The Nation July 23, 2012

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

Don’t brand Boko Haram terrorists

NEWS

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•Fed Govt tells United States

ACN sweeps Ogun council polls NEWS

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•Chairmen-elect get certificates

www.thenationonlineng.net

VOL. 7, NO. 2195 MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

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More trouble for Jonathan

STORY ON PAGE 2

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

NEWS

•Headquarters of Power Holding company of Nigeria, Maitama Abuja, sealed off by security operatives

Don’t label Boko Haram terrorist group, says Fed Govt

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HE Federal Government has spoken against branding Islamist group Boko Haram a terrorist organisation by the United States (US) as demanded by Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) leader Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor.

At a meeting with the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs in Abuja, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Martin Uhomoibhi said the US Congress should have sought the government’s opinion instead of that of a particular religious leader.

The committee’s clerk, ALhaji Mohammed Zakari, yesterday quoted Uhomoibhi as saying Boko Haram (Western Education is a sin) was a security challenge, which the country had not seen since Independence.

“US should have sought the opinion of Nigeria and not that of CAN or its leader. Nigeria is a secular country, so, seeking the opinion of a religious group is wrong’’ he said.

On July 10, Pastor Oritsejafor addressed a US parliament of the House Sub-committee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights on “U.S. Policy Toward Nigeria:

Fani-Kayode: CAN President’s call in order

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ORMER Aviation Minister Mr Femi Fani-Kayode has backed

President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor’s call on the United States (US) to declare the Boko Haram sect a terrorist organisation.

Oritsejafor drew the flak from Arewa Consultative Forum’s National Vice-Chairman, Senator Joseph Waku, who accused him of trying to divide the country by appearing at an American congressional hearing and urging the US to blacklist the group.

Fani-Kayode said those who accused Oritsejafor of trying to ‘’divide Nigeria’’ “are simply misguided and insincere.”

He said the CAN president represents every Christian in this country just as the Sultan of Sokoto represents every Muslim.

“I believe that we must all show Dele Anofi, Abuja

West Africa’s Troubled Titan’’, saying Boko Haram is not only a northern problem, but a Nigerian problem with global implications. “ Boko Haram has waged a systematic campaign of terror and violence. They seek an end to western influence and a removal of the Christian presence in Nigeria. This is

By Joseph Jibueze

him far more respect than we are doing and that we should appreciate his efforts rather than condemn him at every turn,” he said.

He added: “We must also condemn in the strongest terms those that wish to compel us to silently and stoically accept their terror and not express our outrage and pain about it. They cannot silence us with their insults, their aggression and their threats.”

Fani-Kayode said Boko Haram members have killed as many real Moslems as they have Christians and have divided the country along religious, ethnic and regional lines more than at any time since the civil war.

Therefore, for anyone to complain about the fact that Oritsejafor is doing his job and seeking to protect the lives and property of the Christian community in Nigeria by creating in-

outright terrorism, not legitimate political activity or the airing of grievances’’, he said.

Oritsejafor added: “To this end, by refusing to designate Boko Haram as a foreign terrorist organisation, the United States is sending a very clear message, not just to the Federal Government of Nigeria, but to the world that the murder of innocent Christians

ternational awareness about such beasts is simply absurd, Fani-Kayode said.

“This is a very serious matter that we must not play politics with and that we must not sweep under the carpet because people are being killed every day. We must all join our hands together to fight Boko Haram and we must do all we can to keep Nigeria one,” he said.

Fani-Kayode added: “If Boko Haram is not a terrorist organisation, then they should tell us what it is. This is an organisation that kills women, children and defenceless people in the privacy of their own homes, churches and offices.

“This is an organisation that has killed many of our security personnel and attacked many of our cities and public institutions including media houses and the U.N. Headquarters in

and Muslims who reject Islamism, and I make a clear distinction here between Islam and Islamism, are acceptable losses.

“It is hypocritical for the United States and the international community to say that they believe in freedom and equality, when their actions do not support those who are being persecuted.

Continued on page 60

“A non-designation for the group only serves to hamper the cause of justice, and has emboldened Boko Haram to continue to strike out at those who are denied equal protection under the law. “ Uhomoibhi told the Hon. Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje-led House committee that statement like this was capable of subjecting Nigerians all over

Senators, Reps join forces against Jonathan

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HE impeachment plot against President Gooldluck Jonathan thickened yesterday, with some senators reportedly teaming up with their House of Representatives’ counterparts on the project.

The senators met with some representatives in Abuja, at the weekend, on the budget row with the executive, it was learnt yesterday.

But the Presidency is imputing motives to the House’ move against Dr. Jonathan.

A presidential aide alleged that the House is angry because the executive rejected its demand for the execution of what was described as some “bogus” constituency projects.

The aide also accused Speaker Aminu Tambuwal of using the House as a platform for his supposed 2015 presidential project.

Last Thursday, the House threatened the president with impeachment over what it

From Yusuf Alli, Sanni Onogu and Gbenga Adanikin, Abuja

called “poor implementation” of the budget.

It gave him up till September 30 to ensure “full implementation” of the fiscal policy or “we will start drafting articles of impeachment”.

Sources said the senators joined forces with the representatives because both chambers (Senate and House) must work together on impeachment in line with constitutional provisions.

According to Section 143 (1): The President or Vice-President may be removed from office in accordance with the provision of this section.

(2): Whenever a notice of any allegation in writing signed by not less one-third of the members of the National Assembly: (a) is presented to the President of the Senate; (b) stating that the holder of the office of President or VicePresident is guilty of gross mis-

conduct in the performance of the functions of his office, detailed particulars of which shall be specified.

At plenary last Thursday, the House accused the president of “gross misconduct” for alleged poor implementation of the budget.

A senator told The Nation in confidence: “Some of us have met with some members of the House of Representatives to tell them that we are in support of their action.

“The battle is not that of the House alone, it is for the National Assembly. Let Mr. President take his time to gauge the feeling of all senators, he will know that they are not happy with his administration on the poor implementation of the budget.

“As a chamber, the Senate has passed many resolutions too which the president has not implemented. We considered the reports on Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) and pension fraud but the

government just kept quiet as if we are in the Senate as spectators.

“I can tell you that there are sufficient grounds to initiate impeachment process against the President.”

Another senator said: “The Presidency will be making a great mistake to bank on the Senate for reprieve if the House is adamant to actualise its impeachment threat.

“On security ground alone, the impeachment proceedings will succeed. We are all tired of the high-level of insecurity in the country.

“So, it is in the interest of the executive to implement the budget as directed by the House instead of glossing over last Thursday’s resolution of the House.”

Yet another senator said: “We will use this recess to consolidate our plans on what to do if the President does not address the budget implementation target.

the world to rough scrutiny by US agents and other international agencies.

“For us at the Ministry, Boko Haram should not be designated as International Terrorist Organisation (ITO) or Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) as Nigeria is a secular country and we are working with all other stakeholders to resolve this menace’’, Uhomoibhi said.

Ms Elendu-Ukeje said the committee wanted to know the official position of the government on the issue.

She said though Nigeria is a multi-diverse and multi religious country, it was necessary for the Ministry to let the committee know its thinking and that of the government on the proper designation of Boko Haram.

On June 21, the US designated three leaders of the militant group as terrorists in a bid to stem violence in Nigeria, which has endured a series of deadly attacks.

Those named by the State Department were Abubakar Shekau, widely believed to lead Boko Haram’s main Islamist cell; Abubakar Adam Kambar and Khalid al-Barnawi.

But the US stopped short of putting the group as a whole on its terror list.

One dead in Bauchi blast

P •Dr. Jonathan

“We all felt insulted that the president also recalled the Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms Arunma Oteh, in spite of issues surrounding her tenure.

“Nigerians should appreciate that even if the Senate maintains a parallel position, senators and representatives will eventually hold a joint session where votes will count Continued on page 6

OLICE in Bauchi have launched investigation into last night’s explosion in the state capital.

A six-year-old boy was killed and 10 others injured when a bomb hidden inside a wheelbarrow exploded near a beer garden.

The explosion struck a bar where people gathered to take beer, despite the state being ruled under Shariah law.

Bauchi State Police Commissioner Mohammed Ladan said the blast killed the boy, who was near the bar.

But some eye witnesses said four people were feared dead.

Adamu Abubakar, a Red Cross official, said security forces had surrounded the area.

Bauchi has been previousContinued on page 6

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

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NEWS

Fed Govt to pay expectant mothers N5,000

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•Former military President Ibrahim Babangida, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar (right) and a graduand of the ElAmin International School, Minna, Hauwa Larai Abdulkadir at the 13th graduation ceremony of the school. PHOTO: NAN

•Kwara State Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed commissioning 250 tricycles for commercial use. With him are Special Adviser to Kwara Governor on Transport, Alhaji Bibire Ajape (left), Commander, Frsc Zone 8, Mr Adeniyi Adeleye, And Head Of Service, Alhaji Mohammed Dabarako

HE Federal Government has concluded plans to pay women who attend antenatal clinics as part of efforts to tackle the menace of maternal mortality.

The plan would be executed as part of the Midwifery Service Scheme (MSS) introduced in 2010 and it is hoped that it would also impact positively on child health.

More than 4,000 midwives have been deployed to 1,000 health facilities nationwide under the MSS. Dr. Abdullahi Mohammed, Director, Primary Health Care System Development, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, disclosed the conclusion of payment plan to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja yesterday. He said government budgeted N15 billion for Maternal and Child Health Care from the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P). He added that part of the money would also be used to employ additional 2,000 midwives for the MSS. “The SURE-P Maternal and Child Health Care component has budgets close to 15 billion naira for maternal and child health component. Key elements involved is not just on the midwives bringing them (pregnant women) alone, the other component of it is what we call the conditional cash transfer; it’s also part of the demand side intervention. You know in the health care delivery system we have the supply side intervention; we have the demand side intervention. For the supply side intervention includes all what we do; the input that we need to put in to provide the services. “But the demand side intervention what do you need to do for the client to be able to come to access your services?

You must remove the financial barrier.”

Mohammed said the payment plan was designed to assist women to address the demand side constraints of maternal health. The director said the total package of the financial incentives for each woman was five thousand naira.

He said: “The key issue the conditional cash transfer is designed to address is those demand side constraints, but there is a financial incentive for the woman who does some basic things that are tied to being provided these incentives.

“The woman must deliver at the facility; if she does, she is entitled to something; the woman must also ensure that the child is fully immunised. “The total package is about N5,000. It is not big, but the feeling is that considering the level of poverty, it’s enough for women to attend antenatal clinic.’’

Mohammed also told NAN that while antenatal clinic attendance was free, it had some incidental expenses that discouraged pregnant women from registering for antenatal care. He said funding from Sure-P would enable the agency to ensure that the relevant health services were of good quality, that care providers were available and to ensure that the facilities provided were conducive to antenatal attendance. Mohammed added that part of the fund would be used to train health services providers, a component germane to the growth of the programme.

‘Why we’ve high accidents rate on Lokoja-Abuja road’

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•FCT Minister Bala Mohammed (second right) , former House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Masari (right), Board member of Abuja Property Development Company , Mr.Ayom Moses, (left) and presidential aide, Mr. Dinnis Sami (second left) .

HE Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has identified telephone calls while driving, excessive speeding and overloading as being responsible for the incessant road crashes on Lokoja-Abuja road.

The Assistant Corps Marshall in charge of Ekiti, Kogi and Kwara states, Mr Kehinde Adeleye spoke yesterday in Lokoja at the end of a two-day familiarisation tour of FRSC formations in Kogi.

He said acts of indiscipline and nonadherence to traffic rules were particularly rampant among the educated users of the road, thereby compounding the problem.

Adeleye said that the commission was determined to reverse the trend by compelling motorists to obey the traffic rules, and to arrest and prosecute erring drivers.

He said the FRSC had made itself more visible on the road by establishing four unit commands between Okene-Abuja.

Adeleye also said more personnel and logistics would be deployed to the four unit commands to stem the car-

nage.

He further said more options were also on the card to ensure a safer motoring environment in all parts of the country.

According to him, the commission has in its quest to ensure quick response to distress calls acquired a toll free line which members of the public can use free of charge to reach its officials.

The FRSC chief, who gave the toll free line as 122 urged Nigerian to use it responsibly and be forthcoming with details of accidents or traffic bottleneck in any part of the country.

He said in the course of his visit, he held meetings with traditional rulers, leaders of transport unions, NYSC officials in the state and other stakeholders.

He said the commission would seek the partnership of the police, civil defence corps, the Red Cross and relevant organisations in its efforts to restore sanity on the roads.

Adeleye urged officers and men of the commission to be more dedicated to their duties, and warned them to shun corruption and indiscipline.

Police provide e-mail address to fight crime

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•From right: Monsignor Philip Hoteym, Chaplain of Marian Shrine, Rt Rev. John Aniegwu, Parish Priest of St. Leo Catholic Church, Ikeja and Rev Father Gabriel Agule, Assistant Parish Priest of St Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland during the commissioning of the Social Centre at St. Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland ...yesterday.

HE Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, has approved the release of a new e-mail address to enable the public communicate directly with him on issues relating to crime.

The address is policemonitor@npf.gov.ng.

This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday by the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Mr Frank Mba. The statement advised that the address should be strictly used for the purpose for which it was meant.

The statement said the address could also be used to report cases of breach of public peace and information on ongoing investigations by the police and other security agencies.

It should be used “to report the conduct of police personnel or the conduct of personnel of other law enforcement agencies involved in corrupt and other forms of unlawful acts.”

It appealed to potential users of the email to ensure the authenticity of their information.

The statement stated that the information provided through the medium would be treated with confidentiality, adding that the anonymity of providers would be respected.

“The effective use of the new email address will help in checkmating excesses of law enforcement personnel, encourage free flow of information between the public and police managers, and ultimately promote efficiency and better service delivery.”

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

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NEWS

How far can Nigeria’s low-cost tablet computer go?

Faced with competition from giants as such ipad, Inye, a low-cost tablet computer developed by a Nigerian, has a long way to go, reports the BBC

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AHEED Adepoju is a young man with big dreams. He is the inventor of the Inye, a tablet computer designed for the African market.

According to the 29-year-old entrepreneur, his machine’s key selling point is its price - $350 (£225) opposed to around $700 for an iPad. He believes that, because of this, there is a big market for it in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa, particularly amongst students.

He is also hoping to sell his tablet which runs on the Google Android operating system - to the Nigerian government and plans to have at least one computer in each local government area.

The Inye is a mobile internet device. It gives you access to the internet; it allows you to play media files and watch movies” “The Inye is a mobile internet device.

It gives you access to the internet; it allows you to play media files and watch movies. What we have is an 8-inch device, a device that is half-way between a laptop and a mobile phone,” he told the BBC’s series African Dream.

“You have the standard software applications that come pre-installed and then you have the ones that we are working with various local developers to bundle on,” he added.

Among those local apps there is one designed to raise awareness about HIV and others related to water and sanitation.

“We work with local developers that have expertise in particular areas so that we don’t end up doing so much work and we just have a collaborative way of doing things together,” he said.

‘Word of mouth’ Mr Adepoju has a background in software development and is a Sun-certified Java programmer.

After doing a first degree in maths and computer science in Nigeria, he completed another one in advanced computing by research at Bournemouth University, in the United Kingdom.

Upon graduation in 2009, he returned to his home country and started working for a consulting firm.

“Within eight months I got fired, pri-

About Adepoju Age: 29 Degree in Maths and computer science, The Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria, 2005 Advanced Computing, Bournemouth University, UK, 2008 Worked briefly for a consulting firm Cofounded Encipher Group with Anibe Agamah Starting capital: $60,000 The Encipher Inye was released in 2010 Inye means One in Igala, a language in Nigeria

marily because of differences in approach to doing business. In the middle of all this, the Apple iPad launched, back in January of 2010, which inspired us to actually look to build such [a] product within the African marketplace,” the entrepreneur told the BBC Africa’s Chris Ewokor.

He said that, with that goal in mind, he borrowed money from friends and family, raising a total of about $60,000.

According to him, all of that went on the devices and the logistics - there was no budget for marketing, so early advertising was “word of mouth” on social media.

The first 100 units of the Inye, which means One in Nigeria’s Igala language, were built in China and, after receiving feedback from its users, a second version was launched in May 2011.

Encipher Group, the company he cofounded with web developer Anibe Agamah, also offers customised IT services and products, including cloud computing, which are mostly based on open technology to keep costs down.

Raising capital According to Mr Adepoju, the company and the apps it develops are focused on preserving local culture through technology and making products which are specific to the local market.

Another product that the firm has been working on is Encipher TV, a box where people can watch African television, plays and films.

However, he says that it has not been easy to raise capital in order to develop the business faster.

“Here venture capital (VC) is still in its infancy and most VC firms wound want to invest in tried and trusted companies that have gained some form of traction,” he said.

“We face the challenge of getting people to listen to the various propositions. We’ve been to a number of private investors and also to the government,” he explained.

Not surprisingly, his immediate plan is to “try and raise capital from whatever sources we can get - locally,

About Inye Screen: 8-inch capacitive touchscreen Processor: 1Ghz Connectivity: WiFi, 3G, Bluetooth I/O: USB, micro USB, SD card slot (up to 32Gb), 35mm sound jack, HDMI, SIM card for 3G OS: Android Battery: 5hrs Storage: 8Gb internal, 16Gb in the box Warranty: 12 months App store: Google play store Local apps: Spinlet for streaming local Nigerian music and many locally inclined applications internationally or privately - and to try and still to push the brand forward as much as we can”.

Will his tablet computer succeed in such a competitive environment?

Only time will tell but Mr Adepoju

and his colleagues are adamant that it will, not only in Nigeria but also in other African markets.

•bbc.co.uk

Zambia introduces stringent visa requirements for Nigerians ‘ Z AMBIA has excluded Nigeria among the African and Commonwealth countries that do not require visa to enter the country.

Ordinarily, Nigerians should obtain Zambian visa at the point of entry into the country but latest development indicate that Zambia authorities have changed their mind on free visa application requirements for Nigerians.

The new law requires that even for just passing through, Nigerians should apply for transit visas from Zambian Missions abroad.

The move by Zambia seems to stem from an incident in December last year when Nigerian businessmen were deported on the orders of then new president Michael Sata for allegedly supporting the then ruling party MMD.The country said in its website that Nigerian nationals and some others going to Zambia as private/ business visitors or in transit shall apply for visas at Zambian Missions abroad.

The statement on the Zambia Immi-

gration website reads: “Nationals of all Commonwealth countries do not require visas to enter Zambia except for those nationals from Australia, Britain, Canada, Gambia, Ghana, India, New Zealand, Nigeria, SierraLeone, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Sri-Lanka who need visas on a reciprocal basis.”

This has always been the case with all the countries except Nigeria which was included to the list last month.

The change in visa requirement came to public notice when some Nigerian journalists failed to travel to Zambia for the CNNMultiChoice media wards held in Lusaka.

On realising the Zambian stance on Nigeria, some delegates and officials including the Editor of Daily Independent, Ikechukwu Amaechi billed to attend the CNN/MultiChoice 2012 African Journalist award held in that country for the first time last weekend and who did not start their visa application early stayed back.

Nationals of all Commonwealth countries do not require visas to enter Zambia except for those nationals from Australia, Britain, Canada, Gambia, Ghana, India, New Zealand, Nigeria, SierraLeone, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and SriLanka who need visas on a reciprocal basis.”

‘

It remains to see how the government reacts.

Few months ago, South Africa deported some Nigerians on the excuse of fake yellow fever documents. Nigeria retaliated blocking all South Africans from entering Nigeria.

South Africa apologised and the situation was normalised.

On December 23, 2011, the federal government of Nigeria says it was using the appropriate diplomatic channels to avert a crisis, which may result between Nigeria and Zambia as a result of the “unfair” deportation of some Nigerians from Zambia A Zambia newspaper, Daily Nation in its December 15, 2011 edition had reported that some prosperous Nigerians who are legal residents of the country were deported allegedly on the orders of newly inaugurated President Michael Sata for having supported his opponents in September 2011 general elections.

The Permanent Secretary of the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Martin Uhomoibhi said the Nigerian government was already aware of the matter and was taking advantage of the fact that a good relation exists between the two nations to resolve the matter.

He expressed hope that Zambia would not do anything to jeopardise its relationship with Nigeria.

“It is like business; there is always a risk in it. So, you take risks. We will normally not do anything that would hurt our diplomatic relations,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary was speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, Nigeria.

Already, a couple of Nigerians, notably a Pastor of the Winner’s Chapel in Zambia, Victor Adeniyi and a bank manager (name withheld) have been deported for frivolous reasons.

The ‘offence’ committed by the bank manager was that he gave an advance of $1m to former president President Rupiah Banda which he used to establish a fund which is now under investigation. Adeniyi was also supporter of Banda.

•Culled from www.zambianwatchdog.com

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

NEWS Police arrest man with explosives

ACN sweeps Ogun council polls CTION Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday swept the polls in the Ogun State local government election.

The ruling party won the chairmanship seats in the 19 local government areas where results were declared.

The result in Imeko Afon local government was withheld because of a pending law suit.

Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) Chairman Alhaja Risikat Ogunfemi who announced the results asked the chairman-elect to come for their certificates of return today.

The party also won an overwhelming majority of the councillorship seats, conceding only nine seats to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) won a seat in Ijebu East.

The chairmen-elect are: Ijebu North- Otunba Olaide Osifeso; Ijebu North East- Hon. David Femi Oyefowokan; Ijebu Ode- Oluwakemi Razaq; Ikenne- Tajudeen Salako; Ogun Waterside- Rufai Razaq and Obafemi Owode- Alhaji Diyaolu Nurudeen.

Others are Yewa North- Tajudeen Amoo; Yewa SouthHon. Safiu Odebiyi; Ifo- Hon. Olumide Enilolobo; EwekoroHon. Oludele Soluade, Remo North- Chief Abayomi Femi; Odogbolu LG - Olawale Shittu, Abeokuta North - Olabode Taofeek and Ijebu East- Ogunde Patrick.

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Tinubu lauds election

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ATIONAL leader of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commended Ogun State Government for the peaceful and credible local government election.

Tinubu spoke during the fourth Alhaji Kafaru Tinubu Memorial Ramadan Lecture in Lagos. Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun was chairman at the lecture.

The ACN leader said “prior to the election, many had predicted that blood would flow freely. They said there will be mayhem and violence. But I thank Allah that the prediction of these dooms day prophets did not come to pass. The Local government election was held on Saturday and It went peacefully without any hitch.

‘I want to also congratulate Senator Amosun for the manner he conducted the election. From the report I heard, the election was not only peaceful but also free and fair. I congratulate the governor for this and I want to ask for more prayers for him so that he can achieve greater success”, he said.

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

Sagamu - Afuape Oluwafunmilayo; Abeokuta South, Lanre Edun, Ado Odo/OtaRamon Jimoh and Ipokia - Aderounmu Isiaka.

The ACN hailed the outcome of the polls as a demonstration of the goodwill of the party, helped by the “success recorded by Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s administration” in the last one year.

In a statement, its Publicity Secretary, Mr Shola Lawal, said the victory also reflected the resolve of the people to consolidate the broom revolution in the state. He advised the opposition parties to put their houses in order instead of grumbling over the outcome of the polls.

“The outcome of the polls is not unexpected considering the overwhelming goodwill enjoyed by ACN. This widespread support has also been further helped by successes recorded by the Amosun administration. “ The outcome reflects the desire of Ogun state people to consolidate the broom revolution in replication of Edo experience. ACN will never associate itself with any form of anti-democratic manoeuvring such as rigging. “ Opposition should put its house in order so as to escape such magnitude of humiliation as they suffer at the polls,” Lawal said.

Ogun state Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) also gave a pass mark

to OGSIEC for conducting a well organised and hitch-free local government election.

Nine of the 14 political parties that fielded candidates in the election spoke under the auspices of Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) in a post-election news conference in Abeokuta yesterday, acknowledged that the electoral umpire gave a good account of itself by ensuring that all candidates from the opposition parties and their agents at the polling booths were accorded fair treatment during the election.

In an address by its chairman Chief Owolabi Odebudo, where representatives of other political parties that contested the election were present, the group also commended the ACN administration for non-interference in the conduct of the election, adding that Governor Amosun deserves accolade for giving a free hand to OGSIEC to organise and conduct a free and fair election.

The group appealed to winners in the election to be magnanimous in victory and the losers to accept the results in good faith as election should not be seen as a do or die affair.

The CNPP called on other states yet to conduct the council polls to borrow a leaf from the state and work towards conducting the election in their respective states as stipulated in the Electoral Act.

By Precious Igbonwelundu

•Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar

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OLICE in Lagos yesterday confirmed that they are interrogating a man believed to be carrying some items suspected to be explosives.

It was gathered that the suspect was arrested at Orile Bus stop in Lagos.

The Commissioner of Police in charge of the bomb disposal unit, Mr Foluso Adebanjo, confirmed that the man is in their custody.

He said: “A man was arrested and we are still interrogating him and cannot say whether what was found on him are explosives or not for now”.

The suspect who was simply identified as Lawal had joined members of Living Faith Church, aka Winners’ Chapel, who were going for worship at the church’s headquarters in Sango Ota, Ogun Sate.

He was suspected to be carrying explosive by some of the church members who raised the alarm.

One of the worshipers who pleaded anonymity said the suspect was shabbily dressed and was acting strangely.

“He was looking shabby but when scrutunised closely, we discovered he had some celotaped substances with a celotaped mobile phone on his hand.

“We became suspicious because wire was attached to the substance and it looked carefully seal,” he said.

According to a source, the members wondered how he would be carrying those items.

Two members of the churchwho are security operatives and were also riding in the bus were invited to examine the items found on the suspect.

The source said after the examination by the security men, the man was arrested and handed over to the police at Orile Police division.

A source at the Orile Police Station confirmed that the suspect was carrying heavy gadgets including a cell phone connected with a wired attached to the substance and carefully sealed and cellotaped.

The Police source said the suspect also had an extra phone that was equally cellotaped.

Tribunal adjourns case on Lagos Council poll till August 1

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•Alhaja Ogunfemi announcing the results in Abeokuta…yesterday. With her is a member of OGSIEC, Mr Mutiu Agboke

PHOTO: NAN

Senators, Reps join forces against Jonathan Continued from page 2

equally. With the numerical strength of the House, any motion can sail through at the joint sitting.”

A high-ranking member of the House said the overwhelming support for the ultimatum given to the President should be a signal that there is a communication gap between the executive and the House.

“Not even members of the House from the Southsouth could rally round the executive. That has confirmed that we all saw the Nigerian Project beyond ethnicity. It

also showed the waning influence of the President in the National Assembly.

“As a matter of fact, the motion on the budget was drafted by a member of the House from the Southsouth.

The member was determined to move the motion openly but for tactical reasons, the House leadership decided otherwise. The country is not moving forward, we are unhappy.

“We have opened up talks with some senators on the way forward. I think constitutionally, we can find a solution to the challenges at hand in the country. We have our

game plan.”

“Some senators and House members are also meeting in the United Kingdom and United States during the vacation on this game plan.”

But the President’s aide, who called our correspondent on the telephone said: “The House members are plotting against the president because the Executive is circumspect on the implementation of their bogus constituency projects padded in the 2012 budget.

“So, the noise itself has selfish motive undertone, it has nothing to do with concern for the masses.

“Also, from available re-

ports, the Speaker is said to be interested in the 2015 presidency. He is, therefore, using the House as a platform to feather his own nest.

“By the time members of the House will realise that they are being used, it will be too late in the day.”

The source was confident that the impeachment threat will not succeed.

“I can tell you that this government is a responsible one and it has done its best to implement the budget. When Nigerians see the budget report card, they will be shocked that the House was just crying wolf.”

EARING of the local government election petition involving Lagos State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will resume on August 1 at the Local Government Election Tribunal chaired by Justice Ade Owobiyi.

PDP chairmanship candidate in Agbado Oke Odo Local Council Development Area (LCDA),Otunba Busari Akande, is challenging the victory of the ACN candidate, Dr. Augustine Arogun, who was declared winner by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) headed

by Justice Fatai Adeyinka (rtd) during last year’s council poll.

Justice Owobiyi adjourned further hearing in the case, following an application for a change of counsel by Arogun.

The application was served on the petitioner’s counsel, Chief Kunle Kalejaye (SAN), by a lawyer, Mr. Kunle Adegoke, inside the tribunal.

Accompanied by a team of lawyers, including Lanre Baruwa, Mutiu Olaoye and A.O. Sobayo, the legal practitioner explained that the defendants; ACN, Arogun and LASIEC, would not be represented by different counsel, if the application succeeds.

However, Kalejaye opposed the application after acknowledging its receipt when Justice Owobiyi asked for his response, saying that he would need more time to react to it.

He said: “Definitely, we shall be opposing the application.

We had just been served five minutes ago. Therefore, we shall need time to react”.

Adegoke, who brought the application noted that, since the counsel had indicated a desire to oppose the application, it is now incumbent on him to bring

By Emmanuel Oladesu Deputy Political Editor

his own application for adjournment. He argued that the change of counsel has constitutional basis, stressing that the defendant cannot be shut out of the case.

The tribunal chairman adjourned the case till August 1, saying that, not only would he rule on the application, the substantive suit would also proceed on that date.

Adegoke told reporters that the application was harmless, maintaining that it had a basis in the law. He added:”We brought an application for a change of counsel, Mr. Adeyemi, who has been appearing for the first, second and third defendants. We want to come into the case. It is a harmless application. Every litigant is expected to have a counsel of his choice. We never expanded the petitioner’s counsel to object to the application. We were just briefed yesterday (last Thursday) and we had served the application on the plaintiff’s counsel”.

Scores of party faithful besieged the tribunal sitting at the old National Assembly Complex, Tafawa Balewa Square, Onikan. Some of them expressed disappointment at the slow pace the tribunal had progressed since it was set up, following the 2011 council polls.

One dead in Bauchi blast Continued from page 2

ly struck by sectarian violence sweeping across the north with Islamist sect Boko Haram claiming responsibility for most of the attacks.

However, the sect did not immediately claim responsibility for yesterday’s attack.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

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NEWS Peterside to health workers: eschew disunity

Akpabio praises Jonathan for improvement in basic education

CHAIRMAN, House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Dakuku Peterside, has urged stakeholders in healthcare delivery to close ranks in the interest of the people.

The law maker spoke at a reception in honour of some members of the National Assembly by the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria at the weekend in Abuja.

Peterside, who is also a member of the association, warned that disunity would derail efforts to improve the healthcare delivery system.

Peterside described healthcare delivery stakeholders as special people who must eschew rivalry and unnecessary crisis, if they hope to deliver on the promises of their professions.

He said: “Health care all over the world is a multi-disciplinary activity; therefore professionals in the sector must learn to respect and appreciate one another for them to achieve their ultimate aim in their various careers.

Therefore, team work must essentially guide these professionals.”

The event attracted legislators from both the Upper and Lower chambers, academics, medical laboratory scientists and their friends from far and near culminated with the presentation of awards to deserving individuals.

Aside Peterside, other awardees are , Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha, Vice-Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Senator Olusola Adeyeye, Senator Chris Anyanwu and the late Senator Gyang Dantong, who received a posthumous award.

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KWA Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio has praised President Goodluck Jonathan for setting up a dedicated team to drive the revival of basic education.

Akpabio spoke while receiving the Minister of State for Education Nyesom Wike at the Government House, Uyo. He noted that the nation has witnessed unparalleled progress in enhancing the quality of basic education available to the less privileged in the last one year.

Akpabio said: “I wish to commend the President for the appointment of a dedicated Nigerian who has brought passion to the table in addressing challenges facing basic education. We are witnessing uncommon transformation in this very important sector.”

The governor said the Federal Government under Jonathan has ensured a working partnership with states to develop the nation, pointing out that the free distribution of books to Nigerian children and the capacity building for teach ers across the country were two of such programmes.

Wike said Akwa Ibom State has proved itself to be one of the leading states in the provision of free basic education to children of the poor and less privileged.

He appealed to the Akwa Ibom State Government to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Education to

• Akpabio and Wike during the visit increase the in-take of students at the Federal Science and Technical College, Uyo. He said as the only girls only technical college in Nigeria, in-

take in the school has been below par.

The minister urged the governor to assist the school by constructing a parameter fence for it and construct-

ing its internal roads.

Akpabio agreed to construct the school’s internal roads and fence as well as build its parameter fence.

UI SSANU threatens strike over pay

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HE University of Ibadan chapter of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government over the implementation of the 2009 agreement on salaries, emoluments and condition of service for its members.

The ultimatum, according to the Chairman of the association, Mr Wale Akinremi, is to send strong signals to the state and Federal Government that SSANU means business.

The union took the decision at its congress held at the Department of Theatre Arts of the University, at the weekend.

The congress frowned at the alleged insincerity of the Federal Government on the implementation of the agreement, saying it has stretched the patience of members.

The union said all the efforts to ensure that the issue did not degenerate to crisis was not appreciated.

The congress also resolved to resist attempts by state governments to overburden the workers with heavy tax, stressing that only the tax rate applied by the Federal Government is acceptable.

The congress also deplored the unfair treatment of members by the state government whenever there is demand for tax clearance certificate

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

by any of them, arguing that “it is very sad that our members are denied tax clearance certificate at the point of need and this has led to the forfeiture of some opportunities”.

Akinremi, who addressed reporters after the congress, said: “But, the level at which things are now, we may have no option since it seems the only language our leaders understand is the language of force. We know the students are our children and we don’t want to subject them to unnecessary hardship, hence our cautious approach since all these days.

“Whatever happens thereafter should not be blamed on us but on the Federal Government which cares less about the citizens. Imagine the way the agreement signed by the government and the university workers in 2009 was handled and how its implementation became another tug of war.

“Is it possible to give any worker an assignment and would not carry out the assignment for months or even years and the same worker would still remain on the job? Certainly, it is not possible, but, here we are with our government behaving as if it has any other thing doing than to serve the citizens. We will continue to demand for our right, using the language they understand.”

Kogi: Jonathan petitioned over plot to intimidate Echocho

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US-BASED International Centre for Advancement of Justice and Peace in Emerging Democracies (ICJAPED) has petitioned President Goodluck Jonathan over an alleged plot to use the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to intimidate a former governorship candidate in Kogi State , Mr. Jibrin Isah Echocho to force him to withdraw his petition against Governor Idris Wada.

Echocho is in court challenging the nomination of Wada as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after he had won the party’s primaries on January 9, last year.

Although Echocho is awaiting judgment from the Federal High Court Abuja, the EFCC served him an emergency summons to appear before it for ‘interrogation’ next week on some issues about the management of the defunct Afribank.

But in its July 18 petition to the President, the US-based organization queried why the EFCC is now turning Echocho into an accused after he had served as a witness during the trial of some former bank Executives.

From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

The petition was signed by It alleged that the invitation of Echocho by the EFCC was designed to prejudge the outcome of his application before the court.

The petition said: “We wish to draw your kind attention to our concerns on the many petitions from our members in Nigeria on recent actions of the Economic Financial Crime Commission of Nigeria and the shocking allegations against it.

“This is coming after extensive study and consultations on the many petitions forwarded to our office by our members, including a well-circulated press release by Chief Olanipekun (SAN) Chambers, regarding the escalation of threats of harassment and even physical attacks against Jibrin Isah Echocho, a contender in a judicial tussle for Kogi State governorship against Wada Idris, the present Governor of Kogi State, both members of your political party, Peoples Democratic Party.

“We therefore protest in the stron-

gest term against the purported use of the EFCC for the purpose of harassment and intimidation. The information made available by our members show that the current involvement of the EFCC in the matter may be rightly interpreted as promoting institutionalized intimidation in a democracy.

“Specifically, threats of prosecution or the withdrawal of a person’s status as prosecution witness in a court case should not be used by the EFCC or any well- meaning organization of Government to censor and intimidate him or her.

“We firmly believe that the present headship of the EFCC was in the decision to use Jibrin Isah as a prosecution witness in the Afribank saga and this was established based on a careful assessment of the facts and the law.

“As far we know, there is no legal basis for the threat of prosecution except if allegations of close ties between a chieftain of the EFCC and Idris Wada, a political opponent of Jibrin Isah are anything to go by.

“Again, if it is true that the present security aide to Wada Idris, ASP Mohammed Idris was a former aide

of a present chieftain of the EFCC, then, it becomes very easy to deduce a valid affiliation and we wish to conclude that this may clearly be a new attack against democracy.

“As much as we agree that it is common knowledge for people to make bogus accusations, it is however important that these issues are properly investigated and an inquiry instituted to determine whether the accusations that some opposing political interests to Jibrin Isah are “intimately involved” with the EFCC.” The organization said while it believes in anti-corruption campaign, it should not be used to criminalise political opponents.

The petition added: “While we applaud and endorse any initiative by the EFCC to fight corruption in Nigeria , we however do not believe that criminalising political opponents can ever serve that purpose.

“We strongly feel that a focused organisation like the EFCC under the leadership of highly respected Ibrahim Lamorde should take decisions based on merits, not politics or the party involved.”

Lion Club installs Ekpuk District 404A governor THE Lions Clubs International District 404A has installed Mr. Samuel Owoediomoh Ekpuk as the 2012/13 Governor of the District at an impressive ceremony last Friday at the Rivers State House of Assembly.

The installation of Ekpuk, a former Leo District President (1994) and former President of Port Harcourt Crystal Lions Club, was performed by Lion Wayne Madden, the International President of The International Association of Lions Clubs, who is on a working visit to Nigeria.

Born on April 1, 1970, the new Lion District Governor is a Veteran Lion with over 27 years of service in the Lions Family and a winner of many awards for humanitarian service, fellowships and commendations.

He is diamond Progressive Melvin Jones Fellowship, Nigeria Lions Charity Funds contributor, and has received Leadership and Appreciation Awards from seven International Lions Presidents.

Ekpuk, a trained banker, is an MBA Graduate of Enugu State University.

Married to Yvonne, they are blessed with three lovely children.

Ekpuk said he would encourage fellow Lions to execute the Opening Eyes Initiative, a project aimed at providing free quality eye screening and treatment access to less privileged Nigerians to help correct and treat their sight problems.

•Ekpuk

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

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RAMADAN

Tinubu urges Christians, Muslims to live in peace

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CTION Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu yesterday urged Christians and Muslims to promote peaceful co-existence for the good of the country.

Tinubu spoke at the fourth Alhaji Kafaru Oluwole Tinubu Memorial Ramadan lecture held at the Lagos State Television (LTV) Blue Roof.

The event was chaired by Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

Recalling the life and time of the former Health Minister, Governor Amosun said Papa K.O Tinubu was a role model and prayed for the repose of his soul.

Professor Fatimoh Abdul Kareem, who delivered the first lecture, entitled: When a Muslim Dies, charged Muslims to lead a life of reality.

All Muslims, she said, must live a life of reality.

“That part of reality is that all of us cannot be the same.

Some will be poor. Some will be rich. Part of reality is that only death is common. Death

By Emmanuel Oladesu, Deputy Political Editor

is a reality. Allah thus urges all Muslims to follow mercy.

Because all on earth will perish. It is Allah who gives life and takes it,” she said.

Another cleric, Ustaz Mustapha Ade Bello, who spoke on The Nigerian Nation and the Quest for Peace, cautioned against attributing conflicts and violence to Islam.

Ustaz Bello described Islam as a religion of peace, recalling that the Prophet Muhammad preached peaceful co-existence throughout his life.

Bello said those behind the violence in the country today are not true Muslims.

Bello also condemned the kidnap of the veteran Muslim broadcaster, Alhaji Gawat.

He urged government to initiate policies that will eradicate poverty and empower the people. He also advocated for compulsory religious education at all

•From right: Asiwaju Tinubu chatting with Governors Fashola and Amosun

‘Government should initiate policies that will eradicate poverty and empower the people’ levels in schools.

Governor Fashola sued for peace between Christians and Muslims, saying only

peaceful co-existence could bring development.

The lecture was attended by Justice Ishola Olorunnimbe (rtd); Lagos State Deputy Governor Adejoke OrelopeAdefulire; House of Assembly Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji; former Minister of State for Defence Demola Seriki; the deceased widow, Alhaja Fatimat Bintu Tinubu; Mr Wale Tinubu and other members of the Tinubu family.

•Alhaja Binu Tinubu

STF donates food items in Plateau

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HE Military Special Task Force (STF) charged with maintaining peace in Plateau on Sunday donated food items to the Muslims Ummah in the state for the observance of the Ramadan.

The items include 10 bags of Guinea corn, 10 bags of rice, 20 bags of noodles and five bags of sugar.

The STF Commander, Maj.Gen. Henry Ayoola, while presenting the items to the Chief Imam of Jos Central Mosque, Sheik Balarabe Dawud, said, “the gesture is an expression of identifying with you during this year’s Ramadan.”

“We came here with only a token of what we hope will be of help to you in this Ramadan sacred period. It’s our own way of showing solidarity.

“It is our belief that we should be part of anything that will touch on God for the well being of the society, hence the gesture we brought to you today,” he

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said.

Ayoola called on the Muslim Ummah of the state not to relent in their prayers for the restoration of a lasting peace in Plateau and Nigeria as a whole.

The commander, who called on the Muslims Ummah to be law abiding in all their dealings, wished them a successful Ramadan.

Responding on behalf of the Muslim Ummah, Sheikh Dawud thanked the commander for the gesture, which he described as the first of its kind since the arrival of the STF in Plateau.

“We have had different rapport with you, but not in this manner, for this is the first time that STF is donating such food items to us at a time like this. ‘‘The Muslims in Plateau are peace loving people and we shall use this very Ramadan to pray for the restoration and sustenance of peace in the state,” the Chief Imam said.

Group prays for peace

N Islamic organisation, Munazzamtul Fityanul Islam of Nigeria yesterday in Kankara, Katsina State offered prayers for peace in Nigeria.

Katsina State Chairman of the organisation Sheikh Isiyaku Batagarawa called for peaceful co-existence and brotherhood among Nigerians.

Batagarawa said the prayer was organised due to the present security challenges in the country.

He explained that whatever conditions human beings found themselves, increased prayers to Allah could change the situation.

He said the association had conducted similar prayers at Daura and Safana Local Government Areas.

The chairman appealed to governments at all levels to beef up investments in youth empowerment programmes and urged wealthy individuals and organisations to complement government’s

efforts.

In his remarks, the Chairman, Caretaker Committee of Kankara Local Government Area, Alhaji Abdulhadi Abdullahi, urged Nigerians to embrace peace and shun all forms of violence.

Abdullahi enjoined parents to ensure proper upbringing of their children.

He commended Governor Ibrahim Shema, for facilitating the prayer initiative.

The District Head of Kankara, Alhaji Muhmmad Lawal, assured maximum support from the traditional rulers.

Alhaji Lawal enjoined the people to respect individual values in the society.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that lectures were delivered at the occasion attended by religious, community groups, students and government officials.

•Prof Abdul Kareem

Oshiomhole urges Muslims to pray for blessings

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•From right: Maj. Gen. Raji Rasaki; Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria (ADS) Abuja Branch Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Adebayo; President National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Alhaji Najeem Yasin and former Chief of Staff to the Presiddnt, Maj. Gen. Abdullahi Mohammed during the 18th Ramadan Lecture and Special Prayer for the Nation organised by ADS at Maitama, Abuja.

Niger to spend N47m on Ramadan feeding

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IGER State Government has earmarked N47 million on Ramadan feeding this year as part of its social responsibility, Alhaji Hamid Kadi , the Permanent Secretary in charge of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, has said.

Kadi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that N40 million would be used in feeding Almajiris in 23 cluster groups across the state during the pe-

riod.

The permanent secretary said the remaining N7 million would be spent on other less-privileged Muslims at designated mosques across the state.

He said the ministry would work with individuals to make the programme a success, adding that some Muslim clerics would be executing their own feeding programme during Ramadan to make the exer-

cise easier for the ordinary Muslim.

Kadi urged wealthy individuals and organisations to also assist the needy during the period to enable them to perform their religious obligation with ease.

He urged traders to show compassion to members of the Muslim community by reducing the prices of items needed for the fasting, especially fruits.

DO State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has enjoined the Muslim faithful to make supplications to God to heal the wounds of the nation and shower the people with blessings.

He made the call in his Ramadan message signed

by Mr Peter Okhiria, his Chief Press Secretary, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Sunday.

The governor said the remarkable success of the July 14 governorship election in the state was due to the prayers of the people.

“It is enough proof that prayers are answered when the people pray as one.

“We must renew our supplications to God to bless our collective efforts as we take bold steps to reposition our state and to grant us the peace and unity necessary for prosperity and progress.

“I pray to God to grant the people the grace needed to excel in the Holy month,’’ Oshiomhole said.

Pray for nation’s peace, Aregbesola’s wife tells Nigerians

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IFE of Osun State Governor Alhaja S h e r i f a t Aregbesola, has charged Nigerians, especially Muslims to show piety and pray for peace in the country during and after the Ramadan fasting.

She said the nation will only witness socio-economic development in a peaceful environment Speaking with reporters in Ilesa, Osun State, Alhaja Aregbesola said that the period of fasting provides

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo unique opportunity for people to be closer to God and exhibit act of kindness to humanity.

She also urged Muslims to observe the virtues of Prophet Muhammad, who she said was always interested in the welfare of others at the expense of his personal welfare and that of his family.

According to her, the month of Ramadan apart from being a period of piety,

also provides an opportunity for people to consider one another and extend a hand of friendship to one another.

She said: “I believe this period provides for us an opportunity to feel what the ordinary man out there is feeling - the taste of hunger and learn how to help the needy. Besides, it is also a period for mankind to reflect on their act toward God and each other.

“So we should all seize the opportunity to rekindle our spiritual relationship with

God and amend our shortcomings towards fellow human.”

Alhaja Aregbesola, therefore, called on Muslim women to ensure that they keep the home front and provide necessary nourishment for their husband and children during and after the fasting period.

She reminded women that God made them partners to their spouse to help them physically and spiritually, as well as help to keep their family together.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

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NEWS Fire destroys ex-footballer Okunnowo’s home in Ibadan

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•Top: A side view of the building. Below: Burnt vehicles at the premises of PHCN, Ibadan office. Inset: The sitting room of the footballer’s home and other burnt vehicles...yesterday.

RPOPERTY worth millions of naira were yesterday destroyed at the Ibadan, Oyo State, home of a former footballer, Gbenga Okunnowo.

The fire, which started at 1.30am, destroyed 11 vehicles belonging to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

It also destroyed travel documents, household items and personal effects.

The former player was in shock.

He said it would be difficult for him to ascertain the true value of the property destroyed.

According to him, most of the things destroyed in the fire were not made in Nigeria.

He said they could be estimated at over N100 million.

The former footballer said he was sleeping in his wife’s room when he sighted the fire on the roof.

Okunnowo said the fire spread quickly to his duplex beside the electricity company.

According to him, when the fire started, the three occupants in the duplex assisted the military and other security personnel attached

•11 PHCN cars burnt to the electricity company to put it out.

But it spread to all parts of the building, he said, adding that the occupants had to abandon the building without saving any property.

Okunnowo explained that the occupants were unable to recover any item from the fire as they ran for safety.

It was learnt that the fire started from the car par of the PHCN. Eleven of the vehicles parked at the premises were burnt.

The fire also burnt 11 assorted vehicles burnt, the canteen, the carpentry workshop and a church.

It was gathered that the fire might have started from the generating room of the electricity company.

A resident, Agoola Davies, explained that the fire emanated from the car park of the electricity company between 1.30am and 2.30am.

He said the residents tried to put out the fire to prevent it from spreading to other buildings.

It, however, extended to the footballer’s house, destroiying property worth millions of naira.

Cement price drops in Calabar

45 Ekiti junior workers to be sanctioned for ‘abnormal promotion’ T

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FFICIALS of the Ekiti State Local Government Service Commission (LGSC) are to be sanctioned for allegedly promoting themselves above their qualifications.

Forty-five of them have school certificates. This should not have taken them beyond Grade Level Seven. But they were alleged to have exceeded the level through abnormal promotion.

Addressing reporters in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, at the weekend, the Chairman of

By Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

the LGSC, Aderemi Ajayi, alleged that the workers colluded with other workers to commit the offence.

Ajayi said the workers have “appropriated career progressions far in excess of their qualifications, which means they have earned illegitimate income for whole length of time”.

He added: “It was so embarrassing that the workers, most of who were school certificate holders and ordinarily

should not be promoted beyond Level 07, going by the Schemes of Service, wriggled their ways to Level 14.

“Some among them even manipulated two cadres, junketing between the Store Keeping and Accounting Cadres, just to ensure that they got a basis for promotion beyond the statutorily recognised Level 07. I want to assure that no government will tolerate this absurdity.

“I want to say that the former government detected all these absurdities but lacked

the political will to effect the needed changes.”

On whether or not the 45 “offenders” would refund their salaries, Ajayi said: “No decision has been reached on this.

But if the law is to be applied, the law says any money wrongly collected by workers should be refunded.”

He said the graduates among the affected workers, especially those who have been unduly promoted, have accepted to revert to their normal levels.

Yoruba monarchs hold unity meeting today

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AJOR Yoruba monarchs will hold a meeting today in Ila-Orangun, Osun State, to unite the descendants of their progenitor, Oduduwa, in Africa and beyond.

The Chairman and Secretary of the Planning Committee, Prince Yemi Adeoye and Mr Omotayo Babalola, explained that the meeting is being coordinated by the seven sons of Okanbi, who are the Oba of Benin, Orangun of Ila, Alaafin of Oyo, Olowu of Owu, Onisabe of Sabe, Alaketu of Ketu and Onipopo of Popo.

Babalola said the seven

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

frontline monarchs migrated from Ile-Ife, Osun State, and spread all over the world.

He said the descendants of the seven monarchs have produced several children who are now royal fathers in West Africa.

All Yoruba obas were invited to the meeting, it was learnt.

The meeting will hold at the palace of the Orangun of Ila, Oba Wahab Kayode Oyedotun.

It was learnt that the idea was initiated by the representative of the Council of Obas in Benin Republic and Togo, Chief

Babalola said the seven frontline monarchs migrated from Ile-Ife, Osun State, and spread all over the world. He said the descendants of the seven monarchs have produced several children who are now royal fathers in West Africa.

Taye Tolulase Oguntosin. He was said to have held several meetings with the monarchs in Yorubaland to pave the way for

the meeting.

Oguntosin reportedly mobilised the monarchs in both countries and communicated with those in Nigeria.

It was also learnt that the meeting would be rotated after today’s parley. All the obas, it was learnt, have confirmed their attendance.

The National Chairman, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Chief Bisi Akande, is expected to receive the monarch in Ila today.

Other prominent indigenes, including former InspectorGeneral of Police, Mr Tafa Balogun, would join Akande.

Dangote Group to build factory, gas pipeline in Oyo

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HE President of Dangote Group of Industries, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has said his organisation would build a gas pipeline in Oyo State to boost electricity supply.

He spoke at the Government House in Ibadan, the state capital, after paying a condolence visit to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on the death

of his mother, Alhaja Dhikrat Abeje.

Dangote said his organisation’s resolve to construct the pipeline is because of the prevailing peace in the state.

He said the project would enhance the establishment of a factory that his conglomerate plans to build in the state.

The business mogul described Oyo State as investor-

friendly because of its large population and huge land mass.

According to him, the establishment of the proposed factory will boost the socio-economic development of the state.

“In setting up an industry, this is a place we will like to come and invest in because of the peaceful nature. We want to spread around; we don’t want

to locate all our factories in one zone.

“Land is not as expensive here (in Oyo State) as it is in Lagos. The only roadblock is the gas pipeline. It can be done and we will do it. We are going to talk to the Nigerian Gas Company and work together with the state government through Governor Ajimobi,” Dangote said.

HERE is now a significant drop in the price of cement, which went up in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, earlier this year, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

A market survey showed that a bag of the commodity, which was sold at N2,200 between January and May, is now sold at between N1,650 and N1,750.

At the Building Materials Section of Watt Market, a cement dealer, Osita Okeke, said a bag costs N1,700, while it goes down to N1, 650 for bulk purchases.

“If someone wants to buy one to five bags, we sell at N1,700 each.

But, for anything above five bags, we can sell at N1,650,’’ he said.

The commodity’s new price regime at Watt Market was the same at cement depots at the RCC Junction, Ikot Omini, 8 Miles and Ikot Ansa areas of the metropolis.

Osun Speaker urges doctors to participate in budgeting

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SUN State House of Assembly Speaker Najeem Salaam has urged doctors to provide useful information that could enhance qualitative health care delivery.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) annual state congress in Osogbo, the state capital, the Speaker, who was represented by his Press Secretary, Mr. Goke Butika, noted that the professionals cannot afford to absolutely abstain from politics.

He explained that for political office holders to show the political will needed to make things happen, especially in a sensitive sector like health, the body of medics must make meaningful input into the budget preparation and processes for the sector.

The chief lawmaker expressed worry about the brain drain in Nigeria, saying most talented and trained medical personnel have left the nation’s shores for greener pastures abroad because they could not cope with the conditions of service in the country.

Salaam said: “We are in trouble in this country as relating to our health sector. This is because the way our highly talented and trained medical personnel are moving abroad for better offer calls for serious concern. I think it will be a disservice to this nation, for us on the corridors of powers to fold our arms and feign helplessness.”

The Speaker decried the spate of corruption in all sectors, including health.

Governor hailed on good governance

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HE former Chairman of the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Mashood Erubami, has hailed Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi on good governance.

He spoke in Ibadan, the state capital.

The former TMG chairman noted that the governor has added value to governance since he became governor 13 months ago.

He said: “One would say that since he came on board, Ajimobi has added value to governance. One good thing about him is that he is doing things that are physically auditable. If a governor says I have done this, I have done that and the people are not convinced about what he has done, such a governor has not done anything.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

11

NEWS

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Hope dims for 3,000 sacked Oyo workers

HE chances of recalling the sacked 3,000 workers in the Oyo State civil service over alleged certificate and age falsification dimmed yesterday.

The Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee constituted by the House of Assembly to review their case, Segun Ajanaku, alleged that majority of the workers, who appeared before the committee, were guilty of the offences.

According to him, over 2,000 of the affected workers have appeared before his committee.

In a statement in Ibadan, the state capital, at the weekend, Ajanaku said from his committee’s findings, majority of the sacked workers have

From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

a bad case.

The Abiola Ajimobi administration has about 38,000 workers, the highest in the country.

He said about 70 per cent of those who have appeared before the committee were from Ibadan zone, while those from Ogbomoso and Oyo zones were fairly high.

He explained that those from Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa zones were few.

Ajanaku said: “Some of the sacked workers, having discovered that they have a bad case, decided not to appear before my committee.

“From our findings, we have discovered that so many

of them are guilty of the offences they were said to have committed.

“While some of them actually falsified their certificates, others, after being in service, went to acquire fake certificates, probably to retain their job, get promoted or whatever other reasons. We also have cases of those who had stayed long in service and were due for retirement but who falsified their ages to escape retirement.”

According to him, the committee was particularly concerned about the cases of those who were sacked for irregularities in the ages written in their primary school testimonials.

He urged the government

Mimiko’s govt deceitful, says Ondo PDP

T •Ajimobi

to show compassion because most of the affected workers were not mature enough then to note such irregularities.

Ajanaku said: “Having taken a dispassionate look at the issue of sacked workers, I think the government is justified by the action. If it is true that we want to sanitise our society and bring about efficient public service, things have to be put in order.”

The lawmaker berated those politicising the matter, saying they are ignorant.

HE Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised the Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade over his statement that some national figures would witness Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s declaration for his second term bid on Wednesday.

Those listed for the ceremony include the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Abdulwahed Omar; renowned politician, Chief Ayo Adebanjo; former Secretary to the Federal Government, Chief Olu Falae - whose son is a commissioner in Mimiko’s government - and Dr Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu, daughter of the late Premier of the defunct Western Region, Chief Obafemi

Aspirant deserves NBA honour, says Ondo ACN From Damisi Ojo, Akure

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HE Ondo State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday hailed the naming of the Abuja national secretariat of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) after its former President, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN).

It said the honour has justified his nomination as the party’s candidate for the October 20 governorship election.

In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Rotimi Agbede, ACN noted that naming Nigerian Lawyers’ House after Akeredolu is a monumental honour in recognition of his outstanding performance as a two-term president of the association.

The statement reads: “It is an apt testimony to his character, dedication to service, exemplary performance and commitment to excellence to have been so honoured by the entire men and women of that noble profession in Nigeria.”

The party said the enviable honour the NBA accorded Akeredolu is a vindication of its philosophy of parading only credible candidates for elections.

It added that this accounts for the monumental performance of such candidates in their various offices.

ACN said this has been widely acknowledged by Nigerians who are yearning for the party to win the presidency in 2015.

It said: “A party that fielded a celebrated former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Adams Oshiomhole, as its governorship candidate, and now a former NBA President Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, definitely must be a credible platform for actualising the collective aspirations of the people.

“ACN congratulates the apostle of good governance and a harbinger of the hope on this well deserved honour worth more than a thousand”.

“Your accomplishment in office, as recognised by your constituency, the NBA, is a pointer to what Ondo State stands to gain when you are eventually elected governor.”

•From left: Chief Rasaq Okoya; Mrs. Abah Folawiyo (celebrant); Mr. Segun Awolowo Jr.; former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu; and Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun; during the celebration of the 70th birthday of Mrs. Abah Folawiyo in Lagos...yesterday.

Akeredolu to create 30,000 jobs in 100 days

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NDO State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate for the October 2012 election Mr Rotimi Akeredolu has promised to create 30,000 jobs in 100 days, if elected.

The ACN candidate addressed reporters at the weekend, in his Owo, home on his 56th birthday.

He said: “If I am elected into office by the special grace of God in October, the ACN government under me will create 30,000 jobs in 100 days. This is neither magic nor rocket science because 20,000 jobs were created by Governors Rauf Aregbesola and Abiola Ajimobi in Osun and Oyo in a very short period. The economy of Ondo State is more vibrant than those of Osun and Oyo because of the enormous natural resources in this state.

Therefore, Ondo State will improve upon that by creating 30,000 jobs in 100 days.

“We will banish our grad-

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

uates riding (commercial motorcyclists) all over the place and create useful employment for them.”

In a statement by his media aide, Mr. Idowu Ajanaku, the governorship candidate said moribund industries, which have been abandoned by the Olusegun Mimiko administration, would be revived to create employment for the youths.

Akeredolu said Akure, the state capital, would have new road networks.

According to him, road networks in Akoko, Ilaje, Okitipupa, Odigbo and other major cities would be opened up to enable farmers bring their produce to the cities.

He decried the neglect of the health sector in the face of what he described as the Mimiko administration’s hype when majority of the residents do not have access to medical services.

Akeredolu said since the

Mimiko administration assumed office, it has not built a general hospital, while the existing ones are neglected.

“For example, there is no general hospital in Ose Local Government Area, but Mimiko claims to have transformed the health sector because he built one Maternal Child Centre for four years,” he said.

The ACN candidate dismissed as baseless the allegation that he would be a puppet of ACN National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

He said: “I am too independent-minded to be a puppet to anybody. But I will be loyal and committed to the leadership and vision of the ACN. No matter what anybody says, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande remain great leaders of our time. In fact, if they were looking for puppets, I wouldn’t have been considered for the job at all.”

Akeredolu urged Ondo State residents to vote mas-

sively for ACN to enable them enjoy the dividends of democracy that other ACN-controlled state have been enjoying, instead of the cosmetic programmes of the Mimiko administration.

According to him, ACN remains the only true progressive party in Nigeria, judging by the track records of its leaders and followers.

On the fears that he is not a politician, the ACN candidate noted that having reached the peak of my carrier as a lawyer, “my desire is to serve my people”.

He said he shares a lot of attributes with Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who was a President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), as he is a former National President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

Akeredolu noted that as Oshiomhole has delivered the dividends of democracy to the people of Edo State, so would he deliver same to the people of Ondo State”.

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

Awolowo, among others.

A statement by PDP Publicity Secretary, Wale Ozogoro, reads: “We have noticed of late that Mimiko has been importing politicians of all hues and divergent beliefs to our state.

“This is to lift a voice in support of his diminishing political profile, all with a view to persuading the people of this state that Mimiko is an achiever, when in actual fact the people of this state already know that he has only, for close to four years, hoodwinked the state to a ceaseless and puerile propaganda that was only aimed at deceiving the entire state.

But today, the people now know better.

“They should also know that those bus stops they see in Akure were constructed for a fee of N50million per unit; that the overhead bridge at Oja Oba, close to where they converge for Mimiko, was renovated at a colossal N68 million and all the content of that renovation was the flex roof and tiles added to the existing structure.

“They must also know that the Mimiko government has, in 41 months, made N605 billion and all it has to show for it are the water fountains and dew fountains.”

The PDP said it is proud of the legacy of the Olusegun Agagu administration, which it claimed made only N347.96 billion in 58 months and built a general hospital in each of the 18 local governments, roads and 818 school buildings and tarred over 1,000 kilometres of road network.

The statement added that the PDP left N38billion for the Mimiko administration.

It said: “However, sad enough today, Ondo State under Mimiko is in great debt to both local and international creditors.

Fayemi delivers UNIOSUN lecture today KITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi will today deliver the convocation lecture of the Osun State University, Osogbo.

The lecture is in commemoration of the second convocation of the institution.

A statement in Ado-Ekiti by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Yinka Oyebode, said the governor would speak on the topic: Repositioning Nigerian universities within a dynamic global university system: Challenges and prospects.

The lecture will hold at the university’s main auditorium by 11 am.

Expected at the event are Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, top government functionaries from Osun and Ekiti states, students, royal fathers as well as distinguished personalities from the academic and diplomatic communities.

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

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CITYBEATS

Family appeals judgment on Ajah land dispute

By Eric Ikhilae

REPRESENTATIVES of the Ajiwe family, a party in the lawsuit over the ownership of Ajiwe community land in Ajah, Lagos, have appealed a judgment given by the state’s High Court, upholding the claim by Chief Fatai Abiodun, the Olumegbon of Lagos as the owner.

The Ajiwe descendants, led by Chief Taiwo Elemoro and Latifu Ajiwe, argued in their appeal filed before the Court of Appeal, Lagos that the trial judge, Justice Beatrice Oke-Lawal, erred in her judgment delivered on February 2.

The appellants raised five grounds of appeal, first of which was that Justice Oke-Lawal erred in holding that the plaintiffs’ witnesses gave contradictory historical accounts of how and when the Ajiwe ancestors came to inhabit the disputed land.

They also faulted the trial court’s decision that the claimants (plaintiffs) were not the settlers on, or founder of the Ajiwe community land.

They argued that their evidence and that of the second defendant’s (Chief Abiodun’s) witnesses, which were unchallenged, were to the effect that the claimants’ predecessors were the first settlers at Ajiwe village after the land was granted to them by the Ogunsemo family.

The appellants also contended that the judge erred in law when she held the report and recommendation of the tribunal of inquiry into the Ajah land disputes could not be relied upon, having admitted it in evidence, on the ground that there was no state government’s white paper on the report.

Respondents in the suit include: Apostle Aba Olarenwaju; Chief Fatai Abiodun; Micheal Ademowo; Godwin Eyoma and Samuel Obolo (for themselves and on behalf of the Landlord Association of Ajiwe Community).

TVC rebrands LAGOS-BASED television station, Television Continental (TVC), a subsidiary of Continental Broadcast Service (CBS) will today unveil the logo and programmes for a new channel called TVC Entertainment.

The station’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nigel Parsons, said in a statement that the move was to “raise the standard of television experience for viewers in Nigeria and geared towards providing quality broadcast content for viewers.

According to the statement, the channel is being re-branded as “TVC Entertainment” and will cater in particular, for women and the youth . The channel will also air two hours of programming for children in the afternoon.

“Available on channel 49 on the UHF terrestrial frequency and on the Startimes platform on channel 115, TVC Entertainment will be a one-stop channel for all our entertainment needs. With head offices at 1, Continental Way, off CMD Road, IkosiKetu,” TVC Entertainment according to the statement, will focus on Afro-centric programmes such as drama; Nollywood; re-branded in-house programmes such as Entertainment Splash, formerly known as Lunch Splash, among others.”

Before joining TVC, Parsons was a key player in the launch of some television stations in Europe and the Middle East. He was said to have masterminded the launch of Al Jazeera English.

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

Policeman arrested for killing Makoko community leader

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POLICE corporal, who allegedly shot and killed the Otun Baale of Egun Makoko Community, Timothy Hunpoyanwa, has been arrested.

The suspect, Pepple Boma, allegedly killed the community leader during the demolition of shanties in Makoko water front by the Lagos State Government.

Hunpoyanwa was killed last Saturday while trying to make peace between the task force officials and protesting youths.

Lagos State Police Command Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ngozi Braide, confirmed his arrest to The Nation. She said the suspect has been arrested and detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Yaba.

According to her, the deceased was killed trying to broker peace between the task force and the community.

The PPRO noted that Boma, attached to Marine Police, Oworonsoki Division, was posted on special duty with the Lagos State Waste Management Authority for the demolition at the waterfront in Makoko area of Yaba.

Braide explained that Boma allegedly shot the deceased in the stomach on Saturday afternoon.

She said: "The deceased was rushed to the General Hospital, Gbagada, where he was later confirmed dead.

The corpse has been deposited at the General Hospital, Ikeja for postmortem examination.

Meanwhile, rights activists, Femi Falana (SAN) and Ebun-Olu

•Activists demand prosecution

By Jude Isiguzo and Joseph Jibueze

Adegboruwa, yesterday demanded the prosecution of Boma, who was said to have killed Huntoyanwha.

Falana said since the killing and the wilful destruction of properties were carried out on the instruction of the state, the government should be held vicariously liable in the circumstance.

“Therefore, the killers of (Huntoyanwha) should be immediately prosecuted for murder while the Lagos State Government should pay adequate monetary damages to the dependants of the deceased, whose fundamental right to life has been brutally violated,” Falana said in a statement.

Adegboruwa urged the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation to institute a commission of inquiry to investigate the circumstances that led to the death of the deceased and bring all culprits to book, irrespective of their social status.

He added that government’s decision to evict Makoko residents without an order of a competent court of law was “illegal and arbitrary.”

According to Falana, all those whose houses were destroyed are equally entitled to fair and just compensation.

He said: “This is a reckless violation of the provisions of the Lagos State Rent Control and Recovery of Premises, which have criminalised the forceful ejection of any person resident in Lagos State without an

order issued by a competent court and executed by the Sheriff and Bailliff of the court.

“The eviction of the residents of Makoko has since led to a mass displacement of people and the disruption of the education of thousands of innocent children.

“Unless adequate arrangements are made for the provision of alternative accommodation for other people who may be displaced as a result of the ongoing demolition exercise, the Lagos State Government should halt the demolition and stop sending Nigerians to the mercy of elements during this rainy season.

“More so, that a duty has been imposed on the state by virtue of Section 15(3)(b) of the Constitution to “secure full resident’s rights for every citizen in all parts of the Federation”.

“Any attempt to capitalise on the poverty of the Makoko people by confiscating their land, develop it with public funds and then turn round to distribute it to some petit bourgeois elements will be resisted by the progressive extraction of the civil society.

“The brazen stealing of Maroko under a military dictatorship should not be tolerated under a quasi democtratic regime.”

Adegboruwa added that the demolition was an act of “wickedness and barbarism”.

According to him, for a government led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria

•Manko

(SAN) to swoop on its own citizens and kill them like animals “is most wicked, evil and barbaric, and does not meet the minimum standard of human decency and respect for God the Creator.

He said: “In a democratic setting, it cannot be over-emphasised that there is need to adhere to the due process of law at all times, and any decision that runs contrary to law must be resisted.

“In addition, the Lagos State Government has no legal or moral right over Makoko residents and indeed, all residents who are based within 100 meters of the Lagos Lagoon, which is a declared navigable waterway under the National Inland Waterways Authority Act, which is an existing Act of the National Assembly of Nigeria.

“Thus, only the Federal Government has jurisdiction over Makoko residents, not the Lagos State Government,” he added.

Public Complaints’ Commissioner, Federal Controller of Works assess Third Mainland Bridge repairs

By Emmanuel Oladesu, Deputy Political Editor

F

OLLOWING complaints that the Third Mainland Bridge closure is hampering socio-economic activities in Lagos, the Federal Commissioner for Public Complaints Commission (PCC), Lagos State, Mr. Funso Olukoga, has visited the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Toyin Obikoya.

The visit was to embark on a joint appraisal on the efficiency of the contingency plans made to alleviate the problems encountered by motorists as a result of the ongoing repair on the bridge.

Obikoya informed the PCC top functionaries, including the Director of Investigation, Ms. Stellar Ozojiofor; the Head of Information, Mr. Bukola Abayomi and the Head of Adminstration, Mr. Musa Omosun, that prior to the commencement of the repairs, his ministry had taken proactive measures by consulting with all identified stakeholders like the Police; LASTMA; Nigerian Security Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) para-military; the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other relevant bodies like churches and mosques.

According to Obikoya, fliers and other information leaflets were distributed at various locations in a bid to adequately create awareness among residents

of the state.

Obikoya disclosed that the repair is segmented into two phases starting with the present partial closure of Oworonsoki to the Lagos Island bound route, which would last for about six weeks, while repairs of the other side from Lagos Island to Oworosoki route would be done after the completion of the first phase.

He explained that the total closure of the bridge would be the final phase of the repair and it would last for, at least, 24 hours.

His words: ‘’A policy statement shall be issued by the Works Ministry whenever the repair job reaches this particular stage and Public Complaints Commission, Lagos State shall be a worthy partner in this regard.’’

He observed that in spite of the partial closure; traffic situation has remained considerably manageable.

Obikoya commended the PCC for showing empathy for the plight of Lagosians.

Responding, Olukoga said that part of the duty of PCC was to recognise instances where complaints could be “flagged up”.

He said the commission was always ready to prevent the situation if possible.

Cop fails to explain colleague’s mysterious death •Coroner summons three more witnesses

By Eric Ikhilae

•Late Omojiade

H

E was invited to help resolve the mystery surrounding the death of his colleague, but after testifying for about two hours, Abiodun Oyetade, a police corporal, left everyone in the court confused.

Oyetade testified before Magistrate Sherifat K. Metapo, the Coroner conducting inquest into the death of Patrick Omojiade, a police corporal whose death on May 2, was announced to his family through an anonymous telephone call.

Oyetade, attached to Adekunle Police Station, Yaba, Lagos, was the first witness when the inquest opened last Friday. He claimed to be on the same team with the deceased on the

day he died.

He said Omojiade died after the team was attacked by gunmen in a fast-moving car; but his evidence was replete with contradictions.

He told the court that the incident happened on May 1, but when confronted with evidence that the deceased was not on duty on the said day, he recanted and claimed to have forgotten the actual date. “I am sorry I made a mistake, it was actually May 2,” he said.

The witness also told the court that he sustained gunshot injury on his left thigh during the incident.

According to him, the late Omojiade also died of gunshot wounds.

However, on examining the medical reports and x-ray films he tendered, the court observed that his injury was on the right leg.

On the claim that the bullet missed his bone, the court noted two perforations on the x-ray films. One went through the bone and the second

was slightly close to the bone.

Oyetade told the court that on the said day, his team, comprising four policemen, mounted guard at the Makoko round about.

He also said that the team, though left the Adekunle Police Station by 6pm, it got to the roundabout at 8pm.

He gave the names of others on the team to include: Inspector Joel Abbah (who led the team); Babajide, a constable and the late Omojiade.

Oyetade said soon after leaving the station, they noticed that two of their vehicle’s tyres were flat and Inspector Abbah drove the vehicle to Sabo, Yaba to have the tyres fixed, leaving three of them at the roundabout.

He said while he sent the other two officers to the other side of the road, he stood alone on a pavement by the roundabout.

He told the court that while standing at the Makoko roundabout, a Toyota Sienna space wagon raced by and shot in his direction. “I fell something hit me and I fell down from the pavement where I stood. The whole place was

later deserted as everybody ran to different directions,” he said.

Oyetade said he tried to locate his colleagues, but realised later that he had been shot on the left thigh.

He told the court that despite the pains he had as a result of the gunshot, he made effort to locate his colleagues by crossing the road to where he last saw them.

“They were not there. By then I was feeling more pains on the leg. As I was about going back to the office when I did not see them, I noticed a black object about six yards near where they had stood. I moved closer and discovered that it was Patrick (Omojiade) lying on the ground. That was on May 1.

“He was facing up, his head was on the pavement and blood was coming out from the head. I called Patrick, Patrick, but he did not answer. I became perplexed. There was no one to help me because the place was deserted. I was afraid the people could come back and meet only me.

“As I was about to go to the station I saw the nozzle of his riffle. He fell on it. I later removed it from his shoulder, and was about going when I realised that I could no longer walk.”

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

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Fed Govt guilty of impunity, says ACN

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HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has accused the Federal Government of acting with impunity.

It said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government has consistently assaulted national institutions, including the judiciary and the legislature.

The ACN said following the assault on government institutions and the problems brought upon the people by the sheer incompetence of the Jonathan administration, Nigerians have “slowly but dangerously accepted this culture of impunity as a way of life.”

The party spoke in a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed.

Mohammed said: “Because

under the watch of this administration, massacres, assassinations, poverty induced and needless deaths, insecurity, kidnapping, robberies have numbed people’s nerves that they can no longer see the potent dangers posed by the Jonathan administration.”

The party said the arrogance and contemptible manner with which the administration has treated the case of the suspended President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami , has dealt a near mortal blow to the independence of the judiciary.

The ACN described the travail of Justice Salami as a cleverly woven script by the Presidency for its self-preservation.

“How else do you explain that the President who acted

on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council to suspend Justice Salami will now disregard the recommendation of the same body to reinstate the suspended judge?”

The party said the real casualty is not Justice Salami but the judiciary and the people because as of today the powers of the NJC reside in the President.

“With the judiciary effectively cowed, President Goodluck Jonathan is now closing in on the legislature.”

The party said any discerning observer knows that the resolutions of the National Assembly are today treated with disdain by the President.

“It is irrelevant that our National Assembly today, especially the House of Representatives, has not lived up

to expectation, but that is no excuse for the deliberate assault of the doctrine of the separation of powers by Jonathan.

“It is now common knowledge that when the House invited Jonathan to appear before it to explain how his government is failing to tackle the worsening security situation in the country, the President’s advisers have justified his refusal to honour the invitation.

“May we remind President Goodluck Jonathan and his advisers that Section 89 (d) of the 1999 Constitution gives the House the power to summon “ANY PERSON” to appear before it.

“Of course, what the President is telling Nigerians is that he is not only above the law but he is the law.”

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EDITORIAL/OPINION EDITORIAL FROM OTHER LAND

COMMENT

Paranoia in the House

Diesel import from Niger •Building of refinery by Nigeria’s neighbour shows that where there is the will, ...

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UT for its paradox, news reports that Nigeria is now importing diesel from Niger would have been a welcome relief. At least that would confer the advantage of proximity on Nigeria, and this should reflect somewhat in the pump price of the product. Presently, Nigeria imports petroleum products from far-away countries like India, Brazil and The Netherlands, with attendant freight and other charges which inevitably add to the cost and ultimately the pump prices of the products.

The paradox however is that Nigeria, the world’s eighth largest oil producer, should have no business importing diesel or any petroleum product for that matter. However, the reality is that Nigeria has begun importation of diesel from Niger, aside the products it sources from faraway countries.

At least 90 trucks of the product have been imported from Niger in the last four months. According to Lawal Dahiru Mangal of MD Mangal Petroleum Company, a fuel market trader in Katsina, his company secured licence from the Federal Government for the importation of diesel from Soraz Refinery in Niger, which they supply to fuel stations in Katsina and neighbouring towns. The company hopes to start importation of petrol too from the refinery if the business prospects are good.

The fact that Nigeria is importing petroleum products is an aberration that should make the country’s leaders uncomfortable in the gathering of world leaders. How they do not feel this sense of shame is baffling. Nigeria has four refineries, yet relies on importation of fuel

to meet domestic demands as the refineries, with a combined capacity of 445,000 barrels per day, are underperforming. They have been grounded for years due largely to corruption and mismanagement.

Yet, successive governments never thought it fit to take away the impediments on the way of the refineries, not to talk of seriously consider establishing new ones, whether alone or in concert with the private sector all these years.

Rather, the governments have always been looking for the easiest way out, and they found the answer in continued importation of petroleum products, a thing which inevitably makes the pump prices of the products to be high. Till date, the bulk of the country’s requirement of the products is imported.

But for mass resistance, the Goodluck Jonathan administration would have added to the misery of Nigerians in January when it so callously removed the phantom fuel subsidy, a decision which made fuel prices to jump from N65 per litre to N141, before it was reduced to the present N97 after the anti-subsidy removal protests. Nigeria deregulated the diesel market in 2000.

The Soraz Refinery in Zinder, about 80 kilometres from Niger’s border with Nigeria is 60 percent-owned by Chinese state oil company CNPC and 40 percent

by Niger. Its construction followed a $5 billion deal signed between the two in 2008, to concurrently build the plant and develop crude oil from Agadem. The refinery, commissioned last November, has a capacity for 20,000 barrels per day, more than enough for domestic con-

sumption (estimated at some 7,000 barrels per day) and a huge surplus for export. Nigerian officials who represented President Jonathan at the commissioning watched in awe as the Nigerien leader commissioned the refinery amidst pomp and pageantry.

Even if they were shocked that a country like Niger has done what Nigeria could not do in decades, they ought to have recovered from the shock by now, to face the inevitability of toeing a similar path. Drilling of oil started in Niger in 2008, compared with Nigeria where crude oil was discovered as far back as 1956. Even now that the Federal Government has decided to establish three Green Field refineries in the country, the projects are yet to take off, fuelling speculations that the decision was a spur-of-the moment one rather than a genuine bid to stop importation of petroleum products into the country.

‘Nigerian officials who represented President Jonathan at the commissioning watched in awe as the Nigerien leader commissioned the refinery amidst pomp and pageantry.

Even if they were shocked that a country like Niger has done what Nigeria could not do in decades, they ought to have recovered from the shock by now, to face the inevitability of toeing a similar path’

Bonga palaver •National Assembly should uphold the $5bn fine on Shell

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EST of will – that perhaps best describes the tango over the $5 billion fine proposed by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), as penalty for Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO), for the spill of 40,000 barrels of crude from its export line tanker seven months ago.

Shell had in December 2011 recorded a major leak from an export line feeding a tanker, resulting in the closure of its 200,000 barrels per day capacity Bonga off-shore operations. This was not before an estimated 40,000 barrels of crude – said to be one of the worst in Nigeria in decades – had been spilled across 950 square kilometres of water surface.

NOSDRA holds Shell responsible for the failure of the export pipelines, hence the devastation caused the environment.

‘The latest development undoubtedly reflects the environment of impunity under which Shell has thrived in more than half a century of oil exploration in Nigeria. Having literally gotten away with murder in the past, the greater tragedy would be when Shell is allowed to take shelter behind dubious legalism to scoff at institutions designed to ensure remediation for the environment, after the destructive impact of its operations’

The agency told the House of Representatives Committee on Environment last week that although the spill was contained off-shore, it “affected a great number of sensitive environmental resources”. More pointedly, the agency claims that “it has a direct social impact on the livelihood of the people in the riverine areas, whose primary occupation is fishing”.

For that, NOSDRA proposed a $5 billion fine for Shell. In its reckoning, the fine, which translates to $125,000 for every barrel of crude spilled, would atone for the company’s negligence.

Shell not only disagreed with NOSDRA but rejected the fine. In a statement released last week, the company avers: “We do not believe there is any basis in law for such a fine. Neither do we believe that Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company has committed any infraction of Nigeria’s laws to warrant such a fine”. It insisted that the fallout from the spill was “minor”, just as it claimed that its response to it was “sufficient”.

The company would further claim that some of the oil that impacted the shoreline was from a “third party spill”, hence it rejected any basis for claims “for relief materials or compensation related to shoreline impact”.

Is there a dispute as to whether the spill occurred or not? The answer is no. Are there contentions about probable cause(s) being directly traceable to Shell?

The answer again, is in the negative.

Were any of the answers to be in the affirmative, Shell would certainly have had

good grounds to object to the fine. Neither is of course in dispute, hence the company opted to settle on self-serving conjectures.

To be sure, the company does not dispute that a spill occurred or that the failure of its pipes caused the spill in question. What appears to be in dispute is the impact of the spill on the shoreline; and the issue of the so-called “third party” spill – which Shell claimed to have cleaned up as an act of goodwill.

The Bonga spill issue seems another instance in which playing the legalism would serve Shell well. Note for instance how the company strenuously denied the legal basis of the proposed fine – (it sure knows how to get around the nation’s lax regulations). Add that to the denial of the shoreline impact from a spill known to have spread across 950 kilometres of water surface (the multinational has its superior knowledge and expertise to advertise as against NOSDRA). The sum total is what equals the substance of Shell’s nauseating arrogance.

The latest development undoubtedly reflects the environment of impunity under which Shell has thrived in more than half a century of oil exploration in Nigeria. Having literally gotten away with murder in the past, the greater tragedy would be when Shell is allowed to take shelter behind dubious legalism to scoff at institutions designed to ensure remediation for the environment, after the destructive impact of its operations.

We urge the National Assembly to uphold the $5 billion fine.

A

FRINGE group of conservatives believes that Islamic fundamentalists have infiltrated the deepest recesses of the U.S. government. That’s nonsense.

In the 1950s, Sen. Joe McCarthy and other paranoid anti-communists saw Reds under the bed — and in the State Department. Today a fringe group of conservatives believes similarly that Islamic fundamentalists have infiltrated the deepest recesses of the American government. In refuting such an aspersion made by Rep. Michele Bachmann (RMinn.) against a State Department official, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has struck a profile in courage that should encourage other conservatives to distance themselves from crackpot conspiracy theories.

On Wednesday McCain defended Huma Abedin, a Muslim American who serves as deputy chief of staff to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. In a letter to the inspector general of the State Department, Bachmann and four other Republican representatives had warned that Abedin, a longtime Clinton aide, “has three family members — her late father, her mother and her brother — connected to Muslim Brotherhood operatives and/or organizations.” The letter was one of five sent to inspectors general of various agencies citing “serious security concerns” about Muslim Brotherhood penetration.

McCain said the attacks on Abedin “have no logic, no basis and no merit, and they need to stop now. I have every confidence in Huma’s loyalty to our country, and everyone else should as well.” On Thursday, House SpeakerJohn A. Boehner(R-Ohio) added, “Accusations like this being thrown around are pretty dangerous.”

It’s gratifying that leaders like McCain and Boehner have come to the defense of a wellregarded victim of guilt by tenuous association. But the Republican Party as a whole needs to dissociate itself from the larger neoMcCarthyite worldview that informs Bachmann’s ravings. The letters to the inspectors general cited the Center for Security Policy, a group founded by Frank Gaffney, a radio host and former Reagan administration official. The group’s website offers a breathless video tutorial about the stealth “civilization jihad” being pursued by the Muslim Brotherhood through the “penetration and subversion of this country’s civil society and governing institutions.”

Such delusions have consequences. On July 15, Clinton’s motorcade in Alexandria, Egypt, was pelted with shoes and tomatoes by protesters who accused the United States of having supported the election of President Mohamed Morsi, the candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood. A New York Times report traced that sentiment in part to a July 4 installment of Gaffney’s online radio program.

The notion of an Islamic Fifth Column in this country is poisonous not only to domestic tranquillity but also to effective diplomacy. Leaders of both parties should repudiate it.

– Los Angeles Times

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

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9EDITORIAL/OPINION

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IR: The bloodbath in Plateau State has reached a dimension where our leaders should wake up from their slumber to find lasting solution to the crisis based on dialogue between the warring factions. The bloodbaths portend a danger to the corporate existence of the Nigerian nation. Aside the fact that shedding of human blood is a great sin before the Almighty, our leaders have yet to find pragmatic solution to the problem.

Or is it that they derive political benefits from the situation, or, are they waiting for one of the factions in the conflict to exterminate the other like Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda in the early 1990s?

I don’t think the crisis should be allowed to linger any further.

There is no doubt about the fact that the causes of the conflict are multidimensional. Economic motive has been adduced for the conflict between the indigenes and the

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Panacea to the bloodbath in Plateau non-indigenes. This centres largely on land ownership. The indigenes are farmers, while the settlers are mostly herdsmen who need grazing land to survive. Others read political motives to the crisis.

I believe that the solution to the crisis is not far-fetched if our leaders are sincere and ready to say the truth to both sides.

One fact that is undeniable is that Plateau State belonged to some ethnic groups like Birom, Miango, Challa, e.t.c. These were the aborigines of Plateau State. Hausa/Fulani,

Yoruba and Igbos e.t.c, were settlers in the area. Among the settlers, Hausa/Fulani could be said to be the first to arrive the Plateau due to their occupation as pastoralists and the proximity of the area to Hausaland.

The other tribes particularly Yoruba and Ibos could not be said to predate Hausa/Fulani in the area because of the distance between their places of origin and the Plateau. The coming of the Yoruba and Ibo could be said to be facilitated more by the establishment of railways in Nigeria by the British in 1901.

I have no doubt that the excesses of one of the groups in the conflict could be the cause of the crisis. Indeed, this has been the case in history where overbearing influence of settlers over indigenes had led to xenophobia and even war. My position is that it is the only dialogue that can end this crisis. The earlier our leaders accept this fact the better. Fear of domination, resentment, and hatred which result from agelong, inter ethnic suspicion are responsible for the crisis. Equally, politics and present democratic rule is

The re-opening of NNPC depot in Aba IR: The recent re-opening of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) depot at Aba, Abia State is a landmark achievement and welcome development, especially for the residents of the commercial city of Aba and its environs who have suffered for long, due to its closure some years ago as result of insecurity, bunkering and pipeline vandalism.

There is no doubt that the re-opening was possible because of the level of security that has been achieved and maintained in the state in the recent times following the commitment and efforts of the present government in the state in the direction. When the depot was closed some years ago, the development inflicted untold hardships on the people in many ways. Apart from some people, especially the petty traders and artisans losing their means of livelihood, people were made to pay more for petroleum products, unlike when the depot was functional.

While the official price of fuel is N97 per litre, most filling station were not ready to sell at the price in Aba and its environs, unless one goes to NNPC mega filling station in the state. Those who could not afford to queue at the NNPC mega filling station for long have no option than to buy at the product at N120 in other filling stations.

Worst hit with the disparity in

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products price before now was the state capital Umuahia where dealers of the petroleum products had always justified hike in price to poor electricity supply and other logistics like transportation of the products from Rivers State.

But as it is now, there is no justification for any filling station in the state to sell petroleum products more than the official prices because apart from the products being at their doorstep with the reopening of NNPC depot in Aba, there is steady power supply in the state capital now.

The problem has been solved now with the partnership between the state government and Federal Government that brought about the successful evacuation of power at 2x 40 MVA, 132/33 transmission substation in Ohiya, Umuahia.

The project which was recently commissioned by Governor Orji has succeeded in stabilizing power supply in Umuahia and its environs.

In the bid to reduce or tackle the ugly incidence of bunkering and pipeline vandalism that led to the closure of the depot in the past, the Abia State governor, Chief Theodore Orji has made it clear that he will present a bill to the state House of Assembly seeking to make bunkering and pipeline vandalism a capital offence in the state.

Such a move is the much-needed tonic or recipe to guarantee secu-

rity, ensure effective and smooth operations and assure the management of the depot of their safety and that of their equipment. The move will also discourage or deter vandals and bunkerers who had thrived in the illegal business in the past to desist or face the wrath of the law.

One remarkable thing about the re-opening of the depot is that it goes a long way to show that the restoration of peace and order in Abia state especially the commercial city of Aba by the present ad-

ministration in the state is a reality and not a lip service. It took Governor Orji’s bold step and courageous approach as a responsible and responsive government to take the bull by the horn in addressing the security challenges the miscreants posed to the state.

Today the past glory of Aba is being restored gradually and commercial activities is fast gaining momentum.

• Victor Okonje Faulks road, Aba, Abia

another crucial factor.

Since time immemorial, all the ethnic groups were attending the same market; even there were evidences of inter-marriage among the groups. But with politics, there is tendency for the dominant group to introduce indigenes/settlers dichotomy in order to assert their dominance. Since politics is a business in Nigeria, and possibly, the settlers could have invested in it and expected dividends.

What is required is the spirit of give and take by the feuding parties. Federal government should select a group of statesmen drawn from the academia particularly, historians, political scientists, religionists, other eminent personalities from different fields and traditional rulers to form a committee to settle the crisis. The committee should be given enough time and resources to be able to do thorough job.

The committee should be fashioned along the lines of the truth and reconciliation commission but should be saddled with researching into the dynamics of inter group relations among the people of Plateau over the years and what, when and how the relations went sour. The reports and recommendations of previous committees on the crisis should form the basis, of dialogue to be organized by the committee or the government. In selecting the committee, religious extremists should be excluded. They are found in the two dominant religions in Nigeria.

• Adewuyi Adegbite Apake, Ogbomoso. Oyo State.

Kudos to Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, sports minister

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IR: I wish to commend Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the new Sport Minister for the bold and decisive steps he has so far taken in his efforts to reposition the moribund Sports Ministry for more effectiveness and greater efficiency. So far, he has shown flashes of dynamism and a sense of vision going by the manner in which he has piloted the affair of that very crucial ministry that has since the history of our chequered existence, as a nation, proved incurable pressimists in the Nigeria project that, after all, Nigerians have some measure of sublimal pride for their nation.

Yes, experiences in our recent past have proved beyond reasonable doubt that all life activities, particularly sporting activities, hold great prospects to rouse the patriotic instinct of Nigerians for their fatherland, the

divisive forces at play which constantly fan the embers of disunity amongst us notwithstanding.

It is for this reason that well-meaning Nigerians are hardly at east with progressive downturn of events in our national sports fortunes brought about by lack of commitment on the part of those involved in taking care of that vital aspect of our nation life.

It is, therefore, hoped that the coming of Mallam Bolaji will have a salutary effect on the dwindling fortunes, in all aspects, of our sporting engagement. Nigerians have over these years looked forward to the good old days when our sports men and women made waves both at continental and global sporting fiestas.

Again, on the issue of foreign coach, Abdullahi should resist any pressure from the hawks in the NFF who feed fat on the nation through the inbuilt

scam that is part and parcel of recruiting the so-called foreign experts. He should watch out because this laudable policy of blocking the drain pipe of this unnecessary waste did not go down well with them.

Equally the minister should beam his search light in the area of corruption allegations leveled against those at the helms of our sports administration. The public would like to know how Maigari and co were busy sharing our garri at the detriment of making appreciable impact in our sports development.

Finally, the minister root for talent hunt at the grassroots. It is ample time we imbibe and sustain the culture of catching them young and curb our appetite for ready-mades who have dual loyalty with little or no commitment for national call for duty.

• Satguru Mahaji, Ibadan, Oyo State.

21

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

EDITORIAL/OPINION

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N the race of life, challenges are bound to be encountered.

Notwithstanding, the target reward is to end well and be remembered for good.

Let’s first get this right: without opposition there is tendency for totalitarianism that will lead to progress retardation. Whosoever is determined to soar high and excel must be prepared to exploit emerging obstacles and barriers as stepping stones.

In the process of the journey predestined from the foundation by the Almighty, it is in the hand of individuals to resolve whether blockades and tribulations would be permissible excuses to destroy or build them up. To the wise, challenges are twisted to deter stagnancy and lukewarmness, and then inspire creative ideas for resourceful solutions.

Let’s also be reminded that giving excuses for failure could only deepen failure. Same way, buck-passing cannot become the tolerable exertion of a responsive leader who should accept responsibility for letdowns.

Take it or leave it, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is the President of Nigeria with the mandate to rule and reign. If only for that, he deserves the people’s respect and backing to see him succeed. The more we affront him is the more we insult ourselves. He was largely voted for personally as president and not necessarily for the Peoples Democratic Party as a political party. This means his being in office today is the people’s mandate that he is answerable to as Dr. Jonathan on a PDP platform.

Last week at the PDP’s 60th National Executive Council meeting in Abuja, the President reverted to elucidating why the ruling party is finding it difficult to deliver on its manifesto.

He said his administration was being distracted by security challenges, especially the threat posed by Boko Haram, the terrorist sect which has claimed responsibility for bombings in the North in which hundreds of lives and properties have been wasted in the attacks.

Relating insecurity as the most fundamental issue his government is wrestling with, the President added that the confrontations have unfocussed him by standing in the way of delivering on his campaign promises.

He cited power supply and job creation as priority projects that were meant to be addressed intensely but which have been eclipsed by insecurity. He went further to shift the blame for his non-performance on the opposition parties whose intention, he claimed, was to drown the PDP by painting it as a bad party. He accused the opponents of adopting the ‘philosophy’ of “when you say the wrong thing one thousand times, it becomes the right thing.”

As if he was attempting to appease his party men, President Jonathan attributed what he considered as stability in the pol-

W

HEN writing about the web of problems that entangle Nigeria, I always find it difficult to locate the starting or finishing line. I suppose the best way is to start in an inverted pyramid style of news writing, from the most important to the less important.

But what is not important to us in Nigeria? Stable electricity supply, security, healthcare, infrastructure or education?

Pray, which is more important? I am, almost like Nigeria, entangled in a web of dilemma.

As the Central Line tube from Stratford to Notting Hill Gate in Central London fed itself into the underground tunnel, we began chatting about Nigeria. Leaning against a lustre cradle next to me was my Nigerian friend, a UK resident. Overwhelmed by the smooth ride, I turned to him and asked: why can’t we have this train in Nigeria? Isn’t this good for Nigeria? Is it so much beyond the reach of Nigerians like peace, quality healthcare, electricity? Is establishing these train lines also guided by UN treaty as uranium enrichment? The inquest muse in me was at play during the 30-minute ride.

Rather than appease the inquisitive sense in me, the question sparked a fireworks of questions than answers.

His answers also made me understand the depth of Nigeria’s problem. “If you have this train in Nigeria,” he said, “some people will board alongside their goats and sheep to market. A trader will enter with a large poultry cage full of birds. A daddawa (a kind of local seasoning) hawker will also force her way into the train with her large bowl,” he said.

Before I interjected, he continued: “And you know wearing nappies for children is exclusively for the privileged ones in Nigeria. So cases of children excreting in the train will be rampant, and it will cause a serious inconvenience to commuters. After all, Nigeria doesn’t have the electricity to power the trains.” He went on and on.

My friend’s explanation just left me in awe, seeing clearly the sense in his reasoning. He said again: “Most of the tracks here are open at the stations. And so children need to be properly guided. How on earth can a woman in Nigeria control, say five children, she commutes with everyday to her market stall? Here, you hardly see a woman with more than two children,” he said, noting that most people in the UK are literate enough to read the signs and operate a ticketing computer/machine.

But I argued that despite these challenges, Nigerians need the trains. To own the horse, according to a witty Hausa adage, is better than to master the horse. The logic here is that when we get trains, we will ‘learn’ how to enter! We will also wrap a piece of cloth and nylon around our children. We can be educated if the state gives us the

Commitment, not excuses and blame-sharing ity to the solidity of the ruling PDP, which, he said, has prevented democracy from disintegrating. “We believe that if we do not have a party as robust as the PDP, probably, the republic would have collapsed.” His justification: “We know what is happening in other African countries. If the ruling party over intimidates and over imposes, using the weight of the Federal Government - and the citizen’s revolt, it weakens the political system and creates confusion and instability. But the PDP, even though, we control the Federal Government, we operate a system that even the opposition fly higher than us. They abuse us more, but we allow it. It is the PDP’s handling of the affairs of the country that is stabilizing democracy in the country.”

Could this really be why things are not working in Nigeria?

Or why disasters have become regular occurrence that makes the President a persistent condolence messenger? Is Mr. President, as the party’s arrow head, saying that without PDP there will be no corruption, insecurity, joblessness, power failure, poor health and infrastructural decay? I don’t think so.

Away from politics, let Mr. President be awakened to the truth that the people he is ruling are not blind, and they are no fools. Nigerians know what they are seeing about his administration. Corruption, beyond argument, is seen as ‘robust’, if not more, as violence and insecurity. Bad roads and deplorable infrastructures remain visible as they journey on daily basis.

Darkness, of course, is still overshadowing the overwhelming land in the absence of electric power. Education remains in disarray. The streets are continually littered with jobless youths.

And many more that makes the masses to see themselves as forsaken in poverty in the midst of abundance.

Indeed, performing oppositions are bound to “fly higher” than non-committed occupants of seat of power who are in dominance for self-enhancement instead of meeting the people’s interest. I believe the leaders know in their heart that the biggest threat to Nigeria today is not Boko Haram. Its activities in the North East cannot be the excuse for non-development of the rest of the nation. The sectional terrorists would not stop the Jonathan administration from creating jobs, or building roads, or providing electricity, or fighting corruption in the larger parts of the country. The dilemma is in the current ruling class and their ravenous desire for self-enrichment, no matter the cost and consequence to the nation state. A once-potentially great nation is down in a depressing situation today because it is being ruled by insincere corrupt tyrants wearing the facade of democracy.

Insecurity everywhere – bombings, butcherings, kidnapping, robbery, destructions etc, and the poor are being rendered poorer by inhuman government policies that are waved as solutions to self-inflictions. Bribery in dollars among same party members, embezzlement of public fund by the privileged few

in power, enthronement and reinstatement of detested failed performers – yet, it is the opposition parties where performance is evident that are being castigated! No. Let the truth be told: Mr. President’s allurement to failure is more of self-indictment than blame-passing. The bulk surely stops on his big authority table of power and luxury. The day he begins to lead by example, the difference will become clear.

The performance of any focused and determined administration will ever be available to speak for it. The decision of the people of Edo State last week when the votes were allowed to count spoke for the visible outstanding performance of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. It was a wise queue taken from Lagos State where performance made the return journey easier for Governor Babatunde Fashola last year. Rather than hearing stories of progress without physical results, Nigerians are getting conscious of the need to reward performance when they see one.

In fairness, one year in office might not be adequate to judge a government, but PDP has been in control of the nation’s heart for 13 years with hardly anything tangible and rewarding to show for it - simply because there are no good policies to focus on.

Abuses are being rained because Nigerians are barely inspired by the leadership. People have nothing to hold on to because they feel there is no future for them and their children. The hope reposed on the party and its leadership when it came to power in 1999 has in no way been justified by actions and performances aimed at the development and progress of the nation. It therefore makes no meaning supporting failure.

The opposition would even do their job more by being organized and fighting coherently to serve as alternative to failure.

The foundation of the sick Nigeria of today might be betrothed to the m essy era of military dictatorship. The drip being passed to the nation is just being watered by the people of a party in power only. Until there is genuine commitment to transformation, this richly endowed nation might just collapse. Nations with young democracy as ours cannot be compelled to succeed without a virile and pushful opposition. The practical dividends of the current democratic dispensation can be better seen in nonPDP states. This is to say that without PDP, democracy will be sustained and the nation will make faster progress.

With the Edo State experience, the people are becoming more enlightened on the reward of democracy through dedicated and genuine performance. If Nigerians can continue to vote as was done in Edo State based on merit alone rather than party affiliation, religion or ethnic loyalty, elected politicians would be compelled to perform better to the benefit of the people.

The consolation would surely come when Nigerians become conscious of the need to defend their votes for change as the pathway to move the nation forward.

A clue for the clueless

By Jaafar Jaafar education. We can be reoriented if the state shows commitment to that. After all, we had exhibited some sense of orientation during the glorious days of War Against Indiscipline (WAI). So we can use the trains, I inferred.

Of course, establishing modern train line is an expensive project, but I believe Nigerian government can still afford the project. Thankfully, Lagos is about to blaze the trail by awarding contract for the first two lines at the estimated to cost $1.4bn. The line will be 30km long, and will run between Marina and Agbado. I salute Governor Babatunde Fashola for this but I rap the Federal Government for failure to do similar projects in our major cities, or at least the Lagos-Kano transport artery.

Less than five years ago, Australia added another line to its rail network. I gather that the new metro line in Perth, named Mandurah Line, cost $1.4 billion (same as Lagos) to build. The cost included a fleet of trains and other works.

The line has 11 stations, two of which are underground. It took them only three years (2004-2007) to build. But since the coming of this democratic dispensation, successive governments put nothing in a pragmatic shape.

However, if Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement is the snag, let us source the money from within. We can use the confiscated Alamiseigha, Ibori and Abacha loot to finance the project in at least our capital city. If the recovered loot was eaten by some predators, let us dip into our foreign reserves. As at June 27, our foreign reserves stood at $36.829 billion. If I were to give a clue, taking $1.4 billion from the $36.829 billion is, to me, nothing. If we don’t have the money, we have no basis to starve with ‘reserve’ lying outside our shores.

Since we have 36 billion dollars as reserves – and we have 36 states – the government can use the money for the projects in each state before the money fizzles away. At least Nigeria will have something different from that of the previous century. But before you accost me, let me give reasons for suggesting this pedestrian theory. When Olusegun Obasanjo left power in 2007, Nigeria’s foreign reserves were about 80 billion dollars. Obasanjo himself recently blamed his successors for squandering about 35 billion dollars from the reserves he left.

More worrisome is the fact that these reserves seem to be depleting by the day owing to the “dwindling prices of crude oil in the international market.” Only between June 1

and June 27 this year, Nigeria’s reserves dropped by 857 million dollars. This amount can build at least 45km rail line with its accompanying infrastructure in Abuja. With hindsight, we should have made hay while the sun shone.

Isn’t it?

I know economists would laugh at me for this Kurmi Market economics. But the fact is that the foreign reserve is depleting by the day without building the rail line or improving our roads or healthcare system. Dear Mr economist, please tell us the best thing to do. To let the reserves deplete or use it to build infrastructure?

To say the fact, even if the dollars are reserved for foreign ‘economic fashion parade’, the inner ugliness of our economic situation cannot be concealed by the foreign reserve makeup.

This is just a clue for the clueless.

‘Since we have 36 billion dollars as reserves – and we have 36 states – the government can use the money for the projects in each state before the money fizzles away. At least Nigeria will have something different from that of the previous century. But before you accost me, let me give reasons for suggesting this pedestrian theory. When Olusegun Obasanjo left power in 2007, Nigeria’s foreign reserves were about 80 billion dollars’ OUR ERROR Last Friday, we ran the opinion article titled Revisiting Anambra’s July 10 Coup (Page 21). The piece was wrongly ascribed to Ayo Olukanmi instead of Arinze Igboeli.

The error is regretted - Editor

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

22

EDITORIAL/OPINION

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HE governorship election in Edo State has come and gone. Before then, palpable tension and mutual recrimination reigned supreme. Governor Adams Oshiomhole severally cried out to whoever cared to listen that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government had perfected plans to rig the election in favor of their candidate.

The deployment of a heavy contingent of soldiers to the state shortly before the election did not make matters any easier. Suspicions were high that the soldiers may be used to thwart the collective will of the people.

As things turned out, the soldiers lived up to their professional billing. The general turnout was very high given the sensitization and high interest of the people to ensure that their preferred candidate emerged victorious.

But serious lapses soon surfaced especially in Edo South reputed to have the highest concentration of voters. Late arrival of materials, incomplete voters’ register and late accreditation of voters were most pronounced in the area. Oshiomhole saw this as a direct evidence of the plot to undermine his chances and quickly went to town chiding the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega.

Hear him “Jega has been an embarrassment to the nation; INEC has been an embarrassment to the democratic process in Nigeria”.

He vowed to expose INEC officials.

When the result was released, Oshiomhole dusted his closest rival of the PDP with a very wide margin. Expectedly, he has been lampooned for his hasty condemnation of an election that had not run it’s full circle. The dilemma of that hasty condemnation was succinctly captured in the reaction of his PDP rival, Charles Airhiavbere who refused to congratulate him hinging his reason on the fact that Oshiomhole had earlier condemned the process. He felt having faulted the election, it was inappropriate for the same person to benefit from such a supposedly flawed election. There is a serious point in this argument.

But Oshiomhole fired back that it would have been foolhardy for him to have kept quiet and wait for INEC to rig him out. That it was better to shout and stop them than allow them successfully carry out their devious plan. This point cannot also be faulted.

He has even gone further to say that the margin of votes would have been wider had those lapses not reared their ugly heads. He may

better for it.

Emeka OMEIHE

“Re-Issues from Jos killings”

08121971199 email: EmekaOmeihe@yahoo.com

Edo poll: a postscript also be right.

Perhaps, what appeared untidy in the outburst of Oshiomhole was the degree of finality that went with his assertion that both Jega and INEC have been an embarrassment to the nation and democracy. Had he stopped at drawing attention to the fact that the lapses were targeted at rigging him out, the matter would have more palatable.

On balance, Oshiomhole did the right thing to have cried out at the time he did. For one, the lapses were real. And for another, they were more pronounced in a district that has the highest concentration of voters who are more favorably disposed to his candidacy.

Again, the lapses had a field day in and around the state capital which ordinarily should be the first to receive all election materials given their proximity to the INEC headquarters or the Central Bank of Nigeria where such sensitive material are usually kept.

Beyond these, there are other issues with wider repercussion for our democracy that have been brought to the front burner by events of the Edo election. First and very closely related to the above is the role of INEC in sustaining democracy in this country.

Though the Edo election has been described as largely free and fair, it was not a credit to the INEC that it could not organize a foolproof governorship election in just one state.

If such logistic bottlenecks could mar just a governorship election, then the situation is that bad. Our recent experience with flawed elections should not be lost to the commission so soon after.

But for the assurances given by President Jonathan and the INEC through the inven-

H

OW much money do you need to be happy? Think about it. What’s your number? Many of us aren’t satisfied with how much we have now. That’s why we’re constantly angling for a raise at work, befriending aged relatives and springing, despite long odds, for lottery scratch tickets.

The notion that money can’t buy happiness has been around a long time. But it turns out there is a measurable connection between income and happiness; not surprisingly, people with a comfortable living standard are happier than people living in poverty.

That catch is that additional income doesn’t but us any additional happiness on a typical day once we reach that comfortable standard. The magic number that defines this “comfortable standard” varies across individuals and countries, but in the United States, it seems to fall somewhere around $75,000. Using Gallup data collected from almost half a million Americans, researchers at Princeton found that higher household incomes were associated with better moods on a daily basis – but the beneficial effects of money tapered off entirely after the $75,000 mark.

Why, then, do so many of us bother to work so hard long after we have reached an income level sufficient to make most of us happy? One reason is that our ideas about the relationship between money and happiness are misguided.

In research we conducted with a national sample of Americans, people thought that their life satisfaction would double if they made $55,000 instead of $25,000: more than twice as much money, twice as much happiness.

But our data showed that people who earned $55,000 were just 9 percent more satisfied than those making $25,000. Nine percent beats zero percent, but it’s still kind of a letdown when you were expecting a 100 percent return.

Interestingly, and usefully, it turns out that what we do with our money plays a far more important role than how

‘Our own research shows that in addition to buying more experiences, you’re better served in many cases by simply buying less – and buying for others. Indulgence is often closely trailed by its chubby sidekick, overindulgence. But research shows that under indulgence – indulging a little less than you usually do – holds one key to getting more happiness for your money’

tion of the modified open ballot process, voters’ apathy had reached such unprecedented crescendo that the 2011 elections would have run into serious crisis of confidence. It took copious reassurances from Jonathan and INEC that votes would count this time around for the electorate to participate in that election. And the outcome was a substantial improvement on the outright subversion of the collective will of the people that held sway before then.

Perhaps, those improvements and the confidence-building that stemmed from that election, accounted for why people still think they have a hand in electing their leaders. That confidence restoration is a credit to the Jega-led commission and must be sustained if we are not to relapse to the devious machinations of the past.

And as the Edo election and some others before it have shown, the so-called godfathers and political this or that, who bestrode our political terrain like a colossus are nothing but paper tigers that hide under the awesome federal might to sabotage the will of the people. Remove the federal backing and they fizzle into political irrelevance. They are only relevant so long as elections involve writing results in well fortified homes or hotels rooms. That was why the Anenihs and their likes that have long alienated themselves from the people were predictably disgraced even in their own wards.

That will be the predictable outcome of election results whenever there is a genuinely free and fair poll. Once this is sustained, genuine leaders of the people will gradually begin to emerge. The nation will be

As a direct victim/observer of the sustained acts of terror on the plateau, I wish to state that most comments on the Jos killing spree have been wrongly posited and situated.

First and foremost, it is a diversionary strategy of the invading force to weaken the enemy by falsely reducing the whole episode into Berom/Fulani conflict. This gives a false sense of safety to other ethnic nationalities from their non-involvement. When the deed is done, the casualty characteristics will show multi-ethnic and other basic social diversities.

Secondly, there are no attacks and counter attacks between any groups. There is instead, a case of sustained invasion from combined forces of Fulani and foreign mercenaries.

There has never been any attack on a Fulani settlement by the other side. One side is perpetually under siege. Thanks. 08023606852 The only way government can negotiate with this group is through a ceasefire. That is the standard practice. The source of the attacker’s arms and uniforms can only be known if they are caught. How can they be caught when you have given them a 48-hour notice? They have obviously left alongside their host. The military could have cordoned the place to prevent the invaders from escaping. 07042325266

‘Remove the federal backing and they fizzle into political irrelevance. They are only relevant so long as elections involve writing results in well fortified homes or hotels rooms.

That was why the Anenihs and their likes that have long alienated themselves from the people were predictably disgraced even in their own wards’

If I had a lot of money

By Elizabeth Dunn/Michael Norton much money we make. Imagine three people each win $1 million in the lottery. Suppose one person attempts to buy every single thing he has never wanted; one puts it all in the bank and uses the money only sparingly, for special occasions; and one gives it all to charity.

Many of us would follow the first person’s strategy, but the latter two winners are likely to get the bigger happiness bang for their buck.

We usually think of having more money as allowing us to buy more and more of the stuff we like for ourselves, from bigger houses to fancier cars to better wine to more finely pixilated televisions. But these typical spending tendencies – buying more, and buying for ourselves – are ineffective at turning into happiness. A decade of research has demonstrated that if you insist on spending money on yourself, you should shift from buying stuff (TVs and cars) to experiences (trips and special evenings out). Our own research shows that in addition to buying more experiences, you’re better served in many cases by simply buying less – and buying for others.

Indulgence is often closely trailed by its chubby sidekick, overindulgence. But research shows that under indulgence – indulging a little less than you usually do – holds one key to getting more happiness for your money.

In a recent study conducted by our student Jordi Quoidback, chocolate lovers ate a piece of this confection – and then pledged to abstain from chocolate for one week. Another group pledged to eat as much chocolate as they comfortably could and were even given a mammoth two-pound bag of chocolate to help them meet this “goal”.

If you love chocolate, you might think that the students who absconded with the chocolaty loot had it made. But they paid a price. When they returned the next week for another chocolate tasting, they enjoyed that chocolate much less than they had the week before. The only people who enjoyed the chocolate as much the second week as they had the first?

Those who had given it up in between. Underindulging – temporarily giving up chocolate, even when we have the cash to buy all we want – can renew our enjoyment of the things we love.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s recent proposal to ban giantsize soda in New York City offers another intriguing route to underdulgence. Happiness research shows that, as the food writer Michael Pollan put it, “The banquet is in the first bite”.

That first sip of soda really is delicious, catching our tongues

by surprise with its bubbly sweetness. But our tongues and our minds quickly get used to repeated pleasures, and so the 39 th sip is not as delightful as the first. Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal may improve our pleasure-tocalorie (and pleasure-to-coin) ratio, an overlooked benefit in the heated debate about the consequences of such initiatives for our freedom and out health.

Using your money to promote underindulgence requires a shift in behavior, for sure. But another scientifically validated means of increasing the happiness you get from your money is even more radical: not using it on yourself at all.

Imagine walking down the street to work and being approached by our student Lara Aknin, who hands you an envelope. You open the envelope and find $20 and a slip of paper, which tells you to spend the cash on something for yourself by the end of the day. Now imagine instead that the slip of paper told you to spend the cash on someone else. Being generous is nice, sure, but would using the money to benefit someone else actually make you happier than buying yourself the belt, DVD or apps you’ve been dying to get?

Yes, and it’s not even close. When we follow up with people who receive cash from us, those whom we told to spend on others report greater happiness than those told to spend on themselves.

But surely the emotional benefits of giving couldn’t possibly apply to very young children, who cling to their possessions as though their lives depended on it. To find out, we teamed up with the developmental psychologist Kiley Hamlin and gave toddlers the baby-equivalent of gold: goldfish crackers.

Judging from their beaming faces, they were pretty happy about this windfall. But something made them even happier.

They were happiest of all when giving some of their treats away to their new friend, a puppet named Monkey. They lesson is clear: maximizing our happiness is not about maximizing our goldfish. Having more goldfish (or more gold) doesn’t decrease our happiness. But rather than focusing on how much we’ve got in our bowl , we should think more carefully about what we do with what we’ve got – which might mean indulging less, and may even mean giving others the opportunity to indulge instead.

•Elizabeth Dunn, an associate professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia, and Michael Norton, an associate professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, are authors of the forthcoming book, “Happy Money: The Science of Spending.”.

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

25

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

‘‘NNPC alone should not - P. 38 control oil export’

The pains, gains of new reporting format - P. 27 News Briefing

THE new council of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) may emerge in September. The members of the self-regulatory organisation (SRO) are expected to ratify new appointments and reconstitution of the council at the forthcoming General Annual General Meeting (AGM).

- Page 26

Why Osibodu is leaving Union Bank THE current Group Managing Director of Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, Mrs Funke Osibodu, will be exiting by the end of this year, after slightly over three years of transformation that has put the bank back on a sound footing.

- Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, Minister of Agric and Rural Development

THE CEO

ISSUES

NSE Council may emerge in Sept.

The Agricultural Transformation Agenda aims to provide over N300 billion of additional income to farmers. Over N60 billion is to be injected into the economy from the substitution of 20% of bread wheat flour with cassava flour.

250MW power expected from Omotosho 11

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HE Omotosho Power Plant, Phase 11, supervised by the National Integrated Power Plant, would add 125 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the national grid this week, The Nation has learnt.

A source at the power station, said the Unit-Two of the project is undergoing testing and awaiting inauguration.

The process is being undertaken to determine the integrity and reliability of the plant when operational.

He explained that the procedure entails the gradual loading of power into the plant until it reaches its installed capacity. Within the period, the operators ob-

•Over 400MW shut-in

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

serve the effectiveness of every component of the plant, and if any fault is discovered, the power plant is shut for re-examination and rectification. Then, the process is repeated.

The testing and opening of Unit One, have been done and generates about 120MW. The source said that of Unit2 was on and would be completed this week, adding that if achieved, the two units would be generating 250MW. However, the source said generation would depend

on the availability of gas and the temperature. If the weather is too hot, the level of generation would be considerably re duced in line with some specifications of the plant, he stated.

He said over 400MW of electricity was being shut- in at the Olorunsogo Power Plant, another NIPP owned project, due to lack of gas supply.

The available gas, he explained, is often used alternated with the Phase 1 plant, which is owned by the unbundled Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). Sometimes, one

plant has to shut for the other to use gas, he added.

The Managing Director of Niger Delta Power Holding Company, which owns the NIPP, James Olotu, also confirmed the setback caused by lack of gas.

He lauded Sepco111, the Chinese company that owns Olorunsogo Phase 2 for its commitment to improving power supply in the country He said the company has four gas turbines that have been inaugurated with capacity to deliver 500MW into the grid, but its effort is hindered by lack of gas.

Olotu also said the NIPP projects have about 1025MW to deliver into the national

12% interest rate may be retained tomorrow

- Page 30

Ex-staff criticises IMF leadership

A

A TOP economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has criticised on its “tainted” leadership, saying he is “ashamed” to have worked there. Peter Doyle said in a letter to the IMF Executive Board that he wanted to explain his resignation after 20 years.

- Page 37

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

-N6.503 trillion -Z5.112trillion -$10.84 trillion -£61.67 trillion RATES Inflation -10.5% Treasury Bills -7.08% Maximum lending-22.42% Prime lending -15.87% Savings rate -2% 91-day NTB -15% Time Deposit -5.49% MPR -12% Foreign Reserve $35.8b FOREX CFA 0.2958 EUR 206.9 £ 242.1 $ 156 ¥ 1.9179 SDR 238 RIYAL 40.472

grid, but couldn’t wheel the load into the grid because of lack of gas.

However, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) said it would not alter the power sector privatisation deadline, which entails that by end of October, the Olorunsogo Phase 2 would be owned by Sepco 111, while Omotosho Phase 2, would be owned by China Natioal Machinery and Equitment Import and Export Corporation (CMEC).

He said the companies would be at liberty to explore their source of gas to power their plants.

The two firms operate the plants on build and operate agreement.

• From left: Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr Olusegun Aganga; Director-General, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria(SMEDAN), Mr Muhammad Umos; and Statistician-general of The Federation and Chief Executive Officer, National Bureau of Statistics, Dr. Yemi Kale, during a two-day retreat of the Strategic Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Policy/Programmes Technical and Implementation Committee in Lagos.

CBN mulls macro-prudential regulation for banks HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is planning the adoption of a macro-prudential regulatory framework for banks.

This requires the measuring of the health of the banking system, and how it contributes to the growth of the economy, rather than concentrating on health of individual banks.

CBN Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability, Kingsley Moghalu, told The Nation that the regulatory framework is becoming popular among developed nations and covers the financial system and the economy.

He explained that the apex bank is applying the riskbased supervision approach for the banks, where it assesses the direction of the risks, to determining whether

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By Collins Nweze

such risks are increasing or decreasing.

He explained that part of the plan being considered is that banks should have counter cyclical capital buffer, which requires that they increase their capital and volume provisions they are making for bad loans when the going is good.

He said such practices are already being implemented in the United States of America, Britain and Malaysia.

“They are doing it for the rainy day. This is the type of things that macro-prudential regulation entails,” he said.

According to him, a country such as Nigeria that is a mono-product economy, should adapt to this model because it is imperative the country.

He said the banking indus-

try is constantly evolving all over the world, and Nigeria should understand that banks operate in the context of wider microeconomic environment.

“It is important to note that the role of fiscal managers is as critical as that of the supervisory institution in ensuring stability of the banking system,” he said.

He added that the challenge of going forward, is to look beyond the strength of an individual bank and emphasise the link between the banks and the micro-economy as well as the real economy.

For him, it is only when the real sector is not developed, banks will not have basis to sustain their growth.

Moghalu, however, insisted that banks are healthy, adding that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) conducted a stress test for the

banking system; the results show that the banks are sound. The average capital adequacy ratio is about 18 per cent, which is quite high; the average liquidity ratio is about 64 per cent.

The Deputy Governor said if the apex bank had applied the high level macro-prudential tools during the global financial crisis of 2009, it would have been able to know that the high price of oil, which kept the banks awash with cash and the combination of excessive margin lending, especially at the capital market, posed systemic risks to the health of the banks.

He said adopting the new approach would make it difficult for the banks to fail, adding that the apex bank will not be caught off-guard in the future.

NALYSTS expect the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to hold rates at 12 per cent for the fifth time in a row when it meets tomorrow.

The interbank lending rates, however, climbed to an average of 15 per cent last week, compared with 14.33 per cent a fortnight ago, after large cash withdrawals by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation ( NNPC), flows to bonds and foreign exchange purchases drained liquidity.

Market liquidity closed negative this last week after NNPC recalled over N200 billion ($1.24 billion) from some lenders to its central bank account, shrinking liquidity to a negative opening balance of about N12 billion on Friday, traders said.

NNPC supplies the bulk of dollars traded on the interbank foreign exchange market and usually withdraws a portion of the naira proceeds to its account with the central bank.

The Federal Government, according to Reuters also sold N75 billion worth of bonds ranging from fiveyear to 10-year maturities on Wednesday, last week and $500 million at the bi-weekly forex auction, soaking naira liquidity from the system and forcing an increase in the cost of borrowing among banks.

The secured Open Buy Back (OBB) rate rose to 14.75 per cent, compared with 13.50 per cent two weeks ago, 2.75 percentage points above the central bank’s 12 per cent benchmark rate, and 475 basis points above the Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) rate.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

26

BUSINESS NEWS Flight Schedule

Underwriters move against quacks in ports

MONDAY - FRIDAY LAGOS – ABUJA Departure Arrival 1. Aero 06.50 08.10 2. Associated 07.00 09.30 3. Air Nigeria 07.00 08.20 4. IRS 07.00 08.20 7. Arik 07.15 08.15 7. Chanchangi 07.15 9. Air Nigeria 08.15 09.35 10. Aero 08.45 10.05 11. Arik 09.15 10.15 12. Chanchangi 10.00 11.00 13. IRS 11.15 12.35 14. Aero 12.20 13.30 15. Air Nigeria 13.25 14.45 16. Chanchangi 13.30 14.30 17. Arik 13.45 14.45 18. IRS 14.00 15.20 19. Aero 14.10 15.30 20. Air Nigeria 14.50 16.10 21. Chanchangi 15.30 16.30 22. Arik 15.50 16.50 23. Aero 16.00 17.20 24. IRS 16.30 17.50 25. Arik 16.50 17.50 26. Chanchangi 17.30 18.30 27. Air Nigeria 17.35 18.55 29. Air Nigeria (T/TH) 18.30 19.50 20. Arik 18.45 19.45 31. Aero 19.20 20.40

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LAGOS – BENIN Arik 07.30 Associated 08.30 Aero 10.50 Arik 11.45 Associated 13.00 Aero 14.25 Arik 15.30 Associated 16.00

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LAGOS – CALABAR 07.30 11.20 12.50 16.00 LAGOS – JOS 10.55 11.15

LAGOS – KADUNA Aero 08.00 Chanchangi 10.00 Arik 10.00 Arik 15.10

08.30 09.10 11.50 12.45 13.40 15.20 16.30 16.40 08.50 12.40 14.10 17.20 12.15 12.45 09.10 11.00 11.10 16.20

LAGOS – PORT HARCOURT (CIVIL) 1. Aero 07.15 08.35 2. Arik 07.15 08.35 3. Arik 09.00 10.20 4. Aero 10.50 12.30 5. Arik 11.40 13.00 6. Air Nigeria 12.00 13.10 7. IRS 13.30 15.00 8. Arik 14.00 15.20 9. Air Nigeria 16.00 17.10 10 Arik 16.10 17.30 11. Aero 16.15 17.30 12. Arik 17.10 18.30 1.

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LAGOS – KANO Air Nigeria 07.10 IRS 08.00 Arik 12.20 IRS 14.00 IRS 18.15

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LAGOS – OWERRI 07.20 14.00 16.30

08.30 15.10 17.40

1. Arik 2. Arik 3. Arik

LAGOS – MAIDUGURI 1. IRS 11.15 13.15 2. Arik 15.50 18.00 LAGOS – ILORIN 1. Overland 07.15 2. Arik (M/T/TH/F) 17.30

08.00 18.00

LAGOS – ABUJA SAT/SUN Arik 7.15; 10.20; 2.20; 5.20pm – 7.30; 9.15; 10.20; 2.20; 4.50; 6.45 Aero 07.30; 09.35; 13.10; 14.50; 20.20 – 07.30; 09.35; 13.10; 14.50; 20.20 Air Nigeria 08.15; 14.30; 17.15; 18.30 – 08.15; 13.30; 14.30; 17.15; 18.30

By Chuks Udo Okonta

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•From left: Airtel COO Deepark Srivastava with Fela Durotoye, Nwabueze Nwachukwu and Chief Sales Officer, Inusa Bello at Channel parts Awards in Lagos.

‘Nigeria faces further oil revenue decline’ IGERIA faces further decline in the oil revenues, as the sluggish global economy persists, analysts at Standard Chartered Bank have said.

In a report entitled: Nigeria: Reconstructing GDP, Ms Razia Khan, Head, Africa Research at Standard Chartered, said the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) appears to be slowing from its heady pace ahead of a pronounced decline in prices of oil.

She noted that the average daily oil production fell to only 2.35millions per day, down from 2.51 million recorded a year earlier.

The expert said should the oil production levels go close to two millions barrel per day, the country’s oil break even price needs to rise as high as $88 per barrel before meaningful growth can be achieved.

She said the country’s oil sector contracted an estimated 2.32 per cent yearon-year in first quarter, attributing the problem to the prevalent cases of oil bunkering or trade in stolen in oil.

Ms Khan said the loss of revenue

N

• $5.24b drawn from excess crude account

By Akinola Ajibade

is beginning to have a meaningful fiscal impact on the economy because the country has overshot its budget for this year assumption of 2.45millions per barrel.

This, she said, made the government to withdraw an estimated N839billion ( $5.24billion) from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) between January and May, this year to boost monthly statutory oil earnings.

According to the report, the withdrawal from the ECA is not negotiable, despite the fact that the country’s crude oil export (Bonny Light) remains well above the $72 per barrel benchmark stated in the Budget.

On non-oil export, she noted that agriculture, which accounted for 40 per cent of the country’s GDP grew at its weakest rate in seven years in first quarter, increasing by only 4.15 per cent yearly.

She listed other sectors showing a

more clear slowdown to include wholesale and retail, noting that growth in the two areas has fallen to 8.

35 per cent and 11.3 per cent on annualised basis.

It said the country’s worsening security situation, the impact of the New Year fuel subsidy adjustment, and possible disruption to the supply of goods and services may have accounted for the problems.

“Indeed, Nigeria’s Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMGG) sector was the first to record meaningful lower growth in turnover. The sectors that have contributed the most to the economy’s relative slowdown, such as agriculture have traditionally accounted for less than two per cent of total bank lending,” she added.

Ms Khan said the country must reduce recurrent spending where necessary, recalibrate its expenditure, continues its oil subsidy programme among others to foster growth.

New NSE Council may emerge in September

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HE new council of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) may emerge in September. The members of the self-regulatory organisation (SRO) are expected to ratify new appointments and reconstitution of the council at the forthcoming General Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Sources close to the on-going efforts and consultations among key stakeholders on the reconstitution of the council said the nominees appointed into the council by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are expected to be replaced and new members ratified at the meeting.

The board of SEC had consented to the disengagement of eight members it appointed unto the council of the Exchange.

Following the SEC’s directive and reinstatement of Alhaji Aliko Dangote as President of the council of NSE by the Court of Appeal, Dangote was mandated by the council to consult

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By Taofik Salako

with stakeholders of the Exchange to assist it to make decisions on the timing and manner of the disengagement, as well as reconstitution of the council.

Sources close to the on-going process said key stakeholders, especially stockbrokers who form the bulwark of owners of NSE, have insisted on the return of the NSE to its pristine status as an SRO in line with its Memorandum and Articles of Association(Memart).

Sources said key trade groups, such as the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), which regulates the stockbroking and serves as umbrella body for brokers, the Association of Issuing Houses of Nigeria (AIHN) and Association of Stockbroking Houses of Nigeria (ASHON) emphasised that the new council must reflect the Memart of the NSE. The Memart subjects appointment

unto the council to election by the general meeting. Dangote’s consultation, according to sources, is aimed at ensuring that new appointees are acceptable to members of the NSE and as such, provide for a hitch-free process.

The annual report and accounts of the NSE for the year ended December 31, 2011, is still being awaited. However, under the Companies and Allied Matters Act ( Section 345), NSE is required to lay its financial statements before a general meeting of its members not later than nine months after the year end covered by the statements. NSE has said it planned to convene its general meeting ahead of the September 30 deadline.

A major stakeholder told The Nation that existing members who are due for re-election and new members co-opted prior to the general meeting or appointed at the general meeting would all be presented for election at the general meeting.

HE activities of fake marine insurance certificate racketeers would soon hit the rocks as the Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) is planning to throw them out of their illicit trade, The Nation has learnt Former Chairman NIA Olusola Ladipo-Ajayi said the association, having succeeded in building a robust Information Technology to curb fake vehicle insurance certificate, would focus on how to sanitise marine business, which has fake policies.

He said insurers are losing money to the menace, adding that the device would block all channels that enable racketeers perpetuate their vices.

The NIA boss said the statutory provision for imported goods to be insured has been in the law for a much longer time than the provision of the Nigerian Content Act. He added that the provision is not being implemented because there has not been any instrument put in place to ensure compliance.

“The laws are there, but enforcement has been the problem. National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) cannot go to the ports to investigate what happens there as it is not its dutys.

Some time ago, we made contact with the Customs and the officers said it is not their responsibility to inspect marine certificates.

“Ordinarily, when people are opening letters of credit and processing things from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), they ought to back it with local marine certificates.

But how many people even take the certificate? People import things without getting genuine certificates.

During the oil subsidy probe, we put up a memorandum to the National Assembly to tell them that we did not see the impact of the huge volumes of petroleum products imported or reported to have been imported.

Power Minister warns workers

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HE Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, has warned electricity workers who prevented the new management of the company from having access to the transmission office to desist from the act as their protests and acts would not yield results.

The Special Assistant to the Minister on Media, Ogbuagu Anikwe, in a statement said it has come to the attention of the Minister of Power that some workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) have since been disturbing the peace of the corporate headquarters of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). This, he said, followed the introduction to the TCN management of Manitoba Hydro International of Canada as the company, which will from today, begin to manage TCN, one of the PHCN successor companies.

“Specifically, these workers have in the last three days used all manner of force to prevent conscientious and law-abiding TCN employees from not only carrying out their legitimate duties but even gaining access to their offices,” he added.

CBN issues new rules on clearing house

HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued rules guiding Nigerian Banks Clearing Houses (NBCH). The review is in line with the apex bank’s duty of facilitating the clearing of cheques and credit instruments for banks in the country.

In a circular issued by the apex bank at the weekend, the banking watchdog said it was issued the rules after due consultation with the banks. It said that effective, July 16, any licensed bank that is not a member bank of the NBCH may enter into an agency agree-ment(s) with any member(s) of any NBCH

By Collins Nweze

for the purpose of accepting cheques drawn on it and for collecting cheques drawn on other banks.

However, clearing sessions will be presided over by the clearing superintendent and the assistant while decisions of the clearing superintendent will be binding on all representatives at any session.

The CBN said it will appoint settlement banks, among member banks, from time to time for the purpose of settlement finality. Every non-settlement bank will be required to appoint one of the settle-

ment banks so designated as an agent bank, it said.

“Every settlement bank shall have the mandatory responsibility to maintain in credit its current account with the CBN and shall be required to deposit with the CBN the required clearing collateral and or any other securities the value of such collateral shall be determined from time to time by the CBN,” it added.

The regulator also stipulated that every non-settlement bank shall have the mandatory responsibility to maintain in credit, its settlement current account with the settlement bank and will be

required to deposit with the bank the agreed clearing collateral.

It said that where an unpaid instrument is subject of any enquiry, the paying bank will pass a debit note with a copy of the unpaid instrument through the clearing house to the collecting bank and shall indicate why the Clearing banks are required to apply inward direct credits to beneficiaries’ accounts while a receiving bank that delays the application of direct credits or returns such outside the allowed window shall face appropriate sanction as approved by the CBN.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

27

ISSUES

• CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi

• NDIC MD, Umaru Ibrahim

The pains, gains of new reporting format The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) and banks are adopting the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

COLLINS NWEZE looks at the implications and benefits of the new reporting format to the financial services sector.

Continued on page 28

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

28

ISSUES Continued from page 27

T

HERE are various accounting standards in the world, with each country using a version of their own generally accepted accounting principles, also known as GAAP. It allows firms to report their financial statements in accordance to the GAAP that applies to them. The complication lies within whether the firm does business in multiple countries. How can investors then deal with multiple standards, which ones are accurate, and how can corporations be compared based upon their financials? The answer to these questions lies within the adoption of the IFRS, which is being developed and supported by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB).

IFRS is a set of international accounting standards that states how certain transactions and events should be reported in financial statements. It is based upon principles rather than hard set rules, which is in contrast to the United States (US) GAAP, a rules-based accounting standard. As a result of this fundamental difference, IFRS allows management to use greater discretion and flexibility when preparing a company's financials.

In recent years, there has been a trend towards a common globalised accounting standard with IFRS used in many parts of the world, including the European Union, Hong Kong, Australia, Russia and Singapore, among other nations. In January 2011, Canada officially adopted the IFRS standard, with more countries switching from their own accounting requirements to the IFRS standard. As of December 2011, the United States still operates under US GAAP, so it remains to be seen if they will switch as well.

With more countries adopting the IFRS as their accounting standard - over 120 as of April 2011, Nigeria had no choice, but to join the fray.

In a bid to align the financials of regulators of the Nigerian banking sector and banks with the IFRS status, a medium and long term plan has been adopted.

CBN,NDIC Already, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) have hired Ernst & Young, an international consultant, to assist them migrate their financials to IFRS. The CBN is expected to migrate to IFRS by the end of this year while NDIC is already at the impact assessment stage.

Before now, Nigeria's minimum reporting standards only demand the quarterly publication of gross earnings, pre-tax profit and net profit, leaving analysts with little on which to gauge future trends for the business or make international comparisons.

The move to adopt the IFRS became imperative, following the ongoing review of the CBN Act 2007, with caveat that its account and budget be subjected to legislative scrutiny.

Partner & Head, IFRS West Africa, Ernst & Young, Samuel Agbeven said the firm will be assisting CBN and NDIC as reporting entities in their IFRS adoption. "It is clear capacity is not available as it is a new concept in the Nigerian environment. But we are assisting them to put all the necessary tools in place," he said.

Agbeven said NDIC is currently at impact assessment stage where the firm's management of liquidated banks' assets will be examined. "Are they still holding the liquidated banks as assets, if so, what type of assets are they? When we have been able to identify the type of assets they are, then, we will also decide on the right IFRS model that will be deployed to address issues raised," he said.

According to him, Ernst & Young is supporting the CBN to move its old records to IFRS status, and also, as a regulator, be able to supervise the adoption of IFRS across the industry.

Findings show some banks are claiming that their financial statements are IFRS compliant, but the CBN can only verify such claims if its staff understand the issues around IFRS. The firm is also supporting the CBN to develop a template, that at the end of the day, it will be able to test the compliance level of the banks as done by central banks in other countries. Such will empower the apex bank to continually find the true state of the banks' financial reporting and statements.

However, as a regulator, there are transactions that the apex bank will carry out, and disclosing such business in the public

• First Bank MD, Bisi Onasanya

•Sterling Bank MD, Yemi Adeola

The pains, gains of new reporting format domain is going to be challenging.

IFRS Funding The CBN has earmarked N500 million to bring banks to minimal IFRS compliance.

The apex bank's target is to achieve a more transparent banking sector and ensure all banks make their 2012 results IFRS-compliant. CBN Director, Banking Supervision, Mrs. Tokunbo Martins, said part of the fund will be spent on the IFRS academy, where banks' staff will be trained.

Ongoing too, is a competency framework for bank staff, to ensure the manpower driving the IFRS projects are competent, to get the desired result. She said some banks have already complied with IFRS reporting, but the sector needs to move at minimal level of compliance. "Some banks' first quarter 2012 results have shown full compliance with IFRS in line with regulatory requirements. Nigerian banks and quoted companies are required to migrate to IFRS reporting effective January 1, 2012," she said.

"IFRS is all about disclosures and by adopting the platform; both regulators are expected to disclose a number of things in their financials, which reduces their risk perceptions at the global level. It is also an extension of this reporting accounting framework that if an entity outside sees them as discreet with information, their risk perception will rise," she said.

IFRS-compliant results Already some banks have adopted the IFRS in preparing their 2012 first quarter accounts. Access Bank, Unity Bank, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), GT Bank and FirstBank among others has complied.

The adoption of the model is expected to further enhance transparency and facilitate the restoration of investors' confidence in the on-going efforts to sanitise and rebuild the financial services sector. The adoption of the IFRS will enhance transparency and improve reporting standards that would help prevent or reduce systemic risks and make foreign loans more accessible at cheaper rates.

Benefits It is believed that IFRS, when adopted worldwide, will benefit investors and other users of financial statements by reducing the cost of investments and increas-

ing the quality of the information provided.

Additionally, investors will be more willing to provide financing with greater transparency among different firms' financial statements.

Furthermore, multinational corporations serve to benefit the most from only needing to report to a single standard and, hence, can save money. It offers the major benefit where it is used in over 120 countries, while US GAAP is used in only one country.

Risk Expert and Chairman, IFRS Interpretations Committee, at the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB), Bob Garnett said harmonising the IFRS and Basel Accords will give Nigerian banks' financials better credibility.

He said the global knowledge and expertise reduces the risks of getting things wrong, adding that the adoption of the model will further enhance transparency and facilitate the restoration of investors' confidence in the on-going efforts to sanitise and rebuild the financial services sector. He said adopting a common IFRS framework will make it easier for the banks to have unified accounting assessment.

He, however, said the introduction of IFRS was not meant to stop crooks or fraudulent bank managers from executing their plans. It is simply a statement and commitment by a firm to abide by international laws.

According to him, it is wrong to think that by signing into the IFRS operational modalities, frauds and malpractices in the system will be stopped. "The IFRS does not stop fraud and malpractices in the system, but represents a significant improvement by the firm to abide by international laws.

The standard does not stop crooks. It is simply an acceptance to adhere to international laws and best practices," he said.

Nevertheless, he admitted that accounting has become less risky than it was before the introduction of IFRS, adding that global knowledge and expertise reduces the risks of getting

Challenges Managing Director, IFRS Strategic Consultants Nigeria Limited, David Raggay stated the key areas that will pose challenges to banks in implementing the IFRS. Already, he said many quoted companies,

‘The adoption of the model is expected to further enhance transparency and facilitate the restoration of investors' confidence in the on-going efforts to sanitise and rebuild the financial services sector. The adoption of the IFRS will enhance transparency and improve reporting standards that would help prevent or reduce systemic risks and make foreign loans more accessible at cheaper rates’

•Access bank MD, AIG- Imoukhuede

particularly banks have reported their financials in IFRS as evidenced in their first-quarter 2012 financials submitted at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). While more results are expected, there are things investors and analysts should look out for.

He said accounting for financial instruments is one of the more challenging areas of IFRS. Banks are likely to also encounter problems in areas such as income taxes, employee benefits, business combinations and share-based payments.

Raggay said for financial instruments, the difficulties arise as a result of mixedmeasurement model promulgated under the relevant standards. For instance, there are four standards in issue by the IASB, which relates to financial instruments.

They are: IAS 32 Financial Instruments: Presentation; IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement; IFRS 7 Financial Instruments: Disclosures; and IFRS 9 Financial Instruments.

Former Chairman of the IASB, Sir David Tweedie, said IFRS 7 will lead to greater transparency about the risks that entities run from the use of financial instruments.

This, combined with the new requirements in IAS 1, will provide better information for investors and other users of financial statements to make informed judgements about risk and return".

The key objective of IFRS 7 is to provide disclosure requirements that enable users of financial statements to evaluate: the significance of financial instruments for the entity's financial position and performance; the nature and extent of risks to which the entity is exposed; and how the entity manages financial risks.

The IFRS 9 is a replacement for IAS 39. It is not mandatory until 2015 although early application is permitted. The standards encompass most transactions and events relating to financial instruments, which are not the subject of other specific standards. He said employee benefits to which IAS 19 applies, leases addressed under IAS 17, interests in subsidiaries, associates and joint ventures that are accounted for under IAS 27, IAS 28 or IAS 31, financial instruments, contracts and obligations under share-based payment transactions to which IFRS 2 relate and insurance contracts as defined in IFRS 4 are generally outside of the scope of the standards.

"This list is not exhaustive and the standards also cover certain types of transactions pertaining to contracts which are not financial instruments. As such, a contract to purchase or sell natural gas, for example, will under certain circumstances be accounted for as a financial instrument," he said.

He listed examples of financial assets such as cash, fixed or term deposits, accounts receivable, investments in another entity's shares, and certain derivatives. Financial Liabilities: Common examples of financial liabilities include: trade payables, bank loans received, issued debt instruments such as bonds and commercial paper, certain derivatives.

Also, classification of financial instruments is sometimes contentious, the issue being the clear distinction as to whether a financial instrument is in fact a financial liability or an equity instrument. In certain situations, some issued shares are classified as financial liabilities in accordance with the standards and dividends thereon are treated as interest expense rather than as appropriations.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

29

INSURANCE

Why insurers are sanctioned, by NAICOM E RRING insurers are sanc tioned to protect policy holders and shareholders the Commissioner for Insurance Fola Daniel has said.

He told The Nation that sanctions are not punitive, adding that despite the outcry over its perceived highhandness by some operators, the commission would not condone any misdeed.

He said the commission would continue to encourage global best practices to ensure that operators align with their foreign counterparts. He said insurance is a universal business and that those abroad would not have to wait for local operators to develop gradually.

He said: “Our sanctions are largely remedial. What is upper most in sanctioning an insurance company is the protection of policy holders. If I sanction an insurance company and put it on the papers of newspapers, without obtaining a remedy, how does that help the policyholder? But if I can effec-

Stories by Chuks Udo Okonta

tively sanction an operator and the interest of policy holder is fully served, that means we are doing the right thing.

“I assure you that we are not sweeping anything under the carpet or shielding any operator. As a matter of fact in the last three months, I think there has been shout and cry from the industry about our sanctions we have given to errant operators.”

He noted that the commission would continue to ensure that companies live up to their responsibilities, adding that several initiatives had been taken to reposition the industry.

Daniel said efforts were being made to enable insurers tap into the enormous potential in the country. He said the industry has the capacity to be ranked among the top six developed sector across the globe, noting that the nation’s natural resources and population are great potential for growth.

He noted that life insurance remains one of the driving force of insurance as it provides long term fund for operators. He said NAICOM would also enable operators go to the grassroots where there are enormous untapped insurance opportunities.

He said over 50 million of the

nation’s population are adults, who should have life policy, noting that if they should subscribe to life policies, that would amount to fabulous income for life insurers.

He said opportunities exist in agriculture, oil and gas and other sectors, noting that the industry was being reformed to enable operators avail themselves of the opportunities.

He said the action taken by the commission to improve income in the industry was the arrest of fake insurers. He urged insurers to leverage on the opportunities created through some of its programmes, such as the Market

‘Our sanctions are largely remedial. What is upper most in sanctioning an insurance company is the protection of policy holders. If I sanction an insurance company and put it on the papers of newspapers, without obtaining a remedy, how does that help the policyholder? But if I can effectively sanction an operator and the interest of policy holder is fully served, that means we are doing the right thing’

Development and Restructuring Initiative (MDRI).

He said the government through the Nigeria Content Bill, which empowers insurers to underwrite 70 per cent risks in the country has paved the way for insurers to improve their operations.

“We have a capital, which is in excess of N500 billion and the industry is not generating the capital, which means that we are under-trading. The operators have been trying to jog, but now, we are no longer going to jog but run.

“We have moved very slowly as an insurance industry. We have been walking and in the last four years, we attempted to jog. We are no longer going to jog, but we are going to run. The N1trillion target,which we have variously stated, I believe it is achievable for we have huge opportunities and potential; all we need to do is to harness the available opportunities,” he added.

NIA yet to distribute e-readers

B

• From left: President, West African Insurance Companies Association (WAICA), Mr Dawda Sarge; President, Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB), Mrs Laide Osijo and Executive Secretary, WAICA when the association’s executives paid a courtesy visit paid to NCRIB in Lagos.

ARELY a month after the Ni gerian Insurers Association (NIA) launched the Nigerian Insurance Industry Database (NIID) to enable security agents detect genuineness of vehicles policies, the data is yet to be released, The Nation has learnt.

A source in NIA, who asked not to named, said the association has started a radio enlightenment campaign on the project, but did not know when the distribution of the gadgets would start.

He said the devices have been acquired, but the time of their distribution remained unknown.

Director-General NIA Sunday Thomas said the customised ereaders will be distributed in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He listed the benefits of the project to include monitoring and authenticating of insurance documents; reduction of incidences of fraudulent insurance transactions and policies, most

especially for motor and marine policies; reduction of red tape and corruption by integrating them with the vehicle registration system of the FRSC, the police and other relevant agencies and ensuring access to data for decision making.

Formers Chairman NIA Olusola Ladipo-Ajayi said the information technology-based project, would facilitate an easy identification of genuine insurance documents.

He said vehicle owners could verify the authenticity of their policies through Short Messaging Service (SMS) by text their policy number, vehicle plate number to 33125 (policy No*plate No to 33125).

He stated that the project would help to develop capacity in NIA to monitor and authenticate underwriting in the industry and facilitate information sharing on stolen vehicles through technology-driven collaboration between relevant agencies.

PenCom employs 172 pension recovery agents

T

HE National Pension Com mission (PenCom) has em ployed 172 revovery agents, its Director-General PenCom Mohammad Ahmad, has said.

Ahmad, who disclosed this in Abuja, said the agents have started work, adding that the agents, who are lawyers and accountants, would ensure that employers comply with laws on the remittance of their workers’ contributions.

PenCom in a circular said 50 per cent of the interest penalty from outstanding contributions recovered through the efforts of

agents will be given to employees with Retirement Savings Account (RSA), while the balance would be used to settle the agents.

It said: “The Commission would hold quarterly meetings with the recovery agents and PFAs to discuss remuneration of recovery agents would be performance based. The remuneration would be met from the interest penalty charged on the outstanding contributions recovered through the efforts of the agents and administration fees charged by PFAs. In that regard, 50 per cent of the interest penalty would be used to

defray the cost of recovery while the balance of 50 per cent would be for the benefit of the RSA holder.

In addition, PFAs would not be allowed to charge administration fee on RSAs that benefited from the recovery in the arrears or in retrospect.

It said: “Recovery agents would be required to submit monthly progress report with respect to recoveries from employers assigned to them. The reports would be reviewed to determine if the performance of the agent is satisfactory or otherwise. Challenges encountered

and ways forward. The compliance and enforcement department would be responsible for the implementation of the framework in conjunction with other relevant departments in the commission.

“The Commission would provide a secretariat and basic resources, such as telephone and internet access for use of the recovery agents. The secretariat would be located in the Commission office. The framework is subject to a periodic review to ensure speedy recovery of un-remitted pension contributions by employers.”

•Ahmad

SA Insurance, NARTO, NURTW launch accident scheme

C

ONCERNED with provid ing succour to drivers of heavy duty dry cargo trucks who are in distress after accidents, the Standard Alliance Insurance Plc, the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) have flagged off an health insurance scheme for members of the two unions at Obajana, Kogi State.

National President, NARTO, Kassim Ibrahim Bataiya, at the event tagged NARTO/NURTW dry cargo truck drivers’ accident health insurance scheme, said the project was the fulfilment of a dream conceived between the two organisations about two years ago and designed to benefit both the owners and the drivers of the heavy duty dry cargo trucks who ply the roads on daily.

He said: “The annual statistics provided by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) on the rates of accidents on our roads and the resultant serious injuries and deaths create the urgency for this scheme.

“Sadly enough, prior to this moment, in the event of any such accident, the affected driver or his mate as the case may be, was left to his fate with no financial reprieve extended to either of

them in case of injury or to their families in case of death, thus the necessary motivation needed to spur them for greater productivity was lacking.”

The president explained that the above gave rise to “the resolve of the two unions in partnership with our consultants: Standard Alliance Insurance Plc and Generationext, to pursue this insurance scheme aimed at providing financial succour and

reprieve to the injured and to the family of the dead dry cargo truck drivers resulting from accidents in the course of their work.”

Noting that the financial package provides for treatment for the injured and burial expenses for the dead, Bataiya explained: “It is still only a reprieve as money cannot compensate for loss of life or permanent disability resulting from an accident.”

30

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

MONEY LINK

Why Osibodu is leaving Union Bank

T

HE current Group Managing Director of Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, Mrs Funke Osibodu, will be exiting by the end of this year, after slightly over three years of transformation that has put the bank back on a sound footing.

Sources said that she may also continue on the board in a non-executive capacity to lend advisory support to the incoming executive.

Four new non executive directors will also be appointed (subject to regulatory approval) whilst existing executive directors will be continuing in the bank. The plan is to leverage on the excellent transformation work done so far, retain existing

By Ayodele Aminu Group Business Editor

institutional memory whilst building a world class commercial banking institution.

Sources in the bank confirmed that having fully completed her assignment; she will hand over at the end of the year to a new Managing Director who is to lead the remaining transformation agenda of the institution. This is however, subject to submitting same for regulatory approval.

Union Bank under Osibodu survived its most challenging era in history, coming after a debt crisis and corporate governance issues, which brought the

Nigerian banking industry close to collapse in 2009.

This had prompted the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to fire the former management of Union Bank alongside those of other seven banks. Osibodu was appointed the MD/CEO in 2009. She led the bank's turnaround - assets recovery, recapitalisation, rebranding and restored customers' and investors' confidence in the organisation.

Union Bank's balance sheet for the 2011 financial year through December, showed positive net assets of N197 billion compared with negative net assets of N115.7 billion a year earlier. It is also believed that the first quarter March 2012 and second quarter June 2012

results of the bank are impressive.

Mrs Osibodu led a process that for the first time in the history of Nigeria culminated in the largest international consortium of foreign investors investing $500 million in a Nigerian bank, and in Nigeria despite the world economic crisis.

Analysts attributed the investments by the core investors to the bright prospects of the bank as inspired by the Osiboduled management. Union Bank is the only bank out of the eight intervened banks that was able to retain its stand alone status and name.

Union Bank's stock, which is trading at N4.26 per share on the Nigerian

Stock Exchange (NSE) as at today, achieved its longest winning streak in 10 weeks on July 20, gaining 22.6 per cent to N4.24 at the market close, the longest streak of gains since May 7. This was attributed to rising investor confidence. ``Those who are buying the stock (Union Bank) are doing so on speculation that the bank will make a turnaround.''

Raheem Mohammed, a broker at Kundila Finance Ltd., told reporters.

Analysts said Mrs Osibodu leveraged her hands on experience in business turnaround to return Union Bank to its pride of place as one of Nigeria's most formidable financial institutions.

Cash-less: banks flag off road show in Lagos

B

ANKS, at the weekend flagged off a pilot road show to enlighten and encourage traders and the public at large to embrace the cash-less banking initiatives, recently introduced by the Bankers' Committee.

The theme of the show was “Go cash-less, use Point of Sales (PoS), Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), Internet, Chequebook and Phone.” Cash-less banking is currently limited to Lagos State, the commercial capital of Nigeria.

The show, which started at the Trade fair Complex Lagos, would move to different parts of the state

this week to make the initiative more widely understood. Other markets billed for the hosting of the show include Alaba, Mile 11 and Idumota.

The main objectives of the road show are to effectively communicate the initiative as an inevitable innovation payment option that is much safer than cash transactions.

Other goals of the show include, test running the point of sales (PoS) machines, teaching customers and merchants alike how to use them. PoS machines will also be supplied to customers who qualify for them by their respective banks. Other

as theft, and delay in payment for goods and services.

Banks will also be testrunning the machines this week at the venues of the show, and would give prompt feedbacks/comments to their manage-ment as required.

“Each bank would give PoS machines to their customers who have come to the show.

Now, we are doing the testrunning of the machines. The banks would get feedback on the issue later. Giving the machines to traders would not be based on the feedback given to the banks, but on the basis of the accounts they are operating with the banks”,

By Akinola Ajibade

merchants that qualify for the PoS machines but do not operate current accounts will also be guided on how they will be serviced.

The road show format also uses drama skits to drive home salient points on the benefits associated with this technology initiative to individuals and corporate organisations, among others.

At the event, traders were not only made to understand how the PoS works, but were also advised to see the technology as the only solution to problems such

FGN BONDS Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year 5-Year

35m 35m 35m

11.039 12.23 13.19

19-05-2014 18-05-2016 19-05-2016

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM Amount Amount Offered ($) Demanded ($) 350m 150m 350m 138m 350m 113m

MANAGED FUNDS

NIDF NESF

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10% 10-11%

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Tenor 91-Day 182-Day 1-Year

Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2012 “ 14-04-2012

GAINERS AS AT 20-7-12 SYMBOL

O/PRICE

GUINNESS OKOMUOIL GLAXOSMITH CONOIL UBN UAC-PROP DANGSUGAR JAPAULOIL HONYFLOUR AGLEVENT

228.00 29.50 23.96 23.76 4.06 9.36 4.53 0.63 1.92 0.92

C/PRICE

239.40 31.39 25.15 24.94 4.26 9.82 4.75 0.66 2.01 0.96

NGN USD NGN GBP NGN EUR NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N) (S/N) Bureau de Change (S/N) Parallel Market

Current Before

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

147.6000 239.4810 212.4997

149.7100 244.0123 207.9023

150.7100 245.6422 209.2910

-2.11 -2.57 -1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

153.0000

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

O/PRICE 4.40 1.80 8.54 7.88 2.09 1.79 1.15 1.15 0.75 0.52

C/PRICE 4.18 1.71 8.12 7.50 1.99 1.71 1.10 1.10 0.72 0.50

CHANGE 0.22 0.09 0.42 0.38 0.10 0.08 0.05 0.05 0.03 0.02

DISCOUNT WINDOW Feb. ’11

July ’11

Dec ’11

MPR

6.50%

6.50%

12%

Standing Lending Rate ,, Deposit Rate ,, Liquidity Ratio Cash Return Rate Inflation Rate

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00% 12.10%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00% 12.10%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00% 12.6%

NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

NSE CAP Index

27-10-11 N6.5236tr 20,607.37

Date 2-7-12 27-6-12 22-6-12

Rate (Previous) 4 Mar, 2012 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917 12.1250

Rate (Currency) 6, Mar, 2012 10.17% 11.46% 11.96% 12.54%

28-10-11 N6.617tr 20,903.16

% Change -1.44% -1.44%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

LOSERS AS AT 20-7-12

SYMBOL UBA MAYBAKER BERGER ACCESS LONGMAN RTBRISCOE IKEJAHOTEL TRANSCORP WAPIC LAWUNION

Exchange Rate (N) 155.2 155.8 155.7

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Year Start Offer

CHANGE

11.40 1.49 1.19 1.18 0.20 0.46 0.22 0.03 0.09 0.04

Amount Sold ($) 150m 138m 113m

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 Currency

OBB Rate Call Rate

Mrs Osibodu was the Managing Director of MBC International Bank and Ecobank Nigeria Plc and later joined the board of the Ecobank Trans national Incorporat ed (ETI).

She was early this year named by Financial Times of London as one of World's 50 Leading Businesswomen.

She was the only African woman and Nigerian that made the list. According to the global jury of experts constituted by FT, she was chosen in recognition of her achievements at Union Bank.

The jury said, ``Osibodu was responsible for strengthening the management of the bank, improving discipline and ensuring transparency.”

The industry will be watching her next move with keen interest; no doubt she will be courted by boards of leading companies to serve on advisory capacity especially in this time of worldwide economic downturn.

DATA BANK

Tenor

Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33 N1000.00 N552.20

the sources added.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) commenced the pilot scheme of the cashless programme in January 1, 2012 in Lagos and slated January 2013 for the takeoff of the policy in other states. The scheme, like any other, was fraught with problems such as ignorance, lack of enough education about the scheme, customers' apathy, insufficient PoS, among others.

The apex bank rolled out 150,000 point of sales machines few weeks ago, to complement the existing ones and the outlook now appears very promising.

•Mrs Osibodu

Offer Price

Bid Price

ARM AGGRESSIVE 9.17 KAKAWA GUARANTEED 1.00 STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE 122.73 AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND 105.51 LOTUS CAPITAL HALAL 0.74 BGL SAPPHIRE FUND 1.09 BGL NUBIAN FUND 0.95 NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL DEB. 1,713.35 PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND 8.95 CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST 1.39 CENTRE-POINT UNIT TRUST 1.87 STANBIC IBTC NIG EQUITY 7,978.16 THE DISCOVERY FUND 193.00 FIDELITY NIGFUND 1.67 • ARM AGGRESSIVE • KAKAWA GUARANTEED • STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE • AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND

9.08 1.00 122.59 105.46 0.72 1.09 0.93 1,712.68 8.51 1.33 1.80 7,766.43 191.08 1.62

Movement

OPEN BUY BACK

Bank P/Court

Previous 04 July, 2011

Current 07, Aug, 2011

8.5000 8.0833

8.5000 8.0833

Movement

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

31

MONEY MARKET REPORT

NNPC, forex, bonds drain liquidity

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HE $500 million forex sold at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) moderated Wholesale Dutch Auction System (WDAS) and the $200 billion recalled by Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) last week triggered negative liquidity in the financial market.

The NNPC recalled $1.24 billion from some lenders to its CBN account, shrinking liquidity to a negative opening balance of N12 billion.

The Debt Management Office (DMO) also issued bonds worth N75 billion as part of monetary control measures to help banks manage their liquidity. The debt office said it sold N75 billion worth of fiveyear, seven-year and 10-year bonds maturing in 2017, 2019 and 2022 at a regular auction on Wednesday.

There was also a $500 million sale at the bi-weekly Wholesale Dutch Auction System (WDAS), soaking naira liquidity from the system and forcing an increase in the cost of borrowing among banks.

The debt office said it sold N25 billion of each paper. The yield on the five-year bond rose to 16.19 per cent from 15.85 per cent at last month’s auction. It issued the seven-year paper at 16.59 per cent compared to 16 per cent previously while the 10year paper was issued at 16.30 per cent from 16.21 per cent at the last auction.

The original coupon rates of 15.10 per cent and 16.39 per cent for the April 2017 and January 2022 respectively will be maintained, while the coupon rate for the June 2019 was set at 16.00 per cent, the DMO said in a statement. Total subscriptions stood at N121.60 billion compared with 129.70 billion at the June auction.

The demand for Nigeria’s local debt since the beginning of the year has been high due to attractive yields.

Analysts said they expect a moderate upward adjustment this week due to debits for WDAS and Open Market Operation (OMO).

Naira The naira eased against the dollar on the interbank on Wednesday after large dollar sales by the NNPC and at a central bank currency auction failed to quell demand for the greenback. The local currency closed at N161.10 to the dollar on the interbank after opening at N159.45 naira on Wednesday. It closed at N160.10 on Tuesday.

“A number of banks took the advantage of the increase in dollar supply from NNPC and the appreciation to cover their position, pushing down the naira,” one dealer said.

The secured Open Buy Back (OBB) rate rose to 14.75 per cent, compared with 13.50 per cent last week, 2.75 percentage points above the central bank’s 12 percent benchmark rate, and 475 basis points above the Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) rate.

“We are expecting the release of budget allocations to government agencies by next week, which should raise the liquidity level in the system and help lower cost of borrowing in the Interbank,” one dealer said.

Banks’ assets Deposit Money Banks’ (DMBs) assets rose from N17.3 trillion in 2010 to N19.3 trillion in 2011, indicating a leap of N2 trillion or 11.6 per cent, the CBN has said. In its 2011 Annual Report, the banking watchdog said that its assets rose from N8.7 trillion to N15.7 trillion during the same periods, depicting an increase of 80.4 per cent or N7 trillion. It also noted that banks’ assets had recorded progressive increases from N10.9 trillion in 2007; N15.9 trillion in 2008 and N15.5 trillion in 2009.

According to the apex bank, net

FGN Bond sales

By Collins Nweze

foreign assets of the banking system, stood at N7.1 trillion, representing increase of 10.4 per cent, in contrast with the decline of 14.3 per cent at the end of the preceding year.

The movement in money supply (M2) was largely driven by the expansion in domestic credit and foreign assets of the banking system.

It rose to N5.8 trillion at end of December 2011 from N5.3 trillion at end of December 2010. As a share of M2, NFA accounted for 54.0 per cent and contributed 5.9 per cent to its growth.

Credit to the domestic economy grew by 42.4 per cent compared with 10 per cent in 2010. At that level, domestic credit exceeded the indicative benchmark of 29.3 per cent for fiscal 2011.

•Source: FBN Capital, DMO

Bridge Banks The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos last week declared that a suit instituted by the Progressive Shareholders Association against the CBN on the three bridged banks was unsustainable.

The bridged banks are Mainstreet (formerly known as Afribank); Keystone (erstwhile Bank PHB) and Enterprise Bank (the defunct Spring Bank).

In his ruling on July 9, this year, in Lagos, Justice Achibong upheld the preliminary objection of the CBN through its counsel, that the plaintiffs had no right of action to institute the suit against it and that they also lack the locus standi to institute or maintain such action.

Empowerment

The apex bank is to set up a Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Fund targeted at empowering women. Speaking at the African Women’s Economic Summit, titled, ‘African Women Financing the Future’, CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, said 60 per cent of the proposed fund would be for women entrepreneurs.

He said the fund is expected to replace the old Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme (ACGS) being implemented by the apex bank.

“When this fund is launched, at least 60 per cent of the loan will go to women business owners at singledigit interest rate. Hopefully, by October this year, when we all come back from the World Bank meetings, it will be inaugurated,” he said.

Sanusi said both men and women are equal and should be treated equally in management institutions.

ATMs The apex bank has also disclosed that the number of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) needs to increase from 9,958 in 2010 to 62, 440 in 2020 to achieve the goals of financial inclusion strategy. Also, the CBN is projecting the number of bank ‘branches to increase from 5,797 in 2010 to 10,000 by 2020, while the number of Point of Sales (PoS) devices is expected to increase from 11,223 to over 400,000 during the projected period.

The apex bank said 65,000 mobile agent network is required by 2020 to ensure the success of mobile banking system in the country.

Confirming the development, Head, Shared Services Department,

•Naira notes

CBN, Chidi Umeano, said there has been an increase in the payment channels to meet the targeted growth for the industry, adding that PoS channels have been increasing in tandem with the aspirations of the financial regulator to promote the cashless banking initiatives. Umeano said the number of ATMs has increased in the industry compared with what it was a few years ago.

Cash-less The importance of telecom operators in the cashless banking initiative cannot be under-empahsised the CBN has said. Mr Umeano told The Nation that telecom firms have assisted in making electronic banking workable.

Speaking on the heels of the decision of the telecom operators to implement policies that would promote the roll out of the network sites in rural areas, Umeano said the issue would help people in such areas access cashless banking in the future.

By regulations, telecom companies are required to partner with banks to successfully implement the cashless banking policy. They are expected to provide micro-based network such as fibre to facilitate transportation of data between the banks and the depositors.

ICAN The Registrar and Chief Executive, Institute of Chartered Accountants Nigeria (ICAN), Olutoyin Adepate has emphasised the need for improved skills among accounting experts to tackle money laundering and financial crimes in the country.

Addressing the induction ceremony of new members of the Association of Accounting Technicians in Lagos , Adepate noted that the promulgation of the money launder-

ing 2011 and anti-terrorism acts demanded for specialised professional expertise to deal with emerging issues in the banking and economic environment.

He said accounting technicians need to develop skills to assist the government in the crusade to curtail the growth of the practice.

With the government making legislations to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, Adepate urged accounting officers to ensure the soundness, integrity and stability of the financial system is not compromised.

CIBN committees The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has set up twoyear committees to drive its activities. The committees are expected to be meeting on regular basis to articulate new initiatives, ideas and strategies, making recommendations among other functions aimed at transforming the Institute and its activities.

CIBN President/Chairman of Council, Segun Aina said the committee was set up to ensure better services delivery to all stakeholders.

According to him, the committees were approved by the Governing Council of the Institute, and are comprised of experts and professionals with unique and varied experience, skills and other competencies.

VISA Unified Payment Services Limited has received, “The Best Acquiring Institution in Sub-Saharan Africa” award for its commitment to providing secure and reliable technology in the issuance and acceptance space.

The Award was instituted by Visa Incorporated for financial institutions that recognise best practices in

‘The demand for Nigeria’s local debt since the beginning of the year has been high due to attractive yields ... Analysts said they expect a moderate upward adjustment this week due to debits for WDAS and Open Market Operation (OMO)’

risk management. Unified Payment Services, formerly ValuCard, is a card-neutral and option-neutral Payments Service Provider owned by a consortium of leading Nigerian banks. It operates as a shared infrastructure for the banking community in the country.

Bank to bank report Fidelity Bank Plc last week received the Great Place to Work (GPTW) trophy and certificate of achievement from the organisers of 2011/2012 assessment period award.

Speaking at the award ceremony held at the bank’s headquarters in Lagos, Director, Great Place to Work, Australia, Tom Frtunik, said Fidelity was recognised because research conducted by the company showed that workers are satisfied with the bank’s working environment. He said the bank’s staff were interviewed and their feedback used to decide the lender’s position.

Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Ratings Services assigned a ‘B+’ rating to the proposed senior unsecured notes to be issued by Access Finance, a special purpose entity of Access Bank Plc. The rating reflects the unconditional and irrevocable guarantee provided by the bank. Consequently, the rating on the notes, all of which are senior unsecured, reflects the counterparty credit ratings on Access Bank.

The ratings on Access Bank reflect its ‘bb-’ anchor, as well as the bank’s “adequate” business position, “moderate” capital and earnings, “moderate” risk position, “adequate” funding and “average” liquidity, as our criteria define these terms,” a statement from Reuters said.

First Bank of Nigeria Plc has introduced a Visa debit card, that can be linked to both naira and dollar accounts of its customers. The product, according to a statement, has enabled the lender meet the e-payment needs of its customers.

The product is Chip and Personal Identification Number (PIN) enabled, giving users online real-time access to their funds. The card can be used to make payments through Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), Point of sale terminals and web merchants.

32

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23 , 2012

33

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

34

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 20-7-12

Investors stake N12b on equities HE euphoria of half year results continued into sessions early last week; but, profit taking trimmed some of the gains by the middle of the week.

GTBank, First Bank, Stanbic IBTC, Zenith Bank and Fidelity Bank - all recorded cumulative gains last week while Access Bank, UBA and Diamond Bank recorded losses.

In other sectors, both Guinness and NB were favourites last week, both booking gains of 5.0 per cent and 5.4 per cent cumulatively at the close of the week. Speculative activities drove up the price of A.G Leventis with a 14.3 per cent mark-up at the close of the week while Transcorp, UACN and Unilever also rallied with gains in excess of

T

By Taofik Salako and Tonia Osundolire

4.0 per cent last week.

A turnover of 1.634 billion shares worth N11.897 billion in 22,412 deals were recorded last week, in contrast to a total of 1.459 billion shares valued at N9.618 billion exchanged in 18,276 deals in previous week.

Also traded during the week were 3,660 units of NewGold Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) valued at N9.061 million exchanged in 10 deals. Likewise, a total of 200 units of 4.00 per cent FGN APR 2015 valued at N147, 100 were exchanged in 4 deals.

Major transaction volume was driven by activities in the Financial Services sector with 1.217 billion shares val-

ued at N6.881 billion traded in 12,971 deals. This was followed by Conglomerates sector with 130.220 million shares valued at N182.074 million traded in 909 deals.

The turnover volume recoded in the top sectors was largely driven by activity in the shares of UBA Plc. (Banking sub-sector, AIICO Insurance Plc. (Insurance carriers, brokers and services sub-sector) and Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc. Trading in the shares of the top three companies accounted for 546.536 million shares, representing 40.78 per cent, 40.57 per cent and 33.45 per cent of the turnover recorded by the subsector, sector and total equities for the week, respectively.

Buy Oando stocks now, shareholders urged

S

SHAREHOLDERS of Oando Plc have been urged to take advantage of the current low price of the stock to increase their holdings in other to enjoy better returns in the very near future.

These were the contributions of the National Coordinator, Independent Shareholders of Nigeria (ISAN), Sir Sunny Nwosu and General Secretary, Coordinating Committee of Zonal Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Mrs. Oludewa Thorpe at the 35th Annual General of Oando held in Lagos at the weekend.

Oando Plc - an integrated energy firm, which once traded above N23 per share this year, has remained below N20 due to lull in the stock market. It stock closed at N14.69 last Friday.

Nwosu said the current price is an opportunity for shareholders to increase their holdings because of the growth potential given the huge investment the company is making in the three major sectors of the oil and gas industry.

“Apart from reducing the average cost for those who bought at high prices in the past, the new price also affords them opportunity for shareholders to own more shares and this will enable them to earn more benefits going forward,” he said.

Speaking in the same vein, Thorpe said from a mere petroleum products marketing, Oando has grown to become a major player in the down, mid and up streams segment of the industry.

“This is the time to buy be-

cause the future is bright. Buy now and reap more in the future,” Thorpe said.

Addressing the shareholders, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive of Oando Plc, Mr. Wale Tinubu, said the company was making significant investments that would guarantee steady returns in the future.

He said some of the investments have already started yielding fruits that shareholders would soon benefit from.

According to the chairman of the company, Oba Aremu Adedotun, the strategy to lay more emphasis on the high margin upstream produced dividend with the sector contributing significant to profitability.

He said that the company remains well positioned for immense growth in 2012 as the kick off of key economic reforms is being awaited. “With our focus and strategy remaining as clear as ever, we are in prime position to surpass our past performance to the ultimate satisfaction of our esteemed shareholders” he said.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 20-7-12

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23 , 2012

35

EQUITIES WATCH

Email: taofad2000@yahoo.co.uk

United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc is riding high on the crest of a new fundamental report. Already, with highest year-todate return in the banking sector, the new rally triggered by impressive half year report may take UBA to new high.

TAOFIK SALAKO reports

T

HE Nigerian stock market has witnessed substantial recovery in recent weeks.

With new audited reports and early first half reports reflecting improved fundamentals, average return at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has been on the upward, opening today at11.41 per cent. At 27.46 percent, average return in the banking sector is substantially above other tracked indices, except the consumer goods index, which carries a whooping average return of 227.11 per cent.

The overall market recovery revolves around several stocks, especially banking stocks, which largely determine the overall market situation at the stock market. The resurgence in the banking sector is driven by a handful of stocks. With most banking stocks still on the negative, substantial returns by few banking stocks underlined the sectoral performance. UBA leads the advancing banking stocks with a year-to-date return of 61.4 per cent.

With the release of UBA's first half report, the bank's market consideration has gained some 14 per cent in the past two weeks.

Facts under consideration Interim report and accounts of UBA for the first half ended June 30, 2012 showed that the bank's strong financial performance in the first quarter continued into the second quarter with all fundamental indices indicating growths. Profit before tax rose by 159 per cent to N31.84 billion in 2012 as against N12.3 billion in corresponding period of 2011. Profit after tax also grew by 138 per cent from N10.3 billion to N27.1 billion. Gross earnings rose by 22 per cent to N111 billion compared with N91.3 billion in the corresponding period 2011.

The report appeared to vindicate the success of the cost management strategy of the lenders expansion programme. The growth in the top-line was driven mainly by fund-based incomes while overall performance was impacted by increasing earnings accruing to the group's investments across Africa. Further analysis showed that group's cost-to-income ratio for the period improved significantly from 82.1 per cent in June 2011 to 60.9 per cent. Return on equity spiraled to 28.1 per cent from 6.8 per cent in comparable period of 2011. Total assets grew from N1.946 trillion in June 2011 to N2.044 trillion in June 30, 2012. Net loan portfolio increased to N734.4billion compared with N690.4billion.

Market pundits' perspectives With the first half performance, investment advisors reappraised UBA's ranking, upgrading the potential return by the year-end. Market pundits across several investment firms including

Can UBA sustain this growth?

FBN Capital, Afrinvest West Africa, Citi Research and Stanbic IBTC said the first half performance substantially surpassed earlier estimates and put the bank in good stead for higher returns this year.

Analysts at Citi Research, a division of Citigroup Global Markets said with the first half performance, UBA's share price could hit N7 per share, implying prospective gain of about 67 per cent on the current market consideration. According to analysts, UBA's performance showed the benefits of having a highly liquid balance sheet in a positive real rate environment.

"Also, having addressed most of its back book concerns with its fourth quarter 2011 write-offs, the improved revenue growth of the business is finally hitting the bottom-line and this is driving the outperformance. We remain Buyers of UBA and expect consensus upgrades to support the shares over the near-term," Citi stated.

Analysts at Stanbic IBTC noted that UBA's operating efficiency has continued to improve and was ahead of their full year expectations. According to analysts, the cost to income ratio declined to 61 per cent in first half from 65 per cent in first quarter, falling below their full year estimate of 68 per cent.

Analysts at Afrinvest said that UBA is undervalued by some 36 per cent based on its current book value and recommend the stock with a buy sign, implying that investors still buying the stock have prospects of making appreciable returns.

FBN Capital, a subsidiary of First Bank of Nigeria, agreed UBA's first half performance was "running well ahead of 20 per cent return on equity guidance for the full year." Citing the pre and post tax profits of the bank, analysts at FBN Capital said the improvements confirm that the recovery in UBA's financials in the first quarter continued into the second quarter. UBA had in the first quarter ended March 31, 2012 recorded a pre-tax profit of N16 billion as against N4.8 billion recorded in comparable period of 2011. Profit after tax quadrupled to N13.8 billion compared with N3.9 billion in 2011. Gross earnings rose from N40.5 billion in 2011 to N53.9 billion in first quarter 2012.

"Compared with our estimates, these second quarter figures are better-than-expected. Profit before tax and profit after tax beat our forecasts by 26 per cent and 45 per cent respectively. The positive surprise was driven by several lines: the income lines were ahead of expectations; especially non-interest income while interest ex-

pense and operating expenses were below our forecasts," FBN Capital stated.

Analysts noted that UBA's first half amounted to return on equity of about 26 per cent as against the bank's guidance of 20 per cent for 2012 and FBN Capital estimate of 18.8 per cent. Analysts pointed out that notwithstanding that UBA share price has gained 61 per cent so far this year, the share price could rise further on the back of the second quarter results.

Sustainability But there is still concern over the possible drawbacks in the third and fourth quarters. Skeptics have pointed at the variance between interim reports and audited reports of several companies, especially due to last-quarter negative variables. Allaying the fear of possible reversal, group managing director, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Mr. Phillips Oduoza has said the first half performance was an indication of how the bank expects to consolidate its growth in the periods ahead.

According to him, the ability of the bank to significantly grow profit and contain costs is an indication of its promise and determination to deliver good returns to all stakeholders and particularly to its shareholders. He said the bank was focused on maximizing returns through its branch network and it would continuously reengineer its product offerings and service quality to customers across the locations it operates.

In a special report on the priority areas and targets of the bank for the current business year, the bank outlined 10 core targets that would drive the overall goal of industry leadership and impressive return to stakeholders. The 10-point agenda was part of the outcome of the recent strategic retreat of the bank's management and key stakeholders. The agenda has also been endorsed by shareholders of the bank.

According to the report presented by Oduoza to shareholders recently, the bank would in 2012 continue to drive its business focus of the wholesale, commercial, and retail market segments and would vigorously pursue business opportunities in key sectors, which are expected to drive growths of the several African economies.

The bank intends to step up the momentum in deposit growth with focus on improving on its low-cost deposit ratio while it would also leverage on its unique infrastructure and unmatched global network to grow the bank's global and regional trade and remittance businesses.

As part of the strategic plan to optimise the

•MD, UBA, Phillips Oduza

bank's e-banking capabilities, UBA would invest in more than 30,000 point- of-sales (PoS) terminals in Nigeria before the end of this year in addition to aggressive promotion of its mobile payment platform and other e-banking products and services.

Other highpoints of the 2012 strategic thrust agenda included the adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), enhancement of the bank's group share services as well as institutionalisation of its relationship management approaches, improvement in human resources management and improvement in the bank's performance management system.

In addition, the bank plans to focus on sustaining high asset quality by creating more high quality loans while strengthening its credit delivery, monitoring, and collection capabilities while it would simultaneously focus on cost optimisation with the overall objective of significantly reducing cost-to-income ratio.

With UBA's share price still substantially behind its peers, there is strong tendency for the emerging fundamentals to set new ceiling for the share price. UBA has so far this year traded within a low and high range of N1.64 and N4.75.

It had traded within a range of N2.17 and N11.70 in 2011. With the 2012 earnings overriding the disappointment in prior year, there appears to be near-consensus on the prospects of UBA's market consideration. But the question is: will UBA return to the double-digit price league? But it's almost certain the third quarter earnings will have decisive impact on the price direction.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23 , 2012

36

DUE DILIGENCE

RT Briscoe: Bracing the odds R

T Briscoe (Nigeria) Plc combined aggressive income growth strategy and cost management to mitigate the adverse impact of its huge debt burden to restart a recovery in 2011. Audited report and accounts of RT Briscoe for the year ended December 31, 2011 indicated improvements in sales and profitability but huge bank loans raised concerns about the sustainability of the company's performance.

With about 30 per cent growth in sales, improved cost management accentuated the bottom-line performance and pushed pre and post tax profits up by 52 per cent and 42 per cent respectively. The positive bottom-line performance enabled the company to increase gross dividend by 20 per cent.

However, the company's gearing ratio worsened during the period with almost 100 per cent increase in bank loans and debt-to-equity ratio of about 226 per cent. About 42 per cent increase in interest expense to N776 million in 2011 underlined worries about the future implication of the increasing dependence of the company on bank loans. The company's liquidity also declined during the period, although it remained sufficiently within acceptable range.

Financing structure RT Briscoe's paid up share capital increased by 20 per cent from N409 million in 2010 to N490 million in 2011. The increase was due mainly to a bonus issue of one for five shares made during the year for the 2010 business year. Shareholders' funds inched up by 4.0 per cent from N3.45 billion to N3.59 billion. Total assets rose by 59 per cent to N15.03 billion compared with N9.43 billion in 2010.

Current assets had grown by 66 per cent from N8.35 billion to N13.82 billion.

Total liabilities nearly doubled at N11.44 billion as against N5.98 billion in 2010. Liabilities were driven by current liabilities, under which bank loans and overdraft doubled from N4.12 billion to N8.10 billion.

Current liabilities stood at N11.29 billion in 2011 as against N5.8 billion in 2010.

The underlying financing position of the company weakened considerably in 2011. Equity funds amounted to 24 per cent of total assets as against about 37 per cent in 2010. The proportion of debt to equity funds worsened from 119.5 per cent in 2010 to 225.8 per cent in 2011.

Fiscal Year Ended December 31 Nmillion Profit and Loss Statement Main Business Segment Total turnover Cost of sales Gross profit Operating expenses Interest and other incomes Finance expenses Pre-tax profit(loss) Post-tax profit (loss) Basic earnings per share(kobo) Gross dividend (Nm) Cash dividend per share (kobo) Net Assets per share (kobo) Balance Sheet Assets: Fixed assets Total long term assets Trade debtors Current assets Total assets Liabilities: Trade creditors Bank loans Current liabilities Long-term liabilities Total liabilities Equity Funds Share capital Total Equity Funds

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011 •MD, RT Briscoe, Bukola Onajide

industrial equipment segment imCurrent liabilities represented 75 per proved gross margin from 22.8 per cent of total balance sheet in 2011 as cent to 23.8 per cent.

Improved underlying profitagainst about 62 per cent in 2010. making capacity reflected on the Efficiency actual profit and loss figures. Group profit before tax rose from N192 The company witnessed appreci- million in 2010 to N293 million in able improvements in cost efficiency 2011. After taxes, net profit inand productivity with average con- creased by 42 per cent to N216 miltribution of each employee to pre- lion as against N152 million in 2010. tax profit improving from N0.94 mil- Group turnover had grown by 30 lion to N1.01 million. Average per cent from N15.13 billion to number of employees increased N19.61 billion. The main motors from 204 persons to 290 persons. The business segment recorded turnoincrease in staff number was largely ver of N17.78 billion in 2011, an indue to senior and junior staff catego- crease of 28 per cent on N13.89 bilries, which increased by 46 per cent lion posted in 2010. The second largand 50 per cent respectively. Total est business segment- the industrial staff costs stood at N513 million in equipment segment, increased sales 2011 compared with N415 million in from N1.16 billion to N1.70 billion 2010. Average cost per employee while the other auxiliary businesses thus stood at N1.77 million as against increased turnover from N83.5 milN2.03 million. Total cost of business, lion to N122.9 million. excluding finance charges, inched With the exception of the auxildownward to 95 per cent in 2011 iary businesses, the company compared with 96.7 per cent in 2010. contained top-line costs, which nudged gross profit across the busiProfitability ness segments. Group cost of sales RT Briscoe rode on the back of con- totaled N17.42 billion in 2011 in considerable growth in its core business trast with N13.60 billion in 2010. and improved cost management to Gross profit thus improved by 43 achieve a positive profit outlook. per cent from N1.53 billion to N2.18 Both the outward profit and loss fig- billion. Segmental analysis showed ures and underlying profitability in- that the motors business incurred dices underlined improvement in cost of sales of N16.03 billion in 2011 the profitability of the company. as against N12.65 billion in 2010, With gross profit margin increasing pushing gross profit from N1.24 bilfrom 10.1 per cent to 11.1 per cent, lion to N1.76 billion. The industrial pre-tax profit margin also inched up equipment business recorded cost to 1.5 per cent as against 1.3 per cent. of sales of N1.30 billion in 2011 as The overall performance was driven against N893.6 million in 2010. The by improved margins across key segment's gross profit thus imbusiness segments. The main motors proved from N262.5 million to business segment recorded gross N404.6 million. However, cost of profit margin of 9.9 per cent in 2011 sales for the auxiliary businesses as against 8.9 per cent in 2010. The trended upward to N102.8 million as against 2011 2010 N59.4 million 12 months % change 12 months in previous year. This depressed gross 17,782 28.0 13,893 profit from 19,605 29.6 15,132 N24.13 million 17,424 28.1 13,603 in 2010 to 2,181 42.6 1,529 N20.13 million 1,209 16.8 1,035

By Taofik Salako

97 776 293 216 22 98 10 362

-60.1 41.9 52.3 42.0 18.9 19.5 0.0 -14.2

243 547 192 152 19 82 10 422

1,035 1,209 5,510 13,822 15,031

16.7 12.2 132.0 65.5 59.4

887 1,078 2,375 8,351 9,429

1,203 8,103 11,290 152 11,442

63.9 96.6 94.8 -16.5 91.4

734 4,122 5,797 182 5,979

490 3,589

20.0 4.0

409 3,450

in 2011.

The main mid-line cost element was the interest expense, which jumped by 42 per cent from N547 million to N776 million. Total operating expenses were moderated at N1.21 billion in 2011 as against N1.04 billion in 2010. Selling and distribution expense had increased from N314.2 million to N357.05 million while administrative expenses had increased from N720.7 million in 2010 to N852.01 million. These were further compounded by 61 per cent decline in non-core business income, which dropped from N243 million to N97 million.

Earnings analysis showed basic earnings per share of 22 kobo for 2011 as against 18.5 kobo for 2010. The company distributed a dividend per share of 10 kobo for the 2011 business year, the same rate for the previous year. However, with the 20 per cent increase in issued share capital, gross dividend increased correspondingly from N82 million to N98 million. Like in the previous year, the company also distributed bonus shares to shareholders for the 2011 business year on the same basis of one for five shares. Net assets per share, however, dwindled to N3.62 in 2011 as against N4.22 in 2010.

The return outlook of the company remained robust. With dividend cover improving from 1.90 times to 2.20 times, return on equity increased to 6.0 per cent in 2011 as against 4.4 per cent in 2010. Return on total assets however, dropped from 2.0 per cent to 1.9 per cent.

Liquidity The liquidity of the company declined slightly with less financial coverage for relevant liabilities.

Current ratio dropped from 1.44 times to 1.22 times while the proportion of working capital to total turnover slipped to 13 per cent as against 17 per cent. Debtors/creditors ratio stood at 458 per cent in 2011 compared with 324 per cent in 2010.

Governance and structures RT Briscoe is owned by more than 43,000 Nigerian individual and institutional investors. Only two major shareholders- Mikeade Investments Limited and Classic Motors Limited, with 21.52 per cent and 8.26 per cent respectively, hold more than five per cent equity stake. The RT Briscoe Group consists of RT Briscoe, the automobile-dealing parent company and Briscoe Property Limited, its real estate subsidiary. Briscoe Property became a subsidiary of the company in December 2011 following acquisition of 57.61 per cent equity stake held by Assets and Resources Management Limited, thereby increasing RT Briscoe's shareholding to 97.61 per cent. The board and management of the company remained stable. Mr Clement Olowokande still chairs the board of directors while Mr Bukola Onajide leads the executive management team as managing director. The company generally with the code of corporate governance.

Analyst's opinion Against the background of the national and global macroeconomic variables, the performance of RT Briscoe in 2011 was commendable. With the considerable improvement in topline, recent investments in capacity expansion and new innovative services served as springboard for positive overall performance. The main drawback remains the worrisome financial leverage, which was due partly to the low capitalisation of the company relative to its expanding business.

Already, the board has recognised the lurking danger posed by the high financial leverage; the worry is only the timing of the recapitalisation of the company. With the gearing ratio at alert level, RT Briscoe is susceptible to any slowdown in sales.

Fiscal Year Ended December 31

2011 %

2010 %

Financing structure Equity funds/Total assets Long-term liabilities/Total assets Current liabilities/Total assets Debt/Equity ratio

23.9 76.1 75.1 225.8

36.6 63.4 61.5 119.5

Profitability Gross profit margin Pre-tax profit margin Return on total assets Return on equity Dividend cover (times)

11.1 1.5 1.9 6.0 2.20

10.1 1.3 2.0 4.4 1.90

Efficiency Pre-tax profit per employee (Nm) Staff cost per employee (Nm) Cost of sales, operating exp/Turnover

1.01 1.77 95.0

0.94 2.03 96.7

Liquidity Current ratio Working capital/Turnover Debtors/Creditors

1.22 12.9 458.0

1.44 16.9 323.6

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

37

BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL

IMF’s Peter Doyle criticises its ‘tainted’ leadership

A

TOP economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has criticised on its “tainted” leadership, saying he is “ashamed” to have worked there.

Peter Doyle said in a letter to the IMF Executive Board that he wanted to explain his resignation after 20 years.

He writes of “incompetence”, “failings” and “disastrous” appointments for the IMF’s managing director, stretching back 10 years.

No one from the Washingtonbased IMF was immediately available for comment.

Mr Doyle, former adviser to the IMF’s European Department, which is running the bailout pro-

grams for Greece, Portugal and Ireland, said the Fund’s delay in warning about the urgency of the global financial crisis was a failure of the “first order.”

Doyle’s letter is short, but the criticism excoriating. Perhaps the bigger of the two main charges is that the IMF failed to warn enough about the problems that led to the global financial crises.

The IMF has had investigations which have, up to a point, made similar criticisms, but not in such inflammatory terms. The IMF did issue some warnings, but the allegation that they were not sustained or timely enough and were actively suppressed raises some very big questions about

the IMF’s role.

Then there is the description of the managing director as tainted.

It’s not personal. It’s a familiar attack on a process which always selects a European. It’s still striking, though, to hear it from someone so recently on the inside.

In the letter, dated June 18, this year and obtained by the US broadcaster CNN, Doyle said the failings of IMF surveillance of the financial crisis “are, if anything, becoming more deeply entrenched”.

He writes: “This fact is most clear in regard to appointments for managing director which, over the past decade, have all-tooevidently been disastrous.

“Even the incumbent (Christine Lagarde) is tainted, as neither her gender, integrity, or elan can make up for the fundamental illegitimacy of the selection process.”

Doyle is thought to be echoing widespread criticism that the head of the IMF is always a European, while the World Bank chief is always a United States appointee.

Doyle concludes his letter: “There are good salty people here.

But this one is moving on. You might want to take care not to lose the others.”

The IMF could not be reached immediately by the BBC. However, CNN reported that a Fund spokesman told it that there was nothing

•Lagard

to substantiate Doyle’s claims and that the IMF had held its own investigations into surveillance of the financial crisis.

•Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN), 3rd left); Mayor Park Won-Soon of Seoul (left); Mayor Eckart Wuerzner of Heidelberg (2nd left); Mayor Mpho Parks Tau of Johannesburg (3rd left); Michael Bloomberg of New York (4th right); Mayor Eduardo Paes of Rio de Janeiro (3rd right); Mayor Mauricio Macri of Buenos Aires (2nd right) and Gilberto Kassab of Sao Paulo (right), listen to a live satellite address by former United States President, Bill Clinton (on screen), during the Rio+C40 Mega City Mayors Taking action on Climate Change event opening ceremony, at Forte de Copacabana, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, just before the United Nations Conference on Sustainable development, Rio+20.

UK public borrowing rises in June

T

HE United Kingdom (UK) government borrowed more than expected in June, leading some analysts to question whether it will meet its deficit reduction target this year.

Public sector net borrowing, excluding interventions such as bank bailouts, was £14.4billion last month, up from £13.9billion in June last year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

“It is too early in the financial year to draw conclusions about the year as a whole,” a Treasury spokesman said.

“This is volatile data and is prone to revision,” he said, adding that borrowing for 2011-12 had been revised again and was now estimated to be below the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR’s) forecast.

The OBR, whose forecast is used by the government, had predicted borrowing of £126 billion in the year to March this year.

Good news from the labour market

this week raised hopes that the economy might not be as weak as the official figures have suggested.

Today’s public finances figures continue the puzzle.

Tax revenues in the first three months of the fiscal year are running 2.5 per cent higher than last year, which is not something you would usually see in a flat or shrinking economy.

The monthly public finance figures are notoriously volatile. Part of the increase in borrowing seems also to be due to a change in the timing of spending this year, which has pushed up borrowing by local authorities even as borrowing and spending by central government has fallen.

But the figures are a reminder that the chancellor wrote his Budget when the prospects for the economy looked a lot brighter. The IMF warned this week that he might have to loosen his Budget plans if the economy did not pick up. Today’s figures suggest

that that weak growth may be forcing him to do that already.

The ONS says that borrowing in the last financial year was actually £125.7billion, revising the estimate of £127.6billion that it made last month.

Analysts had expected borrowing in June to be £1billion lower than the ONS’s newly released £14.4billon estimate.

Much of that overshoot was due to a smaller surplus in local government finances than last year, because of deferred or reduced central government grants.

Meanwhile, central government income tax and corporation tax receipts were down on a year ago, but VAT receipts were up.

The coalition government is committed to eliminating the structural deficit by 2016-17, and has introduced a series of tax rises and spending cuts since coming to power in May 2010.

But Investec economist Vicky Clarke said meeting that target looked “a bit more challenging”.

Peugeot to sack 8,000

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HE head of PSA Peugeot Citroen has warned that French government criticism of the its plans for 8,000 job cuts is creating a “dangerous” situation.

Chairman Thierry Peugeot told French daily Le Figaro that the criticism was undermining investor confidence.

President Francois Hollande has denounced the plan as “unacceptable”and the government has criticised PSA’s corporate strategy.

Ministers have questioned how the company is still able to pay dividends.

Peugeot family members control Europe’s second largest carmaker

through a 25.2 per cent stake commanding 37.9 per cent voting rights.

Mr Peugeot said: “We are ready to accept criticism, but there are limits... The attacks the company is currently facing have an immediate effect on (investor) perception. This is a dangerous situation.

“We are well aware of the seriousness of the plan to cut 8,000 jobs. These measures are painful.

I understand they can cause shock within the company, the government and the whole of the country.”

But he added that the carmaker was “forced to adapt” to falling

European sales and “cannot stand by and do nothing”.

Peugeot’s share price has fallen almost 20 per cent since it announced restructuring plans earlier this month.

The carmaker’s intention to cut jobs and close a factory has caused dismay in Paris because the new socialist government came to power on a promise to reverse industrial decline.

French media have reported that the government is working on an aid package for the car industry that is likely to include help for environmentally friendly vehicles but no new car scrappage incentives.

Heineken bids $4.1b for Tiger Beer maker

H

EINEKEN is expanding in emerging markets with the acquisition in Mexico, Brazil, India and Africa Continue reading the main story The firm bidded the remaining stake in Tiger beer maker Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) that it does not already own.

The offer of 5.1billion Singapore dollars ($4.1bn; £2.6billion) is for the share owned by Singapore-listed company Fraser and Neave (F&N).

The bid comes after Thailand’s biggest brewer, ThaiBev, offered to buy shares in F&N and Asia Pacific Breweries.

“We really value our partnership with F&N which goes back over 80

years, but due to changes in the F&N and APB shareholding, the fabric of the partnership has changed,” said Heineken chief executive JeanFrancoi van Boxmeer.

He added that the company was looking ahead to the “next chapter of our Asian business”.

Heineken will offer a price of 50 Singapore dollars a share, the brewing giant said in a statement.

Analysts said the move is aimed at protecting Heineken’s interests in the region, and the desire to continue with its expansion plans.

The ownership structures of APB, one of the largest in the region, is convoluted.

Vodafone sees revenue growth slow

V

ODAFONE has seen its sales growth slow in the first quarter, dragged down by a weak performance in Europe.

Group service revenue grew by 0.6 per cent on an organic basis to £9.98billion. In the fourth quarter it had recorded growth of 2.3 per cent.

Sales in Italy and Spain shrank, as conditions remained “challenging”.

United Kingdom growth was weak due to “increased competition and a weak economy”.

Vodafone outperformed its peers over the previous year, paying a record dividend to shareholders.

Shares in the mobile operator

closed down two per cent on Friday trading in London.

Vodafone’s strength in emerging markets, Germany, Turkey and until recently - the UK has helped offset a slump in southern Europe.

But in recent months the downturn on the continent has begun to take its toll.

In May, the company wrote down the value of its assets in Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece by £4billion.

Vodafone, the world’s largest mobile operator by revenue, provides its growth figures on a reported basis and on an organic basis.

Alberta to probe pipelines amid oil spill furor

A

LBERTA, the largest source of United States oil imports, plans to review the safety of its massive pipeline network after a number of high-profile oil spills prompted calls for action, Ken Hughes, the Canadian province’s energy minister, said at the weekend.

Following consultations with the oil and pipeline industries, Hughes said he di-

rected the provincial energy regulator to retain an independent third party to review how pipeline integrity is managed, how safe water crossings are and what plans are in place for responding to spills.

Results of the study are expected in the coming months, he said. He said he was not in a position yet to name the third-party reviewer.

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

THE CEO He was in the Customs for 32 years and left to set up his own company. Mr Tayo Ogungbemile, former Acting Comptroller-General of Customs and now Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Benafog Agencies Nigeria Limited, knows the Customs and related business inside out. In this interview with OLUWAKEMI DAUDA, he expresses worry that no other agency oversees oil lifting.

‘NNPC alone should not control oil export’ W

HAT is your take on the revenue target set for the Customs by the Federal Government?

Personally, it is a good thing to set goals for the management of the service. There is nothing wrong in it. But where the problem lies is for the government to expect that meeting the revenue target is imperative. This should not be so. The mistake people make is that they confuse improvement in revenue collection machinery with actual collection of collectible revenue. The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) cannot influence the quantum of goods imported because it is not the real importer.

NCS is not • Ogungbemile the importer, it cannot determine the level of importabelieve the Comptroller General, Alhaji tion, the exchange rate; it doesn’t determine Dikko Abdullahi, has improved upon by the turnaround time of vessels at the ports way of infrastructure. and it doesn’t determine the duration of deBut for government to set a revenue tarlivery when goods are out of its control. get for Customs, and expect that the revAll these factors, which are outside Cusenue be met, personally, I don’t like it betoms control, impact on collectible revenue. cause if they meet the target, it is not based Therefore, if targets are not met, it does not on efficiency and if the target is not met, it mean that Customs is inefficient. is also not consequent upon inefficiency.

If goods are out of the Customs control Therefore, meeting or not meeting the and there is delay; thereafter, there is nothN1trillion target given to Customs this year ing it can do. There is nothing the Customs should not be a problem to the Comptrolcan do also, if there is delay in the turnaler General because Customs would not go round time for vessels. All these can make and beg people to import goods for it to it impossible for Customs to meet its tarincrease the nation’s revenue. Customs get and it needs not have sleepless nights alone cannot determine fiscal policy and exover this, provided efficient collection change rate. So if the latter is high and the machineries are put in place. But the reason level of importation is low, there is nothwhy I don’t personally oppose it is that ing Customs can do. meeting or not meeting target, when I was Don’t you think the target was given by there never gave me sleepless nights since government based on the belief that there I can provide statistical explanation for the is high level of corruption in Customs? level of revenue collected.

It may be true. But I am disturbed about What are the efficient machinery needed the stigma of corruption on Customs beto meet the revenue target? cause, generally speaking, the issue of corThe machinery are a very clear cut fiscal ruption in Nigeria today, is not limited to policy – revenue officers that will interpret a single organisation. It is an open sore that and implement the policy, efficient support needs national attention. In Customs, you system - Automated System for Customs can never expect 100 per cent performance.

Data (ASYCUDA++)/NISIS, efficient Some non-conformists would always be synergy between the Nigerian Ports Authere to break the law. They are everythority (NPA), terminal operators, Cuswhere. Therefore, to attach the stigma of toms, Importers, clearing agents, Direct corruption on Customs alone is annoying.

Trader Imput (DTI) operators and the Corruption is as old as the time of Matbanks. thew, the tax collector in the Bible. At least, But is it appropriate for those in governin the last 12 years, reports from the print ment to use revenue target to measure the and electronic media have convincingly performance of Customs? shown that corruption in Customs pales into No. It is not a good yardstick to measure insignificance when compared with what the performance of Customs. It is not a good happened during the military era, in the yardstick at all. The Federal Government banking sector, the civil service and among can only be talking about improvement in politicians. the revenue collection machinery, which I For example, when you are talking about

corruption in Customs, don’t forget that the service is over 100 years old. And I stand to be corrected, I doubt if there is any worker of Customs, either as a middle rank officer, senior officer or ex-Comptroller General or Director of Customs who owns any bank anywhere in Nigeria or who is a chairman of any bank or who owns a vessel. I doubt if you can count 100 people who have served in the Service that own estates in prime areas, such as, Lekki, Victoria Island, Maitama, Asokoro and Government Reserve Areas (GRAs) in Kano and Kaduna.

Therefore, if you are saying Customs is corrupt, please, show me where the money is.

With the situation of things in our ports, do you think the 48-hour cargo clearance is achievable?

It is still not achievable because when we were in service, we were talking about 48hour and till today, we are still talking about the same 48-hour cargo clearance. It is still not achievable. But it is not supposed to be so. There are certain things that must be put in place to make the 48 hours realistic.

What are things that must be put in place?

For example, it starts from the importer.

His level of compliance, level of obeying rules, level of obeying the law and level of doing what is right at all times. The same also applies to his agent.

But in Ghana and other neighbouring countries, it takes between two and three days to clear goods from the ports. Why can’t we achieve this in our ports?

First of all, we must get to that level, a certain level of trust and risk profiling.

Trust in the sense that we must give consideration to some big manufacturing companies that are usually importing homogenous raw materials. Each time such goods get to the ports, there should be a fast tran-

sit system to enable such importer to take delivery immediately.

After that, examination can be performed in his premises. The present Comptroller General has introduced that system.

Are you saying the ports should be used as transit point?

Yes. When the goods get to the airport, it is cleared immediately. This can happen at the sea ports if they are containerised goods that belong to companies that have been adjudged to be efficient through previous importation. Again, the development of inland depots is very essential. Also, certain security measures must be put in place by those in power. Unless the government does that, the 48 hours policy will remain a slogan and will be unachievable. If the government allows the present system of clearing goods to remain, more goods may be diverted.

What is the system of clearing goods from the port?

The level of transporting goods out of the ports is very laughable based on the over 100 years of port existence. By now, the movement of goods from inside the ports should be via train to dry terminals. But currently, it is not so. We still rely on trucks by using old trailer to evacuate goods from the ports.

Are you suggesting the government should embark on intermodal transportation in the movement of goods out of ports?

Yes. That is the solution. The movement of goods out of the ports should be via train to dry terminals. I am saying it without any fear of contradiction that 48-hour cargo clearing will remain a mirage as long as • Continued on page 39

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

THE CEO

‘NNPC alone should not control oil export’ •Continued from page 38

we use trucks to move goods out of the sea ports.

But the Federal and Lagos State governments have cleared the Apapa/Oshodi Expressway to ease cargo movement in and out of Lagos ports?

That is a temporary solution.

They are still begging the question. I am seeing a situation that would bring the truck drivers back on the road if the government fails to fix the rail.

What is your take on the decision of the government to reduce the number of agencies at the ports?

It is very good and laudable. It is good that the government has removed many of those agencies from the ports. But very soon, if care is not taken, the agencies would be coming back one by one to create confusion at the ports.

You will soon see these agencies writing very good memo and policy papers to those in authority to justify why they should go back to the ports.

Should agencies, such as, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) be allowed to return?

These agencies have nothing to do at the ports. That is my position and the position of the majority of stakeholders. They must not come back. Those that are supposed to be at the ports are the Police, Customs, Immigration, NPA, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Port Health. But if there is any responsibility that SON, NAFDAC and other agencies that have been removed intend to perform, let Customs perform the agency’s function. The agencies concerned can organise training for Customs officers in that regard. That is what is called InterService coorperation.

Nigerian ports are said to be expensive. What is your take on this?

Let me inform you that the assertion is not correct. It is just an attempt by those saying it, to

• Ogungbemile

know how far the government in the country can lessen the burden of clearance of goods. It is obvious that if you clear in Cotonou, and the goods are not for their consumption and they charge an amount that is far relatively lower than what they would have charged here. They are entitled to that. It is at the Nigerian side that Customs needs to make sure that the approved duties are paid.

Take for instance, somebody for whatever reason, imports his goods through the neighbouring country, naturally it is supposed to be costlier because they would pay there and here. Regardless of any amount they pay there, by the time you get to the Nigerian border, you will still have to pay the correct duty to Customs. When you add the two together, it is supposed to be costlier for the importer. It is when they don’t want to pay that they try to cut corners, embark on smuggling and pass through the bush mostly during the dry season. But the Customs has taken care of that. If you do so, Customs will catch up with you now or later because that is why Customs was given the right to embark on post-clearance auditing.

Which right was given to Customs?

Under the Customs Exercise Management Act (CEMA) law, Customs has the right to visit major vehicle dealers and ask questions.

They have the right to ask for documents showing that the approved duty has been paid and if they discover that there was an attempt to defraud the government, such goods may be seized or the owners asked to pay the balance.

Therefore, you can bribe at the border, bribe at the illegal routes but when you get to town, the goods would be intercepted and you will be asked to pay correct duty. At the end of the day, the amount you will pay would be costlier since you have paid the port of the neighbouring country.

What is your take on the banning of rice importation through land borders?

It is a wrong policy. It creates a corrupt environment and encour-

‘The only problem there is that if there is syndicated corruption.

But I have no answer to that. Except for a single organisation, such as, NNPC to be dealing with this quantum of oil and no other agency is allowed to cross check it is bad. It can only happen in this country’ ages smuggling. It infringes on the right of importers to import through all the known approved routes.

It is a policy that can only be enforced if CEMA is amended to exclude the borders as approved routes and this would be very absurd.

So, what you are saying is that Nigerians have the right to import rice through land borders?

Yes. The only thing they have to do is to pay the approved duty on it. So, if you say don’t import through the land border via a circular is wrong. They may go to court and win.

Was such circular issued while you were serving?

The one I can remember is that of exportation of crude oil.

Do you know that in the past, no amount of crude leaves Nigeria on exportation without Customs officers’ supervision?

That was up to early 70s. Customs would be inside the vessel when they were loading the crude oil, even if it was being loaded inside the Atlantic Ocean, Customs would be there and climb the vessel through the ‘Jacobs’ ladder. At least twice, I climbed it while I was in the service supervising the loading of crude oil. During the military era, a circular was sent to Customs curtailing their power of supervision. Today, Customs cannot account for crude oil exported out of the country in a supposedly Customs area. Therefore, the opportunity of check and balances was eliminated.

Is that what led to the oil scandal rocking the country?

I don’t know but you may not be completely wrong if you assume that it is the genesis of the problem. As a journalist, you can go and ask those who issued that circular then.

What you are saying in essence is that there is no law that forbids Customs from partaking in oil lifting?

Yes. That is what I am saying.

Even right in the Atlantic, Customs should be there. When we joined Customs, we were always there with them before and after loading. Even before loading, Customs would make sure that nothing was put inside the vessel. Today, no officer of Customs can give us the figure of crude oil being lifted out of the country or the imported refined product. Customs cannot account for anything now. I stand to be corrected.

• Ogungbemile

By involving Customs, what do you think the country stands to benefit?

It will allow Nigeria not to rely only on the data supplied by NNPC alone. The only problem there is that if there is syndicated corruption. But I have no answer to that. Except for a single organisation, such as, NNPC to be dealing with this quantum of oil and no other agency is allowed to cross check it is bad. It can only happen in this country.

Your view is that the circular should be withdrawn?

Not only to be withdrawn. The law is there that officers and men of the Customs must partake in the supervision of oil lifting. It was just a circular that stopped it. It was not enacted into law. The law that said Customs should partake has not been amended.

• Ogungbemile

You acted for how many months as CG and spent how many years in the service?

I acted for four months as Comptroller-General and spent 32 years in the service.

What was your experience as CG? My experience as CG was good. The foreign exchange was stable at that time and I received so many letters of commendations from manufacturers. I embarked on serious anti-smuggling activities that made smuggling unattractive for those involved in it then and nothing happened to me.

What do you think was responsible for the non-confirmation of your appointment as CG? I think there were serious pressures on the President but he is the only one that can answer that question.

PHOTOS: OLUWAKEMI DAUDA

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

LABOUR

Labour flay flays lawmakers’ pension, gratuity bill

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ABOUR has kicked against a bill currently before the House of Representatives, seeking pension and gratuity for lawmakers. They insisted that legislation was not a career in Nigeria, hence should not attract pension and gratuity.

Reacting to the bill, conceived by Mr Babatunde Adewale representing the Apapa Federal Constituency in the House, Deputy President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Promise Adewusi told The Nation there was no need for such law.

Adewale had said at a town hall meeting in Apapa, Lagos, that the bill was aimed at reducing corruption among lawmakers, and that it would also aid their oversight function.

Adewusi said the bill should not be passed. He gave reasons for opposing it.

“As a unionist, I strongly believe that an employee should enjoy the benefit of the sweat of his labour. But political office holders, including legislators can not be called employees, properly so called, within the contemplation of the law. For one, employees do not fix their own salaries of their own

NDE to train lady chauffeurs

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Stories by Dupe Olaoye-Osinkolu

accord.

“The concept of pension pre-supposes compensation for full time job in a contract of service, whereas, what a political office holder has is a part time job in a contract for service, which ought not to attract any pension since it is a contract appointment for a fixed period, albeit renewable. Therefore, for legislators to contemplate pension for themselves is not only insensitive but an insult on the sensibilities of the toiling Nigerian worker who is not sure of his pension after slaving for 35 years meritoriously. Some of these retired workers are known to have dropped dead in queues, to receive the pittance they get paid while our legislators look the other way.

“More importantly, part of the reasons legislators give for fixing jumbo salaries and allowances for themselves is their non entitlement to pension and gratuity. So if they contrive to squeeze pension out of our common till, what happens to their over-sized pay package. Is their proposed pension going to come under the ambit of the Pension

•Omar

Act 2004, which imposed a regime of contributory pension? One would expect a more serious disposition from our lawmakers,” he told The Nation.

NLC seeks truce in govt, electricity workers' crisis

HE National Directorate of Employment (NDE) is planning to introduce Lady Chauffeur Training Scheme (LCTS) to meet the demands for female drivers in Cross River.

State Co-ordinator of the directorate, Mr Edem Duke said in Calabar that 100 women would be trained in the first phase. He spoke with the NAN. According to him, the LCTS is one of the many vocational skills acquisition programme designed under the Basic National Open Apprenticeship Scheme (B-NOAS).

“The directorate ventured into the business of training lady chauffeurs in order to break the jinx of driving being the exclusive preserve of men,’’ he said.

Duke remarked that women with cheerful disposition to driving skills would easily earn the trust and confidence of their clients.

He said that the objective of the training was to empower unemployed female so that they could be self-employed.

“Other specific objectives included the creation of a pool of female drivers that will meet the needs of the labour market.

“Another objective is to create wealth and job satisfaction as well as impacting the spirit of professionalism and commitment in women drivers,’’ he said.

Duke said that the directorate would seek collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Commission on the training programme.

He added that the programme would be a two-month intensive training session.

The co-ordinator said that there would be an orientation course after registration, recruitment and documentation of trainees.

He said that stakeholders, individuals and other relevant organisations were expected to deliver lectures and give motivational talks to the participants.

Civil Service abhors corruption, says Sali

H

•Cross section of protesters

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N going negotiations between the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and the Federal Government on some labour issues have broken down with the government drafting armed soldiers to take over the facilities of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has, however, appealed that government remove the soldiers from the facilities and continue dialogue with the workers, since the Chief Negotiator, Comrade Hassan Sunmonu, pioneer President of the NLC, who is the Secretary of the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity ( OATUU) is yet to submit his report to government.

NLC in a statement signed by President, Abdulwaheed Omar, noted that the current stalemate, among other issues, has been engendered by disagreement over pension and gratuity. "While the union had demanded for 25 per cent, which hitherto had

been deducted from workers salary for pension and gratuity, the government had insisted on paying 25 per cent up till 2004, and 15 per cent from 2005 to date.

NLC also said that the union had argued that pension and gratuity part of the condition of service of all PHCN workers and their employers have been deducting the 25 per cent to date. That the Pension Act, which government is hinging the payment of 15 per cent ostensibly on when the Act came into being was not tenable.

NLC also claimed that it noted that no where in the Pension Act was gratuity abrogated, particularly when this is part of the condition of service of employees. Of much concern is that the workers are being denied this benefit when they have collectively contributed to it over the years. It is expected that total deductions of workers should be paid to them. Meanwhile, electricity unions under the umbrellas of Senior Staff Association and Electricity Allied

Company(SSAEAC) and National Union of Electricity Employee have said the assets of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN)is worth over N1.5trillion.

They are pushing for the purchase of PHCN assets, saying Government has undervalued it.

They said the Federal government greatly undervalued the assets by placing N200billion on it President of SSAEAC, Comrade Bede Opara said the number of vehicles ,wires and power plants, in PHCN are worth over N200billion each and wondered why the Federal government grossly devalued the assets.

He said the workers of the power company are ready to buy these assets with their entitlement if the government will sell it to them.

Opara said the two unions will invite international valuers to value the assets with a view to buttressing its claims on same.

Council to verify teachers’ certificates

T

HE Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) is set to begin verification of graduates of National Teachers Institute whose certificates of registration as teachers were withdrawn in 2011.

This was contained in a statement issued last Friday in Abuja by Mr Ojewuyi Muyiwa, the Head of Information of TRCN. According to the statement, the teachers are to visit the council headquarters for verification of their credentials and collection of the certificates if proven to be genuine.

It said the council had fully lifted the ban it placed on the registration of National Teachers Institute’s (NTI) Postgraduate Diploma in

Education (PGDE) and the National Certificate in Education (NCE) graduates.

It also said the ban was lifted as a result of NTI’s full compliance with conditions put in place by the council for the recognition of its statement of results and certificates.

The statement recalled that the council in June 2011 halted the registration of the institute’s graduates.

It said that this was due to irregularities in the statement of results and certificates presented by persons claiming to be NTI graduates for registration as teachers.

It also stated that after the ban, the council required the institute to re-authenticate its

statement of results and certificates and forward to it a master list of its graduates.

The council also required the institute to commence the induction of its graduates, among others.

The statement said that TRCN had partially lifted the ban in November 2011 when NTI complied with parts of the requirements.

It said that the institute had recently met the necessary requirements leading to full recognition of its graduates.

The statement also called on Special Teacher Upgrading Programme graduates from the NTI to visit any of TRCN’s offices nationwide for professional registration.

EAD of Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), Alhaji Isa Sali has advised new employees to shun corrupt practices during the course of their career.

Sali gave the advice in Abuja recently while declaring open, a one-week induction course for 500 newly employed officers in the Federal Civil Service.

He told them that it was unfortunate that in recent times, the action of some serving officers tended to portray civil servants as corrupt.

“The reality is that the civil service, as an institution, abhors corruption,’’ he said.

Sali said the course was to instruct the officers on the rudiments, basic structures, processes, procedures and operations of the service.

The HOCSF urged the participants to take full advantage of the training to acquire requisite knowledge, skills and attitudes.

New Nigerian cuts 30 jobs

T

HE New Nigerian Newspapers (NNN) has sacked 30 workers as part of measures to reduce the company’s running

cost.

Managing Director of the company, Malam Tukur Abdurrahman, said last Friday that the affected workers were sacked for redundancy.

He said those affected included drivers, secretaries, radio, fax and telephone operators.

“We have drivers but no vehicles to drive.

We even have a driver that is now blind.

Also, we have secretaries to officers that do not exist and fax operators, which we no longer use.”

The managing director advised the sacked workers to present their documents to their contributory pension providers to get their entitlement.

The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), NNN chapter, Ibrahim Adamu, said those affected included six workers in Lagos and 24 in Kaduna head office.

Adamu said although the management of the company explained the reason for the exercise, the action was untimely.

He expressed concern about the exercise, saying some of the workers had just resumed from a four-month strike over outstanding salary arrears.

The chairman further said that the union would ensure that the affected persons got their entitlements.

“The standard practices is that if somebody has worked for you, the person is bound to be given everything. We insist that the affected workers have to be given their entitlements.”

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

43

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

Kogi State is again in the news. Correspondent MOHAMMED BASHIR reports that the House of Assembly is playing a hide-and-seek game with the Olamaboro State Assembly Constituency seat being contested by two candidates in court.

Kogi Assembly: Playing hide-and-seek with court verdict

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OGI State is famous for bein the news for reasons bordering on political cum judicial crises. At least, in the last four years since 2008, there have been four major judicial and politically related issues in the state that have made it the focus of attention.

For example, as the 2011 election drew near, the state along with four others were exempted from conducting governorship election till 2012 by the Appeal Court on account of tenure interpretation. But the situation was reversed by the Supreme Court which ruled that their tenure had ended on May 29, 2011.

That development, unfortunately, led to the making of history by the state as two governors emerged from the resultant interpretations of the apex court’s ruling. First was Captain Idris Ichalla Wada, winner of the December 3, 2011 gubernatorial election. The second person being the Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abdullahi Bello.

But those who expected the circle of such judicial cum political crises to end with the inglorious emergence of the two governors were recently disappointed when the State House of Assembly found itself in another controversy over the seat of Olamaboro State Constituency.

The tussle for the sole seat for the constituency is between between Hon. Damian Abdul Adejoh and Hon. Yunusa Olofu.

A Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja nullified the election of Kogi State House of Assembly member, Honourable Damian Abdul Adejoh representing Olamaboro Constituency. It ruled that Hon. Yinusa Olofu won the first Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary and, therefore, should be sworn- in immediately. The trial Judge, Justice Nkwo Inang held that the PDP primary election held on February 4, 2012 was still valid and there should be no reason for another primary.

But not satisfied with the ruling, Hon. Damian Adejoh appealed the judgment. The Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, he claimed, erred in law in the judgment it delivered on June 29, 2012.

He claimed in the notice of appeal that “the trial court erred in law by assuming jurisdiction and deciding the case in favor of the 1st respondent’s when there is no iota of evidence on record that 1st respondent’s (Olofu) name was ever submitted by 2nd respondent (PDP) to the 3rd respondent (INEC)”.

Adejo, therefore, urged the Appeal Court to set aside the decision of the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja in its entirety for lack of jurisdiction.

The judgment in question is a general believed to be in its first phase as there is ample room for appeal even up to the Supreme Court as it is a pre-election matter.

Undeterred by the notice of appeal, Olofu in company of many of his supporters marched to the State House of Assembly to be sworn-in.

But he was turned back by the Sergeant-At-Arm of the House because he could not produce his Certificate of Return.

The Chief Press Secretary of the State House Assembly, David ing

• Wada

Ehimohy told The Nation in a telephone chat that Olofu could not produce his Certificate of Return and that was why he could not be sworn.

“Ordinary, if a court rules that you must be sworn in, you have to produce proof, such as the Certificate of Return, anything short of that, you can never be sworn in, it is a constitutional matter,” Ehimony explained.

But a day after Olofu was turned back by the Sergeant-at-Arm, strong pressure was allegedly mounted on the Assembly by people said to be close to government in the state to go ahead with the swearing-in even without the Certificate of Return.

It was learnt that the House of Assembly could not immediately agree to carry out the instruction that was allegedly passed to it. In fact, a marathon closed door meeting of the leadership of the House and other members took place that day. Another source confirmed that the meeting was at the instance of the Special Adviser to the State Governor on Assembly Matters, Mr. Reuben Idakoji, before they went ahead with swearing-in of Olofu.

The development has since been described as an illegal way of unseating Adejo whose notice of appeal which was duly served the Assembly to stay action on the ruling might have been thrown in the dustbin.

But the Chairman House Committee on Information, Hon. Akawu Salihu said the action of the House was in order. He said the House contacted its legal advisers before the swearing-in was done.

• Jega

He also confirmed that it had to delay the action so as to get the legal opinion and implications on the matter.

According to him, “we have to exhaust all legal means before we took such action. We contacted our legal department and they assured us that we can go ahead with the swearing-in since there was no injunction for a stay of execution.

“We did not act in isolation because already there was definite order from a court that Olofu be sworn-in immediately. We have to obey the court order to avoid judicial contempt,” he added.

But the leading counsel to Adejo, Emmanuel Haruna faulted the claim, describing the action of the State Assembly as an embarrassment and bad precedence. He argued that his client had earlier filled a motion for appeal and dully served the Speaker.

“I am shocked and embarrassed that the House could throw away its honor and decency and embark on such a shameful act. Have you ever heard anything such as this whereby a court gives judgment in favor of a plaintiff and such person is sworn-in when the entire legal actions have not been exhausted especially as it has to do with a preelection matter?,” he queried.

He confirmed that his client did not just file a notice for appeal but also a motion for a stay of execution which was granted and that the Speaker of the House was duly served. He wondered why the House just find it difficult to respect

such development?

“But I understand the power play that took place, especially, with an order from above the House had to bow to pressure. But that is not our business, the law of the land is supreme” he added.

He also expressed disappointment at the role of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the matter. “If INEC who issued Certificate of Return to my client could now turn the other way round, then you must appreciate the fact that there is a serious problem in the Nigeria system.

“What happened now is a replica of the pending case between the incumbent Governor and Alhaji Jibrin Isa Echocho. Does it mean that if the court rules against the governor, Echocho will just come and take over?”

He stressed that a pre-election case can drag on to as far as the apex court for determination before any action can be taken.

Expectedly, the swearing-in of Olofu has been generating a lot reaction and arguments. Some people believe that Olofu should show the world his Certificate of Return upon which he was sworn in. Others believe that he must have been issued with it as the House of Assembly would not do anything that can be regarded as a breach of the Electoral Act. A socio-political group known as Kogi Integrity Youth Organization, in a press statement signed by the chairman, Ahmed Shaba, advised

‘Ordinarily, in a case of this nature, since it is a pre-election matter and the defendant, having lost the case at the Federal High Court, and subsequently appealed the judgment at the higher court, the winner at the lower court should have restrained himself from been ridiculed by the law, because I am very sure that he will leave that seat unceremoniously, that is, if he eventually escape arrest for contempt’

Olofu to present his Certificate of Return to the public to clear doubt and save the state from yet another round of controversy.

Shaba wondered why an elected officer will have the courage to appear for swearing-in without legal backing from the INEC. “It has always been the style in this country that a Certificate of Return is always relevant before any swearing-in could take place. But in the case of Kogi Assembly, a member got sworn-in without a Certificate of Return.

“Ordinarily, in a case of this nature, since it is a pre-election matter and the defendant having lost the case at the Federal High Court, and subsequently appealed the judgment at the higher court, the winner at the lower court should have restrained himself from been ridiculed by the law, because I am very sure that he (Olofu) will leave that seat unceremoniously, that is, if he eventually escape arrest for contempt,” he added.

However, some people believe that the Assembly might have relied on the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010, which states that “Where the commission refuses or neglects to issue a Certificate of Return, a certified true copy of the order of a court of competent jurisdiction shall, ipso facto, be sufficient for the purpose of swearing-in a candidate declared as winner by that court.”

But some legal experts faulted the Assembly’s argument, saying the same Electoral Act provides that “A sealed Certificate of Return at an election in a prescribed form shall be issued within seven days to every candidate who has won an election under this act-provided that where the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court being the final appellate court in any election petition as the case may be, nullifies the Certificate of Return of any candidate, the commission shall, within 48 hours after the receipt of the order of such court, issue the successful candidate with a valid Certificate of Return.”

The legal experts in their interpretation further averred that a High Court judgment can never be the final arbiter, especially, when its judgment has been appealed. They hold that no matter how definite a High Court judgment may look or sound, the loser has some period of days to appeal the judgment.

Some people have urged Hon. Adejo to remain in the House and continue his legislative duties, pending the outcome of the case at the Appeal Court.

A reliable source in the House told The Nation that the Speaker and some of the principal officers were armed twisted by the powers that be to swear in Olofu, disregarding the notice of appeal and the motion for the stay of execution.

The source alleged that “To be sincere with you my brother, some of the honourable members tried their best to do the right thing, but these people at the top over powered them. They have to follow the line of politics and in the process dumped the legal path”.

In the final analysis, the State House of Assembly might have inadvertently begun yet another round of controversy in a state known too well for such crises.

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POLITICS Dr Tanko Yinusa was recently elected National Chairman of the National Conscience Party (NCP). He was the immediate past national secretary of the party and also the vice presidential candidate during the April 2011general election.

Yinusa, in this interview with AUGUSTINE AVWODE, says his priority is not only to position the party to win elections.

Our priorities, by NCP National Chairman A

S the new National Chairman of the National Conscience Party (NCP), what are your priorities?

My priority is to restructure the party in a way that we can win elections. At the inception of the party in 1994, our immediate aim was to galvanize the Nigerian people to fight for democracy. To be registered as a party, however, it took a titanic legal battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court and in 2003, we were registered. The late Chief Gani Fawehinmi did his best to ensure that we won elections and we did win a National Assembly seat in Ekiti State then.

From there, we moved into political activism to arouse the people’s consciousness and tried to build the party gradually. And I can tell you proudly that we have some of the most dedicated party members in the country because as you know, they are not the type of people that wait for monetary inducement before joining a party. Right now, what we need to do is to position ourselves in order to win elections. That is among our top priorities.

Is that all?

Certainly not! As a said in my acceptance speech, we intend to set up and inaugurate a shadow government of about five key ministries. We will select committed members, qualified professionals and people who know what service to humanity is all about.

The objective is to provide a credible alternative view on national policies and programmes of the government of the day. We believe that Nigerians deserve to know the truth and be acquainted with the best available information on any policy of government. It is not enough for you to tell us that this is what you are doing and this is how much it is going to cost the tax payer and our nation and expect all of us to take it hook, line and sinker without verifying its importance to the people; weigh available alternatives and the right cost implication. Every Wednesday during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings, contracts are awarded. We want to be able to provide Nigerians with a difference and alternatives at each and every point in time. If as a government you announce that project A will cost XYZ amount of Naira; if it is one of the ministries in which we have a shadow minister, we simply ask him to go to work, do his independent findings and let us know the actual cost and other alternatives and we can then announce to Nigerians that we agree with the government position or otherwise and these are the reasons, especially with regards to cost. Don’t forget that corruption is endemic in the country and the present government has shown little or no capacity to deal with it. Of course, this will also help the government to do a thorough job when it knows that should it announce any bogus amount to Nigerians on any particular project, it will soon have to explain why it is so.

What are your plans about economic empowerment for your members?

It is an agenda that is very dear to our heart. We really want to sit down and map out strategies by which we can empower our teeming members.

We want to be able to realize in concrete terms the motto of our party Abolition of Poverty - and make the people experience it in their lives.

Within that context, we will ensure

•Yinusa

that the people are not short-changed in anyway by the government. Nigerians really should have nothing to do with poverty, considering the enormous natural resources with which this country has been endowed. But because of serial mismanagement by the party in power, Nigerians are reeling under the suffocating pains of poverty. It should not be.

If one of your priorities is to win elections subsequently, don’t you think you have to embark on membership drive?

Of course yes! We intend to expand the membership base of the party.

We want to reach out in particular to women and youths, including the physically challenged.

We are not just going to get more women; our objective is to give women more opportunity to contestable electoral positions than any party in the land. If you look carefully you will notice that they are always more on voting days. We want to explore this avenue to bring more women into the process of developing our country. And don’t forget, forms will be free for them.

More importantly, we want to reach out to professionals so as to tap from their wealth of expertise in the process of developing our country. We intend to present such professionals for election because it is our belief that Nigerians need their services rather than entrust their destiny into the hands of mediocrities. As a lawyer, as an accountant, as a medical doctor and as an engineer, or political scientist, being in the system will serve the interest of Nigerians better than being outside. For instance, I don’t know how many professionals are there in the National Assembly.

We want to focus on this set of people so that they can give us value for governance.

NCP is in court over planned deregistration of parties by INEC...

Yes, the NCP believes in the rule of law. This is not surprising though because all our past national chairmen have been lawyers of high repute from the late Gani Fawehinmi, Dr Osagie Obayuwana to Femi Falana. I am the only professional accountant to get to this position.

Everything we do in the party, we ensure it is within the ambit of the law. The NCP at a time took this case to the Supreme Court and won. It was what opened up the political space for everybody including the new ones. We strongly believe that Nigerians deserve more than two or three political parties.

Edo governorship election has come and gone. What is your impression of it?

The election was wonderful. I was on ground together with the national Secretary of the NCP, Comrade Ayodele Akele. The Edo election is one of the most successful elections we have held in this country. The reason is that the people of Edo State spoke through the ballot box, and they have said it very loudly and nobody was able to subvert their decision.

How would you score INEC? We had about three meetings with INEC and I am impressed with the fact that all the petitions raised by different candidates and stakeholders were attended to by Prof Attahiru Jega and all his response to them were in a written form signed by him. The beauty of this is that in the case of a legal tussle it could be tendered in a law court. That shows that Jega was ready to stand by his words.

But then I must say that I was not comfortable with the time of the arrival of materials, especially in Edo South Senatorial Zone. The absence of pictures in Voters Register that were brought for the election was not good enough.

Then I have this to say that many voters were disenfranchised because the total registered voters were 1.6 million. Out of all this, only 6,030 were valid votes. That is to say that about 1 million voters did not vote.

In other words, it only about onethird of the registered voters in the state elected the governor and about 65 percent of them did not vote. This is disturbing because it is not good enough. A lot still haas to be done.

INEC, therefore, should as a matter of correction, display the voters register at least a week before election so as to be able to correct anything that is found to be wrong.

Security was to be a problem but the Nigerian Army drafted in their men. They have been commended by many people including the governor. What is your position?

The performance of the Nigeria Army was unprecedented, fantastic and a sign of good things for our democracy. For the first time in the history of Nigeria, we can say that the Army is responsible to the people, not the person in power. We have seen for the first time a highly civil Nigeria Army, correcting the people where they had gone wrong. There was no harassment nor brutality. The same thing with the Nigeria Police and I think it is very good for us.

Group counsels govt on violence

By Emmanuel Oladesu, Deputy Political Editor

S

OUTHSOUTH Peoples Congress (SSPC) has decried the violence in the northern part of the country, urging the Federal Govern ment to restore security and rekindle confidence in Nigerians.

The group described the Jos massacre as gross injustice, pointing out that many innocent southerners had become casualties.

SSPC said in a statement by its President, Chief Samuel Eguavan, and Publicity Secretary Comrade Iyike Okonji, that the handwriting of revenge was bold on the wall, urging the government to avert imminent ethno-religious conflicts.

The association, which lamented the killing of the lawmakers by ethnic bigots, charged government to prosecute the culprits to serve as deterrent to other unpatriotic elements.

SSPC added: “We cannot fold our arms and watch our loved ones being slaughtered and roasted like rams. Over 50 Christian worshippers were killed along with their pastor. The President must deal with this matter, until it gets out of hand. We are not in Bosnia.

“The President should go to the root of all these problems. He should attend to the grievances of the people. If the sponsors of this heinous crime against humanity want power to shift to their region and feel that this is the best way to go about it, they better think twice. The leadership of this country is not for a particular region.

No one region has monopoly of violence”.

SSPC also hailed Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomohole’s reelection, saying that he deserved victory.

The group added: “The victory was attributed to the popularity of your programme. Oshiomhole has been running a populist government. We urge him not to deviate from this path. The only way a governor can remain in people’s heart is through good governance”.

‘Regional govt solution to Nigeria’s problems’

By Dupe Olaoye-Oshikolu

T

HE problem of under-development among other sundry prob lems plaguing the nation can be solved by a return to re gional federalism. This is the view of an Igbo think-tank, Aka Ikenga. The group aligned with the position of the pan Igbo socio-cultural organization, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, which has called for a return to regional fiscal federalism where powers will be concentrated in the regions.

Speaking to newsmen in Lagos, President General of the Aka Ikenga, Dr. Sylvan Ebigwei, said the move by the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in its memorandum submitted to the National Assembly Committee on Constitutional review, was a welcome development which would lead to rapid development of the country.

“Sovereign National Conference is the ideal thing but the fear is that if you do it now, Nigerians will never come together again.

The solution to us at Aka Ikenga and that of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo is to have amendment to the 1999 constitution to ensure regional government.”

He described the heavy concentration of powers at the centre as the reason why the country has not progressed beyond the current level.

“The position today is to return Nigeria to true federalism where by constitutional legitimate is given to the six geo-political zones in the country to form regional governments. We are saying that power should be decentralized in favour of the regions. It is now left to the National Assembly to workout the type of power that the Federal Government will retain, the type of power for the states and the type of power that will be given to the regions.

“The President, under the system, will serve a single term of six years, while each of the regions will have a Governor General as the Chief Executive and governors in the states will report to him.

The judiciary is going to be the same former. There will only be one Supreme Court in the country with the region having regional Court of Appeal; while states will have high courts.”

He said: “Under the arrangement, each zone in the country will have 50 per cent derivation on any resources from the area and give 50 per cent to the Federal Government; while the Federal Government will take 20 per cent and spread the remaining 30 per cent among the six geo-political zones including the owner state”.

On the state of police under the region arrangement, the group said the position of Ohanaeze Ndigbo is that there should be a federal command and six regional commands and each regional command will take decisions on recruitment, promotion and other issues and also send their men to the Federal police.

•Senate President David Mark (middle) Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State (right) and the the representative of the Bishop of Isele-Uku Catholic Diocese at the commissioning of the ultra modern blocks of classrooms and offices for St. Patrick’s College, Asaba at the weekend.

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MOTORING

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THE NATION

MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.net

Honda Place unveils fourth generation CR-V It was a beehive of activity at the Ocean View Restaurant, Victoria Island, Lagos as The Honda Place (THP) took the wrap off the fourth generation Honda CR-V utility car, reports TAJUDEEN ADEBANJO

•Honda CR-V

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HE Ocean View Restaurant, Victoria Island, Lagos was agog last week when The Honda Place (THP) unveiled the fourth generation Honda CR-V utility vehicle.

The frist CR-V was introduced 16 years ago.

THP Sales and Marketing Director Mr Deepak Daryanani said the sedan-like vehicle with stunning economical four-cylinder engine spectrum and remarkable handling are rare features that distinguish the CR-V in its class.

Daryanani said the CR-V has continued to enjoy customer loyalty and increasing sales year-on-year due to its uniqueness, ample passenger room, cargo capacity and competitive pricing.

Little wonder, he added, more than a dozen various models from rival automakers have continued to make their way into the mid-sized SUV category.

“While some models offer V6 engines, Honda CR-V has remained focused on its practical aspirations and true-to-form design, becoming the best choice available in the all-important compact, small-SUV segment,” Daryanani said.

Redesigned for 2012, the CR-V still maintains its previous size, with minimal hardware changes, enough style and feature modification to keep Honda’s top selling crossover fully competitive.

And like its predecessor, the remodelled CR-V is offered in familiar LX and EX-L trim levels.

While the LX comes pretty well equipped, the EX-L gets additional convenience and luxury features, but without navigation systems for the local market, Daryanani

•Interior of the car

said.

A peep under the hood underscores CRV’s standard 2.4-litre inline four cylinder engine with 185 horsepower and 163 poundfeet of torque’ mated to Honda’s fashion-

able five-speed transmission, just as all model comes in the traditional front wheel drive safe for the all-wheel drive that is optional.

But what exactly makes the new CR-V

tick? The list of features, according to the Daryanani is amazing. First is the intelligently thought-out interior with high quality materials; comfortable ride, quieter engine (than before), better road handling and remarkable steering high points.

Other technical features focus on the next generation mini-utilities, which come as standard, e.g. two info screens, a rear view camera, Bluetooth, and a function that reads incoming text messages from paired phones – provided the phone is a BlackBerry.

Honda has also improved on the CR-V’s fuel management system, improving from 21/28mpg city/highway to 23/31mpg and the all-wheel-drive models go from 21/ 27mpg to 22/30mpg.

Daryanani said the main goal of the CRV is to be an excellent family vehicle as affirmed by test drivers.

Safety, however, remains a strong selling point for the CR-V: With top five-star government safety ratings, Daryanani said the CR-V ranks best among safety conscious cars in its class.

Other standard safety features include stability control, braking assist, and front-side and head-protecting side curtain air bags.

Honda has undoubtedly scaled several hurdles in its six-and-half year decade in automobile engineering, becoming an icon with a lineup that runs the gamut.

Among them are fuel-sipping hybrids, a spacious minivan, reliable family sedans, practical SUVs and even a pickup. Honda’s brand as a whole continues to be one of the most respected in the industry, with millions of loyal and satisfied customers.

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MOTORING

From left: INEC Resident Commissioner for FCT, Godwin Kwanga, Deputy Corps Public Education Officer of FRSC, Bisi Kazeem and General Manager NTA Channel 5 Abuja, Hammed Adio during their Investiture as Fellows of institute of the Corporate Administration in Abuja

•Toyota (Nigeria) Limited (TNL) Managing Director Mr Chandrasheker Thampy (left) and Executive Director Mr Kunle Ade-Ojo during the unveiling of the new Avanza in Lagos

NTM boosts after-sales units T N ATIONAL Truck Manufacturers (NTM) Limited has urged customers to take adequate advantage of its maintenance outlets in Kano, Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.

The company said mobile services are also available, as part of measures to meet the growing needs of customers.

The Kano based firm said its Iganmu outlet in Lagos State has been fortified to meet the maintenance needs of existing and potential customers.

NTM said the Lagos facility is equipped and has the capacity to handle 50 vehicles daily coupled with the availability of spare parts.

“We maintain a large stock of spares at our main warehouse in Kano and control the distribution of these spares across Nigeria. We also en-

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

sure that the spare parts are original and are of best quality”, said NTM Managing Director, Ibrahim Bayero.

Bayero,disclosed the company’s resolve to sustain operational activities through its three production lines, after sales outlets and other support facilities.

Established in December 1975 by the administration of late military Head of State, General Murtala Mohammed, NTM commenced operation as a joint venture between the Federal Government and Fiat of Italy for the assembly of Semi Knocked Down (SKD) and Completely Knocked Down (CKD) trucks and agricultural tractors with an installed capacity of 7,000 trucks and 3,000 tractors.

Between the time it was created and when it fully began

operation in 1980 and when it closed shop in 1986, NTM produced about 10,000 units of both products.

Due to lack of patronage and alleged hostile business environment, NTM was closed down for five years before it was privatised. The privatisation paved the way for Art Engineering and Construction Limited to acquire 75 per cent stake in NTM in March 2003.

Conducting Journalists round the company’s production lines, in Kano, Bayero said NTM has the potential to contribute to the development of Nigeria’s economy through payment of more taxes, creation of numerous jobs among others.

He also used the opportunity to appeal to all government agencies to further empower the company, adding that the

desire of government at the time of setting up the company was to encourage the Nigerian auto industry.

Bayero, who spoke on sundry issues related to the sector also used the opportunity to urged the Federal Government to put necessary legislation in place aimed at encouraging patronage of local assembly plants.

Besides, he identified technical partners of the company as Qingqi, Great Wall, CNHTC and YTO Tractors of China.

Explaining further, he said, “We went for products that were affordable to Nigeria.

And we chose the companies that were ready to partner with NTM. They have the same vision with us. Nigeria, as a changing environment, they saw the possibility for expansion in the market size.

•NTM workshop centre

HE Lagos State House of Assembly has passed a bill to repeal and reenact the road traffic law and make provisions for road traffic and vehicle inspection in Lagos into law.

The bill has been sent to the governor for assent.

The amended traffic law stipulates that driving against traffic, popularly known as one-way now attracts a threeyear jail term, while a first offender gets one year term and the vehicle forfeited to the state government.

Also, bullion vans are not exempted from the law as any bullion van driving in a direction prohibited by the road traffic law will forfeit its vehicle, while abandoned vehicles on the highway will be fined N50,000 three years imprisonment, or both.

The bill, which emanated from the executive arm, is aimed at regulating vehicular movement and to impose sanctions on any erring vehicle operator in the state.

The lawmakers had carefully examined the bill in June during a public hearing where all stakeholders were invited and their input and memoranda were considered.

The law also affects Okada riders, according to schedule (1) section (2) of traffic offences and penalties riding a motor-cycle against traffic and riding on the kerb, median or road setbacks, 1st time offender will attract N20,000, subsequent offender N30,000 or the motor-cycle will be impounded.

Smoking while driving will attract N20,000, failure to give way to traffic on the left at a roundabout N20,000, disobeying traffic control will be N20,000 while violation of route by commercial vehicles will attract N20,000.

Lagos passes new road law

By Oziegbe Okoeki

Riding motor-cycle without crash helmet for rider and passenger will attract N20, 000 or three years imprisonment or both.

The law also prohibits under aged person (under 18years old) riding a motorcycle with a fine of N20, 000.

Operating a motor-cycle in a restricted area or on prohibited route will be fined N20, 000 or motor-cycle will be impounded.

Schedule II, section (4) states prohibited route for motorcycle and tricycle on major highway in Lagos. The highways are Lagos Ibadan expressway, Apapa Oshodi, Oworonshoki, Lagos Ikorodu, LagosAbeokuta,Babangida Boulevarde way; others are Eti-Osa Lekki Epe expressway, Funsho Williams avenue, Agege motor road and Eti-Osa Lekki coastal road.

While Section (4) of the bill stipulates that vehicle inspection offences and penalties which includes driving without valid driver’s license, such offender would have his vehicle impounded. Learner driver without permit will attract N20, 000, driving with fake number plate, first offender N20,000 and six month imprisonment or both.

Governor Babatunde Fashola is expected to sign the bill into law soon.

SAFETY DRIVING

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HIS rainy season is a period that requires drivers exhibiting maximum responsibility to self, vehicle, passengers, other road users and the environment. Drivers must be physically and mentally fit, with good vision, avoiding the use of stimulants, alcohol or drugs, observing rest periods and should never drive under fatigue, understand and be able to interpret road signs and pavement markings correctly and also be ready to obey them.

It is imperative for drivers to ensure that vehicles are in very good condition, the windshields should be clean with functional and good wipers, good and well adjusted headlamps, functioning electrical systems and good tyres

Driving safely during the rain (3)

By Ayodeji Oyedokun

to ensure effective grip on the road surface.

Furthermore, the comfort and safety of passengers rest squarely on the drivers and this is strictly tied to vehicle condition and the driving habits of drivers. A well maintained vehicle will ensure comfort of the passengers, while

competence and defensive driving techniques will ensure their safety.

Defensive driving is when the driver is aware that every other road user is a potential danger to him on the road, knowing full well that they feel so towards him too and as such, takes adequate precautionary measures always to prevent a crash. This involves yielding to other road users even

when one has the right of way and refusing to blind the other road user with high beams when blinded.

Maintaining adequate following distance and engaging the Search, Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute (SIPDE) principles always, will also suffice here.

The responsibilities of governments and agencies in charge of safety on the roads

‘Defensive driving is when the driver is aware that every other road user is a potential danger to him on the road, knowing full well that they feel so towards him too and as such, takes adequate precautionary measures always to prevent a crash’

cannot be overemphasized. All across the world, recent trends involve programmes and designs aimed at assisting drivers to reduce serious injuries and fatalities either by creating crash-friendly road transportation environment, insisting on minimum safety standards for imported vehicles or by providing rescue and emergency services.

Human beings cannot but Oyedokun, former Zonal Commanding Officer, Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, is the Managing Director/CEO of Lagos State Driving School •To be continued next week

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NEWS

LUTH joins first beneficiary of kidney transplant at thanksgiving

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ENEFICIARY of the first kidney transplant at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Mrs Funke Oladeji, yesterday organised a thanksgiving service to mark the first anniversary of the feat.

The surgery, which lasted for five hours, was done on July 26, 2011.

Mrs. Oladeji, 39, was diagnosed of kidney failure in November, 2009, and was on dialysis in the hospital for almost two years before the transplant.

Funke and her husband, Wunmi, who donated the kidney, are in good health.

Her family members, friends and relatives gathered at the Evangel Faith International Mission, Ejigbo, Lagos, for the thanksgiving.

Chairman of LUTH’s Medical Advisory Committee Prof.

Gbenga Ogunlewe; Assistant Director of Administration Mr Babajide Grillo of the hospital and Dr Oluwatoyin Amira and Dr Adebowale Adewunmi,

both Consultant Nephrologists with the hospital, were at the event.

In his sermon, Pastor Emmanuel Tunwase urged couples to emulate the love and commitment of the Oladejis.

He also urged Christians to believe in God’s ability to see them through challenges.

In an emotion-laden voice, Mrs. Oladeji narrated how she was the only survivor among patients on dialysis in LUTH during the period.

Mrs. Oladeji broke down in tears while speaking and she was taken away from the podium.

She had earlier told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the government should give financial help to patients with kidney problems because of the high cost of treatment.

She noted that even after a kidney transplant, such patients still spends much money on drugs.

“We require N186, 000 every month for the procurement

of drugs.

“One of the drugs costs N40, 000 for 50 capsules, and I take three capsules in the morning and three in the evening; they last for eight days.

“When I was on dialysis, we spent N40, 000 every three days for dialysis; how can some families afford such money?” she asked.

Oladeji urged the public to treat patients with kidney problems with love, and advised the patients to trust God that they would be healed.

“I am very grateful to God and to the doctors for all their efforts, and also to my husband for donating his kidney,” she said.

Mr Adisa Adeniji, the Chairman of the Itesiwaju Local Government Area of Oyo State, where the couple hailed from, said that the council had been giving them N100, 000 monthly for the woman’s healthcare.

He promised to continue the gesture until the treatment stopped.

Count me out of Mimiko’s second term declaration, says Akinrinade

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NOTABLE Yoruba Leader, General Alani Akinrinade has dismissed the statement by the Ondo State Information Commissioner Mr. Kayode Akinmade that he and some other leaders will be present at Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s declaration for second term in Akure on Wednesday.

According to him: ”I am not a member of Labour Party (LP) but a reputable Yoruba

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

leader, who is championing the social political and economic integration of the region.

He said the integration will bring back the good old days of the late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who is the god father of the iconic progressive politics and an epitome of true federalism in Nigeria.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

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DISCOURSE

Why we no longer blush: Corruption as Grand Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Text of the lecture delivered by Prof Niyi Osundare under the auspices of the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, on July 9.

Talking points • Nigeria is a kleptocracy: a state ruled by thieves • We no longer blush because we have lost our skin • Corruption is Nigeria’s fastestgrowing industry • If Nigeria does not kill Corruption, Corruption will kill Nigeria • Our fate is in our own hands

The SNG example

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OMETHING happened in this country in the very first week of this year that we can never forget: Nigeria’s civil society rose with one voice, one vision, one purpose, one agenda fuelled by extraordinary patriotism and irrepressible anger. The government of President Goodluck Jonathan had removed, against all warning and remonstration; against all hint of commonsense and fellow felling, the so-called ‘subsidy’ on the price of petroleum products, thus plunging the proverbially rickety Nigeria economy into a fatal tailspin, and the Nigerian people into needless agony and deprivation.

And he sneaked in this cruel decree on the Nigerian people on the very first day of the year, no doubt as a salutary New Year gift from a caring, God-fearing leader.

President Jonathan’s drastic action and his uncharacteristic ‘No going back’ bravado thereafter came as a surprise to many people.

Personally, I began to wonder: how could this fledgling president have braved a monster that defied the antics of the tricky Babangida, the murderous Abacha, and the morally indifferent Obasanjo, his illustrious predecessors in office who kicked and caviled at the ‘subsidy’ beast but only succeeded at nibbling at its toes? What gave Jonathan the ruthless courage to drive the IMF sword to the hilt into the Nigerian body? What gave him the confidence that he could decree that punitive price hike and get away with it? I came to the conclusion that the president must have been strengthened in his resolve by his reading of the Nigerian malaise. Afterall, his predecessors in power as well as all public functionaries have always treated Nigeria as a lawless fiefdom where public opinion counts for nothing, and Nigerians, the people over whom they rule, as civic orphans without alagbawi (advocate) and olugbeja (defender). “Let’s go ahead with the subsidy removal”, I could hear presidential advisers in their caucus, “we know Nigerians: they will only shout for a few hours and then go back to business as usual.

We know Nigerians: they will quickly adjust”.

But in January this year, that mindset and its cynical calculations found their graveyard in Lagos, in Abuja, in Kano, in Kaduna, in Ilorin, in Ibadan, in Ado Ekiti. To protest the price hike, a coalition of Civil Society groups and the Nigerian Labour Congress called out a strike that shut down the country for a whole week, finally exacting a 33 percent climbdown in the decreed price.

That reduction may look small, but the pressure and organisation that brought it about, and even more important, the consciousness and will power generated by it, total up to an impressive chapter in the annals of Nigeria’s civil society organisation. For, what I saw at Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park which served as the epicenter of

the struggle, was not just the demonstration of anger and enactment of protest; it was the platform of possibilities, of rising screams awaiting distillation into a unified voice; of a people sick and tired of their dehumanization; a people ready to throw off their yoke and demolish the sickening notoriety of Nigeria as ‘big for nothing’ country; masses saying to their rulers “Behold, we are PEOPLE/ HUMAN; we demand to be treated as such!” It was a people who saw CORRUPTION, not oil subsidy, as the source of the country’s woes and bane of its people’s welfare.

And what a crowd that was at Freedom Park! What an intermingling of people beyond ethnic, religious, political, even personal barriers. For one long week, Nigerians saw themselves as people united by their common degradation at the hands of some of the most corrupt and most insensitive rulers in the world. Their diverse songs coalesed into a chorus of protest and anthem of resistance.

For the first time in their beleaguered lives, many Nigerians found an avenue for the expression of their humanity; they had the rare opportunity to join others in the singing of their own song of defiance. Professional bodies responded with an infectious spontaneity: medical doctors/personnel in overcoat and other accoutrements took care of the weak and ailing free of charge; musicians, movies stars, and other social celebrities fired up the crowd; many food-sellers sold at reduced prices. Violence kept its place in the netherworld: the police found no work for their eager truncheons. In a manner reminiscent of similar gatherings at the Tahrir Square in Cairo at the height of the ‘Arab Spring’ revolts, Muslims in the crowd took time out for their prayers while adherents of other faiths formed a ring of solidarity and assurance around them.

I wish a video footage of the Freedom Park events in January could be sent to our rulers to show them how united Nigerians are capable of being when motivated by a noble purpose and trustworthy, committed leadership.

O there we had it: the parable of Freedom Square: the self less, rigorous, imagination that went into its conception; the thoughtful, meticulous method that was behind its organization; the exuberant, positive intelligence that saw it through. President Jonathan’s soldiers came too late: by the time they swooped in to cordon off the Square, the deed had already been done. The irrepressible Nigerian spirit had already registered itself. The events of the first week of this year have shown that it is possible to make the voice of resistance carry in this country; that we are not the dumb, feckless bums that we are thought to be; that unity among the people of Nigeria is not the distant hope their rulers have made it out to be.

Above all, it has demonstrated the immense potentiality of civil society in the engineering of change and sociopolitical momentum.

And to coast home to the specificities of today’s lecture, it has shown that Nigerians know the meaning, import, and ramifications of CORRUPTION as the cankerworm in Nigeria’s body politic and poison in her soul. And, what’s more, that they are ready to do something about it!

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• Prof Osundare

The Save Nigeria Group, the principal civil society organisation behind the January strike, deserves more than the cursory appreciation and gratitude that the constraints of time and space permit me to render in a lecture of this kind. We have seen this group before, sometime in 2010, when the former President Yar’Adua lay critically ill in a Saudi hospital, but a cabal whose satanic dominance and influence derived from Yar’Adua’s continued hold on power, insisted that the president must continue to rule, even from the grave. A bizarre and absolutely confounding absurdity threw Nigeria into a state of ludicrous paralysis.

Hobbled by characteristic opportunism and tragic inertia, Nigerian politicians wringed their fingers and gnashed their teeth. The Nigerian people gasped and wondered.

The outside world chuckled at this latest act from the unedifying drama of Africa’s delinquent giant.

The president’s terminal illness was about to plunge Nigeria itself into a terminal coma. The Save Nigeria Group rose literally from nowhere and took up the challenge,

‘Why is it that Nigerians no longer blush? How did we come to lose our sense of shame after losing our sense of propriety and proportion? How did we come to develop a skin that is so thick that no arrows of degradation, no needles of dehumanisation are ever sharp and violent enough to penetrate our body and rouse our senses!

How did our nerves slide into their present state of stupor? How did we plunge into this state of dysconsciousness?

Catastrophes that would shake normal societies to their very foundations hit and leave us unfazed’

rallied the Nigerian people, and marched on the National Assembly. The quaintly coded, ludicrously escapist “Doctrine of Necessity” passed by the Nigerian Senate as a way out of this utterly absurd imbroglio could not have come without the intense moral and political pressure from the SNG and similarly concerned Nigerians.

Thus, in its short existence as a pressure group, conscientiser, public opinion mobiliser in Nigeria, the SNG has taken up the role of ombudsman and tribunal, a kind of moral opposition in a country where the commonality of crime and mutuality of corruption has made a reasonable differentiation between/among the political parties a difficult if not futile exercise.

How, then, can I proceed with this lecture without paying due homage to the patriotic zeal and visionary acumen of Pastor Tunde Bakare (who, by the way, I’m meeting for the first time today!), founder and motivating force behind the SNG, a pastor who, unlike many other men and women of the cloth in Nigeria, has never failed to see the vital link between the religious pulpit and the political platform; one who like the prophets of old, is never afraid of telling truth to power – and making sure that power hearkens and heeds. I cannot review his political activities in the past decade or so without recalling the role of the advocates and practitioners of liberation theology which facilitated the end of military dictatorship in South America, or Rev Desmond Tutu who confronted the Apartheid behemoth with the stinging arrows of moral conscience. No country that I know has ever attained the heights of human development without a vigorous and consistent tradition of public opinion the type that is so helpfully evident in the SNG’s Rescue-and-Salvage Mission.

Pastor Bakare, may your tribe increase!

The cankerworm called corruption

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HEN some three weeks ago, Yinka Odumakin, prominent member of the SNG and, in a manner of speaking, its unacknowledged Minister of Information (and Strategy?), broached the idea of this lecture to me, he already had some sense not only of the likely burden of the lecture, but also the possible wording of its title. “Why We No Longer Blush”, he said more in the manner of a suggestion than a dictation.

Personally, I do not respond favourably to prescribed titles. The poet in me always prefers to plumb his own depth for possible terms and denominations.

But Odumakin’s phrasing issued from a steady fountain of passion and patriotism; the conviction in his voice was both palpable and infectious. I gave a tentative nod, and for a good four days, I rummaged through a bunch of possible titles.

But the suggested phrase kept coming back to my mind as a result of its uncanny appropriateness. I finally decided to meet Odumakin half-way by amplifying his suggested title with my own subtitle; and that is how the full title of this lecture was born.

Why is it that Nigerians no longer blush? How did we come to lose our sense of shame after losing our sense of propriety and proportion? How did we come to develop a skin that is so thick that no arrows of degradation, no needles of dehumanisation are ever sharp and violent enough to penetrate our body and rouse our senses!

How did our nerves slide into their

present state of stupor? How did we plunge into this state of dysconsciousness? Catastrophes that would shake normal societies to their very foundations hit and leave us unfazed. Tyrants in military uniform whipped us with scorpions; only a few of us protested.

Now their civilian inheritors are scourging us with serpents, and many of us respond with ‘ranka dede!’ Politicians and other public functionaries empty public treasuries and squander our patrimony/ commonweal right before our very eyes; we pray to God to aid their effort. Time there was when these public thieves stole our money in millions of naira; now they do so in billions and trillions; and many of us urge them on and envy their luck.

Are we a psychologically intimidated, morally weakened, and politically wasted people so indolent about their rights, so unmindful of our dignity? Are we so reprobate that we become so forgiving, so oblivious of the crimes of those who rule us because we have lost the capacity to recognise their malefactions as crimes? In other lands, public figures go to jail for pinching our equivalent of 50,000 naira; in Nigeria, the huger the amount you steal the higher you go on the national order of merit, the closer you get to victory in the next election. As the inimitable Wole Soyinka has so aptly put it: You thief ten kobo they put you for prison You thief ten million na patriotism. . ..

They go give you chieftaincy and national honour You thief even bigger, dem go say na rumour Monkey dey work o, baboon dey chop Sweet pounded yam, someday I go stop When, some 30 years ago, the illustrious Dele Giwa typified Nigerians as having gone beyond ‘shockability’, he should have reserved his remarks for the present Jonathan-led, PDP-bled crowd of insensate Nigerians.

As it was in the beginning But things have not always been this bad, this dismal. Nigerians have not always lived in the present kind of moral desert. Time there was when we knew the difference between wrong and right, when shame coupled with remorse was the dreaded consequence of wrongdoing. Let me share with you a story I heard from my father, a story which illustrates the astonishing difference between the moral order of those days and the degenerate laxity of the so-called postcolonial era.

As this story goes, a young man in another part of town was beginning to give everyone around him a cause to worry. Already well into his thirties, he had no job; he hated farming, the major occupation at that time because it was hard and dirty. He was apprenticed to one or two trades, but he never waited long enough to complete his training in any of them. The extended family then called him and asked what exactly he would like to do for a living. He said the business of buying and selling was his prime choice, the one he dreamt about all the time, the one that would bring him the fortune and freedom he needed. And he insisted on doing this in some big and faraway town where his need to make profits would not be compromised by family obligations. His family taxed its members, raked together a tidy sum for him and sent him off with all their good wishes.

• To be continued

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

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NEWS Abia community seeks Orji’s help to avert crisis Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia

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NDIGENES of Umuogele in Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State are seeking Governor Theodore Orji’s intervention on an alleged plot by a group of people within the community to impose a monarch on them.

They urged the governor to prevail on the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to stop the purported move to avert blood bath and destruction of properties.

According to them, the alleged move was a contradiction of the provisions of the community’s constitution, warning that it could lead to the breakdown of law and order unless nipped in the bud.

The community then advised that the group it described as ‘dissident’ should be called to order to save the community from anarchy and total collapse.

It said that communal clash has never favoured any community.

The chairman of the Umuaghamanya Development Union Umuogele (UDU), Chima Amaechi, who spoke with reporters in Umuahia, called on relevant authorities to act fast.

Amaechi said that trouble started when the group, which had been operating secretly refused to abide with the recommendations of a constitution review committee and “instead picked somebody without recourse to Umuogele laws as regards who becomes their ruler, a development that posed danger for the citizens”.

He said that Umuogele autonomous community was made up of seven villages, which he listed in order of seniority as Umuaghamanya, Odukpiri/Ugocha, Umuizundu/ Umuiwenma,Umeje, Umungburu Umuagwaoke and Umuamamehi.

Amaechi said that the committee had recommended that the Ezeship be presented in order of seniority, a decision that went well with the community.

He said: “In 2000, the amended Ezeship constitution of Umuogele autonomous community provided that selection of an Eze in Umuogele should be in order of seniority, starting from Umuaghamanya, the most senior.

“This orderly selection and installation was to avoid unhealthy rivalry and wrangling as well as bitterness and division amongst the people over who should be the Eze of the community.

A ministry source, however, urged the community to put its grievances in writing and send same to the government, describing the matter as an internal matter with a promise to look into it.

Southeast governors meet on security

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OVERNORS of the Southeast states met yesterday in Enugu to review rising insecurity in the country.

At the meeting were: Governors Peter Obi (Anambra), Martin Elechi (Ebonyi), Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Theodore Orji (Abia) and Rochas Okorocha ( Imo).

Obi, who doubles as the Chairman of the Southeast Governor’s Forum, told reporters after the meeting held at the Lion Building Enugu, that the parley was

From Chris Oji, Enugu

on security problem.

The governor, however, declined to give details of the discussions at the meeting.

According to him, the governors did a critical appraisal of the ongoing efforts to tackle insecurity, especially in their zone for the almost four hours the meeting lasted.

Obi also said the meeting deliberated on how to improve economic cooperation among in the region.

•Bishop Owen Nwokolo of the Diocese on the Niger, Anglican Communion, receiving the keys to a new ambulance donated to Iyienu Hospital, Ogidi

Driver dies as hospital rejects accident victims

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HE driver of a redcolour L300 Mitsubishi bus, marked XB764 NCA, died yesterday at Amaku General Hospital, Awka, due to alleged negligence, a police source said.

A member of the combined team of the police and Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) said the driver of the ill-fated bus would not have died but for his rejection by the hospital, on the excuse that there were no drugs to administer on

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•Fate of eight others unknown From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

the victims.

The Nation learnt that the driver died more than one hour after he was brought into the hospital without attention.

The fate of the eight others, who were brought alongside the driver in critical conditions, was uncertain as at yesterday, even as

two of them were taken away by their father.

An eyewitness said the accident occurred at about 3.20pm yesterday, when the tyre of the vehicle burst and it somersaulted on the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, near Enugu-Agidi Junction.

FRSC’s Sector Commander Hyginus Omeje told The Nation in a telephone cconversation that information on the accident was not

readily available.

He directed the reporter to the FRSC office at Amawbia for details on the casualty figure.

Officials of the Amaku General Hospital declined comment when asked to confirm they actually turned back patients because the facility ran out of drugs.

It was learnt that the hospital had no recording of rejecting patients.

Anambra governorship: ‘PPA won’t field The PPA chief said the F the Progressive last-minute defectors’ party would field a candidate Peoples’ Alliance (PPA)

keeps its words, the era of 11th hour defectors using its platform to seek elective offices may be gone for good.

The party yesterday warned politicians who might want to use its platform to fester their governor-

From: Dele Anofi, Abuja

ship aspirations with a lastminute switch of allegiance to keep off.

Besides, the party has also initiated moves to reconcile with the estranged chairman of its Board of Trustees (BoT) and former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu.

Speaking in Abuja, at the weekend, PPA’s National Chairman, Mr. Sam Nkire, said late defectors would not be fielded to represent the party at the 2014 governorship election in Anambra State.

Noting that the doors of the party would remain open to new members, who might want to run for elec-

tive offices, Nkire stressed that “experience had shown that old friends are better than new ones’’.

According to him, the party had learnt lessons from its past mistakes when it fielded new members in Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi and Bayelsa states.

Describing as regrettable that the defectors left the party soon after the elections, ‘giving the impression they were mere gold diggers, Nkire advised politicians to join the party ahead of its primaries.

He said the advice became necessary because ‘’the day of consensus candidates are over,” he added.

in the Ondo State governorship election billed for October.

Nkire disclosed that the party has initiated the process of wooing back its prominent members, including governors, National and State lawmakers, a minister and ex-governor Kalu The position of the party, he said, was informed by the fact that ‘’once a progressive, always a progressive’’.

Nkire reassured members and would-be members that ‘’the party was not yet over,’’ as according to him, the PPA still has elected officials in Bayelsa, Osun, Zamfara, Delta, Kano and Cross River states.

ABU VC seeks donation for 50th anniversary ICE-Chancellor (VC) of Ahmadu Bello

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University (ABU) Zaria, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, has asked for do-

PUBLIC NOTICE CHANGE OF NAME BAMIGBOYE

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Bamigboye Beatrice Bukola, now wish to be known as Mrs Adeniyi Beatrice Bukola. All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

nation support the plans to mark the institution’s 50th anniversary.

In a statement signed by his Media Adviser, Mallam Waziri Isa Gwantu, the VC said the event which is slated for November 24 will feature activities such as presentation of special awards tagged: “Sir Ahmadu Bello Golden Award” to prominent alumni who distinguished themselves in different areas of endeavour and have contributed to the development of the varsity.

Prof Mustapha who expressed optimism that the event, if fully supported by all stakeholders and

alumni, will be the first of its kind by any Nigerian university, said ABU’s alumni in different parts of the world are known as pacesetters with their contributions to humanity The VC urged the ABU 50th anniversary implementation committee led by Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration) Prof Ibrahim Na Iya Sada, to work hard to identify and reach out to all ABU alumni within and outside the country with the view to educating them on the state of preparations of the anniversary and the role and contributions expected of them.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23 , 2012

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NEWS Riot act for ex-militants’ handlers From Dele Anofi, Abuja

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HE Federal Government has decried the handling of ex-militants, who are on overseas training under the Amnesty programme.

The government is to set up an offshore training desk in its missions in countries where the youths are being trained.

The ex-militants are in 21 countries undertaking vocational and tertiary education training.

This was made known by the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Kingsley Kuku, at a meeting with vendors handling the offshore training.

Kuku, in a statement by the Head of Media and Communications, Daniel Alabrah, warned the handlers to be more committed to the programme.

The Technical Assistant/ Head, Reintegration Unit, Larry Pepple, who represented the Chairman at the meeting, cautioned that it will no longer be business as usual.

“It is no longer business as usual as this office will henceforth sanction errant vendors.

“If you ‘eat’ the profit from the training early in the day, you will pay for it later,” he said.

The new Head, Offshore Operations, Obase Okongor, said desk offices would be established in Nigerian Missions, where the ex-militants are being trained.

Abandoned vehicle, motorcycle owners alerted

By Jude Isiguzo

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HE Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Police has urged owners of abandoned vehicles and motorcycles at its Ayetoro and Obantoko stations to remove them or forfeit them.

Its spokesman, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), urged the owners to remove them within 14 days.

The vehicles include a Nissan Bluebird with registration number (Lagos) AH350FKJ; two unregistered Hyundai and Toyota Camry cars as well as a Mazda 323 car.

The motorcycles are: two Bajaj (Lagos) QR822LRS and (Lagos) QT414EKY; two Jincheng with registration numbers (Lagos)QJ237KRD; QJ227SMK and 11 others.

•Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi (middle); his deputy, Mrs Funmi Olayinka (fourth left); Osun State Deputy Governor Titi Laoye-Tomori (third left); the governor’s wife, Bisi (third right); Ekiti State deputy governor’s husband, Lanre Olayinka (left); wife of Ogun State Deputy Governor, Mrs Funmilayo Adesegun (second left); the celebrator, Deaconess Grace Adetutu Famuagun (second right) and her husband, Festus, at her 80th birthday in Ado-Ekiti... yesterday.

Elections may not hold in 2015, S says Bakare AVE Nigeria Group (SNG) convener Pastor Tunde Bakare yesterday warned that general elections may not hold in 2015. He said the polls may come earlier.

He said: “I perceive that our next general elections may be better, though it may come earlier than expected”.

The founder of the LatterRain Assembly, Ogba, Lagos, spoke to the congregation on the topic: “How to change government peacefully and make society better”.

He highlighted four possible exit routes for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration, including impeachment, resignation, peoples’ revolt and hand of

•Cleric canvasses peaceful govt change

By Emmanuel Oladesu, Deputy Political Editor

God. Bakare said resignation

by President Goodluck Jonathan would not be perceived as a sign of weakness, but as a mark of patriotism, recalling that former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher resigned as head of government, despite her fame.

He described impeachment as a worse option, which carries with it a load of shame than resignation,

urging the President to shun hangers-on and political jobbers, who may advise him against resignation.

The activist-cleric prayed against revolt, warning that it is a viable option, if the pattern of corruption, violence and insecurity is not halted.

He said if a popular revolt occurs in Nigeria, the January uprising against fuel subsidy removal would be child’s play.

Bakare observed that the President is a simple soul saddled with power and

confronted with the problems he is incapable of solving.

The cleric said the Augean stable would be cleansed and election would be better than expected.

He said there is need for a change of guard, judging by the circumstances and realities of corruption, violence and insecurity in the land.

Bakare said the purpose of government is the security of life and property, he lamented that this does not matter again in Nigeria.

Bakare added: “Mr President may be doing his best, but the impact is not felt, except in the purse of vouchers and cabals. Nigeria requires a better handling and it must be fulfilled now.”

NAFDAC canvasses life imprisonment for counterfeiters T HE National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has canvassed life imprisonment for drug counterfeiters.

Its Director-General, Dr Paul Orhii, said the agency has prepared a draft law that would be presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) next month.

Orhii spoke at the inauguration of NAFDAC and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Community Devel-

By Wale Adepoju

opment Service (CDS) at the Orientation Camp, IyanaIpaja, Lagos.

He said the punitive measures meted out to those faking drugs are too light and such would not deter them from nefarious activities.

He said the agency wants more severe punishment for

counterfeiters.

Orhii said: “We also want the bill to make the offence a non-bailable one, so that people who are awaiting trial cannot get bail.

“That will put incentives for speedy trial on the counterfeiters so that the case can be completed.

“Instead of a 15-year jail term, we are asking for lifetime jail if convicted.

“We are asking for confiscation of assets of the offenders.

“And in any situation where we can prove that the fake products caused death or injury to any victim, we want some of the assets that were confiscated to be used to compensate those victims.

“We are also asking for a whistle blower clause in the law such that people who come forward to give us information can be rewarded without disclosing their identities.”

Police release new e-mail address

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HE police have released a new e-mail a d d r e s s , policemonitor@npf.gov.ng, for facilitating direct communication with the Office of the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar.

A statement by Deputy Force spokesman Frank Mba said the measure is to promote access to justice, transparency and accountability in

From Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja

matters relating to policing and crime fighting.

The police, however, stated the circumstances under which the public could use the address: “When providing information on the activities of criminal groups, terror gangs or other forms of organised crimes, such as rob-

bery, kidnapping, human trafficking, advanced fee fraud, arms trafficking etc.

“When reporting cases of breach of public peace or imminent breach of public peace.

“When providing information relating to ongoing criminal investigations by the police and other law enforcement agencies.

“When reporting the con-

duct of police personnel or the conduct of personnel of other law enforcement agents involved in corrupt and other forms of unlawful acts.

“When commending members of the Force for acts of gallantry or other forms of exemplary or exceptional conduct displayed in the course of their duties.

“When reporting cases or incidents of electoral offences or other matters re-

lated thereto.

When advising or commenting on matters relating to national security, especially when such matters have direct bearing with the activities of the police.

Abubakar appealed to potential users of the e-mail to ensure the credibility of their information and to avoid providing false, malicious or deliberately misleading information to the Force.

Rivers women hold prayers From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

WOMEN in Rivers State at the weekend prayed at the Government House, Port Harcourt, against disasters.

The session was sequel to a series of fires in some parts of the state, killing many persons and destroying property worth millions of naira.

The prayer summit was at the instance of the Governor’s wife, Dame Judith Amaechi, who admonished wives of local government chairmen to replicate the session in their areas.

Mrs. Amaechi said the petrol tanker fire at Okogbe in Ahoada West Local Government and other explosions have heightened tension.

She said: “Most of the dead at Okogbe are women and children, who due to poverty, went to scoop fuel for survival. It is time we had a rethink.

“It is sad that some highly-placed people, especially women, do not consider the needy in their lists of priority.

“Please, this is a wakeup call. Let us begin to show love, no matter how little.”

The governor’s wife also asked wives of top government functionaries scheduled to travel for vacationwith their children to cancel the journeys and embark on enlightenment campaigns on the danger of inflammable materials and explosives.

She stressed that women are the worst hit during crises, making it imperative for them to take their destinies in their own hands.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23 , 2012

58

NEWS Scholarships in Bayelsa From Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa

THE senator, representing Bayelsa East, Senator Clever Ikisikpo, has given scholarship to 106 students.

Beneficiaries of the scheme, which is known as Senator Clever Ikisikpo Education Foundation, are from the nine units of the three areas in the senatorial district, including Ogbia, Brass and Nembe.

They were presented with cheques at Ogbia town, headquarters of the Senatorial district at the weekend.

Ikisikpo said the scheme is now restricted to year two students of any university in Nigeria.

Ikisikpo explained that an entrance examination was conducted to select beneficiaries.

“We selected beneficiaries through examination because we wanted excellence.

Postgraduate students would be part of the scheme next year.”

Pastor killed, wife kidnapped in Delta From Polycarp Orosevwotu, Warri

THE General Overseer of Train of Praise Ministry (aka Home of Testimony), Pastor lroagba, was yesterday in his church in Orerokpe, Okpe Local Government of Delta State, murdered by five suspected robbers.

His wife was also kidnapped.

Sources said lroagba was officiating when the hoodlums came into the church, asking for his wife.

“We were in the church in the morning when the kidnappers came in and we saw that they were asking our pastor’s wife to follow them.

“When our pastor saw them from the altar, he went to them and asked what the problem was.

“Instead of answering him, he was shot twice and they still went away with the wife.”

He was rushed to the hospital, where he died after a few hours.

The abductors are yet to contact the family.

Police spokesman Charles Muka confirmed the incident.

76 oil wells: How Cross River rejected N250m grant from Akwa Ibom

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HE Cross River State Government declined a N250 million monthly grant offer by the Akwa Ibom State Government to seek political solution to the dispute over the ownership of the 76 oil wells, it was learnt yesterday.

Before the Supreme Court judgment of July 10 affirming Akwa Ibom as the owner of the oil wells, efforts by Governor Godswill Akpabio to resolve the issue were rebuffed.

This was made known at a briefing attended by the Secretary to the State Government, Umana Umana, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ekpenyong Ntekim and Commissioner for Information Aniekan Umanah.

Ntekim, who read the statement entitled: “76 oil wells – How Cross River State went to court and lost”, said the case was instituted on September 14, 2009, against the Federal Government and Akwa Ibom State Government.

He said prior to the filing of the case at the Supreme Court, Akpabio made peaceful overtures to Cross River, including offers of possibly monthly financial assistance, from the revenue allocation due Akwa Ibom.

The Attorney-General said a state delegation, led by Senator Anietie Okon, went to Cross River to discontinue the case but the state refused.

Ntekim said: “Despite the

•State ignored political solution to oil dispute

‘We went to court in national interest’ From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

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HE Cross River State Government has said it did not go to court over the 76 oil wells for selfish interest, but in the interest of the country.

On July 10, the Supreme Court struck out the case by the Cross River State Government on the ceding of 76 oil wells to Akwa Ibom State by the National Boundary Commission (NBC) and Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

Commissioner for Information Akin Ricketts, in a statement, entitled: “Still on the Supreme Court Ruling”, said: “The Government of Cross River State in approaching the Supreme Court for the legal interpretation of the actions of the NBC and RMAFC was beyond parochial interest.

“Indeed, the interest of the state in seeking judicial intercession in this matter was and is solely on national concerns, the future of the country, its citizens and territorial boundaries, and not self-seeking as many may have believed.

“This is the reason we have avoided all persuasions to either lobby or march on the streets to ventilate our position.”

He said if the ceding is allowed to prevail, Nigeria will lose control of naval ships coming into the country through the waters which the International Court of Justice (ICJ) called territorial waters.

“This is the implication, and as a state with vested interest, we will not fold our arms to watch this happen to our dear country,” he said.

He said the state has chosen to return to the judiciary to reclaim “what rightly belongs to us so as to let history absolve us all of sloppiness.”

He urged all Cross Riverians to show restraint “in the face of provocation.”

From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

insistence of Cross River State, the governor wrote on December 16, 2010, offering to pay a monthly grant of N250 million ex-gratis to

Cross River.

“Regrettably, this gesture was, again, turned down by the Cross River State Government.

“This action made the

RMAFC to arbitrarily deduct over N18 billion from the derivation revenue of Akwa Ibom State from January 2008 to May. “It should be stressed that theN18 billion paid to Cross River State during the period was not sourced from any ecological fund as erroneously represented but from the statutory derivation revenue of Akwa Ibom State.”

The Commissioner added that in 2005, Akwa Ibom lost 24 villages in Itu Local Government Area to Cross River State in a Supreme Court judgement.

His words: “We did not vilify the Supreme Court or the Cross River State Government.

“Last year, the Supreme Court gave judgment in favour of Rivers State over revenue derived from 86 off shore oil wells attributed to Akwa Ibom State.

“We did not attack the integrity of the Supreme Court nor did we incite the people of Akwa Ibom against the people of Rivers.

“As a responsible government, we shall continue to maintain due process in matters of both law and government and refrain from actions capable of destroying ancient bonds or intimidating and/or weakening the administration of justice, irrespective of occasion or euphemism.”

From Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

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HE Delta State Government will from Wednesday begin impounding commercial vehicles yet to be branded in the state colours.

A three-month deadline for all commercial vehicles to be branded in blue and white expires on Wednesday.

The Commissioner for Transport, Ben Igbakpa, said the government in April issued an ultimatum to commercial drivers to brand their vehicles in the approved state colours.

Igbakpa said some vehicles have complied with the directive while many were yet to do so.

The commissioner said those who complied with the directive are yet to come to the ministry to obtain identification numbers .

He said the identification numbers are issued free of charge.

‘July 14 ended ethnic politics’ From Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin

E

DO State Deputy Governor Pius Odubu yesterday said the electoral victory of Governor Adams Oshiomhole and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has ended ethnic politics.

Odubu spoke when the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), led by its interim chairman, Cajetan Mmuta, presented a victory card to him at the Government House.

The deputy governor said the election was a reflection of the people’s wishes.

“Our victory was sweet because that is what the people want, a man who will perform.

“It was a wonderful experience, you know the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) couldn’t even get one quarter in any of the seven local government councils in Edo South and we won the 77 wards in Edo South, we thank God, we asked for a sweet victory and we got a sweet victory.”

Houses for Edo teachers

Flood control in Delta

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

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From Polycarp Orosevwotu, Warri

THE DELTA State Government yesterday cleared all drainages in Effurun and Warri to ease the free flow of water to the river.

Commissioner for Environment Frank Omare said the ministry is prepared to clear all the drainages in the state.

He said: “We all know this is a natural waterway but people will still go ahead to build structures on the drainages.

“Some have turned it into a dump site; some of the residents collect money from people and allow them to dump their waste in the drainages and the same people will accuse the governor of non-performance.”

Govt to impound vehicles

•Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi (left); his wife, Judith (second right); General Overseer of Abundant Life Ministries Apostle Eugene Ogu and Ogu’s wife Milly at Ogu’s 50th birthday thanksgiving service in Port Harcourt...yesterday

Tinapa officials allege harassment by Customs

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HE management of the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort in Calabar, Cross River State, has alleged harassment of its customers by officials of the Nigeria Customs Service.

Its Managing Director, Bassey Ndem, said customers were harassed at the gate.

He said each customer bought products less than N50, 000, the minimum amount on which Customs duty should be paid, but still had their goods seized.

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

He said recently a customer was harassed for buying a bag of rice worth N6, 200; three others were stopped for buying washing machines worth N35, 000 each.

He said this was killing business in the resort and called on the Customs authorities to intervene.

A Customs official, who identified himself as Sadiq, said he was acting based on instructions from above.

A customer, Rev Oganiru,

said: “We bought washing machines at N35,000 for each person but the Customs official at the Tinapa gate, who gave his name as Sadiq, stopped us and insisted that we must pay duties even though what we bought was below N50,000.

“He (Sadiq) said he was seizing the items with orders from above.

“This is wrong because what we bought was not up to N50,000 by one person. I think this is fraudulent on the part of the Customs.”

The Customs spokesman in Calabar, Daniel Tule, denied the allegation.

He said: “The story is not true. Customs knows the rule as far as Tinapa is concerned, we want to ensure due process.

“What we are trying to enforce in Tinapa is to ensure that the rules or law concerning the establishment of Tinapa is enforced but some people are not happy because they want to deny the Federal Government of revenue.”

EACHERS in Edo State are to be the first beneficiaries of Governor Adams Oshiomhole Mass Housing scheme.

The houses to be built in collaboration with private investors will be sold at fair market prices.

Commissioner of Land, Survey and Housing Anselm Ojeizua said the 2,000 units of teachers’ estate will be built across the three senatorial districts.

Ojeizua said another estate will be built at the bypass in Upper Mission, Benin City.

He said plans have been completed to ensure that the State Property Development Authority (EDPA) partners with a private investor in the construction of an additional Housing Estate at Ugbiyokho, off Ekenwan road in Egor Local Government.

THE NATION MONDAY, JUYLY 23, 2012

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NEWS Rain wreaks havoc in Makurdi

SON raids Abuja market

From Uja Emmanuel,

From Franca Ochigbo,

Makurdi

ROPERTY worth millions of naira were yesterday destroyed in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, following a downpour.

It was the second heavy rain recently that has wreaked havoc in Makurdi.

The rain, which began a few minutes after midnight, washed away roads and bridges, preventing many people from going in and leaving their homes.

A resident of Vandeikya Street, Terseeer Agber, had a nasty experience as his flat was flooded. He and his family were rendered homeless.

Their belongings such as clothes, TV set, chairs and mattresses were submerged in the flood.

Agber allegedly blamed the Ministry of Works for the flood because it blocked the channel at the end of Vandeikya Street, making it impossible for water to flow.

He urged the authorities of the Ubran Development Board (UDB) to free the culvert.

The home of the first civilian governor of Benue State, the late Aper Aku, located on Gboko Road, Makurdi was also flooded.

Abuja

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‘Crisis in Plateau calls for prayers’

•A member of the House of Representatives, Hajiya Aishat Ahmed Mohammed Binani(Yola North/Yola South/Girei) (second right) with PDP leaders at the commencement of Binani Fertilizer Distribution to farmers in Yola.

Kogi bomb blast: Police arrest one HE Kogi State Police Command has arrested a suspect linked with the bomb blast at the police divisional headquarters and Unity Bank at Iyara in Ijumu Local Government.

Two bodies suspected to be those of members of the gang have also been found in a bush on the road to Ekiti State.

The suspect, identified as an Ebira man, was arrested by some hunters who saw him running, trying to

T

W

From Mohammed Bashir, Lokoja

climb an abandoned motorcycle.

Twenty armed robbers last Friday bombed the Police Divisional Headquarters and Unity Bank at Iyara, the headquarters of Ijumu Local Government.

Police Commissioner Mohammed Musa Katsina who confirmed the arrest, told The Nation that the sus-

pect is making useful statements that will lead to the arrest of others.

Speaking in a telephone chat, he said his men confronted the criminals, rendering their efforts fruitless.

His words: “Armed robbers have adopted a new tactic. They no longer use guns alone, they also use locallymade grenades during attacks.

“Their aim of bombing the police station was to

A

CTIVITIES at the Makurdi Local Government Secretariat, Benue State, were last Friday paralysed as the workers embarked on a protest.

They accused the DirectorGeneral (Services and Administration) and the Treasurer of allegedly absconding with part of their June salary.

The protesters sealed off entrance into the secretariat, holding the two officers hostage for hours. They locked them in the toilet before the police rescued them.

The workers, who carried leaves, chanted war songs and defied appeals by the

•Lock them inside toilet From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

visitors to calm down. They blocked the main entrance into the secretariat and prevented people from going in and leaving.

Some of the protesters, who spoke to reporters, said they were ready to die if they were not paid their June salary as approved by the management.

The Chairman of the National Union of Local Gov-

ernment Employees (NULGE), Makurdi Local Government chapter, Mr. Oliver Akpe, who was seen appealing to the workers, said they should be paid their salary before they would resume duty. He called for a probe into the alleged short payment of the June salary.

The Caretaker Committee Chairman in the local government, Mr. Fidelis Audu, who expressed shock

Suspected robbers arrested as police raid community

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OLICE at the weekend raided the hideouts of criminals at Ungwan Romi in the Kaduna metropolis and arrested hoodlums.

The Nation learnt that armed robbers last Friday invaded the community, stealing property worth millions of naira.

The wife of the Editor of the Taraba State-owned newspaper, Sunrise, Bakoji Sukuji, who was manhandled by the robbers, is said to be receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.

Police were said to have stormed the area following a tip-off and arrested the

From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

hoodlums in an uncompleted building where drugs and marijuana were allegedly being sold.

A source close to the security operatives said: “We received the report of the robbery that occurred in the area.

“We began investigating the incident and discovered that there is a place where a woman is said to be harbouring hoodlums and selling hard drugs and marijuana to youths. So we raided the place.

“We have arrested many of them and we will make sure we rid the place of criminals.”

Kano, German firm to build solar energy plant

K

ANO State Government is collaborating with a German energy company to build a 30- megawatt solar power project.

The project, initiated under the National Energy Council, is to boost power supply in the state.

The Secretary of the National Energy Council, Alhaji Ibrahim Shehu Jidda, who led a delegation of the German energy company on a visit to Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso yesterday in

destabilise my men and steal arms and ammunition.

But they did not succeed as my men repelled them.”

Katsina said at the Unity Bank, the robbers damaged the building, but they could not enter the bank’s vault.

“We had a special force meant to confront the bombers. We matched them gun for gun. With the use of teargas, we chased them into the bush. Investigation is on to arrest the fleeing robbers,” he added.

Workers accuse director-general, treasurer of ‘absconding’ with salary

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

IFE of the Plateau State Governor Ngo Talatu Jang at the weekend urged Nigerians to pray to God to avert further calamity in the state.

She added that people should pray for peace to be restored.

Talatu spoke in Abuja when the Association of Christian Women (ACW) conferred on her the Woman of Virtue award.

She said despite the challenges in the state, she acknowledged the support received from the people.

Represented by the Commissioner for Science and Technology, Prof. Comfort Piwuna, Mrs. Jang promised to help in restoring peace to the state.

Her words: “We all need to pray for Plateau State because as at now the state has been thrown into mourning with the death of the lawmakers and others. We pray that God should restore peace.

“I thank the organisers of the award for your interest in monitoring my activities over the years.

“Let me assure the ACW and indigenes that the confidence reposed in me will never be betrayed.

•Two bodies found

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

Kano, said the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would signal the beginning of the project.

He said: “We know that the project is a 30-megawatt solar power plant for each of the states. But you did indicate during an exploratory meeting in Abuja that Kano will like to have two of such plants.

As such, we have factored that and are mindful of the requirements that the state needs 60 megawatts because

of the significant impact it will have to stimulate the economic growth and development by creating business opportunities, employment and income generation.”

According to him, the Nigerian-German partnership has come out with a strategy of promoting energy in the North, particularly renewable energy.

His words: “We have discovered that for us to have energy, we should not wait for the future gas line backbone that is supposed to

come from Calabar, because we do not know how long it will take for that project to materialise.”

Governor Kwankwaso said the government and people of Kano are interested in the project, adding that the government will do all it can to fulfil its part of the agreement “because we believe that having solar energy in Kano State and with the commitment you have shown, Kano will be the first state to ensure that this partnership works.”

at the alleged short payment, said to the best of his knowledge, “what I approved was meant for all workers’ salary in June.”

He promised to deal with anyone responsible for the alleged short payment.

THE Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has raided major markets in Abuja, seizing fake and substandard goods worth millions of naira.

SON had earlier given a two-week ultimatum to traders in the Federal Capital Territory to remove substandard products from their shops or face the wrath of the law.

The team was led by the Director, Human Capital Development, Mr. Paul Angya. The raid began from the Dei-Dei International Building Materials Market and Maraba Building Material Market.

The Abuja enforcement team seized substandard items such as cables, electric bulbs, iron rods, roofing sheets, among other building materials, for tests to prove the claims of their sellers that they are original products and sealed the shops.

The exercise lasted for about seven hours. Despite the downpour and the hostility exhibited by the traders, the raid continued.

Speaking to reporters, Angya said the exercise was in fulfilment of SON’s twoweek ultimatum to the traders.

He added: “What we are doing today is to implement the ultimatum we gave them two weeks ago. The campaign is going to be sustained, there is no time limit to it.

“We will make sure that every sub-standard product is removed from the market. So the message is very clear, you can see the level of resistance.”

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

NEWS No severance pay for TCN workers, says Nnaji

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HE Federal Government said it achieved a major milestone yesterday in the implementation of its power sector reform as Manitoba Electrical today assumes management control of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), one of the 18 unbundled companies of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

The TCN manages the nation’s key power transmission backbone, otherwise called the national grid. Of the 18 companies that were created from unbundling of the PHCN, only the TCN will not be privatised.

Rather, its management has been contracted to the Canadian company after emerging victorious from a competitive bid organised by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).

Manitoba is coming with about eight expatriates to run the Transmission Company for a period of three years in the first instance.

According to the BPE, the current managers of TCN will understudy the expatriate managers, acting as

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

their shadows. In other words, the Nigerian chief executive officer and executive directors will understudy the new managers.

The Minister of Power, Prof. Bart Nnaji, said at the weekend that workers of the Transmission Company should not expect severance pay because the TCN is not being privatised. He was reacting to protests by the workers who barricaded the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) corporate headquarters in Abuja and also blocked a major highway ostensibly to prevent the new managers from assuming duties. The workers were said to have threatened to continue the action until their severance and other PHCN negotiated benefits have been paid.

Nnaji explained that the government is negotiating with representatives of the labour unions only in respect of severance and other benefits for staff of 17 unbundled PHCN generation and distribution companies that are being priva-

•Nnaji

tised, which does not include the TCN. “I cannot understand why the workers embarked on protests when TCN remains a government holding company which has never been put up and shall not be put up for privatisation,” the Minister said.

Nnaji said rather than privatise TCN, which would require sorting out labour issues, government has approved the employment of an additional 1000 engineers and technicians to plug the shortfall in the manpower needed to run the power transmission backbone.

Violate traffic rule and go to jail, says commissioner

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AGOS State government has urged road users to respect traffic laws or risk going to jail.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Alhaji Lateef Ibirogba, also warned tanker drivers against blocking the Mile 11/Apapa Wharf Road in the night, saying that government would take drastic measures against offenders.

He reminded Lagosians that the state traffic law stipulates a three-year jail for traffic offenders, assuring that government would enforce it vigorously. The commissioner said lawlessness would not be tolerated in the state.

Ibirogba said: “For a society to grow and develop, it must be built on law and order. Three year imprisonment is not too harsh. Traffic offenders create accident

By Emmanuel Oladesu, Deputy Political Editor

and injure themselves and others. I advise people to plan their time ahead and drive with care and patience. passengers in vehicles plying a one way road are also liable. Those fond of disobeying traffic light should beware. If the governor can obey traffic light, everybody should be ready to obey the law”.

The commissioner reiterated the state’s preference for vehicular ownership registration to ensure security, stressing that vices committed by vehicles would reduce in the process.

Ibirogba also spoke on the clearing of chantries in Makoko, Lagos Mainland, explaining that it was part of efforts to make the environ-

ment friendly. He said it is risky to shun environmental rules and regulations.

He said government was ready to protect whoever has genuine intention and business to protect in a lawful manner in the environment.

Ibirogba added: “Government will not fold its arms and allow people to selfishly take over government property and create chaos.

There will always be hues and cries while making changes. There will be genuine proof of ownership can challenge the government and it will be looked into.

“The beautification of the environment will continue.

That is how to avert the negative effects of climatic change. That is why we encourage tree planting and clear the drains”.

‘CAN President’s call in order’ Continued from page 2

Nigeria. This is an organisation that has killed more Nigerians than any other since the civil war.

“This is an organisation that is committed to wiping out Christianity in northern Nigeria, establishing a Muslim fundamentalist state on our soil, to kill as many muslims that don’t share their own interpretation and understanding of Islam as possible, to divide and balkanise our nation and to wash her from head to toe in blood.

“This is the sort of organisation that some people are defending and protecting?

This is the sort of organisation that they will claim is not or should not be labelled as a terrorist organisation?

And if they are not terrorists, what would they call them? Angels or boy scouts?

“The truth is that not only

are Boko Haram terrorists in every sense of the word, they are also messengers of the devil that have come to Nigeria to do nothing but to kill, steal and destroy. They are doing Satan’s work and the sooner they are dispatched to hell by our Armed Forces to meet their master Satan the better.

“They and those that provide sanctuary and safe haven for them deserve nothing less than the Odi treatment. The fact of the matter is that those that really wish to divide Nigeria are not people like Oritsejafor but rather those that secretly support, fund, encourage and seek to justify the activities and existence of Boko Haram.

“The President of CAN has done the right and proper thing by telling our story to the United States Congress and to the world and

•Oritsejafor

this is all the more important given the fact that our government has completely failed to stop the terror or curb the activities of these evil, relentless and barbarous terrorists.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

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SPORT EXTRA AFTER FEDERATION CUP ROUND OF 16 MATCHES

NPL resumes Saturday N

IGERIA Premier League (NPL) will resume on Saturday after a break to allow for the Federation Cup matches, officials announced.

Executive secretary Tunji Babalola told MTNFootball.com that the NPL board has tentatively picked July 28 as the resumption day.

"We have concluded plans to resume league on Saturday July 28 with Week 35 fixtures.

The date stands but we would have to change that it if NFF fixes the Federation Cup semifinal for that weekend," Babalola informed MTNFootball.com Rangers lead the table with 58 points with Kano Pillars

three behind.

The league leaders return to Ibadan, where they crashed out in the Federation Cup

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IGERIA’s Sunshine Stars are back in contention in this year’s CAF Champions League after a 0-0 draw Saturday at Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia.

The Akure outfit have climbed to third place in Group A after they picked up their first point, while Esperance are top on six points after two rounds of matches.

Etoile, who are second on the table with four points, will face Esperance in a local derby on August 5, while Sunshine will improve their stocks if they beat bottom Aso Chlef of Al-

group phase, to take on local favourites Shooting Stars.

Other top-draw fixtures will see Pillars at home to champi-

ons Dolphin, Warri Wolves taking on Sunshine Stars and the northeast derby between Wikki and Gombe in Bauchi.

On Thursday, Kaduna United will host Heartland in a rescheduled game.

NPL WEEK 35 MATCHES Jigawa vs ABS Shooting Stars vs Enugu Rangers Rising Stars vs Kwara Sharks vs Heartland Akwa vs Enyimba Lobi Stars vs Tornadoes Warri Wolves vs Sunshine Pillars vs Dolphin Ocean Boys vs Kaduna United Wikki vs Gombe United

CAF CHAMPION LEAGUE

Sunshine back in contention •Holds Etoile geria in their own game that weekend.

Sunshine appeared to have lost their way after they were outclassed 2-0 at home by defending champions Esperance, but they posted a solid defensive display to frustrate hosts

Etoile Saturday night inside the Olympic Stadium in Sousse.

The Nigerian club attributed their result on the road to their resolve to bounce back after the setback against Esperance.

Moses Ocheje, who was the busier of the two goalkeepers

on the night, told MTNFootball.com that his defenders stuck to the instructions of coach Gbenga Ogunbote.

"We played according to the coach's instructions and it worked for us. I must commend my defenders for making my job easier because they were all composed,” he said.

“This victory will boost our morale and confidence ahead of our next game."

Midfielder, Sunday Emmanuel, who went in as a substitute and was replaced later, said hard work, discipline and tactical discipline were keys to the result in Tunisia.

"It was a tough game, but we thank God our tactics worked because we were able to absorb the pressure from them till end.

Their fans turned against them because we were playing well towards the end,” said Emmanuel, who rejoined the team after a brief spell at Enyimba.

“Hard work, determination and tactical discipline helped us against Etoile.”

Sunshine, who are due back in Nigeria on Monday, would have to improve on their finishing against Aso Chlef in a fortnight as they are yet to score in two group games thus far.

Bada desired, deserved Olympic gold medal-wife

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HE wife of Nigeria’s late renowned quarter miler, Sunday Bada, Olasumbo, said on Sunday, in Lagos, that, If there was one medal that her husband wished to receive in his lifetime, it was the Sydney Olympics 4x400 relay gold.

Olasumbo spoke on phone with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to award the gold to Nigeria after the U.S. lost an appeal to retain it, in spite of a member of the American relay quartet failing a dope test.

She said it was sad that her husband was not alive to witness the award of the gold, which he struggled to add to his haul of medals in the sport. `` But for me and my chil-

dren, we thank God that the wish for the country to be given the medal has come through. He dreamt of and worked hard for an Olympic medal, and he was confident it would come but never knew he would not be there in flesh and blood to receive it. The Olympic gold is the only medal missing from his years in athletics; he worked hard to ensure that he received it alive,’’ she said.

Bada’s son, Oluwatobi, 16, also told NAN: ``I now feel really sad at my father’s death. It is heart-breaking for us that he did not live to receive a medal he worked hard to get.’’

NANreports that the award has come 12 years after a member of the U.S. team, Antonio Pettigrew, tested positive to a performance-enhancing substance.

Alli tasks Okagbare on self confidence

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USUF Alli, a Long Jump Coach, on Sunday advised Nigeria’s sprint sensation, Blessing Okagbare, to always believe in herself, to ensure a good outing for the country at the London Olympics.

Alli gave the advice in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) from the Olympic Village, London, ahead of the start of the competition.

He said he was excited with Okagbare’s performance at the Samsung Diamond League in Monaco, saying she was truly talented and blessed.

NAN reports that Okagbare won the women’s 100 metres at the Samsung Diamond League on July 20, in 10.96 seconds.

The Nigerian beat America’s duo of Tiana Madison and Jeneba Tarmoh to the second and third positions

respectively.

She also finished 11.01 seconds at the London Diamond League on July 14, defeating Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce of Jamaica, America’s Tiana Madison and world’s fastest woman, Carmelita Jeter.

Alli said the athletes in London for the Games were all in high spirit, saying everyone was working hard to ensure Nigeria was well represented at the global sports fiesta.

NAN reports that Okagbare’s 10.96 is Nigeria’s third all time best record in 100 metres, after Chioma Ajunwa’s 10.84 of April 11, 1992 in Lagos, Nigeria.

Former Nigeria international, now a Spanish citizen, Gloria Alozie, also recorded a time of 10.90 on June 5, 1999 in La Laguna, Spain. She recorded the feat for Nigeria before the switch in her citizenship.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

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www.thenationonlineng.net

MONDAY, JULY 23 , 2012 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

TODAY IN THE NATION ‘If Nigerians can continue to vote as was done in Edo

State based on merit alone rather than party affiliation, religion or ethnic loyalty, elected politicians would be compelled to perform better to the benefit of the SOJI OMOTUNDE people.’

VOL 7 NO 2,197

C OMMENT & D EB ATE EBA

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HE King’s Square in Benin City is named after Oba Ovonramwen,and last Saturday held a piquant irony for Adams Oshiomhole, the ebullient governor of Edo State as an unprecedented crowd gathered to ignite people power.

The Oba would not let the people of his kingdom bow, except by fighting, when Caucasian hordes detonated peculiar barbarism in what is now known by historians as The Benin Massacre.

I think Nigerian historians suffer from colonial mentality, otherwise they should have called it the Benin Resistance. The historians are under the spell of what some philosophers have condemned about scholars who impose their inferiority complex in their reading and narratives of their pasts.

Like the heroic Oba, Adams was embroiled in a resistance against a primitive set of marauders in the name of godfathers. Unlike Mario Puzo’s stories, the godfathers slept and that was why the piquant irony held last Saturday for Adams.

He sent the godfathers to sleep, and confined and coffined them in silence forever.

Last Saturday, the people gathered to say thank you to themselves, to their governor and to the spirit of democracy.

Standing on the podium, you saw a sea of heads that bobbed and surged in the four corners of the city. It was a concert that reached from the early hours of the afternoon to about midnight. The people defied rain, tired feet, absence of water to drink and food to eat. It was a theatre as musicians, comedians and actors energised a people famished for cheer.

Rarely did you see a people so at one with their leader. When Adams danced with Nigeria’s theatrical dwarfs, Aki and Pawpaw, or swung to the the rhythms of P-Square, it was not just the music. It was the sense of freedom.

I wondered what would have become of the city if they rigged the people of their victory. The crowd I saw was ready to fight to the death in a reenactment of centuries past. The people came to exhale that Saturday. They came to sing and dance and celebrate their declaration of independence.

“The only people who deserve freedom,” cried Maxim Gorky, a Russian revolutionary, “are those who fight for it everyday.” The Edo people fought, and defended their votes. The governor, leading the army, did not hide his combatant spirit, and he stated on election day that INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega had failed. He was a disappointment as umpires went.

In a text message Adams sent to Jega on election day, he poured out his venom. “I am very disappointed that the fraud by your INEC has started,” he wrote, adding that he had warned the umpire of plans to delay the distribution of materials. He said at 11am

SAM OMATSEYE

IN TOUCH

intouchsam@yahoo.com 08054501081(sms only) •Winner, Informed Commentary 2009& 2010 (D.A.M.E)

At the King’s Square

• Oshiomhole Benin City had not received the materials and the wrong voter register was in circulation. That was the cry that showed that the rigging was planned in the city where a large chunk of population lived. “I am still shocked that in spite of your assurances, INEC is in this mess.” Then he waxed combatant, “there will be violence if your people rig this election. I am ready for peace and, if necessary, war,” he deadpanned.

That was what I saw in the crowd last Saturday. The nation escaped the wrath of the people because the people made the necessary sacrifice for peace by guarding their votes.

Some people noted that the carnival was a joyful equivalent of a wake keeping, as that is what happens when old men die. I chuckled at that sense of cultural gloating.

RIPPLES 191 DIED IN RIVERS TANKER FIRE – Monarch

...WHAT A SHAME!

W

ITH the benefit of hindsight it would have been better if First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, had quietly accepted the gift of the Permanent Secretary title last Friday in Yenagoa and repaired speedily back to Aso Villa to bask in the afterglow of her ‘achievement.’ Instead she was determined to have the last word and in the process poured barrels of crude oil into the raging fire.

Rather than address all the hard questions surrounding her career path in the Bayelsa State civil service, she veered off into all sorts of extraneous matters – labouring in vain to defend the indefensible. She even made allusions to the fact the spouses of presidents in South Africa and the United States have had glittering careers in public service without the sort of row that attended her ‘exploits’ as First Lady and civil servant.

What she forgot to mention was that the women concerned were already established in their careers and were not defined by their role as wife of president. Let’s take Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the new African Union (AU) chairperson who Mrs. Jonathan compares herself with, for example. She was South Africa’s Minister of Health from 1994 to 1999,

‘Adams did not win this love because of anything about his past before he became governor. I mean the sort of uproarious affection. He did it by performing. By the roads he constructed’

Adams who is not a Bini when he backed him. He saw a man of integrity and conscientious doing, a man who raised the people from sighs of pains to exhalations of joy and expectancy.

That tells the story of Nigerians. It is because of leaders who fail that prompt us to focus on primordial angst. If we had had leaders who performed, President Jonathan would not have been considered because of his southern origin, but Nigerians would have raised the bar from the idol of the tribe to the power of ideas and conscience.

It is for this reason that we have many potentially brilliant persons who cannot get good education, many lush farmlands mocking our hungry youth, gas flaring away while generators chug remorselessly at night... We are like what the Russian poet described his country many years ago: “wretched and abundant.”

Last Saturday was a celebration of a potential Nigeria, a yearning I saw glitter in the eyes of those young boys and girls as they jostled for the hand and feet of their governor at the edge of the podium. You could not escape the chants of Oshio Baba as the smallish man demonstrated with people power how to edge out tyrants, men locked forever in the yesterday, they who lost in their booths. I recall a story I heard about a local government area where only seven votes went to the other side, and the people wondered who the traitors were.

That is the spirit of democracy.

Happy

60th Mike Awoyinfa

Adams did not win this love because of anything about his past before he became governor. I mean the sort of uproarious affection. He did it by performing. By the roads he constructed. As some of the comedians noted, when he began work on the airport road which choked vehicles in its narrow lanes, his opponent said it was impossible. It caused initial pains, but he did it and today, it is congratulations all over.

Edo is mini-Nigeria. It has both Christians and Muslims in good numbers, people of southern and northern sensibilities, minorities and majority. Adams did not belong to the Binis who make up the large part of the population. But he performs in all parts of the state. He gave roads to even the entrails of his enemies, water as well as schools. The Oba of Benin did not see an

MUST celebrate my good friend and elder brother Mike Awoyinfa who turns 60 today. Mike is the quintessential professional and he drips journalism from every pore of his skin. I met Mike when he was features editor of the National Concord, where he showed how to reify what is known as tabloid journalism. His work was inescapable as editor-in-chief Dr. Doyin Abiola appointed him editor of Weekend Concord, and that was how Mike with his “twin” Brother Dimgba Igwe revolutionised weekend journalism in Nigeria. They took this to The Sun, a brand of daily journalism new to this part.

Mike is a free spirit, enamoured of his prose, his witty conversation and the search for the inevitable scoop. He is a general in the newsroom, ignited by the impulse of a new headline and an interview. He was the first to give me a column, and I have thrived ever since.

It is hard to believe he is 60, with his soulful temperament and boyish swagger. But time flies as the cliche goes. Cheers to a worthy professional and Nigerian.

HARDBALL

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

When silence is golden under President Nelson Mandela, then Minister of Foreign Affairs from 17 June 1999 to 10 May 2009, under Presidents Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema Molanthe. That is why nobody could have accused her ex-husband, Jacob Zuma, of nepotism when he moved her to the position of Minister of Home Affairs after he became President in 2009.

To justify her dubious appointment, madam drags the discussion into comic territory by demanding a constitutional amendment that will recognise First Ladies and enable them to draw retirement benefits like their husbands at the expiration of their tenure! Wonders will never cease. So it is all down to the money? Perhaps someone should remind madam that if she wants a well-paid retirement she should run for president.

Not done yet, she had a dig at Governor Babatunde Fashola for his less-thanlaudatory comments after her convoy caused massive traffic chaos in Lagos during a recent

I

visit. The governor was quoted as asking President Goodluck Jonathan to call her to order, as her office was not recognised by the constitution.

In reaction, Permanent Secretary Jonathan said: “We the wives of political office holders, if our names are not in the constitution and our husbands retire with benefits, the constitution amendment should also look into the issue of wives of political appointees (sic).

“We should be included in the constitution so that we too can retire with benefits. With that, we can enjoy our career.

“When it suits them, they will say we don’t have office. Remember, when I went to Lagos for peace advocacy, the governor of Lagos State said that my husband should… my name is not in the constitution that I have no office (sic). Why now won’t I pursue my career that I am sure of?”

Madam, it is not your name that is the issue in the constitution – it is the office. In any event what Nigerians want you to address are all the gaps, legal and moral issues surrounding your appointment. None of this was done when you held court in Yenagoa last Friday.

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