potassium, to cure some cases of cancer. Wheatgrass, promoted by Dr Anne Wigmore who, following a family tradition of using this herb, cured her cancer on wheatgrass fruit juice. It is a rich store of minerals and vitamins which are important for producing energy. Spirulina is perharps the best assemblage of proteins among plants. Besides, it offers a high level of iron, which should be good for people who suffer from iron-deficiency anaemia.

To my Ramadan breakfast of golden melon or weetabix, orange juice from four medium oranges, wheatgrass and spirulina, I add a sprinkling of nuts (peanut, cashew nuts and walnuts) for crunchiness. The nuts will provide essential fatty acids and some oil soluble vitamins, including Vitamin E. The carbohydrate provides quick fire. The protein and fats take longer to burn, supplying energy after the carbonhydrate burns out. Thus, energy is provided all day. I must add that the carbonhydrate doesn’t always comes from golden melon or weetabit, a fibrerich wheat product.

Anaemia This is a blood condition in which: •There is not enough red blood cells in the blood to transport the required amount of oxygen to the cells.

•There is not enough haemoglobin in these cells, even if they are adequate in number, to make them absorb oxygen and transport it.

•The red blood cells may be immature and irregularly shaped.

Thus, there are different kinds of anaemia, and each type has a peculiar treatment. Iron is needed for the manufacture of red blood cells. Vitamin B12 is needed, like folic acid, for healthy red blood cells. When there is not enough vitamin B12 for this purpose due to malabsorbtion of it in the intestine, the consequence is pernicious anaemia. Other causes can be anything from alcoholism, chemotherapy, leukemia and some medications. Immature and extra- large red cells (megaloblastic anaemia) crowd out healthy cells.

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ANY people know only of iron-deficiency anaemia which can be caused by accident injuries which lead to bleeding, gum bleeding, bleeding ulcers, bleeding in stomach and intestines promoted by the intake of aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), heavy menstruation, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, high demand of iron in some pregnancies etc. care should be taken not to consume iron as the liver can be damaged by a build up of iron. Sometimes, pain and aches are a sign of iron builds up.

Some of the symptoms of iron deficiency anaemia are Tiredness, lethargy (Lack of energy) shortness of breath, palpitation of the heart, lackluster complexion, headache, tinnitus (hearing of sounds from inside the body instead of from the outside], itchiness, poor taste, abnormally smooth tongue, sore tongue, hair loss, craving for non-foods such as ice or earth known as pica, difficulty in swallowing, nails shaped like spoon etc.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency, like iron deficiency, presents also

e-mail:johnolufemikusa@yahoo.com or johnolufemikusa@gmail.com

Tel: 08116759749, 08034004247, 08116759749

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

49

THE NATION

* The Environment * Mortgage * Apartments * Security * Homes * Real Estate

BUSINESS PROPERTY/ENVIRONMENT

Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.com 08114495369

property@thenationonlineng.net muyiwalucas2002@yahoo.com

Do you desire a home in a tranquil environment?

You need not look far. Inagbe, which is on the banks of the Lagos lagoon, is the place to go, writes MUYIWA LUCAS

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ET on the tranquil banks of the magnificent Lagos Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean, this showpiece resort captures the essence of nature, culture and tradition. And entering into nature’s ambience, you are greeted by the whisperings of the surrounding water.

Welcome to the Inagbe Resorts and Leisure, a city being created

by Grand Imperio Group out of nowhere. The resort, is located 20 minutes sail on a speed boat from Victoria Island, and within a community rich in culture and history of ancient Lagos Monarchy. There are three jetties serving the resort.

Although the Inagbe is built basically as a resort, it also beckons on individuals willing to make the place an abode. Inagbe Grand Resorts offers plots for private development, which comes with access to the resort facilities, at a lease rate of N1.5 million per plot per annum. Minimum lease period is five years, while customised design for individual house type is acceptable.

For such developers, the benefits to be derived include infinity swimming pool with ocean view, standard lagoon view swimming pool, Beach Volley ball, Beach Soccer, an 18-hole Golf Range (still under construction), Football Pitch, Horse ranch, Lawn Tennis, Table Tennis, Snooker, Basketball, Children’s park, Spa treatment, and Resort Jungle tour.

The resort, located on an Island close to the snake island, sits on about four million square-metre land area. Interestingly, the resort was developed in just 12 months with almost 100 percent local content.

“What we have here now is a city we have created at the middle of nowhere called Inagbe Grand Resort and Leisure; it is very Nigerian and pan-African because most of the products we have used here are basically produced either on this island or sourced from several local companies we have partnership and alliances with,” Mr. Adeyeye Ogunwusi, managing director / chief executive officer, Gran Imperio, last week.

Ogunnusi explained that the essence of creating the city is to showcase to the world that a masterpiece in form real estate and tourism can be developed in Africa; while also using same to explore good things could come out of Nigeria.

To ensure that Nigerians take full advantage of the resort, the pro-

•Inagbe resort ... nature’s paradise

‘Explore’ Inagbe, city out of the ocean moters only last week, introduced a scheme called “Explore.” The ‘Explore’ product is a Loyalty Programme that is being put in place for members of the public to come and experience the resort in its natural ambience. To benefit from the scheme, a person has to have a minimum point of 25,000 on his Explore card; each point costs N2. At an average of N35,000 per night, it is likely to be out of the reach of the ordinary Nigerian who may still like to experience life on an island. Hence, the ‘Explore’ reduces the cost by as much as 50 per cent.

“We don’t want this place to be for the elite alone, but that it should cut across board. That is why we have introduced a product called ‘Explore’ through which we want people to come and explore one of Nigeria’s best kept secret”, Ogunwusi said.

The secret lies in the air which is very clean, and the ambience / environment which is very natural and close to nature with animals of various kinds moving freely within the island.

“What we are trying to do is to attract attention and bring concentration to remote places like this place and with this objective, we want to see such locations develop on gradual basis. Taking this place as an example, you can see how we have been able to develop this place into a city within 365 days and moved its population from 10 to thousands of people living here. A lot of people have migrated from the Lagos metropolis to take work here. So far, we have 150 direct jobs and over a thousand indirect ones”, Ogunwusi said.

Ogunwusi said the resort has the potential of being one of the most attractive tourist centres in the megacity, which offers guests a unique benefit to experience intriguing views of the brilliant landscaped gardens complemented with fountains and the Lagos Lagoon direct from inside their suites. “Nestled between the Lagos Lagoon and the magnificent Atlantic Ocean, Inagbe Grand Resorts & Leisure provides exquisite scenic views of both

abundant water bodies. Coupled with its clean skies and adoring sandy beaches, it is referred to as one of the most tranquil locations on the Lagos Island for vacation and relaxation,” he said. The first phase of the Inagbe Grand Resort and Leisure is, located on a 90hectare land out of its total 300hectares.

Ultimately, Inagbe will look like a snatch of Vegas in Lagos, but with a cultural twist that brings the Nigerian tradition to the forefront, especially given the traditional ambiance of its thatched roof and coconut souvenir factory that adorn the environment.

Other features in the Inagbe Grand Resort and Leisure includes a five star hotel service; 650 kilometre floating platform for social outdoor activities; 18-hole golf course; four chalet rooms with Jacuzzi; Beach buggers for racing; paint ball shooting; common living room for guests with wide expanse area; swimming pools, productive machines to sustain the luxurious need of guests. This ex-

‘It also beckons on individuals willing to make the place an abode. Inagbe Grand Resorts offers plots for private development, which comes with access to the resort facilities, at a lease rate of N1.5 million per plot ‘

•Ogunnusi

otic resort also offers various membership schemes for both individuals and corporate bodies.

And the clients have kept coming back with testimonials. One of such is the managing director of Firstbank Plc., Mr. Bisi Onasanya.

On a visit to the island, Onasanya submitted that the resort is capable of changing “the entire lifestyle of Nigerians.” and 16 of the chalets have been completed. It is also ideal to hold business meetings, conferences, and retreats.

Opened on a membership basis, the resort has four categories of memberships – platinum, gold, silver, and bronze for individual members as well as for corporate members.

The resort has also served as a job creation outlet. In the first phase of its development, over 400 men worked simultaneously on the site day and night.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

PROPERTY/ENVIRONMENT

Town planners seek to ease site analysis reporting

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HE Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) has prepared a template for land use and planning. Known as the Land Use Planning and Analysis Reporting (LUPAR) template, it will become operational next year.

To achieve this, the institute had chosen to test run the template across its 17th edition of the 2015 Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Programme (MCPDP), the latest being the one held last week in Ibadan.

Another held in June, in Port Harcourt, while the third is billed for next month. The theme of the seminars is “Development of a multi-user template for Land Use Planning and Analysis Reporting in Nigeria.”

The MCPDP is aimed at building consensus on the new template among the practitioners and to allow for inputs before the report will be presented at the institute’s annual general meeting in October.

According to the President of the institute, Dr Femi Olomola, LUPAR, is a new template conceived by the his administration as a novelty that seeks to expand the frontiers of Site Analysis Report (SAR) applications beyond the tradition of planning approvals.

The proposed report will also

Stories by Muyiwa Lucas

build on the existing SAR processes and procedures, as well as adding details of geographic references and further information relating to building types and conditions, title deeds, the local land use and development setting, and the permits granted on property.

The expanded areas of its application cut across various sectors of the economy many of which have direct relevance to the financial sector and regulatory agencies.

Importantly, the new format LUPAR, in addition to other benefits, can become a very useful and authentic instrument that supports applications for opening of corporate bank accounts; Bank loan processing; requests for Insurance cover; and incorporation/registration of new companies with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

Besides, it will also address the traditional requirements of applications for building plan approval/permits; issuance of certificates of occupancies (C of O); potential value to security and regulatory agencies with oversight functions on crime and enforcement of standards among others.

Olomola, in his keynote address at the two-day of the MCPDP held at The Polytechnic, Ibadan, last

week, said about 13 different areas of the economy were identified where LUPAR would be useful.

The NITP boss noted that the Urban and Regional Planning Decree 88 of 1992 clearly defines the legal and institutional framework for Land Use Planning in Nigeria, regretted that the nation is yet to get the environment of ‘our dream’ till date.

Part of the reasons he adduced for this include, unavailability of tools needed for site visit, shortage of personnel, with less than 5,000 registered town planners in the country among other factors.

He said if the institute is to wait for governments to provide all that is needed to achieve the dream environment, it will impossible, hence the idea of the new template that is aimed to address some of the identified gaps.

Besides the advantages of the report he listed, he said the template will also provide close to five million jobs for town planners in the country.

Said he: “Between us and the next generation there is a contract. It is out sacred duty to create the enabling environment to make the young/upcoming ones be convinced that the moment you genuinely struggle/work hard and get your certificate of registration with NITP and TOPREC, you can

nod your head in fulfilment that it is not only a passport to good living but also to a fortune.

“Against this background priority number one on their sevenpoint agenda is job creation. We had earlier on stated the objective of creation of at least five million units of jobs per annum for RTPs which is designed to provide the much needed bread and butter income for the profession.”

Chairman, MCPDP, Prof.

Adamu Ahmed, said the 17th edition was aimed at building capacity for members with special attention on the evaluation of one of the planning issues now, the site analysis report.

He said the MCPDP was also aimed at building consensus on the development of new template, LUPAR, as an advisory instrument for planning institution, financial agencies and other regulatory agencies.

Asked on the response from the previous one held in Port Harcourt, “There is a lot of excitement from Port Harcourt, people saw reasons for the new template and they are happy that something will be provided for hitherto neglected areas,” he said.

President, Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC), Prof. Layi Egunjobi, said the theme of the event was

okay, adding that it is making site analysis report and planning more robust not only in scope but also in methodology and economic value.

Egunjobi said the role of continuing education in a professional’s life is so important that it cannot be over-stressed. “So important it is that it touches not only in developing skills for practical purposes, but also for intellectual upgrading for deeper insights and critical thinking,” he said.

Chairman, Oyo State chapter of NITP, Mr. Kola Lawal, said the theme of this year’s MCPDP reflected recognition of the power and importance of Land Use Planning and Analysis Reporting in sustainable use and development of Land.

He said the occasion is a veritable platform for stakeholders in the physical planning in Nigeria, to highlight, discuss and support the emerging concept of Land Use Planning and Analysis Reporting in developing countries.

“Land use planning as one important component of urban planning, can contribute significantly in addressing the major urban challenges if led by well-informed policies based on sustainable development principles and supported by well thought out and managed followup actions,” he said.

Developer plans N3.8b Green Estate FFORTS to reduce the for Calabar housing deficit in the

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country has received a boost as an indigenous firm, Turn - Over Plus Limited, has concluded plans to intervene. The firm, with its Green City Estate, Calabar, project, hopes to change the landscape of housing.

The Green City Estate is located in Ikot Offfiong, Ambia, said to be the most serene part of Calabar metropolitan city, with a clean, beautiful, well developed infrastructure, hospitable and good safety and security facility.

The Green City Estate which will be fully flagged off in August, currently houses a number of two to three bedroom apartments spread over three bays, just as duplexes are also been developed.

Apart from the planned modification of the existing structures to meet the green city codes, the management of the city plans to develop additional 140 future homes within the next 12 months.

According to the Acting Managing Director of the firm, Dr. Adedayo Felix, the project is conceived out of determination and strong planning, and is set out to offer residents huge avenue of cozy, luxurious and healthy living.

•Yakubu (left) presenting the award cetificate to Al-Amin.

Al-Amin insists on FHA’s transformation

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HE Federal Housing Authority (FHA) will not be distracted in its determination to become a world-class organisation, its Managing Director, Prof Mohammed Al-Amin has said.

Al-Amin, spoke at a ceremony in Abuja to mark his investiture as an ambassador of ethics and conscience. He said he and members of his team had over the past seven months blocked leakages in the Authority and streamlined the administration of land and property in the organisation.

He said working with Management and staff, he was poised to put FHA on the road to greatness adding that though the road ahead may be rough, they were focused and were sure to attain the goal.

He said he was accepting the award because of the strong anticorruption posture of the

Muhammadu Buhari administration and in appreciation of the recognition being given to his efforts to give the Authority a new lease of life.

The FHA chief executive said the award truly belonged to the staff who toiled with him over the past seven months to achieve the modest rewards that had earned the Authority recognition. He used the occasion to pay glowing tribute to the Authority’s staff unions for the uncommon vibrancy which he said they have demonstrated in their relationship with Management.

He urged the Centre for Ethics and Self-Value Orientation, which gave the award, to return at the end of his tenure to conduct another assessment of his performance.

Earlier, the Executive Director of the centre, Mr. Salih Musa Yakubu,

said his organisation had over the past seven months conducted discrete appraisals of the operations of the FHA. After the exercise, he said the Authority emerged as one of the 10 most ethically responsible federal institutions in the country.

FHA’s Executive Director, Business Development, Mr. Aniedi Akpabio promised that the Authority would continue to maintain the highest ethical standards in the conduct of its business. He said the award would be both a challenge and a guide for the Management.

The Authority’s Executive Director, Housing Finance, Accounts and Corporate Services, Mrs. Nkechi Nwazota was also honoured at the ceremony for her insistence on the highest professional standards in the discharge of her duties.

He further stated that a stay in the city will guarantee total rejuvenation and access to neighbourhood centres.

The estate will boast of clean environment, clean energy, sound infrastructure, green areas, neighbourhood parks and guests’ houses for visitors. It will also be all encompassing as it will also be a host to event centres, educational institutions for residents’ children, auto garage, pharmacy, city security, city - wide security fence and future homes to mention but a few.

Adedayo, therefore, urged investors to take advantage of the opportunity by investing in its facilities like real estate, commercial stores, entertainment centres, hospitality/extended - stay facilities, staff housing scheme, student hostels and independent rental homes because it is offering the best opportunity to reap huge financial returns from minimum investment The minimum investment in the green city housing development opportunities is N5 million which is projected to generate 100 per cent return on investment by the end of five years

RMB Westport eyes December completion date

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MB Westport, a real estate investment management and development firm, focusing on property developments in sub-Saharan Africa, has concluded plans to unveil a new mall along Lekki corridor, Lagos, by December.

It describes the project as a new innovation in shopping mall, designed as a multi-purpose edifice, with Messrs CappaDalberto as the main contractor, while Stauch Vorster Architect International is the architect and Bovell Ross, as the Project Manager.

Located at the Jakande Roundabout on the Lekki-Epe Express way, the mall features a premium retail section comprising an open mall, convenience, with a retail space capacity of 10,800 square metres and 373 exclusive parking bays, among other facilities. In the

business centre, adjacent to the retail section, has an office space of 3,700 square metres, with 72 dedicated parking bays, elegant design features and necessary facilities for convenient and streamlined office operations.

Circle Business Centre (CBC), is leasing 3,700 square mertes of international-standard office space. Conveniently located next to Circle Mall on the Lekki-Epe Expressway, CBC provides modern and easily accessible campus-style office premises for businesses seeking an edge in Lagos’s fast-paced commercial environment. With its closeness to several residential estates within the axis, CBC will provide prime office space for businesses on the move.

RMB Westport is affiliated to Rand Merchant Bank, a division of FirstRand Bank Ltd., who are doing excellent job in Nigeria.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

MONEYLINK

CBN accuses manufacturers of sabotage •Apex bank defends forex policy

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HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has defended its foreign exchange (forex) policy restricting dollar access to 41 commodities, saying it acted in good faith and in the interest of the economy.

CBN Director, Monetary Policy, Moses Tule, said allowing unfettered access to forex will sink the economy because oil price decline has reduced volume of government dollar earnings.

Tule who spoke at the Private Sector Dialogue with the CBN on forex policy organised by Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) in Lagos, accused some manufacturers

to buy in the next two years,” he said.

Tule said the business of micro-economic management in Nigeria needs the support of all stakeholders for it to achieve the desired success. He said that no economy is run by forex, and that it is the level of economic activities in the country that determines the volume of dollar-earnings in such country. He said that before the fall in oil prices, the apex bank did its best to ensure that everyone that needed forex got it.

However, with the oil price down, and government dollar-earnings

By Okwy Iroegbu- Chikezie and Collins Nweze

and real sector operators of insincerity in their request for forex.

He said some manufacturers obtain forex from the CBN at official rate, send the fund abroad without the intension of importing goods. He said such funds are never repatriated.

Also, he faulted practices where some manufacturers make upfront forex demand, sometimes with over two years gap. “Some importers demand for forex for items they want

Bayelsa MSMEs to get N2b CBN loan

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ICRO Small and Medium En terprises (MSMEs) in Bayelsa State will soon complete accessing N2 billion MSMEs’ fund from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The state’s Commissioner for Trade, Industry & Tourism, Kemela Okara who disclosed this ahead of the 2015 Bayelsa Investment and Economic Forum holding between July 29 and 31, said the CBN has already disbursed N900 billion out of the fund to be channeled to the MSMEs that meet draw down guidelines.

He said CBN guidelines stipulate that 60 per cent of the borrowers will be women, 10 per cent start-up businesses adding that MSMEs’ Fund Committee has already been set up to achieve this objective.

“The next step is that the CBN disburses those funds to the beneficiaries. The money does not come to the state government at all. The state government provides some form of guarantee. We are sharing the risks. We are carrying 70 per cent of the risks while the Microfinance Institutions disbursing the funds carry the 30 per cent risk,” he said.

declining, it can no longer be business as usual. He said it is not only businesses that need forex, and that government also needs forex to buy key equipment needed for infrastructural development.

LCCI President, Alhaji Remi Bello said volatility of the forex market has grave consequences for companies with high dollar exposures. He said it is time to constructively engage the CBN on forex management to achieve the best result. He said real sector operators are concerned in particular that some raw materials were on the list of 41 items excluded from the list.

Access Bank inaugurates PayWithCapture

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CCESS Bank yesterday boosted its digital banking solutions with the launch of a new multi-banking payment solution, PayWithCapture.

The platform, a mobile payment solution allows customers to make payments by scanning a merchant’s pre-generated code using the camera of their mobile device.

The product, the lender explained, can be linked with different payment cards, giving users options on payment instrument of their choice.

For instance, with PayWithCapture, a user can add as many cards or payment instruments like bank accounts and mobile money wallets as desired.

“This journey of inclusiveness is based on the belief that inclusiveness is the first step in the journey of innovation and the biggest players in the mobile space have been those who opened up their platforms to other players,” the bank said.

The mobile payment solution has in-built loyalty points and coupon rewards. “PayWithCapture BeaconNFC Pay allows Merchants to push Ads & content to consumers which helps to look beyond traditional value chains for new opportunities,”

By Collins Nweze

He said it is the microfinance institutions carry out due diligence on the borrowers to ensure they are conducting genuine businesses and that they will pay back.

“So, in terms of draw down, that is ongoing. We want to ensure that by the end of this month, 80 per cent of the borrowers draw down, so that we can access the remaining part of the money. If you want to go into business, you have to take that financial responsibility. The beauty is that the interest rate is just nine per cent which is a good rate”.

“Our strategy has been that, for us to create private jobs in Bayelsa State, we need to move away from dependent on receipt of the Federation Account allocation Committee (FAAC) funds allocation to having an economy where proper value-chain for opportunities abound,” he said.

“That is going to be achieved when you focus on industrialization. When you industrialise, you create secondary and tertiary levels where people could be hooked up in the value chain”.

it said.

The bank’s Group Managing Director, Mr Herbert Wigwe said: “Forging growth in mobile payment solutions requires inclusiveness. For the potential of mobile payment technologies to truly explode, it is important that we begin to see it as more than a bank initiative but more of a consumer initiative. That is where inclusiveness comes in”.

He added that, Access Bank introduced PayWithCapture because it is a solution that allows for a combination of payment solutions and support financial inclusion.

The bank’s Head of Product Management and Innovation, Gbenga Agboola said PayWithCapture supports financial inclusion. “We realized that the average Nigerian is multi-banked and this brings unique case scenarios; like cash being spread around different accounts/cards and the inconvenience of lugging around so many cards. PayWithCapture solves that problem.

According to him, Access Bank has entered into a partnership with merchants in all market categories to offer unique discounts for users of the PayWithCapture application.

Standford Microfinance Bank begins operation From Uyoatta Eshiet, Uyo

S

TANFORD Microfinance Bank Limited has started operation after its registration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other regulatory agencies. It has its headquarters in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.

The Chairman of the bank, Mr. Unyime Idem, said the lender will address challenges facing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

“We want to empower entrepreneurs; provide employment opportunities to the Nigerian people; provide credit to customers, especially SMEs,” he said.

He said his investment in the private sector since 2004, has given him the edge to compliment government’s efforts at job creation and growing the economy. He said his business has grown and employing 226 workers with 3,200 appointed retailers and 901 sub distributors.

He said the fim will boost private sector by creating more entrepreneurs in Akwa Ibom economy as well as engendering positive multiplier effects on the economy.

“Part of our plans is to make the youths self-reliant, promote small scale investment by providing loans to entrepreneurs and low income earners.

We want to be a blessing to the State by eradicating poverty or reduce it to a manageable level,” he said.

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

126.04 9.17 1.12 1.19 0.63 1.39 1,744.73 1,104.77 112.34 121.16 1.67 1.2457 1.3572 0.7762 1.1739

125.82 9.08 1.12 1.19 0.62 1.33 1,744.73 1,104.00 111.75 120.30 1.62 1.2393 1.3572 0.7637 1.1739

ASHAKACEM IKEJAHOTEL CUSTODYINS VONO COSTAIN VITAFOAM CONTINSURE UAC-PROP FCM ACCESS MANSARD FBNH

O/PRICE 21.10 3.65 3.90 1.30 0.78 5.75 1.00 10.20 2.95 5.40 2.83 7.96

C/PRICE 22.15 3.83 4.09 1.36 0.80 5.88 1.02 10.40 3.00 5.45 2.84 7.98

CHANGE 1.05 0.18 0.19 0.06 0.02 0.13 0.02 0.20 0.05 0.05 0.01 0.02

LOSERS AS AT 08-07-15

SYMBOL BETAGLAS OANDO UNITYBNK NEIMETH LIVESTOCK EVANSMED UBA STANBIC SKYEBANK UBCAP NEM

O/PRICE 36.00 15.05 2.49 1.47 2.17 0.95 4.28 25.75 2.34 1.38 0.72

C/PRICE 34.20 14.31 2.37 1.40 2.07 0.91 1.10 24.75 2.27 1.31 0.70

Inflation:April

8.5%

Monetary Policy Rate

13.0%

Foreign Reserves

CHANGE -1.80 -0.74 -0.12 -0.07 -0.10 -0.04 -0.18 -1.00 -0.07 -0.01 -0.02

FOREX RATES (NairaVs Dollar) May 28, 2015 Interbank ($/N)

199.00

$1

Black Market ($/N)

215.00

$1

$28.2b

London Inter-bank Offered Rates (LIBOR) Oil Price (Bonny Light/b)

$67.91

Money Supply (M2)

GAINERS AS AT 08-07-15

SYMBOL

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

N16.42 trillion.

Credit to private Sector (CPS)

N17.2 trillion

Primary Lending Rate (PLR)

Tenor

16.5%

12-02-15 Rate (%) Rate (%) 13-02-15

Overnight (O/N)

14.683

76.583

1M

15.033

15.977

3M

15.809

17.177

6M

16.493

17.908

Tenor 1 Month 2 Months 3 Months 6 Months 12 Months

May 27

May 28

Rate)%

Rate (%)

0.1735 0.2147 0.2615 0.3841 0.6709

0.1715 0.2108 0.2626 0.3857 0.6744

Nigerian Stock Market Indices 27 May Statistics 5 May All Share Index 34,649.3 29,383.93 Mkt Cap (NGN’bn) 11.8 9,804.36 Deals 3,385 3,714 Volume (mn) 564,28 377,75 Value (NGN’mn) 6,087.80 6,568.66 GOVT. SECURITIES YIELD – SECONDARY MARKET

Transaction Dates 03/02/2015 3/12/2014 1/12/2014

Amount Offered in ($) 500m

Amount Sold in ($) 499.93m

400m 350m

399.97m 349.96m

Tenor

Feb. 13, 2015

Rates

T-bills - 91

12.44

T-bills - 182

13.85

T-bills - 364

13.92

Bond - 3yrs

15.92

Bond - 5yrs

17.22

Bond - 7yrs

16.59

54

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 08-07-15

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 08-07-15

Equities lose N119b, drop below N11tr

Q

UOTED equities yesterday stooped to a new recent low as increasing selling pressure widened the downtrend and shaved off about N119 billion from the market capitalization.

With more than two decliners to every advancer, aggregate market value of all quoted companies on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) slipped below the N11 trillion mark, dropping from its opening value of N11.054 trillion to close at N10.935 trillion.

For the sixth consecutive trading session, quoted equities continued to struggle with selling pressure, with investors opting for discounted prices to match underpriced bids that resulted from continuing low demand.

The All Share Index (ASI), the composite value-based index that tracks all quoted equities, indicated average day-on-day decline of 1.08 per cent to close lower at 32,031.73 points as against its opening index of 32,380.26 points.

The continuing decline further worsened the negative overall market situation with

By Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

the average-year-to-date return rising to -7.58 per cent. Widespread depreciation among highly capitalised stocks exacerbated the decline.

“We expect the current bearish mood to continue as there were no major catalysts to tilt market to the upside,” said analysts at SCM Capital, formerly Sterling Capital Markets.

Dangote Cement, the market’s most capitalised stock, led 30 other stocks on the losers’ list with a loss of N4 to close at N168. Forte Oil followed with a loss of N3.02 to close at N194.98. Seven-Up Bottling Company dropped by N2.40 to close at N191.60. Beta Glass declined by N1.80 to close at N34.20. Seplat Petroleum Development Company lost N1.05 to close at N335. Stanbic IBTC Holdings dwindled by N1 to close at N24.75. Oando dropped by 74 kobo to close at N14.31. Ecobank Transnational Incorporated and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria lost 50 kobo each to close at N21.50 and N43.50 re-

spectively while Okomu Oil Palm slipped by 49 kobo to close at N28.50.

Aggregate turnover stood at 193.97 million shares valued at N2.92 billion in 3331 deals. Financial services sector accounted for more than three-quarters of the total turnover with 149.96 million shares worth N1.49 billion in 1,839 deals.

On stock by stock basis, Zenith Bank was the most active stock with a turnover of 48.39 million shares worth N920.4 million in 212 deals.

Access Bank occupied the second position with a turnover of 22.21 million shares valued at N119.4 million in 124 deals while FCMB Group placed third with a turnover of 17.13 million shares valued at N50.19 million in 60 deals.

On the positive side, Ashaka Cement recorded the highest gain of N1.05 to close at N22.15. UACN Property Development Company added 20 kobo to close at N10.40 while Custodian and Allied gathered 19 kobo to close at N4.09 per share.

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 08-07-15

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

55

NEWS Boko Haram offers to swap prisoners with Chibok girls Continued from page 4

than a year.

He said he could not discuss details but explained that the recent slew of Boko Haram bloodletting - some 350 people killed in the past nine days - is consistent with past ratcheting up of violence as the militants seek a stronger negotiating position.

Presidential adviser Femi Adesina said at the weekend that Nigeria’s government “will not be averse” to talks with Boko Haram. “Most wars, however furious or vicious, often end around the negotiation table,” he said.

Eno said the five-week-old administration of President Muhammadu Buhari offers “a clean slate” to bring the militants back to negotiations that had become poisoned by the different security agencies and their advice to Jonathan.

Two months of talks last year led government representatives and Eno to travel in September to a northeastern town where the prisoner exchange was to take place - only to be stymied by the Department for State Service, the activist said.

At the last minute, the intelligence agency said it was holding only four of the militants sought by Boko Haram, he said.

It is not known how many

Boko Haram suspects are detained by Nigeria’s intelligence agency, whose chief Buhari fired last week.

The activist said the agency continues to hold suspects illegally because it does not have enough evidence for a conviction, and any court would free them. Nigerian law requires charges be brought after 48 hours.

Thousands of suspects have died in custody, and they might include some on a list from Boko Haram that Eno said he first received exactly one year ago.

In May, about 300 women, girls and children being held captive by Boko Haram were rescued by Nigeria’s military, but none was from Chibok. It is believed the militants view the Chibok girls as a last-resort bargaining chip.

Boko Haram has not shown them since a May 2014 video in which its leader, Abubakar Shekau, warned: “You won’t see the girls again unless you release our brothers you have captured.”

There have been unconfirmed reports that some of the girls have been taken to neighboring countries, and that some have been radicalized and trained as fighters. At least three were reported to have died - one from dysentery, one from malaria and one from a snake bite.

House crisis: Gbajabiamila rejects Dogara’s peace deal Continued from page 4

have respect for people of South East but we cannot hold brief for a zone that produced only two ‘new’ APC members.

“The issue of exclusion of Southeast does not exist, rather they are not qualified to be principal officers of the House.

For emphasis and clarity, the provision of standing rules of the House, Order 7 Rule 37 states that ‘only members with cognate legislative experience as members of the National Assembly shall be eligible for appointment as principal officers.”

“We are also surprised that a group led by Speaker Dogara, who is a lawyer, is talking about a court action, presumably instigated by him based on federal character, when a fresh Law School graduate knows that the issue of federal character as enshrined in S.14 of the constitution is non justiciable and of no legal conse-

quence.

“In playing his mediatory role , the former House Speaker, Governor Tambuwal agreed to take our position to Dogara group for consideration and convene a joint meeting of both groups, which is yet to be convened as at Wednesday evening. So, any purported decision reeled out to the public in the name of the National Assembly peace pact before such joint meeting is lopsided and not acceptable to the APC Loyalists group.

“However, as a group that wants peace and quick solution to the logjam in the House, the APC loyalists group would equally subscribe to an election among entire members of the APC House Caucus where all members, irrespective of zones would exercise their right to elect their principal officers.”

The House as an institution also jumped into the fray yesterday, but on the side of the Dogara camp.

In a statement by a member of the House adhoc committee on media and Publicity, Abdulrazak Namdas, it said the House believed that the talk about party position or letter from the party was being misunderstood.

Namdas said: “For us, the position of the party has to go through certain law, certain process: the party caucus in the House would be involved; we believe that the caucus here in the House should be aware of the position of the party.

“As far as the House is concerned, the party did not approach anybody or zonal caucuses to say these are the names selected from the party. We are not aware of that.

“Two, we also know for a party to take a position, to be regarded as the party’s position, it has to go to the National Working Committee (NWC).

“The NWC must have met

and agreed on the position, but it appears some members of the Working Committee are not even aware of this position.

“Again, even if the National Working Committee agrees to it, it has to be ratified by the NEC and the Speaker, Deputy Speaker are also members of NEC. “There has never been any time that this issue was brought. But in any case, the first NEC meeting that was held, this matter was not brought. So, that means clearly it is not the party’s position.

“We respect the party very well; we always obey the party. We would prefer that anything party should follow due process and it would be obvious that it is the party’s position.

“We believe also that the party that took this decision will also not alienate two good zones from the sharing of the leadership.”

Military arrests ‘mastermind’ of Jos, Zaria bomb attacks Continued from page 4

and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said the President joined other Nigerians in mourning their loved ones who were brutally murdered in the suicide bombings and attacks that also caused horrifying injuries to others.

Buhari also assured Nigerians of the ability and readiness of the country’s

armed forces and security agencies to contain the frantic resort by the terrorists to attacks on soft targets such as crowds and places of worship.

The statement said: “The President is convinced that with recent increases in troops deployment, improvements in the supply of arms and equipment to the military, as well as the ongoing effort to mobilize greater international

cooperation and support, the end of Boko Haram and terrorism in Nigeria is in sight.”

He called on Nigerians to remain vigilant and report any suspicious persons to security agents as his administration continues to give the highest possible priority to eradicating Boko Haram and ensuring greater security of lives and property across the country.

The Chairman of Kaduna

State Council of Chiefs and the Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, condoled with the families of the victims of the Sabon Gari suicide attack. ýAhaji Idris said the Zazzau emirate had never witnessed such a disaster and hoped such incident will not happen again.

He urged Allah to forgive those who lost their lives and wish the injured ones a quick recovery.

Govt to take care of Chibokgirls’ parents Continued from page 4

al government conflicting report initially presented the government and its agencies in a very bad light both nationally and internationally because the law enforcement agencies and the government were conflicting each other, sometimes within hours or within weeks, that is not very impressive.

“The delayed and late reaction by former government and its agencies was very unfortunate as I said. And I thank the leader of Chibok Community for the articulated priorities he has drawn about welfare of the families, of the communities and rehabilitation of infrastructure. I think government should provide these infrastructure as a matter of right.

“I think you will agree that the present government take the issue very seriously. Within a week of being sworn in, I visited Niger, Chad and would have visited Cameroon but for the invitation of the G7 to go to Germany and listen to them.”

Buhari promised to do his all to rescue the girls.

He wondered how the capacity of the Armed Forces had lowered over the years.

Promising to strengthen institutions, the President said everything would be done to bring the Armed Forces back to glory.

He said: “And Nigeria, I assure you, will do its best because we, as I said, are the battle ground and we are being helped by our neigbours.

“It is paradoxical what the Nigerian military has achieved from Burma to Zaire to Liberia to Sierra Leone to Sudan. But Nigeria has now to be helped by Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. How are the mighty fallen.

“We will do our best to restore the respectability of our country and its institutions. And with you, your steadfastness and your seriousness, we will do what we can do; we will accommodate all your observations, including the negative ones, about the performance of the government and its agencies.”

According to him, strategy and

tactics have been put in place by the multinational task force towards defeating Boko Haram.

“At the G7, the leadership there ask us for our shopping list, which I’m still compiling. Military has submitted theirs and I’m waiting for the governments of the frontline states to submit theirs, local government by local government in terms of infrastructure, schools, health care, roads, markets, churhes, mosques and so on.”

The President also called on Boko Haram to change its name as it has nothing to do with any religion.

He said: “We are pleased that in the excesses of the terrorists, they have blown themselves. I think they have to change their name from Boko Haram to something else because no religion will kill the innocent.

“You can’t go and kill innocent people and say Allah Akbar! It is either you don’t believe it or you don’t know what you are saying.

“So it has nothing to do with religion; they are just terrorist and Nigeria will demobilise all of them.”

The group’s visit to the Villa, came 450 days after the Chibok girls’ abduction.

The group, led by former Minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili and Mrs. Mariam Uwais, was at the Villa after some failed attempt to see former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Ezekwesili said: “The Federal Government should spare no resources in urgently rescuing our 219 Chibok girls as promised by the President and the National Security Adviser of the President at various times.

“Our Federal Government has the constitutional duty to give justice to our Chibok girls by ensuring their immediate rescue.

The rescue of our Chibok girls will amount to the strongest statement that our government has respect for the “sanctity and dignity of every nigerian life.

“An apology for the failure of governance that led to the abduction. An apology for the failure of governance that caused failure to rescue our girls for over 400

days.

“Strategies for curbing the emergence, and growth of curious sects. Immediately set up a structured feedback and communication system that is composed of the Federal and Borno State governments through designated security and ministerial authorities, the parents of the abducted girls. the Chibok (KADA) community, and citizens, through the #BringBackOurGirls group.”

She spoke of a global best practice system of Verification, Authentication and Reunification System (VARS) abducted citizens who are rescued.

“The VARS is holistic for Rehabilitation, Reintegration and Resettlement of victims of abduction and can immediately be adopted by our Federal Government,” Mrs. Ezekwesili said.

“To implement such a systemic approach of authentication we recommend that the Federal Government inaugurates a team comprising: The National Security Adviser, Leaders of the Counter Insurgency Task Force, the Department of State Security on one hand; and State Governments of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, aided and supported by local authorities and traditional leaders, on the other hand and the representatives of abduction victims on the other hand.

“The Team should be tasked with credible implementation of the VARS. The primary task of the team shall be to work with every abducted victim’s family and community to accurately ascertain the true identity of every such individuals and following their accurate identification to make available the comprehensive programme for Recovery, Rehabilitation Resettlement and Reintegration to the rescued citizens.”

The group advised that the system should be adopted for the 200 girls and 93 women rescued on the 28th April 2015.

According to her, the #BringBackOurGirls, is ready to support the initiative.

She went on: “Furthermore, grant access for #BBOG to Chibok girls when rescued; thereby

accepting our offer to support reunification of rescued Chibok girls with their families as well their rehabilitation and reintegration.

“That the Federal Government will immediately set up a Commission of Inquiry for Accountability on Abduction and Rescue of OUR #ChibokGirls. The Commission should be charged with the task of transparently investigating and reporting on the security lapses that caused their successful abduction and the operational leadership failures that led to their long captivity in terrorist enclave.

Representing Kibaku Area Development Association, (KADA), Mr. Dauda Illiya said the rescue of the Chibok girls was the people’s priority.

He said that his association was happy with the President’s commitment to rescueing the girls as promised in his inaugural speech on May 29.

Illiya urged Mr. President to fulfill this promise by treating the safe return of the girls as a top priority.

Besides the parents and the escaped girls, he said that the entire Chibok community is heavily traumatized and/or displaced since the abduction and the subsequent serial attacks.

“We therefore, seek your assistance in urgently providing relief materials to our people who are displaced, scattered and suffering all over,” he said Delivering the opening remark on behalf of the group, Mrs. Uwais extended condolences to the families of those who died in the recent attacks by the sect.

She said that the group would never give up on the Chibok girls.

Hadiza Bala Usman, said the group would continue to demand accountability.

One of the Chibok girls’ parents, who spoke in Hausa language, could not hold back tears.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo along with the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki and some service chiefs were among top government officials who received the group in the briefing room attached to the Council Chamber.

THE NATION THRUSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

56

CITYBEATS

CITYBEATS LINE: 09091178827

Synagogue building had no approved plan, says Coroner •Judge orders church’s trial for ‘breaking law’ •South Africa hails verdict

A

CORONER yesterday indicted the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) for the collapse of its guest house on September 12, last year.

He ordered that the church “be investigated and proceeded against, under the law, by the relevant authority for not possessing necessary building permits”.

Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe recommended that Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela Fatiregun of Hard Rock Construction Company Limited, which handled the project, be investigated and tried for criminal negligence.

In a 98-minute verdict, Komolafe identified “foundation failure as the remote cause of the collapsed building.

He also identified “structural failure due to a combination of designs and detailing errors as cause of the building collapse”.

Chief Magistrate Komolafe directed that a detailed “fitness for habitation test” be done on the remaining structures/buildings on SCOAN premises on Segun Irefin Street, Ikotun, Lagos.

He dismissed the claims of the church and its witnesses that an aircraft which hovered over the building with infra-sonic sound caused the building to collapse.

The aircraft, he said, was not the cause of the building collapse.

He linked the cause of the victims’ death “to be consistent with the blunt force trauma that would normally be sustained from a collapsed building”.

Chief Magistrate Komolafe confirmed that 116 persons died in the incident and called out the name of each victim and the specific cause of death.

He said 110 of the victims were identified while six are yet to be identified. The victims are 60 men and 56 women.

Eighty-five of the victims were South Africans; 22 Nigerians; two Benioise and one Togolese.

•The collapsed building (Inset) Temitope Joshua

By Adebisi Onanuga

Chief Magistrate Komolafe said in arriving in his verdict, he relied on the evidence of some medical expert, including foremost pathologist Prof.

John Obafuwa, other professionals and interested parties.

The coroner said he took evidence from 32 witnesses and admitted 45 exhibits.

According to him, the victims died of haemorrhage, loss of limbs, crushed bones, multiple rib fracture, perforated lungs, destruction of the left tibia vessels, suffocation and chest wounds .

He called for the transfer of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Haruna Alab, a Chief Superintendent (CDP) from Ikotun Police Station for for not being alive to his responsibilities.

Alaba, in his testimony, said he was unaware of the aircraft alleged to have hovered over the collapsed building.

He said he was informed of the building collapse by somebody who phoned

the station. The coroner advised government agencies responsible for “monitoring and inspection” to be alive to their responsibilities and be vigilant at every stage of construction.

Alternatively he suggested that the function of “monitoring and inspection” be outsourced to a competent professional body that will detect violation of building law and regulations early before any failure.

He advised such agencies to rid themselves of corruption, including issuance of fake receipts and “greasing of palms”.

According to him, statutory/first responders popularly known as rescuers should be adequately equipped to perform their functions effectively and efficiently.

Chief Magistrate Komolafe advised government to reduce cost of obtaining building permits and approval and remove all administrative bottlenecks in order to encourage individuals and organisations to go through the due process of obtaining such documents

before they start building.

He urged government to make it mandatory for professionals involved in the design and supervision of major structural building constructions to have indemnity.

Government, he said, must take steps to secure and preserve the site of any collapse building so as not to compromise investigation on the site.

The coroner implored individuals and organisations to obtain building permits before starting their building, adding that they should also engage qualified and competent engineers and consultants for the job.

He urged government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other ancillary bodies to educate the public on the need to always allow statutory and first responders perform their duties during rescue operations and emergency cases without hindrance.

The Coroner’s Inquest, was set up

by Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice under the

Lagos State Coroner’s System Law No. 7 of 2007 to investigate the cause and circumstances of several deaths that followed the collapse.

The law gave the Coroner court the powers of a magistrate’s court to summon and compel the attendance of witnesses, including medical examiners, and require them to give evidence, produce documents or present other relevant materials.

The law also requires the verdict of a Coroner as certified in writing to be forwarded to the Attorney General.

Such verdict may form the basis of criminal prosecutions depending on the evidence collected.

South Africa last night hailed the verdict, saying: “Government notes the ruling that the Synagogue Church of all Nations must be investigated and prosecuted for negligence.”

Acting South African cabinet spokesperson Phumla Williams, in a statement, said she hoped the verdict would bring closure to the families who lost loved ones.

Two motorcyclists held for alleged robbery

T

WO persons have been arrested by residents of Odewale community in Agbado, on the outskirts of Lagos for alleged robbery.

The suspects, who are motorcyclists, were arrested on Tuesday, around 10am and handed over to the Alakuko police station.

They are Segun Omosanjo, 19, and Ayo, 19. It was gathered that they have been terrorising the community for over one year before they were caught.

One of the suspect, Ayo, a native of Ogun State, said he took to robbery because he got help from nowhere.

He said: “We stole so many things from Iya Ruka but since she never noticed, we felt we where not going to be caught. Please pardon us; it is the devil’s handiwork.”

Omosanjo also from Ogun State blamed it all on the devil.

“I have always lived with my friend. We sold most of the items we stole from residents. I will never go back to it if I am freed,” Omosanjo said.

A resident, simply called Tosin, said the suspects moved into the community months after motorcyclists on highways.

By Basirat Braimah

She said: “I sell in front of the house they live and I see other tenants when they go out for their daily activities.

These boys are always at home. They ride their bikes at night and sleep the whole day. I never knew we lived with thieves.”

Iya Ruka, a food vendor, said they spent most part of their day in her shop adding that she almost took them as her children.

“I have been selling at Odewale Junction for over three years. My customers are majorly Okada riders because it is opposite their garage.

Things have been missing in my shop for a while but I never pointed fingers.

“I entered my shop and I noticed some things were missing. So I informed some people at the park. I didn’t know they have been stealing for a while because they removed a block behind my shop which served as entrance. I remember four days ago when I got to my restaurant I realised my stabiliser was missing. They carried my bag of rice, fried meat, VCD and drinks. I saw my stabiliser in a shop for sale and that was how we traced them. They operated at night.

•Ayo I never suspected them because they were always pretending as motorcyclists but they are not.

“At times when they are ill, I prepare herbs for them; I give them stew and now see what they have done to me. It was when they were caught I knew they have been robbing me for months without me noticing,” she said.

Another victim, Itunuoluwa, said she and her husband had just returned from work when they heard a knock on their door.

•Omosanjo

“They threatened us with a knife.

They collected the N36,500 I had. They wanted to rape me if not for my husband who shouted and they ran away. I recognised Ayo because they didn’t use masks, I will be glad if I can get our phones back,” she said.

Chairman okada riders committee in the community, Ganiu Lawal said the suspects were not his members adding that he often saw them at Iya Ruka’s restaurant.

He said: “I can’t say they are okada riders because they didn’t register

with our park. We see them. All I know is that it was when they barred motorcyclists on expressways they came to our area over a year ago. I know the riders in this park maybe they are from other parks but they ply Odewale regularly.”

The community’s Baale, Chief Aina Solomon, said such cases had always reached him, but no suspect was caught.

He said the suspects would be sent away from the community if they get bail.

57

THE NATION THRUSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

CITYBEATS Why I abandoned my family, by twins’ dad

CITYBEATS LINE: 09091178827

•Wife pleads for husband

“I

LOVE my children, I miss my wife too, but I am afraid to come back.

People won’t understand how frustrating life has been. I am scared I would be arrested if I come out.”

Those were the words of Emeka Uche, who abandoned his wife and three sets of twins.

Uche, a factory worker who absconded in April, about a month before his wife, Ruth, gave birth to their last set of twins, told The Nation yesterday that his life has been “unbearable and miserable”.

Uche who said things became rough for him after they had their first set of twins at Beesam in Mafoluku, Oshodi, lamenting that nothing changed even after their second set of twins was born.

At a point, he said he sent his family to the village in Abia State because he could no longer afford the rent at their Oshodi apartment.

He said he squatted with friends and later brought back his family when he secured a place in Agege where they currently live.

According to him, their situation kept degrading to the point that his kids would sleep without food, and at times, drink only ‘pure water’.

“How do I watch my kids suffer? I could not tolerate it. I did not even have money to assist my family. I watched them suffer daily, without knowing what to do.

“There were nights I watched my children sleep without food. Some days I will buy N100 garri and akara (bean cake) for my family.

Because of my low income, I was always in debt before the end of each month.

“I am a factory worker and I earn N33,000 after tax and union fees.

Then I have four children and a wife to take care of, which has been very difficult, I could not stand having a new set of twins that will come to this world to suffer.

“Initially, I thought it would be a child, probably a boy so that I would have two sons and three girls, but when I learnt it was twins again, the only thing that came to my mind was to run away.

“It was not an easy decision and I have not been happy knowing that I abandoned them. My wife is a very good woman and I love her.

I love my children too. I became frustrated when I called my brothers for assistance and they did not even answer me. I just dressed up that morning, I knew I won’t come

L

By Precious Igbonwelundu

back but I didn’t tell her so that she would not feel bad.

“I am pained that I have not seen my wife and children for three months, sister you won’t understand my situation, but know that it has not been easy for me,” he lamented on telephone, as he refused to disclose his location.

Initially, he was hesitant to talk to this reporter, all entreaties to make him open up failed, until the phone was handed over to his wife, who professed her love for him in Igbo.

Immediately she collected the phone, she showered him with praises, calling him pet names and reminding him that she is still his wife and would never allow any evil to befall him.

“Please do not hang up the phone on me my heart. Just listen to what I have to say.

“I understand that things have not been easy but you should know that we have suffered alot.

Please come back to me and your children.

“No one will arrest you because you are still my husband and I still love you. Anyone who arrests you will kill me first. Please talk to this aunt and also come so that we can go to Alausa together. They are all good people and mean well for us,” said Mrs Uche in a calm voice before returning the reporter’s phone to talk with her husband, who then opened up.

Glimmer of hope As Mrs Uche sat inside a Zenith Bank, accompanied by her neighbour to open an account after receiving N200,000 from Editor, ThisDay Ijeoma Nwaogwugu, she was full of hope.

She had her three months old twins with her - Daniel at her back, and Daniella on her arms. Her neighbour assisted her in filling the teller.

As she looked at the baby in her arm, she smiled as she murthered: “You are a blessing to my family.

What would have happened if I had aborted you? I would have just continued suffering with your brother and sisters and father”.

But because she had no means of identification, the bank said the account opened for her cannot receive deposits exceeding N20,000 until it is upgraded.

Fortunately, she received a call from GTB, where the duo had ear-

•Mrs Uche, her children and members of the Voice of Divine Truth International Outreach that visited the family...yesterday

lier gone to and were told that a zero account has been opned for her (without restriction) and she should come over to deposit the money.

This reporter waited until she was done with her transactions so that she could tell here story.

‘I’ve suffered as much as biblical Job Mrs Uche, a secondary school graduate said the only difference between her and the biblical Job was that she did not lose her children.

Narrating how she got engaged to Uche in 2002 and got married years later, Ruth explained that things got so bad that her father, a pastor, pleaded with her to leave her marriage.

“My parents are in the village in Abia State. The last time my husband sent me home, my father wept because one could only see bones in my body. I am the third of five children. All my siblings are in the village.

“My father at a point begged me to leave my marriage and come back. Although he is a pastor, he was not happy with my condition and my refusal to leave my home.

“So, I would say they too are not even happy with me. For my husband’s people, some of them are here in Lagos but they do not want to assist us and we do not also bug them. “”But I thank God, I thank Lagos State government and I thank Madam Ijeoma of ThisDay who gave me this money (N200,000).

God has used all of you to put smiles on my face and my prayer is that you will never suffer.”

Lagos worried over beggars, street traders’ return

AGOS State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has directed the Task Force on Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences to enforce the law restricting street trading and begging.

Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Mr. Tunji Bello, in a statement yesterday, explained that the government is concerned about the resurgence of beggars and street traders across the metropolis, adding that there is need to enforce the law to avoid environmental nuisance.

The statement reads: “At the State Security Council Meeting on July 7, it was resolved that the act of street trading that has continued to hamper free flow of traffic on Lagos roads which further constitutes nui-

‘

We’ve had security reports on the activities of persons who pose as beggars, especially in traffic, but their sole aim is to perpetrate evil

’

By Miriam Ekene-Okoro

sance and security threat to law abiding citizens will no longer be toler-

ated.

“Therefore, street traders and buyers will, henceforth,be arrested and prosecuted. The Task Force on Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences has been mandated to ensure the Law of the State against street trading is enforced to the letter”.

It said the security agencies have resolved to beef up security in the state to ensure that it remains safe.

“We’ve had security reports on the activities of persons who pose as beggars, especially in traffic, but their sole aim is to perpetrate evil.

We are putting a search light on this trend and one way to do that is to ensure that we take preemptive measures to forestall this development”, the statement said.

On her next move, Mrs Uche said she is looking for another accommodation, after which she would start up a business, like selling foodstuffs.

She explained that she would not want to be a beggar for the rest of her life and so, was planning to make judicious use of any money she gets.

Her years of anguish may soon be over as her second set of twins has been offered scholarship by the Voice of Divine Truth International Outreach, a ministry, which also gave her N15000.

According to members of the group who visited her at home, they took interest in her case after reading her story and have decided to sponsor the four-year old twins, John and Joy up to university or Masters level.

Speaking on behalf of the ministry, Gregory Azemobor said they would also advocate through their “adopt a child” project, for the public to take up sponsorship of the children’s education.

“We have decided that we will sponsor a set of your twins. We are doing it because we are encouraging people to understand that if the children of the poor are not taken care of, they would become nuisance to the society. We must all be our brothers’ keeper and help others who cannot afford it to raise their children.

“No, we do not want to exploit her situation. We will just ensure that the school fees of the set we are adopting are sent to her or paid to the school as when due. We are moved to help her and we are not

an NGO,” said Azemobor.

In search of Mrs Uche There is nothing to write home about the Uches’ 32 Awori Street, Off Moricass Agege home. The one - storey building ‘face-me-I-faceyou’, with attached ‘single rooms behind, is in the waterlogged part of Agege. The stench from the gutters told the story of the condition in which the Uches’ live.

From her small room to the front of the building where traders displayed their wares, all reeked of poverty.

But the uncommon love among the neighbours, Christians and Muslims alike, was such that dazed members of the ministry, who came to visit Mrs Uche.

In awe, Azemobor, exclaimed: “ Is this for real. I have never experienced the kind of love am seeing here among neighbours.

“More fascinating is that they are of different faiths- Muslims and Christians. From the time we got here and we have been waiting till your arrival, I have noticed that Nigerians who are down there do not even care about religion.

“They live in love and care for one another. Ruth has told us yesterday (on Tuesday) that her neighbours have been very supportive all the while but I did not know such much love existed among them.

“This is a huge lesson for our leaders and the ruling class because it is obvious that religion and tribe is their problem not that of the over 70 percent masses.”

Drug suspect dies of cocaine ingestion

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32 YEAR-OLD trader and suspected drug trafficker has died of cocaine ingestion at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja.

Ndulue Emmanuel Obiefuna collapsed at the departure hall and was taken to a nearby hospital. He was an intending passenger on an Ethiopian airline flight to China enroute Addis Ababa on July 5.

The airport’s NDLEA commander, Mr Hamisu Lawan, said the suspect confessed to cocaine ingestion at the hospital.

“The deceased collapsed at the departure hall and was being attended to by Port Health officials.

The collapse triggered our suspicion and a narcotic officer was assigned to monitor the development.

“When the suspect’s condition stabilised at the hospital, he con-

By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor

fessed to cocaine ingestion. At that point, the NDLEA took over the case from the Port Health Services.

He later died while receiving treatment,” Hamisu stated.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the deceased hailed from Anambra State. Until his demise, he was a trader living in Lagos. It was gathered that the deceased decided to abort his trip after collecting his boarding pass because of complications arising from the cocaine ingestion. But, he collapsed immediately he notified the airline officials of his intention to cancel his trip. At the hospital, 55 wraps of substances that tested positive for cocaine weighing 1.20kg was evacuated from his stomach. The Agency has contacted the bereaved father.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

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NEWS

Boko Haram: UN plans ICT warning systems for Northeast

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HE United Nations (UN) is planning an Information Communication Technology (ICT) Early Warning Systems’’ in Borno and other states in the Northeast to ensure rapid response to activities of Boko Haram.

The United Nations Resident Co-ordinator, Dr Daouda Toure stated this in Gombe yesterday. It was at the ongoing screening of Boko Haram victims for a one-year skills acquisition programme.

He said the project would also enable victims of Boko Haram insurgency to access help promptly.

Toure said the ICT-based system, when installed, would allow people to send real-time incidents which pose threats to the society to a central control room through imaging, SMS and email.

The UN official said the information would then be retrieved, analysed and re-

sponded to within minutes.

“Part of the programmes we (UNDP) are planning for Borno and the Northeast is to have the ICT-based Early Warning System.

“ICT early warning system is a system that is ICT-based like it is called.

“You can send SMS to that system, you can send video imaging to that system, you can take your photograph and send to that system and it will be there.

“So, people will be able to see and analyse.

“We had a meeting with the Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima about two weeks ago and we told him about this and he was very much interested.

“We are going to meet with him further to see the mechanism to set up this.

“We can set it up but the real operation comes from the government because they control the security agencies, they control the staff.

“They (government) will

have to provide the space where you install computers and people will work 24 hours because in managing crisis, people have to stay alert.

“You (staff) have to be there morning, afternoon, evening to ensure that if there is anybody crying for help somewhere, he will be able to get that help.”

Toure, represented by Matthew Alao, UNDP’s Conflict Prevention and Peace Building Analyst, said to win the war against insurgents, people must be actively involved in the provision of intelligence.

He said people must be given the opportunity to report suspected activities anonymously, in order to remove the fear of being identified.

The UN official noted the concerns about false alerts, but pointed out that cases of false alerts were negligible while genuine ones were usually much more.

“You have to evolve an initiative that will give people

opportunity to report incidences of conflict and violence or incidences that can resort into violence or activities of this Boko Haram insurgency.

“So, that’s why we want to set up an ICT-based early warning early response system.

“As long as you have the code, the SMS short code, the e-mail, all the necessary information you need to have to send to the server, the control staff will retrieve it.

“The operation staff will also act on it by sending such messages or alerts to the nearest police post or the nearest security post to go and bust such conflict or crisis that is brewing.

“It’s a unique one, because all that is required is government commitment at the highest level of the Security Council of the state.

“Anything like this, because of the hierarchical nature of security agencies, somebody must give directive, not indi-

viduals.

“We require the state government to constitute the response management group at the highest level that can give directive and their directive will be carried out.

“If you have been to Lagos State, it has a very wonderful one and you have seen that it has impacted positively on the crisis level in Lagos state.

“So, this is what we can do also to ensure that crises are reported anonymously.

“You will not be identified and that will give people some confidence and if they are responding as they are reporting, then people will continue to pass information.

“However, I want to point out that one area that people used to say is ‘what if people send false alert?’ You can’t rule that one out.

“It may not even necessarily be false alert, something might be growing and somebody just said `let me send’ and when the security gets

there, they don’t find anything anymore.

“It’s better than not even acting at all; and if you look at the information, maybe about 10 per cent (are false).

“If you have 10 per cent of the alerta that are not real, it’s still better than to leave the 90 per cent that are real. So, we will do (establish) that.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that no fewer than 2,000 Boko Haram victims will be trained in various vocational skills during periods ranging from six months to one year.

The skills include tailoring, computer, catering and decoration, knitting, shoe-making/ leather work, hairdressing, GSM repairs, plumbing, welding and fabrication, aluminium, agriculture, and carpentry and woodwork, among others.

NAN also reports that between 500 and 700 victims will be trained in the first phase of the programme scheduled to commence at the end of July.

Activities marking UN at 70 unveiled

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HE Director of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lagos, Mr. Ronald Kayanja, has unveiled to the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) activities marking United Nations’ (UN) 70th anniversary in Nigeria.

He noted that the Foreign Affairs Ministry had responded to a letter on “UN@70”, written by the Resident Coordinator, Mr. Daouda Toure, on joint activities with the Federal Government.

Kayanja proposed a formal launch of UN@70 with the ministry, which will be succeeded by monthly events until December 2015.

There would be one week of activities, which would climax on October 24. President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to be chief guest of honour.

Other activities include an international conference being organised in partnership with the Nigeria Institute of Inter-

national Affairs (NIIA); Peacekeeping Command of the Nigerian military to honour fallen combatants during peacekeeping operations; public lectures on the UN and Nigeria organised in collaboration with Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State.

Others are School Arts Exhibitions and essay competitions on the work of the UN by a school in Abuja and another one in Ogun State; and “a photo exhibition, which would probably be the world’s longest photo exhibition” organised with Femi Arts Warehouse and planned to be staged at the Bar Beach, Lagos, among others.

In his contribution, the UN Resident Coordinator observed that the 70th anniversary provided a platform for the UN system to highlight its works in the country.

He, therefore, called on all head of agencies to communicate UN@70 during their activities.

Police parade four murder suspects, 24 others in Gombe From Vincent Ohonbamu, Gombe

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HE police in Gombe State yesterday paraded four young men suspected to be the killers of Bunu Abubakar, a photographer at Idi Quarters in Gombe metropolis on May 2.

The suspects were paraded at the Command’s Headquarters with 24 others for suspected ‘kalare’ activities.

Command’s spokesman Fwaje Atajiri (DSP) identified them as Yusuf Hudu, Bashar Idris, Tijjani Yusuf and Abubakar Yakubu.

Atajiri said the suspects were arrested at their hideout at Mallam Inna, Kagarwal and Unguwa Uku quarters in the Gombe metropolis.

One of the suspects, Yusuf Hudu, a tricycle operator and an ex-convict denied knowledge of the offence.

“I was relaxing with my friend, Bashar Idris by the road-side when we saw some men running and we ran into our house.

But some people followed us, arrested and brought us here.

“We have nothing to do with ‘Kalare’ boys or their activities,” he said.

Tijjani Yusuf, who claimed to be a mason and Abubakar Yakubu, a barber equally claimed innocence.

The other 24 suspects were arrested at different locations within Gombe.

Aminu Abubakar confessed to being a member of ‘kalare’.

He said they were involved in killing, snatching and breaking into people’s homes.

Rueben Lazarus said he and his gang were engaged in breaking into people’s homes.

He said they were arrested after robbing a bank manager’s house. Lazarus said joblessness drove him into the business.

Atajiri said the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigations were completed.

•Coordinator, The Home of God's Grace Orphanage, Mrs. Olaide Olufunke (second right) with Vice- President, Lagos State Cooperatives Federation, (LASCOFED) Mr. Adesina Ayomide; Chief Registrar Cooperatives, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Lagos State, Mr. Segun Awobajo; Founder, The Home of God's Grace Orphanage, Mrs. Grace Boluwajoko and President, LASCOFED Mr. Oriyomi Ayeola during the presentation of foods items and sleeping material to the Orpanage to mark 2015 International Cooperatives Day celebration at Agbowa, Ikorodu, Lagos.

PHOTO: OLUSEGUN RAPHEAL

UNHCR urges Nigeria to tackle IDPs’ challenge

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HE United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has urged the Federal Government to tackle challenges facing the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

UNHCR Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Angele Dikongue-Atangana, who gave the advice at a post-IDP conference meeting in Abuja yesterday, said Nigerians should examine the issues that causes forced displacement and tackle them.

“The commission will continue to support the sensitisation and advocacy mission in Nigeria and the country’s commendable response to internal displacement, which we hope

From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

will highlight some best practices that could serve as a model to other ECOWAS countries, which are yet to embark on domestication process,” she said.

Mrs. Dikongue-Atangana noted that Nigeria had been a pioneer in the IDP-related fora.

She said the first conference on the issue, which was held in Abuja in 2006, entered into discussions that subsequently led to the drafting and adoption of the Kampala Convention in October 2009.

The Federal Commissioner for National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NC-

FRMI), Hadiza Sanni Kangiwa, said the Federal Government would soon adopt a fresh policy that would cater for the rehabilitation and re-integration of IDPs. She said the policy would ensure the prevention and protection of Nigerians and nonNigerians from displacement and ensure their rehabilitation, resettlement, return or reintegration after displacement.

She explained that the commission in 2012 organised a high-level meeting with relevant stakeholders in the area of protection, care and maintenance of IDPs. According to her, the result of the summit was the birth of the draft National Policy on

Internal Displacement that outlined the rights and obligation of IDPs, the responsibilities of government, humanitarian agencies, host communities and armed groups in a humanitarian crisis.

“The draft policy drew consultation from several relevant national agencies, UN agencies, INGOs, NGOs, CSOs and members of the academia and was validated by the meeting in July 2012,” she said.

Kangiwa also assured that the government of Nigeria will continue to be committed to the principles of international protection towards IDPs, Refugees, Asylum seekers, stateless persons and indeed all persons in need of protection.

Umahi blames elders for pre-election crisis

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BONYI State Governor Dave Umahi has decried the roles of some founding fathers in the political crisis that preceded the April 11 governorship election.

At an interactive session with the Forum of Founding Fathers at the Government House in Abakaliki, Umahi

•‘We’ll put Ebonyi on economic auto pilot’ accused the fathers of silence when some people wanted to kill the rotational power principle.

He said it would have been a disservice to equity, justice and fair play if Ebonyi South had been denied the governorship position.

The governor said he would not work with the fathers as a group but on individual merit pending when they realise he had come to work and not steal.

“They don’t know I’m close to God; that I have a covenant with God not to steal the state’s

money,” Umahi said.

Chairman of the Forum and former Deputy Governor of old Imo Sate, Chief Francis Oji, congratulated Umahi and his deputy, Kelechi Igwe on their victory. He pledged to work with them to advance the state in all spheres of human endeavour and development.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

NEWS

Flood destroys 115 houses in Sokoto

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HE State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has said flood has destroyed 115 houses at Butuku-Babba village in Bodinga Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

Nobody died, but the flood killed 25 livestock and destroyed farmlands and foodstuff.

Briefing reporters yesterday on the disaster, which occurred on June 25, the Di-

•Farmland, foodstuffs, livestock affected From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

rector-General of SEMA, Alhaji Hassan Maccido, said the agency had despatched a technical team to the village and had assessed the extent of the damage.

He said it was based on the team’s report that a memorandum was sent to Governor Aminu Tambuwal for

the provision of relief materials to the victims.

“The governor has approved money, which we will use to buy the items and donate to the victims as soon as possible.”

Maccido urged the victims to be patient with the government, as it would soon come to their rescue.

The victims lamented that

13 days after the disaster, only one businessman based in Bodinga town, Alhaji Sahabi Bojo, had assisted them with N200,000.

Alhaji Magaji Malam, the hamlet head of the area and another victim, Malam Barmo Abubakar, solicited assistance from the three tiers of government and emergency management agencies.

Suspected arsonists torch businessman’s home in Makurdi S USPECTED arsonists yesterday set ablaze the family compound of a Makurdi-based businessman, the late Gaadi Amogo.

The house is located at Gaadi settlement, Km 4, Makurdi-Gboko Road, Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

About 22 rooms in the compound were torched by

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

the suspected arsonists.

The head of Gaadi Amogo family, Hon. Gaadi, told reporters that the family was asleep when the house went up in flames.

He said the fire spread in

a manner that suggested that the house was sprayed with petrol.

Gaadi said about 22 rooms were razed and property worth millions of naira destroyed.

Other family members, who spoke to The Nation, said their belongings were

destroyed by the inferno.

A witness said about 20 arsonists came to avenge the death of a relation, whose wake was slated for yesterday.

Police spokesman Austine Ezeani confirmed the incident.

He said one person had been arrested and is helping the police in their investigation.

•From left: National Vice President, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Isaac Achem; Vice President, Obong Jonny Obong; President, Comrade Michael Alogba and National Deputy President, Comrade Kelvin Nwankwo, at the NUT workshop PHOTO: NAN to commemorate the 8th National Founders’ Day of the union in Abuja…yesterday

ALGON faults Lalong for sacking council chairmen

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HE Plateau State chapter of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) has faulted Governor Simon Lalong for sacking the 17 council chairmen.

The governor sacked the local government bosses and directed them to hand over to the directors of personnel management.

The chairmen described the action as unconstitutional

•Vows to reclaim mandate through judicial process From Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos

and an afterthought.

The ALGON Chairman, Mr. Emmanuel Loman, who led his colleagues at a news conference in Jos yesterday, said: “The recent sack of the elected local government chairmen is condemnable, as the indigenes will recall that Govenor Lalong assured that

he would not dissolve the councils.

“It is on record that our beloved governor used this assurance as a campaign tool before the election. He also reiterated it in his inauguration speech.

“But rather than stick to his promise, the governor succumbed to blackmail and sacked the chairmen.

“This action is an aberration of the tenets of democracy. It can threaten the state and the country.”

According to the chairmen, “Section 41(3) of the local government law gives three- year tenure and we are just half way before the dissolution. We will explore the option of the judiciary to reclaim our mandate.”

Kwara students protest at Govt House

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HE police yesterday tightened their security around the Government House, Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

The security was to forestall a breakdown of law and order, as students under the aegis of the National Association of Kwara State Students (NAKSS) protested the non-payment of their 2013 and 2014 bursaries.

NAKSS President, Mohammed Lateef, said the bursary arrears amounted to N235million.

The representatives of the students were said to have met Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, who sought their understanding.

•Security tightened From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

He said the dwindling allocation prevented the government from paying the bursary.

Ahmed urged them not

to take the law into their hands.

Police spokesman Ajayi Okasanmi said: “We are on guard to prevent the peaceful protest from being hijacked by street urchins.

“We had intelligence information that the students wanted to protest at the

Government House. Our intelligence information showed that they wanted to protest the non-payment of their bursaries.

“To prevent the peaceful protest from being hijacked by miscreants, we mobilised our men to the Government House.”

Niger governor urged to ensure equity in appointments

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LAWMAKER, Senator David Umaru, has urged Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello to ensure equity in the sharing of political positions among the three senatorial zones.

The legislator, who represents Niger East, said the appeal became necessary because the governor allegedly shortchanged the people of his district in the appointments done, without recourse to federal character.

Umaru, who addressed reporters in Minna, said the Bello administration did not give positions of substance to the people of Niger East in the appointments done so far.

He said: “What is happening now is that our people are being shortchanged. The appointment of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) from the governor’s compound in Kontagora is what everybody

K

From: Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

age of seven or eight teachers teach 1,000 pupils the subjects.

The governor, who was at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) headquarters in Abuja, to seek assistance for manpower development for undergraduates in

the state-owned college of education and polytechnics, said the situation was responsible for the poor performance of pupils in public examinations.

The Executive Secretary of TETfund, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, assured that the Fund would assist the state.

knows.

“No position of substance has been given to our people.

We represent these people who complain about injustice.

Their patience is being dragged too far. I advise the government to redress the situation.”

The lawmaker said it was sad that the present administration was not fair to the people of his district despite polling the highest votes in the area during the governorship election.

His words: “Before the election, we agreed that we should ensure victory for our party at all levels. We did all possible to ensure victory at the polls. I used my energy and other resources to ensure that we got a good result. We promised our people that there would be equity in the sharing of positions and that we would bring a change in governance.”

Ortom swears in caretaker committee chairmen

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ENUE State Governor Samuel Ortom on Tuesday swore in caretaker committee chairmen in the 23 local governments.

He also swore in the Special Adviser on Security, Col. Edwin Jando (rtd). The governor urged them to consider their appointments as a call to serve and not to amass wealth.

Addressing them at the new Banquet Hall of the Benue People’s House in Makurdi after performing the swearing-in, Ortom enjoined them to consider the peculiarities of their environments and work towards realising the yearnings and aspirations of the people, to elicit their cooperation.

He stressed the need for them to adhere to the administration’s core values of transparency, accountability, justice, fairness, selflessness, humility and forgiveness.

The governor advised the chairmen against using local government funds to settle political god fathers.

He said they should strive

to step up internal revenue and channel same for the development of the local government system.

Ortom said the era when chairmen abandoned their people at the grassroots and relocated to the city was over, adding that when it became necessary for them to travel, they must obtain permission from the appropriate quarters.

He promised to carry out reforms and conduct local government elections as soon as the financial position of the state improved.

The governor said the coincidence of swearing-in the chairmen with the special adviser on security matters underscored the importance his administration attached to security and the need for them to work together to surmount the security challenges.

Ortom, who urged the chairmen to work with other members of the committee after inaugurating them, hailed the House of Assembly for confirming the nomination of the appointees.

Governor’s wife urges judiciary HE wife of Kwara State on women governor, Mrs.

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Omolewa Yetunde Ahmed, has urged lawyers, activists and other stakeholders in the judiciary to bail out women from domestic violence.

Mrs. Ahmed, the founder of Life Empowerment Anchors Hope Charity Foundation (LEAH), a non-government charity foundation, spoke yesterday in Lagos when presenting a keynote paper at a seminal on legal practice.

The topic of the seminal is: “The reality of women’s right in Nigeria”.

She said with the level of impunity at which the rights of women were violated everyday through domestic violence, it was necessary that the stakeholders should use the

‘Katsina lacks English, Maths teachers’ ATSINA State Governor Aminu Masari has expressed worries about the dearth of English language and Mathematics teachers.

He said only a few teachers holding the National Certificate in Education (NCE) teach pupils the subjects.

The governor said an aver-

From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

He said: “I promise that at TETfund, we will play our role at the tertiary level, so that government can divert its resources to the foundation. That is the basic education.

“We will partner state governments that have created institutions to strengthen them.”

By Sina Fadare

instrument of law and enlightenment programmes at their disposal to stop the trend.

The Kwara State first lady lamented that despite the instrument of law available, violation of women’s right was increasing.

Her words: “Despite the robust and all-encompassing provisions of these instruments, the incidence of violation of the rights of women is apparent in our society.”

Mrs. Ahmed said the pathetic situation “is a pointer that calls for concern, as the condition of denial of rights to a particular gender creates the impression and reinforces that the society practises selective observance of the rule of law.”

The woman, who lamented that she was a product of domestic violence, which forced her mother to take a walk from the marriage, noted: “If our society continues to view the woman as a semi-human being, little progress will be the outcome. Women’s rights must be seen as human rights, which are observed without the need for any special demand or coercion.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

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FOREIGN NEWS

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BUJA is to play host to a brain storming session on the Economic Partnership Agreement between Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS) and the European Union (EU) ahead of the October, 2015 deadline date.

The international conference is expected to take a critical appraisal of the agreement (EPA), especially the merits or otherwise to ECOWAS. The event which has been slated for July 28 -29 2015 is organised by the leading panAfrican newsmagazine Africa Today.

The EPA is a reciprocal preferential trade agreement being promoted by the EU to create a Free Trade Area [FTA] between the EU and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States [ACP] through six regional economic communities into which the ACP is divided.

The ECOWAS Commission,

Abuja to host international conference on EPA from Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

one of the six regional economic communities, negotiated the agreement on behalf of the 16 countries in West Africa, including Nigeria. The agreement, which was concluded in July 2014 after 11 years of negotiations, has been contentious over the years.

Nigeria expressed reservations over the agreement's current form due to the perceived economic implications to its economy. When the agreement is signed African countries are expected to open their borders to goods and products produced in the EU with the EU reciprocating by allowing goods and products produced in Africa into their countries.

Publisher of Africa Today,

Mr Kayode Soyinka, who announced the conference said it is expected to put the EPA on the front burner of national discourse, enlighten ordinary citizens and business people, examine the agreement's pros and cons as they affect Nigeria's economy and those of the countries in the west African sub-region and, indeed, Africa.

Mr. Soyinka said the EPA remained a thorny trade issue between Europe and Africa.

The deadline for signing the agreement was missed last October and Europe is insisting it would not come back to the negotiation table.

The Abuja conference could not have come at a better time, at least for Nigeria. The country is Africa's biggest economy and it has a new government in place; signing - or not sign-

Obama hosts Vietnam Communist Party leader

U

S President Barack Obama has held historic talks at the White House with Vietnam's Communist Party leader, Nguyen Phu Trong.

It was the first such meeting since the two countries normalised relations 20 years ago.

Mr Obama said that despite differing political philosophies, the two countries were deepening co-operation.

Analysts say the US and Vietnam are seeking stronger ties in the face of an increasingly assertive China.

This month marks 40 years since the end of the Vietnam war.

"Obviously, there has been a difficult history between our two countries in the 20th Century and there continues to be significant differences in political philosophy and political systems," Mr Obama said.

"What we have seen is the emergence of a constructive relationship that is based on mutual respect and that has benefited the people of both

countries."

Mr Trong described the talks as "cordial, constructive, positive and frank".

"What is of utmost importance is that we have been transformed from former enemies to become friends [and] comprehensive partners," he said.

"I am convinced our relationship will continue to grow in the future."

He said he had invited Mr Obama to visit Vietnam and the president had accepted.

Also on the agenda were talks on trade. President Obama is seeking to create a 12-nation free trade plan known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership that would include Vietnam.

However, Tuesday's meeting was not welcomed by everyone.

There were protests outside the White House Outside the White House, demonstrators protested against human rights violations in Vietnam, while a group of US lawmakers wrote an open letter to Mr

W

• Obama

Obama complaining about the invitation.

China has angered some of its Asian neighbours, including Vietnam, by taking a more assertive stance on territorial claims in the South China Sea. It has deployed military equipment to the disputed Spratly Islands, claimed in part by Vietnam.

The Spratlys may have reserves of oil and gas around them and the surrounding sea is also a major shipping route and home to important fishing grounds.

Greece asks for a third bailout

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HE Greek government has formally requested a third international bailout to help pay its debts, and prevent economic collapse and ejection from the euro.

The European Stability Mechanism, which acts as Europe's financial rescue fund, confirmed Wednesday that Greece has applied for a new bailout package.

Greece has already received two massive bailouts worth roughly 240 billion euros ($265 billion), but needs more. The latest bailout program ended last week. Greece then missed a big debt payment to the International Monetary Fund, becoming the first developed economy to default to the fund.

The Greek government has asked for the new rescue package to run for three years and promised to introduce fresh economic reforms in exchange for the money. It also hinted that it would like some form of debt relief from earlier bailouts.

The European Union is expected to decide Sunday whether to grant another bail-

out program, once it receives more details about Greece's economic plans.

The IMF recently estimated Greece will need at least 50 billion euros ($55 billion). But analysts say the figure will be much higher since the IMF analysis was conducted before Greek banks were forced to shut down, wreaking even more havoc on the economy.

Years of overspending and mismanagement have left the Greek economy in a deep crisis. The government has essentially run out of money,

ing - the EPA would be among its early major foreign policy actions. In addition, countries taking their cue from Nigeria's reluctance to sign the agreement would want to know if the new administration would maintain the status quo or chart a new course relating to the agreement.

The Goodluck Jonathan administration had gingerly avoided signing the agreement for a number of years. At an Extra-Ordinary Session of the Conference of African Union Ministers of Trade in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2014, the then Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, had come out openly against the agreement saying it wasn't favourable to Africa. This was despite progress made by some regional blocs towards

banks have been closed for over a week and will remain so through Friday, and cash withdrawals have been capped for individuals and businesses.

Regular people have even stopped driving because they want to conserve any cash they have.

Experts say Greece could soon be forced to print its own currency and ditch the euro if leaders can't agree on a new rescue package.

A 'Grexit' would be unprecedented in the history of the EU, since members join with the expectation that they will never leave.

finalising the pact.

Aganga said then: "Nigeria's position on EPA is very clear.

Africa is on the rise. It is a very big and strategic market for any trading partner. That is what the EU wants from us but Africa must jealously protect what it has. We must not sign an agreement without first of all carrying out a robust economic analysis of the overall impact the agreement will have on the region, our children and future generations."

Aganga's position was supported by trade ministers from other African countries and AU's Commissioner for Trade and Industry, Fatima Haram. The ministers, in backing Aganga, said the deal would have a long-term negative impact on the continent's efforts towards industrialisation and job cre-

ation. It was even suggested at the meeting that should the negotiations continue along the same vein, Africa should consider other alternatives such as deepening intra-African trade ties and pushing for alternative arrangements with Brussels, such as the EU Generalised System of Preferences (GSP).

The trade ministers' meeting was convened to discuss Africa's common position ahead of the October 1 deadline for signing the EPA with EU; the establishment of the Common Free Trade Area, CFTA, by 2015; extension of African Growth and Opportunity Act, AGOA, by the United States for 15 more years and Africa's strategic response to World Trade Organisation negotiations, among others.

Pope Francis heads to Bolivia amid RAPPING up the church-state tensions Ecuador leg of his

South American pilgrimage, Pope Francis heads to Bolivia, where church-state tensions over everything from the environment to the role of the church in society are high on the agenda.

Before leaving Ecuador's capital Quito, Francis was to meet with the elderly and give a pep talk to local clergy.

Then he was set to fly to La Paz and meet with Bolivian President Evo Morales, an Aymara Indian known for his anti-imperialist and socialist stands.

The stop in La Paz was being kept to four hours to spare the 78-year-old pope from the taxing 4,000-meter (13,120-foot) elevation; the rest of his Bolivian stay will be in Santa Cruz.

Francis and Morales have met on several occasions, most recently in October when the president, a former coca farmer, participated in a Vatican summit of grassroots groups of indigenous and ad-

vocates for the poor who have been championed by Francis.

Their shared views on caring for society's poorest, and the need for wealthy countries to drastically change course to address climate change have bumped up against Morales' anti-clerical initiatives that have roiled relations with the local church.

As soon as Morales took office in 2006, for example, the Bible and cross were removed from the presidential palace. A new constitution in 2009 made the overwhelmingly Catholic nation a secular state and Andean religious rituals replaced Catholic rites at official state ceremonies.

Morales, who expelled the U.S. ambassador and Drug Enforcement Administration, came to power championing Bolivia's 36 indigenous groups and enshrined their rights in the constitution. But he has alienated lowlands natives by promoting a highway through a nature reserve

and authorizing oil and natural gas exploration in wilderness areas. Cheered by environmentalists abroad for his demand that wealthy nations do more to combat climate change, Morales has been under fire at home from critics, including activists in the church, who say he puts extracting petroleum ahead of clean water and forests.

• Pope Francis

My visit to America will boost Nigeria, USA relations, says Buhari

P

RESIDENTMuhammadu Buhari yesterday expressedhopethathisforthcoming meeting with President Barack Obama will further strengthen bilateral ties between Nigeria and the United States of America (USA).

He made the remark during a meeting with the United States Deputy Secretary of State, Mr. Anthony J. Blinken at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Buhari said that his talks with President Obama will also give a much needed impetus to his administration's efforts to overcome the challenge of terrorism.

The President, in a statement

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, told Mr. Blinken that Nigeria also looks forward to greater support from the United States for the multinational Joint Task Force being mobilized against Boko Haram.

He said that Nigeria and other Gulf of Guinea nations will also welcome more cooperation from the United States to enhance maritime security in the Gulf and curb crude oil theft.

On behalf of President

Obama, Mr. Blinken commiserated with President Buhari and all Nigerians over the recent loss of lives in terrorist attacks.

The Under Secretary of State said that he was convinced that President Buhari's election will further expand the frontiers of the existing relationship between Nigeria and the United States.

He assured President Buhari that the United States government will be ready to discuss all matters put forward by the Nigerian government during the President's visit to Washington DC.

Afghan, Taliban hold talks in Pakistan

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• Tsipras

HE government of Afghanistan held talks this week with the Taliban in an attempt to work toward a peace process for the war-ravaged nation, officials said.

The Afghan government described the meeting as "the start of the first ever official peace talks" between the two sides.

U.S. and Chinese officials

also attended the discussions Tuesday at a hilltop resort in Pakistan.

"The participants agreed to continue talks to create an environment conducive for peace and reconciliation process," the Pakistani government said in a statement Wednesday.

The next meeting is expected to take place after the end of the Muslim holy

month of Ramadan.

With U.S. encouragement, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had been seeking dialogue with the Taliban.

But it remains unclear how far the talks might progress.

As U.S. and other NATO troops are drawing down their numbers in Afghanistan, the Taliban insurgency continues to rage across

wide areas of the country.

The militants attempted a brazen attack on the national parliament last month.

The Afghan Foreign Ministry said yesterday that it hoped the talks "would be a starting point for the process so it could prevent the shedding of more innocent Afghans' blood and further destruction of the country."

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

61

TRIBUTE M. I. Jegede (SAN): ‘My teacher, professor, counsellor, mentor and benefactor’ Prof. Taiwo Osipitan (SAN), in this tribute extols the sterling qualities of his late Law teacher, Prof. M. I. Jegede.

MY admission into Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, paved the way for my almost 40 years of uninterrupted association, with Prof.

Michael Iyiola Jegede, SAN. My year set (Class of 1977-80) matriculated and graduated during the tenure of Prof. as Dean, Faculty of Law University of Lagos. We were Prof’s last graduating set as Dean of Law. PROF AND FACULTY OF LAW, UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS Our set, also had the fortune of being lectured and tutored, by Prof, in Equity and Trusts. Inspite of his busy schedule, within and outside the University, Prof attended our lectures and tutorial classes, regularly and promptly. In Prof, we found a teacher, counsellor, friend and mentor. He encouraged some of his Students to seriously consider lecturing in Faculty of Law, Unilag.

He was never tired of recommending his deserving students, for postgraduate admission in the four colleges of University of London.

Prof followed up on his students in the various colleges of University of London, whenever he was in London. The meeting point, was the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Russel Square in London. Between 1979 – 1982, Prof. embarked on aggressive recruitment of young and vibrant Lecturers to the Faculty.

Prof deployed his advocacy skills to convince Management of the University of Lagos to approve Lecturer Grade II as the entry point for Law Lecturers with Masters

Degree in Law, as against appointing them as Assistant Lecturers. The University agreed with Prof. The agreement evidently paid off. Our Faculty was able to attract brilliant, progressive and dedicated young Lecturers. Many of them have not only become Professors they are now “grand Professors.” These young men and women who were recruited

by Prof, are today, among giants in the Legal Profession. Some of Prof’s students are captains of the Industry, while others have held and are still holding, political offices.

Prof, pioneered departmentalization of Faculty of Law, University of Lagos in 1978.

Four departments, were created in the Faculty during his tenure as Dean of Law. These are: departments of Commercial and Industrial Law, Jurisprudence and International Law, Private and Property Law and Public Law. Many Faculties of Law in Nigeria have copied and are still copying, the departmental arrangement introduced by Prof.

Welfare of Staff and Students were Prof’s priorities when he was the Dean of Law. Seven Professors of Law were appointed in the Faculty in 1980 during his tenure as Dean of Law. University of Lagos is yet to witness such harvest of Professors of Law in one year. Deserving Lecturers at non-professorial levels were also promoted during his tenure as Dean of Law. The first two students to be awarded 1st Class degrees in Law by University of Lagos (established in 1962), emerged in 1978 and 1980 respectively, when Prof was Dean of Law. PROF AND I Prof was evidently pleased with my appointment as a Lecturer in the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos.

He promptly counselled me, on the

need to be involved in private practice. He believed that an effective Law Lecturer, must have practical experience. Prof further counselled me, on how to equitably apportion my time, between university assignments and private practice, without robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Prof. narrated to me, how he gave the University 100% of his time, until 1972, when the Military Government, directed all Lecturers to vacate their staff quarters, during one of the strikes in the Nation’s Universities. He suddenly realised, that he had no house to take his Family to. He was not alone. Most University staff found themselves in same situation. When the strike was over, he set up his thriving Legal Practice. Prof’s story was corroborated, by my guardian in the University, Late Prof. C. O. Orangun. I have been guided and blessed, by wise counsel, of these gentlemen of blessed memories. I cannot thank them enough for the very useful advice.

Prof, afforded me the opportunity of being an associate in his Chambers; (M. I. Jegede & Co) between 1983 and 1994. The Chambers meetings were instructive, informative and insightful. I attest, that legal issues, raised at Chambers Meetings, ignited my interest to write various papers on the conflicts in jurisdiction of State and Federal High Courts in Nigeria. My first set of papers were edited by Prof. His guiding hands, were readily available to me, in my research work, at the early stage of my academic career.

The opportunity afforded me in M.I. Jegede & Co, brought me in contact with great legal minds, such as Hon. Justice Innocent Umezulike, Kola Awodein, SAN, Mrs. Titilola

•The lateProf. Jegede

‘

I am comforted, by the fact that, my earthly loss of Prof, is evidently a gain in heaven. I am eternally grateful to God Almighty, for the opportunity afforded me, to have Prof.

M.I. Jegede, SAN as my Teacher, Professor, Mentor and Benefactor

‘

Akinlawon, SAN, Mr. Akin Akintoye and Ibukun Ajomo. We were the musketeers in Chambers, who happily solved to serious legal problems.

The first trial conducted by me, was a case in which Prof was a party.

It was my privilege to lead Prof in evidence. He was a confident and delightful witness. The trips by road with Prof. to Ilorin, Kwara State, to attend Court Proceedings in the case were exciting and devoid of stress.

Prof’s Chambers at 11, Maye

Street is a walking distance from ours (Bayo Osipitan & Co.) I could look out from our office for Prof’s Car, in order to ascertain if he was in Chambers. If he was, I frequently walked down to his Chambers, solely to pay him homage. When he needed to see me, he either phoned or sent his amiable daughter, Ibilola with a request that I should see him.

It was always my pleasure, to walk down to his chambers to honour his request(s). Our meetings, always ended, with his sincere prayers, that I will be blessed and more successful than him!

My pleasure of seeing Prof, physically ended unexpectedly. On Saturday 13th June, 2015 at about 7:30 p.m., when, my phone rang and Ibilola broke the news of Prof’s transition to eternal glory. The unexpected had happened! I did not entertain the thought, that Prof would leave so soon. For a moment, I was speechless. I was deprived opportunity of bidding Prof farewell.

But who am I to query the decision of God Almighty, to call Prof home, for a well deserved rest?

I am comforted, by the fact that, my earthly loss of Prof, is evidently a gain in heaven. I am eternally grateful to God Almighty, for the opportunity afforded me, to have Prof. M.I. Jegede, SAN as my Teacher, Professor, Mentor and Benefactor. My very dear Prof, I definitely will miss those practical and wise counselling sessions of yours. Your guiding hands, the very sincere prayers for me and your infectious smile, I will sorely miss. Thank you! Thank you!

Thank you! and Thank you! May your heavenly journey be smooth. It is well with your kind soul. It is well with your precious wife, Aunty Remi.

It is well with your wonderful children Dami, Modele, Ibi and Seye.

Now it is time for your well deserved peaceful rest, in the bossom of your creator.

ADIEU my dear Prof.

NEWS

NDLEA arrests man travelling to Abuja with US $2 million cash at Lagos airport

T

HE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has said it has intercepted a man carrying US$2,198,900 at the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.

In a statement yesterday, the agency said that one John Ibiteye, 46, is being investigated in connection with the suspected money laundering case.

The suspect was apprehended on his way to Abuja, the NDLEA said.

“Preliminary investigation

conducted by the Assets and Financial Investigation Directorate of the NDLEA revealed that Ibiteye’s action is in contravention of the money laundering prohibition act 2011 as amended,” the anti-narcotics agency said in the statement by Mitchell Ofoyeju, its Spokesperson.

“He alleged that the money belongs to one Dr. Martins Olufemi Thomas, a medical practitioner in Lagos. Investigation conducted by the Agency did not link the money to

proceeds of narcotics.

“However, a country having insurgency challenge cannot afford to ignore suspicious movement of large amount of money.”

In his statement, Mr. Ibiteye said that he is a Bureau De Change operator.

“I used to work for Ebi Bureau De Change at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja before I established my company with the name ND&C Global Investment Limited which is yet to be fully regis-

tered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC),” he said.

“One of my clients, Dr. Martins Olufemi Thomas gave me the said amount to take to Abuja. I was arrested by NDLEA officers while checking-in the money at MM2 on my way to Abuja.”

Ahmadu Giade, NDLEA Chairman, said that the suspect and the cash would be transferred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for further action.

ALGON hails El-Rufai for scrapping JAC

T

HE Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) has hailed Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai for abolishing the Joint Account Committee (JAC).

In a statement by the National President, Micah Jiba and the Secretary- General, Alhaji Shittu Yatmut, ALGON described the action as courageous, progressive and exemplary.

The group said the joint account, which for all intent and purpose was originally meant to ensure prudent and equitable disbursement of federal revenue allocation between the states and local governments, was later abused by most governors.

It said the lack of observance of the constitutional

•El-Rufai From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

provision in respect of the JAC was the bane of development and independence of the local governments.

ALGON noted that the abolition of the JAC would not only bring about speedy development at the grassroots, but would ensure financial autonomy at the councils.

N785,676.59 is hajj fare in Jigawa From Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse

J

•Commander, National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Adamawa, Alhaji Muhammad Abdul (left) and Deputy Comptroller, Nigeria Immigration Service, Adamawa Command, Mr Nehemiah Dashwep (right), decorating Assistant Commander of the NSCDC, Mr Bamaiyi Kurpwa, with his new rank in Yola...yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

IGAWA State government yesterday announced N785,676.59 as the minimum fare for this year’s hajj.

The Public Relations Officer of the Pilgrims Welfare Board, Mati Ali, who spoke in a statement, said the minimum hajj fare is N785,676.59, with $750 as the Basic Travelling Allowance (BTA).

He said the medium hajj seat is N825,676.59, with $1,000 as the BTA and the maximum hajj seat is N924,676.59, with $1,500 as the BTA. The statement urged intending pilgrims to complete the balance payment on or before July 17, to enable the board complete arrangements with the National Hajj Commission in time.

Two thousand three hundred and seventy-four pilgrims are expected to perform this year’s hajj from Jigawa State.

62

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

NEWS ‘Wike determined to deliver on promsises’

APC’s legal adviser to examine seizure of Rivers councils’ funds T

M

R Opunabo InkoTariah, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, has said the governor is focused and determined to deliver on his election promises.

Opunabo Inko-Tariah told reporters yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, that Wike, in his first 30 days in office, had shown that he was determined to deliver the dividends of democracy.

The media aide said Wike had paid workers’ outstanding salaries, players and officials of Sharks Football Club, Dolphins Football Club, Rivers Angels Football Club and the allowances of pensioners.

He said the N30 billion loan the new government took recently would be used to develop critical infrastructure, such as roads, bridges and hospitals.

Inko-Tariah said: “The governor swung into action and signed an agreement with Julius Berger Construction Company to repair and rehabilitate roads.

“So far, the governor has performed well.

“He started with Operation

•Wike

Zero Pothole Programme and the company has been directed to ensure that there are no potholes in Rivers.

“These are projects that will impact positively on the lives of Rivers people.

“The governor has visited some of the projects and directed that the contractors be mobilised.

“Very soon, the projects will be completed.”

D

HE National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John OdigieOyegun, yesterday said the party would ask its Legal Adviser to examine the seizure of local government areas allocations in Rivers State.

The Rivers State Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Chimbiko Akarolo, had led a delegation of the local governments’ chairmen to APC’s national secretariat in Abuja to present a petition to the party’s leadership.

Akarolo accused Governor Nyesom Wike of directing banks to avoid financial transactions with the local

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

governments on councils’ allocations.

The directive, the ALGON chief said, had starved the local governments of funds in the last seven weeks.

He said the killings of APC party members in the state had continue, even after the deployment of a new police commissioner.

Akarolo said: “A new Commissioner of Police has been posted to Rivers State; even at that, the killings have continued. We ask that you also communicate same to the appropriate authorities

at the federal level. If it is possible, you take our matter to Mr. President. We will be so glad about it.”

According to him, Rivers APC has lost confidence in the police and are no longer dependent on their security since they were compromised in the last general elections.

The situation, Akarolo said, endangered their lives.

Odigie-Oyegun said the party would ask its legal adviser to explain the propriety of the state government’s action and take the necessary legal actions.

He said: “You have men-

tioned the issue of funds. Our legal adviser was here yesterday and we are going to ask him to look at what the situation is - whether the state government can totally sit on the funds of the local governments.

“So, I will do whatever is appropriate in that regard.

“The things you have mentioned we will address immediately. On the issue of funding, we will find out what authority the state government has to withhold your funds and we will deal with it at whatever level is appropriate.”

Delta to recover govt vehicles from ex-officials

ELTA State Transport Commissioner Vincent Uduaghan yesterday pledged to recover government vehicles from former political office holders and their cronies.

The commissioner alleged that some of the vehicles had either had their number plates changed or their engine num-

From Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

bers tampered with.

He said the Ifeanyi Okowa administration would bring sanity to governance.

Uduaghan expressed his readiness to reactivate the State Urban Mass Transit Scheme, in line with the government’s policy on trans-

portation.

He said: “Immediate steps must be taken to address all issues affecting the scheme.”

The commissioner, who inspected government buses, heavy duty trucks and towing vans bought by the previous administration, noted that it was sad that the vehicles were not functional.

According to him, for the Okowa administration to make impact in the Transport sector, certain steps would be taken to address the setbacks in the system for the improvement of the scheme and benefit of Deltans.

Uduaghan said most of the operators of the scheme were not keeping to the con-

tractual agreement they signed with the government.

The commissioner noted that their attitude would not be allowed to continue, to save the scheme and boost Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

He frowned at the traffic situation in urban areas, adding that it emanated from indiscipline among road users.

Communities protest INEC’s refusal to obey court order

C

OMMUNITIES in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State yesterday protested the refusal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to carry out a court order requesting it to conduct another election in Ughelli South Constituency I. An Appeal Court, sitting in Benin, the Edo State capital, in 1999, ordered INEC to restore Ughelli Constituency I in the House of Assembly.

But the commission has not honoured the order till date.

The communities, which staged a peaceful protest yesterday are: Otu-Jeremi, Okpare, Ewu, Ekakpamre, Okwagbe, Usiefrun, Otokutu, Oginibo, Oviri-Olomu, Ovwor and other major towns in the local government area.

They protesters said they planned to storm INEC offices in Asaba and Abuja to compel the commission to obey the court order.

From Polycarp Orosevwotu, Ughelli

The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions, such as: “INEC give us our lost constituency I”; “We want our two representatives in Delta Assembly”; “INEC, stop let our plight fall on deaf ear”; “The wrongs must be corrected now” and “INEC, where is Ughelli South Constituency I?” Others are: “INEC, enough is enough of your tricks”; “We will not fold our arms and watch INEC short-change us” and “INEC should adhere to Appeal Court’s ruling”.

Their spokesmen, Chief John Ewenede and Chief Amos Itihwe, said the protest was meant to draw attention to INEC’s deprivation of Ughelli South Local Government Area of one of its constituencies since 1999.

They said: “We don’t know what really transpired that made INEC to stop conducting elections for constituency I ...in the

Delta State House of Assembly after the Appeal Court’s ruling.”

In a suit filed at the Federal High Court, Warri Judicial Division, by Chief Godwin Ena Sito and others vs INEC, the people of Ughelli South Local Government Area challenged the suppression of the Ughelli South State Constituency I. According to the plaintiffs, Ughelli South Local Government Area was created in 1991.

INEC, they said, split the local government into two constituencies for the House of Assembly, with code numbers SC/33/DT and SC/34/DT, for constituencies I and II. Constituency I comprises the Ughievwen clan; Constituency II comprises Olomu, Ewu and Effurun-Otor clans.

The plaintiffs averred that in 1991, INEC conducted the general elections across Nigeria, including but not limited to the Ughelli South state constituencies I and II.

63

THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

SPORT EXTRA

Chukwu okays Oliseh F

ORMER Nigerian coach, Christian Chukwu believes Sunday Oliseh is “the right man for the Super Eagles at this

time” after NFF confirmed the former Juventus star is in line to replace coach, Stephen Keshi.

Keshi was fired at the week-

• Oliseh and Pinick in London

end and the NFF confirmed on Wednesday that it had held talks with Oliseh in London over the vacant Nigeria role.

Chukwu who managed Nigeria’s senior national team between 2003 and 2005 is certain Oliseh’s appointment will bode well for the Super Eagles.

“I have no doubt in my mind that Oliseh is the right man for the Super Eagles at this time. He has played under some of the best coaches in the world and as such, has a lot of experience,” Chukwu told supersport.com.

Oliseh’s only previous coaching experience was in the Belgian fourth-tier with Verviétois but Chukwu does not think that will be a factor.

“I have managed the national team in the past so when I tell you that Oliseh’s so-called lack of experience will not be an issue, I know what I am talking about.

“At this level, it is not really about coaching footballers but managing them.

“You are talking about mostly grown men from dif-

‘NFF has right to pick any coach’

F

ORMER Super Eagles’ manager, Adegboye Onigbinde has said the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has the statutory right and standard for choosing its coaches.

The football house on Wednesday confirmed talks with former Super Eagles captain, Sunday Oliseh as possible replacement of ousted coach, Stephen keshi.

Onigbinde said his interest and joy as a patriotic Nigerian is to see the round leather game excel in the comity of football nations.

“NFF is in-charge of football in the land and equally has set standard for the purpose of choosing coaches for the national teams.

“I want to believe that the NFF has its reasons for engaging Sunday Oliseh in discussion with the purpose of taking up the Super Eagles head coach job.

“Oliseh is a Nigerian and actually served this country meritoriously and acquired the necessary papers to coach the Super Eagles.

“NFF has its standard like I said previously so if Oliseh is good or not of what consequence or relevance is it in the unfolding scenario. Whether I’m comfortable

RESULTS Glo League 3SC 2 - 1 Warri Wolves Inter'l - Club Friendlies CSKA 4 - 1 Khimki Thailand 2 - 2 Reading Chambly 2 - 3 Wolves Liberec 2 - 4 Legnica RERC 1 - 4 Liege Aalen 1 - 3 Ingolstadt Feyenoord 8 - 1 Kematen Le Havre 2 - 1 Rennes Leipzig 5 - 4 Southampton Reims 0 - 0 Auxerre Salzburg 3 - 1 West Brom Groedig 1 - 2 FSV Frankfurt FSV Union 0 - 2 Hertha Hobro 4 - 0 Brabrand Plzen 3 - 2 Ural Wiener 0 - 4 Valencia Wien 0 - 0 Jablonec Karlsruher 2 - 2 Kazan AFC 34 1 - 8 Alkmaar Biel 3 - 0 Young Boys Brest 0 - 1 Lorient Geel 1 - 4 Genk Maribor 2 - 2 Kuban OB 4 - 2 N'gham Forest

or not with the choice of Oliseh, I ask again what is the relevance or can my opinion change anything. My take as a Nigerian is for football to do well in and outside the country, I don’t want to preempt or prejudice their action.

“However, I know for certain that playing the game is not the same as coaching else the likes of Pele, Platini, among others would have been the best coaches in the world.

“Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho did not play for nation or any known club of substance but today is unarguably the best coach in the land same thing applies to the former Italian coach, Arigo Sacchi, among others,” said Onigbinde to supersport.com.

Oliseh is expected to be unveiled next week as Super Eagles manager as details of the contract would have been agreed by the parties.

Eaglets crush Eko Utd 4-0

T

HE U-17 National Team, Golden Eaglets on Wednesday brushed aside Eko United Football Club 4-0 in a friendly match played at the NFF\FIFA Goal Project Pitch in Abuja.

Gangling striker, Victor Osimhen grabbed a brace, while Nduka Ebere and Joseph Michael added the other goals.

In front of an impressive crowd including chieftains of the Nigeria Football Federationn (NFF) like Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi (1st Vice President); Mallam Shehu Dikko (2nd Vice President); Board members-

• Amuneke

Alhaji Ahmad Kawu and Yusuf Fresh; Dr. Mohammed Sanusi (General Secretary) and a host of management and staff, the Golden Eaglets put a spirited performance to underline their readiness for the task ahead.

Incidentally, three of the goals including two in the first half by Osimhen in the fourth minute and Ebere in the 40th minute were from the spot kick after Eko United defenders were punished for ball handling in the box.The Eaglets could have added more goals in the first half but Osimhen and Ebere's efforts crashed against the goal post.

Eko United were rejuvenated in the second half but the Eaglets' defence-line led

by Lukman Halilu and Ebuka Okoroji did great job to keep the Lagos side at bay.

At the other end, Eko United collapsed under the Eaglets' pressure again in the 63rd minute following another ball handling and Osimhen dispatched the ball beyond the goalkeeper once more. Minutes later, substitute Suleiman Abubakar's volley on the edge of the box ricocheted off the goal post again. But in the 85th minute, Michael grabbed his first goal for the Golden Eaglets off an incisive pass from Obinna Chukwu to put the match beyond Eko United.

"This was a good perfor-

ferent backgrounds so it’s mainly about management of egos.

“I know Oliseh very wekll and I have no doubt that he will succeed but Nigerians must throw their weight behind him,” he said.

Oliseh, 40, is presently a FIFA instructor, and runs a consultancy that trains and assesses coaches worldwide.

He is also member of FIFA Technical Study Group.

He was in the Nigeria squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia in 1994, and played in the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup final competitions, with the Super Eagles reaching the Round of 16 in both. He was also in the Nigeria U-23 side that won Africa’s first Olympic football gold in Atlanta 19 years ago.

No Raja deal for Odunlami after trials

• Odunlami

S

UNSHINE Stars defender Kunle Odunlami has failed to pen a deal with Moroccan side Raja

Casablanca after he failed to impress coach Rudi Krol, according to the club’s official website.

Odunlami left Nigeria with the hope of signing a deal after a routine medical, but the Dutch coach said the defender, who has been capped at full international level by Nigeria, must prove he is good enough for the team on the pitch which the Nigerian accepted.

After days of trials, Krol recommended that Odunlami is not good enough to sign for the team.

Odunlami was reported to Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and League Management Company (LMC) by Sunshine Stars for abandoning the club to Morocco without the Akure team's permission.

FEDERATION CUP

Musa on 3SC fights back to beat Warri Wolves target for CSKA S

C

SKA Moscow continued preparations for the new season with another friendly on Wednesday afternoon against third - tier team FC Khimki.

Nigeria international Ahmed Musa helped the Army Men defeat the third - tier team, with a goal to his name in the fifth minute after Georgi Milanov had given CSKA Moscow two minutes earlier.

In the second half, Roman Eremenko and Pontus Wernbloom scored a goal each to give the 2014 Premier League champions a 4 - 0 victory.

Ahmed Musa was in action for 61 minutes before he was subbed out for Sweden Under 21 international Carlos Strandberg.

CSKA Moscow will lock horns with Krylya Sovetov this coming Saturday in another tune - up game, then, face Rubin Kazan in their first official game of the season a week later.

HOOTING Stars came from behind to beat visiting Warri Wolves 2-1 in a rescheduled Nigeria league match in Ibadan on Wednesday.

Shooting Stars remain in 13th place on the table with 20 points from 16 matches, while Wolves are a place above with 20 points but they have only played 14 matches.

Wolves were the better team, but Shooting Stars showed great character to stage a remarkable comeback and clinch the full points.

Wolves took the lead through Beach Eagles star

Abu Azeez.

However, the home team drew level via a controversial penalty, which was converted

by Tope Orelope midway through the second half.

Wolves protested against the penalty award for several minutes before it was eventually taken.

Shooting Stars then snatched the winner deep into stoppage time through Izu Joseph.

Wolves midfielder Bartholomew Ibenegbu aka ‘Mosquito’ was sent off soon after Shooting Stars winner for dissent.

• 3SC against Warri Wolves during their Federation Cup clash on Wednesday

Cup holders Enyimba, Pillars out

N • Musa mance by the Golden Eaglets," stated Coach Shakiru Giwa of Eko United, a former player with Julius Berger FC. "I'm quite impressed with the fitness of the team and we lost to a very good side."

Coach Emmanuel Amuneke equally praised his fledgling side but added the team is still work in progress as they step up preparation for the FIFA U17 World Cup starting in Chile on October 17.

IGERIA Federation Cup holders Enyimba and Kano Pillars crashed out of this year’s cup competition after they lost to lower league sides Remo Stars and Plateau United respectively on Wednesday.

Enyimba were eliminated by Nigeria National League (NNL) side Remo stars 3-1 through penalties after the game ended 1-1 at regulation time, while another NNL side, Plateau United knocked out another premier league side Pillars 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 stalemate also.

Paul Ogbonna opened the scoring for Remo Stars, before Ugwu Uwadiegwu equalised for Enyimba 1-1 from free kick after Andrew Abalogwu was fouled.

Remo Stars wasted several scoring chances and could have sealed the game within regula-

tion time.

Plateau United, on the other hand, sent packing another top gun Kano Pillars on penalties after round of 32 game ended 1-1 at regulation time in Kaduna.

Julius Nuhu equalised for Plateau to take the game to 1-1.

The Jos team defeated another premier league side Shooting Stars in the round of 64 of the competition.

• Chinedu Udoji

TODAY IN THE NATION

THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

RIPPLES POLICE BEGIN STOP AND SEARCH ON HIGHWAYS – News

Hmm, Hmm, I smell CORRUPTION

VOL. 10, NO. 3270

LAWAL OGIENAGBON

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

I

sympathise with President Muhammadu Buhari. His is a tough job. He is just a few weeks on the job, but the daily buffets of criticisms have made it look as if he has been there for years.

Harangued for being “slow”, he is expected to clear a 16-year mess in days. I disagree. Isn’t this a marathon and not a speedster’s 100 metres dash?

But, to be sincere, the President gave room for some of the recriminations. For instance, he is blamed for allowing the National Assembly crisis to fester after claiming rather incredulously that he had no interest in who runs the show. By the time he realised that it was in his interest to show interest in the matter, the renegades had dug in so deep they could not be stopped.

All Buhari could do was to scream “party supremacy” and tell the recalcitrant lawmakers to “pocket their ambitions”, ambitions that are already too big for their deep pockets. But that, to the small assemblage of draculas, buccaneers and barracudas of National Assembly politics who do not take hostages, is a mere slap on the wrist. In fact, Yakubu Dogara, the House Speaker, in a petulant manner, launched into an academic exertion on the etymology of “party supremacy”, insisting that it is no match for “people’s supremacy”. Insolence? More like it.

If Buhari really believes in party supremacy, what has he done to enforce it? Or does he believe –this thought I shudder to harbour - as some people with little or no knowledge of the issues that the revolt in the National Assembly is a mortification of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu? No. Never. It is rather the humiliation of the party – what some pundits have described as a game of party politics versus politics of the party, a foreshadow of the party’s destruction. Will Buhari allow this to happen?

The President has, in fairness, acknowledged the fact that the battle has been won but the war could be lost. So, when will he move to clear the clouds and avert the threatening deluge?

The lesson of it all: a leader must not prevaricate and procrastinate. No ambiguities.

Say what you mean, mean what you say and insist on it. Never speak to impress – your subordinates may latch onto this to misbehave.

Be swift as an arrow once you are sure of what you want. Be firm and stay firm. This is called principle. Those saying ankali, ankali do not necessarily get it right all the time. Do they?

Now, those critics – gourmands, I swear who say Buhari, because of his slim-and-trim diet-frame (they ascribe this to his ascetic culinary taste, as if they are familiar with the intricacies of presidential meals-preparation) will lack compassion for starving workers are now eating their word. States have N713.7b for workers’ long overdue salaries and there is joy in the land.

Even before she quit the stage, among her fans governors could not be counted. She was no fan of theirs either. She kept on saying the economy was in fine fettle even as the cash coming from the treasury was in trickles. Pressed

‘You respect a worker when you pay his salary promptly. A worker should not only be good enough to bake the cake, he should also be good enough to eat in the cake’

GBENGA OMOTOSO

EDITORIAL NOTEBOOK

gbenga.omotoso@thenationonlineng.net

•Editor of the Year (DAME)

Nuts and bolts of leadership

•Keshi

to explain why there was always little to share, she blamed it all on oil theft. When the then Central Bank Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who is now the Emir of Kano, alleged that some $20b oil earnings were not remitted to the treasury by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), he was surreptitiously fired. She set up a panel that said only $10b was missing and that there was, in fact, no need to worry as a thorough check of the troubled oil giant’s books will clear the air. Accounting experts PriceWaterCoopers couldn’t resolve the matter as it got no co-operation from the officials. It issued a report that raised more questions than it set out to resolve about the NNPC’s integrity.

As the drama continued, Dr Ngozi OkonjoIweala, two-time Finance minister – she bagged the foreign portfolio in-between – and former Coordinating minister for the Economy, pulled another trick that got them all excited. Enter rebasing. She caused deployment of some figures – jumbled, some people mumbled – and announced with the excitement of a royal birth that Nigeria’s economy had become Africa’s number one, ahead of South Africa and the others.

Ah! The wonders of figures.

Many Nigerians couldn’t understand why this could not reflect on their living conditions. Salaries

were slow where they came at all, the infrastructure deficit was alarming and poverty remained a monster.

Okonjo wahala, governors have alleged, once said the Excess Crude Account had over $4b.

When they discovered that it had, in fact, as low as $2.1b, the former minister washed her hands of it. “Go ask your commissioners,” she told the governors.

The commissioners have said they never agreed that the cash should be shared. Madam has said she never told us that the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) agreed to share the money. Now, a panel of governors is probing what happened to the money. I wish them good luck.

The lesson for leaders: No obfuscation. Be consistent. You must be open, especially when you are dealing with facts and figures. Otherwise, you will be called a liar and, if you do not move fast, you will be called a thief. Gone, remember, are the days of debates on the difference between stealing and corruption. In other words, the elite, the class to which you are fortunate to belong, will call you corrupt. To the blunt man in the street, you are just a thief. No elegance. No euphemism. The truth: neither is good.

Poor Stephen Okechukwu Keshi. I can bet the former Super Eagles coach never knew it would all end this way. He was fired for alleged disloyalty, among other reasons, which I won’t like to touch because he has taken his case to court. His is a typical hero-to-zero story which, you must note dear reader, is yet to end. Against all odds, he led the Eagles to win the 2013 African Cup of Nations in South Africa. The joy of the feat was great at home and overseas where many Nigerians jumped for joy that the giant of Africa had taken his rightful place.

Unfortunately, the excitement was short – like Nigeria’s electricity supply. Right there in South Africa, Keshi announced his resignation on a radio programme. Nigerians were shocked. Many said it was all blackmail. Were they right?

Debatable. The coach graciously rescinded his decision when Dr Goodluck Jonathan, the former President, stepped in to stop the man of the moment from dumping our dear country after taking it to the apogee of its gains in the round

HARDBALL

L

ET us make this confession upfront: Hardball, Aliko Dangote and Arsenal Football Club must be some kind of kindred spirits; therefore, this is a sort of kindred meeting albeit held in the public square. Like Aliko, Hardball is also confesses to be nuts over Arsenal. May be he has not been a fan of 30 years like Aliko, he has at least two decades of the club’s following to boast of, which includes all the years of Professor Arsene Wenger. So Hardball is also under the spell of the long juju.

This may explain why the attempt by the richest man in Africa to acquire the North London football club someday, sometime, somehow has caught the interest of Hardball.

Arsenal in the last 20 years is probably the most admired club in the world. Arsenal’s ancient mortar logo crusted in a deep red crest is probably among the top-five most recognisable logo in the world.

For those who know something about brand value, this is probably the hugest asset of Arsenal more than the face value of the shares. This is a British icon, Britain’s ambassador, English pride and the white man’s cult hero. This is just laying out the

leather game, winning a title that had eluded us for 19 years, despite our army of stars.

Keshi, the man with the egotistic nickname, “Big Boss”, plodded the hubristic path. He became uncontrollable; his employers were helpless. At a time, he boasted that six countries were scrambling to sign him on.

Then, fate supervened. The team’s fortune crashed, like the naira in the forex market. The defending champion missed the next edition of the Cup of Nations. The soccer world was perplexed. The Super Eagles were derided as big-for-nothing Super Chickens. The team became the subject of beer parlour jokes, such as this: “A judge in a divorce suit asked the child, a little boy, who he would like to stay with. “You want to stay with your dad?” Son: No sir; he always beats me. Judge: Will you then stay with your mum? Son: No sir; she also beats me.

Judge: Who then will you stay with?” The boy replied: “Super Eagles.”

Surprised, the judge asked: “Why?” and the boy replied: “They don’t beat anybody.”

But Keshi, being Keshi, would neither be humbled nor hobbled by it all. He was accused of flirting with Cote d’Ivoire even as the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) was battling to rebuild the team. Unable to take it anymore, the NFF rediscovered itself and became courageous. Keshi got the boot. Fired.

The lesson: A leader must know when to quit – when the ovation is loudest, they say.

Pride, say the age-old adage, goes before a fall.

No self-conceit. Humility pays. Loyalty is key; your loyalty must never be questionable.

Besides, be patriotic and keep your tongue in check; no loose words.

President Buhari drew the ire of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when he appointed Mrs Amina Zakari as acting chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The opposition party alleged that Mrs Zakari’s appointment was influenced by “personal relationship with the Presidency and a governor in the Northwest”. PDP spokesman Olisa Metuh should have given more facts to sound convincing. I trust Femi Fani-Kayode, the one who is now known and addressed as Femi Olukayode after he got off the hook in a money laundering case, would have done better.

Anyway, Prof. Attahiru Jega has left INEC amid praises for a great job. He left us some lessons. Integrity is a must possession ; it is the only foundation upon which a solid tenure can be erected. A leader must have a strong chin for blows. He or she must be cool and calm in the face of clear threats – remember the Elder Godsday Orubebe hysteria? He must be sober as a judge and, above all, a leader must be transparent and be seen to be so.

Isn’t that the difference between a leader and a boss?

•For comments, send SMS to 08111813080

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

Aliko and Arsenal’s long juju (2) quantum of asset that Aliko wants to buy. So for all of Aliko’s billions, he may never get to own Arsenal.

It is true that money does not discriminate against color but colour would discriminate against money and colour has money. Five years ago when Aliko tried to buy off 15 per cent stake of the club, he was rebuffed and repelled with ridiculous pricing. Those shares were later sold to an American probably for less. This is what I mean by colour would discriminate against money.

Our reality is that if the British ever get too hard up for cash and must dispose of their prize asset, they would rather sell to the Americans who must have the choice of first refusal. Then the Russians would be next in line to buy; then the Asians; then the Arabs, before it could be offered to Africans. Make no mistake about this: colour counts my dear compatriot.

But how is it to be heard that Arsenal is owned by a Nigerian, a country where there

are no modern stadia and no serious football league? The last time Hardball intervened in this matter, Aliko had posited that he would buy the club some day and that it was only a matter of time and they would accept his offer.

Nigerians, including Hardball bayed at him and he has returned to the arena again responding that: “Buying Arsenal will take the Nigerian flag worldwide.” That is true and also quite patriotic too. But while biding his time to take over the Gunners, Hardball insists that there must be something he can help with around here.

Hardball will always site the Aspire example in UAE. He can set up such mini facilities that can help catch and harness local talents. Many of the government sporting facilities and stadia across the land could use a touch of the Midas. He can lease, upgrade and manage or re-lease. This will bring instant boost to Nigeria’s football. Nigeria’s football is actually one huge, unpolished gold.

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Editor Daily: 08111813080, Marketing: 01-8155547 . Abuja Office: Plot 5, Nanka Close AMAC Commercial Complex, Wuse Zone 3, Abuja. Tel: 07028105302. Port Harcourt Office: 12/14, Njemanze Street, Mile 1, Diobu, PH. 08023595790. WEBSITE: www.thenationonlineng.net E-mail: info@thenationonlineng.net ISSN: 115-5302 Editor: GBENGA OMOTOSO