The Nation July 27, 2012

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

Jonathan demands fresh report on Oteh NEWS Page 60

Govt orders payment to oil marketers NEWS

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•President gives mandate on SEC DG

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VOL. 7, NO. 2199 FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

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Alleged N13b fraud: Ali’s, Tukur’s sons face trial Court orders EFCC to seize suspects’ travel passports

By Adebisi Onanuga, Staff Reporter

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WO children of ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chiefs were arraigned yesterday in Lagos for alleged fuel subsidy fraud.

Arraigned before the Lagos High Court, Ikeja Division were Mahmud Tukur, son of PDP National Chairman Bamanga Tukur, Nasamu Ali, son of the party’s former National Chairman, Alhaji Ahmadu Ali and others, including Christian Taylor, a foreigner.

But Abdullahi Arisekola, son of Ibadan frontline businessman Alhaji AbdulAzeez Arisekola-Alao, arraigned for two sets of charges before two judges, was remanded in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) till Wednesday when his bail application will be heard.

The suspects are part of a group of 20 allegedly defraud the treasury of N13 billion.

Tukur was arraigned alongside Alao, Ochonogor Alex and Eternal Oil and Gas Plc. before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo.

The accused persons are facing a ninecount charge of conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence, forgery and use of false documents.

EFCC prosecutor Mr Rotimi Jacobs, alleged that they had between January and Continued on Page 2

•Ali...yesterday

•Taylor...yesterday

•Alao...yesterday

•Tukur...yesterday

•Ejide...yesterday

•Ugo-Ngadi...yesterday

THE ALLEGATIONS •Obtaining N1.8b fraudulently between January and April, 2011 •Forgery of Bill of Lading dated April 28, 2011 •Obtaining money from the Petroleum Support Fund for a purported importation of 80.3m litres of petrol

•Ebenezer...yesterday PHOTOS: SOLOMON ADEOLA

MTN decries distortion of facts in PDP/Oyinlola matter

STORY ON

‘Our officials didn’t recant information on lines’ PAGE 2 •AGRIC P17•SPORTS P23 •BRANDS P29 •SOCIETY P25 •POLITICS P47 •MTN CEO Brett Goschen

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THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

NEWS Subsidy scandal: Our stand on Tukur’s, Ali’s sons, by PDP •’There’s room for dialogue over impeachment threat’

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•Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson (second right), Secretary General African Telecommunications Union, ATU, Mr. Abdoulkarim Soumaila (left), Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah and IP /Cybersecurity Coordinator at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Mr. Desire Karyabwite during the Nigeria Broadband Forum in Lagos...yesterday

HE leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has opened up on the party’s position on the sons of two of the party’s bigwigs undergoing trial for their alleged involvement in the fuel subsidy scandal.

Mahmud, son of the national chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and Mamman Nasir, son of a former national chairman of the party, Dr. Ahmadu Ali are among the 20 suspects standing trial for alleged fuel subsidy fraud.

At a news conference yesterday, Deputy National chairman of the PDP Dr. Sam Sam Jaja declared that the involvement of Mahmud and Mamman Nasir in the scandal is not the business of the PDP and that the party would leave them to bear their

MTN decries distortion of facts in PDP/Oyinlola matter

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OBILE giant MTN said yesterday that it has not changed its position on the ownership of two lines linked to the election dispute in Osun State.

MTN decried what it described as inaccurate and biased reports in some national newspapers yesterday, which alleged that its officials recanted their position on the ownership of the two lines. The matter has precipitated a series of spurious allegations against MTN by the PDP (Osun Chapter) and the former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

In a statement in Lagos, the company’s Corporate Services Executive, Mr. Akinwale Goodluck, said the reports were a deliberate misrepresentation of the information given to the Police by MTN offi-

cials in Abuja on Tuesday, in respect of Oyinlola’s petition against the company.

Goodluck said: “We would like to state categorically that our officials did not recant earlier information given in respect of the ownership of the two phone lines for which details of ownership and call records were requested from MTN. We have provided consistent information to the authorities as contained in our records at every stage that the information has been requested. For the avoidance of doubt, we explained to the Police that since the SIM registration exercise, the ownership of the lines for which information was requested has changed and we gave the Police the most recent records of the individuals to which those lines

are currently registered. We are not required by law to verify documents presented to us as proof of identity by those who register their SIMs. We do not have the expertise to do so.”

Besides, he stated that the harmonisation between the NCC’s SIM registration records and those of operators had not been concluded and, as such, information held by operators is technically incomplete. It is for all the aforementioned reasons that any information given to authorised security organisations by MTN, all carry bold disclaimers, clearly stating that MTN cannot confirm the authenticity of the information provided, hesaid.

Goodluck expressed disappointment that the details of

statements given to the Police could be so easily obtained and then deliberately misrepresented in the public domain.

He said this breach itself was indicative of bad faith on the part of those who stand to benefit from such misinformation.

Goodluck said the MTN officials who honoured the invitation of the Police to provide further information and perspective on the matter did not make any statements that differed from their previous statements at all material times.

He said the company is apolitical and non-partisan, and, as such, has no reason to act in any unethical manner as being alleged by the politician. He noted that MTN had made strenuous effort to explain the processes and procedure of their business and the reasons

why all customer information and records are routinely presented in a particular way.

“MTN is guided by strict corporate governance codes and we take grave exception to this continuous insinuation of unethical or improper conduct against us by the plaintiff. It can never be in our interest to misrepresent facts or falsify information. We have provided all the necessary records to the requisite security agencies in accordance with laid down procedure,” Goodluck said.

He urged the media to always seek to ensure that the facts that they report are accurate and, in accordance with their professional ethics, strive to hear the other side of the story before they publish such sensitive information in the future.

From Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

cross.

Jaja pleaded that members of the public should stop linking Tukur and Ali, fathers of the two suspects to the scandal, stressing that the suspects are adults that must be accountable for their actions.

He said: “Mamman Nasir and Mahmud are individuals and should be allowed to bear their cross. There are governors elected on the platform of the PDP who are facing prosecution as a result of their actions or inactions while in office. So, it is not a party thing.

“The PDP did not send anybody to go and misbehave. Our chairman’s son is up to age. Assuming he is to go to jail, they will not come and jail the national chairman because he did not send him.

“Mahmud is a man of age and he has his household; he has his family. Everybody should be left to account for his own position. So the party cannot just get up and start breathing down on them and begin to condemn them. They will be given equal opportunity to defend themselves in competent court of law.”

Jaja, however, added that the suspects remain innocent until proven guilty by a competent court of law. It is only when they are found guilty that the party would come up with a position on the issue, he said.

“But for now, it would be Continued on Page 60

Alleged N13b fraud: EFCC states case against Ali’s, Tukur’s sons Continued from Page 1

April, last year in Lagos, fraudulently obtained the sum of N1.8 billion from the Federal Government.

He alleged that the accused persons obtained the money from the Petroleum Support Fund for a purported importation of 80.3 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit.

The accused persons were also alleged to have forged a Bill of lading dated April 28, 2011, which they used in facilitating the fraud.

Jacobs said their alleged offences contravened Sections 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006.

According to him, they also contravene Sections 467 and 468 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State 2003.

All the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Justice Onigbanjo, ruling on the bail applications filed by their counsel, Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and Olawale Akoni, granted them bail in the sum of N20 million each with two sureties in like sum.

The judge said one of the sureties must be a blood relative of the accused with a landed property in Lagos worth not less than N100 million, also with a verifiable title document.

He added: “The other sure-

Drama as prosecutors’ absence stalls arraignment of four

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HERE was drama at the Lagos State High Court, Igbosere, yesterday as Justice Samuel CandidoJohnson adjourned the arraignment of four persons for fraudulent fuel subsidy payments till Tuesday.

The Attorney-General of the Federation Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) of the Federation, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were not represented.

Their absence might have been a result of their involvement in the arraignment of other persons charged with similar offences at the court’s Ikeja Division.

Justice Candido-Johnson noted in his short ruling that the prosecutors were well aware that the arraignment was billed for yesterday.

“In the absence of the DPP and the EFCC, the case is adjourned till July 31st, 2012,” the judge said.

Before the court began sitting, two lawyers had made routine inquiries from the Registrar as to whether the arraignments would hold. But their curiosity haunted them, moments later.

The two lawyers sat at the Bar when the case was called for proceedings to begin. All the parties were absent. No ty must be a level 16 officer in the Lagos State or Federal Civil Service.

“The sureties must produce three years tax clearance and they must be verified by the chief registrar of the high court.

By Joseph Jibueze

lawyer stood to announce appearance as representing them.

The judge, who appeared surprised, asked the two lawyers, Dr. Tochy Nwogu and Olaide Adedayo, what they came for and why they had inquired about the case from the Registrar earlier.

The judge then asked the Registrar to say exactly what the lawyers asked him, after which he asked the lawyers to state their mission.

Nwogu said one of the persons charged with the subsidy fraud was a client of his. He said he read about the charge in the newspaper, and decided to observe the proceedings.

“I have not been briefed about this matter,” he said. As he made to speak further, the judge shouted: “Will you keep quiet and listen to me? I am not arguing with you.”

The judge said they could not have come without purpose, as it was unethical to go after a case without being briefed. He said the lawyers should have explained their “difficulties” rather than keeping quiet.

“I came here out of curiousity to know if the case is still coming up today. I can’t speak for them because I have not

“The accused persons are to deposit their international passports with the EFCC, which must not be released without the express permission of the court”.

Justice Onigbanjo adjourned the matter till No-

been briefed,” Nwogu insisted.

Adedayo said he was also not formally briefed by any of the defendants, but came to observe. “I only read about it in the newspaper. I have not been briefed,” he said.

The judge hinted he might be tempted to report the lawyers to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for apparently engaging in what he called “ambulance chasing”, but the lawyers vehemently denied this.

“You obviously don’t have much work in your chambers,” the judge told them.

The defendants were charged with conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence, forgery and use of false documents.

They were alleged to have forged bills of lading and other documents, with which they perpetrated the fraud.

One of the charges read: “Integrated Resources Limited, Durosola Omogbenigun on or about 15th November 2011 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, by false pretence and with intent to defraud, obtained from the Federal Government of Nigeria, the sum of N823,304,765.84 purporting the said sum to be subsidy payable to Inte-

vember 13 for trial.

Ali, Taylor and Nasaman Oil Services were arraigned before Justice Onigbanjo on a three-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence.

Jacobs alleged that the ac-

Continued on Page 60

cused persons between January and April 2012, fraudulently obtained N4.4 billion from the Federal Government.

He said the money was obtained as subsidy payments from the Petroleum Support Fund for the purported impor-

•EFCC chair Ibrahim Lamorde

tation of 30.5million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from SEATAC Petroleum Limited of British Virgin Islands.

The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bail on the same terms earlier granted to the other accused persons.

The matter was adjourned to October 30 for trial.

Alao, alongside his company, Axenergy Ltd., was also arraigned before Justice Habeeb Abiru on another seven-count charge of obtaining money by false pretence, forgery and use of false documents.

Continued on Page 60

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THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

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THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

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NEWS

Nigeria’s The trade in stolen crude led to a 17% drop in official oil sales in April equivalent to around 400,000 barrels a day and a whopping $1.2bn (£772m) lost in a month, reports BBC •Senate President David Mark inaugurating the Amokwe Housing Estate, Umuahia....yesterday. With him are Abia State Governor Theodore Orji (right), Commissioner for Housing Okezie Orji (left) , Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe and Senator Nkechi Nwogu,

•Secretary, Nigeria Diaspora Alumni Network (NIDAN), Dr Sule Bassi(left) Chairman, Board of Trustees, Prof Mammy Aniebonam, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa and Nigeria Representative at the AU Diaspora Committee, Amb. Vincent Okobi during Diaspora Day celebration in Abuja... yesterday PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

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HE vegetation ended abruptly and the colour of the landscape turned from green to black. I was getting a rare look at the booming trade in refined stolen crude oil in southern Nigeria.

“Here is our business place,” a man, who did not want to give his real name but asked to be called Edward, told me as we walked around a remote, heavily polluted palm-tree fringed creek in Ogoniland in the Niger Delta.

“We use these to go and collect our natural resources - our crude oil,” he said, pointing to a locally carved boat lying on its side.

In the middle of the night, to avoid detection, they break into the multinational oil companies’ pipelines and help themselves.

Dotted along the creek were dozens of large drums used for boiling up the crude oil.

They had pipes protruding from them leading to troughs into which the products are collected; kerosene and petrol for the local market and diesel which is taken away on barges or inland on trucks by traders.

Next to each home-made refinery are pits full of bitumen which is sold to road construction companies.

“Almost 400 people work here and every night we produce around 11,000 litres of diesel,” said 32-yearold Edward, adding that his elder brothers had learnt all about the business in Bakassi, near the Cameroonian border with Nigeria.

Fatalities The work is dangerous.

They have to be extremely careful to ensure the waste product - gas - does not ignite and cause an inferno.

“It is so dangerous but there is nothing else we can do in order to make a living,” said a 25-year-old man who asked me to call him Andy.

“Many of our brothers have died and are injured. We also get diseases from it and get rashes on the body.”

I was told the last fatality was in 2011.

The military is supposed to be stopping all this and some operations have been disrupted but the effort is seriously hampered by the desire to get in on the action.

“We settle with the army people. If they see money in your hand they will take that,” Edward said.

“If not they will take products from you. If we have 10 drums we will give them two,” he said, adding, “It’s very normal.”

Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told the London Financial Times recently that the trade in stolen crude had led to a 17% drop in official oil sales in April - equivalent to around 400,000 barrels a day.

That is a whopping $1.2bn (£772m) lost in a month. This includes oil that was not stolen but stayed underground as a result of shut downs due to breakins.

Shell puts this figure for the entire Niger Delta at around 150,000 barrels per day.

The huge discrepancy is a sign of how difficult it is to get the facts in the murky world of Nigerian oil.

Oil theft is not new here. Before the

Why police underperform, by IGP From Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja

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•Former Head of State Gen. Mohammad Buhari (left), former Minister of Information Prof. Dora Akunyuli, former Governor of Anambra State Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju and former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Mohammed Uwais during the public presentation of Mbadinuju’s book ''How I Governed Anambra State'' in Abuja... yesterday PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

•Bayelsa State Governor Serieke Dickson (centre), the Group President, SKIPPERS (MiddleEast FZE), Mr. Jitender Sachdeva (second left) and his team shortlyafter signing an MOU with the state government at the Government House,Yenagoa....yesterday

NSPECTOR-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar has listed inadequate funding, poor work environment, lack of incentive and low morale as some of the constraints hampering the effective performance of the Nigeria police.

Abubakar spoke yesterday in Abuja while receiving a delegation from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and non-governmental organisations in his office.

Describing the police as a product of the society in which they find themselves, Abubakar attributed the poor performance of the police to inadequate funding and deplorable work environment.

He cited the degrading condition of police cells, which are usually small and dirty, saying that was how the government designed them to be. The police, the IGP said, do not have the funds to furnish the cells with mattresses or even lighting for the comfort of detainees.

Abubakar, however, said the police management team was working to effect the necessary changes and give the nation a befitting police force to be proud of in terms of law enforcement, respect for human rights and other areas.

He challenged the NGOs to visit some of the divisional police stations and state commands to see things for themselves, promising to work with them to make the force more effective and people-friendly.

Abubakar disagreed with media report indicating that cases of armed robbery cases have risen by six percent in the country, saying that the figures were debatable.

He said: “I think you people (NGOs) should be fighting alongside the police.

But the reverse is the case. You know the conditions of service under which the police work. I read in the newspapers a statement by CLEEN Foundation that armed robbery has increased by 6 per cent in the country.

“I don’t believe it. Even if it was true, as the IG, don’t I have the right to be given such data before it was published in the media?”

Representatives of the NGOs, who spoke at the meeting, called for proper structures for investigating cases of abuse by police personnel and capacity building for the police in prosecution of criminal cases.

They also canvassed improvement in conditions of service of police personnel and information sharing on the state of policing, including the recurrent deaths of police personnel on official duty.

Vice Chairman, Federal Government panel on the Implementation of the Justice Sector Reforms, Mr. Olawale Fapohunda, said the purpose of the meeting was to engage the police authorities on ways and means of ensuring improvement in service delivery to the country.

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

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NEWS

illegal oil refineries

•Oil companies rely on soldiers to operate in the Niger Delta

2009 amnesty that pacified the Niger Delta, militants used to break into the pipelines to get money to buy weapons.

The peace has enabled the oil companies to significantly increase their oil production - which means much more money for the government.

So for now the oil theft might be seen as a relatively minor irritant.

‘False pipes’ But how wise is it to allow lawlessness to continue in an already neglected, fragile region of Nigeria so critical to the nation’s economy?

The government is setting up a task force which will also include officials from oil companies as well as the military.

But few analysts expect concrete action - too many people are benefiting, including former militants.

Most of the stolen crude is pumped straight from the pipeline onto barges

which then transfer the valuable load onto ships waiting off shore an operation known as bunkering.

These ships then head to refineries around the world.

“It is a huge problem and it is only getting worse,” says Philip Mshelbila of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria.

“For us we lose somewhere between 40,000 and 60,000 barrels a day to crude theft and this is only what is lost in the metered sections of our pipeline. The large proportion we think ends up in refineries around the world.”

The oil companies’ hands are tied, as they do not have the power to arrest anyone or to intervene.

They have to rely on the military response, which is clearly ineffective.

It is widely believed that powerful politicians are also involved in the business.

•An illegal refinery

Shell says in an effort to stop the theft it is now constructing its new pipelines 4m underground and is covering them with a slab of concrete.

It is also laying pipes within “false pipes” to make the work of the men with hacksaws harder.

‘Quite brilliant’ In addition to the impact on its profits, Shell is also keen to point out the environmental damage caused by the oil theft and illegal refining.

This is an issue for which Shell itself has been lambasted following numerous well-publicised oil spills of its own.

Last week Nigeria’s oil regulator proposed fining Shell $5bn over a 40,000 barrel oil spill in the Atlantic Ocean last December.

I flew with officials from Shell over some of the affected areas of the Niger Delta.

I

this to the barest minimum. But without that commitment it won’t happen because it is like a business in the community - even some of the chiefs are involved,” Mr Jack said.

Back at the refinery Edward and his brother Andy headed home to get some sleep before another night shift.

Both men said they would like to find a way out of the business but saw no options in an area which has seen little development despite the billions of dollars that were pumped from the now abandoned Shell wells dotted around the village.

“I finished my secondary school with two A grades and seven credits. But I had no financial support to continue my education so I’m just doing this business with my brothers,” said Andy.

It seems somewhat ironic that in a place so rich in resources, poverty is trapping people in this dangerous, illegal business.

Why we can’t stop using transparent boxes for elections, by INEC, Jega

Buhari to Fed Govt: empower police to tackle Boko Haram N order to tackle the Boko Haram menace, former Head of State Gen. Muhammadu Buhari yesterday urged the Federal Government to empower the police.

Speaking in Abuja during a public presentation of a book entitled “How I governed Anambra State: Stewardship and Accountability,” the former Head of State said: “The bombings have subsided; isn’t it? It’s up to the law enforcement agents; this is probably the problem of the police. You know, the (Police and) SSS they have to secure the country. I am afraid it’s their job. Constitutionally, it’s their job. Boko Haram; as I said, I would rather that the police should be empowered.

“It is the police that live with the people- they know in every police command- the neighborhood and so on- a lot of the responsibility, I think, should go to the police.”

The author of the book is the former Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju.

Buhari bemoaned the poor state of Nigeria’s education system, which, according to him, has collapsed.

He added that “Our education has virtually collapsed. How many libraries do we have in the states not to talk about the local governments? People can’t afford to buy books.

“Education has deteriorated; if you look around the country, how many people are getting good credits in English language which is the official in the country?”

From the air you see not only the scale of the oil theft - there are dozens of similar sites to the one I visited - but also the oil sheen on the water and the complex labyrinth of creeks and channels which the men involved in the illicit business use to their advantage.

“They are quite brilliant at it. They are hard to detect because there are so many creeks, you can’t block all of them and these guys are native to the area - they know all the creeks,” said Mpaka Jack, who is in charge of surveillance of the Shell pipelines.

The company has contracted more than 9,000 people to keep watch of the pipes but it admits there is a possibility that some of these workers turn a blind eye for a cut of the illegal business pie.

“If the military Joint Task Force is really committed and with help from the communities we can bring

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

By Eric Ikhilae

He lauded Mbadinuju for putting his experience into a book form.

A former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezife, said: “Nigeria and Nigerians had become unpopular because we have killed our conscience.”

Eziefe said the nation’s survival was in everybody’s interest.

He said: “It is in the interest of all that Nigeria survives, as the largest country in Africa we have the destiny to be the greatest no Boko Haram can stop it,” he said.

Mbadinuju argued against the view that schools were shut for a year during his administration of the state.

The ex-governor said: “Schools were not closed for one year and not closed at all, but labour leaders called out workers on strike.

“Government did not close schools. Inspite of the strikes, which were nation-wide, government still managed to keep many schools open and that it was during that period that two secondary school students at Onitsha came first in Chemistry, the other in Physics in that year’s nationwide examination.”

He noted that his administration was the first and only one to introduce free and compulsory education in the state.

Mbadinuju added that it was his administration that established the only existing state University.

mission to order for fresh designs for the conduct of the last Edo State governorship election.

In a motion, seeking a stay of execution of the said June 5 judgment in favour of Beddings, an INEC official, Rahima Aminu, who deposed to a supporting affidavit dated June 28, gave reasons why the commission will continue to utilise transparent boxes for election despite the court’s judgment.

He said: “I know as a fact that the ballot boxes to be used in the said forthcoming elections may be the subject of the injunctive order of this court sought to be stayed from being executed. That the Edo State election is due to hold on 14th July 2012, three weeks hence.

“That the Ondo State election is due to hold on 20th October, 2012 four months hence. I know that it is not feasible for the applicant to acquire/procure a new design or different ballot boxes for the said elections given the short time for the elections.

“The defendants did not have notice of the proceedings leading to the said judgment as it was not properly served with the originating processes and /or any other process in the suit leading to the

•Prof. Jega

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HE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it would be difficult to desist from using transparent ballot boxes for elections.

NEC said though the court has held that Bedding Holding was the sole patent right owner over the transparent ballot boxes and electronic collapsible transparent ballot boxes, it was difficult for the com-

judgment of the court.”

The commission said it was not properly served with court processes in respect of the substantive suit , despite evidence by the plaintiff to the contrary.

INEC filed the application shortly after the plaintiff commenced contempt proceedings against INEC, its chairman, Prof.

Attahiru Jega and the Registrar of Patent, Federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry, alleging that they have continually violated the orders contained in the June 5 judgment.

Justice Bello had in the judgment upheld Bedding Holdings’ exclusive rights to the transparent ballot boxes and electronic collapsible transparent ballot boxes and barred INEC and other bodies from utilizing the said inventions except with the consent of the rights owner.

The judge also held that the subsequent granting of similar patent rights to other companies by the Registrar of Patent was wrong. He restrained the Registrar from further acting in the same manner and ordered the revocation of those licenses and rights wrongly issued to three companies - Tambco United Nigeria Limited, Anowat Project and Resources Limited and Emchai Limited.

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

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NEWS

Mahama named party boss •President lined up for poll G HANA’S ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has confirmed President John Dramani Mahama as its leader.

The development is seen as a move to boost his chances of becoming the party’s candidate in a presidential election later this year.

The party’s Deputy General-Secretary George Lawson said the party confirmed Mahama’s leadership at a meeting on Wednesday, in line with the bylaws of the party’s constitution.

‘Lawson told Reuters yesterday: ``The meeting unanimously confirmed His Excellency President John Mahama as the party’s new leader.

It was a smooth process.”

The NDC was due to held another meeting yesterday to hammer out a process for electing a candidate to run against the opposition New Patriotic Party’s Nana Akufo-Addo in what is expected to be a tight race.

A domestic analyst and party officials said Mahama’s new position as

leader of the party, a post previously held by Mills, would help clear the path to nomination as its candidate.

“We don’t think there will be any contest. It’s going to be President Mahama,” one key NDC leader told Reuters, asking not to be named.

Analyst Emmanuel Akwetey of the Accra-based Institute of Democratic Governance said the fact that Mahama will enter the competition as Ghana’s sitting president would also work in his favour.

“I think it’s a done deal,” Akwetey said.

Ahead of Mills’ death, most analysts had expected a year of election spending testing Ghana’s reputation for improved economic management.

The government last week sought parliament’s permission for extra spending.

Mahama is widely expected to maintain current policies in his care-

taker role.

There had been concerns that uncertainty following Mills’ death and the prospect of a possible internal struggle within the ruling party could unsettle the political outlook.

One potential challenger is seen as Nana Konadu, wife of former president Jerry Rawlings, who Mills crushed in a divisive party primary.

In an interview to the BBC on Wednesday, former president Rawlings appeared to lay bare some of the existing divisions, claiming that health problems had affected Mills’ performance and criticised him for not attending to them better.

Ghana has been one of the best performing economies in Africa over the last few years, helped by high oil prices.

However with exported oil and imported consumer goods paid for in dollars, the local Ghanaian currency has suffered, falling some 17

Army hospital loses surgeon THE Nigerian Army Reference Hospital , Yaba, Lagos has lost its Chief Consultant Surgeon. He is Ado-Ekiti-born Dr. Patrick Abiodun Aderopo Fagbuaro. He was 62.

The late Fagbuaro, a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgery, Ireland, died on July 23 in Lagos after a brief illness.

Married with wife and children, he attended the Christ’s School, Ado Ekiti, University of Ibadan where he bagged MBBS and College of Surgery , Ireland.

Customs promote five Seme officers •President Mahama

per cent this year and hitting poorer people without access to foreign currency.

Analysts express worry that prolonged political uncertainly might delay efforts to address this.

Fed Govt appeals to states, private sector to invest in books

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INISTER of State for Education Ezenwo Nyesom Wike has urged state governments, local governments and the private sector to invest in providing books for pupils in primary and secondary schools.

Wike spoke in Gombe yesterday during the Northeast flag off of the free book distribution to primary school and junior secondary school children and the handing over of two primary schools constructed by the South Korean government.

He said the Federal Government is distributing 2,916,702 copies of books and 672,000 assorted titles of library resource materials to the Northeast.

Wike, according to a statement by his Special Assistant (Media), Mr. Simeon Nwakaudu, appealed to state governors to focus attention to their respective Universal Basic Education Boards to enhance the delivery of basic education in the country.

He said: “Unless we have State Universal Basic Education Boards that are honestly and transparently committed to their responsibilities, we are not going to get improvements that we need in the quality of basic education.”

On the schools constructed by the South Korean government through the Korean International Cooperation Agency(KOICA), Wike noted that it is a product of the relationship built between the Federal Government and its South Korean counterpart.

The minister said: “I want to place on record that the Republic of Ko-

EFCC, surveyors collaborate

•Wike ( right), Dankwabo (left) and Choi...yesterday

rea is and has truly been a remarkable friend of Nigeria. The two comprehensive schools that we are commissioning today are among several other vital projects that KOICA is developing in the northern parts of the country.”

The South Korean Ambassador to

Nigeria, Mr Jang-Hyun Choi, urged the Nigerian people to invest more in education to escape under-development.

Gombe State Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo said the people of the zone are appreciative of the books.

Dankwanbo commended KOICA

for collaborating with the Federal Government to construct two primary schools in Gombe State.

The Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Commission(UBEC), Dr Ahmed Modibbo Mohammed, said KOICA invested $2.5million in constructing the two schools.

ACN condemns First Lady’s, Yar’Adua’s wife’s land tussle

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HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)has described the legal tussle between the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan and her predecessor, Hajiya Turai Yar’Adua over a plot of land in the Federal Capital territory as a study in despicable sycophancy, insider abuse, arbitrariness and manifestation of the culture of impunity.

In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji. Lai Mohammed, the party said in more decent climes the scandal would have seen the immediate exit of the Federal Capital Territory Senator Bala Mohammed from the cabinet and severely affected the political fortunes of President Goodluck Jonathan.

The party said while it is not holding brief for Hajiya Turai

FIVE senior officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme border Command have been promoted.

Mrs Odele Olubayo was elevated from the rank of Deputy Comptroller of Customs (DCC) to Comptroller.

Shallangwa Hassan is now Deputy Comptroller while Ibrahim Turaki has been promoted an Assistant Comptroller.

Superintendents Ibrahim Bello and Lanre Alabi are now Chief Superintendent of Customs (CSC).

Decorating the Officers in Seme, Alhaji Sadiq Sahabi, Area Comptroller of Customs, Seme Border Command said that they bagged their promotion based on hard-work, commitment and success at the examination.

He said: “The Officers of Seme Customs Command who are being decorated today bagged their promotion due to hard-work, commitment and brilliant performance at the promotion examination.”

Yar’Adua, it is clear from the court records that the disputed land was first duly allocated to her non-governmental organisation: Women and Youth Empowerment Foundation by the Minister for the Federal Capital Territory and a statutory right of occupancy duly. Issued by the same minister.

ACN said: “From the same court records, the organisation paid all levies and dues running into several hundreds of millions of naira.

However shortly after, the minister for the Federal Capital Territory without reasons issued a notice of revocation of the said property ostensibly on grounds of overriding public interest only to swiftly reallocate the same land to another non-governmental organisation the African First Ladies Peace Centre believed to belong to the current First Lady Dame Jonathan.”

According to the party, any close observer of the FCT Administration under the watch of Senator Bala Mohammed will know that this is vintage Bala Mohammed, a man who will do anything to remain in the good books of Jonathan. It will be recalled that a short while ago, the Action Congress of Nigeria condemned in very strong terms the decision of the same minister to name an extension of the Maitama District after President Goodluck Jonathan even when no such honour was bestowed on former heads of states, especially those whose contributions to the development of Abuja as the Federal Capital are glaring and undeniable.

“But even if Senator Bala Ahmed’s scandalous conduct can be excused on the grounds that his behaviour is consistent with the

character of a man who will do anything to hang on to his job can anyone excuse the conduct of Dame Patience Jonathan who according to both court records and newspaper reports, her African Ladies Peace Centre in defiance of a subsisting court order restraining them from carrying out further activities at the site mobilized contraction to the site to commence construction work.

Should Nigeria’s First lady be seen to be promoting a culture of impunity and disrespect for court orders.

Obviously this Ceasar’s wife does not believe she should be above board.

“Where for instance does the office of the First Lady source funds to buy land for over a quarter of a billion naira and award a contract for its construction for a further sum of N13, 000,000,000.00.”

THE president of Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Mr. Emeka Eleh, has said the institution will partner with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to expose unsubstantiated asset declaration by public officials.

Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos, the NIESV boss said the partnership with EFCC became necessary to effectively fight corruption in the country.

Eleh said: “To get real value of those assets, we insist that those assets are first valued and their values confirmed by the right professionals. Any declaration outside this will not be in conformity with our laws.”

‘No accurate data, no development‘ GOVERNANCE can only be meaningful, if policies can be translated into physical development, a Director in the office of Economic Planning, Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Mr Seun Akinsanya, has said.

Akinsanya spoke yesterday at a two-day workshop organised by the ministry in conjunction with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), for statisticians/budget officers of 10 local governments in the state.

Akinsanya, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Saliu Adekola, said real development, in areas such as primary healthcare, primary education, roads, potable water and other infrastructure would continue to elude the people until efforts are made to achieve accurate data collection.

UNFPA trainer, Dr Omolaso Omosehin, challenged the officials to key into the templates provided by the global agency in understanding population issues especially reproductive health, in order to achieve greater success.

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THE NATION FRIDA7, JULY 27, 2012

NEWS I won’t return to LP, says Ondo Rep

ACN: Agunloye’s defection won’t stop us from ruling Ondo A

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HE Ondo State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday said the defection of the former Minister for Defence, Dr. Olu Agunloye, from the party to Labour Party (LP) would not stop ACN from ruling the state.

The party alleged that Agunloye was sent by Governor Olusegun Mimiko to cause mayhem in the party when the party leadership prepared to choose its candidate for the October 20 governorship election.

In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Rotimi

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

Agbede, ACN described the former minister’s return to the LP as his failed attempt to actualise the plans of his sponsors in the party.

It described the defection as good riddance to bad rubbish.

The statement reads: “His (Agunloye’s) defection only confirmed the widespread suspicion around his person and aspiration by the people of the state. His unstable character is evidenced in the way he has been moving from one party to the other, be-

traying friends and trusts of his political associates. Since the starting of this political dispensation, he has moved from the Alliance for Democracy (AD) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and subsequently to the LP. “He thereafter joined ACN and now back to the LP he had demonised. The joy of the party is that its members were able to see through his plans of securing the governorship ticket of the ACN and holding it in limbo to ensure smooth ride for Mimiko in the election.

“Like in Edo State, Mimiko

again lost in his bid to destabilise the ACN, despite his huge investment on Agunloye to win the ticket of the party.

“ACN wishes to state that no matter the quantum of the scarce resources of the state wasted on this ill-conceived agenda, Mimiko is doomed to fail as the people of Ondo State have indicated their preference for an ACN government and are more than resolute to effect a change in this regard through their votes. No amount of father Christmas rally can deceive the vigilant people of ondo State.”

From Leke Akeredolu, Akure

MEMBER of the House of Representatives, representing Akure South/North, Ifedayo Abegunde (aka Abena), yesterday denied the rumour that he wanted to defect to the ruling Labour Party (LP) in Ondo State.

Abegunde, who joined the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) early this year, said his followers are intact and that he is working for the success of ACN for the October 20 governorship election.

The lawmaker also denied the rumour that his salary had been stopped at the National Assembly following an Akure Federal High Court verdict, which ordered him to vacate his seat because of his defection from the LP to ACN. He explained that the case is a constitutional matter.

Abegunde said: “I am urging all my followers and ACN members not to listen to rumour mongers, who are only out to cause a crisis in the party because they are afraid about how politicians are joining ACN. ACN will win the governorship election.

“Let me confirm to you that the Labour Party is dead in Ondo State. If you look at the declaration of Governor Olusegun Mimiko, only few prominent politicians were present at the event. And they are all losers; politicians who cannot deliver their units.

“The people of this state support this integration. They are agitating for development. They are tired of being used as political thugs. They want a party that will erase poverty from their lives; they want a leader who is not corrupt, someone who will not spend their resources on building fountains in Akure or build projects that have no meaningful impact on the masses.”

Oyo Assembly hails Ajimobi on pension arrears payment

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•Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi (left) and his wife, Florence, welcoming Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola during his condolence visit to Ajimobi on the death of his mother in Ibadan...yesterday.

Family alleges son’s death in police custody

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HE Okorobobi family of OkorobobiIgbobini in Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State has petitioned Governor Olusegun Mimiko on the death of its son, Oweikimi Nelson Oweifa, in police custody.

In the petition, through its lawyer, Mr. Tope Temokun, the family alleged that Oweikimi was tortured to death by the police.

The petition, copies of which were sent to Police Commissioner Danladi Mshebwala and the state Director of the States Security Services (SSS), among others, urged Mimiko to probe the

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

death.

It said Oweifa was arrested on June 23 by members of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Okitipupa in connection with the kidnap of Alhaji Abdullahi Tilde at Sabo Ore in Odigbo Local Government.

Oweifa and others, including Godspower Julius, Jeremiah Lawrence, Majemu Oyenyen and Allen Enakimi, were accused of collecting N500,000 as ransom.

The petition reads: “On July 13, the other four suspects were arraigned before the Chief Magistrate Court 2,

Akure, but Oweikimi Nelson Oweifa was nowhere to be found.

“The family members, who came to the court to meet and to probably secure bail for their son, curiously asked while he was not charged to court with others with whom he was said to have conspired to carry out the alleged criminal act.

“He was said to have died in the course of investigation, in the hands of the police. Till now, the police have not officially declared to the family access to his body.

“Our clients suspect a foul play in the death of their son, Oweikimi Nelson Oweifa, in

the hands of the police.

“It is on this premise we were briefed and instructed to put up this petition to your esteemed office, to bring to your attention the tragedy of Oweifa and the family of Okorobobi.

“We, therefore, urge you to use your good offices to order an immediate, thorough, sober and transparent investigation into this incident to bring to book whoever is fingered in this murderous act.”

Police spokesman, Adeniran Aremu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said he was yet to be briefed on the matter.

He promised to probe it.

‘Harmonisation of Ekiti PDP Exco illegal’

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KITI State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe yesterday said attempts to harmonise members of the current State Working Committee (SWC) with aggrieved splinter groups is illegal and unconstitutional.

He urged aggrieved members to stop agitating for harmonisation of the party’s membership.

Ogundipe spoke in AdoEkiti, the Ekiti State capital, after a meeting with former Oyo State Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala.

The former governor was in the town to reconcile Ogundipe and his deputy, Femi Bamisile.

The party chairman said the executive was “legally

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

elected and any move for harmonisation will be tantamount to illegality”.

Addressing reporters after a brief meeting held at Chief Clement Awoyelu’s home in Ekute, Ado-Ekiti, Ogundipe hailed Alao-Akala for “making it clear to all that he had not come to harmonise the executive but to reconcile aggrieved members with the mainstream”.

Following the state congress election which produced Ogundipe, who is believed to be loyalist to former Governor Ayodele Fayose and the Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Capt Caleb Olubolade, the party splintered into two factions, each claiming superiority.

Ogundipe and 13 other members of the SWC came out of Olubolade/Fayose group but those believed to be sponsored by and loyal to former Governor Segun Oni lost out.

Ogundipe said: “There should not be any basis for harmonisation. An election was validly conducted and victors emerged in the presence of the representatives of the national leadership and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). So, any arrangement for harmonisation between us and the aggrieved is tantamount to illegality and totally uncalled for.”

The PDP chairman praised Alao-Akala for “being on the side of the truth that election was held and for making his

stand known that his purpose has been total reconciliation within the party”.

He said this would dislodge the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2014 governorship election in the state.

Bamisile said: “The reconciliation will be pursued doggedly to allow the aggrieved to join the Ogundipe-led Executive to re-energise the PDP ahead of future elections.”

On executive members who stayed away from the Ibadan reconciliation meeting about a month ago, he said: “The crisis emanated in Ekiti and we expected that the matter would be allowed for our leaders here to handle rather than referring us to Ibadan.”

HE Oyo State House of Assembly has hailed Governor Abiola Ajimobi for paying the 142 per cent pension arrears.

At a plenary yesterday, Yisau Adesope, representing Orelope, praised the governor for reducing the suffering of pensioners, who he said have been clamouring for the payment of their arrears for over 12 years.

The lawmaker noted that the payment portrays the Ajimobi administration as a listening one.

He said the government has shown that it is committed to the welfare of the senior citizens as well as all the residents.

Adesope said the governor has brought succour to

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

pensioners and their families most of who thought all hope was lost after waiting endlessly for their right for over 12 years.

He said: “The governor has fulfilled his electoral promises to the senior citizens. This is highly laudable.

I am also appealing to him to pay all other outstanding entitlements of the workers and continue with his transformation agenda in moving the state forward.”

Speaker Monsurat Sunmonu said the Assembly has passed 26 Bills in one year, adding that only four are still going through the second reading.

She suspended the House sitting till September 4 as the lawmakers go on a recess.

Why Ondo residents should vote for Akeredolu, by group From Damisi Ojo, Akure

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YORUBA group in the North, The Yoruba Awareness Forum (YAF), yesterday gave reasons Ondo State indigenes should vote for the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the October 20 governorship election.

The group, which spreads across the 19 states in the North, said it was in Ondo State to promote the Yoruba agenda and mobilise the residents on the need to vote for ACN. Speaking with The Nation in Akure, the state capital, its Secretary-General, Mr. Olusegun Folorunso, said ACN is the only party that could rescue the masses from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which it accused of turning the Yoruba race to slaves.

Folorunso noted that the state cannot afford to be isolated from other Southwest states.

He said Yorubas are known for their mono-political nature since the days of Action Group (AG), Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Alliance for Democracy (AD).

‘Stop comparing Mimiko with Awolowo’ POLITICAL group,

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Action Youths Movement (AYM), yesterday urged a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Olu Falae, not to compare the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, with Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

At the governor’s second term declaration in Akure on Wednesday, the former SGF described him as a progressive, who followed

From Leke Akeredolu, Akure

the legacies of the late siege, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

In a statement in Akure, the state capital, by its National President, Mr. Sunday Aniyi, the group said it is unfortunate that Chief Falae could canvass for Mimiko, whose administration it said has not impacted on the lives of the masses, apart from its media propagandas.

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

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THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

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NEWS ACN slams PDP THE Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has lambasted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for criticising the conduct of last Saturday’s local government election in Ogun State.

The party said the PDP is on a fool’s voyage, “if it feels that deliberately crying wolf whenever it loses election where it has no foothold would make the ACN lease unearned space to it”.

In a statement in Lagos by its Publicity Secretary ACN, Joe Igbokwe, ACN noted that “the impending resolve of Nigerians to fight electoral fraud is meeting the PDP at its very worst stage”.

The party said this is because the PDP cannot live outside electoral fraud.

Seadogs hold lecture July 31 THE National Association of Seadogs (NAS) will on July 31 hold a public lecture, entitled: The Confraternal Culture, Society and the Humanistic Ideals, to celebrate its 60th anniversary.

The lecture will be delivered by renowned writer, Prof Akinwunmi Ishola.

The event will hold at the Conference Hall of the University of Ibadan (UI) at noon.

A statement by its Oyo State Coordinator, Abel Oluwole Abimbola, said the lecture would reflect on the past and take a clinical dissection and appreciation of the present.

Ekiti to spend N2.5b on schools’ furniture •Fayemi: we’re committed to education reform

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HE Ekiti State Government will spend N2.5billion on the renovation of 100 schools and supply of 40,000 units of furniture in 16 local governments.

The exercise, which will be completed before primary and secondary school pupils resume from their summer holiday in seven weeks, is under Operation Renovate All Schools in Ekiti (ORASE).

Flagging off the first phase at the Methodist Comprehensive High School, Aaye Ekiti (Ekiti North); Corpus Christi College, Ilawe-Ekiti (Ekiti South) and Olaoluwa Muslim Grammar School, Ado-Ekiti (Ekiti Central) yesterday, Governor Kayode Fayemi said N600million of the N2.5billion would be spent on furniture for pupils and their teachers.

The governor said the renovation is part of his

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

administration’s plans to restore order to Ekiti schools.

He explained that the exercise would take place in 100 of the 183 secondary schools in the state.

Fayemi assured that all 100 schools would be completed and delivered before the pupils resume for the 2012/2013 academic session in September.

Fayemi said the intervention programme is part of his administration’s plan to equip pupils with learning, enlightenment and enterprise that would enable them face the challenges of life more effectively.

The governor added that 30 secondary schools have been selected from each of the senatorial districts, based on the urgency of their condition.

He noted that effective learning can only take place

‘Ekitis State cannot afford to live on past glory or allow our education system to continue to produce half-baked products...’ in a conducive environment.

Fayemi said: “Our resolve to ensure that this impacts on functional education is done under a conducive atmosphere, informed the Operation Renovation All Schools in Ekiti (ORASE), being flagged off today.

“Even though the first phase of this operation, involving 100 secondary schools is expected to be done within only seven weeks, we have in the rebuilding of the burnt hostel of Government Science Col-

lege, Ayede-Ekiti, which was rebuilt, equipped with beds, and inaugurated within few weeks.”

The governor said Ekiti State is a pace setter in education, as evident in the vast number of academics the state has produced in all fields.

He noted that Ekiti State “cannot afford to live on past glory or allow our education system to continue to produce half-baked products that are neither good for higher education nor for job creation and wealth generation which are our focus”.

On his administration’s efforts in the sector, Fayemi said by the end of this year, 33,000 laptop computers would have been distributed to pupils free to prepare them for the current trends in Information Communication Technology (ICT) to enable them compete with their colleagues from every part of the world.

ACN UK group hails Tinubu on choice of Akeredolu

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N Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) group in the United Kingdom (UK), Dignity in Democracy (DD), yesterday hailed the party’s National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for leading the party with wisdom at home and in the Diaspora.

It congratulated the former Lagos State governor for supporting the

•Backs governorship aspirant From Damisi Ojo, Akure

emergence of former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), as ACN standard bearer in the October 20 election in Ondo State.

The statement reads: “We wish to state here that all

members of our group agree with the party’s leadership that Mr Akeredolu is suitable for the challenges that lie ahead in the governance of the state. We hereby pledge our support to ensure the success of these challenges.

“In addition, we thank you for the audience and guidance you have given to our prominent member, Bolaji Odidi, on his recent trip to Nigeria. As you are aware, Odidi is a dedicated indigene of Ondo State and he has expressed his willingness to assist in the electioneering process towards the election of Akeredolu and to serve with him in the capacity that he has shown interest in.

“Therefore, we wish to implore you to assist Odidi in this respect and all our members are fully prepared to join him in his contribution to the delivery of our party and government goals in Ondo State, which will be successful and dignifying.”

The group yesterday backed Akeredolu as the party’s governorship standard bearer.

In an online statement to The Nation in Akure, the state capital, by its Executive Director, Bolaji Odidi, the group said: “We congratulate the party leadership for its courage in resolving the difficulties with regard to finding a suitable candidate in the person of Akeredolu for the forthcoming governorship election in the state.”

Southwest to host farmers, food expo

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OUTHWEST states, in collaboration with a private firm, Chubbies and Fields, will in September host the maiden edition of farmers and food fair in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

The exhibition has the support of the Oodua Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

The lead partners in Chubbies and Fields, Dr Sam Ajiboye and Mr Dimeji Fatunla, said the exhibition would draw participants from the Southwest and foreign stakeholders, who are concerned about tackling the threatening food crisis in West Africa.

The organisers said the event would showcase the potential for an agrarian revolution in the Southwest.

In a statement in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Ajiboye said: “We hope this will lead to a revolution in the agrarian sector across the entire Southwest. The week-long event will also exhibit inventions and scientific discoveries in agriculture by agro-related institutions in the Southwest.

“The programme will lead to deliberations on what to do to develop agriculture in the Southwest, apart from strengthening sustainable network of farmers and governments of the region.”

He said the objectives of the fair include promoting the revitalisation and diversification of agriculture in the Southwest, developing agriculture and agro-based industry as well as developing non-oil exports.

Ajiboye listed the target audience as farmers congress, businessmen, investors, customers, manufacturers, those seeking opportunities for joint partnerships, among others.

Fayemi to contractors: expect impromptu visits

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KITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi has told contractors handling road projects in the state that he would pay them unexpected visits.

The governor said this is to ensure that the projects are completed and delivered on time.

He said his regular visits to the sites have started yielding results as many of them have been completed while others are nearing completion.

The governor spoke in Adehun, AdoEkiti, during an unscheduled inspection tour of the dredging and channelisation of River Ofin on University Road.

Fayemi, who also visited road project sites

From Suleiman Salaudeen, Ado-Ekiti

at night, said this would put contractors on their toes.

According to him, the rains cannot stop the pace of work on the road projects his administration has started.

The governor last week ordered Hajaig Construction Company to complete a lane on the Ado-Iworoko-Ifaki road dualisation.

He said the contractors have adhered to his instructions.

This, he said, led to the completion of the Teaching Hospital, Adebayo and Ori Apata stretch of the road, which caused heavy traffic congestion in the last few weeks.

Ogun council chair gets Certificate of Return

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OUR days after 19 of his colleagues were sworn in, the chairman-elect of Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State, Mr Tajudeen Ayilara, yesterday received his Certificate of Return.

He won last Saturday local government election on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

But he could neither collect his Certificate of Return nor be sworn in last Monday because of a court order restraining the state Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) and the state government from doing so.

The restraining order was obtained by the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) candidates in Imeko-Afon, in-

•Takes oath of office From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

cluding its chairmanship candidate, Mr Abiola Deinde, at the High Court of Justice, Aiyetoro Division sitting in Ilaro.

But OGSIEC chairperson Alhaja Risikat Ogunfemi yesterday issued Ayilara his Certificate of Return and announced him as “the chairman-elect for ImekoAfon Local Government”.

Justifying her action, Mrs Ogunfemi said the court order, which initially restrained the commission from issuing the Certificate of Return to the chairmanelect, has been “vacated”.

She explained that the de-

velopment allowed OGSIEC to release the certificate.

Mrs Ogunfemi said: “The certificate was withheld in view of the court order restraining OGSIEC from issuing a Certificate of Return to the chairman-elect for Imeko-Afon. Whatever you do, let transparency be your watchword because in the end, the truth will be revealed.

“OGSIEC conducted a free, fair and credible local government election. I hereby present the Certificate of Return to the chairman-elect for Imeko-Afon Local Government, Tajudeen.”

About 45 minutes later, Ayilara took his oath of office at the State High Court of Justice, Isabo, Abeokuta, the state capital.

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

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BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

The new PIB was drafted with equity in mind and that the concerns of the international oil companies were taken into consideration so as to engender a win-win situation for Nigeria as well as stakeholders in the oil and gas industry.

- Mrs Diezani AlisonMadueke, Minister of Petroleum

Shell to invest $4b in two Nigerian oil and gas projects

Treasury Bills yields rise on CBN action

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HE Federal Government sold N207.3 billion ($1.3 billion) of treasury bills at an auction yesterday, with yields rising from a previous sale after the central bank said it increased lenders’ reserve limits.

The apex bank sold N34.9 billion of 91- day bills at a yield of 13.94 per cent, 19 basis points more than at an auction on July 11. It also sold N60 billion of 182- day securities with a yield six basis points higher at 14.94 per cent and N60 billion of 364-day notes at 14.966 per cent.

The banking watchdog said on July 24 it increased the amount of cash as a percentage of deposits that commercial banks must hold with the regulator to 12 per cent from 8 per cent and kept its interest rate unchanged at 12 per cent to combat inflation and support the naira. Inflation accelerated to 12.9 per cent in June, from 12.7 per cent in May, the Bureau of Statistics said July 18.

“The unexpected increase in the Cash Reserve Requirement ratio to 12 per cent from 8 per cent, resulted in a sharp increase in yields at the short end,” Samir Gadio, an emerging-markets strategist at Standard Bank Group Ltd. in London, said in an emailed reply to questions yesterday.

An additional N9.1 billion of 91-day bills, N25.3 billion of 182-day debt and N18 billion of 363-day securities were sold to non-competitive bidders, while total bids at the auction amounted to N448 billion, according to the apex bank

DATA STREAM COMMODITY PRICES Oil - $123.6/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 -12.6% Treasury Bills -7.08% Maximum lending-22.42% Prime lending -15.87% Savings rate -2% 91-day NTB -14.18% Time Deposit -5.49% MPR -12% Foreign Reserve $34.6b FOREX CFA 0.2958 EUR 206.9 £ 245 $ 156.4 ¥ 1.9179 SDR 241 RIYAL 40.472

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• From right: Managing Director, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Zenith Bank, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, Director of Finance, LAMATA, Mr. Iyiola Adegboye and Mrs. Toun Alawiye, AGM/Head, Zenith Bank Lekki Branch during Mr. Emefiele’s visit to LAMATA yesterday

Fed Govt orders DMO to pay oil marketers T

HE Federal Government has directed the Debt Management Office (DMO) to pay marketers with verified claims.

A statement from the office of the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the minister gave the directive yesterday in Abuja.

It also instructed that payments be made “as soon as supporting Sovereign Debt Notes are provided by the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).”

The statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the Coordinating Minister and Minister of Finance, Paul Nwabuikwu said: “The directive is to reinforce the Federal Government’s determination to ensure that there is no disruption in fuel supplies across the country.”

The minister was said to have clarified that following the report of the Presidential Committee headed by Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, it

• Implement 2010 MoU, says JEPTON From Nduka Chiejina, Assistant Editor

had become “clear that some marketers also owe the government significant sums of money and that the government expects that these will be paid.”

As a result of this directive, the minister appealed to marketers and other stakeholders not to embark on their planned strike actions “because government is addressing subsidy payment issues in a structured way that protects both the interest of the country and those of genuine marketers.”

To prevent overpayments, verification of claims is a cornerstone of the procedures adopted by the Federal Ministry of Finance for managing

fuel subsidy payments.

Payments based on verified claims resumed after the June meeting of the Federation Accounts Allocations Committee (FAAC) when payments totalling N17 billion were made.

The oil marketers under the aegis of Jetty and Petroleum Tank Farm Owners of Nigeria (JEPTON), however, said that besides payment of arrears of subsidies, there are outstanding issues they have with the government.

A chieftain of JEPTON and Managing Director of Capital Oil and Gas Limited, Mr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, said the association signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Federal Government in 2010. He noted that none of the agreements has been implemented by the government.

Ubah said: “We have outstanding issues with the Federal Government and it is not

just payment of subsidy claims. Although it is a positive step to direct the DMO to pay us but the government should implement the MoU it signed with JEPTON members in 2010. Government should pay our subsidies, restructure our loans from the banks and make adequate fuel import allocation marketers with huge investments.

“How can a company that does 20,000 to 30,000 tons daily be allocated only 70,000 tons for three months? Is it not a gradual process of killing the downstream industry? We don’t see future in this industry again and we are the most needed segment of this economy.

Government should encourage and support us.”

Jetty and Petroleum Tank Farm Owners of Nigeria (JEPTON) and Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) have threatened to strike this week over unpaid subsidies, which will result in acute fuel scarcity. Efforts to reach the Chairman of DAPPMA, Mr. Dapo Abiodun, were unsuccessful.

215 oil blocks awaiting allocation, says DPR

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HE Federal Government has 215 oil blocks to allocate to oil companies, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has said.

The Director of DPR, Osten Olorunsola disclosed when the members of House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), paid a visit to DPR head office in Lagos yesterday as part of their oversight function.

Olorunsola also said that currently, 173 oil blocks have been allocated to various oil companies in Nigeria, adding that most of those that have been allocated so far are within the Niger Delta region.

The DPR chief lamented the unimpressive lack of in-

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

vestment in the sector. He said the development could hinder the achievement of government’s aspiration of attaining reserves of 40 billion barrels.

He stressed the importance of creating an enabling environment for investment through the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which is before the National Assembly. He added that the passage would save the oil and gas sector from danger.

He said the country’s oil reserves, including crude and condensate, currently stand at 36.2 billion barrels, while oil production is steady at 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd). Gas reserves

he said is 183 trillion cubic feet (tcf).

The chief oil industry regulator also noted how poor investment in the exploration and production sector of the industry had been. He added that the only one Final Investment Decision (FID) taken in the last five years was that of Usan oil field, which he described as a very critical situation for the country.

He said that the decline in oil reserves would take another five years to recover, after all corrective measures that would guarantee investment must have been put in place.

Emphasising the need for the environment that would encourage investment in the upstream sector,

Olorunsola said: “Other countries are also finding oil and gas. What it means is that investors are going there instead of coming here.

Twenty-five years ago, there were only three countries that were drilling oil.

“Fifteen years ago, about three or four other countries joined. Ten years ago, Angola, Equitorial Guinea and others joined. In the last five years ago, Ghana and Cote D’lvoire have joined are now producing. South Africa is likely to join in the next one year” The Chairman of the committee, Hon. Muraina Ajibola said his team was on an oversight visit to the Department in line with Order A Rule 187 of the Standing Orders of House of Representatives.

OYAL Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), operator of Nigeria’s largest oil fields, agreed to invest about $4 billion with its partners in two oil and gas projects in the country.

The Shell Petroleum Development Co. of Nigeria, which Shell operates as a venture with Eni SpA (ENI), Total SA (FP) and the government, according to Bloomberg, will develop the Forcados-Yokri project and the Southern Swamp associated gas gathering project, the company said today in a statement.

The projects are expected to pump 100,000 barrels and 85,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day at peak, respectively.

Southern Swamp will “collect gas, reduce flaring, while there is associated oil production and it will produce gas for domestic use for power,” Chief Financial Officer Simon Henry told reporters today in London.

Both of the projects “are very strategic” for Nigeria. The Forcados-Yokri fields are located in shallow waters in the west of the country.

Shell, based in The Hague, last month said it planned to invest about $3.5 billion in a natural-gas project in Imo state in the southeast. It is working on 17 gas projects in Nigeria, set to cost a total of $6 billion, according to the company.

BPE, Manitoba meet TCN workers From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

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HE Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and the Manitoba Hydro International (MHI) yesterday recorded success in their search for peaceful working environment in the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) as they met with the workers in a workshop for familiarisation.

In line with the Federal Government’s power roadmap implementation, the, Canadian firm, MHI, which is the management contractor for the TCN, is scheduled assume duty on Monday July 30, 2012.

The workshop, which was at the instance of the BPE and the MHI in Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, was to secure the cooperation of the workers for the attainment of a smooth operational transition to the contractor.

The BPE also conducted the workshop to sensitise, allay fears and secure the commitment of the staff in view of their hitherto vehement opposition to the three years management contract of TCN that the Federal Government MHI signed on Monday.

According to terms in the contract, Manitoba is expected to within the period ensure seamless stabilisation of the national grid, reduce electricity losses during transmission, provide for the achievement of certain predetermined targets that would improve grid security and general performance as well as re-orientate the management culture of TCN Nigerian workers.

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AGRO-BUSINESS

Dearth of bees may affect food production, says expert

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ANY agricultural crops depend on animal pollination for food production, an expert has said.

As a result, a drop in bees population will affect food production.

A former head,Apiculture Unit, National Root Crops Research Institute(NRCRI),Umudike, Imo State,Mr Victor Obi, said agriculture depends mainly on bee pollination. He said the drop in their population could have a major effect on food production.

Stories by Daniel Essiet, Agric Correspondent

According to him, crops such as apples, blueberries and coffee depend on animal pollination, and that domesticated honey bee is said to be the most important, accounting for an average of 80 per cent of animal pollination.

Obi said insect pollinators are an essential part of agriculture. In pollinating crops and plants, he said they are supporting the soft fruits industry. He said Nigerians enjoy

different vegetables, fruits and flowers daily because of insect pollinators, such as bees.

He said bees are efficient in pollination; besides, they produce large quantities of honey.

Obi said a drop in bees population could cause a pollination shortage and impact on yields from pollination-dependent crops.

He said the economic impact of a further decline in bees’colonies may be heavy, adding that the tide must be turned.

He called for more co-operation

among the academics, government institutions and companies to sole the problem.

While the impact of pollination varies by crops, he explained that pollination is essential as poor pollination would cause a failed harvest, noting that agriculture depends on bees to boost food production.

He said production of pollination-dependent crops has grown at an accelerated rate relative to the overall growth in food production.

Obi called on the government to increase biodiversity in agricul-

tural areas to provide greater nutritional variety for the bees pollinating the crops and to promote the right living conditions for attracting wild pollinating species that could take part of the pollination job.

He called on the government to implement strategies that would ensure that the pollination of agricultural and horticultural crops is protected. Although the use of pesticides cannot always be avoided, application should take place in co-operation with beekeepers.

How to run farms profitably, by expert

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•Crop of the season, Maize

‘Develop agric tourism plan’

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HE Federal Government has been asked to develop a master plan for agri-tourism to boost economic growth.

Agricultural tourism is any business conducted by a farmer for the enjoyment or education of the public, to promote the products of the farm and to generate additional farm income. It includes a variety of facilities and activities, such as agricultural festivals and fairs, farm visits, farm tours, demonstration farms,farm stays, wineries, nursery trails and agricultural museums.

The Deputy Director, Directorate of Grants Adminstration, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Dr Kola Adebayo, told The Nation that an agri-tourism programme would support existing and new agricultural enterprises which could invite visitors to their farms by charging them fees for their services.

He said there are many benefits in the agri-tourism industry. These include the promotion of activities that could lead to the development of agriculture in the country, more jobs for rural dwellers, provision of farmers with additional income through development of tourism opportunities without requiring them to sell or develop the land for non-agricultural uses and providing the public an opportunity to experience

rural legacy through first hand experiences.

According to him, the nation’s farms reflect a great diversity of agricultural endeavours.

Some of the farms, he explained, are unique with historic structures, such as farm houses, barns, sheds, log houses and rock fences and more.

Adebayo said the rural landscape is historic and important to preserve, adding that agritourism presents a total picture of the nation’s farm-based economy, cultural heritage, rural lifestyle, and family values.

Combining the large tourism industry with the uniqueness and diversity of local agriculture, he noted, would offer new opportunities for farmers to diversify their operations andtheir revenue sources.

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FOOD expert, Prof Stephen Fapohunda, has called for more investment in technology to help firms increase output and guarantee food security.

During an interview with The Nation, Fapohunda,who is of the Department of Biosciences and Biosciences, Babcock University, Ilesan, Ogun State, said many food ingredients were okayed by the private sector, without government’s input.

Though the National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) ensures that food ingredients are safe, food companies should be able to classify an ingredient as “ safe” for use in a specific product, he said, adding that producers should ensure that ingredients classified as safe undergo rigorous tests to build consumer confidence.

He called for credible testing, saying that consumers would be more comfortable with transparency or the visibility of ingredients that go

‘More investment in technology key to food safety’ through the process.

He said there have been growing concerns over food safety as the industry faced questions on the quality of input used during production.

To safeguard the nation’s food supply against unintentional and deliberate contamination, the expert called for safety plan, which focuses on risk-based interventions and rapid response when problems are identified.

He added that operators should protect consumers from dangerous imported products.

Fapohunda called on the government to deploy inspectors to the ports to check food produce being shipped abroad.

N agricultural expert, Ayo Akinola, has suggested ways in which farms and agricultural businesses can run their operations and make profits.

Akinola, who is the Technical Adviser, Sustainable Cocoa Programme, German International Agency (GIZ), said farmers can make profits by saving and paying extra attention to business planning.

To increas e farm profits, Akinola said it was worthwhile for agro businesses to take stock of their businesses, streamline financial efficiency and make sure savings is substantial. According to him, getting financial records in good shape will more than repay itself further down the line.

The expert said he has trained local farmers in Cross River State and other places to acquire and improve their bookkeeping systems, adding that the skills hasve helped them to manage their businesses better. He urged the farmers to reassess their budget in the face increasing pressures on costs.

He said managing their budget effectively would impact upon the competitiveness of their produce against counterparts, while helping to increase farming costs.

Akinola said farmers could take some measures to protect their businesses, including reviewing the cost of operations to benefit from economies of scale.

He said they need to establish marketing strategies for their coming crop to secure prices.

With a combination of upwards pressures on costs and fluctuating currencies, he noted that it is imperative that farmers reassess their budgets and ensure they are taking action to protect their businesses.

To meet all the needs of small farmers, he noted that institutional finance through the rural banking system has not proven a practical approach. For this reason, he said participation in micro credit arrangements will help the farmers access credit and promote saving culture.

‘Farmers exchange programmes will improve local capacity’

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HE introduction of farmerto-farmer exchange programmes (F2F) will boost the adoption of modern agricultural technology which will lead to higher productivity, an expert has said.

Dr Daniel Gwary of the Department of Crop Protection, University of Maiduguri, said, exchange programmes should become one dominant feature of agricultural

extension service delivery if any meaningful change is to be achieve in food production.

Gwary told The Nation, said such exchanges could accelerate the globalisation of modern agricultural technologies and practices.

He said he was part of a farming group, which paid an exchange visit to Niger. He said the programme afforded farmers an

opportunity to adopt skills and share lessons with their more experienced colleagues.

He said exchanges complement government’s extension services. He suggested that more attention should be placed on strengthening such practices and championing the development of international farming standards.

According to him, better links

between agricultural researchers and farmers are another form of co-operation needing expansion. Instead of having farmers participate in research, he said researchers should participate in farmers’ experiments.

He added extension workers were being deployed to live in villages with the farmers who need their services.

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EDITORIAL/OPINION Comments

EDITORIAL FROM OTHER LAND

Return of Oteh •Based on law and decency, she should not head the SEC

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HE controversy stoked by Monday’s rather controversial return of Arunma Oteh to her desk as Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is far from ending. Wednesday last week, Secretary to the Federal Government, Anyim Pius Anyim had vide a letter dated July 17, conveyed to the embattled DG the decision of the Presidency to recall her from the compulsory leave slammed on her by SEC board in June. Then, the board asked her to proceed on the compulsory leave to allow the body’s external auditors – Price Water Coopers (PWC) Limited - examine the records of financial transactions covering Project 50 which she supervised.

Curiously, the findings of the auditors, which have remained a closely guarded secret of the Federal Government, are said to have formed the basis of her recall.

The SGF letter claimed that PWC absolved her of any fraud or criminal breaches in any form but, instead, found her guilty of “some administrative lapses”.

We certainly find the whole drama of her recall intriguing, particularly as the House of Representatives at whose behest the whole drama that led to the forced leave was already set to turn in the report of its investigations on the matter. The haste to recall the embattled DG would seem to us as deliberately timed to take the wind out of the findings of the Ibrahim El Sudi-led House Committee on the Near Collapse of the Capital Market.

As against the clean bill by the execu-

tive, the House committee has since found that her appointment was in breach of Section 2 (a) of the Investments and Securities Act 2007. The House, while insisting on her sack, further held – and rightly too - that she was not registered with SEC as required by the Act at the time of her appointment; that she did not possess the 15 years cognate experience as a capital market operator. These are in addition to sundry findings on alleged mismanagement of funds under her watch.

The Federal Government, for curious reasons, has chosen to keep mum on the findings by the House, which affect the higher matter of due process.

Be that as it may, we consider it tragic that an industry which traditionally thrives on quiet conservatism is now threatened by rancour within and without. Aside the war with external stakeholders, there is also the war stoked by Oteh’s management style. The latter has pitted her against senior members of her executive management. The frosty relations between Oteh and the SEC executive management first blew open at the public hearing by the House. Only last week, the staff of SEC joined the fray when they publicly opposed her recall.

As it is, the Federal Government appears to have lost sight of the big picture – which is the future of the market and the urgent need to salvage it.

The question of whether Oteh can remain part of the equation to save the market obviously begs to be resolved – and urgently too. This newspaper finds no basis to back the retention of the indi-

vidual whose tenure has been marked by allegations of high-handedness and financial recklessness. It is time the Federal Government let Oteh go.

We are forced to this conclusion because the current crisis has taken its toll on the economy already. It stands to reason that as long as the current war of attrition endures, the prospects of market recovery would continue to dim.

What the interest of the national economy dictates at this time is the changing of guards to let things cool down so that the work of rebuilding the market can begin in earnest. Our position, if we must restate, is borne of the imperative to preserve the capital market institution and due process.

‘We are forced to this conclusion because the current crisis has taken its toll on the economy already. It stands to reason that as long as the current war of attrition endures, the prospects of market recovery would continue to dim.

What the interest of the national economy dictates at this time is the changing of guards to let things cool down so that the work of rebuilding the market can begin in earnest’

London 2012 •As usual, Nigeria cannot expect much from this year’s Olympic Games

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ODAY marks the official beginning of the 2012 Summer Olympics being hosted in London, capital of the United Kingdom. Nigeria is one of over 200 countries which will be vying for sporting honours at the world’s most prestigious multi-sports event. Already, the country’s sports administrators and athletes have begun to express optimism that they will bring honour to themselves and to their nation.

Such sentiments, though patriotic and well-meaning, are ultimately misplaced.

Preparations for the Olympics ideally span many years and involve meticulous long-term planning. Nigeria, on the contrary, is notorious for its so-called fire-brigade approach in which athletes are called to camp a few months before the start of a tournament.

The country’s penchant for poor preparations has already been seen in the humiliating inability of its male and female soccer teams to qualify for the soccer

‘Nigeria needs to look no further than ‘London 2012’ itself to see how sports can be turned to social, economic and political advantage. Hosting the Olympics has led to the comprehensive rehabilitation of London’s East End. The massive infrastructural development that has gone into preparing venues, hotels, shopping and residential districts will be felt long after the games end’

event at the 2012 Olympics. Even though Nigeria has won the Olympics soccer gold and its female teams are by far the strongest in Africa, overconfidence and shoddy preparations ensured that relatively weaker teams attained qualification at its expense. It is no surprise that the country’s brightest medal prospects are athletes like Blessing Okagbare, who is based in the United States and has the benefits of top-quality coaching and intensive mentoring. Even the highly-regarded men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, is made up of Nigerians who were raised or live in the U.S. Nigeria’s calamitous decline in sports is all the more lamentable when it is seen how important sporting prowess has become to the projection of national prestige. Sports has apparently replaced war as the main instrument for the expression of national pride, and as such, countries all across the world are making extensive efforts to achieve excellence in different sports. Brazil has its soccer; Kenya and Ethiopia have their long-distance running; South Africa has its cricket and rugby. What does Nigeria have? The country used to be a force to reckon with in the sprints, in combat sports like boxing, as well as soccer. However, years of complacency have seen it lose its comparative advantage in these areas, as moreserious nations have stepped up their game.

Quite apart from the global prestige Nigeria stands to reap as a sports superpower, a strong sports infrastructure has inestimable socio-political benefits as well. The experience of other countries has shown that sporting success is often the end product of conscious attempt to

integrate sports into youth development and social welfare programmes. Youths are naturally attracted to sports, and this serves to channel their natural exuberance away from anti-social activities.

As a business, sports has enormous potential. The massive popularity of different sporting disciplines attracts heavy corporate patronage. A well-developed sports industry would mean gainful employment for thousands of athletes and coaches, in addition to those working in associated sectors like marketing, retail trade and sporting goods.

Nigeria needs to look no further than ‘London 2012’ itself to see how sports can be turned to social, economic and political advantage. Hosting the Olympics has led to the comprehensive rehabilitation of London’s East End. The massive infrastructural development that has gone into preparing venues, hotels, shopping and residential districts will be felt long after the games end. Businesses are set to benefit from a boom in patronage as millions of visitors flood into the United Kingdom. For the next few weeks, London will be the cynosure as the world focuses its attention on the sporting spectacle taking place in the British capital.

Despite the relatively poor preparations, the slow release of funds and the demonstrations of administrative incompetence, it is expected that the Nigerian contingent will manifest the never-say-die attitude which exemplifies the Nigerian spirit. As they carry the hopes and wishes of 140 million Nigerians into their various competitions, they should acquit themselves with dignity and grace.

Ghana’s sad loss

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HANA is one of the best prepared African countries to weather the traumatic loss of a head of state.

After two decades of evolving multi-party democracy, its institutions are about as robust as those of any state on the continent. So when President John Evans Atta Mills died suddenly on Tuesday at the age of 68, there was little cause to fear upheaval. True to form, the parliament hastily organised the succession and John Dramani Mahama, the vice-president, stepped in seamlessly as caretaker ruler.

Amid national mourning for a dedicated public servant known for his integrity and humility, Ghanaians have cause to celebrate their country’s political maturity and Mr Mills’s role in nurturing it.

Nevertheless, his sudden departure ushers in a delicate transition only five months before scheduled presidential polls. There are lessons to be learnt. It was clear for some time that Mr Mills was in poor health and widely feared that the cancer he suffered from in the past had returned. Yet the pretence that he was fit to contest another election, and steer Ghana for four more years as it consolidates its emergence as a middle-income country, was maintained by members of his ruling circle.

They were fearful that any other candidate might split the ruling party and deliver victory to the opposition. In Ghana, as in much of Africa, the subject of a president’s health remains an unhealthy taboo. This is a source of uncertainty for other African countries ruled by ageing and, in many cases, ailing heads of state.

Mr Mahama, 53, does not automatically become the ruling party’s candidate. He must be selected first. Provided his colleagues resist infighting, however, next December’s polls are likely to be a closerun affair. In 2008 Mr Mills won by the narrowest of margins – just 40,000 votes – in voting that provided a stern test for Ghana’s prized stability. The country’s independent electoral commission has since strengthened its procedures. It needed to, as the stakes have risen as revenues from newly discovered oil have begun to flow.

Mr Mahama must resist the temptation to turn the fiscal taps on ahead of the elections. Ghana’s economic progress has frequently been interrupted in the past by pre-poll splurges. It bears the heavy burden now of being a model at a time that democratic and economic gains in Africa are fragile. Its stability is thus important to the continent’s hopes of maintaining its momentum towards transformation.

– The Financial Times

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THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

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EDITORIAL/OPINION

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IR: When the first oil well was dug in Nigeria in 1957, most Nigerians then failed to realise that the Eden like setting and pristine nature of the Niger Delta region with its riches in flora and fauna was destroyed forever.

The oil companies and the government were more concerned with the dollars gushing from the bowels of the region. Little did they know that the aquatic lives and the beautiful environment that supports variety of wild life would be gone for good.

Today after many decades of oil exploration in the Niger Delta region, the place is better infamous for youth restiveness, piracy and kidnapping.

The central government in Abuja is happy with the cheap money and that explains the neglect in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors. Most states which are very far from the furnace

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Protecting the Niger Delta that is Delta Niger glibly talk of revenue allocation and that the present allocation formula is in favour of the oil bearing states.

Such state governors and their federal government allies are not bothered about the state of environment degradation and acid rain as result of oil exploration and pollution by the insensitive oil companies.

The Niger Delta Development Commission at present, is limping from one crisis to another under the veneer of addressing the

problems of the region. There is even a Ministry of Niger Delta. The result of such half hearted efforts is the production of an idle class of contractor millionaires whose source of wealth is that they have some cosy relationship with those at the corridor of power.

Poverty and destitution is still very much the lots of the people whose land nature endowed with crude oil and gas. The oil companies continue to flare gas and pay paltry fines imposed by the federal government. But much

more serious is the litany of oil spillage destroying the environment and posing serious health hazards to the people. Some of these oil spills are as a result of deliberate negligence on the part of the oil companies.

It is against this background that the environmental crusade of the Delta State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan can be situated. Recently, the governor commended the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency for the fine of five billion dollars

Will division save Nigeria?

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IR: Why are some people talking about the possibility of Nigeria’s division?

Agreed that the country is not working, and it is indeed disintegrating. It is true that the Boko Haram started their trouble in 2009, but can we compare the Boko Haram of 2009 with the Jonathanera Boko Haram? Is it not true that the emergence of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as Nigeria’s President has compounded Nigeria’s problem?

We should stop blaming the British government for amalgamating us into a nation in 1914. We should rather be grateful to God, because whatever is lacking in the South, we get it in the North, vice versa.

We should also be grateful to our nationalists who did not oppose the amalgamation as a matter of life and death.

Why should we be looking at countries like Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia that have broken-up so catastrophically? Why can’t we focus

on countries that are managing their heterogeneity successfully?

China and India have had, and are still having their own troubles, but they are relatively stable and stronger, and Nigeria is less than one tenth of the population of each of them. Nigeria is much less than one tenth of USA both in population and diversity, and is still looking for immigrants.

I would insist that our problem is leadership, not national sovereign conference. Indeed the call for national conference is becoming nauseating.

I praise the National Assembly for offering to give us a good constitution that will address sensitive areas. Their sincerity and sense of urgency are extremely crucial. If they don’t address rotational presidency and equitable electoral system, they have failed; if they delay implementation till we conduct the 2015 general elections, they are deceivers, because justice delayed is justice denied.

The Jonathan group has railroaded too many Nigerians into viewing Boko Haram as the driver of Nigeria’s terrorism. I feel Boko Haram may end up being Nigeria’s liberator, because whoever will truncate political order in Nigeria will regret doing so.

America is sustained by order; with order, no section of Nigeria will be marginalized. Establish political order and an electoral system whose umpires are not chosen by a partisan President and his/her party.

• Pius Oyeniran Abioje, Ph. D, University of Ilorin.

imposed on Shell in response to the Bonga oil spill that occurred in December 2011.

Communities in Delta State and the Niger Delta were put in serious harm‘s way after the spill occurred.

Ogulaha, Beniboye and Okuntu in Delta State and Orobiri, Odiama and Ageh communities in Bayelsa State were severely impacted‘ If Shell BP paid over 30 billion dollars over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010, the company has no reason for not doing similar thing in Nigeria. Here we are talking of oil spills affecting wild life and communities. In the case of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, no community or people were affected. That is why the federal government especially the National Assembly should enact more stringent laws about oil exploration. Most of the bad practices done here by the oil companies are not done in Europe, America or the Arab world. The National Assembly should support the patriotic cause of Uduaghan in making sure that those who exploit our oil do not destroy the environment and the people.

The Niger Delta region is too fragile to be left to the vagaries of uncontrolled and uncoordinated oil exploration • Julius Oweh, Asaba, Delta

A vote for state police IR: Considering the state of security in Nigeria today, I think we have to take a look at decentralizing of the police force for effective policing in this criminal and terrorism engulfing nation. Creation of independent police units, managed and founded by state governments will ensure effective policing of lives and property in the country. Is it not cumbersome for a single person to be controlling the affairs of the police in 36 states with FCT? The criminal and terrorism activities that is engulfing the nation can be check-

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mated by state police.

Come to think of it, you posted an officer from Zamfara State to go and secure the lives of people in Ogun State; chances are that he will work on information supplied to him either genuine or counterfeit.

Some people can even use him to victimize innocent people. But a policeman manning his own state probably his village, where he grew up will know all the bad eggs in his village.

Let’s stop fooling ourselves; it is irrational for governors to be addressed as chief security officers of

their respective states when we all know that they don’t have control of instruments of security in their states. Had it been there is state police, Boko Haram menace would have gone down because some of the villagers living with them and who know them would have exposed them. But in a situation whereby someone from another zone is posted to the dangerous zone, he will work and act based on the information available which may not be reliable.

• Adeleye Ademola Ire Ekiti, Ekiti State.

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EDITORIAL/OPINION

Reality Bites Y

Readers’parliament 16

Olatunji Ololade

OUR analysis is correct. Some parents are boastful of their ability to purchase seats for their wards to cheat at JAMB and SSCE centres. It is sad to see what our country has degenerated to. God will help us. 08023137600.

Haba Tunji. This your piece was too harsh to Nigerians. I am sure you are not residing in Nigeria. 08033754830.

Olatunji, I agree with you totally that, ‘We are very bad people.’ If Mr. ‘Integrity’Lawan Farouk could fall the way he did, then hope is not in sight for this society of ours. Look at the appointment of Dame Patience as Permanent Secretary. Very absurd.

08034053328.

Remain blessed for saying the

‘Olatunji my brother, I totally agree with you. I fully understand your angst. Our society is largely populated by monkeys and baboons in human garb, primitive in thinking and bestial in deeds. I have never seen or heard of a society so depraved as ours. Until we, as a people, embrace those things that are truly important in life and jettison the mindless and blind accumulation of vanities, we are eternally doomed as a people spiritually and naturally’

T

truth. All men need to be forcefully castrated, so that we can stop breeding baboons and then let the country return to stone age.08037967898.

I wish you continue with this line of write-up. You strike a definite chord in our psychology and sociology with the message. I wake everyday with these foreboding realities of the basic Nigerian psyche. I fear for the future of this race and generation…I totally agree with your thesis. 08054967602.

Excellent piece of writing. I agree with you 100 per cent. We need to change ourselves because we are indeed very bad people. 08079890367.

“It is good to be bad and bad to be good in contemporary Nigeria,” truer words I have never read in Nigerian newspapers. Brilliant article today, Mr. Ololade! Please keep up the good work. And the truth shall set us all free. 08178675967.

Thanks a lot dear. You did very well in your piece. May God bless you with more knowledge and wisdom. Amen. 08063675643.

May Almighty God bless you for telling the truth the way it is, ‘We are very bad people.’ 08037036487.

Olatunji, what you are saying cannot be disputed. What has eluded us is the way out of the quagmire. Cyril Chinweike Eze. 08037907122.

And Patience Jonathan is now a permanent secretary. Only in Nigeira can such happen. We are very bad people indeed. 07035347838.

I have never read a more honest description of you and me. We are very horrible people. Ehimare

RAVELLING to Warri from Abraka in December 2011, I couldn’t help but marvel at the widening of the road between Eku towards Warri. As a student at the Delta State University between 2000 and 2004, I remember how narrow that road was.

In my mind, I figured such development was long overdue in Delta State. I imagined the benefits when eventually completed – more safety, faster movement of persons and goods, potential of more commerce, and of course, opening for the better life.

But, as I enjoyed the 35 minutes journey, I had time to think. How come development in oil-rich states didn’t move fast enough?

After much churning and quiet ruminations, I realised that while many forces contend against these states, the greatest, I believe, is the federal government, of course, aptly backed 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

With vast human and natural resources, Delta State, goes by the appellation, ‘Big Heart.’ And the heart’s function is to supply blood, the precious gift needed for life, through the arteries and veins to nourish the whole body. The heart needs the right amount of blood, pumped at the right rate, and at the right times to make the body function properly.

However, the predicament of Delta’s ‘Big Heart’ is that it is being starved the blood it dearly needs.

Delta State yields about 30% of Nigeria’s oil and gas, yet it hardly enjoys a quarter of what it has. Precisely, the state gets a meagre 13% of what nature has placed on it due to Nigeria’s mode of ‘fiscal federalism’ which gives the federal government 100% of wherever extractive minerals found in the country. However, by default, federalism implies that federating components have a high degree of autonomy in a federation.

At the moment, I feel for the Niger Delta governors with huge expectations placed on them by their people. In Delta State, for instance, with a land area of 18,050 square kilometres with urban towns like Asaba, Warri, Oleh, Ughelli, Abraka, Sapele, Agbor, begging for more infrastructures while little towns and villages scattered over a wide expanse also deserving attention, perhaps, for the first time. And, the state which largely consists of marshy land and riverine areas

Ehoho. 08081322995.

May God bless you for telling us the truth. Please keep it up. Luka Jos. 08081767426.

Of course, we are very people Olatunji. In Port Harcourt where I live, it’s really the picture you painted. Success through hard work is no longer the way of life. What of teachers known b ydear patience, they are now the vampires that devour their wards. Thanks. Good piece.

Ray from Port Harcourt.08056666484.

You said it all. We are indeed very bad people. None could be worse.

Barrister Obi Anierobi. 08031157593.

Olatunji, I like your write-up. Let us be accountable for all our actions, let us stop blaming our leaders. An average Nigerian man is a criminal.

Zuby from Port Harcourt.

08051603828.

Your article is a very good one.

Unfortunately you are talking to people who have long chosen the path of amorality. The assertion that the followership is as bad as the leadership is true. But in all climes, it is the leadership that sets the pace either for moral degeneracy or righteous living. The theory of the vital few cannot be wished away. The elites, opinion moulders and policy formulators who develop the framework for policy implementation and are supposed to enforce compliance are the first culprits. No society has only good people; what deters people from wrongdoing is the arm of the law which is supposed to be enforced by the leaders. That’s why foreigners come to Nigeria and beat traffic lights.

Let’s get good leaders and things will fall in place. Etokowoh Owoh Uyo. AKS. 08037975031.

Your ability to put reality in pure perspective is outstanding. Until Nigerians move away from pretence, egoism, deceit, avarice, hate, etc, I wonder where our religious dispo-

sition will take us. Paul Vingil. Abuja.

08035880838.

I honestly agree with you and I pray that God endow you with wisdom, knowledge and blessedness to tell the nation the root of our problem. God bless you bro. Wellington from Sango, Ogun State.

08060244044.

Mr. Olatunji Ololade, your write up, ‘We are very bad people (1),’ I must confess, is the best write-up ever in this morally bankrupt and unholy entity called Nigeria. More of it, please, my brother. They will surely meet the people’s justice in 2015. May God keep more of your type for the battle ahead. Henry Oputa esq, Port Harcourt. 08033125515.

Nice piece Olatunji. We need more of your type. Self tendencies have destroyed us all. I think that Nigeria can only be better when Nigerians think better. Indeed, we are very bad people.08036851612.

Your write-up captured the sad reality of the contraption called Nigeria. You mirrored the true state of the inhabitants of this country and as sad and fearful the truth is, we are all culpable in the mess our dear country is in. More ink to your pen.

Tapshak Armstrong.

Jos.08166032757.

We are very bad people 1 says it all. Keep telling the truth. You are superb.

Kehinde Olalemi.

07063504030.

Olatunji my brother, I totally agree with you. I fully understand your angst. Our society is largely populated by monkeys and baboons in human garb, primitive in thinking and bestial in deeds. I have never seen or heard of a society so depraved as ours. Until we, as a people, embrace those things that are truly important in life and jettison the mindless and blind accumulation of vanities, we are eternally doomed as a

people spiritually and naturally.

Gerard Ifeanyichukwu Okonkwo.

Onitsha. 08023656124.

What do you have to say about the south-east of the country where people are kidnapping fellow human beings including new born babies in the name of money? And all of us claim to be Christians. 08160149957.

In fact, you have said it all and I totally agree with you. What can we do now to stop this menace and attitude of ours because each time?

Shakiru. 08030699828.

Olatunji Ololade, since I was born in this feeble but very wicked and perverse country that is called Nigeria in 1953, I have never discerned anybody’s heart like I’ve just did yours…having gone through your humble and earnest dispositional topic, I thought I were you but of course, I’m not. This is to erase the unscrupulous position of the doubting Thomases that will oppose your write-up in anyway because Nigeria is just simply negative to the core.

I’m in this position because some agents of negativity will want to counter the message of good people to this. They will want to smother this great message by which you teach all of us about how bad and wicked we are in this hopeless and worthless country we live in that is called Nigeria…A people that hails criminality are very bad people. A people that condones wicked preachers that pray for government officials who steal public money are very bad people. A people who allow their previous leaders to walk the streets with their loots, even after these leaders have lost immunity are very bad people. A people that have made their generation a thieving one are very bad people. 08036925729.

SMS only 08038551123 (tunji_ololade@yahoo.co.uk)

Uduaghan and Delta beyond oil

By Thomas Okoro has witnessed a lot of oil pollution and degradation, depriving the people of their traditional occupation of fishing and farming. It was in rehabilitating these set of people that the DESOPADEC was formed, with 50% of the 13% derivation devoted to complementing state’s developmental programmes. In many places around the state, apart from providing alternative employment, the government saddles itself with building schools, hospitals, bridges, and providing water, in many places, from scratch. For sure, it needs funds but the truth of the matter is the bulk of funds needed for such development steadily find their ways to the federal coffers at grandiose Abuja.

According to the 1960 Constitution, each federating unit had control over resources found on, under or above its territory. The 1999 constitution put an end to that, with Section 44(3) which stating: “Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, the entire property in and control of all minerals, mineral oils and natural gas in, under or upon any land in Nigeria or in, under or upon the territorial waters and the Exclusive Economic Zone of Nigeria shall vest in the Government of the Federal and shall be managed in such manner as may be prescribed by the National Assembly.”

This section of the Constitution reminds me of when some people refer to the law as an ass. With respect to ‘our’ federalism – the governance we tout to practise, I think it negates all principles of fairness. I shudder at the thought of what would happen should the oil be depleted in Delta State? No doubt, the state would barely have a heart, not to talk of a beat.

Hence, I was pleased when Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan advocated ‘Delta beyond oil’ while addressing the Senate Committee on Constitution Review during its recent retreat in Delta State. He came out clear to say the 13% derivation given to states by the Federal

government on extractive resources is not enough. Ideally all federating states should own whatever minerals it produces and remit taxes to the federal government. Such is what obtains in many other federations across the world. In his speech, the governor of the ‘Big Heart’ opined that, having the states get 50% of whatever they produce is only fair enough. The governor mentioned that the Petroleum Act, 1964 Cap. 350, LFN, 1990, Interpretation Act, 1964, Cap 192, LFN 1990, and the Land Use Act, 1978, Cap. 202, LFN 1990 amongst other laws vesting ‘the resources of the Niger Delta in the Federal Government be declared as unconstitutional and expunged, including Section 44(3) of the Constitution.’

However, presently, Delta State government headed by Uduaghan is still consolidating on development. At the moment, the state government pays WAEC and NECO fees for all its secondary school students, has awarded bursaries to over 18, 000 tertiary students of Delta extraction, and awarded scholarship to PhD level in any university in the world to 88 First-Class graduates. This is apart from the scholarship to 343 children of deceased civil servants, 99 physically challenged students, and a N100, 000. 00 awarded to 883 Law students of Delta State origin each in Nigeria Law School.

Works-in-progress include construction of an independent power plant (IPP) at Oghareki, the international airport in Asaba, and the upgrading the Osubi airport to international standard. The state government has also constructed about 252 kilometres of road which include the AsabaUghelli road, Ugbenu-Koko road, Ughelli Artery, and the PTI/Jakpa road.

Of course, the Uduaghan-led government can do more. But, again, provision of infrastructures costs money. And when this covers a wide expanse, it involves a whole load of money. For instance, the Koko free trade zone, which prospects a fertilizer blending plant, petrochemical and LPG plants has an estimated investment outlay

of 16 billion dollars. Hence, states of the Niger-Delta resort to ‘begging.’

Surely, there is a need to review the 1999 constitution hurriedly drafted by the military, and which allocated a meagre 13% returns for ‘plundering’ extractive minerals by the federal government anywhere in the country. Apart from Niger delta States, other states have sufficient human and natural resources to live the good the life but, obviously, some provisions of the constitution cripple this vision. I really hope the federal government listens - it should realise that the equitable ways are either to let the federating units own their resources or ensure a system whereby federating units get more from resources extracted within their territory. Governor Uduaghan advocated nothing less 50% from the Federal government. As a Deltan, I think that is fair enough - and a matter for the Senate Committee on Constitution Review to seriously consider.

• Okoro writes from Warri, Delta State

‘With vast human and natural resources, Delta State, goes by the appellation, ‘Big Heart.’

And the heart’s function is to supply blood, the precious gift needed for life, through the arteries and veins to nourish the whole body. The heart needs the right amount of blood, pumped at the right rate, and at the right times to make the body function properly’

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

22

EDITORIAL/OPINION ‘A reputation for good judgment, for fair dealing, for truth, and for rectitude, is itself a fortune.’

—Henry Ward Beecher (1813 - 1887) U.S.cleric/abolitionist.

ITH the array of well educated and sometimes exposed men and women in our midst, one wonders why it has become so difficult for the country to make appreciable feat in the realm of public affairs management. Without being hyperbolic, it would not be wrong to say that over eighty per cent of those in government today and in the past have travelled outside the shores of this country to nations where things work well. Travelling gives exposure and this is considered to be one of the best education one can get. Yet, it seems as if those in power in yesteryears and now have learnt nothing from better managed countries they had travelled to before or during their stay in power.

What Nigerians sadly enjoy most during adventures abroad is not learning of developmental things but engaging in spending spree in the name of shopping- returning home not with ideas but bags that are full of expensive imported items that citizens’ of countries of visits can not even afford to buy.

Also, those Nigerians that work abroad that ought to imbibe the creative developmental spirit of their host nations are not different from those that went on visits because they later come home too, to lead by precepts rather than example.

The above scenario clearly depicts the ensuing battle of wits culminating into the reeling out of impeachment ultimatum between the House of Representatives and the Presidency.

The noisemakers in plenary last week Thursday passed a resolution accusing the president of “gross misconduct” for alleged poor implementation of the 2012 Appropriation Act. They gave President Goodluck Jonathan up till September 30 when they will resume from recess to ensure “full implementation” of the fiscal policy or it will start ‘drafting articles of impeachment’ against him.

The national assembly has power under section 143 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to impeach the president and one would have expected that such a threat will be taken with all the seriousness it deserves. Unfortunately, it took the government seven days before it could come out through its coordinating Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to make a formal pro-

W

H

ARRY Houdini was an American magician and escapologist who lived till 1926. More on this later. My jolly good friend Oj would always say , “you know what Steve, we were ‘badly’ brought up. Look at us, after over 20 year of graduating from the university and rising to the positions of editors of national newspapers, we are still struggling to keep head above water. We are simple badly brought up to be God-fearing, to play by the rules and to strive to be professionals in our calling. These are old paradigms, they don’t work anymore, not in Nigeria at least.” Though we often end up banishing any regrets and agreeing that an old dog does not learn new tricks, the trial of the suspected oil subsidy thieves brings Oj’s remarks back in bold relief.

Did you see some of the accused persons who appeared at the Lagos High Court, Ikeja, last Wednesday? Apart from looking chubby and so very well fed (of course if you deal in billions of easy naira you would look well too), they could as well have been attending a victory party, they could as well have won the case already If you read their countenances and body language right . Take a look at the photographs in some national newspapers of yesterday if you did not catch them on television the day before; you really would almost wish you were a suspected oil thief. The suspects were a picture of happy and self-fulfilled lot who had no worries on earth. The bon vivant was infectious as the lawyers and even the EFCC and other security personnel all seemed to have signed a done deal on this particular ‘project’.

After so much foot-dragging and hee-hawing, the Federal Government eventually caused the people who had been fingered in what has become a monumental fraud, to trial.

In the first place, the final report of investigation turned out to be an anti-climax. It turned out that only small fries and unknown quantities, to apply that cliché, were put forward for trial. Where are the big oil barons, the big players who have been subjects of speculation since a certain Hon. Lawan Farouq chaired a House of Representatives Panel on petrol Subsidy? Is this what it is all about? Would the greatest national corruption scandal be papered over with the greatest national hood wink? Could it be that these little, boisterous boys and girls who would rather be in nightclubs than courtrooms are

Noise makers in power

•Okonjo-Iweala nouncement on the issue. Where is the coordination in this? The honourable minister does not even have the facts and figures of what she coordinates on her finger tips.

Rather, the madam of the finance ministry regaled us with her much touted but non result yielding global exposure. She retorted two days ago on why the government failed to implement the budget to an appreciable level: “…there is hardly any country where you would implement (budget) 100 per cent even by the end of the year and this is based on very broad experience….But people try to get at least 80 per cent to 90 per cent of the budget by September, you know September is the ninth month of the year, we will definitely be moving towards the figure. As you know, we have released about N404billion so far, cashed back N324billion and the utilisation of that is 56 per cent. We will soon

be considering the release of the third quarter funds; we hope to do that within the next two weeks or so.’’

She went further to verbally indict the federal legislators for ravenousness and egoism when she said subtly: “We do face a couple of challenges that we have been working on with the National Assembly, effectively and quietly…. many of the constituency projects and new projects put into the budget needs to be designed and to have feasibility studies because they are new and of course, this takes a little bit of time for the MDAs to begin the process of procurement which also takes time.’’

The clincher with which she nailed the legislators was where she pointed out their tomfoolery in project planning/management and lack of respect for laws they make to wit : ‘… To follow the law and follow the way the projects are implemented takes a little bit of time... We are very committed to getting these projects done; you can’t really begin the implementation of a project before you have a feasibility study.’’

Madam economic coordinator of the federation revealed further that the legislators made some surreptitious moves by juggling resources from one category to the other in contrast to what the executive arm had presented during the period when the budget was considered by the National Assembly thereby making it difficult for ministers to identify such projects for implementation.

While the coordinating minister has sufficiently exposed what Nigerians already know about their mostly unreliable legislators that can go to any length to satisfy their greed, she

EXPRESSO STEVE OSUJI

SMS O8181624757, email:steve_osuji@yahoo.com

Subsidy saga: Houdinis at work the ones rippling through Nigeria’s petroleum industry and turning it upside down?

Whoever is concocting this magical act must be smart by half, or outright half-arsed. This grand charade won’t stand. Not even with the long array of SANs they have lined up. In the first place, where is the Minister of Petroleum Resources under whose watch this landslide fraud was perpetrated? Where are the chief executives of the various agencies under the Ministry? They all authorized and approved the payouts to voodoo oil importers. Diezani Alison-Madueke and her team in the Ministry and agencies must come to trial first. No oil company would have gotten a kobo without their knowledge and approval. Where is the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, whose duty is it to verify and ensure the fidelity of such transactions of national magnitude; where is the Ministry of Finance that ought to have oversight over Nigeria’s finances. Why have the heads of all these government bodies not been fired for gross negligence, dereliction of duty and even collusion in such enormous graft?

What it all suggests is that if the so-called subsidy had not been yanked off our mouths the way a deranged mother yanks the breast off her suckling’s mouth; if we had not yelled loud enough and hoisted placards, all these would never have come out. They would still continue to tell us that the economy would collapse in one month if they do not remove subsidy. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told us so, Lamido sanusi parroted it; yet the were the

ones suoersing the fraudulent payouts. This explains why the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration has been merely tumbling on crazedly, it is leaking like a large basket. Is this any way to run an economy? It simply means that the entire financial management system has broken down. What on earth are Alison-Madueke, Lamido Sanusi and OkonjoIweala still doing on their seats? Why is the whole country being insulted and taken for a ride; why does this government seem to be deriving so much pleasure in wasting our time and holding this country down? Do the people have to occupy Aso Rock before this government acts right?

One can see a great effort being applied to extirpating this scam, enough effort to turn the country around for good. It is wicked, to say the least, for Nigerians to be taken on this extended detour in the subsidy scam journey; to be treated to this will-o’-the-wisp drama of a macabre kind. It won’t stand and all the Houdinis in this magical act will answer to the people in due season; they will not escape.

LAST MUG:From perm sec to president While the detractors of Perm Sec., First Lady , Dame Patience Goodluck Jonathan are still griping about the very small matter of her climbing to the pinnacle of her civil service life, she has since left them in that dust and moved on to much bigger things. She is now the President of African First Ladies and to paraphrase the local Warri saying, observers can worry themselves into a coma. Right

on the other hand must be told that all she reeled out about budget targets/implementation were after thoughts (concocted figures) that would not have come out if the legislators, for selfish and other perverse reasons(bogus constituency projects inclusive), have not come after the president through this impeachment threat. If something is not properly done, why should she work things out quietly, on a paddy level, with the national assembly? Are these ministers working for the country or these greedy legislators?

This rob my back, l rob yours system being adopted by Okonjo-Iweala is not what she learnt in all her self professed years of working abroad.

Where are the values she claimed to have learnt abroad? If she was indeed coordinating the economy, she should have informed the nation the next day after the House impeachment threat of the true percentage implementation figures of the current budget.

It is true that money is salient to budget realisation but madam coordinator ought to realise too that a correct percentage of budget implementation can only be known or arrived at through the percentage of projects executed and not by the huge amount of released funds as she wants us to know. The reality as it is today is that most Nigerians hardly feel the effect of government budget because large chunks of it are on recurrent expenditure meant to ingratiate greedy noise makers in power in both the executive and the legislative arms of government.

The noise makers in legislative plenary last week must stop exposing their stupidity through incessant pursuit of pecuniary benefits. If they are actually interested in impeaching President Jonathan, there are sundry issues that could be tied to that. The palpable insecurity ravaging the country, especially the Boko Haram cankerworm is one reason that every citizen will support. The innuendo surrounding their current move makes this attempt a puerile one. The budget thing could only work if they have unimpeachable legislative integrity. One doubts if they do. However, this should not serve as an excuse for the non-performance by Mr President and more importantly non full implementation of the 2012 budget.

The truth is that most of the legislators are presently on recess outside the country. They are advised not to bring back bags that are full of luxury items but ideas on how the legislature earns the respect of the executive arm in other clime. There and then, we can respect them and not see them and their executive ilk as noise makers in power. now, Abuja is aglow with the number one women from across Africa (don’t ask me which, or how many were in attendance) and our own ebullient First lady is giving them a swell time on our behalf.

O yes, professional worriers and Patience baiters now have fresh materials to feed their hate of course. They say the noble idea of the African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM) is bunkum initiative as even Nigeria knows no peace; they say the on-going Summit is a jamboree and they also insist that the sevenstorey secretariat that is rising into the Abuja horizon is Patience’s little heritage for all her sacrifices for Nigeria. Their was also a bad rumour that government gave her 200 new cars for the Summit not knowing that it was just a small gift from a very patriotic Nigerian company.

And lastly, the former first lady (notice the deliberate lower case) has been trying to test the will of the President of African women by trying to disrupt a great work in progress.

People should ask the Ex if she forgot anything in the office of the First Lady, let her wait till Dame Patience is done. What insolence harassing her over a miserable piece of land. Well the President of all African women is not distracted or perturbed having gone ahead to commission her edifice on the land in question with all African First ladies bearing her witness.

Well, we can only congratulate our matriarch, the First Lady of first ladies (hope you noticed that?). You don’t quarrel with peace do you?

‘This grand charade won’t stand. Not even with the long array of SANs they have lined up. In the first place, where is the Minister of Petroleum Resources under whose watch this landslide fraud was perpetrated?

Where are the chief executives of the various agencies under the Ministry?’

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

23

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

25

PEOPLE THE NATION

AN EIGHT-PAGE SECTION ON SOCIETY

A book on the six-year tenure of former University of Lagos (UNILAG) Vice Chancellor Prof Oye Ibidapo-Obe has been presented in Lagos. RISIKAT RAMONI was there.

•Prof Ibidapo-Obe; Chief Obasanjo; wife of the author, Sola and renowned businessman Chief Oludolapo Akinkugbe

Memoirs of an exUNILAG VC

M

ANY ignored the traffic snarl and heavy rain to grace the book presentation. It was even a Monday, they were there in large numbers.

The book entitled: From excellence to distinction: the University of Lagos on world's intellectual map, was written by former University of Lagos (UNILAG) ViceChancellor (VC), Prof Oyewusi IbidapoObe. Ibidapo-Obe, the president of Nigeria Academy of Science is now VC, Federal University,Ndufu Alike Ikwo in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.

The event drew personalities, such as, former President Olusegun Obasanjo; former Minister of Works and Housing Dr Wahab Dosunmu; President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who was represented by his Special Adviser, Mr Joseph Makoju; Acting UNILAG VC Prof.

Rahmon Ade Bello; President , Metropolitan Club, Chief Olu Akinkugbe; Provost, College of Medicine, UNILAG, Prof Wole Aroyebi; and former commissioner in Kwara and Kogi states, Basorun Ayokun Ade-John, among others.

Their dressing reflected the seriousness of the event. It was not a social gathering

or party as such. Many were dressed in suits; trousers, shirts and ties; others wore traditional attires.

There were elderly men and women who have known the author for ages. Praises were showered on him for the historical documentation.

The 508-page book contains 12 chapters of selected speeches Ibidapo-Obe made during his tenure between 2001 and 2007.

The book was written in prose to make it readable.

Speeches in some of the chapters include those made during matriculations, inaugural lectures, convocations, addresses to Senate, workshops and seminars, and more.

Reviewing the book, Prof Niyi Akinnaso spoke in detail about its contents. The book, he said, contains the biography of the author, action plan of how the writer made the school a university of first choice, pictures and others.

Akinnaso stressed the importance of UNILAG as a brand and efforts made in the last 50 years to make it a school of international standard.

Obasanjo added pep to the event with his wisecracks.

The former President drew laughter from

the guests throughout his stay at the event.

He unveiled the book before leaving.

Thereafter, several people bought the book.

Makoju, who led the launch, said the documentation of Ibidapo-Obe's tenure as Vice-Chancellor would not only be a legacy, but also a guide for those behind him.

He said the historic documentation will make it easy for others to study, replicate and adapt its content to their own environment.

The author, in black suit, white shirt and multi-coloured tie, sat beside his wife, Sola.

Ibidapo-Obe said the book was his first literary work, which focuses on leadership and management.

He appreciated his friends and colleagues who made it to the event despite the hectic traffic and workload on Mondays.

Urging other VCs to write books about their universities, he said: "It helps and creates the concept of institutional memory."

He recommended the book to other Nigerians, especially those interested in higher education. •More pictures on page 30

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

26

SOCIETY MEMOIRS OF AN EX-VC

•Registrar, University of Lagos, Mr Oluwarotimi Sodimu (left) and Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof Babajide Alo

•From left: Mr Makoju; Prof Akinnaso and UNILAG Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof. Rahmon Ade Bello

•Managing Director, New Age Publishers, Otunba Femi Oyetayo (left) and Dr Dosunmu

•Chief Joop Berkhout (left) and Mr Ayo Jagun

DAY ACTION CONGRESS OF NIGERIA LEADERS HONOURED HON KAMAL AYINDE BAYEWU

•From left: Ojora of Ijoraland Oba Fatai Aromire; Action Congress of Nigeria National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Muhammed; Hon Kamal Bayewu; ACN Lagos Vice-Chairman Cardinal Omolaja Odumbaku and Alhaji Adetona

•Lagos House of Assembly Deputy Speaker, Hon Kolawole Taiwo

•Member, Lagos State House of Assembly Hon Abdoulbaq Balogun

•Former Lagos State Commissioner for Sports Prince Ademola Adeniji-Adele

•Former President of Eko Club Prince Rabiu Oluwa

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

27

SOCIETY

THE NATION FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 2012

THE INTERMENT OF ALHAJA SIKIRAT ABEJE AJIMOBI, MOTHER OF OYO STATE GOVERNOR ABIOLA AJIMOBI IN IBADAN

•From left: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; a guest and Governor Abiola Ajimobi

•Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun (right) and Former Governor of Oyo State, Dr Omololu Olunloyo

•Governor of Lagos, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN)

•Business mogul, Alhaji Lamidi Ajadi

•Secretary to Osun State Government Alhaji Moshood Adeoti (left) and Ondo State ACN Governorship Candidate, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN)

•Alhaji AbdulAzeez Arisekola-Alao

•Former Oyo State Governor Lam Adesina

•Former Senator Majority Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin (right) and Alhaji Akinade Fijabi

•Wife of Oyo State Governor Mrs Florence Ajimobi (right) and her Ekiti State counterpart Erelu Bisi Fayemi

•From left: Oyo State Deputy Governor Moses Adeyemo; a guest, former Secretary to Oyo State Government, Chief Michael Koleoso and Oyo ACN Chairman, Chief Akin Oke.

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

28

SOCIETY Convener of Capital Market Roundtable and the Okanlomo of Ikole-Ekiti, Chief Adebukola Oluseye Adetunmbi, celebrated his 50th birthday with the launch of his book, Mindset in Lagos. NNEKA NWANERI reports.

I

T was double celebration for the convener of Capital Market Roundtable in Nigeria and the Okanlomo of Ikole Ekiti, Chief Adebukola Oluseye Adetunmbi, when he marked his 50th birthday with the launch of his book entitled: Mindset, last Saturday.

The event was held at Anchors Events Arena, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos.

The hall was decorated in blue and gold colours. Exotic cars belonging to guests were parked neatly. Many of such cars bore number plates of Lagos and Ekiti states.

Taiwo Omotunde and his Eternal Beats band entertained guests with music before the book presentation.

Many were dressed in native wears, depicting the rich Yoruba culture.

Earlier in the day, a thanksgiving service was held in his honour at the Anglican Church of the Ascension, Opebi, Ikeja.

The chairman of the occasion, Mr Ayo Ajayi, was full of accolades for the ‘birthday boy’.

An Ekiti indigenous musician, Popular and his Ekitipanupo group thrilled guests.

The ‘birthday boy’ is also a key member of Ekiti Parapo and the Squash team.

Reviewing the book, journalist turned politician Mr Dare Babarinsa, who was represented by Mr Tunde Animashaun, explained that the book gives an insight into the life of the author while telling the story of why Ekiti is so blessed with unique and proud people.

“It reminds the people why they are who they are. The theme of the book was created such that it takes you into a world of research and findings. I recommend this book for those with the ‘mindset’ of honesty, dignity and the offing to excel,” he added.

The book is a collection of his writings from 1986 till date, on the potential greatness of Nigeria and a compendium of structured thoughts on the capital market, banking, and finance and integrated marketing issues coupled with historical essays.

His passion for education and the Yoruba culture is reflected in his writing.

Adetunmbi didn’t say much when he was called upon to give his remarks. He said all he would have said is written in the book.

Though he wanted to speak in his native Ekiti dialect, in respect for his cosmopolitan friends, he spoke in English.

Encouraging the Yoruba to always be their brothers’ keepers, he lamented that many challenges have robbed them of their togetherness.

He sang a song in his language, meaning: “I am here to bring my thanks to God.” He cut his cake with his wife and three children as the party continued till late evening.

Book launch and a birthday

•The celebrator Chief Adetunmbi (second right); his wife Olabowale; Mr Seyi Akinwunmi (left) and Tunde Busari

•Sir Remi Omotosho (left) and Mr Ayo Ajayi

•Mrs Remi Balogun and Mr Tajudeen Jinadu

•Mr Yinka Sanni

•Mr Wole Oluyobi (left) and Ekiti State Deputy Chief of Staff Mr Mojeed Jamiu

•Mr Bukola Olawadiya displaying the book

• Mr Animashaun

•Admiral Abiodun Olukoya (rtd)

•Mr Femi Orebe and his wife Atinuke

•Remi Fagbohun and Mr Bamgboye

PHOTOS: DAYO ADEWUNMI

29 FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

Vol 4. No. 1759

Brands are striving to explore new strategies to dominate their markets.

This is why brand builders are looking for ways to connect with their target audience. It is, therefore, not surprising that a successful consumer engagement platform can garner gains for a brand with foresight, writes WALE ALABI.

A

WARE of the potential of having a strong consumer engagement platform, brands try to leverage on existing platforms to get in tune with their consumers and build rapport.

These platforms may come as promos and other marketing strategies used to woo targets. Most brands are inclined to follow popular trend, hence the huge bias for entertainment which seems to be all encompassing.

The need for a strong consumer engagement platform, which, ultimately, seeks to build and sustain a mutually beneficial relationship between an audience and a brand becomes imperative in the highly competitive business climate. In Nigeria, brands are springing up from almost every sector of the economy. The implication of this is a huge increase in brand clutter. To differentiate itself from this clutter, a brand looks for meaningful ways to engage consumers.

The challenge of building a potent consumer engagement platform is nothing compared to sustaining the relevance of such a platform.

The fast pace of change in our society is quite alarming. Changes in the way we communicate, the way we purchase products, the technology and lifestyle has had a significant impact on both brands and consumers.

In other words, the potency of a consumer engagement platform is, to a large extent, dependent on how well it conforms to change. For consumers to find a platform valuable, a brand must aim to provide engagement content that not only thrives on creativity, but also on relevance.

Since the inception of ‘Real Deal Nite’, the consumer engagement platform of Legend, the leading stout brand from the stables of Nigeria Breweries Plc in March last year, has been able to sustain the intensity and excitement of the event far beyond expectations.

In doing this, Legend seems to have realised what its consumers’ desire. The brand also envisaged the challenges of sustaining such a platform and thus put in place strategies to continue to make the event captivating and highly rewarding for consumers.

• From left: Brand Manager, Legend Extra Stout, Mr Funso Ayeni; CEO, Music Artist, Chinedu Okoli (aka Flavour N’abania); Media and Public Affairs Manager, Mr Edem Vindah and Gbenro Ajibade of Tinsel, during the second edition of the Legend Real Deal Nite in Lagos.

Consumer engagement: Legend reaches for the top The brand has been able to provide optimum entertainment for its consumers. The Legend ‘Real Deal Nite’, which holds at the Niteshift Coliseum hangout, Lagos, has become a monthly convergence of revellers, top entertainers and crème-de-la crème of the society. The fusion of comedy, an electrifying in house live-band and music by A-rated artistes and living legends, seems to be delighting consumers as the number of those who attended the event continue to leap monthly. This year alone, the event has been able to attract high profile entertainers, such as Basketmouth, I go Dye, Seyi Law, Mike Okri, Flavour Nabania, J.Martins,Gordons amongst others.

The brand realises the necessity of bonding with its consumers. It has been able to foster a strong relationship with its numerous consumers through this platform. This, in turn, has had a massive influence in the market performance of the brand. Legend is regarded as the fastest growing beer brand in the country with the 2010 growth rate put at over 65 per cent.

One of the high points of the Real Deal Nite, is the raffle draw promo, where wonderful gift items ranging from generating sets, DVD players, refrigerators, standing fans and lots

more are given out to lucky winners.

One of the winners at the last edition of the Real Deal Nite, Mr Paul Ukpabio, a Lagosbased journalist, became the proud owner of a refrigerating set. Ukpabio, a native of Akwa-Ibom State, said he has been attending the Real Deal Nite for the past three months but has never won anything.

“I have not won anything since I have been coming for the event. I feel tonight is just my lucky night. I believe this is the work of God. I am going to put this refrigerator in my house to serve as a reminder that I won this courtesy of Legend extra stout.”

An elated Ukpabio said he was still in still disbelief. He said: “Legend has always been my brand; no doubt about that. There is something about legend that just gets you hooked to it. I feel it is because of its rich taste. It’s just a very wonderful stout drink.”

Mr Aremu Shina, also emerged winner of a brand new generating set. A sound engineer, it was, indeed, a memorable day for him as he was also celebrating his birthday on that day. “I never thought I was going to win. I feel so lucky. I am really happy because today is my birthday and it’s really a wonderful thing winning this here tonight.

I feel so great tonight. My birthday couldn’t

‘Since the inception of Real Deal Nite, the consumer engagement platform of Legend in March last year, it has been able to sustain the intensity and excitement of the event far beyond expectations.

In doing this, Legend seems to have realised what its consumers’ desire. It also envisaged the challenges of sustaining such a platform and thus put in place strategies to continue to make the event captivating and highly rewarding for consumers’

have been better. I appreciate Legend for making it quite a memorable experience for me.”

Shina added that the generating set would prove very useful to him considering the epileptic power supply witnessed in the country. “I have never won something of this magnitude before. It’s a great thing Legend is doing by putting up this kind of event.

I want to say a big thank you to Legend.

Prior to now, I did not drink Legend, but with all that has happened today, I’m left with no choice, but to pledge my allegiance to the Legend extra stout.”

Another winner, Funmi Abolari, a caterer, won a new generating set at the event.

Abolari, said:. “I have visited the Niteshift Coliseum three times. I am so happy I can’t even describe it. This is my first time of winning such a gift.”

The Legend’s Real Deal Nite, a monthly inbar brand activation, rewards consumers for being loyal to the brand. The event, which holds every last Friday of the month, gives brand loyalists an opportunity to win fantastic prizes in a raffle draw promo while they have fun and feel the spirit and uniqueness of the Legend brand.

Funso Ayeni, Brand Manager, Legend Extra Stout, said the relevance of the Real Deal Nite is to create an atmosphere, where the brand bonds with its consumers and to make them understand the brand essence. “We are calling on people to follow the brand, try it and, of course, become a loyalist.”

Ayeni stressed that Legend Extra stout is by far “the best brewed stout brand in Nigeria with distinguishing qualities that sets it apart from other brands in the market because of the full brewed process that it undergoes.”

He added that the Real Deal Night would also be spreading its tentacles to Benin, PortHarcourt and Abuja later.

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

30

Brandnews

NB introduces new Star

A

FTER over 60 years in the market, Star lager beer has been repackaged and presented to consumers in Lagos.

At the event, five of Nigeria’s best artistes, Tuface Idibia, D’banj, MI, Wizkid and Tiwa Savage entertained guests.

Managing Director of Nigerian Breweries Nicolaas Vervelde said there is no doubt that Star is a market leader.

He said: “Star did not start to shine now; it has always led the market. It was renewed in 1956 and in 1974, it became the first beer brand to introduce neck label and in 2007. It took a bold innovative stride by introducing packaging in cans; so star has always been with Nigeria.”

Walter Drenth, Marketing Director of NB, said superior product quality has been the driving force of Star; he added that consumers have come to trust the brand because of its consistent quality over the years.

The brand has the heritage of being brewed under strict quality standards since 1949 and the consumership remains uncompromised. Another factor is the strong distribution network. The brand has a strong distribution footprint, which spans Nigeria. It is, therefore, not by accident that the ever-refreshing Star is distributed and available in the country.

The Star brand, right from when it was initiated, has maintained a constant message of bringing “brightness” to its consumers.This is always reflected in all its marketing campaigns.

He stressed that another factor that adds to Star’s equity is the fact that it has one of the best communications.

This communication has been consistent over the years. Again, this does not happen by accident.

It is a well-thought out process that has made the brand young and fresh despite that it has been around for 63 years. Star is one of the best run brands to come out of Nigeria.

Innovation, he pointed out, also plays a fundamental part in the development of the Star brand over the years. Another factor an brand analyst can identify is that Star has been noted for churning out adverts, which has projected the superior quality of the brand over the years.

Right from the beginning, the brand made a strong statement, from the first campaign slogan of “Ah! Star – Beer at its best” introduced in 1949 through the “Brightness” campaign of the 1970s/80s, to the “Turn to Star – the ideal brew” campaign, unveiled in 1989, to the “Live the Brighter Life In Style – Star Ahead on Taste” campaign of the 1990’s and then to the

•From left: Drenth, Vervelde and Sales Director, Nigerian Breweries, Mr Hubert Eze at the event.

campaigns of “Never A Dull Moment with Star”, “Share the Brighter Life”, “Shine Shine Bobo”and “Let’s get the party STARted”, it is clear that the advertising campaign development history of Star has been consistent in creating a mythical halo for the brand.

The rave-making campaign that heralded the Star Bottle change in 2000 is still fresh in the mind of consumers. The Star Dance and Shine Shine Bobo are award winning materials.

Sampson Oloche, Senior Brand Manager Star, added: “As a brand with mass appeal, there is a need to engage with consumers to meet their needs and understand their aspirations. Star relies on different media and stakeholders’touch points to reach its target audience.

“Our consumer engagement platforms are some of the most robust in the country. From Star Quest to Star Trek to Star Mega Jam, it is always meeting the consumer where he is and always respond-

ing to his need to have a brighter life always. In fact, consumers are charged with picking the foreign act they want to have for the popular Star Mega Jam.” Oloche added that the platforms that the brand provides have been a veritable avenue for younger adults to express themselves and showcase their talents. The brand is seen as giving back to the society by empowering the youths, most of whom may never have had the opportunity to know they even have hidden talents.

Winners emerge in Cowbell Olympic promo

W

INNERS have emerged in the on-going Cowbell Olympic Medal Rush promo launched by Promasidor Nigeria Limited, makers of Cowbell Milk, to reward customers and create excitement around the London Olympics.

They are Mrs. Akinola Bosede, a business woman, who won a gold medal of N50,000 and Mrs. Akinbola Bolanle, also a business woman that won a bronze medal of N20,000.

The winners were at the head office of Promasidor in Lagos to collect their cash prizes.

Mrs. Akinola expressed great delight after the receiving the prize.

She said she could not believe it was real until a cheque was handed over to her by Mrs. Chioma Ajunwa Oparah, the Cowbell Olympic Medal Rush promo ambassador.

She said: “This is the first time I will win something. I feel so happy.

I am going to use part of the money to pay my tithe and use the remainder to buy food stuff.

Promasidor is a fantastic company.

They make very good products.”

Also, Mrs. Bolanle, a business woman, who won N20,000, said she had never participated in any

promo before in her life because she did not believe in it. In fact, she stated that this is her first time she would win in a promo, though she never knew that Cowbell was doing a promo.

However, one of her children encouraged her to participate in the promo, when she saw the sticker in the 400 gram sachet of Cowbell that she bought.

She said she called the mobile number on the sticker and she was asked to come to Promasidor office to claim her prize.

Mrs Ajunwa-Oparah, the promo ambassador and the 1996 Olympics

gold medal winner, encouraged more people to participate in the promo by buying Cowbell milk, adding that, the promo is as real as life.

She said Promasidor, is a company of long standing integrity.

She urged Nigerians to use the opportunity as they stand a chance of winning cash prizes or a ticket to watch the Olympics Games in London.

“I will advise our athletes that are going to the Olympics to

LASAA, Ekiti partner on outdoor advertising

T

• From left: Divisional Sales Manager (West), Promasidor Nigeria Limited, Mr Kunle Ayeni; Mrs. Ajunwa-

Oparah; Mrs Akinbola and Koleoso, at the event.

make Nigerians proud and Promasidor as a company for believing in them by partnering with Nigerian Olympics Committee because if they did well. The company would be motivated to invest more money on them subsequently,” she added.

To participate in the promo, Mr Olusegun Koleoso, Business Development Manager of Promasidor, said consumers buy the product and follow the instructions attached to it.

HE Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) has started collaboration with its counterpart in Ekiti State, Ekiti State Signage and Advertisement Agency (EKSAA).

The deal is for the effective management of signage and outdoor structures. It is coming after a visit to LASAA by EKSAA Director-General Mr Eleaza Olumiyiwa Ogunmilade.

At the event, the Managing Director of LASAA, Mr George Noah, Ogunmilade, spoke of his plans to transform his agency and to leverage on the vast experience LASAA has gained since inception on May 31, 2006.

Smarting from a working visit to Ekiti State, Noah, who was accompanied by two senior officials including Ms. Temitayo Etomi (Special Adviser on Operations) and Mr Tope Akande (Head of Corporate Affairs), said the visit was aimed at assisting his Ekiti State counterpart in regulatory and revenue generation including the development of an outdoor masterplan, Signage enumeration and situational analysis, Image & reputation audit, structure seg-

mentation & pricing.

“We found out during our visit that, that Ekiti may not possess the population and commerce in Lagos, but there are vast potential of untapped products and services to add more pep to the aesthetics of the environment as well increase revenues more than ever before,” Noah said.

“The two agencies have agreed to an exchange programme to enable staff benefit from such exercise,” he added.

Ogunmilade, a former Managing Director of Oceanic Bank in Gambia, expressed similar sentiments.

“We recognise the strides made by LASAA in recent years and hope we can benefit from that wealth of experience. This is a collaborative initiative; as such, we believe there are some areas LASAA, too, will learn from us. We intend to put in place systems to help us run efficiently in addition to giving our staff the required training for the job.”

A preliminary report of the visit has been forwarded to the Ekiti State Governor Dr Kayode Fayemi as well as the EKSAA boss for consideration.

SHOPPING

31

THE NATION

Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.net

FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

e-mail: janicenkoli@yahoo.com 08033349992 sms only

email:- shopping@thenationonlineng.net

•Baby nursery

Setting up a baby nursery

A lot of activities surround the expectation of a baby. Everything is done to ensure that the baby arrives into a warm and cosy home.

Those who can afford it, set up a nursery. Here are tips from OMOWUMI OGUNTUASE on shopping for the nursery.

•STORY ON PAGE 36 MY SHOPPING

How to know quality foot mats - Page 32

Look hip in maternity gowns - Page 33

All for cheaper power - Page 34

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

32

SHOPPING

•Nursery for your baby's comfort

Setting up a baby nursery S

HOPPING for a baby is fun but it can also be nervewracking. You will be torn between beauty and quality. You want everything to be perfect but may get distracted by every cute item in the shop; stay on track and get what is needed.

A lot of thinking go into designing a baby nursery; depending on your budget and

where to shop for the items you need. Safety should come first when choosing the room you will use. No matter the size of the room, do not feel that you need to fill every inch of it with stuff for the little one. You need a lot of space to move about. The room needs to be large enough for the baby furniture and you should also consider the location in re-

lation to your own bedroom. It should be easily accessible from any part of the house.

Before going out, you should plan your budget. Baby wears can be as expensive or inexpensive as you want it to be. Know your budget and stay within it. Endeavour not to buy on impulse but on need. You should also have a vision in mind before go-

ing to shop. Visualise the kind of room you want and jot down the things you need. Make the vision real in a way that you can see your baby living comfortably in that room.

When shopping for a baby nursery, try not to be overwhelmed so as not to overdo it. Keep it simple.

This applies just as well to the baby nursery as anything else. No

matter the size of the room, do not feel that you need to fill every inch of it with stuff for the little one.

You need a lot of space to move about. The room needs to be large enough for the baby furniture. Do not purchase everything you see, stick to the ones that will make your baby very comfortable.

Before going to the shops, you need to pick out the colour of the room. Picking a theme for the room will help streamline your shopping and will prevent you from buying items with colours that do not match. You should also know that the sex of your baby will serve as a determinant to the colour you will choose. Of course, this is only if you know the sex of the baby. If not, you can go for unisex colours. You also need to list the things you have received from friends and family so that you will not have to get double.

Look for quality and not beauty alone. Buy what will be comfortable and strong enough for your baby. If you go for fanciful cots, you might end up regretting it because it might be very fragile.

Baby things are very eye-catching, so do not be dazed over and concentrate on the well being of your child. Choose a well built crib. They come in different colours so you can pick a colour that will be in alignment with that of the room.

For the mattress, you need to purchase the one that will fit the crib well. Do not buy an undersized mattress or else the baby’s arms or legs might get caught in the crib. When getting the changing table, pick a sturdy one that has side holds, which would keep the baby from falling in case you need to turn to pick something.

Above all, make sure you have fun while shopping and designing the nursery. Take time to plan it well and use your sense of creativity to personalise the room to your taste. Make your vision come true.

Foot mats are one of the most important house accessories often overlooked. When kept at strategic areas, foot mats will contribute to the cleanliness and beauty of your home. But shopping for them is not easy. OMOLARA MOFESOLA OMONIYI reports.

F

OOT mats serve dual purpose, they keep the home clean and also beautify it. They are kept at doorsteps to trap the dirt under the feet or shoes before people step into the house. Its main function is cleanliness. But, nowadays, it is also used for aesthetics.

A foot mat could be a small piece of rug, rubber or carpet placed at the doorstep or entrance. You should be sure of the purpose of the mat before going out to shop for it. Tell the sales representative what you need the mat for; then he could recommend which one best suits your purpose. Do not be in a hurry. You should be aware that they all have different surfaces.

He would also tell you which is best for the purpose you want to use it.

A dealer at Lawanson, Lagos, Mr Dele Adesegun, said: “Many people want their homes and offices to be clean, so they keep trouping to our shop to buy. In fact, customers have forced us to start stocking very beautiful designs because they want their homes to look exotic. But it is even better for us because it makes us more imaginative in placing orders to our manufacturers.”

There are various choices to

How to know quality foot mats

•Rubber foot mat

make. You could consider the ones made from straw or the ones that match the colour of your rug, tiles or chair. There are various shapes and sizes but it all depends on your taste and the appeal you want to create. There are various tex-

•Style foot mat

tures as well. But the different types and shapes depend on the traffic of people. For instance, the ones made for places like shops are different from the ones made for the homes.

There is the anti-slip foot mats,

which prevents one from having a fall. It is used mostly in the areas where there is water. A typical example is in the bathroom and toilet, at the entrance or directly in front of the toilet and bathroom. This is because the areas with water are very much

likely to be slippery. Others are industrial mats, carpet mats and heated mats.

Floor mats are found in local stores and home supply depots.

They could also be found in the different malls around you.

Also mind what is printed on it.

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

33

SHOPPING Being pregnant does not mean you cannot be fashionable.You can look good by wearing maternity gowns that bring out your beauty.

OMOLARA MOFESOLA OMONIYI and OMOWUMI OGUNTUASE write on best clothes for expectant mothers.

Look hip in maternity gowns W

HEN international model Oluchi Onweagba, the first Mnet Face of Africa queen, became pregnant, she thought it would be at a great cost to her modelling career, so she tried to hide it.

But pregnancy would always announce itself. It soon became obvious that she was pregnant when her tummy began to bulge.

Rather than loose her modelling job, the pregnancy earned her greater contracts, as many modelling outfits scrambled for her services in that state. When former beauty queen Regina Askia was pregnant she went for clothes that exposed her tummy. The modern woman understands that pregnancy is a glorious period in her life.

A woman is a beauty to behold when well kitted during pregnancy. That is why many shops stock maternity clothings suitable for every woman.

Before your baby bump starts showing, the purchase of maternity dresses is an important element of pre-natal care a couple should look into. In case you do not know, the clothes you put on during pregnancy have profound effect on your health and that of your unborn child.

It was in the olden days that people believed maternity gowns should be a shapeless sack, but it does not have to be like that anymore. Comfortable clothes during pregnancy should be loose in order to cope with your expanding tummy or shape. They should tone down your shape.

The best maternity dresses may not necessarily be the loosest clothes you find at the mall, because a disadvantage of that

big attire is that you may trip and fall, which is dangerous, but tight clothes are also strongly opposed.

Expectant mothers are known to urinate more often than others, therefore, try to shop more for skirts than trousers, because trousers may be unfavourable in this regard. Also, you are putting on more weight and the trousers will rub your thighs against each other except you wear big ones.

If you are wearing any clothe with rope or string, you should not tie it too tight as it will obstruct blood circulation, thereby having adverse effect on you and your baby.

Being pregnant does not mean you cannot be fashionable; you can look like a pregnant Grecian goddess in a long flowing gown.

You can also attend functions and not be indecisive about your dressing, pick a tunic or oversized crop top and pair with leggings or just go with maxi gown. There are trousers that have bands which would be suitable for you, and they are mostly labelled according to the duration of the pregnancy.

You can also wear maxi and pleated highwaist skirts as they will be positioned on top of your bump.

You could also shop for flat shoes and sling-blacks. If you have always favoured high-heeled shoes, it is the time to take a break. Heels are stressful and you have no excuse not to purchase flats because they are available in all stores. Besides, they are very comfortable and will lighten the weight on your feet.

If you cannot go without making your hair during that period, it is advisable for you to shop for durable human hair which you would be able to wash and treat like your normal hair.

While shopping, please stay away from heavy accessories, go for the light ones and there are stylish ones at that. This would save you from headaches and feeling bothered.

Accessories are not really important especially the necklaces and bangles but if you want them, get the feather weight ones.

All these can be bought from malls and shopping centres and even shops near you.

Wherever you are, be sure that you will get your wears in prices that will suit your budget

Shopping Right with

Luxury retail in vogue

S

INCE globalisation was traced from the Silk and Spice routes linking Asia and Europe, to the rest of the world, trade became established along areas where merchants rested and finally settled. Shops therefore gave rise to cities as a result.

Shops began to grow and develop as people sought to meet needs around the globe.

Today, shopping has gone beyond merely JANICE NKOLI IFEME meeting purchasing needs. It serves much more than that. The concept of the present day shopping is an exciting one-stop shopping which presents the convenience and adding: “What matters to us is great service unique experience of retail, leisure, enter- delivery to fulfill optimum satisfaction of our customers. That is what the mall is all tainment, movies, games and health.

The vogue is executive shopping and about.”

South African shopping developer, Kobus luxury retail. Moving forward, the fastest growing format for shops today is the mall- Steenekamp stated that the development of shopping malls need increase, as Nigeria is huge, convenient and comprehensive.

Indeed, shops have made up the new cit- a vast country with great human and mateies. Shopping has made places like India and rial resources.

Mr Cosmas Maduka, CEO Coscharis China stand out. The United States and Europe had long set the pace but Dubai has Group, said: “Frankly, I think there will be stolen the show with the presence of the more shopping malls. I think that we haven’t had enough because the truth is that human most exotic and biggest mall in the world. beings are like water.

Nigeria is equally If you make a gutter, taking the cue. you see that the water ‘Today, shopping has Nigeria in turn is bewill flow through it, ginning to have a piece gone beyond merely but if you don’t, it will of the action. Western find its own way. styled shopping malls meeting purchasing When you organise are coming up. Mega needs. It serves much them, they follow. If Plaza is simply stunyou don’t, everybody ning, with its highmore than that. The will just go like flood brow style and exotic concept of the present on the street. car park mixed with Part of the difficulgood mannered service day shopping is an ties with shopping delivery. The Palms is exciting one-stop malls in Nigeria is equally commendable, parking space. You Silverbird Galleria is shopping which presents can’t get to find a kind also spectacular. Ikeja of space where people the convenience and City mall has joined can come in, pack and too and many others in unique experience of be able to shop propdifferent states of the erly. federation. retail, leisure, There is a lot of Many state governentertainment, movies, neighbourhoods that ments are now includare supposed to have ing malls to enhance games and health’ shopping malls. their development and If all things are tourism potentials. equal, we should More shopping malls keep springing up despite inflation. Many have a good shopping mall in every neighhave proposed greater development of bourhood.

However, the growing trend of malls is malls, optimistic that the trend could only not devoid of challenges as former inforimprove.

Image consultant, Mr Kunle Hamilton mation minister, Chief Alex Akinyele projects greater malls for the country. He pointed out: “The emerging shopping malls said: “I think this is the time for big time have good quality materials but when you investors to go into malls. The governor of compare their prices and the prices abroad, Lagos State has seen the gain. I see the gov- you discover that it is better to buy abroad. ernment doing something close to an Inter- I don’t blame them for their exorbitant national Standard. I think smaller outlets prices because, apart from changing money, pretending to be malls should shut up- If they pay freight, apart from paying freight, you go there, they are less than a flat. The the customs collect money from them, when first thing that makes a mall is its grand the customs have passed them the police size. Up coming malls should be a mini- will haunt them, they give money to the mum of twice the existing ones-for the sake police, as they leave the police, agents come of the shopper; you see various outlets around and take money from them. So at where your money makes you king. The the end of the day, they build up all these arrangement is such that there is fluidity. things and then pass them on to whoever is The entire family could go shopping to- buying. If government can come to their resgether because there is something for eve- cue… Some of them pay custom duties but ryone. Besides, you do not have to carry a as they are passing the gate some other cuslot of money. You should just go to a cash tom officers come round to harass them. It point or use your credit card. That is the is happening. If we cannot be bold to say it kind of convenience I look forward to. But is happening then, shame on us.

Another major challenge retarding the dethe government should work hard to provelopment of shopping malls and indeed vide adequate power”.

The Manager of Mega Plaza, Victoria Is- the manufacturing industry is inadequate land, Mr Uri Sadan expressed optimism power supply, which has rendered many about the development of shopping malls jobless and others inefficient.

Write to us, express your views, observations and experiences. Let’s have your comments about shopping. Your comments, questions and answers will be published first Friday of every month. With your full name and occupation, send e-mail to: janicenkoli@yahoo.com •Simple maternity gown

•Smart gown for pregnancy

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THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

SHOPPING With electricity bills on the rise, consumers are looking elsewhere for cheaper power.

Solar home appliances can reduce electricity bill, TONIA ‘DIYAN writes.

All for cheaper power T

HERE are many reasons solar electrical appliances have become attractive to consumers. They give a level of independence that rising power energy costs would not affect.

The sun is a powerful and inexhaustible source of energy: which can power appliances both at home and the office.

With its environmental-friendly nature, its process of producing electricity is silent and avoids hotness or pollution. The use of solar appliances could help keep costs under control.

One advantage of solar appliances is that it reduces reliance on the electrical company; electrical bills are eradicated and much more value is added to household appliances. Electrical power is produced once the sunlight is available. A large proportion of a household’s total energy consumption is used on heating water. By using the electricity generated by your solar appliances, you could reduce your electricity bills or finally stop paying.

You may also be able to use solar electricity to operate all the electrical appliances in your home. The more appliances you have, the more electricity you generate, and the more you can save. Another benefit is that solar energy supplies the home with power when there is power outage. It functions without having to be connected to some power grid.

“I am thinking of changing all my home electrical appliances such as fan, television, sound system, desktop and laptop to solar. I can no longer afford the outrageous

NEPA bill I am charged monthly for not using power. I would like to go hundred per cent solar. It is more economical”, said Osahan Henry, an activist.

There are solar ovens, lamps, refrigerators, calculators, radios, pumps, inverters, solar chargers for mp3, digital cameras, mobile phones, laptops and lots more. With energy prices continually on the rise, most people are looking for simple solutions to lower their utility bills. Replacing traditional electric products with solar-powered home products can reduce the amount of electricity you use and lower your monthly energy bills.

Many products are available in the market for use in your home that run on solar energy.

Portable solar chargers keep electronic devices, such as cell phones, iPods, Global Positioning Systems and even laptops, powered.

Simba solar is one of the leading solution provider of solar appliances in Nigeria with the goal to encourage people to use solar appliances in their homes and offices.

Some other distributors of solar appliances are; Emesco Nig business brokers situated on the Island, Tees Odus enterprises situated at Akoka, Yaba, Anchozu Nigeria limited, Ikeja, Ashwell engineering limited situated at Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja, Kel International Nigeria Limited, situated at Adeola Odeku, Victoria Island, Five Stars Trading Company Limited, located at Agbara Industrial Estate.

•Solar box lantern

•Solar lantern

•Solar lamp

•Stylish solar power

Onitsha traders sack exco over N440m land

T

HE executive of the Millennium Market, Onitsha, Anambra State led by Chief Samuel Obiora Nwankwo, has been sacked and a new election reportedly conducted.

The Nation Shopping gathered that the exco was sacked over alleged procurement of a permanent site for traders of the Millennium Market, Sokoto road axis, near

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

Onitsha Main Market, without the consent of the traders.

Reacting, Nwankwo said his efforts to get a permanent site where the traders would be landlords instead of tenants has been thwarted by those who failed to see reason.

•Members of Odun-Ade Traders Association, Lagos during a protest over delayed elections.

He said rather than praise him for his efforts, they accused him of not seeking their consent before getting the land.

Nwankwo said he kept the deal to himselve because he wanted to make it a surprise to the traders when they get to the land.

Ezechukwu wondered why Nwankwo kept the land a secret, saying: “The former

chairman embarked on a project that he did not consult on and took decisions alone with members of his executive on a project worth N440 million. Because of that, people took offence, having hid some information from them, which is against the constitution of the association.

“There are other violations he committed like not calling a meeting within three months as stipulated by our constitution.”

On whether the traders prefer to remain tenants, Ezechukwu, who was with his secretary, Chief Benjamin Chukwuma Nweke, said: “Not that we really want to become permanent tenants but we are very near to the Main Market and there are lots of shops there that are empty. Most of us here have shops there. So, if somebody wants to be free for now he may go back to his shop.

“It is just because of government magnanimity that we were allowed to be here and if you are not okay with your tenancy here you can go back to the market,” he added.

He said in future they would dialogue with the landlords to pave the way for negotiation on storage fee, hinting that the traders saw them as their messiah for replacing the past executive.

Denying being a stooge to the landlords, Ezechukwu said the new executive “is a humble servant.”

‘It is just because of government magnanimity that we were allowed to be here and if you are not okay with your tenancy here you can go back to the market’

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

A

BOUT two weeks ago, Edo State was the focus of attention from both within and outside the county due to the much-anticipated gubernatorial elections.

The elections have come and gone but the state is once again in the news as the second edition of the Amstel Malta Showtime gets set to thrill youths, especially tertiary institution students, today at the Best Western Hotel, Benin, Edo State.

All roads will lead to the impressive hotel as the Amstel Malta Showtime continues in its quest to establish itself as Nigerians foremost variety show.

As usual, the event will be graced by the presence of some of the country’s top entertainers. Rave making act, Davido, as well as 10 over 10 crooners, Naeto C, would be the major acts to perform at the event. The event will also have hilarious comedian Buchi as well as electrifying dance hall group CDW thrilling the crowd.

And in addition to the entertainers, there would also be ample opportunities for the wannabees to showcase their talent in singing, dancing and comedy competitions. Winners in each of the three categories will walk away with a brand new iPad, N500,000 and an all-expense paid trip for two to Lagos.

The first and second runners up in each category would also rewarded with N150,000 and N100,000. With singer and entertainer, Darey ‘Art’ Alade, billed to continue as show anchor, the audience are assured of yet another thrilling experience.

For students of the University of Benin, Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Federal Polytechnic, Auchi and other tertiary institutions in the state, it certainly promises to be a fun-filled experience. And just like previous editions, students from other tertiary institutions are expected to be a part of the event. Having missed out in previous editions from the inception of Amstel Malta Showtime, the event will do more to endear the premium malt drink to the students.

About a month ago, the edition of the activation kicked off with much fanfare which the oil rich city of Port Harcourt, hosted at the Atrium Hall. The event had superstars, such as P Square and highlife artiste, Flavour, performing at the event.

Ace comedian Senator was also entertained the audience with his rib-cracking jokes. The dance hall was also set aflame with electrifying choreography by a dance group Outrage.

While the performances from the super-

35

Amstel Malta Showtime train storms Benin stars were as entertaining as it promised, the singing, dancing and comedy competitions also lived up to expectation as the students slugged it out in the singing, dancing and comedy competitions.

Winners of each category were decided via voice votes by the excited audience. The singing category saw rapper Obialo Chijioke Nwosu, a 200 level Geology student from the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), emerging as winner in the category.

The comedy category was no less exciting.

Nonso Eze Osimkpa, a 400 level student of Microbiology from the University of Port Harcourt, impressed the audience enough to be voted winner in the category.

The dance category turned out to be the most exciting of all three as the three dancers dug deep to convince the judges. At a stage of the competition, two of the dancers, Sharon Robinson and Iyeh Kachi, appeared to polarise the votes of the audience into two equal divide. However, a resolution was arrived at as Iyeh Kachi, the 300 level student, also of FUTO, was finally adjudged winner in the dance category.

More of the excitement is expected in Benin.

And after Benin, the Amstel Malta train, will be at the Jogor Centre, Ibadan, capital of Oyo State on August 31, this year.

Ibadan will have 9ice and Tiwa Savage as the major acts performing while ace comedian Seyi Law will be the comedian of the day while Outrage will also perform.

Amstel Malta Showtime 2012 will wrap up in Lagos at the Zinia Hal, Eko Hotels and Suites on October 5, 2012 with Tuface and Wizkid performing while comedian I Go Die, will supply hilarious jokes.

Mrs. Adedoyin Owotomo, Brand Manager, Amstel Malta, said the event in Benin would even be more exciting than that of Port Harcourt. “We are certainly looking forward to another grand edition of Amstel Malta Showtime in Benin. We are bringing some of the best entertainers that Nigeria can offer; so we expect a great event,” she said.

According to her, the event would also give students of tertiary institutions a rare opportunity to showcase their talents.“What makes Amstel Malta Showtime really different is that it is a rare opportunity for the youngsters to showcase their talents before the audience. They will also have the opportunity of performing with established artistes so that makes it a unique experience or them,” Mrs. Owotomo added.

• From left: Olakanmi Amoo-Onidundu, Asst. Publicity Secretary, Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN); Jimi Awosika, MD/CEO, Insight; Bunmi Oke, AAAN President, sitting; Kelechi Nwosu, Vice-President and Sam Osunsoko, ex-officio, during a visit to Awosika in Lagos.

LG and the remote control revolution

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PERATING a TV without a remote control can be very frustrating. But remote control was not initially part of the TV. A tool that was not part of the TV has today assumed almost a life of its own, and it has become almost impossible to think of operating a TV without a remote control.

But how did the remote control emerge?

As World War I raged in 1916, the German Navy came up with the idea of loading and steering an unmanned boat with explosives toward a target. That idea had a drawback, which was that a long wire had to be connected to it. However, the basic concept was soon modified to work via radio frequencies, and the wire was happily done away with. Much the same process occurred with the television, albeit much later.

In 1950, Zenith Radio Corporation released its Lazy Bones remote, which was attached to the TV by a long wire. Just five years later, a wireless Flash-Matic remote astonished users. Then in 1956, the Zenith Space Command, also wireless, refined the idea and made it more reliable. Yet, amazingly, after going wireless, the remote control really hasn’t fundamentally changed in the last six decades. However, that’s about to change.

In the early 1980s, the industry moved to infrared remote technology. Infrared refers to very low frequency light beams, and most remotes today still use infrared. The first infrared remote was credited to Bang & Olufsen, who released their model in 1983.

The remote control of the future will no longer be a one-way device sending out simple commands to a box. Instead, it will function as a platform for consumers to communicate with their TV and with the content they wish to interact with. As such, it must be clever enough to facilitate this communication, and simple enough to make it practical.

The advent of internet-connected TV is serving as a catalyst for big changes in the remote control. Six decades of simple ‘point and click’ are about to be made a thing of the past because connected TVs are creating a new demand in the market for more interactive and more intelligent ways to navigate content. Whereas in the past remotes were a tool for viewers to surf channels, new remotes are going to have to be a lot more flexible.

Connected TV means that users will be not only searching for shows and movies, but also downloading information and applications from the internet and external devices.

The traditional remote with a cacophony of buttons is ill-suited to making this a userfriendly experience.

The big global IT giants have jumped into the Smart TV market, and they have developed a number of interesting specialized input devices and interfaces. These companies are well aware of the importance of remote controls that help create a relationship between the customer and a TV. For instance, Lenovo’s K91 Smart TV is

By Jimi David

equipped with sensors that monitor facial expressions as well as voices. Microsoft’s Kinect is definitely one of the most remarkable products on the market, allowing both voice and motion control. Apple’s Siri is another phenomenal product, one that is expected to be incorporated into Apple’s new TV. Simplify the buttons! When LG began developing its Smart TV in 2007, engineers spent more than three years simplifying the button layout for its remote control. The simplifications were based on insight gained from consumers, who expressed disapproval at needless complexity. In terms of design, LG adopted a slim, simple, eye-catching design derived from the elegant curve of a high heel shoe.

Doing away with most of the buttons, the remote took on an innovative wheel system to change channels and volume. Next, a gyroscope and accelerator sensor were added to let customers give commands in any position while watching TV. Since LG introduced its first Smart TV in 2010, the company has placed its focus not only on improving the television itself, but also the input devices which facilitate the user experience. In fact, in the past, a remote control was not a major buying factor for consumers. However, LG understands that the remote is directly related to how people use TVs and consume content.

Also in the past, manufacturers, such as LG were limited in their ability to explore alternative remotes to any great extent because most TV owners inevitably set aside manufacturer remotes and instead used the remotes provided by TV service providers.

Now, as Smart TV is changing this paradigm, LG has carte blanche to create remotes that enable a much richer interactive experience.

LG’s Voice, Motion, Pointing and Wheel functions are the four pillars of the company’s latest remote control. LG expects that traditional remotes will disappear sooner or later, and its new remote is, at the very least, a stepping stone toward the future remote of choice. Likewise, as more and more consumers become familiar just how much better the Smart TV experience can be with LG’s remote, the company sees its remote becoming a major buying factor. In the end, it will go a long way to enhancing the brand image of the company.

As the TV technology deepens, new ideas will emerge.Consumers will develop sharper tastes, searching for ways to make their TV experiences more exciting and easy.

The remote control will be a major factor.

And given what LG has done with the LG’S Smart TVs sexy remote controls, only time will tell what the remote control will be in ten years’ time.

• David is Brandweek Special Correspondent.

• Silicon valley photio

*Editor - Wale Alabi *Consulting Editors - Rarzack Olaegbe, Sola Fanawopo * Correspondent-Jimi David * Business Development - Kenny Hussain * Legal Adviser - Olasupo Osewa & Co Brandweek is powered by Brandz Republic Consulting and published every Friday in THE NATION newspaper.

All correspondence to the editor - 0808.247.7806, 0805.618.0040, e-mail: korede2000@gmail.com © All rights reserved.

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27 2012

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COMMENTARY

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NE of the prominent features of Ramadan is Tafsir. From the beginning of that sacred month, every year, Muslims congregate in various Mosques or learning centres where Tafsir (exposition of the Qur’an) is rendered by scholars. This is in accordance with the Prophetic tradition which encourages better understanding of the Qur’an.

Linguistically, Tafsir means exposition.

But technically, it means the comprehensive analysis of the Qur’an. In other words, Tafsir is the exposition of the contents of the Qur’an, as usually done comprehensively by Islamic scholars especially during the month of Ramadan throughout the Muslim world. Because of the coded language of the Qur’anic revelation, it became necessary for the verses of that sacred book to be decoded for the purpose of thorough understanding by the Muslim Ummah. This confirms that the revelations of the Qur’an were the immediate cause of intellectual research in Islam.

For instance, Arabic the original language of the Qur’an had no grammar prior to the revelations of the divine message. The grammar of that language evolved only from the contents of the Qur’an. The challenge which the Qur’an threw to humanity in all spheres of life led to intellectual competition among scholars. Thus, each time a revelation came, the disciples of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) quickly clustered around him to know why and how of every what. And this led to their closer association with the Prophet who paved the way for that intellectual research. Although the formal study of Tafsir as an independent discipline did not begin until several years after the demise of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), he (the Prophet) nevertheless started its process.

He did not only give the exoteric and esoteric meanings of revealed verses of the Qur’an, he also explained their application to daily life of man. It was the prophet who decoded most of the coded areas of the Qur’an for proper understanding of the ordinary Muslims. Through his utterances and actions which were later to be known as Hadith and Sunnah, the contents of the Qur’an became more and more understandable to the Muslims. Thus, with time, after the prophet’s demise, Hadith and Sunnah too, became independent subject of research. And these have helped, in no small measure, in expanding the scope of Tafsir. From that inquisition, all new discoveries and new frontiers in knowledge were adapted to the study of Tafsir until Tafsir became an estuary through which every stream of knowledge was passed to mankind. Ever since, Tafsir has become an intellectual template of research for all spheres of knowledge advancing increasingly with resultant development of man. It is through such research that man zoomed into the firmament of science which brought about the current gigantic civilisation wrought by technology. Tafsir is the fertile soil upon which the three oldest surviving Universities in the world today were planted well over 1,000 years ago. These are Qarawiyyin University in Fez, Morocco, founded as a Madrasa by a woman, Fatimah Al- Fihri in 859 CE. It did not however become a University until a couple of centuries later; Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt founded as a University by one Jawhar, a Fatimid leader in 970 CE; and Zaytuniyyah University of Tunis, in Tunisia also established as a Madrasa (to serve as the teaching arm of the ‘Olive Tree Mosque’ by a Tunisian Muslim community in 737 CE. Yet, these great Universities were preceded by the University of Cordoba, Spain, which was the very first University ever established in the world. It was established by the second Umayyad dynasty under the leadership of Abdur-Rahman the III in 968 CE. All other Universities are therefore offshoots of that of Cordoba which is now defunct. Now, it is understandable that most of the Tafsir books available in the world today are in Arabic language. The language of the revelation of the Qur’an is Arabic. Most of the disciples of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who interacted closely with him and were privileged to knowing through him, the interpretation of the Qur’an were Arabs.

Arabic itself is exceptionally rich linguistically and literarily. For centuries after the revelation of the Qur’an, therefore, it was the Arabs who mostly assumed authority on its interpretation.

Others like the Persians (present day Ira-

FEMI ABBAS ON Femabbas@yahoo.com 08122697498

Abuse of Ramadan

•Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar

nians), Indians and Africans who tried to compete with the Arabs in that field, could only do so in Arabic language which they first had to learn.

Thus, from the beginning, Arabic had been the authoritative language of Tafsir.

Whoever wanted to attain scholarship in the field of Tafsir ought to master Arabic.

But the anomaly here becomes very conspicuous when it is remembered that over four fifth of the world’s Muslim population today are non-Arabic speakers. This anomaly seems to be creating some hurdles for humanity in understanding the practical meaning of the Qur’an and in appreciating its real essence.

There is nothing like being literate in one’s own mother tongue. The Arabs have demonstrated this abundantly through Tafsir. But since Tafsir of the Qur’an is not meant for the Arabs alone, shouldn’t there be a means of making it available to majority of Muslims in the languages understandable to them?

This is one major question which the global Muslim leadership has not been able to answer for over 1,000 years. The Qur’an is begging for understanding. Overwhelming majority of Muslims in the world is looking for a means of understanding it. There must be a meeting point.

The situation of Tafsir in Nigeria today is the same situation in virtually all the Muslim communities outside the Arab world. That situation does not help the spread of Islam as it does not assist Islamic scholarship.

Worshipping in the original language of the Qur’an is, no doubt, unique in sustaining the unity of the Ummah and the uniformity of their faith. It also encourages the spirit of brotherhood by about 1.67 billion Muslims around the world, who are faithful to it. And since the only means of understanding this sacred religion thoroughly is Tafsir, language should not be a barrier.

Qur’an is like gold. Making ornaments like necklace or ear-ring or wrist bangles from it does not debase it. It does not change its name either. Rather, it enhances its appreciation and value. In this computer age, the world needs the Qur’an more than ever before. And it is only Tafsir that can justify that need. Muslims and non-Muslims alike should be able to read the interpretations of the Qur’an in languages they understand.

This is a great challenge to genuine Islamic scholars (not charlatans who are deceptively masquerading in the cloak of Alfas) of this age. It is also a challenge to genuine Muslim philanthropists around the world who want to give a little back to Al-

lah from the bounties they have received from Him. Besides, the greatest aiding instrument of Tafsir is literacy. The more literate the Muslims are in the relevant language, the more they are likely to understand the Qur’an through Tafsir. And no one who thoroughly understands Tafsir will be ignorant about Islam. Muslims who are deeply schooled in the Western system of education will discover that virtually all the sciences, social sciences and arts in which the world thrives today, originated from the study of Tafsir.

Even some scientific terminologies like ‘Al-jibrau’ (Algebra), ‘Al-kaymiyau’ (Chemistry), ‘Al-fisiyau’ (Physics) and others confirm this. Also, the most popular and most effective numerals in the world today are called Arabic numerals.

It was through those numerals that Muslim scholars invented and introduced figure ‘ZERO’ which brought about decimalization through which the modern world found its way to technology. Without ‘ZERO’ it would have been impossible for the world to zoom into the current gargantuan technology of today. Yet, the tap root of those scholastic achievements was ‘TAFSIR’.

It therefore takes real scholars, not just reciters of the Qur’an or speakers of Arabic language, to be exponents of Tafsir.

This is a rare factor in Nigeria which needs serious and urgent attention of Nigerian Muslim leadership. There is a sharp difference between translating the context of the Qur’an and rendering expository interpretation of them. The one is shallow. The other is deep. Tafsir is not just an annual Ramadan affair. It is a daily practice for scholars who are ardent in it.

Although Tafsir gains more popularity in the month of Ramadan because every true Muslim wants to get closer to Allah through familiarization with the Qur’an, it is not limited to that sacred month and it should not be seen as such. Going by the limit of their knowledge and the extent of their unwillingness to seek more knowledge, only a few Islamic scholars in Nigeria are qualified to tutor the populace in Tafsir. Most of the so-called Nigerian Alfas have turned Tafsir into an annual commercial jamboree which fetches them what they regard as Ramadan booty.

Their motive of engaging in Tafsir is more ulterior than religious. What most of such Alfas dish out in the name of knowledge is mere hearsay. And that is why majority of Nigerian Muslim audiences at Tafsir centres can hardly benefit from what they hear in those centres. Tafsir is a special field of discipline meant only for research oriented scholars. But unfortunately, it is one area of study which has very few institutions of learning in Nigeria and draws little attention of the Muslim leaders. Because of this problem, the Qur’an has been translated into only a few Nigerian languages only two of which are prominent (Hausa and Yoruba). The former was championed by Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi, a leader of Izalah Muslim Organisation. The latter was led by Sheikh Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory, the founder of Arabic and Islamic Centre (Markaz), Agege. Both scholars are now demised.

Today, copies of those translated Tafsir can hardly be found on book shelves and they are virtually out of print a situation which makes periodic review difficult.

With this situation, how can Nigerian Muslim populace understand the Qur’an as much as they should? This is a great challenge to truthful Muslims who are materially blessed by Allah. They can pull

resources together and jointly finance the reprinting of reviewed copies of those Tafsir Books if only in appreciation of Allah’s special favour on them. And that can be best initiated in this sacred month.

Meanwhile, Muslims in most parts of the world always perceive Ramadan from economic, social, moral and spiritual perspectives only. What most of them don’t seem to know is that the practical lessons of this divine month are far beyond that scope.

Science is in a state of continuous evolution and new discoveries follow one another’s heels. There is a large flow of information coming like a spring from seminars, conferences, symposia, encyclopaedias and scientific journals which put us always on the right path of knowledge.

Biologically, human beings grow old and eventually die. Very few people ponder over this occurrence. We have all accepted it as a natural phenomenon which we must willingly or unwillingly abide by. Apart from old age, most people die not because they are naturally ripe for death but because the blood flowing through their coronary arteries clots sometimes prematurely. These arteries must have become hard and rusty as a result of improper diet and other defective factors in our biological systems.

This process called Atheroma has advanced many theories in explaining the mechanism of the rustiness of the blood vessels. This is one major area in which Ramadan is quite relevant. Fasting increases the power of the blood to dissolve blood clots whether the clots are in the coronary arteries of the heart that cause heart attack or in the cerebral arteries that cause stroke.

Fasting, therefore, does not only lower blood pressure and alleviate angina pectoris (severe chest pain resulting from a reduced supply of blood and oxygen to the heart) it also prevents atherosclerosis (an arterial disease occurring especially in the elderly, characterized by elasticity and thickening of the blood flow). Not only that. Fasting also reduces the mortality rate of myocardial infarction. With fasting, the blood sugar is maintained at a steady level while the glucose being formed from glycogen and natural fat will be mobilised to dispose tissue. If, however, there is any tendency of hypoglycaemia (a decreased sugar level in the blood), the adrenal medulla immediately secrets an increased amount of catecholamine: adrenaline and non-adrenaline which prepare the body for either or both.

Thus, with Ramadan, many human health problems are easily solved. This confirms that Muslims who refuse to fast without reason in Ramadan ignorantly refuse to maintain or enhance their health through a natural means. Ignorance is the mother of all diseases. To all pious Muslims, ‘The Message’ hereby says once again, RAMADAN KAREEM!

JNI’s Ramadan Communique

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AMA’ATU Nasril Islam (JNI) under the leadership of His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto and PresidentGeneral, JNI, Alhaji (Dr) Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, expressed felicitations to Nigerian Muslim Ummah last Friday over the successful commencement of this year’s Ramadan fast. Alhamdu Lillah. The body called on all Nigerians, particularly Muslims to utilise the spirit of Ramadan properly, recite more of the Glorious Qur’an and be punctual in their observance of daily obligatory prayers as well as congregational Tarawih.

Muslim Ummah was urged to pray fervently to Allah for peaceful co-existence of Nigeria and invoke His (Allah’s) power in putting to shame those who are bent on causing chaos and unrest in the land, wherever they might be. JNI also reminded Islamic scholars of the guideline adopted at the Moon Sighting National Conference and pre-Ramadan meeting held in Abuja recently and admonished Muslim scholars to fear Allah in their utterances while rendering Tafsir.

“Indeed Ramadan is a month of self restraint, patience and dedication to the service of Allah; therefore, we must collectively do so to earn Allah’s blessings and forgiveness in this blessed month”. The communiqué was signed by the Secretary General of JNI, Dr. Khalid Aliyu Abubakar

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

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SOCIETY Justice Paul Atilade, the longest serving judge of the National Industrial Court (NIC), turned 80 last Monday. Family, friends, and associates packed the Greetings Hall of the Yoruba Tennis Club, Onikan, Lagos to celebrate with the ‘birthday boy’. SUNDAY OGUNTOLA reports.

A jurist at 80 •The celebrator Justice Atilade (second left) receiving a gift from Archbishop Atilade, assisted by Hon Olawale Olayiwola (left) and Chief Tunde Obasa

•Children of the celebrator (from right) Ronke; Kemi; Nike and Wale

H

E walked into the Greetings Hall of the Yoruba Tennis Club, Onikan, Lagos amid a standing ovation. The applause grew louder as he made for his seat. The intensity did not reduce even after he had sat down. For many of the distinguished guests, Justice Paul Atilade, the pioneer and longest serving judge of the National Industrial Court (NIC), deserved the adulations poured on him. The groundswell of goodwill he enjoyed was enormous. A gentleman that he is, Atilade took a dignified bow, throwing many guests into prolonged laughter.

The 80th birthday thanksgiving service for Atilade, the retired president of the NIC, was characterised by praise songs and hymns. Several portions of the Bible were also read in gratitude to God for sparing the celebrator's life. Born to the family of the late founder of the Gospel Baptist Conference of Nigeria and Overseas, Archbishop Emmanuel Atilade, the celebrator displayed exceptional academic brilliance from the cradle.

He left secondary school in Form Four to take the entrance examination to the university. He passed and was admitted to the Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland in 1950 to study law.

Earlier, a prayer session in the hall was punctuated with songs, such as Blessed Assurance, Amazing Grace and Take my life and let it be, carefully selected to thank God for the life of the celebrator.

The Bible readings glorified God for bringing Atilade so far.

In his sermon, Revd. Peter Olonade praised Atilade for leading a disciplined and focused life.

He said there were many years full of grace and favour ahead, urging him never to relent in impacting lives.

He pointed out that the good health the

celebrator enjoys is a testimony to a life well lived. He, however, said there was still more grounds to cover.

Revd. Olonade said: "I see God satisfying you with more years. Sir, those years must bring more people to Christ and make the society better.''

Afterwards, the 'birthday boy' was invited to cut the cake.

The cutting of cake was supervised by the celebrator's younger brother, Archbishop Magnus Atilade.

At the resounding spelling of J-E-S-U-S, the celebrator surrounded by his wife and children, cut the beautifully-made cake to open the floor for encomiums and merriment.

Ogun State Governor Senator Ibikunle Amosun, in his tribute, described the jurist as an “epitome of justice and fearlessness.”

Amosun said: ''While on the bench, your judgments epitomised knowledge of the law, careful consideration of facts and evidence, brilliant reasoning and logic as well as lucidity of language of delivery. Your interventions in the polity and community, even after retirement, have also remained illuminating''.

The President of the NIC, Justice Babatunde Adejumo,praised the celebrator for his pioneering efforts at the court. He said Atilade literally built the court from the scratch to where it is today. ''The court has benefitted immensely from his wisdom and sagacity. We remain indebted to his wisdom and pioneering works. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours," he said.

Retired and serving judges also praised Atilade for his years on the Bench. They were unanimous in describing him as “incorruptible and fearless.”

•Wife of the celebrator, Deaconess Amayo Atilade

•From left: Bishop Ben Odekunle; Bishop David Falola and Rev Israel Ogunbiyi

•Chairman Yoruba Tennis Club, Mr Bolaji Cole

One of his in-laws, Mr Akanni Sorungbe, described him as a principled judge. ''He hates injustice and will help anybody regardless of race, tribe and creed,'' Sorungbe said.

Mr Fola Sogbamimu, an old secondary school mate, described him as the embodiment of poise and hard work. ''Paul,” Sogbamimu said, “is a religious, hard

working and well-disciplined man. His wisdom, his modesty, his graciousness, his capacity for endurance, his ability to exude love, make and sustain relationships have won him great admiration and respect among friends, relations and colleagues.''

The President of Gospel Baptist Conference and Overseas, His Eminence Archbishop Magnus Atilade, described his elder brother as a rallying point for the family. He said the retired jurist’s unparralled Christian life of faith speaks eloquently as an inspiration and guide to all.

The celebrator said he was humbled by the love and encomiums poured on him. He added that he would remain ever committed to changing lives and the society for the best. ''That is my only passion now. I want to see lives becoming better and people relating well with God,'' he stated.

Justice Atilade has BA, MA and LLB in Law, and Diploma in Public Administration in 1995.

He was admitted to the Inner Temple London and called to the English Bar in 1957. As an expert in Family and Industrial Law, he was appointed the first president of the National Industrial Court (NIC) and retired in 1997 after occupying the post for 20 years.

On the social front, he served as General Secretary of the Island Club. He was also General Secretary and Chairman of Yoruba Tennis Club Lagos. He was also the General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) from 1964-1966. He founded the Solidra Circle, a philanthropic social and literary club in 1947 with three other friends. The club is regarded as one of the oldest in the country.

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

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SOCIETY AT THE SENATE RETREAT ON CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW IN ASABA, DELTA STATE

•From left: Rivers State Governor Chibuike Amaechi; Hon Emeka Ehidioha; Delta Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan welcoming the Senate President, Senator David Mark, to the opening ceremony

•Speaker, Kogi State House of Assembly Hon Abdullahi Bello (left) and his Taraba counterpart, Hon Haruna Gbana

•From left: Senator Femi Lanlehin, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and Senator Chris Ngige

•Senator Shaaba Lafiagi (left) and Senator Ifeanyi Okowa

•Senator Ganiyu Solomon (left) and Senator Heineken Lokpobri •Cross section of traditional rulers

•Traditional rulers at the opening ceremony

•A cross section of Speakers from other states

•Senator James Manager (left) and Senator Chris Anyanwu •Senate Leader, Senator Victor Udoma-Egba

•Senator Ifeanyi Okowa

PHOTOS: BRIPIN ENARUSAI

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THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

SOCIETY Trinity House Church, Victoria Island, Lagos was two last Friday. It marked the event with a dinner in Lagos.

NNEKA NWANERI was there.

•Otunba Adebayo and his wife, Angela

•Mrs Duke

•Otunba Ashiru

•Pastor and Mrs Ighodalo cutting the birthday cake

In the Lord’s vineyard T

HE CIVIC Centre on Victoria Island, Lagos hosted the maiden service of Trinity House Church on July 18, 2010.

Two years after, the church returned to the same venue to give thanks to God. The event was tagged The Purple Ball.

Though there were two other events going on in the arena, the anniversary dinner stood out. Its sophistication made it inviting. As guests stepped out of their choice cars, they were greeted by the cool sea breeze. A long black carpet was laid on the entrance adorned with fresh flowers.

Beautiful ushers led guests upstairs, to their seats where they relished the hall setting.

The tables were well-decorated with assorted drinks. The chairs and table overlays were decorated in purple and gold, the colours of the day.

The wife of the Senior Pastor of Trinity House, Ibidun Ighodalo, really lived up to what she knows how to do best - decorations.

She is one of Lagos State’s top events manager.

With the comedy crew of the presenter of Jara on African Magic, Helen Paul (aka Tatafo), TeeA, Koffi, Pencil and Seyi Law, there wasn’t a dull moment. It was laughter galore after each joke.

Dignitaries on the occasion included the former Governor of Ekiti State, Otunba Niyi Adebayo and his wife, Angela; Ogun State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry Bimbo Ashiru, who represented Governor Ibikunle Amosun; wife of the former governor of Cross River State, Onari Duke, and the Manager of Heritage Home Motherless Babies Home, a foundation of the Trinity House, Eme Akenzua.

The evening was spiced with performances by the Infinity Band, performing Olori Oko; the Party People, a group of dancers, mimed various gospel music, Nigerian and contemporary songs; Jojo Body Beats, the exceptional performance of the Trinity House Resident band and others.

The hall was nothing like a church. It was fun all the way and the evening never

seemed to end.

There was a short documentary on the history of the church.

Pastor Ituah Ighodalo led other church members in making fashion statements. He and his wife stole the show. While he looked dapper in his white suit and bow tie, his wife, was stunning in purple ball gown.

The church’s founder, Pastor Ighodalo, said the evening was to thank God and show some of his friends what they are doing in Trinity House. Thanking his wife, whom he jokingly called a ‘small terrorist’, he commended her for her pretty looks.

But he did not stop there; he did what he is known for. He gave a short sermon. It was entitled: Change.

He criticised Christainity for not playing its role in making the country great.

“Churches are fighting other churches; we pastors are guilty; we have lost the ability to speak truth to the power because we want power from power. The church isn’t living by example and the society is decaying.

Today, I have a dream that Nigeria will truly be transformed. The resources are phenomenal, so also is our vegetation, climate and atmosphere. Why not you dream with me that Nigeria will have an outstanding economy”, he said.

“We should all come together to try and transform not only the leadership, but followership, which also posses a challenge.

If we play our parts in the little area God gives us, Nigeria will be transformed. We must all make a collective effort that Nigeria be transformed during our time; then together, we can transform the world.” he added.

Speaking of the church’s plan of building one of the best hospitals and schools in the world, Pastor Ighodalo said the aim is to bring back the lost glory of the country.

The previous day was Mrs Ighodalo’s birthday; she was called up on stage, into the waiting hands of her husband, where a cake was waiting. She cut it amid fireworks.

The church also held a thanksgiving service last Sunday at its Landmark Village, Victoria Island.

•Chief and Mrs Oladele Fajemirokun

•Deji Adebiyi and wife, Justice Bukunola

PHOTOS: GBENGA KUTELU

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

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SOCIETY Five years after the stool became vacant, Oba Taofeek Adegboyega Awojo has been installed the Alahun of Imoore in Lagos. CHINAKA OKORO reports.

On his ancestor’s throne

T

HE people of Imoore, a riverside community in Oriade Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, last Thursday, witnessed the installation of their monarch, Oba Taofeek Adegboyega Awojo.

They have been without a king for five years.

Their last ruler, Oba Haruna Okikiola, died in 2007.

So, it is understandable that the installation of Oba Awojo as the Alahun of Imoore land drew the whole town to the palace.

The ceremony was like a carnival.

Disembarking from the speed boat at the Imoore Jetty from Ijegun-Egba Jetty, a gust of wind gently blew the arriving guests.

Guests had to hobble to enter to the sandy coronation ground.The open arena surrounded by thick forest looked like a village square.

Sitting on his cream-coloured royal throne, Oba Awojo wore long-flowing white lace with red, yellow and black weaved crown; a long pink bead on his neck and two on each of his wrists while clutching a walking stick in his right palm. Male members of the village tied white wrappers round their waists while their torsos were bare as they gyrated to the rhythm of traditional music.

The array of public figures indicated that history was in the making; culture and tradition were on display.

The event featured the presentation of staff of office and instrument of appointment to Oba Awojo.

A brief history of Imoore town by the Chairman of Oriade LCDA, Ibrahim Sanusi, indicated that the Imoore people hail from Benin in Edo State. He added that their language is Awori and their occupation mainly fishing and farming.

Installing of the Oba, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Ademorin Kuye, who represented Governor Babatunde Fashola, described the day as historic.

Kuye congratulated the monarch and the people of Imoore town.

“It is our prayer that God will bless your reign and guide you aright in the discharge of royal and traditional duties for peace, tranquillity and progress to reign throughout your domain,” he said.

He prayed God to endow the monarch with wisdom, knowledge and understanding that will help him to rule his subjects justly and fairly.

He enjoined the people to support him in safeguarding the sanctity of the sacred and highly revered institution.

Reminding them that the institution of traditional rulership remains a rallying point for people, Kuye said: “It has been serving as a veritable vehicle for the dissemination of government policies and programmes and for the mobilisation of the populace for same. As a custodian of the culture and tradition of your people, you should be seen as a rallying point for the maintenance of communal peace and

social development.”

He urged other traditional rulers to assist the government in educating the people on issues related to the discharge of their civic responsibilities.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs,Nurudeen Adejiyan-Ojora, congratulated the new monarch, the Awojo Ruling House and the Imoore community.

Adejiyan-Ojora, decked in flowing blue Guinea Brocade, with coffee-colour cap to match, said it became expedient to fill the vacant stool to ensure continuity of reign and peaceful co-existence of the people.

He urged the monarch to use his position as the custodian of tradition to advance the cause of his people.

Responding, Oba Awojo thanked the government for the event.

The monarch pledged his loyalty and that of his subjects to the government. He promised to deploy fairness, equity and justice in his dealings with his subjects.

Dignitaries at the event, included the Onigbanko of Irede land, who is the chairman of the traditional rulers in the council, Oba Babatunde Lawal; the Ovori of Ibeshe Town, Oba Gausu Alani Rasaki; Alhaji Kola Useni; Onilase of Ilashe Oba Fatai Akinwunmi; the Onilado of Ilado and Inagbe Oba Mobadenle Oyekan and his wife Olori Bukunola; member, Lagos State House of Assembly Hon Ramotallahi AkinlolaHassan; Prince Dipo Eludoyin; Onitiri Oluwatosin; Oba Saheed Elegushi and Vice-Chairman of the council Hon Gbolahan Dauda.

•Kuye (right) presenting staff of office and instrument of appointment to Oba Awojo

•From left: Oba Rasaki, Oloto of Otto Awori and Oba Elegushi

•Hon Sanusi

EXHIBITION

•From left:Mr Ozgur Ozcan; General Manager Aframero Mr Clement Sampson and MD Mrs Yetunde Oghomienor

•Oba Lawal (right) and Alhaji Useni

INDUCTION

•From left: Guest Lecturer, Prof William Egbuta; Director-General, Institute of Administrators and Researchers of Nigeria (IARN), Prof Jacob Etinagbedia and fellows, Dr Ohor Mbombollor; and Dr Joseph Iorhembe Ogela and Mr Samuel Tunde, at the institute’s induction of fellows at the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

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THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

IN THE HIGH COURT OF LAGOS STATE OF NIGERIA PROBATE REGISTRY, LAGOS DIVISION WHEREAS the person whose names are set-out in the first Column under died intestate on the date and place stated in the said Column. AND WHEREAS the person or persons whose names and addresses and relationship (if any) to the deceased are set out in the second Column here have applied to the High Court of Lagos State for a Grant of Letter of Administration of the Real and Personal Properties of the deceased. NOTICE IS HEREBY given that Letters of Administration will be granted to such persons unless a NOTICE TO PROHIBIT THE GRANT is filed in the registry within (14) days from the date hereof.

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NAMES OF THE DECEASED PERSON: Ejoni Lucky Mujo late of 1B, Kehinde Street, Ajegunle, Lagos who died intestate on 9th May, 2011 at Lagos.

Mr. Powei Israel late of No. 82, Queen Street, Alagomeji Sabo Yaba, Lagos who died intestate on 11th December, 2010 at Lagos.

Akindayo Olupitan Isaac late of 6A, Sarumi Avenue, Dopemu, Lagos who died intestate on 8th August, 2010 at Lagos.

James Omoruyi late of Block 12, Flat 4, Bar Beach Police Barrach Victoria Island, Lagos who died intestate on 19th August, 2011 at Okene Kogi State.

Mr. Sylvester Chukwuemeka Igwebike late of No. 20, Nathan Street, Surulere, Lagos who died intestate on 27 th August, 2011 at Anambra State.

Mr. Ekpo Sunday late of No. 8, Ajalekoko Street, Makoko Yaba, Lagos who died intestate on 30 th day of October, 2011 at Lagos.

M.A. Lawan otherwise known as Michael Ademola Lawal late of Plot 3, Bishop Okunola Street, Ibiye Badagry, Lagos who died intestate on 4th November, 2011 at Maiduguri.

Martins Olajide Awoyemi late of 66, Community Road, Akoka Yaba, Lagos who died intestate on 12th April, 2003 at Lagos.

CPL Ebalehita Fredrick late of 15, Ayo Faluyi Street, Odogunyan Ikorodu, Lagos who died intestate on 10th November, 2011 at Edo State.

Mr. Godwin Adunuba Okeke late of 9, Bola Close Orile, Lagos who died intestate on 10th June, 2011 at Nnewi.

Ajibola Lawrence Abosede known as Abosede Ajibola Lawrence late of 43, Simson Street, Ebute-Metta, Lagos who died intestate on 22nd September, 2004 at Lagos.

Mr. Ebigwei Joseph late of 9, Moshalashi Street, Sari Iganmu, Lagos who died intestate on 21st June, 2006 at Lagos.

M.S.E. Francis Okula Daniel Ojo known as Francis Okula Daniel and M.S.E.Francis Okula Ojo (J.P) late of 10, Opesa Mowo Badagry, Lagos, who died intestate on 25th September, 2007 at Lagos.

Mr. Sunday Akpan late of 8, Ogungbamila Street, Ilaje Bariga, Lagos who died intestate on 2nd August, 2009 at Lagos.

Fayomi Aderibigbe Joseph known as Mr. Fayomi Aderibigbe late of Block D, Flat 1, Police Workshop Ikeja, Lagos who died intestate on 19th November, 2009 at Lagos.

Sunday Fred Isong known as Fred Sunday Isong late of 737 Ikota Housing Estate, Ajah, Lagos who died intestate on 2 nd November, 2011 at Ikot Obong.

Mrs. Comfort Kanayo Obata late of 5th Avenue, R Close, House 29, Festac Town, Lagos who died intestate on 20th November, 1997 at Lambeth.

Mr. Christopher Chike Williams known as Mr. Williams Christopher late of NSPMC Co-Operative Estate Ewelepe Ikorodu, Lagos who died intestate on 15 th March, 2011 at Lagos.

Mrs. Yasmin Oluwayemisi Agunbiade known as Yemisi Agunbiade late of 17, Oladipo Labinjo Crescent Surulere, Lagos who died intestate on 4th August, 2007 at Lagos.

Mr. Lawrence Oludimu Oyelola late of 8, Karimu Laka Street, Egbeda, Lagos who died intestate on 10 th June, 2004 at Lagos.

Folashade Omoyemi Alabi known as Alabi Folashade late of 15, Olushola Crescent, Orile Okuta Ikorodu, Lagos who died intestate on 29th March, 2012 at Ikorodu, Lagos.

Dominic E. Udegbe known as Mr. Udegbe Dominic Ehichioya late of 3rd Avenue F 1 Close Flat 529 Festac Town, Lagos who died intestate on 25th February, 2012 at Lagos.

Ayeni Munir Olawale late of 17, Obatilabi Street, Ojodu, Berger, Lagos who died intestate on 23rd January, 2009 at Lagos.

Mr. Udoh Okon Samuel late of 7, Ogo Oluwa Street, Oworoshoki, Lagos who died intestate on 15th February, 2012 at Lagos.

Mr. Abiodun Tunde Oladunni known as Mr. Oladunni Abiodun late of Plot B3, TTEH 1 Camp Ijede (Egbin) who died intestate on 2nd April, 2007at Lagos.

Ogharanka Philip late of 5, Prince Salamo Taiwo Street, Jakande Estate, Lagos who died intestate on 6th January, 2005 at Delta State..

Awe Babalola Julius late of 54, Evans Street, Lagos who died intestate on 24th March, 2010 at Kogi.

Felix Olatunde Campbell late of 76, Queens Street, Yaba, Lagos who died intestate on 18th January, 1986 at Lagos.

Fidelis Attah known at Attah Fidelis late of 4, Oviemhada Street, Palm Groove, Lagos who died intestate on 10th November, 2009 at Lagos.

Akinbadejo Philip Ayo known as as Mr. Philip Akinbadejo late of 6, Nimota Ijadoro Street, Aga, Ikorodu, Lagos who died intestate on 8th September, 2010 at Lagos.

Mr. Gabriel Oluwasola known as Oluwasola Gabriel late of Plot 10, Oluwasola Street, Magodo G.R.A.2, Lagos who died intestate on 4th May, 1998 at Lagos.

Ohazulike Emeka Emmanuel late of 31, Cyra Crescent Finiger Estate Satellite Town, Lagos who died intestate on 6th August, 2011 at Lagos.

Samuel Chukwuma Nwokedi of No. 2, Odienna Close Wuse T1, Abuja, who died intestate on 5th May, 2006 at Abuja.

Mr. Arinze Mark Okonkwo known as Okonkwo Arinze Mark late of 16, Fatai Kadiri Street, Shomolu, Lagos who died intestate on 26th October, 2007 at Milan.

Ijeoma Otuije known as Otuije Ijeoma and Otuije Ijeoma Ezinwanyi late of 30, Aliyu Iboyimi Street, Okota Isolo, Lagos who died intestate on 23rd August, 2010 at Lagos.

Mr. Igbo Remijus late of 24, Adele Ajosun Street, Badagry, who died intestate on 29th August, 2007 at Lagos.

Avoseh Jacob late of 43, Kaduna Street, Ayanre Ibiye Badagry Express Way, Lagos who died intestate on 11th May, 2011 at Lagos.

Christian Chinedu Nwosu known as Chinedu Nwosu and Nwosu Christian Chinedu late of 41, Sijuola Street, Ago Okota, Lagos who died intestate on 23rd day of May, 2012 at Lagos.

Kalu Alice Acha late of 2, Osogbo Street, Surulere, Lagsos who died intestate on 7th May, 2010 at Benin/Onitsha Express Way. Kester Ebere Ejim known as Ejim Kester Ebere late of 3, Olufunke Close Agbado, Lagos who died intestate on 11th July, 2011 at Lagos.

Mr. Ikwuonye Godwin Chukwuka known as Chief Godwin Chukwuka Ikwuonye late of 1, Celestial Cottage Road, Coker, Lagos who died intestate on 6 th February, 2009 at Lagos.

Francis I.B. Uwalaka known as Francis Uwalaka late of 23 Road K Close, House 32, Festac Town, Lagos who died intestate on 15th July, 1989 at Lagos.

Yusuf Mukaila Kolawole known as Yusuf M. Kolawole late of 6, Abaniwonda Close, Ijesha, Lagos who died intestate on 25th August, 2011 at Kaduna State.

Mrs. Edith Chiweta Igudia late of 28, Gosper Street, Ikate Surulere, Lagos who died intestate on 27 th June, 2011 at Lagos.

Solomon Babatunde Osinowo late of 123, Tokunbo Street, Lagos who died intestate on 12 th June, 2008 at Lagos.

Alhaja Sidikat Badmus known as Badmus Sidikat late of 27, Gbadamosi Street, Oke-Rube Ikotun, Lagos who died intestate on 27th August, 2007 at Lagos.

Mr. Benjamin Obafunlayo Taylor late of No. 11, Andrew Street, Lagos who died intestate on 19th November, 1979 at Lagos.

Mrs. Kehinde Modupe Ehinola late of 10,Asekun Street, Pako Aguda Surulere, Lagos who died intestate on 10th May, 2012 at Ogun State.

Onyeanusi Felicia Ifeyinwa late of 18 Aminu Ishola Street, Alaba Oro, Lagos who died intestate on 1st May, 2011 at River State.

Balogun Oluwole Olusegun known as Balogun Oluwole O. late of 3, Bamgbose Street, Oyo who died intestate on 8th April, 2012 at Oyo. Shonibare Sherifat otherwise known as Shonibare Sherifat Adunni late of 138, Tokunboh Street, Lagos who died intestate on 13th December, 2011 at Lagos.

Abel Oguntoyinbo known as Mr. Oguntoyinbo Abel late of Block 36, Flat 4, Adeniji Adele Street, Lagos who died intestate on 8th December, 2003 at Lagos.

Adepoju A. Olugbenle known as Pa. Olugbenle A. Adepoju late of 24, Ajani Road, Bariga, Lagos who died intestate on 15th April, 2010 at Lagos.

Miss Stella Mamuzo Ekere known as Ekere Stella late of Road 54, Plot F, 76, V.G.C. Ajah, Lagos who died intestate on 16th March, 2009 at Asaba Delta State.

Mr. King Henry Adebowale known as Mr. King Adebowale late of 148, Lewis Street, Lagos Island, Lagos who died intestate on 8th March, 2001 at Lagos.

Chief Christopher Oluwole Larunsi known as Larunsi Christopher Oluwole late of 7, Sunday Somolu Street, Mafoluku, Lagos, who died died intestate on 28th July, 1996 at Abeokuta.

Mgbodichimma Okoro Ufere known as Mrs. Okoro Mgbodichimma late of 207 Road D Close, House 14, Festac Town, Lagos who died intestate on 29th January, 2011 at Lagos.

Lucy Dan Bassey (Miss) known as Lucy Bassey late of 12, Sakiru Street, Oworo, Lagos who died intestate on 17 th May, 2009 at Lagos.

Nwachie Boniface Ifeanyi late of 14, Johnson Street, Kirikiri Town, Lagos who died intestate on 30th September, 2011 at Lagos.

Adebowale Elijah Osundina known as Adebowale Osundina late of 11, Ondo Street, Oke-Ira Aguda Tuntun Egba, Lagos who died intestate on 23rd January, 2011 at Lagos.

Mr. Richard Ndubuisi Ikediashi late of 2/5 Alhaji Ganiyu Jinadu Street, Ifako Gbagada, Lagos who died intestate on 21st May, 2011 at Lagos.

Mrs. Kalu Nkechi late of 22, Aiyedelire Street, Bonny Bus-Stop Ajangbadi, Lagos who died intestate on 26th August, 2011 at Badagry, Lagos.

Yinusa Babatunde Owolawase known as Yinusa Owolase and Owolawase Yinusa late of 91, Bunmi Ajakaye Street, Lagos who died intestate on 22nd March, 2010 at Lagos.

Mr. Peter Omuah late of 4, Omoturo Street, Isashi – Odun Ojo, Lagos who died intestate on 6th May, 2005 at Lagos.

LCPL Joel Duniya Isah known as LCPL Isa Joel late of 45, Div. Engrs. Dodan Barrack who died intestate on 5th April, 2008 Ifeyinwa Peptual Ezeigwe late of 13, Ado Street, New Garage Bariga, Lagos who died intestate on 30th January, 2012 at Onitsha.

AVM John Olayinka Sunmonu known as AVM Sunmonu Olayinka late of 64, Lanre Awolokun Street, Gbagada, Lagos who died intestate on 31st December, 2011 at Lagos.

Chief (Dr) Rhodes Babashola known as Chief (Dr) Babashola Rhodes late of 27, Kakawa Street, Lagos who died intestate on 8th October, 2004 at Lagos.

Mrs. Remilekun Christiana Adebayo known as Adebayo Christiana Remilekun late of 4 Solanke Street, Ikosi, Ketu, Lagos who died intestate on 17th August1998 at Lagos.

Sanni Balogun known as Balogun Sanni late of 13, Ibitoye Street, Ilupeju Lagos who died intestate on 20th July, 1977 at Lagos.

Elsie Abimbola Odunewu known as Odunewu Elsie Abimbola late of 7, Thompson Avenue Ikoyi, Lagos who died intestate on 4th January, 2012 at Lagos.

Mrs. Kofoworola Oluwo known as Oluwo Kofo late of 23, Obanikoro Street, Lagos who died intestate on 6th October, 2003 at Lagos.

Francis Adim Oduah known as Francis Oduah late of 6A Okanlawon Ajayi Street, Masha Surulere, Lagos who died intestate on 30th November, 2010 at Lagos.

Effiong Ibiok late of 8, Onojimi Street, Shomolu, Lagos, who died intestate on 18 th March, 2011 at Lagos.

Dr. Josephus Kehinde Ladipo known as Ladipo Josephus Kehinde late of 17, Omotayo Ojo Street, Ikeja, Lagos who died intestate on 7th August, 1974 at Lagos.

Julius Udogu Okonkwo late of Awkuzu who died intestate on 10th October, 1979 at Onitsha.

Rose Ifejokwu known as Ifejokwu Rose late of 72, Church Street, Oshodi, Lagos who died in intestate on the 12th October, 2011 at Lagos.

Odumuko Martha Onyedinma late of Block 5, Nitel Junior Quarters, Oshodi, Lagos who died intestate on 17 th August, 2009 at Lagos.

S/N NAMES OF APPLICANT APPLYING FOR THE GRANT Mrs. Florence Aforkoghene Ejoni and Ejoni Gabriel both of 1B, Kehinde Street, Ajegunle, Lagos. The widow and one of the children of the said deceased.

2. George Duerimini Powei, George Tupaminiye Powei and Lucky George Powei all of 82, Queen Street, Alagomeji Sabo Yaba, Lagos. Three of the children of the said deceased.

3. Mrs. Georgina A. Olupitan and Mrs Tseshe A. Doyle both of 6A, Sarumi Avenue, Dopemu, Lagos. Two of the children of the said deceased.

4. Rose Omoruyi, Osas Omoruyi and Blessing Omoruyi all of Block 3, Flat 10, Pedro Police Barracks, Lagos. The widow, one of the children and brother of the said deceased.

5. Igwebike Ngozi Patricia and Igwebike Victoria Nkechi both of No. 20, Nathan Street, Surulere, Lagos. The widow and one of the children of the said deceased.

6. Mrs Juliet Ekpo and Miss Confident Ekpo both of 8, Ajalekoko Street, Makoko, Yaba, Lagos. The widow and only son of the said deceased.

7. Abdullai Adesina Lawal and Mooruf Adeleke Lawal both of Plot 3, Bishop Okunola Street, Ibiye Badagry, Lagos. Two of the children of the said deceased.

8. Sophia Olabisi Awoyemi and Olubunmi Awoyemi both of 66, Community Road, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos. The widow and one of the children of the said deceased.

9. Bright Fredrick and Famous Fredrick both of 15, Ayo Faluyi Street, Odogunyan Ikorodyu, Lagos. Two of the children of the said deceased.

10. Peter Ifeanyi Okeke and Okenna Basil Okeke both of 9, Bola Close Orile, Lagos. Two of the children of the said deceased.

11. Mr. Adefemi Victor Abosede and Mrs. Adetayo Abosede both of 3, Kunle Ekunele Close U – Turn Abule Egba, Lagos. The widow and one of the children of the said deceased.

12. Mr. Ebigwei Josephine and Mr. Ebigwei Isioma both of 78, Hakeem Dosumu Street, Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos. The widow and one of the children of the said deceased.

13. Olayinka O. Daniel, Gbemisola James and Gbenga Daniel all of 10, Opesa- Mowo Badagry, Lagos. Three of the children of the said deceased.

14. Mrs. Destiny Sunday Akpan and Mr. Kingsley Sunday Akpan both of 8, Ogungbamila Street, Ilaje Bariga, Lagos. The widow and one of the children of the said deceased.

15. Mr. Fayomi Adewale James and Fayomi Adekunle Gabriel both of 44, John Olugbo Street, Ikeja, Lagos. Two of the children of the said deceased.

16. Margret Sunday Isong and Nsikanabasi Sunday Isong both of 737 Ikota Housing Estate Ajah, Lagos. The widow and one of the children of the said deceased.

17. Ejimofor Obata and Ifeanyi Valerie Obata both of 5th Avenue, R Close, House 29, Festac Town, Lagos. Two of the children of the said deceased.

18. Margaret Azuka Williams, Arthur Okechi Williams, Cynthia Chizite Williams and Henry Chukwuebuka Williams. All of NSPMC Co-Operative Estate Ewelepe Ikorodu, Lagos. The widow and three of the children of the said deceased.

19. Mr. Wasiu Akintayo Agunbiade and Mr. Ifetayo Oluwaseun Agunbiade both of Jacquim Way Obele – Odan Surulere, Lagos. The widower and one of the children of the said deceased.

20. Abiodun Oludare Oyebola and Olusegun Oyebola both of 8, Karimu Laka Street, Egbeda, Lagos. Two of the children of the said deceased.

21. Joshua Oluremi Alabi and Jumoke Oyinda Oyewumi of 15, Olushola Crescent Ori-Okuta Ikorodu and 26, Duduyemi Street, Egbeda, Lagos. The widower and sister of the said deceased.

22. Princess Dora Udegbe, Odion R. Udegbe and Martins E Udegbe all of 3rd Avenue F1 Close Plot 259 Festac Town, Lagos.

The widow and two of the children of the said deceased.

23. Ayeni Falilat Bolajoko and Ayeni Jemilat Anike both of 17, Obafilabi Street, Ojodu Berger, Lagos. The sisters to the said deceased.

24. Richard Udoh and Udo Praise Itoro both of 7, Ogo Oluwa Street, Oworoshoki Lagos. Two of the children of the said deceased.

25. Mrs. Christiana Ajakaye and Lydia Oreofe Adetiba of 28, Majalete Street, Palm Groove, Lagos and 62, Amuwo Odofin Housing Estate Amuwo Mile 2, Lagos. The sister and cousin of the said deceased.

26. Kelvin Ogharanka and Brian Ogharanka both of 5, Prince Sulaimo Taiwo Street, Jakande Estate, Lagos. Two of the children of the said deceased.

27. Babatunde Daniel Awe and Folorunsho Awe both of 1, Kano Street, Ebute-Metta, Lagos. Two of the children of the said deceased.

28. Edward Babafemi Campbell, Ernestine Modupeola Campbell and Margaret Abimbola Gbayisomore of Arlinton Texas U.S.A. and Lovisville Keotocky U.S.A. The children of the said deceased.

29. Mrs. Helen Attah and Miss Kaosisochukwu Attah both of 4, Oviemhada Street, Palm Groove, Lagos. The widow and daughter of the said deceased.

30. Mrs. Akinbadejo Oluwakemi and Akinbadejo Praise both of 6, Nimota Ijadoro Street, Ikorodu, Lagos. The widow and daughter of the said deceased.

31. Mrs. Yetunde.Oluwasola, Mr. Olusegun Oluwasola and Mrs. Busola Obafemi all of Plot 10, Oluwasola Street, Magodo G.R.A. 2, Lagos. The widow and two of the children of the said deceased.

32. Messrs Lotenna Ohazulike and Vitalis Ohazulike both of Cyra Crescent Finiger Estate, Satellite Town, Lagos. The siblings of the said deceased.

33. Uzoma Chinedu Nwokedi and Chioma N. Momah both of No. 2, Odienna Close Wuse 11 Abuja. The son and daughter of the said deceased.

34. Mr. Patrick Ikechukwu Okonkwo and Mrs Vivian Ogechukwu Okonkwo both of 16, Fatai Kadiri Street, Shomolu, Lagos.

The brother and sister of the said deceased.

35. Mrs. Ifeoma Egbugbara and Kelechi A. Otuije both of No. 30, Aliyu Iboyimi Stret, Okota, Isolo, Lagos. The Siblings of the said deceased.

36. Igbo Tonia Chinyere, Igbo Nnamdi Remmy and Igbo Ikechukwu all of 24, Adele Ajosun Street, Badagry. Three of the children of the said deceased.

37. Avoseh Beatrice Olubunmi and Avoseh Deborah Manyon both of 43, Kaduna Street, Badagry Express Way, Lagos. The widow and one of the children of the said deceased.

38. Mrs. Amy Amaechi Nwosu and Miss Kristabell Chinenye Nwosu both of 41, Sijuola Street, Ago Okota, Lagos. The widow and one of the children of the said deceased.

39. Mr. Charles Acha and Ebuele Ndubuisi Peter both of 1, Ganiyu Adebisi Close, Isheri Osun, Lagos. The brother and family friend of the said deceased.

40. Mrs. Roseline Ejim and Mr. Ikenna Nelson Ejim both of 3, Olufunke Close Agbado Lagos. The mother and brother of the said deceased.

41. Mrs. Virginia Ikwuonye and Mr. Ekene Godwin Ikwuonye both of 1, Celestial Cottage Road, Coker Lagos. The widow and one of the children of the said deceased.

42. Chief Nnamdi Uwalaka, Anthony I, Uwalaka, Ogbeide H. Uwalaka F and June C. Akwuobi (Mrs) all of 23 Road K Close, House 32, Festac Town, Lagos. Four of the children of the said deceased.

43. Yusuf Nasiru Kosemani and Yusuf Kehinde Kafayat of 6, Mutairu Onigbanjo Street, Lagos and 6, Abaniwonda Close Ijesha. Lagos. The widow and brother of the said deceased.

44. Mr. Osayemwenre Igudia, Mr. Charles Okonkwo and Mr. Bernard Osin all of 28, Gaspher Street, Ikate Surulere, Lagos. The widower, Cousin and Nephew of the said deceased.

45. Mrs. Oluwatoyin Hamzat, Adekunle Oluwakayode Osinowo, Obafemi Olujimi Osinowo and Christopher Olajide Osinowo all of 123 Tokunbo Street, Lagos. Three of the children and brother of the said deceased.

46. Ibrahim Badmus and Bintu Badmus both of 27, Gbadamosi Street, Oke-Rube Lagos. Two of the children of the said deceased.

47. Mrs. Olabisi Warden, Mrs Moronfolu Popoola and Mr. Damilola Aboyade – Cole all of 74, Olowode Street, Yaba, Lagos.

Daughter and Grand children of the said deceased.

48. Abiye Feyijimi and Mr. Victor Abolaji both of 10, Asekun Street, Pako- Aguda Surulere, Lagos. The daughter and brother of the said deceased.

49. Onyeanusi Christopher and Onyeanusi Augustin both of 18, Aminu Ishola Street, Alaba-Oro, Lagos. The widower and one of the children of the said deceased.

50. Balogun Agbaje Adeshola and Balogun Agbaje Mosunmola both of 34, Balogun Agbaje Compound Bodo Isale Epe, Lagos. Two of the children of the said deceased.

51. Mrs. Adewuyi Mulikat, Miss Shonibare Sekinat Ololade and Mr. Lookman Atanda Shonibare all of 138, Tokunboh Street, Lagos. Three of the children of the said deceased.

52. Babatunde A. Oguntoyinbo and Miss Oladunni Oguntoyinbo both of Block 36, Flat 4, Adeniji Adele Street, Lagos. Two of the children of the said deceased.

53. Mrs. Oluremi Adeola Kuforiji, Olukayode A. Olugbenle and Olufemi Adelowo Olugbenle all of 24, Asani Road Bariga, Lagos. Three of the children of the said deceased.

54. Mrs. Itohan Ekere and Mr. Afoke Ekere both of Road 54, Flat F, 76 V.G.C. Ajah Lagos. The sister and brother of the said deceased.

55. Miss Omobowale King and Miss Ibidun King both of 3, Temade Street, Ikorodu, Lagos. Two of the children of the said deceased.

56. Babatunde Larunsi, Iyabode Larunsi Funke Larunsi and Sanya Larunsi all of 7, Sunday Somole Street, Mafoluku Oshodi Lagos. The children of the said deceased.

57. Okoro Sunday Ufere and Osondu Kama Okoro both of 207 Road, D Close, House 14, Festac Town, Lagos. Siblings of the said deceased.

58. Mr. Emmanuel Bassey and Akaninyere F. Johnson both of 12, Sakiru Street, Oworo, Lagos. The brothers of the said deceased.

59. Nwachie Celestine Ononoju and Nwachie Valentine Okechukwu both of 14, Johnson Street, Kirikiri Town, Lagos. Two of the children of the said deceased.

60. Christiana Osundina and Adebimpe Akindiya both of 11, Ondo Street, Oke-Ira Aguda Tuntun, Lagos. The widow and cousin of the said deceased.

61. Mrs. Angela C. Richard – Ikediashi and Mr. Collins Onuegbu both of 2/5 Alhaji Ganiyu Street, Ifako Gbagada, Lagos. The widow and friend of the said deceased.

62. Emmanuel Onukwube and Obina Kalu both of 22, Ayedelire Street, Bonny Bus-Stop Ajangbadi, Lagos. The widower and brother of the said deceased.

63. Rilwan Olabisi Owolawase and Yusuf Abiodun Riliwan both of 91, Bunmi Ajakaye Street, Lagos. The only son and brother in-law of the said deceased.

64. Mr. Paul U. Omuah and Mr. Daniel Omuah both of 4, Owoturo Street, Isashi Odan Ojo, Lagos. One of the children and younger brother of the said deceased.

65. LCPL Jerry D. Isah and Emmanuel D. Isah of 14, Fer (NAE) Onitsha and ECWA Church Kaura Kaduna. The brothers of the said deceased.

66. Ifeoma Gloria Elue (Miss) and Christiana Chinyere Nwanji. Sister and in-law of the said deceased.

67. Mrs. Arinola Sunmonu Fadahunsi and Mr. Olayinka Fadahunsi both of 44, Lanre Awolokun Road, Gbagada, Lagos. The widow and one of the children of the said deceased.

68. Mrs. Abiola Babalola and Ms Moji Rhodes both of 13, Oladipo Diya Crescent Ikoyi Lagos. Two of the children of the said deceased.

69. Lawrence Ojo Adebayo, Temitope Oluwasegun Adebayo and Olubukola Ibukun Adebayo all of 4, Solanke Street, Ikosi Ketu, Lagos. The widower and children of the said deceased.

70. Ganiyu Yesufu Sanni and Joseph Alao Akiode both of 21A Akinrinade Street, Agbado, Lagos. Son and Grandson of the said deceased.

71. Mrs. Ebun Awosika, Mr. Akanni Odunewu and Mr. Segun Odunewu all of 31, Campbell Street, Lagos. The children of the said deceased.

72. Mr. Emmanuel Ekpeyong, Mrs. Oyinka Oyofo of 23, Obanikoro Street, Lagos and Mrs. Aina Eso i/o The Hon. Justice Kayode Eso Green Acres Ilolaba Ayodi G.R.A. Ibadan. The Nephew, Niece and Bossom Friend of the said deceased.

73. Mrs. Phina Oduah and Mr. Paul Agiliga Oduah both of 6A, Okanlawon Ajayi Street, Masha Surulere, Lagos. The widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

74. Mercy Effiong Ibiok, Blessing Effiong Ibiok and Victoria Effiong Ibiok all of 8, Onojimi Street, Shomolu, Lagos. The widow and children of the said deceased.

75. Mrs. Carmenita Ladipo, Mr. Kunle Ladipo and Mr. Jejelola Ladipo all of 17, Omotayo Ojo Street, Ikeja, Lagos. The widow and two of the children of the said deceased.

76. Theresa Comfort Okonkwo and Benedette Chikaodili Etomike (Nee Okonkwo) of C.J Okeke Esq Solicitor 53, New Market Road. P.O Box 13044, Onitsha. The Widow and Daughter of the said deceased.

77. Onyeka Ifejokwu and Benedicta Unokiwedi of 12/18, Akinyemi Crescent, Matori and 72, Church Street, Oshodi, Lagos.

The siblings of the said deceased.

78. Odumuko Ngozi Joseph and Odumuko George Uchechukwu both of Block 5, Nitel Junior Quarters, Oshodi, Lagos. The Children of the said deceased.

1.

G.A. SAFARI (ESQ.) PROBATE REGISTRAR

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THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

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POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

CONSTITUTION REVIEW As the National Assembly is set to review the 1999 Constitution, one of the issues on the front burner is the immunity for the President, Vice -President and Governors and Deputy Governors. Deputy Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU presents the views of those who want it expunged from the constitution and those canvassing for its retention.

Should immunity clause be retained?

E

VEN before the Senate Committee on Constitution Review met in Asaba last week, the immunity clause in Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution had been a subject of controversy.

Does immunity create a crop of leaders who act with impunity? That was the question that agitated the mind of the university don, Prof.

Niyi Osundare, at a recent lecture in Lagos.

The foremost scholar observed that there is a sense in the clamour for the liquidation of the immunity clause in some quarters. He hinged his argument on the fact that the law shields some power holders in their executive lawlessness.

Many Nigerians are in the same frame of mind. Human rights activists have raised eyebrows at the penchant of some elected officials for indulging in criminal activities as they hide under the immunity clause. For example, governors who are allegedly involved in large-scale graft and murder were treated as sacred cows during their tenure. They loom large, having cowed the parliament and rendered impotent the impeachment tool. Consequently, they also pillage the treasury with recklessness.

Four years ago, former President Umaru Yar’Adua supported the removal of the discriminatory section from the Constitution. As an incumbent Head of State who perceived it as a hindrance, his call was thought to have come from strange quarters. But observers argued that, although he was treading the populist path, Yar ‘Adua’s posture underscored his avowed commitment to the rule of law and due process.

Then, President Yar’Adua’s view was backed by former Chief Justice of Nigeria Alfa Belgore. He berated the beneficiaries for hiding under that cover to become power-drunk, adding that they thought Nigerians would be assailed by a collective amnesia which would make them forget their misdeeds after completing their tenures. The jurist submitted that the fear of criminal prosecution by the incumbent executive would wipe him into line and prevent him from slipping from the boundary of sanity.

Expectedly, the immunity debate has resonated again as the National Assembly appears set for the amendment of the flawed constitution. Lawyers and politicians are divided over the vexed issue. Critics of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government have insisted that the ineptitude, inefficiency, corruption and repression of the opposition may not abate, unless the 1999 Constitution becomes a leveler. In addition, it is believed that immunity clause is unwarranted because it may continue to serve as a license for misappropriation and embezzlement.

In a country ravaged by the corruption virus, this is a fine argument. But protagonists of the immunity clause have cautioned against an emotive perception. Former Oyo State Governor Adebayo Alao Akala, who acknowledged that some governors may commit grievous offence and escape prosecution for the moment, called for an objective assessment of the significance of the clause in the constitution. He said, if immunity is not retained, governors may be diverted by opponents who may cook up frivolous allega-

tions that would still lead to their prosecution in the court, thereby diverting their attention from the arduous task of governance.

A political scientist, Prof. Femi Otubanjo, who bared his mind on the proposed constitution review, submitted that the removal and retention of the clause have their merits and demerits. Like Akala, the former university don who spoke on a Channel Tevision programme reasoned that beneficiaries should be free from distractions. But he was also not comfortable with the apparent misuse of the provision. His contention was that, if a single five-year tenure is adopted and responsible politicians are in the saddle, retention or removal of the clause would have little implication.

Another political scientist, Paul Thovoeth, observed that there are more constitutional matters that should be pursued than immunity. He disagreed that the removal of immunity would stem corruption, saying that that expectation is futile and unreasonable.

“How many ministers, commissioners and special advisers are arrested and prosecuted?

Are they covered by immunity?”, he queried.

In Thovoeth’s view, corruption is endemic in Nigeria, adding that it is subjective to attribute it solely to immunity. In a breath, he argued that the mentality of politicians make them to violate due process and when they are carried away by their pre-eminent position, influence and privilege in the society, they misuse the instrumentality of the state and machinery of government.

In another breath, he submitted that it is meaningful to protect the chief executives and their deputies from distractions triggered by political vendetta, which is a product of the Nigerian factor. “The advantage outweighs the disadvantage”, he said.

Section 308 of the constitution provides a device for protecting certain public officers from criminal prosecution during their tenure. The elected officials are the President, Vice President, governors and deputy governors. These officers cannot be arrested, tried and imprisoned by any court. They cannot appear before any competent court to answer charges. According to the constitution, they are insulated from both civil and criminal proceedings. It is not a blanket provision. The protection does not cover state and federal legislators, ministers and judges.

Taking a cursory look at the controversial clause, Ralph Akinfeleye, a Professor of Mass Communication at the University of Lagos, Akoka said that its retention is a gateway, accelerator and incubator for corruption.

Human rights lawyer Lanre Suraj, who shared the same opinion, canvassed its removal. He gave two reasons for his position. The lawyer said many politicians holding executive positions today are of doubtful character. In addition, he described them as corrupters of society. “With the invasion of our political space by people of questionable background and characters, and unbridled atrocities of many in office, the clause should go”, he stressed.

Another pro-democracy activist, Joe Igbokwe, is of the same frame of mind. He wondered why criminal prosecution of gov-

• Dr. Jonathan

‘The clause should be removed as it is making a “kabiyesi” out of elected officials. It is a cover for all kinds of criminality in governance. Even, people without immunity are exhibiting impunity in Nigeria, how much more people with immunity’ – Yinka Odumakin ernors should be postponed in the face of weighty evidence against them. The Lagos State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Publicity Secretary however, displayed ambivalence urging the National Assembly to exercise caution. He said political foes may create problem for some serious-minded governors, if they do not enjoy immunity.

“Immunity clause may not be too good for our country, judging by our chequered history. I have had cause in the past to ask for its removal from our constitution so that nobody will be given the blank cheque to loot the treasury. But I am changing my mind to ask for its retention just to protect serious governors from frivolous and ridiculous litigations while in office.

“The goverors can be prosecuted when their tenure elapses, if there are empirical evidences to suggest that they used their positions to enrich themselves while in office”, Igbokwe said.

However, former Afenifere Publicity Secretary Yinka Odumakin warned that the country is doomed, if the clause protecting the looters is retained. His grouse was that governors have capacity to amass stupendous wealth which could position them to have plea bargaining outside office and mobilise people decked in “aso ebi” to sing their praise in court when trial begins.

Odumakin explained that immunity is a dangerous weapon in a presidential system where the President, governors and deputies have coercive powers and dominant control of all resources. Warning that the supporters of the clause are aiding and abetting criminality, he said the clause is an affront on the principle of equality before the law. Also, he submitted that it is not normal to except elected officers from prosecution as holders of the sovereignty on behalf of the people.

Odumakin recalled that when the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo ruled the defunct Western Region and Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) were performing wonders in their states, they were not immune from criminal prosecution.

“The clause should be removed as it is making a “kabiyesi” out of elected officials. It is a cover for all kinds of criminality in gover-

•Senator Mark

‘The beneficiary is only protected from unnecessary distraction. This is true because the former beneficiaries are immediately left in the cold when they leave office’ - Lateef Raji nance. Even, people without immunity are living impunity in Nigeria, how much more people with immunity”, he stressed.

A legal luminary, Joe Gadzama (SAN), is in the same frame of mind. He observed that those supporting the retention of the clause are afraid of change, which is an inevitable feature of life. He said Nigerians have a choice between using the constitution to protect those who have visa or passport to steal or employing the constitution to bridge the loopholes.

His colleague, Chuks Muoma (SAN), argued that immunity has become a formidable shelter for corruption, adding that it is dangerous for democracy. He pointed out that senators and House of Representatives members are afraid of its removal because some of them have governorship ambition. “They hope that one day they would become beneficiaries of the clause”, he fumed.

A group, ‘Alliance for Credible Elections’, does not have a contrary opinion. Its secretary, Emma Ezeazu, called for sober reflection, saying that, although some governors may misbehave, it is not enough ground to axe the clause. He recalled that a despotic President may begin to oppress the governors who disagree with him on fundamental questions.

“When Obasanjo was President, he would have removed Abia State Governor orji Kalu, if there was no immunity”, he said.

Also, former Ekiti State Governor Niyi Adebayo, said the removal of immunity is injurious. His words: “I do not agree with the removal of immunity clause. I believe it should be retained. I believe its removal could lead to a lot of distractions for governors and the President. I believe that after their tenure of office, any infractions committed can be dealt with as it is the case now”, he added.

Lagos State Special Adviser on Information and Strategy Alhaji Lateef Raji urged Nigerians to know the limitations to immunity. He pointed out that there is no permanent immunity, adding that it only covers a brief period. “The beneficiary is only protected from unnecessary distraction.

This is true because the former beneficiaries are immediately left in the cold when they leave office.”

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CITYBEATS

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

Makoko residents shun govt parley

By Miriam Ndikanwu

RESIDENTS of the recently demolished Makoko shanties yesterday shunned a meeting with the Lagos State Government on the best solution to their challenge.

The meeting scheduled for 2pm was to hold in the conference room of the Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development.

Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Aderemi Ibirogba who confirmed the development, said the eight communities affected in the demolition were informed about the meeting by the government.

"The meeting was a fall out of the agreement the governor reached with the residents during their protest to the secretariat on Monday. The governor assured them that a meeting will be held to resolve the issues.

"As at 2pm all the officials of the government arrived for the meeting but unfortunately, the resident did not turn up, we have waited for several hours and have to adjourn till Tuesday at the same venue and time," Ibirogba said.

When contacted, Baale one of the affected communities, Abraham Metsu said they could not attend the meeting because the message got to them very late.

Woman burnt to death CIVIL servant, simply identified as Mrs Adeoye of 9 B Close, 511 Road, FESTAC Town, Lagos, died yesterday in an early morning fire that razed her home.

Her husband, who was injured while trying to save her, is at the Navy Town Hospital, Ojo, Lagos.

Eyewitnesses said the late Mrs Adeoye was burnt beyond recognition.

She was said to have died before help could reach her.

Reliving the incident, Olusoji Shodimu, a friend to Michael, the deceased’s son, said: "Michael's mother does not deserve to die like that. I have not been able to get the incident out of my mind. She was burnt beyond recognition. When the fire was eventually put out around 4am by men of the Lagos State Fire Service, we went inside and saw her on the floor.

"The noise in the street woke me up and when I sighted the building, the first thing on my mind was ah! This is my friend's house o!

"So, I ran out immediately and was shouting my friend's

A

By Precious Igbonwelundu

name; luckily, he came out from my back and I said thank God. But the next thing he said was that Soji, my mother is inside that fire.

"I shouted at him to stop the joke, but he told me it was no joke that his mother could not make it out of the fire and his father discovering that the mother was still inside the building, went back to rescue her but he was burnt and is currently in the hospital.

"It is unbelievable, I think the smoke was too much for her and she fainted. She was lying with her face on the floor when we entered the building, and parts of her body was in the raging fire.

Honestly, she does not deserve to die like that because that woman was very good.

"Her remains were carried away by the police to be deposited in the mortuary."

The fire, which started about 12am, burnt all the properties in the storey building, save for the kitchen and a few plastic chairs that the family uses for house fellowship.

The cause of the fire, said to have started upstairs, could not be ascertained; tenants who reside at the boys' quarters (BQ), said it could be power surge.

They said their light had been erratic for days, adding that Houses 7, 9 and 11 have the same problem. While other buildings have electricity, theirs trips off and on, they said, adding that the landlord had complained to the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and urged them to always put off their electronic gadgets. The late Mrs Adeoye was a PHCN worker.

"We have stayed in this compound for more than a year and I can tell you that Mr. and Mrs. Adeoye do not use candle. Also, their generator has been faulty for more than three weeks now; you can see it there that nothing happened to it. This fire is mysterious," said another tenant.

A woman told The Nation that she escaped by scaling the fence. She said she woke up around 1am to switch off her generator, and saw that the main building was on fire,

•The razed building...yesterday

with thick smoke everywhere.

"We were sleeping and around 12:30am, we heard glass shattering and people shouting. I did not bother

Fashola: Lagos Eko Project to drive qualitative education

Journalists fellowship THE monthly fellowship of the Lagos Chapter of Journalists for Christ International Outreach holds tomorrow at the International Press Centre (IPC), Ogba, Lagos.

The theme is: "How to find and keep media jobs in a depressed economy."

NAFDAC nabs fake doctor THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, (NAFDAC) has apprehended a Cameroonian who specialised in prescribing, selling and administering unregistered Chinese drugs.

Justin Sitamze, who claims to be a doctor, was arrested at his illegal clinic in Ajegunle, Lagos, by operatives from NAFDAC’s Enforcement Directorate, acting on a tip-off. The suspect was caught with three of his staff.

The Director of Enforcement, Mr. Garba Macdonald, said the suspect was carrying out consultations and tests on patients using some electronic medical devices, after which he would prescribe and administer the unregistered products for the ailment he claimed to have diagnosed.

He said the drugs recovered from the clinic were labelled in Chinese language without English interpretations, warning that their quality could not be guaranteed by NAFDAC for human consumption.

In his statement, Sitamze confessed to the crime, saying that he was trained in China and licensed as a Trado-Medical practitioner.

because I did not actually know what was happening, because I normally switch off my generator once it was 1am, I went out to put my generator off.

•Fashola (middle) presenting a dummy cheque to a group of students. With him are Commissioner for Education, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye (3rd left), Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas (3rd right), and a lawmaker Hon. Wahab Alawiye-King (2nd right) at the event... yesterday.

PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES

L

AGOS State Governor Babatunde Fashola has described the World Bank assisted Lagos EKO Project as an initiative geared towards driving qualitative education.

Fashola spoke yesterday when he gave N256million to 128 outstanding public schools.

•128 outstanding schools get N256m

By Miriam Ndikanwu

He also announced international leadership training, abroad, for two principals for their schools’ performance.

He said the yearly award has become the biggest item

in the state's academic calendar for rewarding efforts, competition and achievement.

Fashola said: "The Lagos Eko Project puts funds directly in the hands of the principals and teachers, to

ensure that all the projects they plan for in the year are executed.

“Let me use this opportunity to say that with the provision of the funding by Eko Project, no public school in this state

has the right to ask any parent to contribute anything to the maintenance of the school.”

The government, he said, invested in public schools to ensure students compete favourably with their counterparts in private schools.

He said the government plans to recruit 1200 teachers to replace those who left, adding that 650 sanitation managers have been engaged to keep schools’ toilets and compounds clean.

Fashola recalled that before the project, primary school pupils were admitted into secondary school with a pass mark of 30, saying the government has benchmarked it at 50.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Eko Project, Ms Ronke Azeez, said the government through the project is at a critical mile stone to achieve its educational objective.

She said the honoured schools were selected based on their performance and students' academic achievements, adding that public schools performance has improved under the project intervention from the fund.

The One-Day Governor, Miss Lilain Ogbuefi, said the project supports the students dreams and aspirations to become the best.

Dana crash: Coroner to issue bench warrant on Texaco, Conoil

O

IL giants Texaco Nigeria Ltd and Conoil Plc as well as Red Cross Society of Nigeria have been given a last chance to appear before the Coroner conducting an inquest into the June 3 Dana plane crash.

Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe warned yesterday that a bench warrant would be issued against them if they did not appear before him next week.

He spoke following the submission of Mr Femi

By Adebisi Onanuga

Falana (SAN) that the oil firms and relief agency did not appear before the Coroner despite being summoned.

Falana's law firm petitioned the Lagos State Chief Coroner, Justice Lateefah Okunnu, seeking an inquiry into the plane crash which occurred at Iju-Ishaga, a Lagos suburb.

At yesterday's sitting, Falana said the Police should be ordered to investigate

those who died on the ground, pointing out that it is not the responsibility of the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB). The bureau, he said, is only to investigate the cause of the crash.

Magistrate Komolafe agreed with the interested parties to schedule the appearance of witnesses following the submission of counsel to the Nigerian Airspace Management Authority (NAMA), Mr. Obi Okwusogu (SAN).

He ordered witnesses sub-

mitting depositions to forward them to the court two days before they are to give evidence.

According to the schedule, Channels Television and Africa Independent Television (AIT) would be at the proceedings next Monday to show the clips of the crash.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA), Julius Berger and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) will take their turns on Tuesday.

The AIB, represented by Mrs. Maureen Tsenongo, told the Coroner that she intended to submit a written deposition and requested to appear on August 1, to enable her bring her witness.

Komolafe granted the request of counsel to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Mr. Babatunde Irukera and his Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) counterpart, C. Chiwete, to appear on August 2 and August 6.

He adjourned till Monday.

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

54

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 26-7-12

Market braces for recovery

T

HE Nigerian stock market was close to breaking its recent streak of downtrend yesterday but losses by a handful of highly capitalised stocks undermined widespread gains by most equities.

Aggregate market value of all quoted equities slipped marginally by 0.06 per cent from N7.360 trillion to N7.356 trillion, completing a three-day consecutive decline. The benchmark All Share Index (ASI), which measures value changes at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), also dropped to 23,116.60 points as against its opening index of 23,129.82 points.

The decline was orchestrated by some highly capitalised stocks including First Bank of Nigeria, Nigerian Breweries, Oando, PZ Cussons Nigeria and Dangote Flour Mills. The negative market trend belied gains by most stocks as 25 stocks chalked up additional values compared with

By Taofik Salako and Tonia Osundolire

18 on the losers’ list.

Nigerian Breweries lost 50 kobo to close at N117. Oando dropped 40 kobo to close at N14. First Bank of Nigeria lost 36 kobo to close at N11.51. PZ Cussons Nigeria dropped by 20 kobo to close at N25 while Conoil lots N1.31 to close at N24.99.

Other stocks on the losers’ list included RT Briscoe, UBN, Eterna Oil and Gas, Continental Insurance, Bagco, Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals and Guaranty Trust Assurance.

Market analysts said the current bearish run represented temporal trajectories where short term players book marginal profit from earlier bargain positions.

There are expectations that the market may witness an upturn in the next trading session.

The total volume of shares transacted dropped to 378.110 million, valued at N3.078 billion in 4,001 deals,

compared with 420.53 million shares worth N2.97 billion exchanged in 4,550 deals posted on Wednesday. The volume dipped by 10.09 per cent while value grew by 3.7 per cent.

In all, the Financial Services sector, which has continued to remain on the top league in terms of market activities traded 251.029 million shares worth N1.331 billion across 2,263 deals.

Healthcare and Consumer Goods followed at a distance 59.408 million shares and 39.795 million shares.

On the top traded in the market, Union Diagnostics resurfaced in the position of the most actively traded stock yesterday. It led the log with 58 million shares valued at N29 million and exchanged in just only one deal. AIICO Insurance, United Bank for Africa, Diamond Bank and Zenith Bank were other major contributors.

On the positive side, Portland Paints led the table with a gain of 13 kobo to close at N2.74 followed by Access Bank with a price increase of 35 kobo to close at N7.46. Also on the table were CCNN, Presco, Air Services, Livestock, May & Baker, Fidelity Bank, Diamond Bank and Ikeja Hotel.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 26-7-12

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

55

MONEY LINK

Bankers’ Committee mulls database for customers

T

HE Central Bank of Ni geria (CBN) yesterday unfolded plans of the Bankers’ Committee to acquire a biometric-based unique identification portal that will enable it institute a unique database for bank customers.

CBN Deputy Governor Operations, Tunde Lemo said this at a workshop on Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCIDSS) and Cash-less Nigeria held in Lagos. He said the Committee has taken a decision on Unique Identity and there is already a sub-committee headed by the CEO of Zenith Bank, Godwin Emefiele, to put final touches to the project.

Lemo said the Committee

By Collins Nweze

is working very hard on biometric-based unique identification portal that will be available to all banks, making it possible for them to have a unique account data base for their customers.

This, he explained, will enable the banks to have a unique identification for all bank customers across the entire industry.

“This project will be concluded as soon as possible.

There was a meeting by the sub-committee two days ago (Tuesday), and progress on the project is being monitored on daily basis,” he said.

The apex bank had im-

posed fresh condition that from January 8, 2013, owning and operating a bank account in the country would require the customer to have a National Identity Number, NIN. To this effect, from September 1, CBN in conjunction with the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, and the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System, NIBSS, would commence a three months enrollment exercise for all existing banks’ customers to capture their biometrics and issue to them NIN as well as a General Purpose Identity Card.

This was announced via a circular to all deposit money banks, microfinance banks and primary mortgage insti-

tutions, PMIs, on the use of the National Identity Number, NIN, for the Know Your Customer, KYC, verification.

But Lemo said the Bankers’ Committee project does not foreclose the partnership between the CBN, NIMC and NIBSS. He said it is aimed at ensuring that the banking industry have what it can use before the NIMC concludes its work.

“The NIMC idea is very good and it is what we all need to migrate into in the future, but until that is done, we need to have something that the industry can use. Today, the need for unique identifier is so compelling for the banking industry. We cannot wait to have a unique data-

Ecobank, Portuguese bank seal trade pact

E

COBANK Group and Portugal’s third largest commercial bank, Banco Espírito Santo (BES) have entered into a cooperation agreement to develop trade and investments between Portugal and Africa.

Both lenders said in a statement that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was signed at BES’ Lisbon headquarters, envisages

joint effort and cooperation on the network of customers and branches of both banks to support and encourage trade and investments between Portugal and Africa.

Mr. Arnold Ekpe, Ecobank’s Group CEO, remarked said the bank looks forward to working with BES to develop trade and investments between Portugal and Africa.

“Ecobank is currently present in 3 Lusophone countries and this alliance will enable us to leverage our presence and local knowledge in these countries as well as in the other countries in Africa where we are present to better serve BES’s customers in Portugal and Europe doing business in Africa,” he said.

Mr. Ricardo Salgado, President of BES, added

that there is already a deep connection between Portugal and Africa, owing to our shared heritage. “We look forward to working closely with Ecobank to capitalise on the trade and investment opportunities that are springing up, particularly as a result of growing trade between Portugal and Africa,” he said.

Skye Bank revises 2012 ROE target to 17%

S

KYE Bank has raised its return on equity (ROE) target for 2012 to 17 per cent from 15 per cent, the lender told Reuters, after the measure hit 15.6 per cent in the first half of the year.

The mid-tier bank last week announced a 36 per cent year-on-year increase in half-year pre-tax profit to N9.9 billion. It expected its ROE target to reach 18 per cent within

the next three to five years, the bank said.

The lender said it was seeking approvals to include a $100 million debt it raised recently in its capital structure. Skye has

started a process to raise an additional $150 million debt, which it planned to conclude this year, it said.

It said loan growth will top 25 per cent in 2012.

FGN BONDS Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year 5-Year

35m 35m 35m

11.039 12.23 13.19

19-05-2014 18-05-2016 19-05-2016

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10% 10-11%

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Tenor 91-Day 182-Day 1-Year

Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2012 “ 14-04-2012

GAINERS AS AT 26-7-12 SYMBOL

CUSTODYINS PORTPAINT IKEJAHOTEL UTC NAHCO FIDELITYBK CCNN REDSTAREX UBA IBTC

O/PRICE

1.42 2.49 1.13 0.53 5.70 1.33 4.00 2.92 4.20 7.05

C/PRICE

1.49 2.61 1.18 0.55 5.90 1.37 4.12 3.00 4.29 7.18

O/PRICE 2.65 5.98 4.75 15.39 15.12 1.71 7.44 35.00 55.00 1.90

C/PRICE 2.52 5.69 4.52 14.65 14.40 1.63 7.11 33.50 52.80 1.83

I

T was ‘showers of bless ings’ for Automated Teller Machine (ATM) users at the Lloyds TSB cash machine in Ipswich, United Kingdom as the machine dispensed free cash to some customers. Lloyds TSB is official banking and insurance partner of the 2012 Olympic.

AFP report said Police were called to restore calm in eastern England after the bank’s ATM started dispensing twice the money its customers were asking for. The machine began dispensing ‘free cash’ after the bank branch had closed.

As word of the fault spread, a crowd began to gather, prompting arguments among those trying to use the faulty machine.

However, the Police were called in to keep watch until

the bank’s staff could take the machine out of service.

A Lloyds’ spokesman said the machine had been “misdispensing” cash for only a “short time”. The spokesman added: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

Some 30 people are thought to have benefitted from the glitch. However, it is not clear how much money the bank lost, or if it will be able to recover the funds.

Lloyds Banking Group, which had to be bailed out by the British government to the tune of £21 billion at the height of the global financial crisis, said in a results statement that it had cut interim net losses to £676 million on the back of restructuring measures.

CHANGE 0.13 0.29 0.23 0.74 0.72 0.08 0.33 1.50 2.20 0.07

Exchange Rate (N) 155.2 155.8 155.7

Date 2-7-12 27-6-12 22-6-12

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Year Start Offer

NGN USD NGN GBP NGN EUR NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N) (S/N) Bureau de Change (S/N) Parallel Market

Current Before

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

147.6000 239.4810 212.4997

149.7100 244.0123 207.9023

150.7100 245.6422 209.2910

-2.11 -2.57 -1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

153.0000

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

DISCOUNT WINDOW Feb. ’11

July ’11

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

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

CHANGE

0.07 0.12 0.05 0.02 0.20 0.04 0.12 0.08 0.09 0.13

Amount Sold ($) 150m 138m 113m

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12

LOSERS AS AT 26-7-12

SYMBOL ETERNA INTBREW DANGSUGAR PRESCO OANDO RTBRISCOE ACCESS UACN FLOURMILL HONYFLOUR

ATM dispenses ‘free cash’ to customers

Amount Amount Offered ($) Demanded ($) 350m 150m 350m 138m 350m 113m

Currency OBB Rate Call Rate

on-going drive towards migration to cash-less Nigeria.

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM

MANAGED FUNDS

NIDF NESF

• Lemo

DATA BANK

Tenor

Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33 N1000.00 N552.20

base that will be available to all banks,” he said.

He explained that When NIMC is ready, all the data may be migrated into its portal.

“We have not jettisoned any partnership with NIMC but the banking industry will have to hit the ground running with something that is unique to them, and will be available to all the banks,” he said.

Lemo said that the workshop, organised in collaboration with Phillips Consulting is auspicious, given the

Offer Price

Bid Price

ARM AGGRESSIVE 9.17 KAKAWA GUARANTEED 1.00 STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE 122.68 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 8,031.97 THE DISCOVERY FUND 193.00 FIDELITY NIGFUND 1.67 • ARM AGGRESSIVE • KAKAWA GUARANTEED • STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE • AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND

9.08 1.00 122.54 105.46 0.72 1.09 0.93 1,712.68 8.51 1.33 1.80 7,818.56 191.08 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 FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

56

NEWS New salary scale coming for police, says AIG From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

A

NEW salary structure is underway for the police, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIGP) in charge of Zone 9, Mr. Solomon Olusegun, said yesterday.

He said the new scale, which was being fine-tuned by the authorities, would boost the morale of policemen and officers.

The police chief broke the news at the Anambra State Command in Awka, the state capital, during a visit.

Olusegun said the Force headquarters was already working out modalities for the implementation of the new salary regime.

He, however, warned officers against allowing the expectation of the structure to cause anxiety among the rank and file of the Force.

“What is most important is for officers and men to display patriotism and loyalty,” which the AIGP said, “used to be the hallmark of the institution even when the pay of policemen and officers was very meager.”

Olusegun also informed that the construction of the Police Command headquarters in the state would soon begin.

He said plans are afoot to build barracks across the country to ease the accommodation challenges presently facing officers and men.

The police chief therefore appealed to the public to show more compassion towards the police by offering them accommodation and providing them with working tools in the spirit of community policing.

• A cross section of monarchs at their sensitisation meeting with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency in Enugu...yesterday

APGA crisis deepens as court stops Umeh

W

ITH an interim injunction by an Enugu High Court presided over by the Chief Judge of Enugu State, Mr. Justice I.A.Umezulike, the plan by embattled National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance party (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh, to convene committee meetings collapsed yesterday.

The injunction restrained Umeh from “taking steps to convoke a national, state and local government executive committee meeting of APGA”.

Besides, the court also restrained Umeh from expelling any member of the party, pending the determination of a mo-

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

tion on notice fixed for hearing on July 31.

It ordered that a substituted service of all originating processes in the suit be served on the defendant/respondent by pasting same on the entrance to his house on No. 2, Gerraf Street, Ekulu East Quarters, by Ogui Junction, Enugu within the court’s jurisdiction.

Ichie Okuli Jude Okoli, a former chairman of Udi local government chapter of APGA, had approached the court with complaints that Umeh’s action “is capable of drowning the aspirations of the party and some

of its members including himself; that it will cause irreparable damage and damages to the party”.

Ejike’s motion which was supported with a 22-paragraph affidavit recalled that Umeh was the national treasurer of the party, who assumed the chairmanship position in 2006 for a four-year term, following the removal of Chief Chekwas Okorie and that by virtue of the party’s constitution, the fouryear term expired in 2010.

The plaintiff is seeking a declaration, among other things, that Umeh, by true construction of Article 18 (2), (3), (4) and (5), was supposed to vacate office for at least two months before re-election; that he cannot be validly re-elected by any method other than secret ballot; that having taken over as chairman, that Umeh could not stay on after 2010 and that he cannot convey the part’s NEC meeting after his tenure has expired.

He stated that by asking for the injunction, he has not done anything reprehensible , which according to him was in the interest of justice to grant the injunctive relief and maintain the status quo ante bellum following the expiration of the defendant’s tenure, until the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

The court adjourned the case to July 31 and ordered accelerated hearing of all pending applications.

Sullivan advises FAAC on public NLY effective monisector standard toring can ensure the

O

successful implementation of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) in the country, Enugu State Governor Sullivan Chime said yesterday.

He urged the Sub-committee of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (F AAC) on the road map for the adoption, to create effective monitoring mechanisms.

Chime spoke at the Enugu State Government House, where he hosted the sub-committee members who arrived in the state for a two-day sensitisation workshop for stakeholders in the Southeast.

Represented by his deputy Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi said the documentation of how public funds are generated and utilised for various purposes was critical for national development.

He said: “Part of the problem we have in the past may not be that money is always utilised but has to do with the way we keep records. The

adoption of a uniform acceptable standard for financial reporting on how government can be assessed was important.”

The governor urged the committee to carry out along all stakeholders at the federal, state and local levels with adequate sensitisation.

He expressed his administration’s readiness to collaborate with the FAAC sub¬committee to ensure the success of the entire programme.

“I want to assure you that all accounting officers in the state will be duly equipped to embrace this laudable initiative”, Chime said.

The Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) and Chairman of the sub-committee, Mr. Jonah Otunla, who was represented at the event by the Auditor-General of Cross River State, Mr. Chris Nyong, explained that IPSAS provides globally acceptable systems for comparability of financial reporting in govern-

ments.

He said in his remark that the sub-committee has as part of its terms of reference; to ensure that officers involved in finance and accounts functions understand IPSAS’s core requirement; ensure adequate coverage of all stakeholders in the distribution of the document and bridging the identified gaps in the financial statements of the three tiers of government.

Members of the sub- committee include: AccountantsGeneral of Borno State, representing the (Northeast), Sokoto (Northwest), Kwara (Northcentral), Enugu (Southeast), Ogun (Southwest) and Akwa Ibom (Southsouth).

The chairmen of the Forum of Auditors-General for Local Government Areas, representatives of the financial reporting council of Nigeria and the consolidated accounts department of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, are members of the committee.

Anambra retirees seek Jonathan’s help over unpaid arrears

W

ORRIED over the unpaid arrears of 53 per cent of their pensions, members of the Federal Universities Pensioners Association of Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Anambra State have taken their case to the doorstep of President Goodluck Jonathan.

In a petition entitled: “Appeal for full payment of our 53 percent pension arrears” and signed by their chairman Chief Patrick Nweke and the Secretary, Apostle Christopher Muoadana, the retirees lamented the demise of their members.

The petition, made available to reporters, alleged that N13 billion was released as part payment from the more than N28 billion owed them by their former employers.

The pensioners appealed to Jonathan to use his position to direct the immediate release of the additional N15 billion to the appropriate

From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

body to facilitate full payment of the pension by next month.

They said: “Sir, we note with gratitude that you acted in good faith on the issue of the looting of pension fund by some highly-placed Nigerians. We are thanking you so much for the way you have been caring for the welfare of pensioners in Nigeria.

“Sir, we will not conclude this appeal without mentioning the issue of security, which is a matter of concern for all Nigerians today.

“Therefore, in terms of security, especially as it relates to the problems posed by Boko Haram activities, we humbly suggest that you should urgently summon all the retired army, police and naval officers from the rank of colonel and above to a meeting at which the solutions to the pervading insecurity would be found.”

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

57

NEWS

•Jonathan (middle), his wife, Patience (sixth left); Minister of Foreign Affairs Olugbenga Ashiru (behind) and other first ladies...yesterday

PHOTO:NAN

Women Service Chiefs likely soon, says Jonathan N IGERIA may soon have its first set of women service chiefs, President Goodluck Jonathan said yesterday.

The President spoke in Abuja at the seventh General Assembly of the African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM).

He hinged his optimism on the recent admittance of women into the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA) to train as combatant soldiers.

The Federal Government recently lifted the ban, which disallowed women from enlisting in the NDA, last year.

“For the first time, we ad-

From Olugbenga Adanikin, Abuja

mitted women into the prestigious Nigerian Defence Academy to prepare them as full combatants in the Armed Forces.

“We have admitted women into the NDA and we are hopeful that in few years, a woman could be chief of army staff, chief of air staff, chief of naval staff or even chief of defence staff.

“We have begun the journey and we’ll get there. I just listened to my sister, Malawian President Joyce Banda, who advocated that women

Fed Govt sacks 55 midwives

F

and political crises in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

“The AFLPM must continue to serve as a voice for the disempowered, dispossessed and the violated, especially women and children.

“More importantly, it must continue to stand as a special advocate for peace and the growth of our continent,” Jonathan said.

AFLPM president Mrs. Patience Jonathan condemned incessant conflicts in the region.

She lamented the number of deaths recorded during and after regional conflicts.

Mrs Jonathan urged her

colleagues to advocate for peace and use their influence to prevent violence and war in their countries.

Mrs Banda decried the rate of conflict situation in Africa.

She said women and children are the victims of these crises, stressing that African nations had 11 of 24 armed conflicts recorded globally in last year.

Sources said Mrs Banda flew to Abuja on a Nigerian Airforce plane.

She is expected to return home next Wednesday, but will make a detour to South Africa to see President Jacob Zuma.

Suspected drug traffickers arrested

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

IFTY-five midwives employed by the Federal Government have been sacked for alleged misconduct and negligence of duty.

The midwives were among those deployed to Primary Health Care centres in the rural areas.

Southsouth Coordinator of the National Primary Health Care Delivery Agency Bassey Ekpo said this yesterday at the induction of 266 midwives, recently certified by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.

Ekpo said the inductees were to replace the sacked ones.

Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) Ado Muhammad said over 4,000 midwives and 1,000 community health workers have been deployed in 1,000 primary health care facilities linked to 250 general hospitals.

should grow to be heads of the Armed Forces.”

The President advised women to work towards restoring peace to Africa.

He said insecurity, human trafficking, terrorism among other vices, have prevented African countries from achieving sustainable development.

“As wives, mothers, and leaders, African first ladies have an important role to play in the promotion of peace and security on the continent.

“The contribution of women to the Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS’) effort has led to the resolution of the civil war

T

HE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested three suspected women drug traffickers for allegedly smuggling 4.5kg of narcotics in underwears and wigs.

The suspects were apprehended at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja.

Two of them, who were to board an Egypt Airline flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, were caught with 3.6kg of methamphetamines neatly hidden in customised underwears and wigs.

The third, who claimed to be three months pregnant, was found to have ingested 900 grammes of substance that tested positive to cocaine.

The Airport NDLEA Commander ,Hamisu Lawan, gave their names as Ms Anene Blessing Iruoma (26), Ms Obiakor Maryann Okwudili (34) and Ms

Falana: implement NDLEA reform report

R

IGHTS activist Femi Falana (SAN) has urged the Federal Government to implement the report of the Justice Gilbert Obayan National Committee for the Reform of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The committee, set up on October 17, 2006, submitted its report through the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) in February 2007.

“In spite of the profound findings and farreaching recommendations contained in the report, the Federal Government has ignored them,” Falana said.

Falana made the call in a letter to the AGF,

By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor

Mbechi Obiageli Susan (38).

The Commander thanked the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) for alerting the agency.

Ms Iruoma, who hails from Igbariam in Anambra State, allegedly wore a cus-

By Joseph Jibueze

Mohammed Adoke (SAN), which he csent to the Chairman, Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics, Financial Crimes and AntiCorruption and the House of Representatives counterpart committee.

The lawyer said the committee discovered that several offenders ,who were convicted and sentenced, never saw the four walls of the prisons.

“They were rather allegedly freed illegally by a criminal syndicate of NDLEA prosecutors, defence counsel and prison officials, some after paying meagre fines through questionable plea bargains,” Falana said.

tomised underwear and wig stuffed with substances, which tested positive to methamphetamine.

Ms Okwudili, from Nando in Anambra State, concealed 1.90kg of methamphetamine in her underwear.

The third suspect hails

from Oduma village in Enugu State.

She ingested 900 grammes of cocaine and was arrested on her way from Sao-Paulo, Brazil. Ms Mbechi who claimed to be three months pregnant later excreted 51 pellets of cocaine, weighing 900 grammes.

Time to restructure Nigeria is now, say Akiolu, Olanipekun

F

EDERALISM proponents got more support yesterday as two dignitaries warned that the country could no longer evade structural reformation and dialogue.

Pro-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan and former President, Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos said the country must embrace reform and national dialogue to overcome its challenges.

They both argued that the time for a national dialogue, whether sovereign or not , is

By Eric Ikhilae

now because the country has found itself at the crossroads.

The duo observed that the country operates a corrupted federalism that concentrates power at the centre to the detriment of the constituent units.

This, they contended, has caused great injustice and deprivation.

Olanpekun faulted the plan by the National Assembly to create new states, arguing that constituent units should determine the kind of centre they desire in a federation.

The monarch argued that

the current arrangement was detriment to the states’ productivity.

He cited the injustice in the sharing of the Value Added Tax (VAT) proceeds, where states which introduced sharia law and banned consumption of alcohol still benefit from VAT proceeds from such source.

They spoke in Lagos at a lecture organised to mark the 50th anniversary of the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos.

The theme of the lecture was: “Challenges to governance in emerging democracies.”

Olanipekun, who delivered

the lecture, identified greed, abuse of power, poverty, corruption, disregard for the rule of law and due process as well as illiteracy, among others, as causes of the nation’s retrogression.

He argued that in a true federation, the powers to determine state creation did not rest with a central institution as the National Assembly, but with the people.

Oba Akiolu identified lack of love for God and personal aggrandisement as factors responsible for the nation’s retrogression.

“It is absolutely necessary for us to sit down and talk.

Whether they call it sovereign or not, we must talk and seek ways or reordering our country. We can no longer continue to rob Peter to pay Paul.

“They said they hate alcohol, yet they share from the VAT from alcohol. This is unjust.

“We should talk. Let the Boko Haram and their sponsors come to the table with their demands. The Boko Haram thing is not religious. It is just being utilised by some politicians.”

The Malawian President was seen off by Vice-President Khumbo Kachali, several Cabinet members and her party members.

On why she flew on the Nigerian Airforce plane, Mrs Banda said President Jonathan extended the goodwill after noting concerns about the economic hardship Malawi has gone through in the past.

In April, soon after ascending to the presidency, Banda flew to South Africa where she discussed economic problems in Malawi and the loan South Africa gave the country to buy fuel.

Firm trains 30,000 teachers LEARN Africa Plc has trained over 30,000 teachers in Lagos, Kaduna, Abuja, Kano and Benin, the company said yesterday.

The teachers, drawn from both public and private schools, were trained in English, Mathematics, Civic Education, Social Studies, Science and Technology, Economics, Government, Physics, Chemistry and Biology.

Lagos State Commissioner for Education Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye said: “I laud Learn Africa Plc for its contributions to education and its willingness to work with the government to develop the sector.”

The Commissioner, who was represented by the Director of the Curriculum Services Department, Mrs T. A. Idris, challenged teachers to invest in their self-development to be abreast of latest pedagogical techniques and developments in their profession.

She enjoined them to discharge their duties with love and the fear of God, advising that the result of their efforts will show in the performance of their students.

Mrs Oladunjoye urged the teachers to share their knowledge with their colleagues.

Sales and Marketing Director of Learn Africa Plc Segun Oladipo said the workshop is primarily designed to improve the quality of teaching-learning process in secondary education.

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27 , 2012

58

NEWS

‘Bad economy result of wrong politics’ P RESIDENT-General of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Peter Esele said the downturn of the economy was caused by bad leadership.

Esele spoke at the second delegates conference of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) in Lagos yesterday.

He said: “The economy is not right because we have not been able to get our politics right thus, our politics has failed to produce the right

By Dupe Olaoye-Osinkolu

kind of leadership that would transform the economy.

“Our transformation is rather seen only in the papers and where it does exist at all, it is a backward transformation.”

He said this has snowballed into the diverse manifestations of hunger, deprivation, diseases and poverty.

The association hailed Pres-

ident Goodluck Jonathan for approving the 53.37 percent salary relativity for federal workers.

It also thanked the President for the approval of the minimum wage.

ASCSN’s out-going National President Olakunle Olaitan called on the Federal Government to increase the standard of living of Nigerians.

He condemned the impu-

Rivers Assembly decries disasters

R •Esele

nity with which Adamawa and Taraba states went against remittance of check-off dues.

The states have not remitted the dues for nine months.

GOC advises military on civilian relations

G

ENERAL Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Armoured Division Maj-Gen Jack Okechukwu Nwaogbo has given conditions for friendly relations between soldiers and civilians.

Nwaogbo spoke yesterday at the division headquarters, Maxwell Khobe Canton-

From Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos

ment, Jos, during the second training session for finance and account staff.

He said: “The security challenges in the country have brought us closer to civilians.

“Our actions on the streets are what give the first impression of who we are.

“What we do on the streets could earn us negative or positive image.

“If our conduct is giving us negative image, then we need to look inward and fine tune our conduct so that we can only do what is right and professional.

“To ensure smooth relationship with civilians we

should see ourselves first as Nigerians, we are all first Nigerians before anything else “No one is born a soldier, we were born civil and at the end of our service we will retire to become civilians again.

“If this is true, cases of soldier brutalising civilians should not arise.”

Edo lawmakers accuse NAFDAC of negligence AWMAKERS in the Edo State House of Assembly have accused the National Agency for Food Administration and Control (NAFCDAC) of negligence.

They attributed the production of impure water

L

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

products in the state to dearth of NAFDAC officials.

The lawmakers said their investigation showed that there are only two NAFDAC officials in the state.

They spoke at the adop-

tion of a resolution, urging relevant agencies to suspend MAYRO table/sachet water for failing to meet NAFDAC specifications of pH and bacteriological test.

The resolution was adopted after the Committee on Energy and Water Resources submitted its report on

investigation into activities of some water factories.

Chairman of the committee Mike Ohio–Ezomo said the inspection showed that the factories operated in poor hygienic environment, which he was unsafe to produce water products.

IVERS State House of Assembly has said over 130 lives and property worth millions of naira were lost in the various infernos in the state since the beginning of this year.

The Chairman, Committee on Information and Training, Onari Brown, yesterday in Port Harcourt said the Assembly is saddened by the infernos, which he de-

A

scribed as “disaster too many.”

Brown, who commiserated with the families affected in the incidents and Governor Rotimi Amaechi, also promised that the Assembly would assist in giving the necessary legislative backing to assuage the sufferings of the victims.

Four killed in cult war

F

OUR persons have been killed in Benin City and its environs in a renewed cult war in Edo State.

Among those killed on Wednesday night was Nosa Ebohon, who just graduated from the University of Benin.

He was said to have been shot at his friend’s house at Ugbowo, outskirts of Benin City.

Two other victims were shot at Adolor College Road in Ugbowo and Zabayor Street of Stadium Road in

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

Benin City.

Also, Clifford, popularly known as Lekeleke, was been killed in the presence of his wife and friend at Okhoro in Benin City.

Eyewitnesses said three gunmen walked into the wife’s shop and shot the deceased, after which they collected the phones of the other occupants.

Police spokesman Anthony Airhuoyo said investigation has begun but no arrest has been made.

‘Judgment, a judicial genocide’

T

HE Chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) in Cross River State, Cletus Obun, has described the July 10 Supreme Court judgment that ceded the disputed 70 oil wells to Akwa Ibom State as a judicial genocide.

Obun said the judgment was one blow too many for the people, who have al-

Rain paralyses activities in Benin HEAVY downpour, which lasted several hours yesterday, paralysed businesses in Benin , the Edo State capital, and its environs.

The rain, which started at about 3am and continued till about 2pm, made many residents remain indoors.

Many offices and businesses were locked up because the streets were flooded.

Areas hit by flood include Adolor Street/Ugbowo Road, Textile Mill Road, Second Itohan Street, Off Agadagudu behind Uwa Market, Aruosa Street, Akenzua Street, Stadium Road, Plymouth Road, Erediauwa Street off Sapele Road and many other areas.

From Clarice Azuatalam, Port Harcourt

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

The government has embarked on a N30billion project to commence the first phase of flooding and erosion control.

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

ways been on the receiving end of Federal Government policies.

“Akwa Ibom has 1,200 oil wells and is still seeking for 76.

“In 2007, four judges against five took a decision to keep Nigeria one by not cancelling an election that was clearly flawed.

“Cross Riverians have been excessively maltreated in that we have lost two parts of our territory to Cameroon in the plebiscite of 1962 and again in the international Court of Justice at The Hague in 2002.”

Boundary committee inaugurated

R

IVERS State Deputy Governor Tele lkuru has said the administration will resolve all outstanding boundary disputes to ensure peaceful co-existence among commu-

nities Ikuru spoke yesterday at the inauguration of a 16-member Technical Committee on the Obete/Seme Lueku Boundary Demarcation Exercise.

Ikuru, who is also the Chairman of the State Boundary Committee, said issues pertaining to the boundaries between Obete in Oyigbo Local Government and Seme Lueku in Khana Local Government have existed over time.

He urged the committee to determine the boundary between the two communities, proffer general advice on issues affecting delineation of boundaries, and submit its report in 12 weeks.

LOSS OF DOCUMENT I, ANUOLUWAPO IBIRONKE ONABOLU of Block 31 Flat 1 LSDPC Housing Estate Opebi Lagos hereby notify the general public that all my documents issued to me by LSDPC got lost on transit and all effort made to locate them proved abortive. LSDPC and general public take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE ODULATE I formerly known and addressed as Miss Oluwatosin Olukemi Odulate now wish to be called and addressed as Mrs Oluwatosin Olukemi Odusola. All documents bearing my former name remain valid. Olabisi Onabanjo University(Former Ogun State University), Ago - Iwoye, National Youth Service Corps(NYSC) and the general public should please take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE APEX CLUB 2009 This is to notify te general public that the above named club has applied to the corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.

Mr. Sule Monday 2.

Engr. Akinro Akin 3.

Barr. Kolade Olorunmola 4.

Hon. Fatai Malaki 5.

Mr. Sunny Ifijen AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1.

Care for the welfare of members Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to Registrar General, Corporate Afffairs Commission, Plot 565, Ndola Square, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja, withing 28 days of this publication.

Signed: Ore Olugbenga Esq.

DISCLAIMER BSSL Technologies LTD an ICAN approved Technology Competence (TCI) center.BSSL do not know any Mr. Kenneth and as such do not have any relationship whatsoever with the said Mr Kenneth on ICAN TCL.The general public should take note.

59

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

NEWS Wada swears in commissioners, special advisers

Seven crushed to death on Taraba highway

S

EVEN persons were yesterday killed and many injured in an armed robbery attack on the Wukari-Jalingo Road in Taraba State.

Eyewitnesses said they were crushed to death by the driver of a luxurious bus who defied the robbers’ orders to stop.

The incident occurred about 12:30 am at Gidan-Idi on the Wukari-Jalingo High-

F

From Fanen Ihyongo, Jalingo

way.

The sources said the deceased had earlier obeyed the robbers by lying facedown on the road. But the luxurious bus, whose driver was speeding, crushed them to death. Some of the victims could not be identified.

“It was difficult picking and identifying their mangled remains that littered the

road,” an eyewitness said.

Another source who preferred anonymity said she was in the bus that crushed the seven people to death.

She said: “The bus was coming from Onitsha en-route Yola in Adamawa State.

“The driver didn’t know that robbers were operating there. When he saw them, he didn’t want to stop because he didn’t know that people were lying on the road.

Boko Haram kills four in Borno

OUR persons were killed and several injured yesterday when suspected members of the Boko Haram sect attacked a police station in Gubio, Borno State.

A source made this known to our reporter on the phone.

The source, a resident of Gubio, said the attackers also set ablaze the police station

UNILORIN gets new VC From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

T

HE Senate of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) has announced Prof. Abdulganiyu Ambali as the vice chancellor-designate of the institution.

He takes over from the incumbent, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, whose five-year term expires on October 15.

Ambali is a Professor of Veterinary Medicine and Acting Dean, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ilorin.

The Registrar, Mrs. Olufolake Oyeyemi, announced this yesterday after a special senate meeting held at the council chambers.

She added: “At a special meeting held on Wednesday, July 25, the university council received the report of the council/senate selection board.

“The board was set up to assess and recommend to the council, suitable candidates for the position of the vice- chancellor, which will become vacant at the expiration of the tenure of the current Vice-Chancellor, Prof.

Oloyede, on October 15.

“Having considered the recommendations and guided by the provisions of relevant extant laws, the council expressed satisfaction in the procedure adopted, which followed due process.

“Consequently, in compliance with the extant laws governing the appointment of a vice-chancellor, the council approved the appointment of Prof.

Ambali with effect from October 16.”

From Joseph Abiodun, Maiduguri

and the local government secretariat.

He said: “Many people fled their homes and took refuge in safer places. We have never experienced such a thing in this local government. I don’t know if any civilian was killed, but I saw the bodies of four police

officers being carried in a vehicle.

“Security has been tightened. I learnt the police have arrested some suspects.”

The source said when they heard gunshots, they ran inside their homes and locked the doors. But they later fled their homes because they were not sure of their safety.

Kwara State has described the rapprochement between the Sarakis and the family of the late former governor Mohammed Lawal as political prostitution.

It said: “The so-called reconciliation is an act of political prostitution and desperation on the part of the PDP/ Sarakis whose agenda remains to exploit the people of the state.”

Early in the week, the immediate past governor of the state, Senator Bukola Saraki, described the late Lawal, who was his predecessor, as a hero.

Spokesman for the Joint Task Force (JTF) code-named “Operation Restore Order”, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, said the Gubio attack is a police affair and that they should be contacted.

Police Commissioner Bala Hassan told our reporter on the phone that two police officers and a civilian were killed.

Gunmen kill three policemen in Bauchi

G

UNMEN yesterday ambushed a police highway patrol vehicle on the Bauchi-Gombe Road and shot dead three policemen.

Police spokesman Hassan Mohammed Auyo confirmed the attack to reporters in Bauchi.

He said: “The Bauchi State Police Command has lost three men. Hoodlums killed

them while they were on patrol on the Bauchi-Gombe Road. They stole their rifles.

“We learnt that the policemen had just resumed duty at the spot when the gunmen opened fire on them, killing one inspector and one corporal. This occurred about 8:49am. The second inspector, who was injured, was taken to a hospital where he died.”

‘Socio-economic problem responsible for Boko Haram’

W

IFE of the Borno State Governor, Hajiya Nana Kashim Shettima, has brought to the fore the security challenges facing the state.

She spoke yesterday at a peace mission held at the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Abuja.

It was attended by first ladies from 33 African countries to chart the role of women in peace building.

Her words: “Boko Haram is a delicate issue. I’m a Muslim and I know my religion preaches peace. The issue of Boko Haram before,

T

From Olugbenga Adanikin, Abuja

I would say yes, it was a religious matter. But now, sincerely speaking, no one can tell you what it is. To the best of my knowledge, I will say the socio-economic problem we are facing in the region is the cause of Boko Haram insurgency.”

The Minister of Environment, Hajia Hadiza Mailafiya, said there is need for peace in Africa.

She noted that peaceful coexistence is significant for women to function properly and for the development of African nations.

Church organises service

HE Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Rock of Salvation, has organised a three-day prayer in memory of its leader, Comfort Moradeke Oladosu. She died three years ago.

A statement by the Shepherd-in-Charge Primate Ayoola Omonigbehin, said Madam Oladosu was known for her kindness. She was described as a devout Christian.

He said the prayer, which began on July 25, would end today.

‘Sarakis’ overtures to Lawal’s family political CTION Congress of the Ilorin Golf Club prostitution’ named Nigeria (ACN) in after the late governor who

A

“After crushing the victims, he lost control of the wheel and the bus fell into a ditch. He then ran out of the bus and we (passengers) jumped out. We ran into the bush.”

Policemen who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed the incident.

But the police spokesman Amos Olaoye refused to speak with our reporter. He did not pick the calls made to him.

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

He spoke when the representatives of Idiape community, where Lawal hailed from, visited him in Ilorin.

Irreconcilable differences had pitched the Sarakis against the Idiape people.

They were on a visit to Senator Saraki, the lawmaker representing Kwara Central Senatorial District. They requested for the immortalisation of their late kinsman.

About two weeks ago, the Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed-led administration

ruled between 1999 and 2003.

In a statement, the ACN chairman, Kayode Olawepo, said: “Being a man of history, if Lawal were to be alive today, it is clear he would still be in the trenches, fighting the injustice and economic sabotage being perpetrated against the people of Kwara.

“We know that genuine leaders, sons and daughters of Idiape and indeed Kwarans would honour Lawal and others who died fighting these oppressions certainly not by any fake reconciliation with their oppressors.”

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

From Mohammed Bashir, Lokoja

•Wada

G

OVERNOR Idris Wada of Kogi State yesterday inaugurated 20 commissioners to serve as members of the executive council (exco).

He also swore in 32 special advisers.

Performing the ceremony at the Lokoja Township Stadium, Lokoja, Governor Wada said before they were appointed, the new commissioners and special advisers went through a careful selection to ensure fair representation in terms of geographical spread and political sensitivities and input.

He went on: “You have been selected on merit, professional standing, experience, technical skill and political expediency. “These will enable us run a government safely from the point of view of the people of Kogi State in relation to the means available.

“Whether you got into the exco by virtue of your excellent professional or educational qualifications, your political sagacity or contacts or even pure luck, what is important is that you are now in as my choice.”

The governor told the new officials that they were appointed to contribute to the transformation of the state, using the instruments of hard work, integrity, discipline, transparency and accountability, which are the cardinal principles of his administration.

He urged the indigenes to support his choice in the interest of the state.

Tribunal affirms Lagos council boss’ victory

T

HE Lagos State Local Government Election Petition Tribunal sitting at the High Court, Lagos Island has affirmed the victory of the Chairman of Lagos Mainland Local Government, Mr. Oladele Adekanye, in last year’s poll.

Peoples Democratic Party

(PDP) candidate, Mr. Kemi Banjo, last year filed a suit challenging the victory of Adekanye, who contested the election on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). He claimed the election was not free and fair.

However, a five-man panel headed by Justice Ade Onabiyi

(rtd) dismissed the case, stressing that the petitioner had failed to prove his allegation of rigging and fraud beyond reasonable doubt.

He upheld the outcome of the October 11, 2011 poll, saying it complied with the laid down rules and procedures.

60

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

NEWS Oteh: Jonathan demands fresh status report from finance minister

P

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan may have demanded a fresh comprehensive status report from the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on the Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms Arunma Oteh.

The President has also got security report on how PricewaterhouseCoopers audited Oteh’s tenure, The Nation learnt.

The report of the audit firm led to Oteh’s reinstatement as the DG of SEC. Following protests by SEC employees and the House of Representatives on Oteh’s reinstatement, the President asked for an independent opinion on the challenges in the commission.

It was learnt that the security report was at variance with the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers on some issues.

Following conflicting issues surrounding Oteh’s reinstatement, the President asked Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, to write a comprehensive note to him.

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The President has received security report on the challenges in SEC. This report has provided a different perspective to how Oteh was suspended and recalled and the role of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ audit report.

“The reinstatement of Oteh was guided by the audit report of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

But daily, fresh information on SEC crisis are getting to the President and he needs to address it at once.

“To have a well-informed opinion on Oteh, the President has demanded a comprehensive report from the Finance Minister, including the position of the former Board of SEC and the outcome of the investigation of the House of Representatives ad hoc Committee into the Capital Market.

“The latest status report from the Minister is expected to get to the President on or before the end of this week.”

Responding to a question, the highly-placed source add-

ed: “The President is trying to be fair to all sides. If Oteh is eventually cleared of any wrongdoing, she will remain on her desk. And where the situation is otherwise, she can still be removed.

“I think her reinstatement is not a final word on the SEC crisis from the Presidency. Do not forget too that the Oteh matter is one of the causes of the ongoing face-off between the Executive and the House of Representatives.

“So, the President is trying to be as transparent as possible on it because he is being accused of condoning corruption whereas the reverse is the case.”

The DG of SEC was suspended on June 12 and recalled by the Federal Government via a letter from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim.

Her recall, apart from creating a wedge between the Executive and the House of Representatives, also attracted protests by SEC worker.

Subsidy scandal: Our stand on Tukur’s, Ali’s sons, by PDP

•Tukur Continued from Page 4

absolutely premature and prejudicial for the party to begin to condemn them”, the party chief emphasised.

On the threat by the House of Representatives to impeach

President Goodluck Jonathan over non-implementation of the budget, Jaja said impeachment threats are not new in democracies.

He acknowledged that the Reps may have their grievances, even as he admitted that President Jonathan also may have made errors that could warrant the threat.

But Jaja said although the PDP controls a majority in the House, the party would not make any attempt to impose any position on the legislators.

The PDP, he said, has made plans to look into the grievanc-

es of the legislature and the position of the President.

This, he said, is with the view to resolving the issue in the best interest of democracy and the Nigerian people. He added that as far as the party is concerned, there is no threat whatsoever.

“It is not the first time any President would be threatened with impeachment; not only in this country. In America, several Presidents had been threatened with impeachment in the past and what the PDP is doing is to take up the process,” Jaja said.

Drama as prosecutors’ absence stalls arraignment of four Continued from Page 4

grated Resources Limited by the Federal Government under the Petroleum Support Fund in respect of 9,190,815 litres of PMS which you falsely claimed to have purchased from Alcamo Inter-

national Limited/Vitol SA Geneva and allegedly imported to Nigeria through Mother vessel, MT Box and MT Sea Power the Daughter vessel and financed through Form M, No MF681009.

The alleged offences con-

travene Sections 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006.

They are also against sections 467 and 468 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State 2003.

EFCC states case against Ali’s, Tukur’s sons Continued from Page 4

He is accused of fraudulently obtaining N2.6 billion in December 2010 from the Federal Government as subsidy payments for the purported importation of 33.3 million litres of PMS from Ex-MT Gavros and Ex-MT Nippon Princess.

The prosecution alleged that Alao forged a bill of lading dated October 13, 2011, which he allegedly used in perpetrating the fraud.

According to Jacobs, Alao’s alleged offences contravene Sections 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006.

He said it also contravened Sections 467 and 468 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State 2003. The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge and the judge ordered him to be remanded in EFCC custody, pending the hearing and determination of his bail application on August 1.

The court also fixed Aug. 1 for the arraignment of Walter Wagbatsoma, Adao-

ha Ugo-Ngadi, Fakuade Babafemi, Ezekiel Ejidele and Ontario Oil and Gas Plc. The matter was adjourned following the absence of Wagbatsoma in court. His lawyer, Mr Babajide Koku (SAN), promised to produce him in court at the next adjournment date.

Koku said: “We have spoken to him and he’s making arrangment to appear in court to defend the charges against him.

“He would have been here this morning but he has problem with his flight but he promised to get a connecting flight and should be back

by Monday.”

Counsel for Ugo-Ngadi, Ebenezer and Ejide, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants, Mr. Wale Akoni (SAN), Abimbola Odeyemi and James Ogunyemi objected to the request on the grounds that it would delay the liberty of their clients.

They urged the court to allow separate trials for the defendants so that they could argue bail terms for their clients.

The judge rejected their request, describing it as premature.

Justice Abiru granted the request of Mr. Koku, counsel to the 1st and 5th defendants, for an adjournment.

He ordered that all the other defendants be remanded in EFCC custody, pending when they will be properly arraigned on August 1.

Jonathan hires Okupe for public affairs

D

R. Doyin Okupe resumed yesterday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja as the Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan.

His main duty will be to act as the liaison between the President and the Public.

Dr. Okupe, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief, was the Special Adviser on Media to President Olusegun Obasanjo at the inception of this Republic in 1999.

61

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

NEWS RAMADAN

Airtel unveils special offer LEADING telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria has unveiled special Ramadan offerings to enable customers connect to families and loved ones at affordable rates.

It also to boost their spiritual state with Islamic inspirational quotes, throughout the holy month of Ramadan.

Customers who subscribe to the Voice Islamic Content during Ramadan will enjoy the daily voice wakeup call service at N15K/sec and an receive tips on Hajj preparation and daily Jummah sermons at a cost of N50 per week.

Also, exclusive SMS messages on Douaa, Holy Quran, Hadith and Biography of the Prophet at a cost of N50 per week will be sent to subscribers till the end of the Ramadan season.

There is also an exclusive content for mobile data users on http://airtellive.com that can be downloaded, such as wallpapers and videos. In addition, there are various data plans, including giving out 125MB for N786. To enjoy these packages, Customers are expected to dial *786# to subscribe.

Speaking on the Airtel Ramadan service, the Chief Marketing Officer, Olu Akanmu said these offer demonstrate the importance Airtel places on its customers. The company would continue to provide customers with delightful services to meet their needs.

“We believe that the purpose for the season would be further enriched with the Airtel Ramadan offer as every customer that subscribes to these unique services would be greatly uplifted.

We have carefully balanced the benefits not just in the Islamic contents alone but also on the direct voice, SMS and data services which when combined, would further educate, inspire and above all enhance communication and bonding between our Muslim brothers and sisters across the country and in the Diasporas”, said Akanmu.

Beside other benefits, customers would stand to enjoy other pre-existing services that includes up to 200 per cent combined bonus of talk time, SMS and data on recharge of N200 and above, as well as exclusive call rate of 10k/sec for Airtel to Airtel calls, SMS at N1/SMS and free midnight calls to loved ones and family members on Airtel Club 10.

‘Be peaceful and love one another’

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

MUSLIMS in the country have been enjoined pray for peace, love and tranquility.

A member of the House of Representatives, Hakeem Muniru and Wahab Alawiye-King of the Lagos State House of Assembly made this plea at different forum. They said fasting ACN’s is on opportunity for Muslims to move closer to their Creator hence the need to pray for peace.

“The Ramadhan period is always a moment for sober reflection and at this point in time, the fasting period has come at the appropriate time for us as Nigerians to move closer to God. I want to call on fellow Muslims to pray for peace in the country, preach and share love among the various ethnic groups and adherents of other faith Muniru, who represents Oshodi/ Isolo Federal Constituency II said.

Speaking on the missing ace presenter Rasak Gawat, Muniru described his disappearance as mysterious, praying to God to return him safely.

“It is mysterious but we will continue to pray to Allah to return him safely to us and again the ongoing Ramadhan is also another opportunity for us to be united in prayers for him and pray for his safe return,” he said.

Alawiye-King described Ramadhan as a period for Muslims to increase spiritual activities.

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

Wives in Ramadan

P

ERHAPS, in no other month of Hijrah calendar is the role of Muslim women more pronounced than in Ramadan. Like in other months, they display the roles of wives, mothers as well as that of their husband’s confidants. But more than in other months, they exhibit their spiritual dedication in Ramadan. In that sacred month they fast like their men counterparts. They pray five times daily like them. They join those men in observing Tarawih.

Some of them even attend Tafsir and public lectures.

Yet they do their daily work just like men either in the offices, shops, or farms. And they never relent in carrying out their matrimonial duties. Even as they assist their husbands financially in maintaining the homes, they still take care of those husbands as well as the children and relatives domestically. At the time of the day when the husbands are knocked out by fatigue arising from fasting, the wives are still busy in the kitchen preparing Iftar for the household. At the time in the night when some husbands are engaged in Tahajjud, or are snoring in bed, the wives are already up in the kitchen preparing the Sahur for the family. Some of these women are carrying pregnancy. Some are suckling their children. Some of them are knowledgeable enough to do the Tilawah (recitation of the Qur’an) like their husbands. Some of them are rich enough to finance the home fully or partially. And, in all these activities, they never feel tired. Where and when they feel tired, they never show it. If any month has ever depicted the virtues of women, it is Ramadan and the women activities in it.

If for the reason of their activities in Ramadan alone, they deserve tenderness and dignified treatment in

Kano earmarks N140m for food K ANO State government will spend N140 million on its Ramadan feeding programme for 1.5 million less privileged in the state.

The Secretary of the state’s feeding committee; Alhaji Usman Bala told reporters in Kano yesterday that the committee has added 104 centres to the previous ones.

The essence, he said, is to ensure effective distribution of

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

food throughout the state.

According to Bala, the feeding has been restricted to the eight metropolitan local government areas in view of the escalating number of needy people in the areas.

He said, an additional 15 special centres were also created to further cater for the needy, who are to benefit from the programme.

Bala said each centre has a committee, comprising a chairman, secretary and the chief Imam of the mosque, who hase responsibility of ensuring orderly distribution of food in the centres.

He explained that the state’s committee has decided to change the mode of distribution to make it more effective and reach out to the beneficiaries at the grassroots.

Bala recalled that previously

Cleric urges traders not to hike prices

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Zaria-based Islamic Scholar, Sheik Muhammad Aliyu, has urged Muslim traders not to hike prices during Ramadan.

Aliyu said this would enable them to benefit from Almighty God’s blessings.

He made the call during the Ramadan Tafsir in Zaria yesterday.

The cleric observed that the traders had a vital role to play in moderating the current inflation in the country.

“I want to appeal to traders, especially Muslim traders, to strive hard to gain Allah’s bounties and blessings through their daily businesses.

“As traders and true believers, you are not expected to be the cause of hardship in the society in any way, especially in the month of Ramadan.

“Profit is actually lawful in Islam because Allah said; “we have made trading lawful for you but usury (interest) is forbidden.

“Prophet Muhammed said have mercy on those below you, so that He who is in Heaven will have mercy on you too,” he said.

According to Aliyu, a Muslim is not expected to hike prices of commodities at any time of the year.

“This is a period when a Muslim is supposed to be close to his creator, seek for forgiveness, bounties and blessings instead of inflicting hardships on people. I urge you to fear God,” said Aliyu.

beneficiaries encountered of problems, following the absence of centres for the collection of food items.

Funds affect Kaduna feeding programme

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AUCITY of funds has affected this year’s Ramadan feeding programme in Kaduna State, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The state government introduced the policy in 2010 to assist in feeding needy Muslims.

The state government had directed the 23 should councils to feed the needy during the fasting.

It said each council to spend a specific amount for the exercise.

However, eight days into the fast, the programme is yet to begin.

Senior Special Assistant to Governor Patrick Yakowa on Islamic and Hajj Matters, Alhaji Halliru Maraya told NAN that the policy would not be allowed to fail.

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THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

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www.thenationonlineng.net

FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL. 7,

SEGUN GBADEGESIN gbadegesin@thenationonlineng.net

The Senate vs.

The People

•Mark

impositions on the peoples of the land that the British took over. Subsequent impositions included governmental structure, economic structure, and of course, linguistic and cultural systems, including the religions that now turn us against one another. While it is logical to assume that with time as a result of inevitable global interactions, the peoples that occupy the lands that became Nigeria would be drawn into all these new structures anyway; such developments would be on the peoples’initiative and at their own pace with limited trauma. I think that the senators and contemporary Nigerians can agree on at least this much.

A second basis for agreement is that the pioneer nationalists and traditional rulers were alive to their responsibility to create virtue out of necessity. According to the enduring wisdom of our people, since you really have no choice in the matter, if you are forcefully captured by ten muscular men demanding that you go along with them, it is

RIPPLES THE DEVIL LED US TO ROB A CHURCH, say robbery suspects

..so the DEVIL ESCAPED and you were ARRESTED abi?

NO. 2,199

C OMMENT & D EB ATE EBA

T

HE Senate has spoken. There can be no two sovereigns because sovereignty, as Jean-Jacques Rousseau reminds us, is indivisible. However, this is the only point of agreement between Senate President David Mark and Rousseau. For the answer apparently provided by Mark and his fellow senators to the question “who is the sovereign?” is unambiguously rejected by the foremost theorist of social contract.

Contrary to Mark, the people, not the senate, are sovereign. What is more, from the fact that the people are involved in an election, it doesn’t follow that they therefore transfer their sovereignty. The people as sovereign must be the decision maker on every important matter that affects the commonwealth. And what could be more important than the decision on the grundnorm of the republic?

The significance of citizen engagement with deliberations on and decisions about the fundamental structure of the nation is a no-brainer since in the final analysis everyone is impacted by such decisions. And it is morally unjustifiable for a responsible adult to be so impacted without his or her voluntary participation in the deliberations.

No obligation without voluntariness is the golden rule of democratic political systems.

The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a body of distinguished men and women who have offered their time to the service of the nation. They must be commended for their public spiritedness and dedication to the progressive development of the nation constitutionally, politically and economically. Our senators have a sense of history, of where we come from and a sense of where we ought to be, provided things are done right. They have a good understanding of their calling and while we may disagree about the means, there is no justification for second-guessing their intentions, which, I am sure, can only be for the good of the nation and its people.

This is why I think it is helpful to identify the points of agreement and disagreement with regard to the important issue of constitution making for the country so we can tease out the fundamental from the periphery.

First, as Senate President Mark remarked at the Asaba retreat of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, Nigeria did not exist as a country, much less a nation, before 1900 when the Royal Niger Company transferred its trading territory to the British Government. It was this carnal knowledge by foreigners that led to the birth of Nigeria and the peoples had no say in the matter.As we know, whatever resistance the people had was forcefully quelled by the superior metal power of the foreigners. This then was one step in the series of unjustified

TODAY IN THE NATION The reality as it is today is that most Nigerians hardly feel the effect of government budget because large chunks of it are on recurrent expenditure meant to ingratiate greedy noise makers in power in both the executive and the legislative arms of government.

N

IGERIANS still weeping over the incongruity of Dame Patience Goodluck Jonathan ‘earning’ a niggling permanent secretary position in down-under Bayelsa State must dry their tears now. There is something better to beef or rejoice over, depending on which side your bread is buttered. Here is introducing to you, President Patience Goodluck Jonathan, president of the African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM).

The First Lady’s traducers may go on and punch the wall now or chew Aso Rock if they would, but mind you, do it quietly because Her Excellency is currently hosting to a summit, fellow First Ladies across the continent.

If it makes your heart beat better though, we can tell you that only a nameless handful were in attendance. The show went on anyway, with all its grandeur and pomp.

President Patience Jonathan’s continental ambition is earning its fair dose of umbrage and accolade in the peculiarly Nigeria market place of chaos. What swooshing jamboree; some have cried out. Under what authority or statutes is she throwing this large party; who is paying for all this bazaar? But her acolytes say she is an ambassador of peace who is not only building bridges of peace across Africa but is also perspicacious

in your interest to follow without resistance.

Of course that doesn’t mean that you are a willing participant in their scheme. It only means that you have no choice in the matter.

It is an involuntary obligation.

Responding to the forceful imposition on their land by a foreign power, our ancestors played along with their ideas of a foundational structure that took into consideration the realities of their different backgrounds—language, culture, religion, traditions—and the prospects of an enduring relationship into the future. They came together, south and north, west and east, with the concept of a federal structure.

This was in opposition to the constitutional practice of the foreign power that subjugated them. Everyone was involved in the deliberations that led to this decision.

To the credit of the foreign overlord, it allowed deliberation from the rural enclaves to the urban centers, from ward level to the center. I think our common reading of history will afford us an agreement on this fact.

A third area of agreement has to do with the fact that things fell apart fairly quickly within six short years of independence.

While some—especially the native overlords in the military—would have us believe that it was the federal structure that eventuated the collapse of the first republic I think that saner reasoning would conclude that the failure had more to do with personalities than with structures. And to the extent that it had to do with structure, it was in the matter of the relative size of the constituent units.In any case, the first republic, founded on a principle of true federalism, floundered and collapsed calamitously.

The military, as native doctors, designed a unitary system that was aimed at correcting what was thought to be a disintegrating federal device built into the

MOBOLAJI SANUSI

founding structure. Their design failed in the Second Republic and the short-lived Third Republic. It is tragic that it was the same unitary system device that was made the foundation of the 1999 constitution, which as Senator Mark remarked, was imposed on the country without a “plebiscite or referendum” and that “it contains a host of contradictions, lacunae and inconsistencies.”

Now, having these three areas of agreements, we should also have an agreement on the way forward. But this is where it gets murky and it is difficult to understand what motivates the difference between the National Assembly in general and the Senate in particular and the rest of us, the people.First, it seems clear that we tried the way that Senate has proposed, where a few egg heads are assembled to find solutions to collective challenges, at least four times since 1966—in 1978, 1989, 1994/5, and 1999. I have not included the various amendment activities of the 6 th and 7 th National Assemblies. With each exercise, we have been driven closer to the cliff and have been saved only by a divine favor that is unmerited. Why are we going there again?

Second, it is unclear why the Senate in its wisdom is so vehemently against initiating a national conference that brings together the wisdom that is central to the making of our traditions. Why is the ghost of disintegration so central to the thinking of normally rational people that it cannot be laid inspite of the evidence that abounds?

Of the aforementioned exercises, the most blatantly unpopular is the 1999 constitution, hurriedly put together from the ruins of the Abacha constitutional conference of 1994. Dismissed along with its architect as an unacceptable imposition by an illegitimate regime, it is rather sad that it came to be irrationally adopted as the foundation of a new republic that was to reconcile the centrifugal forces that have negated the progress of the nation.

Third, it is mind-boggling that Senate would endorse this illegality instead of adopting a transformational strategy that harnesses the creative genius of our people to fashion a befitting constitution of the 21st century for a new Nigeria. Why a body of respected and patriotic Nigerians would opt for an approach that slowly but steadily destroys the very fabric of nationhood when they could move boldly to recreate a new sense of belonging is beyond reason. It is clear that a conference that is creatively inclusive and addresses the concerns of every constituent unit is the only viable answer to the challenges of nationhood that stare us in the face.This is why we must not just hope; we must also struggle for reason to prevail.

•For comments, send SMS to 08057634061

HARDBALL

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

Enter President Patience

stance, which sane contractor or CEO or minister or even governor would say no to the First Lady, especially one on a messianic mission to make peace in the entire continent?

The other small matter is as concerns the premium parcel of land on which the AFLPM secretariat is hurriedly being erected right now. It has sparked off what holds out to be a cataclysmic feud of First Ladies. Dame Patience’s predecessor had put her signature on that piece of land for a ‘pet’ project of her own when she reigned supreme from Aso Rock Villa. Now that she is a bystander in the rise and tide of power, Dame has moved in on that parcel of land that must be more precious than any pearl. The only saucy question Hardball would safely ask today is: who owns the ‘pet’ projects of First Ladies?

Finally, all of these may be insignificant if we consider the tumult in a house where two presidents live – the president of Nigeria versus the president of Africa. Hardball will leave you with the wise words of the village wag upon being elevated by his community.

I used to tear down the forest and bring game with bare hands; now that you have handed me a machete’ I just might bring you a skull or two.

enough to seek to erect a seven-storey secretariat, a behemoth right in the heart of Abuja, all in the pursuit of peace for a weary continent.

Though it would be utterly impertinent to link the conflicts and strife ravaging Africa to the misbehavior of her leaders as that may be construed as passing a snide one at this president of the moment but there are two troubling issues Her Excellency must permit us to peer into just for the sake of records.

The first is how much our new Mother Africa is spending on this “jamboree” (to quote detractors) and who is picking the bills. The Presidency has cleared the foul air surrounding the use of about 200 glistening luxury cars for this Summit. A kindly Father Christmas car dealer supplied all the vehicles, they say – free of charge – and will retrieve them at the end of the show, dents and all at absolutely no cost to Nigeria’s treasury. What about the huge benefits derivable from the immorality of conflict of interest. For in-

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