The Nation June 15 2011

Nigeria’s truly national newspaper

News Gunmen abduct PDP chief Olusola Oke’s mum P5 Sport Turkish club Galatasaray offers Nsofor N906m P14 Business Akingbola fails to stop sale of Intercontinental Bank P15 http://www.thenationonlineng.net

VOL. 6, NO. 1791 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

N150.00

GTBank MD Aderinokun dies in London hospital

T •The late Aderinokun

HE Group Managing Director and cofounder of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc (GTBank), Mr Olutayo Adeleye Aderinokun, is dead.

He passed on at 56 in Wellington Hospital, Saint John’s Wood, North West,

By Ayodele Aminu, Group Business Editor

London yesterday at 5pm after a failed battle with cancer, which was said to have incapacited him for almost two months.

Wellington is the largest independent private hospi-

tal in Britain. It has international reputation for outstanding care in cardiac services, neorosurgery, liver and HPB medicine, rehabilitation, gynacology, orthopadics and many others.

The bank confirmed the

late Aderinokun’s death last night in a statement. Its website said: “Tayo Aderinokun passes on ...

(1955 - 2011).”

The statement said:” With a deep sense of loss, but with gratitude to the Almighty God, we write to notify you

of the passing on to eternal glory of our dearly beloved Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Tayo Aderinokun. Mr. Aderinokun who had been on medical Leave, passed Continued on page 2

N9b contracts: Bankole begs court to stop trial Ex-Speaker says Keyamo lacks power to try him

F

ORMER House Speaker Dimeji Bankole is protesting his trial. He is asking the Federal High Court trying him for alleged inflation of contracts to quash the 16count charge filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

His lawyer, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo

From Kamorudeen Ogundele, Abuja

(SAN), raised six grounds upon which he asked the court to quash the charges.

He said the prosecution counsel, Mr. Festus Keyamo, lacked the power to prosecute him because there was no Attorney-General of the Federation who could have issued him a fiat.

He said: “The last AGF was

THE OBJECTIONS •No Attorney-General to issue power to prosecute •Not answerable to any acts of omission done pursuant to the provision of the Public Procurement Act 2007 •Proof of evidence never linked him with the items procured •He is not an employee of the National Assembly •Neither an accounting officer nor the procurement officer •He is doubtful of a fair trial because he had been vilified, demonised and unfairly condemned in the public domain Mohammed Adoke SAN, who vacated officially on the dissolution of the Federal Executive Council on 28th May, 2011.

“The AGF is the only officer that the Constitution empowers to issue fiat to private legal practitioner to institute or continue criminal proceed-

ings in the high court.”

Bankole noted that the charges were filed on June 7th, 2011 when no AGF was in office.

Bankole said he was not answerable to any acts or omission done pursuant to the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2007, the law he was alleged to have contravened.

According to him, the office of Speaker of the House Representatives, which he occupied between 2007 and 2011, is not cognisable for criminal responsibility or liability within the scope and intendment of the Public Procurement Act, 2007.

Besides, he stated that the Continued on page 2

Tinubu writes HID Awolowo F

ORMER governor of Lagos Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has written to Chief HID Awolowo, saying he has no cause to disrespect her person or disparage the Awolowo family.

In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Olakunle Abimbola, Tinubu said: “I wish to assure Mama that I cannot disparage the Awo family without disparaging the legacy that all of us proudly embrace and are trying to sustain,” he wrote in his letter, dated 9 June 2011.”

The statement said the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National Leader was writing on the controversy over the article entitled, “Awo family without an Awo”, written on June 6 by Sam Omatseye, chairman of the Editorial Board of The Nation, viewed by many to be critical of the Awolowo family. Many have also claimed the article was a “sponsored” attack on the Awolowos, he said.

But Tinubu, in the letter, said he found such linkage strange, since every newspaper has its own editorial policy, independent of any person’s relationship with the paper.

“Anybody with knowledge of how newspapers work knows every newspaper has its editorial policy, most times independent of even the publisher,” the former governor explained. “So, how can I possibly be behind the opinion of Continued on page 2

•Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman Mrs Farida Waziri speaking at the launch of Economic Crimes Law Reforms (ECLR) at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja ... yesterday. With her are Justice Aloma Mariam Muktar, Justice of the Supreme Court and Chairman of the occasion, Dr Tahir Mamman, Director-General, Nigerian Law School and Editor–in-Chief of the ECLR. Story on page 4.

•POLITICS P11 •SPORTS P14 •MONEY P23 •LIFE P29 •E-BUSINESS P42

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

NEWS

GTBank MD Aderinokun dies Continued from page 1

•From left: Reginald Ihejiahi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Fidelity Bank Plc, Charles Weller, Country Managing Director, Deutsche Bank and IK Mbagwu, Executive Director (Shared Services), Fidelity Bank Plc at the presentation of the 2010 USD STP Excellence Award to Fidelity Bank Plc by Deutsche Bank for Exceptional Quality of Payment Messages in Lagos ... yesterday

on this afternoon, Tuesday, June 14, 2011, in the United Kingdom.”

GTBank however, said:” The operations of the bank continue to run smoothly under the leadership of Acting Managing Director Mr. Segun Agbaje who was Deputy Managing Director from 2002 till April 20, 2011, when he was appointed Acting Managing Director.”

Aderinokun and Mr Fola Adeola, the pioneer managing director, co-founded GTBank in 1990. The late Aderinokun was the Deputy Managing Director for 12 years between 1990 and 2002, after which he became the Managing Director, a position he held until his passing.

Police vow to crush Boko Haram

A

RMED with 10 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), Inspector General of Police Hafiz Ringim yesterday declared war on Islamic fundamentalist group Boko Haram.

Boko Haram (Western education is sinful) has for the past two years been on a killing spree mainly in Maiduguri and in some other parts of the North. The latest of such killings occurred on Monday when four people were shot dead at a beer parlour in Bulunkutu, a suburb of the Borno State capital.

What could have amounted to a major disaster was averted yesterday, with the recovery of a bomb by security operatives close to a railway line and behind schools in Kaduna.

The APCs were delivered to the IG by Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima in Maiduguri.

Ringim vowed to fish out members of the group who have been operating incognito.

Ringim said: “No stone will be left unturned, until the menace of Boko Haram is unravelled.”

He said Borno should be restored to its appellation of “home of peace and hospitality.”

Ringim spoke during a visit to the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Garbai Al-Amin El-Kanemi, at his palace.

The traditional ruler’s brother was shot dead by people suspected to be members of Boko Haram last month.

The group has given condi-

From Joseph Abiodun, Marie-Therese Peter (Jos) and Tony Akowe (Kaduna)

tions to accept Shettima’s amnesty offer.

Boko Haram requested the full implementation of the Sharia legal system in at least 12 states in the North, the trial of former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff and those who killed its leader.

The group spoke in a statement written in Hausa and circulated around Maiduguri on Monday. It was titled “Condition for dialogue with President Goodluck Jonathan and Govenor Kashim Shettima” and signed by Usman alZawahiri, as spokesman.

Ringim said: “The senseless and unnecessary killing of innocent people by Boko Haram members should stop and members of the public should join hands with the police and other security agencies to nip it in the bud.”

Ringim condoled with the Shehu of Borno and urged him to enlighten his subjects, especially traditional rulers, to take advantage of the presence of the police, soldiers and other security personnel on special operation in the state by reporting any suspicious character and giving information that will assist to get to the root of the Boko Haram menace.

The Shehu said: “Borno, as home of peace, has never experienced what people are currently going through.

People will cooperate with the police and other security

agencies to put an end to the activities of members of Boko Haram which have tarnished the good name of the state.”

Shettima also affirmed the determination of his administration to assist the police in meeting the challenges posed

by Boko Haram.

Also yesterday, a cleric urged President Goodluck Jonathan to declare a state of emergency in the North as a result of insecurity. Kanuriborn cleric Prophet Isa elBuba urged the President to “come down heavily on those perpetrating the violence”.

Speaking in Jos, el-Buba said the emergency should give governors more declaration powers to deal decisively with the situation.

“Innocent lives are lost in Maiduguri, Bauchi, Kaduna and Kano. The Presidency should not allow this to continue. Those who kill by the sword must die by the sword,” el-Buba said.

In Kaduna, barely 24 hours after recovering an object suspected to be a bomb, security operatives again recovered another explosive along the rail track behind Dambo International School in Barnawa GRA in the heart of the city.

The police on Monday recovered an explosive at the gates of the NNPC staff quarters in Narayi in the Kaduna metropolis.

Security sources said the explosive was recovered at 10.00am by operatives of the State Security Services (SSS) af-

•Ringim

ter about four hours search, following intelligence reports.

The Head of the Police Anti Bomb Disposal unit, Mr Patrick David Effiong, a Deputy Superintendent, said the explosive was capable of causing massive destruction of the rails and breaking into fragments.

He said the explosive was mainly intended to destroy heavy equipment. The Kaduna State government operated commercial train services within the metropolis.

Security sources said if the bomb had exploded, it would have been the worst explosion ever in the state, considering the location, the targets and also the magnitude of the explosives lasted.

The Train service was suspended while the search for the explosive.

The rail line where the bomb was said to have been planted runs between two secondary schools, Dambo International School and Queen Amina College, which are in session.

The promoter of Day Waterman College, Aderinokun, was also Chairman of the Association of Lekki Landlords.

The statement noted: “During his time as Managing Director, the Bank witnessed tremendous progress and growth and had emerged over the years as an industry leader, pacesetter of unique and progressive innovations in the banking industry. The Bank is now easily acknowledged and recognised as one of the most profitable and professionally managed corporate institutions in Nigeria and has been the recipient of several awards for exemplary corporate governance practices and excellent customer service.

“In addition, Mr. Aderinokun was also the recipient of numerous awards as an acknowledgement of his sterling leadership role in the achievements of the Bank.

The awards include ‘Banker of the Year’ at the inaugural ThisDay Awards in 2006, Most Respected CEO by PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2008 and ‘African Banker of the Year’ by the “African Banker” magazine in September 2009.

He was also a recipient of the National Award of Member of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (MFR) and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Nigeria.”

Aderinokun was flown to the United Kingdom hospital a few weeks ago after his health deteriorated.

Described as ‘easy going” and “core professional” by his friends in the industry, who were too shocked to comment, Aderiokun’s tenure as group managing director of GTB would have ended next year according to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) rules on bank directors and managing directors, which stipulates 10 year tenure.

The CBN governor said: “Tayo was not just a banker and professional colleague. He was a close personal friend. We first

Tinubu writes HID Awolowo

N9b contracts: Bankole begs court to stop trial Continued from page 1

proof of evidence did not link him with the items allegedly procured in contravention of the Public Procurement Act. He argued that he was never by law or in practice, a member of the staff of the National Assembly under Section 9 of the National Assembly Service Commission Act or in the Public Service of the Federation under the Act. He said he was neither the accounting officer nor the procurement officer and wondered why he would be accused of inflating contract sums.

Bankole described as dubious some counts of the charge, which alleged conspiracy between him and “others now at large” be-

cause none of the persons who constituted the “Body of Principal Officers of the House of Representatives” is at large.

Bankole said he was not likely to have a fair trial because he had been vilified, demonised and condemned unfairly in the public domain.

The former speaker and his former deputy, Usman Nafada, are also facing a 17count charge before an Abuja High Court.

Although he has been granted bail by the Federal High Court, which he was not allowed to perfect by EFCC operatives, his bail application with that of Nafada at the Abuja High Court is for hearing tomorrow.

Justice Suleiman Belgore ordered that they be re-

manded in EFCC’s custody till Thursday when he will hear the accused persons’ bail application.

In the new charges, Bankole and Nafada are accused of committing criminal breach of trust when they conspired between themselves to approve the allowances and running cost of members of the House of Representatives in violation of the approved Remuneration Package for Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission and the extant Revised Financial Regulations of the Federal Government of Nigeria, 2009.

They were also accused of obtaining about N40 billion loans in contravention of the extant Revised Financial

Regulations of the Federal Government of Nigeria, 2009 and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 311 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990 and punishable under Section 315 of the same Penal Code Act. They were also accused of using the House of Reps’ accounts to obtain loans in a dishonest manner. Bankole and Nafada were said to have dishonestly misappropriated about N38 billion loans obtained on behalf of the House.

They denied all the charges.

Justice Donatus Okorowo of the Federal High Court on Monday granted Bankole N5 million bail with one surety who must own land worth the bail sum within the court’s jurisdiction.

met in the 1980s in Kano where he was manager of Chase (Continental) Merchant Bank and I was head of credit and treasury in Icon Limited (Merchant Bankers). We collaborated on a number of syndications and remained friends since then.

“I must confess that at this point I am devastated. I am grateful to God to have known such a good man and to have visited him in hospital in London before he went into coma. I pray that his gentle soul rest in perfect peace. On a professional note, this is a great loss to the industry. We have lost a solid professional. A man with experience and integrity and a role model of professional conduct at a time when his likes are most needed. I am sure his colleagues at the Bankers’ Committee all feel the same way.”

Customers and stakeholders of the Bank however, do not have to fret because GTBank has a good succession plan in place.

Agbaje who has been the Deputy Managing Director since August 2002 has been acting since Aderinokun’s absence.

Before then, Agbaje has been actively involved in the general management of the bank’s dayto-day operations and is directly responsible for the Institutional Banking Division, which comprises Energy, Telecommunications, Treasury and Corporate Finance Groups.

He has worked in almost all groups in the Bank. These include Commercial Banking, Corporate Finance and Settlements Groups.

Agbaje was appointed an Executive Director in January 2000.

The bank recorded profit before tax of N48.5billon in 2010 as against N27.9billion in 2009.

Post-tax profit grew from N23.6billion to N38.34billion, while total assets rose from N1.4trillion to N1.58trillion.

As a result of this stellar performance, the bank declared a dividend of 75kobo per share, and a bonus of one additional share for every four shares held excluding of 25kobo interim dividend issued at half-year 2010.

•Tinubu Continued from page 1

a columnist, simply because he writes for a newspaper, which I am associated with?”

He said even Papa Awolowo, publisher of the Tribune, always told people that he read articles in the Tribune, like other readers, since the paper had its editorial policy.

“The sage, Chief Awolowo himself used to say that he read articles in the Tribune like any other reader, despite that he was the publisher.

The same principle applies here,” he explained.

Tinubu said though Tribune had been demonising his person, it would be wrong of him to assume that Mama

Awolowo, as publisher of the Tribune, was behind the attack. He said the same principle held in the Omatseye piece because the columnist is known to hold strong views which he expresses every Monday.

He said: “It is common knowledge that Tribune, almost every day, demonises my person. But should I because of that claim that Mama, as chairman of the newspaper, was behind the demonisation? Of course, I feel disheartened by it all, but I have never felt Mama was responsible for stories Tribune published.”

Tinubu reiterated his respect and affection for Mama Awolowo and her offspring, saying that was not about to change.

He said: “I have absolutely no need to cause Mama any heartache in her old age. All I want for her is to be happy.

I assure her of my love and reverence; and affection for her family.”

ADVERT HOTLINES: 01-280668, 08070591302, 08052592524 NEWSROOM: LAGOS – 01-8962807, ABUJA – 07028105302 COMPLAINTS: 01-8930678

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

NEWS

•Governors: Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta)left, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Timipre Sylva (Bayelsa) and Adams Oshiomhole (Edo) endorsing the agreement to legalise the Southsouth Governors Forum Socio-Economic Development body known as the BRACED Commission in Port Harcourt.

DPR accuses oil marketers of hoarding kerosene •Filling stations dispense product above pump price

K

EROSENE – the petroleum product used in many homes for cooking may remain scarce and costly for a very long time.

Despite Federal Government’s directive to the marketers to make the product available, members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) are hoarding it to create artificial scarcity.

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) yesterday confirmed that IPMAN and MOMAN have been starving households of the stock.

DPR’s confirmation came on the heels of an impromptu but scheduled assessment of the efforts being taken by the department to give effect to government’s directive to stop the lingering scarcity of kerosene nationwide.

It also came barely a week after the Nigerian National Petroleum

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

Corporation (NNPC) announced that major marketers had accepted to distribute kerosene to retail outlets in the country within 10 days.

By their action, the associations have flouted the agreement they reached with the NNPC. A surveillance team of the DPR that visited about eight service stations within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja metropolis confirmed the hoarding theory even as the marketers claimed that they had not received supply of the product contrary to the information given by the supply manifest from the Pipeline and Product Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of the NNPC. Some of the NNPC Mega Stations visited by the factfinding team dispensed the product at the official pump price of N50 per litre. But in the face of overwhelming queues, other stations visited, though had

abundant stocks, refused to dispense on the excuse that customers were not patronising them.

The team, headed by DPR’s Head of Downstream Operations in Abuja, Mr. Yerima Killoma, however, discovered that some of the MOMAN and IPMAN operated stations had stocks but were selling above the approved rate. Some were selling at N100 per litre.

Others at N150.

For instance, Yaman Petroleum Limited in Garki Area 3 and Mararaba as well as Mobil Plc, in Karu were found to have stocks.

They sold above the official rate.

In a swift reaction to the development, the DPR ordered that the products be dispensed immediately to consumers at N50.

Erring officials at the Mobil Filing Station, who had initially refused to obey the order on claims that their station had ran out of stock were, however, forced to comply.

The station was thereafter sealed off.

Speaking to reporters, Killoma

said the objectives of the surveillance team was clear and apt, adding that the DPR has been mandated to ensure that marketers comply with the order and agreement they reached with the NNPC in the supply and distribution of kerosene.

He said: “You can see what we have discovered here today, whereas the NNPC Mega Stations are selling at the official rate of N50 per litre but faced with inadequate supply to comfortably satisfy the huge number of customers that troop in to buy from them, some marketer are hoarding the product to sell at exorbitant rates, any marketer found to be guilty of this will be made to face sanctions.”

Also yesterday, the sudden resurgence of queue in Abuja for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, reduced yesterday as the product was available in most of the service stations that were visited.

Abuja residents had on Monday experienced an artificial scarcity.

Nigerian sues British Council, director over unlawful dismissal

A

NIGERIAN, Mrs. Ramatu Umar Bako, has sued the British Council, Nigeria and one of its directors, Mr. Ben Fisher over alleged unlawful termination of her appointment.

In a writ of summons by her lawyer, Mr. Josiah Daniel-Ebune, the plaintiff is asking an Abuja High Court to declare her purported dismissal as illegal, unlawful, irregular, unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.

Mrs.Bako claimed she was given a warning letter and a dismissal letter on the same day in violation of the Terms and Conditions (TACOS) stated in the employment rules.

In her statement of claims, the plaintiff alleged that Fisher, a Director of Programmes in Kano, caused a query to be issued to her even though he was the one that mishandled a progamme organised by the council in Kano.

From Kamorudeen Ogundele, Abuja

According to her, Fisher exhibited racism attitude by segregating Nigerian participants from their Northern Ireland counterparts from riding in the same bus and preventing them from talking at the Emir of Kano’s palace; an action that infuriated the local participants at the programme.

Although, she had left the venue at the time of the incident on account of ill health, Mrs. Bako said she made efforts to save the situation by appealing to the aggrieved participants.

Rather than commend her efforts, Mrs. Bako alleged that Fisher accused her of being responsible for the complaints and revolt against him and directed that a query to be issued to her which led to her dismissal without due proc-

ess.

She averred that under Section 7, Subsection 2 of the rules of her employment, when a final warning is issued to an employee, it is placed on his/her file for six months for observation before any action can be taken.

For not following the laid down six months to lapse, the plaintiff claims that dismissing her on the same day she got the warning letter revealed that the action was premeditated and contrary to the TACOS and the 1999 Constitution.

Consequently, she is demanding for an order reinstating her and compelling the defendants to pay all outstanding salaries and allowances due to her from July 1, 2010 to the date of judgment and thereafter 10 per cent interest per annum until the payment is effected.

Alternatively, she is demanding N3,185,611.89 as outstanding sala-

Ex-Works minister, others get bail From Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

A FEDERAL High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday granted bail to a former Minister of Works, Dr. Hassan Lawal and eight others charged with laundering of N75.5 billion.

Justice Adamu Bello, who noted that granting bail was at the discretion of the court, admitted them to N50 million bail and one surety in like sum each.

He said that the alleged offences against the accused were ordinarily bailable even as he observed that each of the offence upon conviction could only be punished with a twoyear sentence.

The surety, the judge said, must have a landed property in Abuja and must deposit the title documents with the court registrar.

He ordered the accused to deposit their passports with the court registrar and should not travel out of the country without the court’s permission.

Counsel to the accused including Dr. Alex Izinyon (SAN) and Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama, (SAN) thanked the judge for the kind consideration.

But the prosecutor counsel, Wahab Shittu asked for a date for trial.

In a related case, the court also admitted to bail Lawal and one Adesanya Adewole both of whom were charged with laundering N45.5 million.

The judge admitted them to bail in N10 million and a surety who must be a responsible citizen in like sum.

All the accused have pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Omatseye presents books today •Country Director,British Council David Higgs

ries and allowances, N100 million being general damges and 10 percent interest rate until the debt is liquidate and N200 million being damages for libel among others.

The presiding judge, Justice Sunday Aladetoyinbo has ordered Fisher to file his statement of defence before the next adjourned date.

THE Nation’s Editorial Board Chairman, Mr Sam Omatseye will present three books in Lagos today to mark his 50th birthday.

They books are In touch, the Crocodile girl and Lion wind and other poems.

The books are his first novel, third poetry volume and a collection of columns.

Eminent personalities are expected to grace the event billed for the Agip Recital Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos at 11am.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

4

NEWS EFCC seeks reassignment of ex-bank chief’s case

By Joseph Jibueze

T

HE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday urged the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Inumidun Akande, re-assign the cases involving former Managing Director of Bank PHB Plc, Mr Francis Atuche.

Atuche is facing criminal charges before two judges of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, but the EFCC alleged that one of them, Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo, is prejudiced.

The agency’s claim is contained in a June 8 petition to Justice Akande, signed by its counsel, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), Dele Adesina (SAN) and Sebastine Hon (SAN).

The cases before Onigbanjo are numbered ID/149C/ 2011(Federal Republic of Nigeria v. Francis Atuche and Lekan Kasali) and ID/150C/2011 (Federal Republic of Nigeria v Francis Atuche and Funmi Ademosun).

Atuche was arraigned with Ademosun and Kasali, both former directors of Bank PHB, on a three-count of conspiracy to commit felony and stealing N11.4 billion belonging to the bank before Justice Onigbanjo on May 17.

On June 8, the EFCC re-arraigned him, his wife, Elizabeth and a former Chief Financial Officer of BankPHB, Mr Ugo Anyanwu before Justice Lateefat Okunnu for allegedly stealing Bank PHB’s N25.7 billion. They were all granted bail.

EFCC alleged in the petition that Justice Onigbanjo made comments that were prejudicial to the substantive charges in his May 25 ruling on Atuche’s bail application.

The judge had said that there were similarities between the criminal charges against Atuche before him and the one at the Federal High Court.

To the EFCC, the judge’s opinion indicates a prejudgment of the substantive charges and could affect his ruling on a pending application by Atuche urging the court to dismiss the charges against him.

EFCC said: “In reaching its decision in the aforesaid ruling, the Judge proceeded to make comments that touched and pertained to the substantive suit.

“The prosecuting authority is extremely perplexed and disturbed by these statements and believes that these comments give an inclination to the court’s mind in respect of the substantive charges.

“In view of the disturbing comments, our clients have lost confidence in the ability of the judge to hold the scale of justice in the pending charge.”

Justice Onigbanjo adjourned till June 22 for mention. The development stalled hearing of Atuche’s pending application.

EFCC not dramatising trial of suspects, says Waziri

T

HE Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri, yesterday said she is not dramatising the arrest and trial of high-profile suspects.

She said she has been treating the suspects with decorum in line with international best practices.

But the Senate urged the EFCC to engage in drama after conviction of suspects instead of during arrest.

Mrs Waziri, who made the clarification in a chat with reporters in Abuja after the launch of the Economic and Financial Crimes Law Reports and a book on ‘Doing Business in Nigeria’ authored by the EFCC chairman, said she had been civil in inviting and arraigning suspects.

“I am not engaging in any drama. What did you see me dramatising? There is no handcuff on suspects again and I have been relating with suspects with decency. “”We have learned. I stopped so many things when I came on board. Look, there is no more handcuffs, there is no dragging of anyone or suspect on the floor again. Or have you ever heard of any-

From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

one breaking his legs for scaling the walls during my tenure?

“It is when there are a lot of allegations against some suspects that we go there or we write them as respectable law-abiding Nigerians.

“But a man is presumed innocent until found guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. When we write you, we give you the benefit of the doubt to come and tell us your side of the story.

“It is also trite law that you must hear both sides. That is how we do it. In a civilised clime, this is what is done.

There is no drama there. Maybe when suspects are going to court, the media is always there. That is what they call drama. And I cannot stop the media from doing its job.”

But the former Deputy Leader of the Senate, Mr. Victor Ndoma-Egba, who spoke at the launch on behalf of Senate President, David Mark, said the EFCC should stop its ongoing drama while arresting suspects.

Ndoma-Egba said: “For deepening its work, which is

essentially to fight corruption which is our major headache in this country, the EFCC has taken the fight against corruption much higher.

“But I think every accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty by the court. We will like to see more of the drama from the EFCC when somebody is convicted not when someone is arrested.

“Every Nigerian should be a stakeholder in the fight against corruption. We no longer have an excuse for not assisting the EFCC now that the Freedom of Information Act is in place. The FOI has given us reasons for being partners in the fight against corruption.

“In a culture where corruption is celebrated and even elevated in churches, it is difficult for the EFCC but we must all be partners to fight the scourge.

On the law reports, the EFCC chairman explained the rationale behind it.

She said: “The idea of Economic Crimes Law Reports was conceived as part of efforts to provide reference materials for lawyers, the business community, law students and the public.

•Mrs. Waziri

“Importantly also, some of the judgments contain definitive pronouncements on recondite issues of law as they pertain to corruption and economic crime. Some of these issues were taken up for the first time.

“The reports are therefore special in the sense that they are dedicated to a subject of law which has not been widely and vigorously litigated upon as it is today.”

Supreme Court Justice, Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, said corruption has destroyed Nigeria’s economy.

But she gave a pass mark to the EFCC for ensuring gradual reduction in corrupt practices.

She said: “Today, Nigeria is devastated by a similar spell. For almost the whole of its life as a country, Nigeria has advertently lived with a self-imposed Sphinx known as corruption.”

Reps to reconsider Electoral Offences Bill, says Tambuwal

T

HE House of Representatives will take a second look at the Electoral Offences Commission Bill with the aim of passing it into law, Speaker of the House Aminu Waziri Tambuwal assured yesterday.

He spoke when representatives of 20 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) visited him in Abuja.

The Speaker also said the House would give the Justice Sector Reform Bill accelerated treatment.

Tambuwal said the House would partner CSOs to make laws for the good governance of the country.

The speaker urged CSOs to initiate bills as well as participate in public hearing.

Executive Director, Policy and Legal Advocacy Group, Mr. Clement Nwankwo, who

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor

led the representatives of the CSOs, said since the return to democracy on May 29, 1999, Nigerians have watched in frustration how government officials continued to appropriate to themselves huge allowances and privileges.

Nwankwo said: “While abuse of public resources and corruption is a wide spread phenomenon that cut across all tiers of government in Nigeria, the National Assembly continues to be a major focus and concern because of the reports of financial profligacy and mystery surrounding what legislators actually earn amid the controversy surrounding what is described as constituency allowance, jumbo allowances and legislators’ running cost.”

Ex-US envoy Sanders to speak in Lagos on women

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ORMER United States Ambassador to Nigeria Robin Sanders will, on June 16, speak to Nigerian women in Lagos on the need to empower themselves economically.

Executive Director of the Foundation for Skills Development, Mrs Omowale Ogunrinde, said the former ambassador would speak at the foundation’s “Woman In Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs)” seminar.

Ogunrinde told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Lagos that the former envoy would also speak on leadership.

The seminar is being organised by the foundation.

“Former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Robin Sanders, has

given her assurances to be present at our Woman in SME seminar and will be talking on leadership role of women.

“Sanders strongly believes in women empowerment. She believes that women have potential that need to be harnessed,’’ Ogunrinde said.

She noted that Sanders had, during her ambassadorial work in Nigeria, encouraged Nigerian women to empower themselves and contribute to national development.

The executive director added that Sanders’s encouragement to some Nigerian women in leadership positions had spurred them into life transforming undertakings.

•From left: Wife of the president, Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship International (FGBMFI) Mrs Nnedi Odedo, the president, Mr Ifeanyi Odedo, and Secretary to the Government of Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, during PHOTO: NAN FGBMFI’s visit to the SGF in Abuja... yesterday.

Excess Crude Account depleted, says Fed Govt

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HE Federation Account has been depleted by N162,110 billion, it emerged yesterday.

This development has forced the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) to dip into the Excess Crude Account to augment disbursement to states for June 2011.

Acting Chairman of FAAC and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance Alhaji Danlami Kifasi told reporters that this development led the three tiers of government to share N606.541 billion as against the budgeted sum of N615.757 billion.

This amount comprises the statutory allocation to the three tiers of government (N554.150 billion), Value Added Tax (VAT) disburse-

From Nduka Chiejina, Assistant Edior

ments among the three tiers (N61.607 billion), and augmentation of N162.901 billion.

Under statutory disbursements, the Federal Government received an allocation of N260.187billon, representing 52,68 per cent, states get N131,970billion (26,72 per cent) while the 774 local government councils in the country shared N101,744billion or 20,60 per cent. The oil producing states shared N60.249 billion as part of the 13 per cent derivation fund.

For the month under review, the net revenue from the Value Added Tax available for sharing among the three tiers of government was N61.607 billion, the Fed-

eral Government got N9.241 billion, representing 15 per cent, states were allocated N30.804 billion (50 per cent) while the local government councils received N21.562 billion, representing 35 per cent of the total VAT proceeds.

The statement on disbursement reads that “the gross revenue of N670.464 billion received for the month is higher than the N582.973 billion from the previous month by N87.491 billion as a result of improved production at Forcados, Bonny and Amenam terminals, Bonga terminal operations coming back on stream and an increase in the average price of crude oil in the international market”.

However, the statement added that crude oil production and lifting were slightly affected by repair work on

Usari Idoho pipeline at Qua Iboe Terminal. There was an exchange gain of N2.731 billion being the difference between the prevailing exchange rate of N151.85 per USD and the budgeted rate of N150 per USD set as benchmark. The amount the FAAC report said has been escrowed.

State governments have sent their recommendations to the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) on the nature of a new revenue allocation formula.

Chairman of the Accountants-General for the states, Mr Tunde Abdulkareem of Kwara state, confirmed this to reporters.

He said the N18,000 minimum wage has made it expedient for a review of the revenue formula.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

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NEWS Robbers storm Osun community

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WENTY houses were attacked by armed robbers in Iba, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Osun State on Monday.

The private home of the traditional ruler of the town, the Eburu of Iba, Oba Ibrahim Adediji Bamigbade, was not spared by the hoodlums.

The monarch was said to have been out of town when the bandits attacked the community.

According to the victims, the heavily armed robbers, numbering about 10, were in their 20s.

Money, cars, jewellery, electronics, mobile phones, clothes, among other valuables, were reportedly stolen by the criminals.

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

It was gathered that the police and members of the community vigilance groups did not get to the scene until the robbers escaped.

A resident, who pleaded for anonymity, said he had been noticing the presence of strange people in the town since Saturday.

The robbery was reported at the Divisional Police Headquarters in Ikirun. The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Mr. Michael Dahunsi, said the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Osogbo, the state capital.

Dahunsi said some arrests had been made.

Mimiko appoints Accountant-General From Leke Akeredolu, Akure •Traffic gridlock on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway in Lagos, arrising from indiscriminate parking by tanker and trailer drivers...yesterday PHOTO:RAHMAN SANUSI

Oni seeks probe of alleged contracts scam

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USTED governor of Ekiti State Chief Segun Oni has called for probe of the allegation by the Governor Kayode Fayemi administration that he embezzled N5.4 billion, saying “no amount of propaganda and deliberate falsehood can take goodwill away from us.”

Oni was reacting to a publication by the state Government in some national dailies that his administration overpaid for some contracts and paid for jobs undone.

To establish the truth, he called for a probe of himself, those who worked with him, contractors that handled the projects and the Fayemi-led administration by Transparency International (TI), an anti-corruption international organisation.

Oni also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria (ICAN), Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), Nigeria Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Supreme Council of Islam (SCI) to be part of the probe.

He said it was important for EFCC and ICPC to be part of the probe so that anyone found culpable would be prosecuted.

Oni said: “When they said I stole Ekiti money, I was expecting them to pub-

lish details of how contractor A or B paid part of the money received from government into my bank account. Or better still, I thought they would publish a list of property bought for me by any of the contractors.

“But what do we have in the so-called whitepaper?

A list of numerous projects we executed (both completed and ongoing), which contradicts their earlier claim that we did nothing while in government.

“Again, what Fayemi said before now was that his contract review panel, which never invited me or any of the people that worked with me, said I defrauded Ekiti State to the tune of N5.4 billion.

“But from what was published in some newspapers yesterday, what we are

now being told is that some contractors got money for jobs not done or above the level of job done.

“If contractors were, as they claimed, paid over and above the level of work done (which I doubt), are those contractors still working on site? If they are still working on site, then, what is their definition of over payment? Can’t they reach the contractors, many of whom are still working on site?

“Therefore, we are challenging Fayemi and his men to be ready to submit themselves to an open probe of all contracts awarded in Ekiti State from May 29, 2007, today. They must not run away as they did when they said I plunged the state into N40 billion loan and I challenged them to an open probe. ”

Gunmen abduct PDP Chief Olusola Oke’s mum HE mother of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Legal Adviser Olusola Oke has been abducted by unknown gunmen.

The kidnappers, seven in number were said to have invaded Mrs. Mariam Oke’s home in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government of Ondo State, around 9.pm on Monday.

It was learnt that the gunmen came in an unmarked ash colour Toyota Camry and laid ambush for her.

Sources said when the 81year-old woman returned from a visit to her neighbour and noticed the strange car and men around her home, she got suspicious and ordered her driver to lock all the doors.

But the gunmen reportedly forced their way in and snatched her.

Sources said they drove through College road, Igbokoda, to Okitipupa before going into hiding.

Police spokesman Adeniran Aremu confirmed the incident.

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From Damisi Ojo, Akure

He said: “We are aware of the abduction of Oke’s mother and are doing everything possible to ensure her release.”

Aremu said he did not know whether the abductors demanded a ransom.

Oke, in a telephone interview, condemned his mother’s abduction.

He said the family had no clue about those behind the act, but insisted that the kidnappers were familiar with the terrain and identity of their

‘I appeal to the kidnappers to consider my mother’s charitable gestures in the community and please release her.’ victim.

Oke said: “Those who kidnapped my mother are familiar with the terrain of the area and are not far from the family.

“I appeal to the kidnappers to consider my mother’s charitable gestures in the community and please release her.”

The state chapter of the PDP also condemned the kidnap. Its Publicity Director, Mr. Ayo Fadaka, said: “We suspect that the kidnap has a political undertone and urge those behind it to have a rethink.”

Barely three months ago, the mother of a businessman, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim, was kidnapped in Igbotako, Okitipupa Local Government.

NDO State Governor Olusegun Mimiko has approved the appointment of Mr. Lawrence Layiwola Ibukun as the Accountant-General.

According to the Special Assistant to the Governor (Media), Mr. Akinwale Oshodi, the new Accountant-General has been in the position in an acting capacity before the appointment.

Ibukun (52) hails from Ijare in Ifedore Local Government of the state.

He graduated from the University of Lagos in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Banking and Finance and got a Masters of Science in Accounting from the University of Ilorin in 1989.

Ibukun joined the Ondo State Civil Service 22 years ago as an accountant and has served in various capacities.

He is a Chartered Accountant, Fellow of the Institute of Cost Management Accountants, Associate of the National Accountants of Nigeria, Chartered Institute of Taxation and Fellow of Institute of Public Administration of Nigeria.

Ibukun, who is a Justice of Peace, is married with children.

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We’ll make Olokola Free Trade Zone work, says Amosun

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GUN State Governor Ibikunle Amosun yesterday said his administration would ensure that the Olokola Free Trade Zone (OKFTZ) functions properly.

Receiving members of the International Port Engineering Management (IPEM) from Belgium, Amosun said he was surprised that the Free Trade Zone was not functional.

He said: “I assure you that my administration will do everything possible to ensure its success. For any Free Trade Zone that is well-conceptualised and well-managed, I believe our people stand to benefit. We would do everything to make it work.”

Amosun said his administration would liaise with the Federal Government on issues raised by the team.

The governor, who was the chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce between 2003 and 2007, said

Court arraigns 24-year-old girl, two others for ‘kidnap’

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24-YEAR-old girl, Apo Perpetual Shallom, was yesterday arraigned before an Akure Magistrate’s Court in Ondo State for alleged kidnap.

Apo, who claims to be a Banking and Finance Student of the University of Ado-Ekiti (UNAD), Ekiti State, was arraigned on a three-count charge of alleged kidnap, illegal imprisonment and

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

criminal abduction of a twoyear-old girl, Ibukun Agboola.

Two others, Bamidele Faith and Bamidele Esther, suspected to be her accomplices, were also arraigned.

It was learnt that Apo led the gang to kidnap Ibukun in Akure.

Sources said Apo contacted Ibukun’s parents and said she was in Calabar,

Cross River State, with their daughter.

They said Apo gave them 24 hours ultimatum to pay N660,000 as ransom and another N50,000 for her flight ticket from Calabar to Akure.

Apo was said to have threatened to sell Ibukun to ritualists, if her parents failed to meet the deadline.

It was gathered that she sent them details of her account, which was given to

the police and officials of the bank.

Apo was reportedly arrested in Ikoyi, Lagos, while attempting to withdraw the ransom.

She was then handed over to the Police in Ijapo estate, Akure, where she allegedly confessed to the crime.

Magistrate A. Adetiloye of Court seven granted the accused bail and adjourned till June 20.

•Amosun

free trade zones are necessary for economic growth.

IPEM Chairman Mr. Marc Stordiau congratulated Amosun on his election and noted that free trade zones have become instruments for national development and industrialisation.

He urged the government to constitute a board for OKFTZ to oversee its activities.

Stordiau said: “We cannot work on a free trade zone without a port, just as we cannot talk about a port without a zone. So, the development of a port will be part of the trade zone.”

He said his team is exploring the possibility of setting up a power plant in the state.

Other members of the IPEM delegation are Marcel Van Bouwel (Director), Luk Haelterman (Managing Director, OKFTZ), Gelt Dom (Director, OKFTZ) and Wole Oyekanmi (Adviser, OKFTZ).

6

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

NEWS

Fashola’s deputy, wife, others lead crusade against child abuse

Forensic expert warns politicians From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

A DUBLIN-BASED Nigerian forensic expert, Dr. Ebenezer Ajayi, has cautioned politicians to stop using foreign forensic experts to prove their cases at the election petition tribunals.

Dr. Ajayi, who spoke to reporters in Osogbo, Osun State capital, described abandoning Nigerians for foreign experts as exercise amounting to “pouring good money down the drain.”

The expert further explained that in the last election conducted under the leadership of Prof.

Attahiru Jega, the Independent National Electoral Commission has completely eliminated multiple voting through the installation of AFIS software in its central servers.

Dr. Ajayi led a team of American latent fingerprint experts to examine ballot papers used in the 2007 governorship election for Ekiti State at the state Election Petition tribunal.

He said the INEC’s current AFIS software would automatically delete multiple registrants.

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AGOS State Deputy Governor Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire; the governor’s wife, Dame Abimbola Fashola, and other stakeholders yesterday led the campaign against child abuse.

They spoke at the first parenting summit organised by Vanguard Media Limited, publishers of Vanguard titles, in collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC) to mark this year’s International Day of the African Child with the theme: The place of parenting in curbing child abuse.

Mrs. Orelope-Adefulire said there was need for parents to show deep interest in their children.

She noted that child abuse did not stop at sexual abuse and harassment, adding that parents who neglected their

By Miriam Ndikanwu

children due to career or religious engagement; or denied them their fundamental rights, as enlisted in the United Nations Charter on the Rights of Children, abused such children.

The deputy governor said beyond the provision of education and other basic needs of the children, parents should also spend time with them and address issues that affect them at home or in the school.

The deputy governor said: “Parenting is a serious business that we cannot abandon, abdicate or transfer to our house help or relations who can easily molest or abuse our children. If we are negligent or careless, we will not be guiltless if our children are victims of child abuse.”

She said the government had developed programmes

to take children off the streets and prepare them for a better future.

Adefulire listed the Yellow Card Initiative; ‘No Child is Left Behind’ basic education policy, in compliance with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Goal No 2; the girl-child education project, the establishment of Skills Acquisition/Vocational centres, which empowers more than 9,000 young adults annually, the construction of the rehabilitation centre for victims of abuse and human trafficking; and the provision of an enabling environment for learning and teaching as some of the government’s efforts to address the trend.

Mrs. Fashola said it was important for parents to work for the development of their children, adding that such roles could not be transferred.

She urged parents to take

parenting as a collaborative effort between the father and mother, adding that inculcating family values in the children was the task for both parents.

Mrs. Fashola admonished children to see their parents as their friends and confidants and to feel free to talk to them on any form of abuse or harassment.

CBAAC Director-General Prof. Tunde Babawale urged governments at all levels to “faithfully implement legislations that protect the rights of the African child, such as the UN Convention on Rights of the Child, African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and the Child Rights Act”.

He said: “We must also show compassion and give succour to the impoverished and malnourished children who require greater governmental and societal support.”

Minimum wage: Ondo workers give seven-day ultimatum From Damisi Ojo, Akure

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NDO State civil servants have given the government a sevenday ultimatum to pay the N18,000 minimum wage or face a strike.

The workers’ resolution was contained in a letter to Governor Olusegun Mimiko after the State Executive Council (SEC) meeting attended by leaders of industrial unions.

The workers, under the aegis of Joint Negotiating Council (JNC), expressed consternation over the alleged insincerity of the government to pay the new salary.

The letter, signed by the Chairman, Comrade Solomon Adelegan and the Secretary Comrade Soladoye Ekundayo, said the government had not been fair to public service workers on the issue.

JNC said the government had failed to meet the workers’ request on the implementation of N15,000 minimum wage when the administration came to power.

They said the government tactically rejected the payment of the salary relativity of N17,000 approved for public service workers in the federation with effect from July 1, last year, saying it was meant for the federal workers.

The JAC said: “It is no longer news that many states of the federation have started implementing salary relativity of for their workers, including Ogun, Ekiti and Kogi.

“It is disheartening that two weeks after the council forwarded a letter on the implementation of the National Minimum Wage to the governor, the only response received from the Head of Service (HOS) was an acknowledgement requesting workers to be patient on the matter.”

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1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 mittee (JAC) leaders of AdeThe loan is to be repaid on 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 kunle Ajasin University, relaxed terms.

1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 Akungba Akoko (AAUA), The disbursement was held 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 Ondo State, have been susat Fajuyi Square. pended by the management of The beneficiaries included 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 the institution for embarking 82 cooperative societies, 105 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 on a strike. trade groups and 869 self-em- 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 The university management ployed individuals with 780 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 condemned the union leaders, women and 174 men from the 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 saying it was illegal for them 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 16 local governments. to go on strike.

Governor Kayode Fayemi 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 Those sacked are: National said though market women 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 Association of Students’ and the other groups had ben- 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 Unions (NASU) Chairman, Mr. efitted from such revolving 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 Ohiwere; Senior Staff Associa- loans before, it was the first 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 tion of Nigerian univerisites time beneficiaries were paid 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 ‘Ajanaku isn’t (SSANU) Chairman, Mr. A.S. directly and not by proxies or 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 leader’ Falade; National Association guarantors. of Academic technologists He noted that because of the 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 LDERS and leaders of the (NAAT) Chairman, Mr. S.A. insincerity of the past admin- 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 Peoples Democratic ParGiwa; and 17 other members. istration, parts of the fund on 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 ty (PDP) in Ogun East The union leaders were the scheme were diverted to 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 Senatorial Zone of Ogun State demanding July 2009 to March,

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meaningless areas. last year, arrears.

The governor said drivers, In a statement, the AAUA motorcycle riders and artisans Acting Assistant Registrar Sola had enjoyed revolving loan Imoru said the union leaders schemes before, adding that he were suspended for embarkpreferred the beneficiaries ing on an “illegal seven-day having direct access to the disstrike”. bursement channels and officHe said the JAC leaders es rather than through menbreached the peace in the tors and proxies. university and prevented its Fayemi said the governworkers and students from ment would not harass the benentering their offices and eficiaries or resort to intimiclassrooms. dation to make them repay the

123456789012345 123456789012345 123456789012345 123456789012345 123456789012345 123456789012345 123456789012345 123456789012345 123456789012345 123456789012345 123456789012345 123456789012345 123456789012345 123456789012345 123456789012345 123456789012345 123456789012345 123456789012345 123456789012345 123456789012345 123456789012345 •Ajimobi

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TUDENTS of the University of Ibadan (UI) have demanded an

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• Governor Fayemi (right) presenting a cheque to the Chairman, Amuludun Cooperative Society, Mr. Afolayan Bankole; and Secretary, Mrs. Funke Oriade, in Ado-Ekiti...yesterday.

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

loan.

According to him, beneficiaries are expected to repay without stress to enable others to benefit from the scheme.

The governor said his administration was committed

to tackling poverty from all fronts through job creation and other empowerment programmes, such as the loan scheme, to women’s trade groups.

Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Dapo Kolawole, said it was the first time the government was paying beneficiaries

of a revolving loan scheme, adding that the former administration disbursed over N2bilion from which only a few people benefitted.

The Iyaloja of Igbara-Odo, Ekiti, in Ekiti South West Local Government, Mrs Ajoke Haastrup, urged members to use the loan judiciously.

UI students urge probe of their leader’s murder From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

inquiry into the killing of a medical students’ leader, Bala Usuman Shanono, in the mayhem by the Oyo State branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) a fortnight ago.

Shanono, the National President of the Nigeria Medical Students’ Association (NMSA), was killed by members of the union during a violent clash at the Iwo road interchange on June 4 and 5.

He was caught in the crossfire when he was returning from a seminar at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU),

Ile-Ife, Osun State, that day.

Many other people, mostly passengers, were reportedly killed in the attack.

The students condemned the killing of innocent travellers during the mayhem, with emphasis on the killing of Shanono, a 500-level medical student of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State.

The students rejected the decision of the Oyo State Government to proscribe the union in the state.

In a statement by president of UI Students’ Union, Tokunbo Salako, the students said the government should

have set up a panel of inquiry to investigate the violent attacks rather than proscribe the commercial drivers’ union.

The panel, they suggested, should include students, youths and trade unions.

They called for fresh elections to bring in NURTW officials subject to the congress of the union, adding that drivers, who are extorted daily, should play an active role in the running of their union.

The statement reads in part: “The union affirmatively condemns without reservation this dastardly and

heinous act carried out on such a young promising Nigerian in the most unruly and callous manner, and must be seen as such by every right-thinking person.

“The union believes strongly in the protection and dignity of human life and equally is of the view that no one, however highly or lowly place, has the right to take another person’s life.”

The students demanded full compensation for the families of the victims of the crisis since, according to them, many other victims have remained unidentified.

have dissociated themselves from the purported emergence of the former presidential aide, Mrs Titi Ajanaku, as leader of the PDP Women’s Forum in the state.

A statement by the ViceChairman of Ogun East Elders’ Forum of the PDP, Alhaji Agboola Alausa, said the party’s leadership was not aware of any meeting where Mrs Ajanaku emerged the women’s leader.

The statement reads in part: “Checks by the party leadership at the senatorial zone indicated that neither the Bashorun Dayo Soremi-led State Executive Council (SEC) nor the state PDP Elders’ Forum is aware of any such meeting.

“There was never a meeting involving all the leaders and elders of the state PDP where such a decision was taken. If there will be such an appointment or election, the elders from the three senatorial districts must be carried along. It will be preposterous for anyone or a group of persons to claim to have been chosen into a position of leadership when they do not have the consent of the relevant stakeholders.”

7

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

NEWS

‘Climate change exposes Nigeria to natural disasters’

Nasarawa Varsity teachers suspend strike From Johnny Danjuma, Lafia

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HE Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK) branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday suspended its one-month-old strike.

The government had been calling for the suspension of the strike because of its implications on the academic calendar and the socio-economic life of the state.

The government had urged the varsity teachers to return to the classroom to give the government the opportunity to reach an amicable settlement with them.

Chairman of the union Comrade Yahaya Abadu Whike said ASUU suspended the strike to give the new administration some time to meet its demands.

He said: “We hope the new administration will honour the gentleman’s agreement we entered into with the government. We resolved to shelve the strike to allow the new governor see reasons with us and meet our demands.”

The union is demanding full payment of 10 months’ arrears of the FGN/ASUU Agreement; nine months of CONUASS; five months of monetisation; reversal of the “obnoxious” tax regime and a refund.

It accused the former administration of Aliyu Akwe Doma of collecting the money meant for the funding of the university and teachers’ welfare without anything to show for it.

The union called for an increased funding of the university to save its infrastructure and to ensure the payment of outstanding arrears of SIWES, field trip and other allowances.

Ahmed to complete projects

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WARA State Governor Abulfatah Ahmed yesterday promised to pay more attention to ongoing infrastructural projects which his predecessor, Dr Bukola Saraki, started.

Addressing reporters in Ilorin, the state capital, when he inspected some of the projects, Ahmed said: “I will place priority on all ongoing projects because they have been commenced with public funds and they are designed to meet public interest. So, getting them abandoned will not only amount to wastage but also will deny the people access to the facilities. That is why I am embarking on this on-the-spot assessment of all ongoing projects.”

Among the projects he inspected are Metropolitan Square; Diagnostic Centre; Judges’ Quarters; Akerebiata road project; and Ilorin Stadium rehabilitation, all within the Ilorin metropolis.

The governor expressed satisfaction on the level of

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

work on some of the projects.

He said: “We are happy with the level of work in some of the projects so far inspected, but we could be happier.

We are quite satisfied with the work on the Judges’ Quarters.

The Akerebiata road is a bit slow for the kind of expectation that we have. Of course, the diagnostic centre is also a little bit short of our expectations. As for the Metropolitan, we are happy with the work that has been completed so far. What is left to be completed is taking longer than necessary.

“There are resource constraints, but contractors must necessarily apply capacity to engage in this kind of business and should enjoy spontaneous financing. We will do everything on our own side to ensure that the projects are properly funded within our arranged cash flow framework.”

•Sokoto still grappling with 2010 flood, says Wamakko From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

•Wamakko

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HE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) yesterday said climate change has exposed the nation to the dangers of extreme weather with frequent and more severe consequences to lives and the environment.

It said 23 states faced severe flooding and other natural disasters.

Its Director-General Muhammed Sani Sidi spoke in Sokoto, the capital of Sokoto State, at the opening of a threeday regional workshop on Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management in Nigeria.

Sidi said: “If we have not already taken measures to either prevent another round of flooding or mitigate vulnerability to the hazard, it could happen again this year, with

the same devastation consequences, or even worse.”

He listed, among other dangers, flood, windstorm, drought and epidemics as some of the disasters that now happen in places that did not experience them before.

Sidi noted that the disasters have considerable implications on humanitarian and developmental efforts.

Governor Aliyu Wamakko, represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Sahabi Isah Gada, declared the workshop open.

He noted that climate change, with its consequences on the environment and humans, posed a challenge to politicians, bureaucrats, the business world, the academia and ordinary people.

Recalling last year’s devastating floods that displaced over 100 villages in the state, Wamakko said: “The challenges posed by the impact of the ravaging floods are still being felt.”

He urged the Federal Government to expedite action on the rehabilitation of the bridge linking Sokoto me-

tropolis with Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and Niger Republic, through Illela.

He said the devastation caused by the flooding was scary, adding: “We are still grappling with the issue of resettlement of displaced persons. We have awarded contracts for the construction of 1,000 units of houses for the victims in Goronyo, Gada and Silame local governments with modern facilities.”

Wamakko said over 23,700 households were rendered homeless in addition to the loss of 32,853 hectares of farmlands with various crops, among others.

He said: “These communities had lost almost all of their cumulative savings, grain storage, among other challenges.”

Sidi said: “Scientific evidence has shown that as a result of climate change, extreme weather events become more frequent and severe,” adding that losses from disasters could cost up to 20 per cent of the gross domestic products (GDP) in developing countries than in industrialised ones.

According to him, the world is struggling to agree on how best to pursue the four building blocks of mitigation, ad-

aptation, technology and finance.

He said Nigeria needs to take steps to contain the adverse effects of climate change.

Sidi said: “Communities are more vulnerable and cannot cope with the adverse effects of climate change on their own; which is why they rely on us to provide answers to risks and threats they face.”

He said the capacity of this category of people to adapt to the changing climate has been undermined by lack of assets such as land, livestock, income, social networks, among others.

Sidi said: “This has inspired the agency to encourage viable disaster management at the grassroots, such as the Grassroots Emergency Volunteer (GEV) and Emergency Management Vanguards (EMV), among others.”

In his goodwill message, Prof Adeniyi Osuntogun noted that awareness creation, sensitisation and training were critical in meeting disaster and climate change challenges.

He said: “We have to cooperate in achieving the goals to ensure our people are protected against such preventable disasters.”

Suntai swears in 22 special advisers From Fanen Ihyongo, Jalingo

T

ARABA State Governor Danbaba Suntai yesterday swore in 22 special advisers.

The event took place at the exco chambers of the Government House, Jalingo, the state capital.

The Chief Judge, Justice Adamu Aliyu, administered the oath of office.

Six of the advisers had served in the past administration.

Among them is Beatrice Kitchener, who had been the Special Adviser on Women Affairs since the Jolly Nyame administration. She retained her former portfolio.

Former Adviser on Information Technology, Mr. Orbee Uchiv, is the new Adviser on Government Projects; and Yohanna Adi, who was the Adviser on Rural Development, is now Adviser on Legal and Legislative Matters.

Alhaji Ahmed Bala, who was the Adviser on Health, is the new Adviser on Muslim Religious Affairs; Dr. Alfred Yahya Kobiba and Rev. Simon Jatutu have been returned as Advisers on Health and Christian Religious Affairs.

Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, Bashir Marafa is Adviser on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs; former Adviser to the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Yakubu Tor-Agbidye, is the Adviser on Tourism; and former state lawmaker, Kabiru Dodo, is the Adviser on Special Duties.

Others advisers are: Dr. Ahmed Yusha’u, (Intergovernmental Affairs); Daniel Sati, (Environment and Sanitation); Toyonga N. Binga, (Education); Yusuf Na’awai, (Information Technology); Augustine Joshua, (Revenue Matters); and Abba Akawu, (Labour Matters).

Also sworn in are: Salihu Isa Abbare, (Solid Minerals); Nafisatu Vaki, (Students and Disable Matters); Rebecca S. Manaseh, (Political Affairs); Joseph Magaji Tahwa, (Rural Development); Danjuma Manaseh Kaura, (Border Development and Emergency); and Group Capt. Sule Angyu Gani, (Security).

Suntai prayed God to give them the wisdom to perform well.

•From left: Pastor Femi Martins, Project Manager, 400 Years of King James Version (KJV) Bible celebration; Most Reverend Ephraim Ademowo, Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Province of Lagos; Mrs. Morenike Adepoju, Executive Director, Ecobank Nigeria Plc, being shown the Bible artifacts on display by Founder of West Africa Theological Seminary (WATS), Dr. Garey Maxey, at the Bible Conference and Exhibition organised by The Bible Society of Nigeria and WATS to mark 400 years of KJV at The Apostolic Church, Ketu, Lagos.

Ex-Kogi Governor Audu to align with ACN

F

ORMER Kogi State Gov-

ernor Abubakar Audu has said he would work with the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

Audu, an All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) chieftain, was to contest the governorship.

F

From Mohammed Bashir, Lokoja

Speaking with The Nation, ACN Chairman, Mallam Hadi Ametuo, confirmed the alliance, adding that he was in Abuja for the event.

Ametuo said though it had

not been made official, the arrangement was in top gear and would soon be made public.

In a telephone interview with The Nation, Audu said he was not defecting but fusing his ANPP supporters with the

ACN to produce a common candidate for the governorship election next year.

He said: “I am not defecting to ACN, but merging the two parties - ANPP and ACN - to produce one candidate.

The candidate could bear the flag of either ANPP or ACN.”

Mamora calls for devolution of powers

ORMER Senate Deputy Minority Leader Olorunnimbe Mamora yesterday called for a constitutional amendment that would guarantee devolution of powers in the spirit of federalism.

He also canvassed increased functions and funding for the states, stressing that the second tier is closer to the people than the Federal Government.

Mamora, who was a mem-

By Emmanuel Oladesu

ber of the Senate from 2003 to 2011, said the review of the constitution has become imperative to foster true federalism and consolidate democracy and the electoral process.

He spoke at a valedictory news conference at his Ogudu, Lagos Constituency Office, where his successor, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Senator Gbenga Ashafa,

hailed his contributions to democratic consolidation and promised to emulate him.

Mamora suggested the expunging from the constitution powers of the National Assembly to list newly created councils in the country, arguing that it conflicts with the power of the House of Assembly to create local governments.

He also called for the elimination of “fringe political

parties”, saying they constitute opportunistic political pathogenes seeking relevance through the back door.

Mamora stressed: “The mushroom parties have no offices. Their membership comprise family members.

They came together to endorse President Goodluck Jonathan and some governors. I call for multi-party system, with five vibrant and valiant parties.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

8

NEWS Bauchi tribunal fixes hearing June 28 From Austine Tsenzughul, Bauchi

THE Justice David Mannled Bauchi Governorship Election Petition Tribunal yesterday held its inaugural sitting with a pledge to determine the case on June 28.

Justice Mann assured that the tribunal would discharge its duty without fear or favour and solicited the cooperation of the parties.

Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Chairman Matthias Aondo-hemba Tsuwa said his members would put in their best to make the tribunal’s assignment a success.

The NBA boss urged the tribunal to strenghten security to forestall interruption of proceedings.

The three –member tribunal, which comprises Justices David Mann, Isa Aliyu and C.A.Emembolo, is to entertain two governorship petitions from the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

In the first petition, the CPC governorship candidate, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar said governorship election was characterised by electoral irregularities and urged the tribunal to cancel the election.

Ebonyi election tribunal chair assures of fairness T HE Ebonyi National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abakaliki yesterday held its inaugural and pre-hearing session at the tribunal chambers with an assurance that it would be fair to all.

Tribunal Chairman Justice Henry Olusiyi said for the tribunal to dispense all the 22 petitions brought before it within the 180 days stipulated in the amended 2010 Electoral Act, there is the need for counsels to reduce the number of witnesses brought before the tribunal.

Justice Olusiyi said: “We have a novelty in our hands, this tribunal would ensure that all the cases brought before it is dispensed within the stipulated time. We will not operate in secrecy, privacy or confidentiality. All we need is the cooperation of everyone for us

‘We have a novelty in our hands, this tribunal would ensure that all the cases brought before it is dispensed within the stipulated time.

We will not operate in secrecy, privacy or confidentiality’ to meet up the deadline.”

Justice Olusiyi expressed concern over the number of witnesses being presented by petitioners and respondents, said the tribunal would

allocate a time limit for cross examination and testimony of each of the witnesses to enable it accommodate all of them.

He assured that the tribunal would conform to the provisions of the Electoral Act and urged the lawyers to expedite action on all the pending motions and applications.

The tribunal entertained the petitions brought before it by the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) candidate for Ebonyi Central Senatorial District, Innocent Chima against Paulinus Nwagu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Itl also heard the petition of the ANPP candidate for Ebonyi South Senatorial zone Idu Igariwe against Sonny Ogbuoji of the PDP. The petition brought against the member representing

Ikwo\Ezza South Federal Constituency ,Tobias Okwuru, of the PDP by Francis Elem of the ANPP, was also entertained.

Also entertained was the petition brought by the ANPP candidate for Ohaukwu\Ebonyi Federal Constituency, Joseph Egwu against the Peoples Democratic Party candidate Peter Oga-Ali, who was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In the petition brought against the member representing Abakaliki\Izzi Federal Constituency by the ANPP candidate Emmanuel Uguru, counsel to the petitioner John Igu urged the tribunal to adjourn the case to enable him conclude consultation with his client.

Justice Olusiyi adjourned all cases till June 20.

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

K

ANO State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso has said he would not take loan from the World Bank for the provision of services.

The governor spoke while receiving the World Bank Country Director, Onno Ruhl, who visited him.

He said his administration would prefer grants which do not attract interest.

He said: “The government is doing everything to avoid loans, but the only thing that we want from you is grants because we are not ready to pay interest in the next 30 years.”

The governor pledged to partner the Bank to facilitate the development of the state.

Kwankwaso advised the World Bank to assist the state in education and infrastructure.

Ruhl assured on the provision of good drinking water.

He said he was in the state to identify the objectives of the government so that his office would advise on proposal submission in specific areas of interest.

Court rules on Eket July 19

Shekarau is a great leader, says Emir of Kano

From Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

A

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

THE Emir of Kano Alhaji Ado Bayero has described former Governor of Kano State Malam Ibrahim Shekarau as a great leader whose performance could hardly be matched.

The Emir spoke when he received a delegation of friends and supporters of Sardauna Kano, led by Alhaji Hamza Darma at his palace yesterday.

He said Shekarau has uplifted Islam and social life of the people.

Leader of the delegation, Alhaji Hamza Darma, said they were at the palace to thank the Emir for the appointment of Shekarau as a member of the Kano Emirate Council.

He assured the Emir of the group’s assistance to the maintenance of peace in the state.

I won’t take loan from World Bank, says Kwankwaso

From left: Mr Matthew Eledu, Proprietor, Mato Group of Schools; Mr Ogochukwu Ikeje of The Nation; Mr Cletus Chukuma, Managing Director, DBS Media Limited; Mr Lucky Fiakpa, Assistant Director, Corporate Affairs; Janice Ifeme of The Nation and Mr Chuks Udo Okonta,the author ofTrampled Rose, during the book presentation in Lagos...yesterday.

PHOTO:ABIODUN WILLIAM

How I escaped from my abductors, by lawmaker E BONYI lawmaker representing Ikwo South constituency Chike Ogiji has explained how he escaped from his abductors in Abakaliki, the state capital.

Six gunmen, according to the lawmaker, abducted him for allegedly moving the motion to elect the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Ikechukwu Nwankwo.

Ogiji said the intention of the hoodlums was to kill.

He said: “After the reception that ended by 6pm, I returned home. But on arrival,

From Ogbonnaya Obinna, Abakaliki

six gunmen were waiting for me at the gate. On sighting them, I decidedly stepped on my brake leaving the ignition on.

“Two of them rushed to my wife while the others came to me. They jumped into the car, tied me and zoomed off.

“After tying my two legs and hands, they dumped me

in their car. But on getting to Spirando junction, they sighted some policemen and decided to turn to where they would put me inside the boot.

“When we were on transit, one of them said it was better to kill. I asked them what it would benefit them to kill an innocent person.

Before then, I had already removed the rope on my hands and made up my mind to jump out.”

“The way I escaped was

miraculous. When I jumped out, one of them ordered the driver to zoom off. So, I immediately untied the rope and went to the police to make my entry.

“They took away my official car, Certificate of Return, marriage certificate, photographs, five phones, laptop, National ID card, ATM card, and money.

Commissioner of Police Emmanuel Ayeni said the police is investigating the matter and urged the public to volunteer information to the state police command.

N Abuja Federal High Court will on July 19 rule on whether to stay its judgment that declared the former chairperson of the House committee on Information, Eseme Eyiboh, as the member representing the Eket Federal constituency of Akwa Ibom State.

Juatice Abdul Kafarati had nullified the election that produced Bassy Abia as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the election.

He held that the election held on January 28, 2011, was illegal because it did not hold at the headquarters of the constituency.

Dissatisfied, Abia has filed a notice of appeal at the Abuja Court of Appeal.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recently withdrew the Certificate of Return earlier issued to Dan Abia because of the judgment of the court.

Abia governorship panel begins sitting

T

HE Abia State Governorship Election Tribunal has begun sitting with a directive to lawyers involved in the cases to conduct themselves properly.

The tribunal, which warned against adjournment, granted the motions from twocandidates, Chris Akomas of Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) and Emenike Owanta to serve notices on Governor Theodore Orji.

Chairman of the three- man panel, Justice Mobolaji Ojo, said the tribunal would deliver its judgment within the stipulated 180 days.

From Ugochukwu Eke, Umuahia

Justice Ojo assured of fairness to all the parties, “without fear or favour, let it be known that our interest in each petition before us is the same, which is justice and we shall do that to the best of our ability.”

“Every party and counsel appearing before us will get their due, but we will not entertain unnecessary delay of the proceedings of the tribunal for any reason,” he said.

Shortly after the inauguration, the tribunal considered the petition from Akomas of the PPA seeking to serve notice

on Governor Theodore Orji.

Akomas counsel, Uwemedimo Nwoke, said: “They have been trying to serve the governor for a long time, and they have been dodging to be served, therefore we are asking the tribunal to grant us the permission to serve the first respondent by pasting the petition at the gate, wall or other places at the Government House, Umuahia.

“We should also be allowed to serve him through any of the senior officers in the office of the governor or any other person in that category in government house or the

Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) office at No 12 Ojike Street.”

In the same vein, the governorship candidate of the DFPF in the April 26 governorship election, Emenike Owanta prayed the tribunal to allow him serve the governor in the best way he could as the governor has refused to be served.

The tribunal chairman and Justices Christine Dabup and Ifioke Ukannna granted the two motions that the governor should be served.

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has withdrawn its petition.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

9

NEWS ‘We can’t offer free services’ From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

T

HE Chief Medical Director of University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Prof. Etete Peters, yesterday said it would be difficult for the hospital to offer free medical services.

He said the hospital is poorly funded by the Federal Government.

Peters spoke after the inauguration of a two-storey building medical ward.

He said as a young institution, the Federal Government should increase funding to the hospital to meet its infrastructural needs.

The CDM said the hospital increased the bed space from 250 to 400.

NAFDAC shuts 11 stores in Bayelsa From Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa

T

HE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has closed 11 stores in Bayelsa State for selling fake drugs.

The agency used its newly acquired fake drug detector machine, “Tru-Scan”, to test, assess and detect fake drugs sold in Yenagoa and other parts of the state.

Deputy Director of Ports Inspection Directorate Mrs. Comfort Makanjuola and other top officials, including Deputy Director, Port Inspectorate, Port Harcourt, Dr. Umaru Musa, led the operation.

Mrs. Makanjuola said the agency is after “the big fishes” in the drug industry and not small store owners.

She appealed to the public to cooperate with the agency in revealing fake drug sellers.

SSS, Police parade suspected criminals

T

HE State Security Services (SSS) and the police in Edo State yesterday separately paraded 50 suspected kidnappers.

N7.132million was recovered.

Other suspects paraded included nine suspected vandals of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and Nigerian Telecommunication Ltd (NITEL) cables andfive robbery suspects.

Five students of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, were arrested for cultism.

Items recovered include ammunition; military rifle; 69 pump actions; four double barrel guns; one single barrel gun; one AK 47 rifle; three cut-to-size guns, among others.

The kidnap suspects include Usabolu Charles; Ukhurfernne James; Pope Ehigiade; Odianose Okojie; Innocent Ukhurfernne; Dav-

Two Corps members raped From Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

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HE police in Delta State are looking for a six-man gang alleged to have raped two National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Owodokpokpor-Igbide, Isoko South Local Government.

It was learnt that the victims are teachers in the community’s secondary school and were housed in a ‘corpers’ lodge nearby.

Sources said three suspects are now being questioned over the incident.

The victims have been withdrawn from the school.

The ladies were waylaid on their way from a supermarket.

According to sources, the victims were attacked by their assailants at about 9pm and raped and dispossessed of their phones and other belongings.

They allegedly dragged them into a nearby bush, leading to their lodge situated on the outskirts of town.

Following a report at the police station, three suspects were apprehended.

Community Chairman Alex Ovie said although two of the suspects denied involvement, they are helping the police with the investigations.

Police spokesperson Charles Muka confirmed the incident.

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

id Atane and Osarieme Osifo, who was declared want-

ed last year.

The AAU students are Ohizokhai Vincent (24);

Ohonsi Success (20); Ebhoma Humpery (20); Williams David (25) and Akhimien Ehis (22).

Commissioner of Police David Omojuola said 30 suspected kidnappers are in custody.

Omojuola said N3.332million was recovered from a gang that robbed a cocoa warehouse in Ovia Southwest Local Government.

SSS State Director Bello Tukur Bakori said 12 kidnap victims had been rescued in the last 10 days.

Bakori said kingpins of five kidnap gangs have been arrested by the security operatives.

He said the wife of one of the ring leaders, who keeps the arms, was also arrested.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who came to see the suspects at the SSS office, commended the security agencies.

R

T

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

B

ENUE State Governor Gabriel Suswam yesterday filed his defence against the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate, Prof Torkuma Ugba’s petition.

Suswam’s lawyers, led by Tony Ijoho (SAN), arrived the Tribunal venue at about 5pm with 50 copies of their reply.

They were received by the tribunal secretary.

B

ARELY two weeks into his tenure as Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Victor Ochei has been removed by an Abuja Appellate Court.

Ochei represents Aniocha North constituency.

The petitioner, Boniface Isichei of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had challenged the substitution of his name with that of Ochei after he won the primary for Aniocha North constituency in April 2007.

But the court declared that the substitution was illegal and restrained PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from presenting or recognising Ochei as the candidate for the constituency.

Ochei filed an appeal on May 25, 2007.

But, Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba dismissed the appeal, saying there was no merit in the points canvassed by Ochei .

He noted that the crux of Isichei’s case was whether the letter of his substitution complied with the law.

The court held that the Federal High Court was right in ruling in Isichei’s favour and that he was the rightful candidate.

It is unclear how Isichei would benefit from the judgment as Ochei is serving his third term.

From Kunle Johnson, Calabar

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

Suswam files defence

From Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

Pass land reform commission bill, says Amaechi

Tribunal allows inspection of materials HE Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Benin, the Edo State capital, yesterday granted the request of Charity Amayaenvbo and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to inspect materials used for the April 9 National Assembly election in Ovia Federal Constituency.

Tribunal Chairman Justice Paul Obi Elechi also granted the use of forensic machines, and allowed the inspection of other documents.

Justice Elechi said Amayaenvbo can bring in hand writing expert(s) to ascertain documents EC8, EC9 and EC10.

He said the first respondent, Isaac Osahon of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and other respondents should be present.

He gave a 10-day ultimatum for the inspection to be completed.

Appeal Court disqualifies Delta Speaker

•The suspects with their loot...yesterday

PHOTO:OSAGIE OTABOR

Eyiboh to know fate July 19

A

FEDERAL High Court, Abuja, will on July 19 rule on whether to stay its judgment that declared the former Chairperson of the House Committee on Information, Eseme Eyiboh, as the member representing Eket Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom.

Juatice Abdul Kafarati had nullified the election that produced Bassy Dan Abia, as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He held that the election held on January 28 was illegal because it did not hold at the headquarters of the constituency.

Dissatisfied, Dan Abia filed a notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal, Abuja.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has withdrawn the certificate of return issued to Dan Abia, following the judgment.

INEC’s June 4 letter, which stopped Dan Abia’s inauguration, was signed by the commission’s Secretary, Abdullahi Kaugama, and sent to the Clerk of the National Assembly.

From Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

It said: “This is to request the National Assembly to discountenance the certificate of return issued with respect to the under listed constituency.

“Bassy Dan Abia was issued the certificate of return upon being declared the elected candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for Eket/Ibeno/ Esit/Onna Federal Constituency in Akwa Ibom.

“A notice for stay of execution of the judgment has been filed. The certificate of return is now invalid.”

Dan Abia, through his counsel, Mrs. Igbokun Obimakinde, wants “a court order staying

the judgment delivered on June 1, pending the determination of the appeal at the Court of Appeal.”

But Eyiboh, through his lawyer, Dr. Olumide Ayeni, told the court that the judgment sought to be stayed is a declaratory judgment which no court has power or jurisdiction to stay.

“It therefore means that if the judgment is stayed, the constituency would not be represented in the House of Representatives until the final determination of the appeal at the Supreme Court.”

Ayeni argued that the application for stay discloses no justifiable reasons, and constitutes

an abuse of judicial process.

“It is aimed at arm-twisting the court and the applicant/respondent. This should be discouraged. A party that has judgment of a court delivered in his favour has the right to enjoy its fruit in order not to render the victory a pyrrhic one.”

Justice Kafarati held that “the primaries purportedly held at Uyo Township Stadium on January 28 and 29 in which Dan Abia was purportedly elected as the candidate of the PDP for election to office as member of the House representing Eket/ Ibeno/Esit/Onna federal constituency in Akwa Ibom for the 2011 general elections is hereby set aside.”

IVERS State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has called on the National Assembly to pass the Land Reform Commission Bill, currently pending before it.

Amaechi made the call yesterday in his address delivered at the 46th Annual General Meeting and Conference of Nigerian Institution of Surveyors, in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

“There is a bill pending before the National Assembly, seeking to transform the Presidential Technical Committee on land reforms into a National Land Reform Commission. “ I would like to use this opportunity to call on the National Assembly to expedite action on the bill,” he said.

Amaechi called for the involvement of the private sector for the provision of a National Land Cadastre, describing it as the heart beat of land information management.

‘RSUST lacks qualified personnel’

T

HE Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port Harcourt, Prof.

Barineme Fakae, has said the institution lacks qualified personnel to drive the dreams of its founding fa-

From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

thers.

He said henceforth, graduates of the university would receive their certificates during convocation.

Fakae spoke yesterday while declaring open a two-

day academic workshop.

The VC said it had become imperative to focus on human capacity development in the strategic planning.

The workshop, with the theme: “Repositioning RSUST Academic Staff for Sustainable Performance,”

was organised for academic staff from Graduate Assistants to Lecturer 1, comprising Graduate Assistants, Assistant Lecturers, Lecturers 2 and Lecturers 1.

The workshop for Senior Lecturers and Professors will hold later.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

10

NEWS Utomi advises on how to check leaders

‘Nigeria loses 60% crops to lack of storage facilities’

A

FORMER presidential aspirant, Prof Pat Utomi has called on the government to introduce indicators to check activities of all tiers of government.

Utomi made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the Biennial Presidential Lecture of the Institute of Directors in Lagos yesterday.

The title of the lecture was “The cost of Governance and Need for Restructuring the Polity,” Utomi, former presidential aspirant of Social Democratic Mega Party (SDMP), said Nigerians are suffering because a great part of the nation’s resources were being frittered away.

He said the resources were being wasted because of the

N •Utomi

size of governance and that this menace was preventing the common man on the street from making progress.

“I believe that if we invest appropriately, most of our resources going into capital structure will enable people to venture and create wealth; prosperity will be the hallmark of our being.”

IGERIA is losing over 60 per cent of its crops annually to lack of production and storage facilities, it was said yesterday.

The trend may continue, unless the tripartite agreement on agriculture between Nigeria and China aimed at supporting the National Programme for Food Security is fully implemented.

Though the first phase of the 2008 agreement aimed at leap-frogging developments in the country’s agricultural sector has been implemented, the two countries are seeking the implementation of the second phase of the South– South Cooperation Programme, if the desired target must be met.

The permanent secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs. Fatima Bamidele, made the disclosure while addressing the

From Olugbenga Adanikin, Abuja

Chinese Vice-Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Zhang Taolin and his delegate in Abuja.

“Presently we lose about 60 per cent of our crops or more to lack of production and lack of storage. For you to be self-sufficient, you have to manage that value change and subsequently export food to neighbouring countries,” she said.

Mrs Bamidele, however, underscored the importance of full implementation of the agreement, saying: “We have a tripartite agreement with China in the area of the South-South Cooperation to help the country on agricultural development in areas of crop production, livestock, research, seedling which we had since 2009.

“They are here primarily

to see other areas where we can collaborate and assist in new area of development.

We have about 56 of their experts in Nigeria presently assisting in agriculture.

“They have a population of 1.4 billion and they are selfsufficient in food. We are 140 million and we are still trying to get there. So, it makes good sense that we learn how to do things better. They have land and very scarce resources but they have been able to feed their people through proper management of land resources and their agricultural produce”.

While noting that Nigeria has, over the years, gained from bilateral relations between the two countries, she stressed the need for further collaboration in agricultural research and food storage.

Mrs Bamidele praised the Chinese government on its

achievement in the first phase of the South–South Cooperation (SSC) programme, saying it fulfilled part of its promises by dispatching 56 Chinese experts and technicians into the country.

Taolin said his government would assist in transforming the nation’s agricultural sector in food security and increase in production. It will also help in developing competition in the sector.

According to Taolin, with a population of about 1.3 billion, China has succeeded in providing enormous food through effective management of its agro-trade, agro-technology and safe management of farm products.

He, however, urged the government to adopt an appropriate policy support and consider the agricultural sector as a top priority.

11

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

Correspondent OZIEGBE OKOEKI examines the challenges that may confront the seventh Lagos State House of Assembly under the leadership of the Speaker, Hon. Yemi Ikuforiji, and how the legislative and executive arms can be partners in progress.

T

HE seventh Lagos State House of Assem-bly was inaugurated on June 4 with fan-fare. On hand to proclaim the new Assembly was Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN). The 40 members of the House are from the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). 22 are returning members and 18 are new. It turned out to be a sort of carnival as relatives, well-wishers and supporters of the legislators thronged the premises of the Assembly; singing and dancing. Inside the chamber, the Assembly choir was also entertaining guests.

In attendance were dignitaries from all walks of life. They included the wife of the governor, Abimbola Fashola,Deputy Governor Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire; state chairman of ACN, Chief Henry Ajomale, Senator Ganiyu Solomon, Senator Muniru Muse, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, former members of the State Executive Council, former Clerks and members of the Assembly, wives and husbands of the lawmakers.

Proclaiming the Seventh Assembly, Fashola enjoined the legislators to make good laws that would fast track development in the state, adding that the Assembly had the calibre of lawmakers that would perform the duty and foster good governance. While commending the Sixth Assembly for making qualitative laws that had impacted positively on the lives of the citizens, the governor said the rich mix of the new members would inject fresh perspectives into the legislature.

Fashola said: ”I anticipate that deliberations in the House will benefit from the experience of returning members and the training they have received which expectedly should translate to better service delivery to our people. Legislative work is a career nurtured by experience and passion to serve the common and public good rather than a desire to prosper individual interest.”

Fashola said the doctrine of separation of powers, as enshrined in the constitution, was not divine, adding that“ it cannot be perfect, it is enshrined in the constitution for harmony between the three arms of government, to promote unity and not disunity. We are more interdependent than independent. The fact that I have the constitutional responsibility to proclaim the Assembly and yet have to rely on the approval of the House members to implement certain policies shows the interdependence of both arms of government.”

Legislators, he said, were elected to represent certain geographical areas and constituents, which makes them a link between government and the people, stressing that they actually enable society develop and prosper by the quality of laws that they make. Fashola also stressed the importance of educating the electorate about legislative functions. He said it is not their duties “to build roads, hospitals or schools, but the kind of laws that they make can ensure quick and efficient delivery of those services in a way that can make society prosper”.

He cited some important legislations by the last Assembly. They included the Security Trust Fund Law, which has made Lagos the safest state in the country and brought the state and country to international recognition. He advised the lawmakers to open efficient and running constituency offices and devote one day to their constituency to be in touch with their people.

The Clerk of the House, Mr. Taiwo Olatunji, who presided at the proclamation/inauguration ceremony, called on the lawmakers to maximize the use of their constituency offices for improved services to their constituents. “Lagos Assembly has attained world-acclaimd status and recognised by the World Bank. It is the pacesetter for other Houses of Assembly in the country who come regularly to seek advice.

• Guests at the inauguration of the Lagos State House of Assembly

Lagos Assembly: New era, fresh promises After the governor’s address, the Clerk proceeded to the next event, which was the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker. Only one candidate, the immediate past speaker, Hon. Adeyemi Sabit Ikuforiji, representing Ikeja 1 constituency, was nominated by Razak Balogun from Surulere 11 Constituency and seconded by Wahab Alawiye-King from Lagos-Island11 Constituency. In the absence of any opposition from other members, he was subsequently declared as Speaker by the Clerk, who also administered the oath of office on him. The former Majority Leader, Hon. Kolawole Taiwo, who represents Ajeromi/Ifelodun 1, was elected as Deputy Speaker after emerging the sole nominee. He was nominated

by Hon. Olanrewaju Oshun from Mainland Constituency 11, and seconded by Hon. Saka Fafunmi from Ifako Ijaye Constituency 1. The oath of office was also administered on him by the Clerk. They were both ushered to their seats by those who nominated them.

Ikuforiji said the inaugural session and his election as speaker marked a new beginning, a new dedication within the Assembly and a new spirit among members. He thanked his colleagues for their understanding, tolerance, struggle “and your insistence on electing me as speaker once again and for all you have done to make this institution an enviable one.”

He urged his colleagues to cooperate and be patient with him, assuring them that he would not betray the confidence they reposed in him.

“The commitment of this House towards democratic ideals and the principle of separation of powers remain un-

shakeable. But the House will collaborate with other arms of government in bringing the dividends of democracy to the doorstep of Lagosians. Therefore, the House is ready to offer support to the executive arm in terms of passage of bills and resolutions and other responsibilities as the situation demands,”he added.

Ikuforiji said he envisioned a creative and challenging moment, which members’ courage and capabilities could cope with.

“You have thrust upon me a great responsibility to provide excellent leadership, to be worthy of you and to exemplify your personalities, but let us create a newly shared spirit of understanding, unity and trust. Your strength can compensate for my weakness and your wisdom can help to minimize my mistakes.

My colleagues, let us learn together and laugh together and work together and we will have cause to be praised and remembered in goodness”, Ikuforiji said.

He further stressed: “After a period of serious politicking and lobbying, we are entering another phase in our duties as lawmakers. In pursuing our goals of full employment, better housing, excellent education, in rebuilding our towns and improving our rural areas… we will and must press urgently forward. We must act as authentic representatives of the people and let the people know we represent them adequately.

“Our destiny lies in our hands; let us seize it, not in fear but in gladness. Let us once more go forward, firm in our belief and faith, steadfast in our purpose, conscious of the dangers, but sustained by our confidence in the will of God, the

‘Fashola also stressed the importance of educating the electorate about legislative functions. He said it is not their duties “to build roads, hospitals or schools, but the kind of laws that they make can ensure quick and efficient delivery of those services in a way that can make society prosper’

unity and sanctity of this House.”

He showered praises on the governor for giving the legislators a free hand to do their job without trying to influence them or work against them in any way like other state executives.

“My gratitude”, Ikuforiji said, “goes to the governor of governors, the undisputable leader of the Eko oni baje team - a modernizer, a builder and fashioner - His Excellency Babatunde Raji Fashola”.

He also hailed the leadership of the party, particularly former governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, “for his unconditional support, vision and excellent direction. I express my gratitude to Lagosians for believing in us. We will ensure that the belief is strengthened by our character and performance. We will not let you down.”

After his speech, he proceeded to read out the names of other principal officers which he said, the House had already endorsed. They were: Former Deputy Majority Leader,Hon. Ajibayo Adeyeye (Kosofe 11), as Majority Leader; the former Chief Whip, Hon. Razaq Balogun (Surulere 11), retained his position; while his former Deputy, Hon. Lola Akande (Ikeja 11) emerged as Deputy Majority Leader and Hon. Rotimi Abiru (Somolu 1) became the Deputy Chief Whip. There was no objection from any member.

The oath of office was subsequently administered on the remaining lawmakers apart from the Speaker and his Deputy who had earlier taken their oath of office. Adeyeye then performed his first duty as Majority Leader by moving a motion for the adjournment of the House till June 20.

Speaking with reporters later, the new deputy speaker assured that the House would continue in its progressive tradition, promising that as against the 60 bills passed by the past Assembly, “we should expect something close to 80 bills. But the bills will be meaningful ones that will enhance the development of our state.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

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POLITICS The slogan of his ‘Hope 93 Campaign Organisation’ was the abolition of poverty. The winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, the late Chief Moshood Abiola, proposed some welfarist programmes to fight poverty. 18 years after his demise, are his vision and dreams being realised? MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE asks .

Has Abiola’s wish for a better Nigeria been fulfilled?

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IKE previous anniversaries of the annulled June 12, 1993, Presidential election, this 18th commemoration appears unique. This is because, the Southwest where M.K.O Abiola, the presumed winner, hailed from, has returned to the progressive fold after a period of interlude.

It is unique in the sense that even rabid pessimists have seen that nobody can consign that day to the dustbin of history. In view of the importance, more voices are not only calling for its inclusion as a national day but to be marked with lectures.

In the preceding years before the Southwest fully came back to the Action Congress of Nigeria, memories of June 12 were re-echoed from the background. The then ruling party gave less attention to it and was quite obvious that they wanted to trample it under the feet.

But this week event took a twist as banners, cultural troupes, walk-outs and speech making heralded the undying spirit of June 12 and the heroes behind the struggle. It was not just a show of solidarity from the South West but the entire country.

At the Excellence Hotel, Ogba, where pro-democracy groups and other human rights campaigners gathered to mark the day, the hall was filled to capacity, different ethnic groups from the Ndigbo, Hausa, Ijaw, Odua People Congress and Student Union Representatives who came left no one in doubt that June 12 is still fresh in their memory.

Convener of the event, Otunba

Gani Adams, amplified the hall when he sent his message. “We are here today to remind ourselves of our nation’s mistakes and failures of the past and to also appraise today’s circumstances, if the vision of this great man, M.K.O Abiola has been met by those who benefited from struggle.”

He noted that 18 year after the death of the M.K.O Abiola who the people looked up to for the banishment of poverty in their lives, the people were still moving in abject poverty with those elected into political office basking in affluence while the masses to bed with empty stomach.

The masses have not only suffered undue deprivation, they have always been the victim of electoral violence.

Dr. Derin Ologbela, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Lagos, who presented a paper on Election Violence in Nigeria and the Role of Our Youth, corroborated this position as he blamed the political class for the vicious atmosphere.

He said: “After 14 years of military rule (1983-1999) and the return to civil rule, the attitudes of politicians have remained largely unchanged.

Rather, political disagreements have degenerated into violence more than was the case before the years of long of military rule.”

Dr Olegbenla explained that the ensuing political malaise has left in its trail deviants, such as Area Boys, Egbesu Boys and other violent groups,

• Members of the pro-democracy group at the ceremony.

whese activities have left the country bleeding, the bulk of whom are been sponsored by politicians for their selfish use just to remain in office.

It was argued that instead of providing good training for them which will in turn enhance the economy they have looked the other way. Though not a few where surprise at this development guests acknowledged the facts that the country is facing serious challenges which only an honest broker can surmount.

The price of essential commodities, such as kerosene, cement and transportation which have since gone up has helped matter. Nigerians were shocked that electricity which was a bit stable during the election has completely returned to status quo soon after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) gave its verdicts.

Linus Okoroji, was spokesperson of PRONACO, ex-

• The late Abiola

pressed disappointment that the people have not been fairly treated. He averred that with the rising cases of decaying infra-

PHOTO: MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE

structure, government should rise to the occasion.

“The people have shown their preference for democracy hence they have been turning out to participate in the electoral process. They have done this with the hope that the campaign promises would be fulfilled. Those elected should not renege and this is the time to act because the cost of living is really biting hard.”

Analysts believe that nothing much has happened in the country after years of bad governance by the military but the failure of politicians to provide the basic needs of the people was to undermine the memory of the great men.

Looking back, not much have changed for the masses because those they look forward to for succour are entangled in cases of fraudulent misappropriation of public fund and gross abuse of power but whether the situation will change is a question for another day.

‘ACN will monitor legislators’

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CTION Congress of Nigeria (ACN) will monitor the ac tivities of federal and state legislators elected on its platform in Lagos State, the vice chairman, Chief Akanni Seriki-Bamu, has said.

The party leader explained that it

•From right: Senate President David Mark, acknowledging cheers from his community during his thank you victory party for them in Otukpo Benue State on Saturday. (left) is PDP leader in Benue South, Gen. Geofrey Ejiga (rtd).

By Emmanuel Oladesu

is necessary to monitor their activities so that they will not depart from the philosophy, ideas and programmes of the party.

Seriki, who spoke at a reception organised for newly elected federal and state legislators from Epe Division held at Ejinrin and Eredo, also emphasised party disciple, urging party members to know that party supremacy is non-negotiable.

At Ejinrin, the House of Assembly member, Hon. Segun Olulade, was enjoined by Seriki to live up to expectation, adding that eyes were on him as a youth, who had paid his dues in activism and community work before his call to higher service.

The ceremony was witnessed by prominent ACN chieftains and community leaders, including the Elejinrin of Ejinrin, Oba Balogun, Hon. Tunji Sobowale, Elder Sangosanya, Alhaji I.K. Jimoh, Isiaka Ibrahim, a chartered accountant and banker, Chief Sunday Jegede, Alhaji Adelaja Oduyebo, Alhaji Ahmed Ambali, Adesoji Oduntan, Jimoh Olakulehin, Wasiu Bakare, Bolanle Boyejo, Tope Oluwole, and Mrs Oladunni Soga.

Olulade, former student union leader at the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, promised to offer qualitative representation to the constituency, adding that he would justify the confidence reposed in him on all counts.

He thanked the community for electing him into the House, assuring them that he would fulfill his campaign promises.

Olulade called for support from the constituents to enable him offer credible and better representation to them.

He said: “I thank you for sending me to the House of Assembly to work for you, to represent you and the party. There is much work to be done.

I can only succeed with your cooperation and assistance. May our party continue to grow from strength to strength”.

At Eredo, constituents from Epe Division also hosted the member of House of Representatives, hon. Lanre Odubote, Hon. Ayeola and Olulade.

Senator Gbenga Ashafa, who sent a representative to the ceremony, assured that he would articulate the challenges confronting the Lagos East Senatorial District on the floor of the senate and attract dividends of democracy to the people.

Seriki congratulated the legislators for their success at the polls, advising them never to let the party down. He urged them to maintain a high sense of responsibility and honour in their public acts so that they would not bring reproach to the district.

Hon. Isiaka Ibrahim admonished them to emulate the steps of party leaders, including Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Alhaji Seriki and other grassroots leaders, who have jointly worked for the progress of the party.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

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NATION SPORT

Beckham eyes Olympic place DAVID BECKHAM is targeting a place at the Olympics in London next year, but he wants to be a player for Team GB rather than a manager.

Beckham has played an active part in the promotional drive for London 2012, having also aided the bid process, and he is keen to be involved when the games come to England.

It had been suggested Beckham may take on the role of manager of the football team, but the LA Galaxy midfielder still feels he has plenty to offer on the pitch.

“Once the manager has been picked I’d love to be part of the Olympics,” Beckham said. “I’d be honoured to be something in the GB team, especially being an East End lad.

“But it would be as a player rather than a coach. I’ll be 37 but I’d still be better as a player rather than a coach.

I still feel like I’m 21 when I’m playing. I still love the game like I did when I was 21, I’m still as fit as I ever was and everyone knows I’ve looked after myself properly.

“There are 13 months to go and a lot of decisions to be made but football has been part of my life for so many years so to be part of that would be incredible.”

•Beckham

CAF removes Libya as 2013 AFCON hosts

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HE Confederation of African Football (CAF) has decided to move the 2013 African Cup of Nations in Libya due to security reasons, because of the civil war in the North African country which is battering the country’s infrastructure and creating a dangerous environment that is not conducive to hosting a safe and enjoyable football competition.

“CAF have decided to move the tournament to another country because of the current instability in Libya,” an anonymous CAF official told CNN on Monday.

“South Africa have asked officially to host the tournament. Also, Egypt and other countries are interested in the matter. We will make our final decision before announcing the tournament’s qualification draw next September,” he added.

South Africa is expected to be considered as the replacement, as they have proven themselves capable on a number of occasions. Most recently the Youth Championship was moved to South Africa from Libya with positive results.

Libya’s hosting of the 2013 Nations Cup seems unlikely because of the civil war in the North African country which is battering the country’s infrastructure.

Russell Paul, the tournament director of the African Youth Championship had just two weeks to prepare the event at the Dobsonville Stadium and has been roundly praised for the job he did.

NATION SPORT AFRICAN BEACH SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP

Nigeria begins title defence against Madagascar •Match kicks off 5 pm today

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IGERIA will today begin its African Beach Soccer title defence against Madagascar at the Abu Diab Beach in Casablanca, Morocco.

The match which will kicks off by 5pm, will see Nigeria aiming to start on a bright note in order to boost the chances of securing a place in the final as the finalists at the five-day tourney will represent the continent at FIFA

By Akeem Lawal Beach Soccer Championship slated for Ravenna, Italy in September.

A total of 9 countries are participating in the tournament which is expected to end on the 19th of June.

The Beach Eagles have been drawn in Group B alongside Madagascar and South Africa. Group A is made up of Morocco, Egypt and Libya, while

FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

Nigeria lists Dede, 20 others

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HE Nigeria Football Federation has submitted to world governing body, FIFA, a list of 21 players who will fly the country’s flag at the 6th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals taking place in Germany this summer.

Goalkeeper Precious Dede, a 31-year veteran from the 2003 and 2007 FIFA World Cup final tournaments, tops the list that includes at least seven players who have seen FIFA World Cup action.

Coach Eucharia Uche picked three goalkeepers, six defenders, six midfielders and six strikers in a squad with mixture of experience and youth.

Dede, defenders Faith Ikidi, Onome Ebi and Ulunma Jerome, midfielders Ogonna Chukwudi and Perpetua Nkwocha and forward Stella Mbachu were at the last tournament in China in 2008.

The Falcons, who have been training in Saalfelden, Austria since May 26, on Tuesday had a training match with

an U-17 boys in Austria. The team will play the National Women’s team of Slovakia at the Eugendorf Stadium on Thursday.

Since setting up camp in Saalfelden, the Falcons have walloped an Austrian first division team, Wacker Innsbruck 7-0, piped the Czech Republic national women’s team 1-0 and drew 1-1 with the national women’s team of Austria in friendlies.

THE FINAL SQUAD Goalkeepers: Precious Dede, Tochukwu Oluehi, Alaba Jonathan Defenders: Helen Ukaonu, Faith Ikidi, Onome Ebi, Osinachi Ohale, Ulunma Jerome, Josephine Chukwunonye Midfielders: Rebecca Kalu, Glory Iroka, Rita Chikwelu, Ebere Orji, Ogonna Chukwudi, Perpetua Nkwocha Strikers: Stella Mbachu, Francisca Ordega, Desire Oparanozie, Sarah Michael, Uchechi Sunday, Amenze Aighewi

Group C has Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire and Algeria.

The coach Adamu Audu-led Beach Eagles will play their second game against South Africa on Friday by 5 pm 12 players are expected to do proud in Casablanca. They are, Isiaka Olawale, Abdul Isa, Ogbonnaya Okemiri, Bartholomew Ibenegbu, John Gaadi, Victor Tale, Maijama’a Shehu, Nelson Onyekachi, Zabi Emmanuel, Babatunde Ariyo, Musa Najere and Azeez Abu. Nigeria won the African Beach Soccer Championship in 2007 and 2009 but could not defend the title in 2010 as the competition was not held because of the FIFA 2010 World Cup hosted by South Africa.

Nigeria has also played in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Brazil in 2006 and 2007, and in the United Arab Emirate in 2009.

Galatasaray offers Nsofor N906m •Nigerian to earn N453m yearly

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IGERIA international Obinna Nsofor is set for his biggest pay day as top Turkish club Galatasaray could dish out 4 million euros (about N906m) for him, MTNFootball.com has again scooped.

Nsofor is a free agent after his loan spell at relegated English Premier League side West Ham and Italian giants Inter Milan failed to evoke a contract in the player’s contract that would have kept him at the San Siro.

The former Kwara United star will Thursday meet with his Italian representative to go through the several offers, including that of Galatasaray, that have been tabled for his services.

“’Obi’ is at the moment in Nigeria on holidays, but he will be in Milan on Thursday to meet with his agent and go through the offers that have been made for him,” a top source told only MTNFootball.com.

“There are quite a few good offers from Stoke City as well as two clubs in Napoli, but the most interesting so far would be that from Galatasaray. “’Gala’ are ready to almost double his salaries and they will also pay him a massive signing-on fee, which is also tax-free.”

Nsofor earned about 1.2 million euros a year while he was under contract with Inter, and now Galatasaray are willing to pay him about 2 million euros a year. This

F

Nigeria winning the Under-17 World Cup four years ago, while Amuneke is now a qualified coach and has been involved with youth football for a very long time now.”

Amuneke, who qualified as a coach in Spain, has already posted two stints on the local scene as he tinkered former club Julius Berger Lagos before he moved to Nigeria Premier League side Ocean Boys.

Both coaches have to get the Eaglets back to winning ways after the team failed to qualify for the last two African Junior Championships.

Morocco will stage the 2013 African Junior Championship, while United Arab Emirates will play host to the World Cup same year.

Southeast FAs frown at informal invitation to NFF congress

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EMBERS of the Southeast States Football Association (FA) have resolved at a forum which was held at the Royal Palace Garden, Enugu on Monday to restrain the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) from using the media as a channel to invite them to programmes in the Glass House.

It also stated in its communiqué that it is only the NFF congress that can compel the Executive Committee or the President of NFF to convene congress, if need be just as they opined that the body will benefit more from practicing and playing Association Football with “fair play” as our watch word.

The forum also resolved that they share in the Transformation agenda of His Excellency Dr. Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan(GCFR) and congratulate him on his election and inauguration as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and that we send the assurance of our best sporting regards to their Excellencies, the Governors of the Southeast States, our representatives in the National and State Assemblies.

Congratulatory messages would be sent to Ambassador (Hon.) Nwankwo Kanu on

By Stella Bamawo drawing the curtain on active football while wishinghimanothercrowninhisappointment as the special adviser to His Excellency, Owelle Rochas Okorocha on sports just as it wishes that the Southeast zone responses implies confidence on the Aminu Maigari led NFF board while congratulating the Executive Committee, Management and Staff of the Nigeria Football Federation for successes recorded by our Teams (National and Clubs) since they assumed office.

The delegates also agreed that they are affiliates of the only Football governing and regulating body in Nigeria the Nigeria football federation (NFF) while also creating that as an opportunity to appeal to the southeast Governors to come to the aids financially and in football infrastructure in order to keep pace with the Transformation agenda of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The delegates believed that Sports especially Football is an avenue to State, National and International security issue for Peace, Unity and Poverty alleviation and Diplomacy just as it re-affirmed the NFF statutes of 2010.

Oduamadi unlikely for Tanzania game

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C MILAN of Italy Midfielder Nnamdi Oduamadi is now a major doubt for the Nigeria Tanzania second leg second round London Olympic Games qualifier billed for this weekend at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium, Benin City.

The Player limped out of Monday evening training following an ankle injury.

Although the skillful winger is still being observed by the team’s medical crew, Oduamadi’s chances of playing any role in Saturday’s game remain slim.

Similarly, Harmony Ikande who ironically is Oduamadi’s room mate in camp suffered a minor knock to his ankle but has since returned to

Ehiosun wants football without UPER EAGLES’ striker Ekigho violence Ehiosun believes the best

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football that can ever be played is ‘football without violence.’

The Warri Wolves striker echoed this while announcing his support for the 1 GAME: Football without Violence campaign in Warri, Delta State.

“I want every Nigerian all over the world irrespective of your language and culture to respect 1 GAME which is football without violence. Let us all come together, live in peace and enjoy football whether at the stadium or at viewing center without violence.” He said.

“My name is Ekigho Ehiosun and I support 1 GAME.” The 22 year old former Delta United forward added.

Born on 12 May, 1989, Ehiosun moved from Delta United to fellow

Delta State team Warri Wolves in 2008. He scored ten goals in the 200910 league season to lead the club to a 6th place finish. One-third of the way through the 2010-11 season, he was the leading scorer with 7 league goals, including a hat-trick against Sharks F.C. Ehiosun made his debut for the Super Eagles in a friendly against Sierra Leone and scored seven minutes after coming on as a sub, becoming the 58th player in Nigeria history to score in his debut.

Ehiosun joins a growing list of local and international icons from the sporting world whose involvement in the 1 GAME campaign has helped promote its call for an end to violence and fanaticism in football.

action.

Meanwhile, the trio of Ekigho Ehiosun, Maduabuchi Josiah and Eneji Otekpa arrived the Prestige Hotel camp of the Dream Team V late on Monday.

The arrival of the players took the number of players in camp to 25.

Nurudeen Orelesi returned to camp today while Oseni Ganiyu is expected to join up with his team mates later today from Vietnam.

Coach Austin Eguavoen on Monday invited former Golden Eaglets striker, Chrisantus Macauley for the forthcoming matches of the Dream team V. “We have two big games back to back. So we are being proactive and don’t want to leave anything to chance that’s why invitations are being sent early to ensure that there is no vacuum. This is football; you never can say what would happen.”

Eguavoen explained.

The Dream Team V will take on the Vijana stars of Tanzania this weekend in a London 2012 Olympic qualifier and confront Ghana next weekend in an All Africa Games qualifying match.

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OUNG U’s striker Freddie Ladapo has been called up by Nigeria.

The African nation are holding a two day training camp at Bisham Abbey this week, and Ladapo will be hoping to impress in advance of the U20s World Cup later this summer.

Columbia hosts this year’s tournament, which begins at the end of July and culminates with the final on August 20th.

And the U’s youth team manager, Tony Humes, hopes that Freddie both enjoys and learns from the experience.

He told the official website: “It’s a great opportunity for Freddie and having

•Dede

spoken to him, I know he is looking forward to it.

“Hopefully, he will enjoy it and perform well enough to be selected for the World Cup squad.

“Even if he is not selected for the final squad, it’s a good opportunity for him to be involved in an international get together and add to his football education.”

Humes also saw it as being good for the U’s, adding: “It’s good for the club as well because we have another player who is coming through the youth system, Tom Bender having already earnt caps with Wales, and being recognised at international level.”

Other Sports...Other Sports...Other Sports...Other Sports...Other Sports...Other Sports...Other Sports...Other Sports...Other Sports...Other Sports

Monty tempted by captaincy COLIN MONTGOMERIE has admitted he could be persuaded to reprise his role as Ryder Cup captain at Gleneagles in 2014.

The Scot led Europe to a memorable 14½-13½ victory over America at Celtic Manor last October having succeeded Nick

•Monty

Faldo as captain.

Montgomerie claimed in the aftermath of the win that he saw the role as very much a one-off and could not see himself acting as skipper again.

But the 47-year-old appears to have softened that stance in recent months - especially with the 2014 match taking place just down the road from his home.

While admitting he will not be putting himself forward for the job, Monty acknowledged he would accept it if the European Tour asked him back for a second stint in the hot-seat.

“I wouldn’t put my hat into the ring,” he told Sky Sports News.

“Yes, it is local, I live five miles away and being Scots I suppose there is a little bit of a push for me to be captain again - whether the Tour want that or not I’m not sure.

“I will be available to help the Tour in any shape, way or form, whether it’s as a captain, whether it’s helping the captain or whether it’s doing ambassadorial for the hotel.

“But, at the same time that I won’t be throwing my hat in the ring, if someone asks me I won’t refuse.”

‘Rusty’ Serena bounces back SERENA WILLIAMS made a winning return to action after nearly a year out with victory over Bulgaria’s Tsvetana Pironkova at Eastbourne.

The 29-year-old American, out of

•Serena

action due to injury and health problems since winning last year’s Wimbledon title, looked nervy and sluggish initially before settling down to win 1-6 6-3 6-4 and move into the second round.

It was far from pretty but after claiming on Monday she had been on her “death bed” earlier this year, the 13-times Grand Slam champion would have been encouraged to beat an opponent who reached last year’s Wimbledon semi-finals.

“She is an unbelievable player, she beat Venus at Wimbledon last year and when I saw the draw I thought Oh my God,” Williams, who suffered life-threatening blood clots in her lungs in February while recovering from gashing her foot last July, said in a courtside interview.

“I’m a little rusty but I enjoy being back on the grass. I will go inside now and see how I feel.”

Earlier, Elena Baltacha continued her good form by beating Aravane Rezai in the first round.

The British number one – who won the ITF event at Nottingham last week – completely dominated the match and enjoyed a 6-2 6-1 success over the French player.

Also winning her opener was Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic who took care of Germany’s Julia Goerges 6-4 6-3 to set up an intriguing second round contest against Venus Williams.

•Oduamadi The Nigeria Tanzania match kicks off by 4pm.

Sneijder’s stance saddens Inter

Freddie gets Nigeria call

Amuneke, Garba to manage Eaglets ORMER NIGERIA World Cup star Emmanuel Amuneke is set to assist Manu Garba as coach of the country’s Under-17 team, the Golden Eaglets.

Top Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) officials informed MTNFootball.com that the names of Amuneke and Manu, who was first assistant coach when Nigeria landed the 2007 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in South Korea, have been put forward to take charge of the country’s schoolboys.

“The appointments of Manu and Amuneke are only waiting the approval of the NFF board,” a top official revealed.

“Manu was very instrumental in

will be net, what he will take home.”

MTNFootball.com learnt the Turkish club, who will feature in the Europa League next season, will in addition pay Nsofor a signing-on fee of 2 million euros.

The player has made it very clear that he really wants to cash in this summer after a rather chequered club career that has seen him being offloaded on loan to clubs like Malaga and West Ham.

51

•Sneijder

INTER MILAN president Massimo Moratti has admitted it was upsetting to hear Wesley Sneijder cast doubt over his future at the club.

The Dutch midfielder stated over the weekend that he could not be certain of staying at Inter beyond the summer, after being linked with a move elsewhere.

Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are among those to have been credited with an interest and his comments have only served to fuel speculation.

Sneijder said: “I love Inter with all my heart, but only God will decide where my future lies.”

Moratti has now responded with disappointment, conceding that Sneijder’s situation is causing concern.

Speaking outside his Milan offices, Moratti said: “It was sad to hear those comments.”

Sneijder was brought to Inter by then manager Jose Mourinho in the summer of 2009 and, prior to the weekend, had pledged his commitment to the club.

While the 27-year-old has now been tipped to depart, Inter have been connected with a move for coach Marcelo Bielsa.

The Argentine tactician is reportedly a target to replace Leonardo, whose position has come under scrutiny after just six months at the club.

However, Moratti maintains there is no truth in the stories and has once again given his backing to Leonardo.

“There has been no contact with Bielsa, I deny everything,” Moratti said. “Leonardo is an excellent coach.”

•Ronaldo

I’m staying at Real –Ronaldo CRISTIANO RONALDO says he will not leave Real Madrid amid rumours of Manchester City trying to lure the Portugal forward back to England with a huge contract.

Ronaldo told Spanish radio Cadena Cope on Tuesday that “I am not going. I give you my word.

Today I would sign for 10 more years with Real Madrid.”

He didn’t, however, rule out a future move from the Spanish

giants: “Could I think differently tomorrow? Yes. No one knows the future of a player.”

The 26-year old forward even left open the possibility of joining Madrid’s rival Barcelona.

He said “play for Barca? Never is a strong word.”

Last season, Ronaldo set a Spanish league record with 40 goals as Madrid finished second to Barcelona for the third straight year.

15

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

Fed Govt to offer $448m of bonds

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HE Federal Government will offer N70 billion ($448 million) of bonds at a monthly debt auction today, after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) raised its benchmark interest rate for the third time this year in May to curb inflation.

The government will sell N35 billion each of debt due in 2014 and 2015, the Debt Management Office (DMO), said in a statement published on its website. Demand for the notes due 2015 exceeded supply by the most since September at the last sale on May 16.

The inflation rate of Nigeria declined to a revised 11.3 per cent in April from 12.8 per cent a month earlier, the statistics agency said on May 18. Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Lamido Sanusi on May 24 raised the benchmark interest rate, lifting it half a percentage point to eight per cent to stabilise the naira and slow inflation, which the bank aims to bring below 10 percent.

“The risk is that inflation for May could print higher this week and peak for this year, pushing yields further up in the secondary market from their current levels,” a London-based emergingmarket strategist at Standard Bank Group Ltd. Samir Gadio, said by e-mail yesterday. “The main caveat is that the CBN is likely to raise rates further in July and tighten liquidity.”

The Federal Government’s four per cent bonds due April 2015 yielded 12.74 per cent in the secondary market on Monday, according to data on the Financial Markets Dealers Association’s website.

DATA STREAM COMMODITY PRICES Oil -$112.3/barrel Cocoa - $2,856/metric ton Coffee - ¢132.70/pound Cotton - ¢78.07.pound Gold -$1,161/troy ounce Rubber - ¢146.37/pound MARKET CAPITALISATIONS NSE JSE NYSE LSE

-N8.1 trillion -Z5.112trillion -$10.84 trillion -£61.67 trillion

RATES Inflation -11.3% Treasury Bills -2.64% Normal lending -24% Prime lending -18% Savings rate -3% 91-day NTB -6.99% Time Deposit - 6% MPR -7.50% Foreign Reserve - $32.5bn FOREX CFA 0.281 • 220.9 £ 253.5 $ 153.59 ¥ 1.5652 SDR 245.85 RIYAL 39.3

In business, one of the challenges is making sure that your product is the easiest to experience and complete a sale.

- Mark Cuban

urges Akingbola fails to stop sale of Sambo surveyors on building industry Intercontinental Bank V A FEDERAL High Court sitting in Lagos has dismissed a petition by former Group Managing Director, Intercontinental Bank Plc, Erastus Akingbola, seeking to stop the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from selling the bank to Access Bank Plc. Akingbola and another director Intercontinental Bank, Bayo Dada had, by the petition, challenged the propriety of a purported Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for business combination signed

by Intercontinental Bank and Access Bank without recourse to them, (the plaintiffs) as shareholders and former directors of the bank.

Dada equally challenged his

By Eric Ikhilae

purported sack from the bank’s board and urged the court to set aside a letter allegedly issued by the CBN, removing him as a director of Intercontinental Bank.

Ruling yesterday, Justice Okechukwu Okeke upheld the objection raised against the petition by the respondents. He held that the petition was statute barred and belated. He further held that the case constituted an abuse of court process because there was a pending suit by some other interested parties on the same subject matter.

The court upheld the powers of the CBN, as provided for in the Bank and Other Financial

Institutions Act (BOFIA), to remove and appoint bank directors. “The CBN has enough powers to supervise banking operations and looking at Section 48 BOFIA, the CBN has enormous powers over who becomes director of any bank,” the judge held.

Justice Okeke also faulted the steps taken by the petitioners, noting that they failed to issue a pre-action notice on the respondents before commencing the case, a step necessary for the petition to be justified.

In holding that the case was belated, the court observed that some of the actions being challenged were taken as far back as August 14, 2009 when the CBN governor, Lamido Sanusi

removed some bank chiefs.

The court also faulted Dada’s challenge of his removal.

The CBN and Intercontinental Bank have hailed the court’s decision.

CBN’s spokesman, Mohammed Abdullahi, in a statement, said: “It is the hope of CBN that the shareholders will understand these and allow the process to move forward without further delay.”

Intercontinental Bank’s Group Managing Director/ CEO, Mr Mahmond Lai Alabi also said the coast was now clear for the bank to recapitalise before the CBN deadline. He added that “this is the best time to reposition the bank for greater height”.

ICE-PRESIDENT Namadi Sambo yes terday charged the Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria (QSRBN) to create appropriate avenues for the attainment of the much needed revolution in the nation’s building industry.

Sambo spoke while declaring open the maiden Annual Building and Construction Economic Roundtable organised by the QSRBN in Abuja.

He said that the call had become imperative to reposition Nigeria toward becoming one of the leading economies in the world by the year 2020.

According to him, the country risks not becoming one of the developed nations if it fails to get its building and construction industry right.

He urged members of the board to join the sector’s regulatory body in the course of charting a formidable future for the building and construction industry and become more involved in its activities and programmes.

Sambo stated that the Federal Government was committed to a strong and stable building and construction sector grounded in appropriate balance between innovation and regulation.

Nigeria, Turkey trade to hit N330b • From L-R: Sterling Bank's Managing Director, Mr Yemi Adeole; Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi and Executive Director of the bank, Mr Lanre Adesanya, during a courtesy visit to the governor.

BPE sets final deadline for NITEL reserve bidder

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HE Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Nigeria’s privatisation agency, said yesterday the reserve bidder for former state telecoms monopoly - NITEL has up till today to come up with a $105 million bid security or the firm could face liquidation.

Director-General of the BPE, Mrs Bolanle Onagoruwa, who disclosed this at the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Eminent Speaker Series in Abuja, said the Omen International Consortium had told the agency last Friday it had made payment, but that the funds had yet to turn up in the BPE account.

Mrs Onagoruwa repeated that should Omen fail to pay, the BPE would consider other options including setting a minimum price for NITEL and offering it to the remaining bidders, or liquidating the struggling company.

She however, assured NITEL would not be sold cheap.

Nigeria is one of the world’s fastest-growing telecoms markets but the government has

From Nduka Chiejina (Assistant Editor)

been trying to sell NITEL for almost a decade, struggling mainly because of the shambolic state of its fixedline infrastructure and high levels of debt.

Its fixed lines have fallen to fewer than 100,000 from five times that number in 2001 and subscribers to its MTEL mobile unit have dropped to a few thousands from over one million.

The BPE wrote to the Omen Consortium in March asking if it would be interested in revalidating its original February 2010 offer of $959 million after the preferred bidder missed several payment deadlines.

The agency said in April that the company had two weeks to respond but Mrs Onagoruwa said it had subsequently written a letter promising to pay the bid security.

Commenting on the ongoing electricity reform, the BPE boss said there was an outstanding debt/liability of

N264 billion for the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), which will be managed by a liability company the Nigerian Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO).

The decision to hand over the liabilities of PHCN to NELMCO, she said is to “take away the worries from the investors”. Mrs Onagoruwa said the core assets of the unbundled companies will be shared among the successor companies while the non-core assets will go to NELMCO which would then sell them to offset the liabilities.

PHCN, she added has “ratcheted up” a lot of debt to contractors for gas, power and sundry liabilities.

She also said the Federal Government will subsidise electricity tariff from next year to reduce the burden of consumers. She, however, did not reveal how the subsidy will be funded but stated that the government has a brilliant idea towards funding the subsidy.

The BPE boss said the

privatisation of PHCN was also being delayed because of labour issues with labour.Mrs Onagoruwa stated that a new set of negotiations between the Federal Government and Labour has been slated for July 19 to 30th this year in Ghana - a venue she said President Goodluck Jonathan was not too comfortable with.

She said President Jonathan had preferred Obudu cattle ranch but the arrangements had been made before he was told.

Earlier, the Chairman, presidential task force on power, Prof. Bart Nnaji said president Jonathan had demonstrated good will towards realising stable power supply in Nigeria by paying N57 billion for the monetisation benefit arrears of PHCN workers in August last year.

Also, the president he said, had approved the appropriation of $900 million to pay for the severance of the workers upon privatisation and holds “focused weekly meeting on Tuesdays at 11am” on power related matters.

T

HE volume of trade between Nigeria and Turkey is expected to hit the N330 billion mark soon - a 60 per cent rise when compared with the current figure of 1.3 billion dollars (about N180 billion).

Both countries, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), signed a bilateral trade agreement in January this year, and also operate a preferential trade agreement under the D-8 framework.

A report obtained from the D-8 website yesterday, said businessmen from both countries had been meeting under the auspices of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), to promote trade and investments.

Nigeria’s main imports from Turkey currently are clothes, food, engines, automobile parts and pharmaceuticals, while its exports include sesame seeds, raw and semi-processed leather and rubber.

According to the report, Nigeria hopes to expand its trade and business with Turkey in different areas, including mining, textiles, oil, food and security.

16

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

BUSINESS NEWS NASB pushes for international accounting standards in public sector From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

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HE National Accounting Standards Board (NASB) has called for acceleration in the country’s migration to accrual basis accounting system in Nigeria.

The Executive Secretary/ Chief Executive, Nigerian Accounting Standards Board, Jim Obazee, made the call at a two-day National Workshop on Accounting and Financial Reporting in the Public Sector in Ibadan, yesterday.

Obazee, who unveiled the road map for harmonization with cash basis international public sector accounting standards and challenges in migration to accrual basis of accounting in Nigeria, said government at all levels, as well as ministries, departments and agencies stand to derive immense benefits from the international standards when fully adopted.

He said the system would produce timely and simple financial statements which citizens could rely on, adding that Nigerians could even use them to measure the stewardship of government at all levels .

Analyzing the system tagged the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS), Obazee said its adoption would facilitate transparency and accountability in the public sector.

Though he acknowledged that the new system faces some challenges, the finace expert insisted that the country needed to accelerate the process of embracing IPSAS, stressing that any move to harmonize the cash basis is a significant step in the right direction and “a welcome development.”

Union Bank hosts conference on agric financing

U

NION Bank of Nigeria PLC in collaboration with the In ternational Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is to host a two-day International conference on agricultural financing titled Financing Agricultural Chain in sub- Saharan Africa in Abuja this week.

The conference, according to a statement, would bring together actors along the agricultural value chain namely researchers, farmers (small, medium, large);traders (retailers, wholesalers); semi-wholesalers; large wholesalers; processors (small, medium and large); exporters; consumers bankers, cooperatives, regulators, industrialists and research & development specialists from Nigeria and abroad to strategise the best of boosting.

The theme was evolved around financing agricultural value chain in sub- Saharan Africa. It is also primed to identify bankable agric projects by financial institutions, improve risk identification and mitigation by lenders; foster greater understanding of lenders’ expectations by farmers and better policy alignment with sector realities by regulatory agencies.

The organisers identified the agrarian nature of many countries in the Semi Arid Tropics (SAT) and Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) regions of the world with the agric sector contributing up to 70 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Ironically, its importance of the agricultural sector had not experienced huge investments unlike other sectors of the economy.

SpringBank names potential investors Spring Bank Plc yesterday said its discussion with potential core investors has reached advanced stage.

A statement from the bank listed the investors to include the second largest bank in India, ICICI; United States based Cloudleap Partners LCC; CARAM Capital and a couple of other undisclosed firms.

The discussions, the statement further said, recently stepped in to higher gear and have seen the bank and its financial advisers working assiduously to ensure a smooth and

By Akinola Ajibade

successful transaction that will produce a preferred partner acceptable to all stakeholders of the bank.

The bank, which sustained a steady positive growth performance for the last 18 months having posted a profit for the first time in its six-year existence, had remained quiet on the details of its recapitalisation while ensuring careful assessment of each investor.

The statement said: “As much as we are interested in the prompt conclusion of arrangements in this direction, we are also keen on getting the best deal, which necessitated taking our time and being very cautious. For us, it is not just how fast but how well we end it within the given timeline. It is sufficed to say that we are on course with our recapitalisation bid and we shall conclude the exercise timely.”

• From left: Global Programmes Director, ICEE, Prof Kovin Naidoo; Regional Manager Abuja and North, Consumer Banking, Standard Chartered Bank, Mr Henry Akhile and GM, Corporate Affairs, Standard Chartered Bank, Mr Diran Olojo, during ‘Seeing is believing’ Standard Chartered Bank-Funded Project in Abuja

Vitafoam acquires Vono

V

ITAFOAM Nigeria Plc has acquired about 21.44 per cent equity stake in its major competitor and oldest foam company, Vono Products Plc. Vitafoam Nigeria’s investment report sourced by The Nation indicated that the company in 2010 purchased about 64.32 million ordinary shares of Vono Products Plc, representing 21.44 per cent of the 300 million total outstanding shares of Vono Nigeria.

The deal, according to the report, was struck at N1.20 per share and totaled about N77.6 million, the highest investment Vitafoam Nigeria has ever made in a non-subsidiary company.

Both Vitafoam Nigeria and Vono Products are quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) under the

Taofik Salako

industrial and domestic products sector.

A source at Vitafoam Nigeria said the acquisition at Vono Products was a long-term strategic investment, indicating the positioning of the company to play major roles in deciding the future of the ailing Vono Nigeria.

The source noted that the deal was funded by internally generated funds and was partly responsible for the 12 per cent increase in assets of the company in 2010.

The acquisition strengthens Vitafoam Nigeria’s leadership of the Nigerian foam industry and marks a fresh bid in its adventurous investments to secure inputs and know-how.

A market source said the deal was also a vote of confidence on the potential of Vono Products, whose huge assets and goodwill have continued to attract investors in spite of the decline in its operations.

Vono Products, incorporated in 1960, had established reputation as industry leader, especially with its innerspring mattresses and was listed on the NSE ahead of Vitafoam in 1974.

Vitafoam Nigeria was incorporated in August 1962 and listed on the NSE in 1978.

Vitafoam Nigeria had made many strategic expansion drives in recent years including setting up subsidiaries in Ghana and Sierra Leone. It also established subsidiaries- Vitapur Nigeria Limited and Vitablom Nigeria Limited, to control the rigid foam and fibre-based businesses respectively.

Why Nigeria’s agriculture is underdeveloped, HE World Bank has said by World Bank ture? under investment and the “Nigeria’s potential is very

T

non-participation of private investors in agriculture are the major problems militating against the growth of the sector.

The Programme Coordinator, World Bank, Agriculture and Rural Development, African Region, Martien Van-Neiuwkoop, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

He said productivity low due largely to under investment in modern research, slow adoption of existing improved technologies, lack of infrastructure and the absence of private investors in the sector.

He underscored the need to consciously transform agriculture into real business by creating a level playing field for private sector participation since the sector remained the mainstay of the nation’s economy.

He, called for a deliberate policy to encourage growth and the participation of the private sector as a major player.

“There is need for a policy thrust designed to radically transform the method of farming with the promotion of a holistic technology development and value chain approach in production, processing, financing, harvesting and marketing,’’ he said.

Van-Neiuwkoop, said a recent study by the bank on the Guinea Savannah agro-ecological zone in Africa, showed that Nigeria’s agro ecology was comparable to that of Thailand and Brazil.

He noted that if Thailand and Brazil could succeed in agriculture, what stopped Nigeria from unlocking its own potentials to regain its lost glory in agricul-

competitive because it has once been tested and successful.

“To achieve the feat again, the government has to invest more in agriculture to improve productivity, access to finance, markets and improve the infrastructural system,’’ he added.

He challenged the Federal Government to focus on promoting commercial agriculture with emphasis on addressing infrastructural challenges and other issues such as research, post harvest losses, processing and marketing.

“Diversification into commercial agriculture is the main thing now globally as it is important for sustainable growth, diffuses benefits to the rural populace and a hedge against the shocks from global price volatility,’’ he said.

Flight Schedule MONDAY - FRIDAY LAGOS – ABUJA Departure Arrival 1. Aero 06.50 08.10 2. Associated 07.00 09.30 3. Air Nigeria 07.00 08.20 4. IRS 07.00 08.20 5. Dana 07.02 08.22 6. Arik 07.15 08.15 7. Chanchangi 07.15 8. Air Nigeria 08.15 09.35 9. Dana 08.10 09.20 10. Aero 08.45 10.05 11. Arik 09.15 10.15 12. Chanchangi 10.00 11.00 13. IRS 11.15 12.35 14. Dana 12.06 12.26 15. Aero 12.20 13.30 16. Air Nigeria 13.25 14.45 17. Chanchangi 13.30 14.30 18. Arik 13.45 14.45 19. IRS 14.00 15.20 20. Aero 14.10 15.30 21. Air Nigeria 14.50 16.10 22. Dana 15.30 16.50 23. Chanchangi 15.30 16.30 24. Arik 15.50 16.50 25. Aero 16.00 17.20 26. IRS 16.30 17.50 27. Arik 16.50 17.50 28. Dana 17.10 18.30 29. Chanchangi 17.30 18.30 30. Air Nigeria 17.35 18.55 31. Air Nigeria (T/TH) 18.30 19.50 32. Arik 18.45 19.45 33. Aero 19.20 20.40 1.

2.

3.

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5.

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7.

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

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2.

3.

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Arik Aero Arik Aero

1. Arik 2. Aero 1.

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

LAGOS – KADUNA Aero 08.00 Chanchangi 10.00 Arik 10.00 Arik 15.10

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

LAGOS – PORT HARCOURT (CIVIL) 1. Aero 07.15 08.35 2. Arik 07.15 08.35 3. Arik 09.00 10.20 4. Dana 09.27 10.40 5. Aero 10.50 12.30 6. Arik 11.40 13.00 7. Air Nigeria 12.00 13.10 8. IRS 13.30 15.00 9. Arik 14.00 15.20 10. Dana 15.03 16.20 11. Air Nigeria 16.00 17.10 12. Arik 16.10 17.30 13. Aero 16.15 17.30 14. Arik 17.10 18.30 1.

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LAGOS – OWERRI Aero 07.30 Arik 07.30 Air Nigeria 13.40 Arik 14.00 Arik 16.30

08.40 08.40 14.55 15.10 17.40

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LAGOS – WARRI 08.15 11.50 11.55 14.55

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LAGOS – KANO Air Nigeria 07.10 IRS 08.00 Dana 08.10 Arik 12.20 IRS 14.00 IRS 18.15

08.50 09.45 09.40 14.00 15.45 19.55

LAGOS – OWERRI 07.20 14.00 16.30

08.30 15.10 17.40

LAGOS – UYO 10.35

11.35

1. Arik 2. Arik 3. Arik 1. Dana 1. IRS 2. Arik

LAGOS – MAIDUGURI 11.15 13.15 15.50 18.00

LAGOS – ILORIN 1. Overland 07.15 2. Arik (M/T/TH/F) 17.30

08.00 18.00

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

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

17

ISSUES

• Insurance industry gross premium income for 2009

Pay claims or lose licence There may be a change soon in claims settlement by insurers. The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has urged them to be responsive to claims settlement or be kicked out of business. CHUKS UDO OKONTA examines the efforts of regulators and operators to facilitate claims payment and boost public confidence in insurance.

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HIS may not be the best of times for insurers who collect premiums and renege on payment of claims.

The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) and Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) are pooling resources to weed out claims’ defaulters.

The public has always been cynical about insurance because of perceived malpractices and the belief that insurers do not pay claims. But a report from the NIA said the industry paid over N200 billion claims in 2009.

To persuade the public and boost insurance business, NAICOM and NIA set up complaints bureaux to address the issue of those whose claims are denied, or de-

layed.

According to NAICOM, its bureau settled claims disputes of about N2.2 billion in four years. It noted that the feat was achieved because of the commission’s resolve to commit insurers to their responsibility on claims settlement.

The Commissioner for Insurance, Fola Daniel, said the bureau has been empowered through employment of skilled staff and working tools, in line with its policy of zero tolerance of non-payment of claims which has compelled most insurance companies to treat claims payment promptly.

He said the effort has expedited the complaints resolution process and enabled the commission to effectively monitor compa-

nies’ claims settlement processes, excluding NICON Insurance Plc where a lot of complaints relating to pension matters are yet to be resolved.

Daniel said operators who fail to settle discharged claims promptly would lose their licences, adding that insurers have been mandated to, henceforth, administer claims in accordance with standard insurance practice and should be considered as a sole responsibility.

He said discharged claims should be settled immediately as prescribed by the Insurance Act 2003, adding that failure to do so would attract sanctions.

Daniel said: “Failure to settle discharged claims shall attract sanctions as stipulated

under Section 70 (2) of the Insurance Act 2003. Consistent failure to settle discharged claims promptly may lead to the withdrawal of the licence of the insurer as stipulated under Section 8 (1) (m) of the Insurance Act 2003 and the insurer may be liquidated by the commission in accordance with the provisions of Section 8 and 32 (1) (b) of the Insurance Act 2003.

“No foreign loss adjuster shall attend to any claims in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector without the express permission of the commission on such terms and conditions as may be stipulated in the approval.

Similarly, the foreign loss adjuster shall • Continued on page 18

18

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

ISSUES

Pay claims or lose licence • Continued from page 17

handle the assignment with in collaboration with at least one loss adjuster registered under the Insurance Act, 2003.”

Daniel said NAICOM views failure or undue delay of claims settlement as an aberration, urging individuals, corporate bodies and government establishments that have genuine unsettled claims against any insurance company to lay their complaints to NAICOM. “The consumer protection unit of the commission has been properly positioned to handle such complaints with dispatch. Any defaulting company will be required to pay such claims. Non payment of genuine claims is enough ground to suspend or cancel the operational certificate of a registered insurance company.

“This is why NAICOM advises policy holders to ensure that they obtain their policies from NAICOM-registered insurance companies only. A policy obtained from a fake insurance institution has no liability attached and no compensation can be received if such complaints are made to the commission,” Daniel added.

He maintained that the commission considers prompt claims settlement as the best awareness campaign tool.

“For us at NAICOM, the greatest awareness campaign an insurance company can embark upon is prompt settlement of claims. When an insurance company pays claims promptly, then a lot of Nigerians would begin to have more confidence and people would buy more insurance products.

“Right now, most insurance products are not bought; people refrain from these products owing to the attitude of most insurers. It is said that insurance companies that are dissuading people. But the time, we increase the confidence level of Nigerians; insurance would become a product that Nigerians would buy just as we buy newspapers and clothing materials. This is our dream, we expect that once we increase insurance awareness, people would want to buy insurance,” he said.

He noted that quick response to claims by insurers is the best publicity required to boost insurance operations, adding that it is a mandatory responsibility of insurers to settle claims promptly as that is the reason for their operations.

Daniel said NAICOM has adopted measures to ensure that insurers meet their claims responsibilities as specified in the industry’s regulatory guidelines.

“The issue of non-payment of claims, I think it has to do with perception. I would say that the Federal Government and NAICOM have done a lot to cleanse the industry. You will recollect that, four years ago, we had over 130 insurance players, which had been reduced to 51. These 51 companies are strong and vibrant and the issue of unsettled claims has become a time of the past. Of cause, people still have that perception, unfortunately, perception is not a thing you can kill at a go, but I can tell you that the issue of unsettle claims or delay claim by the insurers in the industry is go with the past. This is because now we have companies saying that reported claims are settled in 48 hour.

“As a regulator, we are very interested in prompt claims settlement, because the public must not be misled. So, we are actually

watching to see that these companies are able to deliver on the promises they are making. I am happy to say that most of these are doing very well and the number of claims reported to us is receding and very negligible. And where we have cases of unsettled claims reported to us, we move very swiftly and give the insurance companies the number of days to settle the claims, otherwise, they are sanction.

“In the industry, we do not advertise when we pay our claims, because we believe that settlement of claims is normal in the course of business, but I think we are now going to adopt some strategy where high profile claims are settled, I think we should begin to let Nigerians know that the insurance companies are paying claims.

We are also carrying out an acid test on any claim settlement that is publicised by companies.

“Again, insurance is about utmost good faith, hence we are not allowed to make claims that are not true.

“The operators are really paying claims and we are proud of that for that is the direction we are going.

The best way to advertise insurance product is through payment of claims and settlement of claims means prompt settlement,” he noted.

The Chairman, NIA, Mr Olusola Ladipo-Ajayi, said the NIA’s bureau initiative is to complement the effort by the NAICOM which is poised at building relations between the industry operators and their clients.

Ladipo-Ajayi noted that the initiative was inform by the operators need to advance insurance business and serve the public effectively, as the sectors cannot thrive in a state of rancour “The bureau core function is to ensure the problems between our members and their clients are resolved, the confidence level of the industry improves and quality service delivery is rendered our even growing clientele,” he added.

The Managing Director of Capital Express Assurance Limited, Mr Anthony Aletor, who expressed his misgivings on the celebration of claims by operators, said that his company no longer celebrates payment of claims as it is one of the major reasons why they are in business.

Aletor expressed that it is sometimes embarrassing the way the issue of claims is treated especially with regards to enquiring into whether it is paid or not at a time like this when businesses are challenged globally to operate on standard practices.

“Why is the insurance company set up if not to render risk protection services and then pay claims whenever the need arises?

“When you are looking at developments in the insurance business, there are other vital areas to look at and not necessarily focusing only on claims because we must pay claims, as that is the essence for

• Ladipo-Ajayi

• Daniel

• Performance indicator from 2000 - 2009.

which we are in business,” he said.

He disclosed that for Capital Express Assurance, claim is no longer a big issue because it is part of the company’s culture to pay claims and to do so as at when due. He, however, disclosed that the company used to celebrate payment of claims as achievement by going to the press each time a claim was paid.

“When we were younger, we used to celebrate claims but now we look at it from the angle that we are in this business to respond to issues of claims when they arise so there has been a shift in attitude in this regard while we now focus more on value delivery and customer satisfaction,” he added.

The Director, Finance and Account, NAICOM, Mr Sam Ordu, said the primary objective of NAICOM is to protect policy holders and to maintain a safe, efficient, fair and stable market and to ensure proper level of solvency, risk-based capi-

tal and mitigation against systemic and operational risks.

“The current challenge for NAICOM is therefore the need to further strengthen the regulatory framework in order to minimise the potential effect of contagion risk and promote investors confidence for the long growth of the industry.

“The following steps have been put in place to protect the industry: Introduction of code of corporate governance, the culture of responsible financial reporting including the ability to make economic decisions to invest, divest, diversify portfolio. This is to ensure availability of relevant and reliable financial information.

“Since Nigeria Insurance companies are encouraged to develop globally, NAICOM has in turn put in place appropriate collaboration machinery with international regulators to limit the spread of toxic assets.

‘Failure to settle discharged claims shall attract sanctions as stipulated under Section 70 (2) of the Insurance Act 2003. Consistent failure to settle discharged claims promptly may lead to the withdrawal of the license of the insurer as stipulated under Section 8 (1) (m) of the Insurance Act 2003 and the insurer may be liquidated by the commission in accordance with the provisions of Section 8 and 32 (1) (b) of the Insurance Act 2003’

“NAICOM has established more concrete measurable regulatory standards with a variety of guidelines, consumer protection and various statutory insurance schemes to ensure ethical performance.

“There is increased oversight on the liquidity position, capital adequacy, profitability, cost profile and compliance with code of corporate governance.

“Since insurance is a risk taking activity, insurers are required to evaluate the risk management and internal control activities in order to ensure operational effectiveness of companies,” he said.

The Managing Director, International Energy Insurance, Mr Jacob Erhabor, said insurers should consider claims settlement as their reason for existence, adding that when claims are settlement promptly, the insured will become a referral, promoting the sectors.

He noted that any company that paid less emphasis on claims settlement is buying time and would close shop within a short period.

Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc paid claims to the tune of N734.78 million as of September 30, 2010.

This rose from the N440.56 million that was paid out to various insured by the third quarter of 2009 and surpassing customers’ expectations in this regard by as much as 66.38 per cent.

Custodian and Allied Insurance Plc paid N1.17 billion claims last year while N1.02 billion was paid in 2009.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY ,JUNE 15, 2011

19

EDITORIAL/OPINION COMMENT

EDITORIAL FROM OTHER LAND

NURTW crisis

RAN continues to stonewall about its illicit nuclear activities. The International Atomic Energy Agency isn’t falling for it. Nobody should. The agency’s latest report is chilling. While Tehran claims that its program has solely peaceful ends, it lists seven activities with potential “military dimensions.” That includes “activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile”; new evidence that Iran has worked on a highly sophisticated nuclear triggering technology; and research on missile warhead designs — namely “studies involving the removal of the conventional high explosive payload from the warhead of the Shahab 3 missile and replacing it with a spherical nuclear payload.”

After the Iraq debacle, all claims must be examined closely. The I.A.E.A. has a strong record — in the run-up to the war it insisted there was no evidence that Iraq had a nuclear weapons program — and no axe to grind. There are still more questions to be answered.

American intelligence agencies, rightly chastened by their failure in Iraq, concluded in 2007 that Tehran had halted the weapons portion of its nuclear program four years earlier. United States officials now say that Iran’s massive “Manhattan Project” ended then but that many of the same scientists are still engaged in weapons-related pursuits. Meanwhile, Yukiya Amano, the head of the I.A.E.A., said in a news conference last week that “the activities in Iran related to the possible military dimension seem to have been continued until quite recently.” More explanation is needed.

Tehran insists the agency’s allegations are fabricated. At the same time, it is refusing to answer the inspectors’ questions about possible work on weapons designs and is blocking their access to sites, equipment and documents. Five years after the United Nations Security Council ordered it to halt uranium enrichment, Iran still has thousands of centrifuges spinning at its Natanz plant.

We don’t know if any mixture of sanctions and incentives will change that behaviour. We are certain that without more pressure Tehran will keep pushing its program forward. The major powers’ last attempt at negotiations, in January, hit a wall, but Washington and its allies should keep looking for diplomatic openings. The fourth round of United Nations sanctions, imposed a year ago, is starting to bite, reducing Iran’s access to foreign capital, trade and investments. But implementation is still lagging.

The European Union finally moved last month to rein in the Iranian-owned bank in Germany, the European-Iranian Trade Bank, which is accused of facilitating billions of dollars of transactions for blacklisted Iranian companies. China has yet to sufficiently crack down on the Chinese firms that still do business with Iran’s sanctioned entities. Turkey, India and the United Arab Emirates, a major hub for Iranian commerce, are still too cosy with Tehran.

Iran has not wasted the intervening year and is always looking for signs of weakness. The United States and its allies need to tighten the current round of sanctions and start working on another Security Council resolution with even tougher sanctions.

If there is any good news in the I.A.E.A. report, it appears that Iran’s enrichment program is not advancing as fast as many feared — the result of the Stuxnet computer virus and sanctions that make it harder for Tehran to import needed materials from overseas. That has not blunted its ambitions. The Iranians said on Wednesday that they plan to triple production of the most concentrated nuclear fuel — the kind that could get them closer to a bomb.

– The New York Times

What the Inspectors say

•Time to read the Riot Act to perpetrators of mayhem HE senseless but premeditated mayhem unleashed Sunday June 5, by certain callous people under the guise of unionism in the ancient city of Ibadan, Oyo State deserve condemnation by every citizen. In what is now a recurring orgy of violence between rival factions of Oyo State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), no fewer than 20 lives were reportedly lost and scores injured. About 20 shops were razed while 30 others were looted in the rampage. Vehicles numbering 50 were said to have been vandalised in the clash which some accounts reported as lasting five hours during which live ammunition was freely deployed.

Residents of the environs where the mayhem was perpetrated, passers-by and passengers waiting to travel by night buses, were taken unawares as a faction of the NURTW led by Mukaila Lamidi, also known as Auxiliary, reportedly went on a reprisal mission to reclaim one of the motor parks said to have been taken over by the faction loyal to Alhaji Lateef Akinsola Oluwatoki, also known as Tokyo, in an earlier confrontation.

Clearly, the resort to violence is unacceptable and stands condemned.

The time has come for Oyo State government to tell the combatants to either embrace peace or get out of

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town. The time to confront the outlawry threatening to overrun the state is now, particularly as the picture is fast emerging of the Oyo State capital as a city where rival gangs routinely take themselves on with innocent bystanders left to bear the brunt.

We think that the spiral of violence has gone on for too long.

Unfortunately, in almost every cycle, innocent lives have been needlessly wasted without the culprits being called to account. That explains why the problem has festered. Now, Governor Abiola Ajimobi should demonstrate the resolve to deal with the problem once and for all. No attempt should be made to convert the crime of murder to political misdeeds, or to cover up such for whatever expediencies. Criminality should be separated from union activities just as politics and criminality cannot and should never be allowed to mix.

The state should not be seen to abdicate its core responsibility for the protection of lives and property of the citizenry. No sovereign state worthy of the ascription would tolerate a situation in which some misguided unionists unleash mayhem on law abiding citizens in their struggle for territorial control. That the two groups were allowed to seize the state for five hours without the police being able to bring the situation under control

is unacceptable.

We call on the Police and other relevant security agencies of government to rise up and perform their statutory role, so as to help the state redeem, or better still, re-invent itself. Security agencies should do all within their power to fish out the perpetrators of the mayhem with a view to bringing them to book.

The NURTW in Oyo State needs to shed the image of a terror gang, if it wants to be respected. The frequent incidents of violence that we have seen from its quarters have certainly not portrayed it as a responsible trade union body. What happened in Ibadan penultimate Sunday is not union activity and should not be treated as one. Government should go after the masterminds.

‘An important implication of the PDP-Tambuwal saga is that zoning, which is not in the constitution, is now dead and finally buried.

What effect this scenario will have for PDP in 2015 elections is highly predictable’

Outsmarted •Finally, the PDP behemoth is beaten in its own game

P

RIOR to the week the National Assembly was to elect a Senate President and Speaker for the House of Representatives, the belief was that the President of Senate would come from the North while the Speaker would come from the Southwest - in line with the zoning policy of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The zoning formula worked for the Senate which saw to the re-election of David Mark as President, but not for the House where the Southwest was supposed to produce the Speaker.

Initially, the PDP adopted Muraina Ajibola as its candidate for Speaker but later changed its mind when it, appeared that members would reject him because he was believed to have been sponsored by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Later, the party An

important implication of the PDP-Tambuwal saga is that zoning, which is not in the constitution, is now dead and finally buried.

What effect this scenario will have for PDP in 2015 elections is highly predictable.

settled for Mrs. Mulikat Adeola – Akande. In the case of the latter, her case was not helped by the fact that she was linked with the First Lady, Dame Jonathan; added to this was the party’s threat to deal with erring members after it had failed to get the House to change its open-secret ballot system.

Zoning was brought to bear by those interested in making Waziri Tambuwal the Speaker of the House by all means. The logic was that since zoning was rejected at the presidential primary election, it was dead and buried. This left the race open to any contender. The rank of apostles of non-zoning was swelled by members of opposition ACN, CPC ANPP and APGA who, as it later emerged, voted for Tambuwal, apparently because zoning, which is not in the constitution, was not their business but that of the PDP. In a dramatic fashion, both Tambuwal and his deputy Emeka Ihedioha went underground a day before the election when they appeared disguised. Tambuwal later beat Adeola-Akande by 252 to 91 in the June 6 election. The PDP machine was beatable, after all.

We can understand the PDP’s worries over the emergence of the Speaker. It did not want to isolate an important zone like the Southwest

from the country’s political equation.

Although some people attributed this lapse to the poor showing of PDP in the Southwest, it does not explain the same about Northeast. Poor analysts have lamented the fate of the Southwest as a result of their getting away from what they call “mainstream politics”. The fact is that 12 years of the Southwest involvement in the so-called mainstreaming only brought agony and tales of woes to the zone where mainstreaming was at the advantage of party members only. That was probably why the ACN was not obliged to support a candidate from its zone as Speaker since such a functionary, by the tradition of the PDP, has never impacted positively on the Southwest, in spite of the mainstreaming nonsense.

An important implication of the PDP-Tambuwal saga is that zoning, which is not in the constitution, is dead and buried. What effect this scenario will have for PDP in 2015 elections is highly predictable. While Tambuwal can refer to Jonathan’s case as a precedent, Jonathan and any others interested in the presidency will also refer to Tambuwal’s case as a robust precedent. The future stage might have been set for a buzzing, booming confusion on the matter of zoning. It would be an interesting drama to behold.

I

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh • Editor Gbenga Omotoso •Chairman, Editorial Board Sam Omatseye •General Editor Kunle Fagbemi

• Controller (Finance & Administration) Ade Odunewu • Gen. Manager (Training and Development) Soji Omotunde

•Deputy Editor Lawal Ogienagbon

•Chief Internal Auditor Toke Folorunsho

•Managing Editor Northern Operation Yusuf Alli

•Advert Manager Robinson Osirike

•Managing Editor Waheed Odusile

•IT Manager Bolarinwa Meekness

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

•Pre-Press Manager Chuks Bardi •Press Manager Udensi Chikaodi •Manager, Corporate Marketing Hameed Odejayi • Manager (Admin) Folake Adeoye

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

20

EDITORIAL/OPINION

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IR: All that Nigeria and Nigerians clamour for, and which makes them hanker for good governance, is sustainable development, which appears to have been a mirage over the years. Sustainable development translates into food on the table of every Nigerian, employment for the teeming and largely unemployed youths, quality health care delivery, sound education and good infrastructure, which have ironically remained elusive in a country that is endowed with abundant natural resources and colossal brain and brawn.

This failure has, often times, been attributed to leadership flaws with attendant corruption that has ravaged the nation. We therefore strive to see that we set our feet on the right track that will lead us to the desired destination. That explains the determination of the Nigerian populace to take their destinies in their own hands. If the right leadership is enthroned at all levels of government, the country will be the better for it. During the last general election, the votes of Nigerians counted, for the first time even when the process still witnessed negligible hiccups.

On May 29th, the elected president and governors were sworn into their various offices.

One important issue that is mostly forgotten by the Nigerian people is that positions of leadership in Nigeria, as in other parts of the world, especially in the executive arm of government, is attained

EDITOR’S MAIL BAG SEND TYPEWRITTEN, DOUBLE SPACED AND SIGNED CONTRIBUTIONS, LETTERS AND REJOINDERS OF NOT MORE THAN 1000 WORDS TO THE EDITOR, THE NATION, 27B, FATAI ATERE ROAD, MATORI, LAGOS. E-mail: views@thenationonlineng.com

Handle political appointments with care! not just through election but also through appointment. Through elections, the people have the latitude to determine, through the ballot, who their leader will be.

Whereas through appointment, the leader exercises the authority to appoint who will work with him.

But the elected leader is constrained to exercise this authority with the advice of his party men; advice that in many cases are garbed in the compulsion of an order and the leader, being a good and loyal party man, is duty-bound to toe the line of his party. While only one or two leaders are elected, in the case of the executive (the

president and his vice at the federal level, the governor and his deputy at the state level, and the chairman and his vice at the local government level) the rest of the members of the cabinet – ministers commissioners, (senior) (special) advisers, and a horde of others are appointed. This is in addition to the heads of the many government agencies, authorities, commissions, corporations. There is no gainsaying the fact that the quality of governance and the rate of development of any nation are directly proportional to the quality of hands appointed to handle governmental activities in the country. Quality here includes

not only educational qualification, but also experience, capability and moral standing. While the constitution espouses some basic qualifications (including academic) of those to be appointed into certain offices, it behoves those responsible for the appointment to be responsive to the yearnings of the people and the nation, if the nation must leave its supine state.

There is the tendency in Nigeria for elected leaders to compensate party members either for their loyalty or for failing in their election bid, with little or no consideration for the vital qualities required to achieve the desired results.

Let’s keep an eye on EFCC and ICPC

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IR: Unless agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) are properly monitored, the fight against graft might be a mirage. One or two former heads of these Commissions had come up with suggestions that could aid the strengthening of

those institutions which were ignored. Rather the two institutions have been used to serve the self interest of successive administrations. During former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime, he set up the EFCC and we could not easily forget that it was used for selective prosecution of cases. This situation continued with successive presidents. For instance, when

Yar’Adua came to power, he too used EFCC to protect his political friends. This should not be allowed to continue.

So therefore, what should be done is the formation of an independent body whose only responsibility would be to monitor the operators/ activities of the EFCC and ICPC. Reading the NEXT newspaper edition of Sunday May 22, 2011,

Need to curb spreading violence

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IR: The systematic insecurity in the land has not abated. The spontaneous political violence which rocked some parts of the north was brief but with worst record in loss of lives in the entire history of Nigerian elections.

The Police IG called it the bloodiest so far, having recorded more than 500 deaths in just two northern states alone; One Human Rights group puts it at 800. Though the violence died off fast, but the continued loss of lives

If reports in the national dailies of the list of prospective candidates for ministerial posts allegedly sent to President Goodluck Jonathan are anything to go by, then we should be looking forward to the emergence of some of the defeated governors and their ilk as ministers and special advisers in this dispensation.

This is a tradition we have had to live with, albeit, with eventual regrets. One does not intend to cast aspersion on the qualification and experience of some of the prospective ministers and would-be advisers. I do strongly support that only those who are eminently qualified, in all its ramifications should be appointed. The whole world is watching, and the Nigerian electorate is still armed with their votes!

2015 is not too far away. Please, President Goodluck Jonathan and the governors, appoint technocrats in your cabinets.

• Oshim, Kelechi Enyi Lafia, Nasarawa State

through bombs and other lethal materials especially in Borno State is worrisome. The carnage is always attributed to the Boko Haram which Police seem incapable of handling.

In Bauchi, the attacks on the aborigines in Tafawa Balewa area by suspected tribal groups that seem to have absolute control of who and when to attack and kill continues. The people at times were massacred in their sleep. This type of incident remains recurring and has somehow

become a dangerous routine. Recently there was the news that the invading tribe attacked and killed some people in Benue State where more than 23 lives were lost.

Needless to comment on the Plateau unabating incidents that people now tend to under-report what happens there, yet David Jang was reelected.

In Oyo state, government has just tried to curb the touts that have been killing themselves like flies. Na-

tional dailies of June 6, 2011 had it that as many as 20 persons were killed in the renewed cult-like carnage between rival groups of the ‘garrage-boys’. An end must be put to these acts of violence and killings for the sake of national stability. No doubt that an order of shoot at sight will greatly help in this regard.

• Geoffrey Nnnadi University of Maiduguri Borno State.

there was a recurring question as to what happened to the ‘missing’ N20billion plea-bargain loot recovered from the former Inspector General of Police, Balogun Tafa. The question remains till date remained unanswered.

Also, the overseeing body or establishment should monitor all cases brought to the notice of the two bodies. For instance, there was a time EFCC boss, Farida Waziri, made scathing statement that a firstterm governor from south-south, few months into office, bought a property worth N1billion in Abuja; there was no follow up as to who that was. The behaviour of the antigraft agency shows sign of compromise. Many are just watching the macabre dance of EFCC and ICPC since they have proved not to have proactive mechanism. The masses are disenchanted with the corruption going on in the country.

•Alhaji Garba Salem Apapa Road Ijora-Lagos

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

EDITORIAL/OPINION

Sumonu; Shanono-RIP, NURTW; Ajimobi: UCH, IITA, NISER, FRIN, horticulturalist Partnerships pls

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HE election by unanimous decision of the Oyo House of Assembly to elect the only woman Mrs Jumoke Sumonu shows a genius which Tony augurs well for Oyo State Marinho and for women.

Whatever the politic machinations, the emergence of the first female in a senior political post in Oyo State is wonderful. The EFCC situation of the Reps Speaker must not be lost on Mrs Sumonu or on any political employee of the Nigerian people.

Many clapping now will be counting the days to Sumonu’s fall with those same hands. As our most senior woman employed to serve by the people, we have a lot invested in her.

Oyo state can go far with a dedicated woman as women and children are most need of health and education support because of persistent poor facilities.

There is or was a female Speaker in the House of Commons, UK - a role model. The UK Speaker must have a facebook page. Mrs Jumoke Sumonu must resist flattery by titles, pomp or the number of N350-500,000 fullpage birthday ‘bribery’ adverts. They disappear quickly on your retirement, impeachment, sack or election failure- one of which must happen sooner or later.

Mrs Sumonu has a unique opportunity to stamp ‘honour’, honesty, professionalism and milk of human kindness on the House of Assembly which fell into disrepute as the ‘ile aso ebi’. Pre-election nonviolent activities and proscription of the murderous NURTW by Governor Ajimobi have shown that there will be no place for thugs in Oyo State and the House.

We pray for clean politics so that Oyo State will become ‘pace setter’.

The tragedy inflicted routinely on Nigerians by the NURTW has crossed the Oyo State line into Federal Territory with the attack on hundreds of travellers including transit passengers like the 500 level medical student Mr Auwal Shanono, National President, Nigeria Medical Students AssociationNIMSA, of which I was a past member.

B

Y now, Dimeji Bankole, the immediate past Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, should have known the difference between heaven and hell. The two places are figuratively here on earth. Heaven is when everything is rosy; you get everything at your beck and call, just anything.

The high and mighty come tumbling beneath your feet. You are up there dishing out orders, and “lesser mortals”, even those older than you, obey you without asking questions. On the other hand, hell is when nothing seems to be working; everything comes crashing down on your forehead like a pack of cards in a whirlwind. You are suddenly discomforted. Those who were running rings around you yesterday now look at you with scorn or disdain.

The picture I have attempted to paint is, perhaps, the new world of Bankole. Eleven days ago, his whole world came crashing when hordes of anti-corruption agents invaded his palatial home in Abuja and took him away. Before then, the ‘eaglet’ Speaker had engaged the anti-corruption agency in a war of wits. Pressure groups were clandestinely ‘mobilized’ to denounce his invitation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. On its own part, the EFCC took advert spaces in national newspapers to intimate the public of an impending campaign of calumny against it by a “prominent individual who is being investigated”.

The campaign actually manifested on the pages of the newspapers but was too scanty to make any difference. At last, he was picked up.

A little over two years ago,

Students crisscross Nigeria attending events related to their calling. His death is as disgraceful as the NYSC election monitors and the outcry should be loud and compensation should be great. May he Rest In Peace. No parent deserves to lose a child in such circumstances.

One death too many for NURTW. Parents ask ‘why did you not stay in your university and read instead of travelling up and down?’. The answer is always ‘Someone has to do this job of protecting students’. Every death is of the highest and equal significance to God and our hearts go out to all the bereaved families.

The deaths must not go unpunished and the highest levels of the NURTW cannot go unpunished. If they do we should encourage the parents and families to, through Falana or Keyamo, collectively privately prosecute for murder and also sue Oyo State NUTRW and its membership for every kobo in the NURTW accounts.

The national body of the NURTW must be made to take more control and get involved as allegiance to the higher body is essential for road transport standards and ideals to be re-imposed on the local wing. The Federal government must ensure that people and groups must be held collectively responsible and they must be demobilised, demobbed and disarmed just as for other groups misguided by past politics into wrong actions.

Governor Ajimobi’s request to the UCH to present a blue print on health improvement in the state is wisdom. In Nigeria, out of ignorance or arrogance, politicians waste intellectual manpower at their fingertips. Retired geniuses rot away within all the State capitals. Unfortunately the citizen suffers neglect because Federal institutions in states are underutilised or treated with suspicion or contempt and ignored.

The multimillion naira federal institutions in the states are rarely consulted, visited, utilised in development activities or planning by the states that boast of ‘federal presence’. This negates a principle reasons for establishing them –speeding local development. Oyo State is endowed with the huge resource of the University of Ibadan with over 400 professorsretired and serving, thousands of lecturers and over 75 departments.

UI provides many experts and consultants to the Presidency,

Federal and international institutes but so little to Oyo Statewalking distance. UI is skilled in all branches of research with hundreds of undergraduates and graduates and lecturers routinely doing research into Oyo State just because it is in Oyo State.

Such research hardly ever sees the light of day and there is a need for an Oyo State Research Commission to invite submission of all such research for documentation, capture and collation for Oyo State development.

NISER, Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research is another huge but neglected resource giant even housing a Road Traffic Research section which could solve the Bodija and Sango disgraceful go-slow. Similarly, Oyo State cannot afford to continue to underutilise the massive knowledge and research base at the multimillion dollar IITA whose wisdom is utilised worldwide.

Governor Ajimobi can initiate high level regular consultative meetings separately with UI, UCH, IITA, FRIN, CRIN etc, monthly or quarterly, in a Development Interface/ Dialogue funded by Oyo State to benefit development and agriculture in Oyo state first, before other states.

Nigerian States ignore such rich resources for research and training at great social cost. Similar outreach to the large and small private sector will also yield ripe partnership fruit.

Merely recognising and awarding, instead of harassing, streetside horticultural practitioners with small monthly grants will beautify the state immediately.

‘The deaths must not go unpunished and the highest levels of the NURTW cannot go unpunished. If they do we should encourage the parents and families to, through Falana or Keyamo, collectively privately prosecute for murder and also sue Oyo State NUTRW and its membership for every kobo in the NURTW accounts’

Poor Bankole!

Bankole rode on the crest of a hitherto unknown “Integrity Group” that suddenly sprang up at the Lower House to do a hatchet job.

At that time, Patricia Etteh, the first woman Speaker in Nigeria, held sway. She was a product of the ruling party’s zoning formula that ceded the position to her geographical zone. The woman allegedly fell in love with making quick bucks or so we were told. Some of those who encountered her even before she climbed the hot seat alluded to this, especially during the crisis in Ekiti State. Not too long after, she was swept aside by a rising tidal wave in the House spearheaded by the “Integrity Group” on the allegation that she misappropriated funds. The house has since reversed itself.

From then on, Bankole gradually metamorphosed into an imperial majesty in the House. This he accomplished by embarking on numerous insidious plots to whittle down opposition. Several times, gathering time bombs were defused with every available means at his disposal, even if it meant putting the House on impromptu recess again and again, suspending opponents or engaging in unholy campaigns against real or imagined foes.

Bankole’s survival strategy in the House was his alliance with the Northern elements in the hallowed chambers. He visited Northern emirs more than he did to obas from his own ethnic stock. His mode of

‘Bankole’s episode is a clear case of how not to be carried away by the trappings of office.

You never can tell; you could be on top of the mountain today, only to find yourself at the foot of the valley the next minute.’

dressing was purely and is still, Northern clothes – simple white caftans matched with cap.

I remember once asking one of his aides why the Speaker had a preference to be more Northerner than the Northerners. The reply I got was startling. The guy simply said: ‘‘That is the power game. The number of representatives from one Northern state alone is thrice the number from say all the Eastern states put together”. I got the message. Since politics is a game of numbers, what this simply means is that to stay afloat in the House and not sink under the heavy yoke of opposition, Bankole needed to secure the support of the Northerners in the House. Sounds sensible, doesn’t it?

All through his tenure as speaker, Bankole practically took on everybody. When the issue of Acting President was raging in the National Assembly like a volcano, he was nonplussed. He tagged along with a section of the country where the opposition to the then Vice President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, transmuting to become the Acting President was more vociferous. Not until it became clear that the khaki boys were becoming restless in the barracks did the National Assembly come up with their “doctrine of necessity” through which the matter was laid to rest. Today, not a few prominent members of the Assembly and even the governors who were completely sold out on the issue are now claiming patent right for the ‘doctrine’.

Anyway, Bankole used the coming on board of Jonathan as acting president to right his wrongs. In no time, he found himself in the good books of the new President after the late President Umaru Yar’Adua passed on.

On the home front, Bankole is

seen as a schemer, arrogant, a chauvinist and a fox rolled into one. At first, he was said to have mooted the idea of running for the office of governor of Ogun State. But he found his nemesis in Gbenga Daniel, the former governor of the state, who at that time had the state in his vicious grip through subterfuge devices and strategies. Not a few Nigerians were miffed when both Bankole and Daniel almost went into fisticuffs over the ‘commissioning’ of the Sango-Otta Flyover in Ogun State. It was a day two prominent citizens of the Gateway State threw caution to the ‘dogs’ and donned the toga of ‘area boys’ in a Toyota Coaster bus, throwing tirades at each other and threatening to enact Mike Tyson show under klieg lights.

However, when Bankole saw that his ambition to become governor was a pipe dream, he recoiled to his shell and ate the humble pie by turning around to hobnob with Daniel. He willingly played into the hands of the master of intrigue and double-face when it was time for party primaries. To this extent, Bankole, a staunch Muslim, at least on the surface, had to follow Daniel like a lapped dog to worship in a church. If Bankole thought that a ticket to return to the House would be his for keeps, he was mistaken.

A consistently inconsistent individual, when he saw that the opportunity was slipping out of his fingers, he quickly abandoned Daniel again and beat a retreat into his previous group.

Throughout the electioneering, Bankole did not do any serious campaign. Instead, he wore two faces – one as a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain and the other as a Peoples Party of Nigeria, PPN, member. He even gave out huge sums of money to support the PPN,

Dele Agekameh a Daniel’s monstrous creation designed to humiliate the PDP in the state. Besides, Bankole was also engaged in a running battle with Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, who also needed to return to the Senate as well. It was this ‘fratricidal war’ between Iyabo and Bankole that cost both of them the return tickets to the National Assembly.

In the twilight of his tenure as Speaker, Bankole was said to have this bloated ego so much that he started acting strange. Apart from having a contingent of mobile policemen and SSS operatives as escort for his father, he was also said to have allegedly developed ‘appetite’ for Nollywood actors, to whom he was said to have been extremely generous with everything – money, gifts, property and that other one.

By and large, Bankole’s episode is a clear case of how not to be carried away by the trappings of office. You never can tell; you could be on top of the mountain today, only to find yourself at the foot of the valley the next minute. This is the tragicomedy in which Dimeji Saburi Bankole has found himself.

It is enough lesson for those who want to learn. Surely, the hairdresser will be laughing by now!

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

22

EDITORIAL/OPINION FROM THE CELL PHONE ‘Re:question of structure. Sir, both Omatseye and your goodself are known for balanced view on national issues, but I disagree with you on Sabur Dimeji Bankole because until court of law pronounced him guilty, he is innocent, EFCC can not be a prosecutor, defence and a judge. God bless you and Omatseye Sir. Anonymous’

• Daniel For Olatunji Dare Prof. Babatope and Adebanjo said that the Yorubas have been relegated to the background in Nigerian politics because we lost the position of Speaker. What has OBJ’s presidency and Bankole’s speakership brought to us in the Southwest?. From Alh. Adeboye Lawal.

Dare, why do you think God regreted creating homo-sapiens? Trust me. We would write like this at the end of the current gangsters. Bankole let down his generation. As for Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State and Alao Akala of Oyo, when you sow wind, you reap wild-wind. We knew how they became governor. Even armed robbers quarrel over loot. From Ogbadu.

You again missed the point on Akala.

Akala approved the minimum wage a clear one month before the guber poll and did not anticipate he would not be the one to implement it.You are roundly unfair.

In the beginning, Daniel pretended to be a progressive and made some attempts to deceive the good people of Ogun State who thought they were dealing with a gentleman with a makeshift development, but as soon as he settled down in power, he took on everybody that differed in opinion and thought from his own, his actions and reality of life changed for the worse, believing in his fantasy, he became uncouth in language, turbulent in temper and petulent in manner thereby ended up a delusioned man. As for Akala, he was not too different from Daniel, just that he was not as fetish and mean like Daniel, no wonder they both left office disgracefully.

A lesson for those who are in office today.

From Olayinka Odufuwa Thank you sir for “Ways of departing” I guess we should thank our stars that those “honourables” did not sell the national assembly complex to themselves for use as their personal offices and request the incoming Assembly to either pay rent or go and build a new complex. Anonymous.

I am a regular reader of your column and 100% your admirer. But this time I disagree. Was the man caught by EFFC stealing the money or committing crime?

Yes, the man has the right to reschedule appointment to meet his schedule. Their susciption that the man is fleeing is of no moment. If he flees the record will be there.

It is not a justification for them to abandon their work just to boost their ego. EFCC must work with some ethics and stop chasing people on allegations puplished by newspapers. Their letter of invitation is not issued under the law but of convenience. Anonymous.

Sir! the ignoble exit of Bankole evidenced the transcient nature of life. Doing all our best while holding sway in any given opportunity inks our date with providence. Anonymous.

To the peoples president. Dr Ebele .G. J., Big brother na weti n dey happen now, you said our lamentation is over, or the lamention just begins? Look at Eg bin power plant showdown, no light, no kerosine. For Ikorodu insecurity, all in the name of oro killing in the daylight which is too bad.This is more than lamentation.

Anonymous.

The hoodlum “Dimeji Bankole” Should not go unpurnished and should serve as a deterent to the incoming Legislators,”Tafa Balogun and Alameseigha” will never forget their waterloo. Anonymous.

Dear Prof., I had my usual Tuesday tonic, ‘’Ways of departing’’ Well, my heart goes to Bankole, praying that he is vindicated at the end of his travails. However, permit me sir, to add among the losers on page 3 under the caption: ‘Inauguration of the Seventh National Assembly’ the South West for obvious reason. The Zone is a loser because apart from the CDS, no Service Chiefs, nor any of the first units topmost political offices in the land. I dare say, Southwest wins the trophy for the marginalized zone in the current dispensation. Temitope Vincent, Akure Re: Today’s HARDBALL. Instead of highlighting and acknowledging the dignified and decent manner the Speakership Election was held, you were whipping up emotions with your choice of words. Why should the President be Feared by his Partymen elected by the people? Are we not clamouring for Separation of Power between the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary?

To me, your column today will arouse anger and resentment in PDP leadership instead of a magnanimous acceptance of the turn out of events. True, egos had been bruised by these issues and events but let us not unwittingly encourage the same methods which were roundly condemned in former President Obasanjo’s style of governance. President Jonathan’s slogans of TRANSFORMATION and BREATH OF FRESH AIR mean a different style, a break from the past. So, instead of rabble rousing turbulence, let us have intelligent, healthy and focussed debates. Anonymous.

God will keep you longer than your great grand fathers, for seeing decay in governance in Nigeria and writing the truth, not minding whose ox is gored. The truth is that most of our leaders are more lucifer than the devil and are not meant for this world. Tony, SBC - Jos. What about Kano State where the new governor (Kwankwaso) reversed a legitimate land allocation, just because he was the one supposed to do it in his first tenure? Or does your research cover only the west? Anonymous.

As a resident of Jos, I witnesd all the theatrics of EFCC vs Dariye in 2007. Would you be surprised sir, if Bankole becomes president of the senate in 2015? Chris, Unijos.

The write-up titled ‘Ways of departing’ makes an interesting reading. Most of us are apt to settle within ourselves that the man who blocks our way is odious, and not to mind causing him a little of the disgust which his personality excites in ourselves. Be that as it may, whatever the ‘lethal chalice’, the governors of Ogun and Oyo should be able to surmount with little or no difficulty.The two governor’s judgement at any point in time should be controlled by duteous devotion to the needs and aspirations of the people who voted them into power. Adegoke O. O. Ibadan.

You people should stop this nonsense.

You over criticise, you are Mr. Knoweverything. Now the Yorubas have lost all front, how can ACN back candidate from North for Speakership. You and Tinubu are destroying the Yoruba race.

Anonymous.

Re: Ways of departing. The problem we have with our legislators in Nigeria is that many of them see their political posts as

an avenue to make money. That is why I really support the suggestions in some quarters that being a member of the national assembly should be on a part time basis with a drastic reduction in their allowance. That is how we can know those who really have the welfare of the people at heart. Olumide Soyemi from Bariga.

Reading your comment on ‘Ways of departing’, you forgot to mention Bukola Saraki of Kwara State that sent 25 people to their early graves all because of his ankara parting gift. Abegunde Ibikunle, Kubwa, Abuja.

Is Ajaokuta left to waste away? We hear of collapsed buildings here and there, and why not? Our local source of rods is picking rotten plates and other rubbish from refuse bins, and converting them to rods, while an integrated steel plant is left to die away in Ajaokuta, with a 108 mega watts turbo power plant, and the nation is still in darkness. See how much Europe is spent in a few moment because ecoli disease killed 23 people - those are where human lives have value. When shall we get there, and when shall we get our priorities right? at 100? Richard Onyegasi, Kogi State Sir, ‘Ways of departing’ by the prodigal elected representatives of the people can’t be different from the present situation, where some of them fled to other countries, while some are in detention for being a rogue while serving.The bottomline is that the good ones are yet to qualify to contest, unfortunately, the rare ones like you are never ready to partake in our politics.

Adeycorsim, Oshodi.

Daniel is a pefect example of the shaneful of those who brought fetishim into government. Harris ‘Ways of departing’ The so called progressives and unprogressives are mostly found in the Southwest than elswhere in Nigeria. From Elvis.

Dare, thank you so much for your post ex- ray on Daniel, Bankole and co-looters .

I think that Nigeria will be better if we, including you, beam our search light on the incumbent . Emma Awka.

This lower house has misrepresented us: The first woman Speaker went straight for the loot, the man sent to rescue went for the kill. So, who would rescue this nation if the law maker is ultimately the law breaker? To buy their image back, these guys should stop stealing. Richard Onyegasi, Ajaokuta.

For Segun Gbadegesin The heart of the people, let us wait and see if anyone will name his/her child after anyone of them. Olatunji Segun Leo. Oka. Please, next time you may wish to choose a topic of National implications for a discuss, do carefully select a topic you have the capacity to discuss. It is unfortunate that in your article ‘’ A question of structure’’ most of ur arguements are not only baseless but also your analogy never corrolated.

Please try and live above any sentiments and always try to advance those things that may promote the unity of this country. Nigeria is far greater than any other interest no matter the source.

Anonymous Why are you, as a responsible Nigerian, writing on such devisive issue? The southwest has no oil too and OBJ’s rule is the most corrupt in the history of Nigeria.

Please write on the way forward and not on biased sentiment. You would not say

•Bankole

that if u are not myopic. Mustapha Moh’d from Akwanga Your discussion on zoning on june 10 was spoty and undetailed. Ikenna, Ife. Re:question of structure. Sir, both Omatseye and your goodself are known for balanced view on national issues, but I disagree with you on Sabur Dimeji Bankole because until court of law pronounced him guilty, he is innocent, EFCC can not be a prosecutor, defence and a judge. God bless you and Omatseye Sir. Anonymous Yes, surely the Northern states can understand and every other people, also, supposed to understand. Anonymous Re: Ways of departing. The sweetness and splendour of political office, expecially in Nigeria would easily make most people forget that the office has an expiry date. Nigerian political class are no students of history, hence the insatiable passion to steal keeps repeating itself, and moreso as the news of Bankole’s thiefery (like those before him) will only raise dust and nothing more will be heard. Are we not Nigerians?. Anyway, good or bad they have succeeded in writing their names in the heart of the people, let us wait and see if anyone will name his/her child after anyone of them. Olatunji Segun Leo. Oka. Dear Segun, many things are not right in Nigeria, there is no majority in Nigeria, all tribes are equal with Ibo 17 per cent, Hausa 29 and Yoruba 20 per cent, none of them merit majority status so all are equal, all are minorities and equal in terms of landmass. The so called minorities have 70 per cent in Nigeria in terms of resourses they all so have 90 over others so we need to have a round table talk to restructure Nigeria on the basis of equality. Prof.

Amayak It is unforunate that NPFL and polical leaders from d North are not concerned about the distabilising agent called Boko Haram. The Northern leaders have ruled Nigeria for 38 years out of 50 years, yet they are not ashamed to attribute Boko Haram menace to poverty. Is poverty peculiar to the North. If yes, who is to blame . Samuel from Ikotun No, the Northen states can not understand the issues raised by the oil communities. The obvious circle of poverty, ignorance, disease and hopelssness is not staring them in the face.

How can they understand when our own people in the Niger Delta who should know better are carrying on as if all is well like Esua they have sold their conscience for a plate of porridge. Anonymous Dear Yoruba nation,o ye ka le akata jina ki a to ba adiye wi,are we all going to leave Bankole alone at the mercy of EFCC ? If Bankole were to be Ibo or Hausa, will Ohaneze or Arewa be looking at him?

Yorubas please wake up and do something.The money involved was shared by The House caucus.Thanks, Dr. Dejo Raimi Dear Mr Segun, I read your column of Friday 10th of this month, honestly, what is unifying Nigeria is corruption, no more, no less. muhammad zaria.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

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MONEY

Lease transactions hit N1.8t in five years T

HE volume of lease businesses has hit a record high of N1.8 trillion in five years.

The figure is as follows: N189 billion transacted in 2006; N245 billion (2007); and N350 billion (2008).

The statistics for 2009 was N445 billion and N538 billion in 2010.

The Equipment Leasing Association of Nigeria (ELAN) said in a statement that the figure represents the cumulative volume of transactions within the time under review.

Its Chairman, Mr. Kehinde Lawanson, noted that the 21 per cent growth recorded by the leasing industry last year was reasonable considering the harsh global and domestic economic environment.

Analysis from the report indicates that the leasing industry has continued to make remarkable progress, maintaining its steady growth in 2010 and posting a substantial N538 billion for the year, a growth of 21 per cent over the previous year.

Furthermore, performance analysis of the sectors showed that, oil and gas maintained its lead, achieving about 40 per cent

Stories by Collins Nweze growth, followed closely by transportation – 37 per cent, which has benefitted from public private sector partnership.

The investigation also revealed that the most commonly leased assets include medium, light and heavy duty vehicles of all sorts, production machinery, power generating sets, house hold utilities, industrial and office equipment with vehicles topping the list as the most commonly leased asset in the country.

He explained that leasing is creative finance option that broadens product range in the financial services industry without necessarily deploying huge sums of capital that have competing needs.

Lawson identified the global economic recession and numerous banking reforms in the country, which he said, resulted in restrictions in credit lines by banks for productive ventures including leasing as reasons. He stressed that access to adequate funds has remained a major challenge in the leasing industry being a credit driven activity.

The ELAN boss regretted that notwithstanding the relevance of leasing, it is still being treated with apathy by the government.

“Leasing as a special, convenient way of financing, has not been adequately catered for by laws in the country, rather it is trapped in arbitrary laws and regulations,” he said.

He posited that the present regulatory regime does not clearly define the relationship between the lessor and the lessee.

The ELAN boss stressed that the leasing bill if enacted will do away with the current confusion and uncertainty surrounding the regulation and practice of leasing in Nigeria. The business of leasing would then develop clear and understandable legal relationship with appropriate structure that will bestow numerous benefits to various business interest groups.

According to him: “For the ordinary Nigerians, easier ways to ac-

quire assets, enhance quality of life and more business and job opportunities; for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, easier ways to acquire productive assets for growth and job creation; for all levels of government: well-regulated financial sector, increased investment, increased tax revenue, job creation and poverty reduction; for the leasing industry: certainty, security, consistency, growth; for Nigeria more investment, production and economic growth.”

African countries raise rates to curb inflation

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AURITIUS’S Central Bank is likely to increase its benchmark interest rate to curb price increases with inflation near the highest level in more than two years. Ghana, South Africa and Angola have taken similar decisions in recent months.

For instance, the inflation rate in Ghana was last reported at 9.02 per cent in April of 2011.

Inflation rate refers to a general rise in prices measured against a standard level of purchasing power. The most well known measures of inflation are the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which measures consumer prices, and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) deflator, which measures inflation in the whole of the domestic economy.

For Mauritius it is highly probable that the rate will rise by 0.25 percent to 5.5 per cent within the month. Seventeen of 30 analysts surveyed by PluriConseil expect the benchmark rate to rise, Ng said.

Inflation accelerated to 7.2 per cent in March, the fastest pace since November 2008, before slipping back to 7.1 per cent in May, the Central Statistics Office said on

June 7. Central bank Governor Rundheersing Bheenick said in an interview on April 30 that the bank will “continue the process” of normalizing rates. The bank raised the rate by half a percentage point at its meeting on March 28.

Higher global food and fuel prices have added to inflation, even though a stronger rupee helped ease the pace of increases in import prices. Mauritius’s currency has strengthened about 10 per cent versus the dollar in 2011, according to Bloomberg data. The rupee weakened by 1.2 per cent to 27.95 rupees today, the biggest intraday decline since May 31.

Analysts including Renganaden Padayachy, an economist at the Ebene-based Mauritius Chamber of Commerce & Industry, said a rate increase may stifle economic growth, which the nation’s statistics office said on March 31 will probably reach 4.5 per cent this year compared with 4.2 per cent in 2010. “It should remain unchanged,” Padayachy said by phone on June 10. “Any increase will only slow down growth, not inflation.”

Access Bank shortlisted for award

A

CCESS Bank has been nominated for this year’s FT Sustainable Banking Awards scheduled to hold tomorrow in London, United Kingdom.

This nomination came just after the bank’s emergence as the winner of the 2011 edition of the Business in Community ‘Big Tick’ award and the appointment of its Group Managing Director, Aigboje AigImoukhuede as co-Chair of Global Business Coalition (GBC-Health).

The bank’s nomination in the Sustainable Bank of the Year (Middle East and Africa) category, according to a statement, was in recognition of its commitment to global best practice in Environmental, Social and Governance, (ESG) performance and demonstration of these considerations in each facet of its operations.

Access Bank was nominated alongside Exim Bank (Tanzania) and National Bank of Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) for the pres-

tigious award. Speakers expected at the annual sustainability event include Rt. Hon Andrew Mitchell MP, UK Secretary of State for International Development, Neville Richardson, CEO, The Co-operative Financial Services, Lars Thunell, Executive Vice President and CEO, IFC, Rachel Kyte among others.

The bank recently adopted the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) in the preparation and reporting of its financial statements, the Equator Principle (EP) for its Project Finance Transactions and incorporation of E&S principles into its business operations; corporate actions so far taken by the bank in Nigeria.

The bank has consistently demonstrated its commitment to international best practice through adoption and implementation of globally acceptable standards and procedures for its operation and activities.

• L-R: Managing Director LAPO Microfinace Bank Limited, Mr. Godwin Ehigiamusoe; Regional Director, Anglophone West Africa, MoneyGram International, Mrs Feyi Adebayo and Manager of Investments, Capital Markets, Grameen Foundation, at a press conference organised by MoneyGram in partnership with LAPO in Lagos.

Wema Bank recapitalises to N14.8b

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EMA Bank is now fully recapitalised to play as a regional bank, its Managing Director, Segun Oloketuyi, has said.

Speaking during the bank’s 2010 Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos, Oloketuyi said Wema has recapitalised with shareholders’ funds of N14.837 billion and capital adequacy ratio of 12.44 per cent, which are above the regulatory minimum of N10 billion.

Wema Bank, he said, will continue to push its service culture with the business process re-engineering to more branches this year.

The Wema boss said the bank will be completing the transformation project bank-wide within the next 12 months.

The bank, he said, will continue to pursue growth in retail businesses by pushing innovative products and also leveraging on alternative channels to grow customer base and volumes. It will also ensure that the quality of the bank’s loan book stays in top quality.

“As we continue in our new

Wema Project, we are confident that the improvement we have recorded in our financial performance will be sustained in the years to come,” he said.

Oloketuyi said the implementation of the bank’s Enterprise Risk Management framework is ongoing to ensure that all aspects of risk which the bank is exposed to are adequately identified, measured and mitigated. “Our non-performing loans (NPL) ratio is currently high relative to the acceptable ratio of five per cent as prescribed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),” he said.

Wema Bank’s balance sheets and profit and loss accounts for the year ended December 2010 from the audited group, separate financial statements and subsidiary companies, show the bank’s return to profitability.

Wema Bank’s December 31, 2010 result showed increased level of profitability. The group earnings rose to N21.79 billion from N18.99 billion in the nine months ended December 2009. The bank alone

was able to grow its earnings to N19.92 billion from nine months period of N16.27 billion.

The group’s profit after tax rose to N17.45 billion in the 12 months period ended December 31, 2010 from a loss of N7.53 billion in 9 months period ended December 2009. The bank profit after taxation increased to N16.23 billion from a loss of N2.09 billion in the 9 months ended December 2009.

The group’s earnings per share rose from a negative of 66 kobo for the nine months ended December 2009 to 163 kobo in December 2010 while the bank grew its earnings per share from a loss of 21 kobo in 2009 to 154 kobo in December 2010.

Also looking at the bank’s balance sheet as at December 31, 2010, it shows that Wema Bank’s group total asset stood at N216.98 billion in the review period from N150.93 billion in December 2009. The bank alone has total assets worth N203.14 billion in 2010 from N142.78 billion in December 2009.

Firm to sell $4.6b equity in Rwandan bank

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CTIS, a London-based private- equity firm investing in Africa, Asia and Latin America, may sell $4.6 billion equity in its Rwandan bank to Kenyan lenders. Banque Commerciale du Rwanda, based in Kigali, the capital, is “a natural acquisition for one of the bigger East African banks wanting to expand their footprint,” Peter Schmid, Actis’s head of Africa, said.

Actis, which has $4.6 billion under management, bought an 80 per cent stake of BRC in 2004 in a deal valuing the company at $6 million.

The Rwandan government kept the rest of the previously state-owned bank.

Kenyan lenders including Equity Bank Limited and Kenya Commercial Bank Limited are expanding across East Africa, opening branches in Rwanda, Tanzania,

Uganda and southern Sudan, as the region’s economies grow.

The Rwandan investment was Actis’s first in a country that 10 years earlier lost a million people in genocide. Gross domestic product has expanded an average 7.5 per cent annually from 2004 and 2009, according to the World Bank. About 30 per cent of Actis’s capital is invested in Africa, Schmid said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

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MONEY

‘Banking, capital market reform T should be sustained’ HE ongoing reforms in the banking sector and the capital market have to be sustained to enhance economic growth, Managing Director, Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Bismarck Rewane has said.

He said it is imperative for the country to address other major hurdles that could undermine its economic success. He said meddling with the autonomy and independence of the organs of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) could endanger the economy.

“Frustrating these champions of reform could easily lead to suboptimal economic performance and be counterproductive,” he said.

Rewane said the economy has underperformed its resource potential, market size and peergroup and, therefore, needs to be resuscitated through constructive reforms as being done in these key sectors.

He said there is a wealth illusion in the country, especially in the public sector. This is based on a false premise that oil prices and revenues are an increasing function of time that oil revenue only increases and never declines. “Following from this is the misconcep-

Stories by Collins Nweze tion that natural wealth is equivalent to produced wealth. In my interaction with public officials, there is an entrenched view that oil price shocks are temporary whilst oil prosperity and peaks are normal,” he said.

The expert said that in 2008, when oil prices declined sharply, resulting in revenue gaps, internal and external balances, and government had no anticipatory plan to fall back on.

On assumption of office on June 4, 2009, Sanusi decided to turn around the fortunes of a sector struggling with bad loans in excess of $12 billion, aside other domestic financial challenges.

Poor corporate governance practices, undue exposure to the capital market, oil and gas sectors, poor risk management, distress signs through the banks’ frequent resort to the inter-bank market and the Expanded Discount Window (EDW) were defining issues before the re-

forms. There were also matters relating to inadequate disclosure and lack of transparency about banks’ financial positions, making the reforms inevitable.

The CBN had at the onset of banking reforms, commenced a special joint examination in conjunction with the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) to ascertain the true state of the banking industry. The outcome of the examination revealed that a total of eight banks exhibited imminent signs of collapse, which could drag the entire banking sector down.

To stem further deterioration in the condition of the affected banks and protect the interest of depositors and creditors, the CBN replaced the executive management and in some cases boards of the banks with new ones. It also injected N620 billion into the banks in form of tier two capital to be repaid from the proceeds of recapitalisation.

In the capital market, the Federal Government has set up committee

• L–R: Tax Partner, Fatai Folarin; Client & Markets Associate Director, Eme Agha; Lead Consulting Partner, Joseph Olofinsola and IFRS Partner, Oduware Uwadiae, all of Akintola Williams Deloitte, at the interactive session with media executives in Lagos.

AfDB puts Africa’s middle class at 310m in three-decades

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HE number of middle class Africans has tripled over the last 30 years to 313 million people, or more than 34 per cent of the continent’s population, according to a new report from the African Development Bank (AfDB).

The reasons for the increase in size and purchasing power of the African middle class include strong economic growth, and a move towards a stable, salaried job culture and away from traditional agricultural activities.

The report ‘The Middle of the Pyramid: Dynamics of the Middle Class in Africa’, however, warns that despite this phenomenon income, inequality in Africa remains very high, and that the overall middle class figure includes large numbers of a ‘floating class’ whose hold on status is insecure.

Over the decades, the numbers have steadily risen from approximately 111 million or 26 per cent of the population in 1980 to around 151.4 million (27 per cent) in 1990.

The 2010 figure, however, shows a significant surge of 60 per cent from the 2000 figure of 196 million or 27.2 per cent of total population.

The report defines middle class

largely in terms of higher income relative to the average. That average is of course lower in Africa than in the west. The report notes: “The middle class is usually defined as individuals with annual income exceeding $3,900 in purchasing power parity terms’.

However, the report acknowledges that other factors come into play when defining who is middle class, saying: “Other variables such as education, professions, aspirations, and lifestyle are also important features that help establish who is in the middle class”.

“Overall, it is economic growth that determines the rise of the middle class, but economic growth is in turn driven by social and economic factors,” the report notes: “Africa’s middle class is strongest in countries that have a robust and growing private sector as many middle class individuals tend to be local entrepreneurs. In a number of African countries, a new middle class has emerged due to opportunities offered by the private sector.”

Other determining factors include the establishment of stable, secure, well-paid jobs, and higher levels

of tertiary education. Geographically, middle class levels vary a great deal across African countries.

North Africa has the highest.

Tunisia has the highest concentration at almost 90 per cent followed by Morocco at almost 85 per cent and Egypt with almost 80 per cent. But a significant number of these belong to the ‘floating’ category with a strong danger of falling into poverty due to economic shocks.

Other countries with high percentages of the middle class include Gabon, Botswana, Namibia, Ghana, Cape Verde, Kenya and South Africa. Countries at the bottom end include Mozambique, Madagascar, Malawi, Rwanda, Burundi and Liberia.

The report states the growth in the middle class is good news for the future prosperity of Africa, but also points out the continued high levels of income inequality on the continent. The continent has a extremely rich elite: ‘About 100,000 Africans had a net worth of $800 billion in 2008, or about 60 per cent of Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or 80 per cent of sub-Saharan Africa’s’.

to review the Investments and Securities Act of 2007 as well as design code of corporate governance for capital market regulators.

The setting up of the committee was part of renewed efforts by the Federal Government to ensure transparency, ethics and effectiveness in the capital market. Government insisted that the design of code of governance for capital market regulators would help to improve the operations of the regulators.

Experts said there was also the need to strengthen disclosure and

transparency process in the Exchange. The integrity of any market can be partly measured by the level of information disclosure, transparency and quality of governance of institutions.

“The mere provision of information to the public is not the key issue.”

The governance of the Exchange should be such that prevents the occurrence of conflict of interest, enshrines accountability, transparency and professionalism and commands public trust. It is also expected that the Exchange should, in the course of the reforms, be seen to enforce its own rules and where it fails to do so, be sanctioned by the statutory regulator. This is the best practice, which the SEC says it is committed to enforce.

DMO bond sales may improve banks’ liquidity

T

HE plan by the Federal Government to sell N70 billion in three-year and five-year sovereign bonds today, its sixth debt auction of the year, may improve banks’ liquidity.

Consequently, the liquid assets, such as cash, precious metals or other approved securities that banks maintain as reserves other than the cash with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will rise, analysts have said.

The offer is already listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), and like all Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) bonds, this qualifies as liquid assets for liquidity ratio calculation for banks. FGN Bonds are backed by the full faith and credit of the government and are charged upon the general assets of the country.

“The CBN on the authority of the Debt Management Office (DMO) on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria offers for subscription by auction N35 billion bond at the rate of 10.50 per cent due March 2014. It also offers for subscription, N35 billion bond at the rate of four per cent due April 2015,” a statement from the DMO website said.

The DMO office confirmed it would sell N35 billion each of the papers, due to mature in 2014 and 2015 respectively. Both papers are re-openings of previous issues and the results of the auction will be published the following day.

The Federal Government issues sovereign bonds monthly to support the local bond market create a benchmark for corporate issuance and fund its budget deficit. The

units of sale are N1, 000 per unit subject to a minimum subscription of N10, 000 and in multiples of N1, 000 thereafter.

According to DMO, “For re-openings of previously issued bonds, successful bidders will pay a price corresponding to the yield-to-maturity bid that clears the volume being auctioned, plus accrued interest from the original issue date”.

It is also stipulated that the interest payment be payable semi-annually and also bullet repayment on the maturity date.

Analysts said the offer qualifies as securities in which trustees can invest under the Trustee Investment Act. It also qualifies as government securities within the meaning of Company Income Tax Act and Personal Income Tax Act for Tax Exemption for Pension Funds amongst other investors.

Successful bids for the three and five year offers were allotted at the marginal rates of 11.0390 per cent and 12.2300 per cent respectively.

However, the original coupon rates of 10.50 per cent and four per cent for the three and five year offers respectively will be maintained.

By this development, investors are expected to receive a guaranteed, competitive, fixed interest income every six months as well as their principal amount at maturity. Such contributions will help in the development of a culture of long term saving and mobilisation of funds for the development of infrastructure and the real sector of the economy.

South Africa bonds sales exceed target

S

OUTH Africa sold 605 million rand ($87 million) of inflation-linked bonds, more than planned, as investors bet the Central Bank will raise interest rates this year to arrest price increases in Africa’s biggest economy.

The Pretoria-based Reserve Bank sold 245 million rand ($53 million) of 2.75 per cent inflation-linked bonds maturing in 2022 at an average yield of 2.52 per cent, one basis point lower than at the previous auction of the debt on May 20, according to the central bank’s data on Bloomberg.

Price increases in South Africa are driven mostly by “cost-push” factors such as international food and oil prices, which are beyond the effect of local monetary policy, Deputy Governor Daniel Mminele said.

The bank would raise interest rates if these costs spread to other prices, he said. “Interest in the weekly inflation-linked auction is

expected to continue. The data continue to test our base-line view of a September rate hike,” Rand Merchant Bank analysts led by Theuns de Wet said.

The apex bank forecasts this month that inflation will breach the three percent to six per cent target in the first quarter of 2012, peaking at 6.3 per cent.

It also placed 360 million rand of 3.45 per cent notes due 2033 at an average yield of 2.54 per cent, one basis point, or 0.01 percentage point lower than at the previous auction. It didn’t allocate any 2.6 per cent bonds due 2028. The bank had invited bids for 600 million rand of linkers, as the securities are known.

The 10-year breakeven rate, or yield difference between inflationlinked bonds and standard notes of similar maturity, is 5.78 per cent.

If the breakeven rate is below average inflation, linkers return more than fixed-interest bonds.

PLEDGE

DISAPPROVAL

Youths rehabilitate cemetery

Lamido promises to do more

NGO condemns face-off over prostitution

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SERVICE

Sokoto 26

Jigawa

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Abuja

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Email: news_extra@yahoo.com

WEDNESDAY JUNE 15, 2011

Page 25

Wamakko consoles windstorm victims

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ESIDENTS of parts of Sokoto State where a windstorm wreaked havoc have heard some soothing words from Governor Aliyu Wamakko.

The governor urged them to cheer up and consider what happened as an act of God. The windstorm preceded a heavy downpour which destroyed houses, ripping off roofs and bringing down

Wamakko

From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

electricity poles.

Several other structures in parts of Sokoto, the state capital, were similarly affected by the storm.

The rains lasted several hours, blocking drains and other channels. Roads were flooded, making commuting difficult.

Wamakko in a release issued by his Special Assistant on Press Affairs, Muhammadu Abubakar

Dangusau, prayed God to forestall a recurrence.

He also asked the Almighty to give the victims the strength to bear the losses.

He urged residents of the state to imbibe the spirit of communal work, calling on individuals to embrace collective projects as a way speeding up socio-economic and environmental development in the state.

The governor in the release, also

called on individual families to engage in self-help activities in the communities, and not wait for government to do everything.

Wamakko urged them to take up the evacuation of blocked drains in order to help keep the environment free of waste. “This will not only help to clean theenvironment,itwillalsoassistin eliminating tendencies of infection and such related health dangers as malaria,thegovernorsaid.

Corps member empowers women in purdah 50 acquire skills in making pastries, soap, beads Benefactor wants them to be productive, self-reliant

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O fewer than 50 less privileged Kano State women in purdah can now make pastries, beads, soap, pomade, among other things thanks to the vision and determination of a Batch B member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Miss Prisca Osim, a graduate of Marketing, University of Calabar, saw beyond the brief of her primary assignment, and even beyond the post-election crisis Kano and other places in the North.

What looked like spontaneous violence swept across the North immediately after the April 12 elections, claiming several lives including those of Corps members in Bauchi State. A number of NYSC personnel serving in the North have left the region resolving not to return. Prisca is not among them. She believes she has a role to play in imparting skills to women who, for religious reasons, spend most of their lives in the house. Her driving force in life is how to empower women and make them self-reliant. Her motto is “teach a man how to fish instead of giving him fish�.

Against all odds, she assembled 50 less privileged women in purdah, including widows, and through patience and humility, imparted in them productive skills that will help them to improve their socio-economic conditions. The skill acquisition programme covers making of pastries, beads, pomade and soap.

The 27-year-old Prisca believes her posting to Kano was an opportunity for her to lift her fellow women out of poverty, ignorance and disease.

In order to formalise the

:Prisca (pan in hand) and the women From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

training, certificates were presented to the women at a well attended ceremony.

Prisca said she derived her inspiration from her late grandmother, Madam Sarah Uyoung, and was carefully guided by her parents, Mr. Francis and

Mrs. Veronica Osim, all natives of position where they can contribute Cross River State. She told the to the economic development of gathering that her empowerment the nation. programme was borne out of her Continued on Page 26 desire to put the women in a

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

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Youths rehabilitate cemetery Y OUTHS of Tudun Wada, a community in Sokoto South Local Government Area of Sokoto State have begun the rehabilitation of a dilapidated cemetery in the locality.

The cemetery has been in existence for about 25 years and shows clear signs of age. But that was not only reason for the youths’ interventionist effort.

Scavengers such as dogs, even grave robbers, could subject the gravesite to all manner of attack.

Muslim youths under the aegis of Sokoto Youth Enlightenment Forum who saw the wisdom and religious value, reward and health advantage of it by hurriedly coming together to initiate a group donation of materials and joint labour to put the cemetery in shape against negative conditions of dilapidation, a tendency it believed could give rise to many dangerous activities.

Chairman of the Forum, Bashir Abubakar Marina who mobilised quite a number of youths to the cemetery to carry out the community work after donating materials as woods, grass, sand and water, said their efforts informed

From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

by the need to practically commit their faith to the work of Allah.

He said, ‘’ we want to ensure that the cemetery gets the care and attention of our fellow Muslims and you can see that some of the graves are open with holes everywhere around them. ‘’ It is our responsibility as Muslims to tidy our cemeteries as they are our earthly abode in the end’’, he added.

Abubakar further called on government to support the crusade by extending its helping hands for the routine maintenance of cemeteries in the state adding that’’ the state government, Sokoto North and South councils should intensify efforts towards imbibing the culture’’ just as he noted that the new cemetery needs constant water supply ‘’ it needs a borehole such that maintenance would be easy’’ Also, Malam Ladan Shehu Masallacin Shehu and Chair-

•Continued from Page 25 “I was moved with great compassion without putting into consideration the challenges that we face as corps members,” she said.

“For me, there was nothing to fear, because I believe I am as good as the best and as strong as the mightiest, holding onto the view that the fundamentals of a man are not in substance, but in spirit. This forms part of my motivational force that inspired me to give the world the best I have.

“My inspiration was borne out of the fact that majority of women in this region depend solely on other people or their husbands for assistance. But there are many of them who do not have anyone to rely on. So this touched me and what I could offer for them to be independent in their lives is to embark on this empowerment programme to make life more meaningful for them.

“I will remain resolute in meeting the yearnings and aspirations of the less privileged women. My commitment is to serve this nation and its people to the best of my

•The youths at work

man, Muslim Grave-yards Maintainers Association said the implication of neglecting cemeteries without proper maintenance was enormous in Islam, stating that’’ a lot of disasters could befall the society in many dimensions which cannot be controlled by human efforts.

“We don’t wait to see these im-

portant places dilapidating without making something. We will one day find our bodies here too’’, he reminded Muslims.

According to him’’ I had to chase out five dogs from the cemetery recently’’, a worrisome situation that has to be reversed he called.

Although, while acknowledging the efforts of Professor Musa

Garba Maitafsir, the state Religious Affairs Commissioner for both cash and material( wheeled barrows, hoes, pans, shovels) donations for the maintenance of the cemetery, said it was not enough’’ government and those in religious authorities have to be consistent on the crusade by regular campaigns to attract commitments of the Muslim ummah’’

Corps member empowers purdah women ability, and uphold the legacy of our great heroes like the late Alhaji Tafawa Balewa, Obafemi Awolowo and Nnamdi Azikewe who established the foundation of Nigeria.“ She made a passionate appeal to the Kano

State government under the leadership ofAlhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to support the women with seed capital to enable them purchase the equipment needed to put their skills to use.

I promised the women that whatever assistance they need, I will not hesitate to do my best to come to their aid. I urge you not to abandon the skills you have acquired as these would go a long way to change your lives

•A community leader presenting a certificate to one of the beneficiaries

Prisca also congratulated the beneficiaries for completing what she described as a wonderful journey through thick and thin, urging them to put their newly acquired skills into practice.

“I am proud of you because despite your constraints, you persevered in learning how to bake pastries and make beads, pomade and soap,” she said.

The Batch ‘B’ corps member did not only train the women, she also encouraged them to lift up their heads above the socio-economic circumstances around them and gain a place of economic reckoning for themselves.

“This is just the beginning of your hope and dreams and I pray God to give you the wisdom to accomplish your mission in life,” she told them. “I plead with you to ensure quality control during production. This will enhance patronage of your products.”

Mindful of the contributions of some Nigerians to the successful execution of the empowerment programme, Prisca expressed appreciation to individuals and institutions that supported her in her quest to empower the women. She listed the Managing Director of Nationwide Advertisement Ltd, High Chief Francis Eshiebor, former Joint and Matriculations Board (JAMB) boss, Prof.

Bello Salim, who is now the Chairman of Kano State Pensions Board, the Chairperson of the Voice of Widows, Orphans and Divorcees (VOWOD), Hajiya Atine Abdullahi, and the Kano State NYSC Coordinator, Malam Lawal Zariya and many others. She described them as the silent engine propelling the success of the empowerment programme.

The Village Head of Angwa Uku Alhaji Ya’u Ahmed, who represented the Emir of Kano at the certificate presentation ceremony, was optimistic that the skill acquisition programme would serve as impetus for the economic prosperity of the less privileged women.

Prisca said: “I promised the women that whatever assistance they need, I will not hesitate to do my best to come to their aid. I urge you not to abandon the skills you have acquired as these would go a long way to change your lives.”

The Kano State Coordinator of the NYSC, Malam Lawal Zariya said he was moved to help by Prisca’s resourcefulness.

The general consensus at the certificate presentation ceremony was that Nigeria would be a better place if its youthsdemonstrate the passion of Miss Prisca Osim towards uplifting the weak in the society.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

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•Dakingari

S part of efforts to empower more people and reduce poverty in the Kebbi State, Governor Saidu Dakingari has purchased and distributed 200 vehicles, 500 motorcycles to members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

He also purchased 20 tricycles, popularly known as Keke Napep.

However, the vehicles, procured at N161 million, were given to the beneficiaries on loan.

Speaking at the distribution ceremony, Governor Dakingari said his administration has already paid about 30

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•The motorcyles distributed

Dakingari provides vehicles, motorcycles for transporters From Khadijat Saidu, Birnin Kebbi

per cent of the total cost of each of the vehicles and motorcycles, adding that the loan is expected to be paid back within the period of 24 months.

He then urged the beneficiaries to pay back promptly to enable others who are yet to benefit from the loan to do so.

The National President of the NURTW, Najeem Usman commended the governor for the gesture, adding that this is the first

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HE Plateau State chapter of the Association of Local Government Council of Nigeria (ALGON) has provided the sum of N17m for the College of Agriculture, Garkawa, to facilitate the completion and equipment of its laboratories. The institution is the only state-owned college of agriculture which does not have befitting labs. It was established about fifteen years ago by the last military administration in the state to replace the earlier one which was taken away from the state with the creation of Nasarawa state from Plateau State.

The 1999 administration of Joshua Dariye inherited the uncompleted college from the military administration. Dariye provided everything for the take off of the institution except for the laboratories.

But knowing full well that such institution cannot function properly without the required laboratories, the state chapter of ALGON decided to intervene and give the college a face

NAFDAC steps up border surveillance

HE Director-General of the National Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul B. Orhii has said that the agency has stepped up surveillance at the nation’s borders in order to check the operations of drug smugglers.

He also said efforts are being made to encourage local pharmaceutical companies to produce good quality drugs, a development which he said will help to discourage drug smuggling.

A wide range of prohibited drugs are ferried into the country by smugglers and end up in the hands of hawkers.

Drugs valued at millions of Naira have seized from hawkers, while hundreds of people have been arrested.

Orhii disclosed in Sokoto, seat of the

•Governor Wamakko speaking at the event

time the state government will give priority attention to the union.

Usman assured the government that his members will use the vehicles judiciously.

He also assured the governor that his members will continue to support the state.

From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

caliphate, that a strong link has been established between drug hawking and its abuse, particularly among youths, farmers and housewives.

“Tramal is one of the controlled drugs highly abused by farmers and other adults,” he said.

Orhii said the agency has stepped up surveillance and enforcement activities at border posts in the country in order to contain the increasing wave of cross-border smuggling and hawking of illicit products.

He also disclosed that the agency has concluded plans to establish a border post •Continued on Page 40

Plateau council chiefs boost college with N17m From Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos

lift by raising the necessary funds for the provisions of laboratories for the college.

Chairman Mikang local government, Daniel Kungmi, where the college is located revealed that the absence of necessary laboratories has deprived the college of accreditation of its courses by the National Board for technical Education (NBTE) since its creation.

The council boss who disclosed this during an assessment visit by the implementation committee to the college said, “ALGON has been able to raise the needed funds for the laboratory project and the project is to be completed within 30 days to guarantee academic excellence” He said, “Though this is a state government

The provisions of laboratories for the college will not only speed up accreditation of its courses but also guarantee subsequent introduction of higher national diploma program in the college

institution located in my council, I have to take the cry of the school management to ALGON to intervene in its problem because I know the state government already has more that it can chew which is why I have to look elsewhere for the fund and my colleagues have heeded my cry and they have provided funds for the laboratories”.

Kungmi stressed that, “This is an intervention funds belonging to the 17 local government of the state and there is the need for prudent utilisation of the funds so as to achieve the desired results. This is why I will ensure that the project is strictly supervised and also ensure it is completed on scheduled. You know my tradition of quality job and strict compliance with contractual agreement, because there is no room to waste scarce resources, said Kungmi.

According to Kungmi, “The provisions of laboratories for the college will not only speed up accreditation of its courses but also guarantee subsequent introduction of higher national diploma program in the college” Kungmi who lauded the support of the Plateau state governor, Jonah Jang towards ALGON in the state, appealed

to the striking workers to give government another opportunity to renegotiate for amicable settlement.

A member of the implementation committee and chairman Pankshin local government, Yohana Dukas said the intervention would go a long way in ameliorating the suffering of the students as well as enhancing accelerated accreditation.

Provost of the college, Dr. Oliver Ndam who commended the gesture, assured the implementation committee of engaging the services of a reputable contractor for optimum results. The provost also commended the chairman of the host local government for his numerous assistance to the college.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

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Uduaghan challenges media on ethnic balancing

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• Uduaghan

ELTA State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has appealed to the media to take cognizance of the peculiarities of the state in their news reports, programmes and other publications Uduaghan, who made the appeal during a courtesy visit by the New General Manager of NTA Asaba, Mrs. Pauline Igbanor and her management team, said there should be ethnic balancing in programmes aired.

He explained that Delta State is made up of different ethnic groups that are concerned about their representation on

Students get N213m bursary awards

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N its bid to ensure standard and qualitative education for its indigenes, Sokoto State government through the state Scholarship Board would begin disbursing over N213 million bursary awards to self sponsored students of the state origin undergoing courses in various academic disciplines Overseas.

Accordingly, the board said as soon as the necessary arrangement was concluded, the exercise would commence.

The disbursement exercise followed approval for the release of the fund by Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko who on many occasions, described education as the basis for advancement and should not be neglected pointing out that no amount was too much to invest in it.

However, the board explained that in fulfilment of the exercise, beneficiaries would

Sokoto From: Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

be expected to make available to the board; evidence of registration, academic transcripts for 2009/2010 academic session as well as copy of the passport and entry stamped visa in addition to approved dissertation or comprehensive report from the supervisor in case of postgraduate students.

The Executive Chairman, state Scholarship Board, Alhaji Abdulkadir Jelani Kalgo who disclosed in a statement issued by the board’s PRO, Isah Abubakar Shuni, said the bursary covers students currently undergoing various courses across 26 countries in the world. ‘’ They are those who registered against 2009/2010 academic session and are currently active in their respective institutions.

Food firm remembers children

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HILDREN’S Day, typically, is celebrated every May 27 across the country. However, Annapurna Salt from West Africa Popular Foods, waited another week before hosting some of the best and brightest students from select secondary schools in Lagos at the Raypower FM Children’s Day celebration.

The event, which took place last Friday at the Raypower Studios, Alagbado, had in attendance students from schools like Apata Memorial High School, Solomon Grace and Good Shepherd College, all in Lagos, among others. As part of activities to celebrate the day, there was a debate which was aired on Raypower. Thereafter, there was cutting of the Children’s Day cake. One of the students confessed that the debate really helped him to put his mental capacity to test.

The National Customer Manager, Mike Idoko, said: “We know the connection between UNICEF and the children. That is why we are celebrating Children’s Day

Lamido promises to do more

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HE Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido has said his second term will be tough because there is so much to be achieved, just as he read riot act to the to civil servants who openly participated in politics during the last elections .

Governor Lamido, who revealed this during the presentation of report by the chairman of the transition committee and the former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Aminu Abdullahi, said the days of funfairs are gone as hardwork will be rewarded as the administration have much to do in the next four years.

He said his administration will study the recommendations as well as the problems encountered to enable them move ahead for better governance.

He thanked the civil servants for a peaceful working relationship in the past and admonished them to recognise the

Delta national affairs, adding that it was the collective responsibility of the media to ensure a peaceful state.

Dr. Uduaghan also charged NTA to help create awareness on government programmes and policies and set agenda on achievements recorded.

“A lot of Deltans are not aware of state government programmes and projects.

One way we can make people aware is by taking this information to them through the media, so as to appreciate government efforts. I implore you to do so,” Governor Uduaghan said.

Speaking further, the governor praised the immediate past NTA G.M. Mrs. Gladys Nsan, for closely working with the government and ensuring that information were widely disseminated to all crannies of the state and beyond.

He assured the new Igbanor and her management team that the state government would give them the needed logistic support to ensure that they efficiently carry out their responsibilities in the state.

In a brief remark, the new G.M. of NTA, Mrs. Pauline Igbanor commended Governor Uduaghan for his visionary leadership which has led to improved massive infrastructure development in the state which she believed would open up the state for economic growth.

She observed that the interest of the government was also the interest of NTA as the station was out to serve Deltans saying “Our approach is to create positive image of the state to the world”.

Wamakko flags off sale of N1..5b fertiliser Sokoto From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

• Benue State Deputy Governor Stephen Lawani (left) with the Senate President, David Mark during Mark’s Thank You victory party for his community in Otukpo, Benue State

FCT to sign investment pact with Mexico T

HE Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) is set to seal an investment pact with Mexico City to ensure mutual benefits.

The FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Biodun

Abuja

From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

with these students because this product is focused at growing children. Our payoff line says it is meant for the growing minds.

Essentially, Annapurna is for the children, it makes them sharp and bright.”

Nathaniel Olorunfemi, made this disclosure in a meeting with the Mexican Ambassador to Nigeria in Abuja.

According to him, the technical officials will soon visit Mexico City to concretise the partnership arrangement.

The permanent secretary reiterated that the collaboration would afford the technical officials of the two cities the opportunity to share experiences and exchange ideas on the running of the duo metropolitan cities.

Dr. Olorunfemi noted that the two cities have a lot to learn from one another; saying that Mexico is an emerging economy that can positively impact on Nigeria especially, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The permanent secretary revealed that the FCT Administration will also encourage business community in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja to visit Mexico and find possible ways of investment.

Speaking earlier, the Mexican Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Luis Alberto Barrero Stahl described Abuja as a beautiful and wonderful city where opportunities abound.

Revival

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HE Mount of Glory Christ Apostolic Church will begin a three-day revival from today. The Friday session will be a vigil from 10pm to 5:am with the theme: God can do it. The venue is 25/27 Tadeyo Street, Idera Hall, Mushin, Lagos.

Speaking on the programme,the host, Pastor Ola Rufus said:” The programme is at the instance of God, saying we should embark on this monthly revival. As for the theme, whether you are seeking fruitful marriage, breakthrough or any other thing, God remains the same that will do the wonder as Hebrew 13:8 says”.

Pastor Ola advised those that would attend to come with their faith and that there would be anointing service during the vigil.

•A farmer harvestig rice in Bauchi

BRIEFS

Lawmaker donates to storm victims SENATOR Babayo Garba representing Bauchi North Senatorial Zone has donated N500,000 to victims of windstorm in Gadau town in Itas/Gadau Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

Gamawa, the immediate past Bauchi State Deputy Governor, made the donation to the district head of Gadau Alhaji Mohamadu Sa,adu.

He urged the victims to take the disaster as an act of God.He explained that

his donation was to help them repair the damage done to their buildings.

He assured the people that the government will also assist them to reduce their suffering ,saying he will personally present their case to the Senate when it resumes.

Receiving the donation, the Gadau District Head thanked the Senator for the gesture, saying it will go a long way in alleviating the hardship being experienced by the victims.

NAFDAC close in on eateries

From right: Bimbo Otubu, Enzymes Communications; Mike Idoko (behind) National Customer Manager, Annapurna, and some of the students

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AGAINST the backdrop of curbing incidence of food poisoning, the National Agency for Food and Administration and Control ( NAFDAC ) has warned that it will not hesitate to sanction any operator of quick service restaurant (QSR) who fails to comply with good hygienic practices.

According to the Public Relation Officer (PRO) of the agency, Mrs Christiana Obiazikwor, NAFDAC has embarked on series of activities to sanitise the activities

of the restaurants which have resulted in the closure of several QSR outlets which were found in unsatisfactory sanitary and hygienic conditions.

“The agency outlined standard of facilities to be put in place and continued to monitor compliance with good hygienic practices. We have organised workshops and training for operators of QSR to enlighten them on the acceptable standard of hygienic practices expected.

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OVERNOR Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State has flagged -off the sale of 14,000 tonnes of fertilisers procured at the cost of N1.5 billion for farmers. He called on youths to avail themselves the opportunity and go back to farm for mass food production just as he said that the state government has earmarked N5 billion for agriculture in this year’s budget.

However, the royal father of the day and Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III among top dignitaries also urged youths in the state to be law abiding towards achieving peace and unity for the overall development of the country.

According to the revered leader, ‘’ youths should be symbol of positive development and ambassadors of discipline for the strength and stability of the nation’’, he added.

Speaking in Isa, headquarters of Isa Local Government Area in the state where the sales of the product took place for distribution to farmers, Governor Wamakko said it was time for every citizen of Nigeria to embrace farming activity in order to boost agriculture.

According to the governor, the state government has mapped out a policy plan to ensure that agricultural inputs were extended to legitimate practising farmers at low cost to ensure mass production of food to ensure food security and export.

He said the youths constituted over and above a large proportion of the nation’s population and should not be allowed to waste in talent and ability to contribute to the socio-economic development of the society where their future laid.

Ekpan residents fear reprisal attack

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FTER two days of relentless gun battle between rival youth groups, uneasy calm now pervaded restive Ekpan Community in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State.

But there was still palpable tension in the community following fears of reprisal attacks by a faction, which member was killed during the violence.

Residents of the area told our correspondent that they are not carried away by what one of them described as the prevailing ‘peace of the grave yard’ in the community.

The peace in the strategic community, which host the Warri Refinery and other oil companies, was again shattered on Friday night when supporters of two politicians in the Uvwie town engaged in a gun duel that lasted several hours.

It was gathered that one person, suspected to be a wanted warlord in the area, was killed in the violence.

Sources told our correspondent that the latest trouble was sparked off by the release of five persons who were earlier arrested by the police for alleged murder. The suspects were detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department before

Delta

Jigawa plight of the state when making demands The transition committee whose assignment was to review government activities in the last four years and make recommendations, scored the past administration 90 percent, saying several billions of Naira were spent on capital projects executed across the state.

The committee added that the administration inherited an empty treasury and an unorganised administration but worked hard to improve social services, infrastructure both at the state and local levels.

The state governor reappointed the Head of Service Alhaji Mustapha Aminu, saying that his reappointment was based on merit. He has as appointed the Chief of Staff, Alhaji Aminu

NEMA holds workshop on climate change

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N view of the devastating effect of flood in North-Western states last year, a regional workshop on climate change and disaster risk management, organised by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) opened in Sokoto yesterday where dam managers and other stakeholders would be exposed to strategies against the repeat of last year’s experience.

The Director General, Alhaji Muhammad Sani Sidi, said that the growing threat from climaterelated disasters must either be prevented or mitigated. He regretted that in 2010 alone, 23 states of the federation were affected by devastating flood disasters with serious consequences on the socio-economic wellbeing of the affected communities.

He said:“Disasters wipes out hard-earned development gains and compels government to divert scarce resources from strategic projects to fund relief and rehabilitation, resulting in major set-backs in development

Abuja From: Franca Ochigbo, Abuja

and economic growth.

“In order to prevent the reoccurrence of the massive climate-related disasters of last year, NEMA is bringing together stakeholders in disaster management from the communities, local and state governments, federal government, academia and development partners at the workshop which will, among others, develop action plans for combating the hazards.

The DG disclosed that the workshop will also be held in the other geo-political zones of the country at later dates because of the importance attached to this emergency management initiative. The workshop will be held in all the six geo-political zones in Nigeria.

Ede community rallies support for deputy speaker T

HE people of Ede, Osun State last week paid courtesy call on the Deputy Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Kolawole Taiwo in view of his untainted performance in the House since 1999.

The leader of the group, Prof Siyan Oyeweso, who spoke on behalf of Timi of Ede, Oba Munirudeen Lawal, said Hon. Taiwo was a good ambassador of Ede people who they were proud of because of his sense of humility, hard work and commitment to the service of the country.

He said: “We are here on behalf of the people and the Timi of Edeland, our own Hon. Kalawole Taiwo is not just a humble man but a lawmaker with a difference. People say prophets are not honoured at home but in this case, he is a prophet honoured at home and by the people of Ede. Prof Oyeweso explained that Lagos is a good society and the centre of excellence which provided inroads for dynamic minds like Hon. Taiwo to render services to their fatherland.

“Since 1999, Hon Taiwo has become a recurring decimal in the politics of Lagos State and we are proud today he is the Deputy Speaker of Lagos House of Assembly, on behalf of the good people Ede and those of us that are colleagues in some other segments, we are happy to identify with you because you are a

From Shola O’neil, Warri

their release last week.

The Divisional Police Office in the area, Mr. Muazu Mohammed, who confirmed the death of one person during the shoot out, said the suspect (names withheld) was one of those wanted in connection with the crisis in the area.

He further disclosed that two gangs were involved in the violence, which occurred while he was away in Kano for the burial of his late uncle.

Muazu, who refused to divulge the names of the masterminds of the crisis, however revealed that the fighting was part of the ongoing tussle between some power brokers in the Urhobo community.

The police chief, however, revealed that sanity had been return to the area, adding, “We were able to get down into the matter and prevent plans by some of the group members to burn a section of the community. The situation was saved because we were quick to get to the place.

The police is on top of the security situation,” he added.

•Lamido Ringin, advising both to keep the good spirit of hard work.

•Delegates from Ede with Hon. Taiwo

By Musa Odoshimokhe

good ambassador of the people.”

Hon Taiwo who treated his guests to a sumptuous lunch at the Renaissance Hotel, Ikeja said: “I really appreciate the delegation sent by the Timi of Edeland to felicitate with me, there is nothing as honourable when an entire community finds it expedient to celebrate you. What they have done is like an endorsement from my people. I really thank them and I appreciate this noble gesture because it makes me proud.”

He noted that even though what he has done for them was very minimal, the people still showed their support for him as a worthy child who should be given the needed support in terms of prayers and otherwise to enable him excel in the Centre of Excellence.

Hon. Taiwo who described his forage into politics as eventful, started by identifying with the people of his constituency, Amukoko, suburb of Lagos, where he started as one of the youth leaders. It was in the course of championing the cause of the people they identified with him and supported him for the position he has attained in Lagos State.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

Life African Lace illustrates that the world-wide exchange of goods and ideas and the possibilities of global communication and mobility do not necessarily result in McDonaldisation of the world... – SEE PAGE 32

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Text only: 08023058761

Lace: A fabric like no other

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

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A young Nigerian couple, Ayo and Agnes, migrated to the United States in search of the American dream in the new movie, "Tears of my joy." Caught up in the hardships that come with not having the Green Card, the husband convinced his wife to marry a trusted friend, Eric. This became a quick fix that came at a price to their marriage. "Tears of my joy" is the first movie produced by Moses Adedeji, a Nigerian writer and producer based in New Jersey. Adedeji is a 1988 graduate of Theatre Arts from the University of Ibadan. The movie features Nollywood star Tonto Dikeh, who plays the role of Agnes. It was directed by Bethels Agomuoh, a Nigerian actor and film director from Imo State, based in America, who also plays Eric. Since its release late last year, "Tears of my joy" has become the most-sold African movie on AfricanMovies.com. It has also been widely embraced by Nigerian churches across America and by immigrants of various races living in the US. ADEOLA FAYEHUN met Adedeji and Agomuoh in New York.

‘We’ll rather have Nigerian hell than American dream’

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HAT inspired the story in the movie?

There was a day someone called me to organise a wedding for him. When I got there, the wedding was actually for his wife getting married to somebody else.

The idea just came to me that what’s going to happen at the end of the day if this guy allows somebody else to marry his real wife with children? I started following that story and, at the end of the day, the man lost his wife to his American friend; that’s how I developed Tears of my joy.

It is actually the real life story of immigrants and it relates to any immigrant. Whoever comes here, if you don’t have your papers, you have to go through certain things and it’s not that easy.

How do you relate this movie with people in Nigeria?

Everybody thinks America is a land of opportunity where things just fall into your laps or you just become a rich man in a day. It’s not like that. I’ll rather have Nigerian hell than to have American dream. If you’re in your 40s and you’re coming to America to look for green card, I would say don’t do it, because the stress in this country can kill you. Unless of course you know you will be employed when you get to America. If something is waiting for you, yes you can come. But if not, you’re going to go through American hell.

Whatever you own in Nigeria is yours; your family will help you, you’ll have people to fall back on. But here in America, you don’t have anybody to fall back on.

You’re on your own. And you must have adequate provision before coming to America.

How do you feel with how the movie was received?

It is well received and it makes me feel good. I’ve seen a lot of people asking why I stopped the movie where it ended. They call me and say I need part two. As a matter of fact, most people that have watched the movie have written the part 2 for me. They call and send me emails of what they hope to see in part 2.

How long did it take to put it together?

It took over a year to put it together.

I notice you have a Nollywood actress Yes, certain Nollywood actors and actresses are well accepted here in America not only in Nigeria, and if you don’t have them in your movie, you may not sell it or people may not embrace it. Tonto Dikeh is one of the major actresses in Africa not only in Nigeria because she does a lot of things all over the place like in Ghana and other countries. And the very first time I would see her in this movie, she’s a very talented actress and she actually carried that movie just like the director had told me.

To the Director, Mr. Bethels Agomuoh Did you change anything in the story?

•Adedeji and Agomuoh

‘I’m not discouraging people from coming to America, but before you come, do your research properly, don’t just jump in the plane, because what you will go through here is not going to be easy’ Of course!

How did the producer react?

Some of them he liked, some of them he didn’t like. But at the end of the day, the producer had a vision of what he wanted people to see, and I as the film director had to make sure the movie is equally marketable. I’ve never worked with a producer I didn’t fight with, but at the end of the day we come back and still be friends.

How was it like working with Tonto?

It was so much fun. She took the script and she interpreted it in a way I never even imagined. She took her character to the next level.

What do you have to say about people who use other people’s green card to work?

Moses- Why do you want to face tough time in America If your country accepts you? Why would you want to go through all that headache? Why don’t you go back to your country and settle and do the best that you can?

Whatever you have achieved here you can take it back home and make use of it. You don’t have to go through all that.

Bethel (Laughed) – It’s very easy to say get up and go.

But in reality, it’s not easy. “Tears of my joy” poses a question: “What is a man or woman willing to do for survival? So when a man is faced with such despair, you never know what you will do. Every body has their own way of dealing with such desperation, and it is the desperation that immigrants in this country deal with eve-

ryday.

A lot of people believe if you’re in America you’re really making it, and to go back with nothing will be a shame Moses - Yoruba adage says if you don’t know where you’re going to, you know where you’re coming from.

Your country can never send you back; there’ll always be something that you can always get back home.

Bethel interrupted – Who said that? Try going to your village with nothing in your pocket, they will send you back. Even your grand mother will say why did you come? I beg go back there.

Moses laughing – I’m not discouraging people from coming to America, but before you come, do your research properly, don’t just jump in the plane, because what you will go through here is not going to be easy.

What is the danger in using other people’s green card?

Bethel - It is illegal, you’re risking yourself and the owner of the green card. That is risking double deportation.

What do you hope people will get out of this movie?

Moses – God can make a way for you in a minute, so don’t give up. When all doors are closed, a new door will be opened. And when God opens the door for you, nobody can close it.

Bethel – simply put, God works in mysterious ways.

And whatever challenges you’re facing right now it’s God’s way of getting you to your destiny.

Donors pledge $4.3 billion for children’s health

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NITED Nations Chidren’s Education Fund (UNICEF) has said that the generosity and commitment of the donors will benefit the lives of millions of the poorest and most vulnerable children around the world. The total funding pledged $4.3 billion signals a brighter future for children.

The children’s agency said while 82 per cent of the world’s children receive vaccines, one child in five, those most vulnerable to disease and living in the hardest to reach communities, lack access to these lifesaving medicines.

“The outcome of this pledging conference is exciting and tremendous news which will save millions of lives of the most threatened children around the world,” said Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director.

“And UNICEF renews its pledge to redouble our own efforts to help governments and other partners deliver vaccines to the hardest to reach children.”

UNICEF, a founding member of GAVI, supplies nearly 60 per cent of the world’s children with vaccines. In 2010, UNICEF purchased on behalf of GAVI and developing countries, around 2.53 billion doses of traditional and new vaccines worth $750 million.

As the leading vaccine procurement agency in the world, with its supply division based in Copenhagen, UNICEF contributes to the health and security of the global vaccine market.

UNICEF’s procurement work is guided by an over-arching vaccine security strategy that entails working with multiple, WHO-prequalified suppliers to discourage monopolies;

accurately forecasting multi-year global vaccine needs in order to negotiate favourable prices and ensure an adequate supply of vaccines; and securing the safe and timely delivery of the vaccines to countries.

Beyond procurement, UNICEF works with governments to help deliver vaccines to communities via a “cold chain”, train vaccinators, and ensure that care-givers understand the importance of immunization and how to access it.

The GAVI Alliance, UNICEF and partners aim to save an additional four million children’s lives by 2015 by increasing access to new and traditional vaccines. Despite significant progress in reducing childhood mortality, nearly two million children still die each year from vaccine-preventable diseases.

•Continued on page 36

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Why investors must go into tourism

LIFELINE

Kid author launches book

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EN-YEAR-OLD kid author Adeoluwa Samuel Sogunle will launch two books entitled: “The Unstoppable Unity” and “Lost in the Big City” today at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The event will be chaired by Dr Reuben Abati, Editorial Board chairman of The Guardian.

The Unstoppable Unity is an 80-page well illustrated book published by Pyramid Unit Publishers. Lost in the Big City chronicles a true life experience further embellished by the young author’s imagination.

Adeoluwa has won several awards including The Rock Montessori, ‘Youngest Reader’ Award, Best in Library award and has a certificate of participation in Kids Got Talent Concert.

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IGERIAN investors have been urged to invest in tourism instead of oil, which is saturated.

The Tourism is a money-spinning sector which will outlast the oil business, said the Managing Director of the Plateau Tourism Corporation, Mr James Yakubu.

Yakubu spoke with The Nation in his office in Jos, the Plateau State capital. He urged would-be investors to partner with the corporation to develop the tourists’ sites in the state, explaining that such partnership will be beneficial to both parties.

He encouraged tourists to visit the various tourists’ sites as peace has fully returned to the state. There are good road networks to facilitate tourists’ mobility as well as comfortable lodgings where they can relax and enjoy the serene atmosphere, Yakubu said.

Listing the tourism sites, Yakubu stressed that efforts have been intensified to ensure that they reclaimed their lost glory and maintain Plateau’s position as the foremost tourism state.

According to him, “Tourism is a way of life, it is not just about the tourists’ sites alone, other factors enhance tourism, you see tourism in a clean environment, good road network, good architectural designs and peaceful atmosphere. We have been trying to achieve these to ensure that when a tourist comes to the state, he/she will not see it in disarray. This will not encourage

•Wild life

‘The recent disturbances gave the sector a setback, but the corporation has bounced back with the return of peace. I believe we are doing the best we can to ensure we achieve the goal of making the state a true tourists’ haven’ From Marie-Therese Peter, Jos the tourist to come back neither will it attract investors that we are looking for.

“We are opening our doors to genuine private investors that would come and invest in our tourists’ sites. We want investors who would come in and we agree on what percentage we want them to be involved”.

On the challenges facing the sector, Yakubu said: “The recent disturbances gave the sector a setback, but the corporation has bounced back with the return of peace.

I believe we are doing the best we can to ensure we achieve the goal of making the state a true tourists’ haven. We do not need to rush things, so, we do not crash. We are taking our time to ensure good investors come in as other factors which enhance tourism have been put in place.

“Our income dropped with the disturbances because people were not coming but with the return of peace, things are picking up”.

However, he acknowledged that some of the sites needed an overhaul to stay in tandem with what is obtainable in developed societies hence, his appeal to genuine investors to partner with the government in turning the tourism sector into a moneyspinning venture.

His words, “We have been able to maintain and promptly feed the 174 species (animals) at the Jos Wildlife Park so that they do not look emaciated, we still need to transform the park before new species will be brought. Government cannot do these things alone, we need partners, investors.

The private sector should be involved, tourism is a money spinner at all times, oil will dry but tourism will outlast the oil wells”.

On-line journalism workshop

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OMMUNICATINg for Change and the Goethe Institut are organising an On-line Journalism workshop to strengthen the capacity of journalists. The workshop, entitled J-Lab Lagos: Tools& Trends in Online Journalism, began last Friday and will end today. It is facilitated

by XMLab and Sourcefabric from Germany and the Journalism and Media Studies Department of the Rhodes University in South Africa. The training includes the production of video-casts, pod-casts, blogs, and community journalism.

Nigeria the beautiful premieres at Muson

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HE premiere of the dance drama, Nigeria the beautiful, written by Odia Ofeimun and directed by Felix Okolo will hold at the Muson Centre, on Friday.

According to the executive producer and author of the dance drama, Ofeimun, the performance engages Nigeria’s history from Lord Fredrick Lugard, the first colonial Governor General, to the current occupant of Aso Rock, President Goodluck Jonathan.

“For a country on the verge of great socioeconomic transformations, we believe there is no better time to air, with a special ardour, a work of artistic representation that can energise the people without being trivial. This dance drama follows our highly successful performance of A fest of return, which tells the story of Southern Africa from Dingiswayo and Shaka Zulu to the Rainbow Coalition and the roundtable that brought Nelson Mandela to power after 29 years in prison. Essentially, we perform to spread a message of hope; believing that theatre can be used to promote development and to effect grand cultural renovations across the country,” Ofeimun said.

Ants and Giants holds at Quintessence

Commonwealth women artists gather for change

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GROUP art exhibition, Art of change, by women artists from Commonwealth nations will hold at the Royal Commonwealth Society at 25, Northumberland Avenue, London between July18 and August 1. The exhibition is being organised by Kambani Arts.

Art of Change is an exciting visual arts exhibition by a rich diversity of women artists. It is in line with the 2011 theme of the Commonwealth, Women as Agents of Change. Participants will be exploring change in their work, telling their own stories and portraying the theme in a variety of media for an exhibition that promises vibrancy, diversity, colour and creative expression.

According to the CEO of Kambani Art, Chima Ezeilo, “it’s been a wonderful

By Ozolua Uhakheme Assistant Editor (Arts)

journey… bringing so much diverse talent together from all over the Commonwealth to express change, something we don’t like but need … I’m really looking forward to this.

Royal Commonwealth Society’s Head of External Affairs, Joanna Bennett, said RCS is

‘This art exhibition promises to be one of the highlights of our calendar, uniting women artists from all over the world’

celebrating the 2011 Commonwealth theme, Women as Agents of Change in a variety of ways, from campaigning on girls’ education to hosting a series of events exploring women’s contemporary role in politics, business and religion. “This art exhibition promises to be one of the highlights of our calendar, uniting women artists from all over the world,” she added.

Kambani Arts was set up to express the voice of the unheard artist in a variety of creative media. Its focus is on art of African origin but extends to any world artist challenged with finding a platform.

Kambani Arts also has a strong vision focused on enhancing children’s cultural awareness through creative arts. Its campaign of HOPE seeks to help the disadvantaged find their creative artistic voice.

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NTS and Giants, an exhibition of experimental body of works by Adeola Balogun, will open at the Quintessence at Falomo Shopping Complex, Ikoyi, Lagos, on June 25. The show will run till July 9.

In this collection, sculptor Balogun, from the arrogance of political office holders and submissiveness of the led draws analogy from lesser creatures to alert reckless leaders about an imminent revolt. Balogun in this metallic and mixed media venom shares this thought on the similarities between the strength of supposedly weaker animals – against the arrogance of the so-called king of wildlife – and the struggle of the oppressed people, particularly in the developing nations, for selfdetermination.

The show also depicts neglect of Nigeria’s natural resources and wastefulness of its workforce. For the artist’s career, the works stress his protruding image as a metal artist whose zeal for other medium appears insatiable.

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Lace: A fabric like no other National Commission for Museums and Mounments, in collaboration with an Austrian museum, held African Lace in Lagos to unveil the fresh historical and cultural perspectives of the fabric, reports OZOULA UHAKHEME

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HIRTY-FOUR years ago, the importation of lace (embroidery textiles) into the country was not only banned by the General Olusegun Obasanjo’s military administration, but its smugglers got death penalty to the bargain. Today, that fabric, which is a fascinating aspect of Nigerian culture and life, has brought together Austria and Nigeria to celebrate its socio-economic evolution in a joint exhibition tagged: African Lace. It was curated

by Mayo Adediran and Barbara Plankensteiner.

Between October 22, 2010 and February 14, 2011, Austria held the exhibition at the Museum fur Volkerkunde, showcasing the rich material culture, especially lace attires from the 70s to present. The Lagos leg of the exhibition opened penultimate Friday at the National Museum, Onikan Lagos. Notwithstanding the black out that characterised the show since it opened, African Lace is museum’s biggest and well researched joint exhibition after Valley of the Niger exhibition in December 1995 through April 1996. It is the first time an exhibition of this magnitude would be developed between Austria and Nigeria to address contemporary popular culture, despite the long trade relationship.

The exhibition has a well-packaged 255-page brochure on the history of trade, creativity and fashion in Nigeria that features colourful photographs, illustrations and essays by different authors on trade relations between Austria and Nigeria, the history of lace, its casualties, fashion trends in Nigeria, aesthetics of textiles and dress in Nigeria, history of Austrian embroideries, celebrity reporting and party culture in Nigeria.

The photo splash on pages 8 and 9 of the brochure is symbolic of the level of sophistication party culture has gotten, (a typical Lagos party session), especially among the Southwest, where lace has acquired a distinctive character which expresses a level of wealth and position. Apart from ‘conferring prestige on events, lace conveys supreme elegance and value, and can be regarded as a symbol of high prestige.’

Unlike many in the past, African Lace is exceptional as it surpasses the classical themes of ethnology by exploring a history of dress and fashion, and integrates the perspective of contemporary artists.

According to the director, Museum of Ethnology, Vienna, Christian Feest, African Lace illustrates that the world-wide exchange of goods and ideas and the possibilities of global communication and mobility do not necessarily result in McDonaldisation of the world, but on the contrary may contribute to satisfying the desire to articulate local or regional distinctions.

In a chat with The Nation, Adediran said beyond the aesthetics, he was much concerned about how Lustenau in Vorarlberg (Western Austria), a small community of a population of about 25,000 people, where lace is being manufactured could produce fantastic fabrics that serve the city of Lagos of about 20million people. He wondered what could be done in the nation’s economy by way of generating ideas on ways to model, copy or get something in a form of catalyst that could turn the country into a producing society. He reasoned that if ‘we have been consuming, let that we have consumed propel in us the ability to reproduce something that will make our economy stable.’

Adediran said that the joint exhibition is a way of bringing to the fore the ability of museum to join hands in transforming the economy. “We have been talking about antiquities of culture and culture itself, but lace itself now has become an antiquity of 50 years old in Nigeria. But we have a lot to learn from it. If you look at the Benin plaque, you will find that the attendants of the Oba had robes, where did they come from, who made them? And there are patterns, motifs and icons on them,” he noted.

He recalled that the project was initiated in 2007 when he met Barbara Plankensteiner (co-curator of the exhibition) during one of his visits to Austria for International Council of Museums triennial meeting in Vienna. Continuing, he said: “I took time off to share the idea of working on a project that can be part of the anniversary of Nigeria at 50. I then sought what collaboration we could do with a view to have an exhibition in Austria and Nigeria.

“What readily came to mind in the relationship between Nigeria and Austria was the lace. So, we did a little concept, put some ideas and shared our duties; area of research, how to get our institutions to buy into it. We realised that it was a project only two of us cannot do, so we drew up outlines by getting other collaborators and cooperators in the exhibition project.

“We went round to select some fashion designers but ended up with four; two men and two ladies. We exchanged ideas and each time she has project to do in Nigeria, I will join her. Also, each time I find myself in Europe, I will pay my way to Austria.

Until now, many do not know much of the historical aspect of the trade in lace, how it entered Nigeria, the casualty, the high and the low of the trade and why it was banned at a stage in the country.”

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•One of the exhibits on display

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•Oshinowo

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VASON’s vision for visual art

ESPITE seeming hurdles, the Visual Arts Society of Nigeria (VASON) has resolved to establish a repository for the promotion, preservation and conservation of visual art. The resolution was reached at a recent meeting with a cross section of artists in Lagos.

In attendance were VASON Board of Trustees Chairman Mr. Sammy O. Olagbaju; former President, the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) and Trustee of VASON, Mr. Kolade Oshinowo; founder, OYASAF, Prince Yemisi Shyllon and director, Mydrim Gallery, Mrs Sinmidele Ogunsanya, among others.

Olagbaju said it is VASON’s vision to establish a private sector-led institution where great works of art could be deposited for posterity.

He stressed that the establishment of such a centre without a buy-in from all stakeholders was not realisable.

Corroborating Olagbaju’s point, Shyllon observed that a private sector initiative was desirable because government efforts in the past have not gone far enough.

“Collectors and artists need such a place where the general public, our children and grandchildren can go and see the master pieces that have been produced in the past as well as the works that are being produced

By Ozolua Uhakheme Assistant Editor (Arts)

today.”

Continuing Shyllon, who has one of the largest art collections in Nigeria, averred that he had been approached by institutions abroad to assist them in establishing their African collections. He also disclosed that he has been approached by top Nigerian artists to help in preserving their works.

He recalled that when a former director of the Goethe Institut Dr. Richard Lang, visited his residence, he made a comment that a work by Uche Okeke, which was in his (Shyllon’s) collection actually ought to be in national collection. He noted that a large percentage of institutions of this nature around the world are private sector initiatives. According to him, in Africa, it s only in Nigeria that the visual arts sector was being supported significantly by its own nationals. All this, he said, s an indication that the time was ripe for a private sector initiative.

Mrs Ogunsanya called for the support of the artists, stressing the need to raise funds to acquire the kind of edifice that would be required.

“Whereas artists may not have cash to contribute, they had artworks that could be used

Museum trains security personnel

O secure museums nationwide, the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) has organised a two-day workshop at the National Museum, Jos, for its core security personnel.

The theme of the workshop was Effective Security Management of Museum and it was aimed at re-positioning the personnel for efficient security at the museums.

NCMM Director-General Mallam Yusuf Usman said the museums are “culture Central Bank of Nigeria” which should be secured.

Usman stressed that the essence of the workshop was for participants to be educated on the intricacies of museum security so that they can discharge their duties effectively.

His words:“On my assumption of office, I observed that the security unit is not given the proper attention it ought to get as it is done in developed nations”.

This, he said, prompted him to look into security operations with a view to correcting the

From Marie-Therese Peter, Jos anomalies and achieve effective and efficient performance in the unit.

He maintained that the commission would employ security personnel with code name, Antiquity Security Officers, adding that curators would be instructed on the next line of action to take. He reminded the participants of the need to project the positive image of the commission, hence the essence of the workshop.

He hoped that participants would be effective on the job and ensure the safety of the museums.

Earlier in her speech, the Curator of the National Museum and Monument in Jos, Mrs Caroline Ezeokeke, encouraged the participants to ignore the rumours about crises in the city and give their best.

Participants were drawn from museums nationwide.

to raise the funds. The beauty of this approach by the VASON leadership is that it lends itself to consensus building,” she said.

The artists pledged to work with the collectors in achieving the vision. Artists like Sam Ovraiti, Abiodun Olaku, Edosa Oguigo and Bunmi Lasaki in separate submissions commended the vision of the VASON leadership but however expressed the need to harmonise intentions in order to safeguard the interest of the various visual arts groups and associations that would be coming together to carry out this initiative.

The society resolved that it was a very good idea to have a dedicated space where artworks could be deposited and mounted for display to the general public A technical committee made up of members of the various visual arts association was set up with terms of reference to, among other things, work out modalities for determining type of space that would be required for use, for the purpose of having permanent and temporary exhibitions, administrative functions as well as space for meetings and a library.

• Other artists in attendance included Ezekiel Efe Ukoh, Oyerinde Olotu, Abdulsalam Abdulkareem, Norbert Okpu, Tayo Olayode, Aimufia Osagie, Henri Moweta, Ajobiewe S.A, Akin Ajibade, Hodonu Nathaniel among others.

BRIEFS

Art Republic honours Peter Areh

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HE Art Republic will hold the first memorial lecture on Art and Culture and presentation of All Things Will Die, (a book of poetry edited by C. Krydz Ikwuemesi and Okay Nwafor in memory of Peter Areh) at the National Museum, Abakaliki Road, Enugu on June 25.

The lecture’s theme is Celebrating Tragedy (Art and Theatre in the anatomy of Death and funeral in Africa). The speaker is Krydz Ikwuemesi while sculptor Okay Ikenegbu is the book presenter. HRM Nnaemeka Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha, is chairman of the event.

The lecture will hold in Lagos in August.

•Usman

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Crafts take world stage

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AST Friday, Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark World Crafts Day. With the celebration, the social-economic importance of traditional craft is once again brought to the fore. Crafts may be seen at two levels. The first, being the base or material level where craft is a tangible object and the end product of mental and physical processes. This is the common form of craft that is usually discussed and known to us.

Crafts development in Nigeria takes on the peculiarities of the diverse culture and traditions that make up Nigeria. Each of these cultural entities had developed and sustained different techniques and crafts that formed part of their adaptation to their immediate environment. However, one common attribute of crafts development apart from their cultural relevance is their utilitarian value and economic significance.

In the contemporary sense, as needs become more eclectic and as external pressure weighs heavily on society’s development and growth, Nigeria must as a necessity develop crafts beyond the scales that characterizes her constraints. Some innovations have undoubtedly been made by individual craftsmen in the production of crafts in Nigeria but their output still falls short of the requisite standards for not only domestic patronage but international competition as well.

Foreign crafts especially Asian ceramics, cooking pots, flower vases and other items of artistic value are beginning to compete favorably with locally made ones in Nigerian markets. As much as this competition is inevitable, owing to globalization, urgent steps must be taken to improve the standards of locally made crafts, encourage the traditional craftsmen and ultimately create the enabling environment within which crafts can thrive.

Additionally, the current trend in globalization is such that it tends to foster cultural imperialism through the harmonization of different cultures and the enthronement of a foreign way of life and consumption pattern which may not be particularly helpful for the growth of our nascent industries. This trend is a serious threat to traditional crafts development and the crafts industry in Nigeria. However, Nigeria can counter this trend by providing adequate incentives for her craftsman to embark on innovative traditional technology and the revival of our cultural value system as a whole. Craft persons should be encouraged to form cooperatives which in turn enable them to have ac-

By Victor Mark-Onyegbu

cess to micro-credit schemes which will aid their growth.

The crafts industry is one with numerous potentials, especially in developing countries like Nigeria with a very large and thriving informal sector. According to statistics, crafts account for over 70 percent of the output of the informal sector in Nigeria.

As deficient as the crafts industry might be, its potential for employment generation especially in the rural communities cannot be overlooked, thereby helping to stem the tide of rural – urban migration. In order to harness these potentials for social-economic development of Nigeria, there needs to be a coordinated linkage between the government and the craftsmen in the informal sector- this vital effort will amongst many other benefits, result in a further linkage between the crafts industry and other sectors of the economy, thereby ensuring sustainable development of the crafts industry. The Nigerian market for crafts is very extensive and must be exploited.

Several factors can be identified as militating against the sustainable development of traditional crafts in Nigeria, ranging from meaningful capital and profitability to utility value. Generally also, as a result of the low priority rating accorded crafts and the increasingly un-lucrative nature of the crafts industry, several traditional craftsmen engage in alternative means of livelihood, in order to supplement their income from trading in crafts.

In order to revive the crafts industry, it is imperative for society to first appreciate and acknowledge the economic and cultural significance of crafts. This is an objective the World Crafts Day aims to advance. It is the responsibility of the government and society to forge the basic framework for upgrading of the people’s traditional technologies through financial support for the local producers. Non-government organizations can also play a useful role here, by sponsoring scientific research in traditional crafts.

It is quiet obvious that the traditional industries and skills of the people hold the key to any meaningful sustainable development of the country.

Nigeria is blessed with a variety of crafts products and skilled crafts persons, as there is hardly any community in Nigeria without one form of crafts or the other. Notable amongst many others are the Benin Bronze, Sokoto Leather, Aso-oke from Oshogbo, Calabash decorations from Oyo, Bida glass

•Masks

and bead works, Akwate woven cloth, Efik raffia works, cane works, Okene Cloth etc.

In recognition of this, the National Council for Arts and Culture, a government agency under Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, has taken the proactive step of establishing crafts development centres around the federation, amongst many other interventions, to reposition the crafts industry.

While it is recognised that a lot more still needs to be done by government if the crafts industry will develop to the point where it exerts positive and tangible impact on the nation’s economy, this effort by the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), is certainly a step in the right direction.

The council has established two of its proposed four crafts development projects.

These crafts development centres will provide opportunity for training of crafts men and women, help standardize Nigerian crafts products, expose practitioners to current trends and techniques in crafts production, aid in youth empowerment, and serve as resource centres for the poverty allevia-

Celebrating African tribes

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THE Federal Government through its arts and culture coordinating agency, National Council For Arts and Culture (NCAC), in collaboration with Tribe Media Company, publishers of Tribe Times, a leading African Affairs magazine, has announced a bilateral culture forum within the West African sub-region tagged; Ghana/Nigeria Culture Showcase (GHANIGCUS 2011).

In a statement by the Executive Director of NCAC, Mr. M.M Maidugu, “the council is very pleased with the efforts of Tribe Media at maximising the cultural potential of both Ghana and Nigeria for mutual socio-economic gains”.

GHANIGCUS 2011, scheduled for August 10 and 11, at the Accra International Conference Centre, is facilitated by Tribe Media and PanAfrica Ghana to showcase the best of Afrocentric music, dance, fashion, traditional hairstyle, culture, contemporary arts, tourism and intellectually stimulating discussions

intended to reawaken the intrinsic cultural values of Africa and as well enliven her people’s pride and prestige.

The programme is aimed at celebrating the richness of African tribes and their people in the Diaspora with a view to promoting African history, her enormous socio-cultural heritage, natural and human endowment even in the face of the influence of westernisation on African values and culture.

According to a statement by the organisers, the event is enjoying the endorsement of key arts and culture players in Ghana and Nigeria including the Artists Alliance Gallery, Accra, Ghana Ministry of Tourism, Nigeria High Commission, Ghana, Airport West Hotel, Accra, Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Abuja, Centre for Black Arts and African Civilization among others.

Expected at the event are lovers of arts, culture and tourism, international arts, culture and tourism organisations, culture departments/attaché of embassies and High Commissions, government agencies of arts, culture and tourism, members of relevant legislative committees, state ministries of arts, culture and tourism, local government councils, fashions designers and hoteliers, members of the academic communities, gallery operators, arts exhibitors, organized private sector, corporate organisations, sponsors of arts, culture and tourism, hairstylists publishers of arts, art editors, the media and members of the public.

tion programme of the Federal Government. For now, the crafts development centres established by the council are located in Lagos and Bauchi states while that of Borno state is yet to take off. The centre in Lagos and Bauchi states which were commissioned in 2006 and 2008 respectively are currently operational, with craftsmen producing souvenirs and other memorabilia.

In the long run however, several factors will determine the sustainability of these crafts development projects. These factors include: social-economic considerations, the type of technology employed, economic considerations, as well as the nature and quality of finished products. Government policies on subsidies, technology and development, as well as global factors such as trade, foreign exchange fluctuations and bilateral/multilateral agreements are equally very vital.

•ONYEGBU is of the Extension Service Department, National Council for Arts and Culture, Abuja

Germany to assist Nigeria in heritage preservation

By Ozolua Uhakheme Assistant Editor (Arts)

•Weth

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HE cultural attaché for Press and Cultural Affairs at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Abuja, Dr. Burkard Weth, has said his country would continue to assist Nigeria in the preservation of its heritage.

He said the ongoing excavation of NOK terra cotta in the Northcentral by a team of specialists under the Goethe Institut and University of Frankfurt partnership is one of such projects being executed in line with Germany’s cultural policy.

He cited the excavation and preservation

of the famous Dufuna canoe in Yobe State as an example of past projects undertaken

by German university. Africa’s oldest known boat, the 8,000 year-old Dufuna canoe, was discovered in May 1987 by a herdsman. The canoe was excavated by a combined team of Nigerian and German archeologists in 1994 at Dufuna village.

Weth spoke with arts writers at the opening of renewable energies exhibition at the Goethe Institut, City Hall, Lagos, last Saturday.

He said German policy, which is the third pillar for development after politics and economy, is designed to showcase the authentic and realistic art of Germany.

According to him, culture occupies a prime [place in the development of Germany adding that there are cultural elements in both economic and political policies.

He explained that the policy is implemented through Goethe Institut’s activities, political foundations’ programmes, cultural and academic exchanges between universities.

He noted that the German Embassy in Abuja is working hard to assist agencies in FCT to host similar events being held in Lagos and Kano to promote cultural events.

5, 2011

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

35

The Midweek Magazine E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

This is, indeed, a season of talent hunt shows. With the number of projects springing up daily, fresh talents now have better opportunity to showcase their gifts. This was the scenario that played out at the Early Stage Talent Discovery in Lagos. EVELYN OSAGIE writes.

•Members of the cast performing Women of Owu

Discovering future stage talents

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T was an exciting experience that greeted guests at the Early Stage Talent Discovery. They were taken into the exciting world of the theatre through a series of performances.

They came face-to-face with the mythical warrior, King Odewale and other characters in Ola Rotimi’s The Gods Are Not To Blame. Characters in the plays, Survival of the fittest and The Incorruptible Judge, also came alive on stage.

In addition, the audience was also entertained with different versions of Femi Osofisan’s Women of Owu. Each performance drew loud applause and left the audience eager for more.

The performances were by students from eight secondary schools under the education District V who competed on stage at the Geez Media Ltd‘s Early Stage Talent Discovery show held at Amuwo Odofin Secondary School Complex, Lagos.

The event, which is the maiden edition, was chaired by the chairman of Amuwo Odofin Local Government, Comrade Ayodele Adewale. Other guests were Mr Shote, the educational District V representative; Miss Dorothy Effiom, the special assistant to the chairman on events, entertainment, and management; the chairman, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Lagos State’s chapter, Mr Dagga Tolar; the general secretary, Nigeria Dancers Guild, Mr Femi Amos Onileagbon; Mrs Comfort Jemima Chibuike; teachers, and students, among others.

With the Promoting education through stage performance as its theme, the talent show featured several performances of plays in the school’s curriculum – Women of Owu, The Gods Are Not To Blame Survival of the fittest and The incorruptible

judge. Four schools performed Women of Owu. They included Festac College, Festac Town; Amuwo-Odofin Community Secondary School, Imoye Senior High school and Odofin Senior Secondary School, all in Mile 2. While Dr Lucas Memorial Senior. High School and Awori Ajeromi Senior Grammar School performed Survival of the fittest, The incorruptible judge, respectively. Alakoto Senior Secondary School performed a script written by them.

Interesting, the participating schools gave thrilling performance within the 15 minutes they were given. The hall was somewhat electrified and one could feel the excitement in the air as the students performed.

However, Navy Town Secondary, Navy Town, literarily stole the hearts of the audience and the judges with their rousing performance of The Gods Are Not To Blame.

Little wonder then, that they emerged winner. Their costumes were equally dramatic. They were followed by Festac College, Festac Town while Amuwo-Odofin Community Secondary School came third.

The winners went home with literary books for their schools’ schools library.

The competing schools were judged on presentation, stage management, language, audience contact plot and costume. The judges were Mr Tolar, Mr Femi Amos Onileagbon and Mrs Comfort Jemima Chibuike.

Seeing the performances by the students, the judges said, it was evident that the Nigerian theatre and film industry have a bright future. “Nigerians have not seen anything yet. With these talents, there is a lot of hope for the future of Nigerian theatre and film industry,” they said.

For the students, the Early Stage Talent Discovery was a wonderful experience having to perform outside the confinement of their school to a larger audience.

This, the organisers, said was the aim of its talent hunt project.

The Director of Geez Media Ltd, Mr Thompson Ilevbaoje, said: “Early Stage Talent Discovery is aimed at discovering talents in young minds, and giving them the opportunity to showcase it. It also seeks to encourage the talented youngsters to take their education seriously to a higher and their gifts to a professional level.”

The organisers said they intend to make Early Stage Talent Discovery an annual event that would also hold in other districts in the state. Ilevbaoje said: “With the enthusiasm of the students on stage, especially the excitement expressed from the winning schools we would not stop, despite the challenges. Although we have started with schools in one district, we intend to extend the competition to the five districts across the state. The three winners in each district would compete in the

‘With the enthusiasm of the students on stage, especially the excitement expressed from the winning schools we would not stop, despite the challenges.

Although we have started with schools in one district, we intend to extend the competition to the five districts across the state’

•Ilevbaoje

state level. With this edition, we have equipped the winning schools library with literary books. Winners in subsequent events would be given scholarship to a film academy. It was not possible during this year’s edition due to some last minute challenges encountered.”

While speaking on the need to promote educational development in the youths, Amuwo Odofin Local Government chairman, who was represented by Miss Effiom, commended the efforts of the organisers.

He said: “Educational is a tool for effective leadership. A country would continue to experience underdevelopment and all it’s attendant negative consequences so long as she has uneducated leaders at the helm of affairs, moreso, education is the chief defense of nations. The ethics of leadership entails the pious morals and actions to protect the interest of the general good. At this juncture, I will to call on all authorities of learned institutions to galvanise efforts for the pursuit of all those goals that guarantee academic excellence. In addition, I call on government to pay realistic attention to uplifting our educational system through proper funding, restructuring of curricular, etc.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

36

The Midweek Magazine Feast of three books…one author

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

T

ODAY is a day of feasting for The Nation newspaper’s Editorial Board Chairman Sam Omatseye.

He is presenting three books - Lion Wind and Other Poems, The Crocodile Girl and In Touch. He is also marking his 50th birthday.

Last year, when the award-winning columnist launched two poetry collections – Dear Baby Ramatu and Mandela’s Bones and Other Poems, people thought it would take some time before his muse causes him to write another collection of poetry, but it wasn’t so. The poet is out with three books in just one year.

Are you wondering if the books are entirely on the genre of poetry? This time, he is not only out with a collection of poetry Lion Wind and Other Poems; he is also presenting a novel, The Crocodile Girl. This is in addition to the compilation of some of his opinion articles published in his column In Touch in The Nation on Mondays.

Although the major preoccupation of the poetry collection is essentially on nature with the poems like Lion Wind, The Haiti Quake and Pollutant, it also examine other issues such as politics, integrity and love, etc. The Crocodile Girl, the author said, was inspired by the myth his father told him of a very beautiful Itsekiri girl who was ostracised by her people because they felt her beauty was beyond human. The book explores the themes of alienation, love and racial harmony. In Touch, however, highlights diverse issues bothering on politics and public affairs.

The novel, according to the author, took a longer time to write than the poems in his collection, adding that poetry is a natural phenomenon. “Poetry is a pleasing adventure that just happens; it comes and goes.

Sometimes, it breaks, but whether it’s a poem or novel, I am overwhelmed by how the words I am putting together are going to make sense rather than bother about the preoccupation. However, the novel was the most tasking as it took me a longer time to write.

A poem can take a day or more. The novel took about three months.”

As an award-winning columnist with 24 years of experience, he said that writing a

PROFILE Mr Sam Omatseye is a poet. His first published works, Mandela’s Bones and Other Poems as well as Dear Baby Ramatu were published in December, 2009.

He is also a front-rank columnist with The Nation and a commentator on public affairs. He is the chairman Editorial Board of The Nation.

He has been a journalist since 1987 when he worked as a reporter with the defunct Newswatch. He has since practised the profession in Nigeria and the United States.

He has won several awards, including the Nigeria Media Merit Award(NMMA), which he won twice as reporter and as columnist. He was the inaugural winner of the Gordon Fisher Fellowship for journalists in the British Commonwealth in 1991.

He also won the Alfred Friendly Press fellowship in 1997, where he set a record in the number of stories written by any fellow since the programme began. He won the features prize for the Association of Black Journalists in Colorado.

He is the current winner of the Diamond Award For Media Excellence (Informed Commentary) and Nigeria Media Merit Award for Columnist of the Year.

He taught journalism at the Metropolitan State College of Denver, for nine years.

By Evelyn Osagie

column does not involve the kind of rigour involved in creative writing. “Poetry is written with a certain level of purity, journalism does not give you that luxury, once you have the perception of what you want to write, you just go ahead and write. It takes me between an hour and an hour-and-half to write my column,” he said.

The three books were put together within the space of a year, according to him. They will be formally presented to the public by 11am today at the MUSON Centre, Onikan.

The event also doubles as his birthday bash.

No doubt, Omatseye is ready to party. And as such, he will be hosting friends, family and colleagues at the Agip Recital Hall to a series of literary and entertaining activities marking the author’s two-in-one event tagged Sam Omatseye @ 50.

The literary party is spiced with seasoned reviewers who have made enduring imprints in the sand of creative writing and journalism. The award-winning author and executive editor of The News/PM News Kunle Ajibade will be reviewing Omatseye’s In Touch while Uzor Maxim Uzoatu, Edito-

Donors pledge $4.3b for children’s health •Continued from Page30

“Gavi’s success is our success and the success of everyone working in this common cause.”

Recently, UNICEF’s private-sector partner, Fifth Chukker Polo and Country Club, donated N5million to UNICEF in support of orphans and vulnerable children, particularly those affected by HIV/AIDS in Kaduna State.

Fifthchukker Chairman and CEO, Alhaji Adamu Atta presented the donation during the Access Bank–Emir of Katsina Charity Shield polo tournament contested by national and international players at the Fifth Chukker grounds at Kangimi Resort in Kaduna. Fifth Chukker has supported UNICEF through this

tournament since 2006.

‘Our support for UNICEF over the years stems from our commitment to give back to those most in need in Nigeria, especially children,’ said Adamu Atta.

One of the highlights of the tournament is the UNICEF Cup, which this year was played by riders under the age of 18 from the US and the Nigeria American University (AUN) and won by the Work to Riders with 7 against 6 goals.

The Work to Ride team, themselves part of an NGO that supports horsemanship among underprivileged youth, had time to visit projects carried out with Fifthchukker/ Access Bank support to UNICEF. ‘It has been a great opportunity for us to see projects with a positive impact on orphans and vulnerable children and I am happy to be a part of this laudable project,’ said team spokesman Richard Prather.

Members of Kaduna State Government have expressed concern over the increasing number of cases of HIV infection in the State despite various interventions from the government and civil society to fight the epidemic.

Kaduna State has one of the highest rates of infections in the North West Zone of Nigeria.

•Omatseye

rial Board member of News Star will review The Crocodile Girl. Dr Harry Olufunwa, Redeemers University will review the poetry collection.

There will also be live performances in music, traditional songs and poetry by Topsticks and Nefertiti, among others.

‘Why I celebrated my birthday in UK’

By Mercy Michael

•I go save

N

IGERIAN A-list comedians, Basket Mouth and I Go Die recently stormed the city of Manchester in the United Kingdom to celebrate with their friend and colleague I Go Save who marked his birthday in the city that is home to one of the world finest football clubs Manchester

United.

On his return to the country, the celebrant said the decision to celebrate in the United Kingdom comes from the fact he needed to give himself a treat after hard work. I decided to give myself a treat in the company of a few comedians from Nigeria and my other Diaspora friends in Manchester. I just wanted to thank God for life and success so far achieved in my career,” he stated.

The award winning comedian who has become a regular and familiar face among lovers of Nigerian comedy in Europe and the Americas was full of gratitude to God whom he said has given him successes in his chosen endeavor of laughter merchandise.

The bash according to I Go Save took place at the VIP lounge of Lounge 31 in Manchester.

I Go Save began his comedy career as mock news caster at Delta State Broadcasting Services with his friend and collogue, I Go Die. He has plied his trade at mega comedy shows like Crack your ribs, I Go Die standing, Glo Rock and roll to mention a few.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

38

ABUJA REVIEW

Abuja begins park renovation

A

COMMITTEE constituted by the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) for renewal and rehabilitation of the Jabi Motor Park has commenced work. When Newsextra visited the park, officials of the council and the task force constituted to carry out the exercise which was drawn from the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), were seen evacuating junk from the park and removing illegal attachments.

Addressing members of the National Automobile Technicians Association (NATA) and the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), during the exercise, Chairman of the committee, who is also the Vice-Chairman of AMAC, Hon. Musa Ali Gwoza, pleaded for the support of the unions and users of the park.

Gwoza solicited their understanding, noting that the intention of the council was to recreate the park to contemporary standard.

Stressing that the council will transform the place to be more habitable, he added that the unions will be the greatest beneficiaries when the project is renovated.

The committee chairman said that a temporary motor park has already been provided for all transporters and commuters patronising the park.

Responding, Chairman of NATA, Mr. Joseph Ajayi pledged the support and cooperation of his members for successful

•Abuja Stories from Bukola Amusan

execution of the task.

He also thanked the council for providing an alternative site for his members (mechanics), who had already shifted to

pave way for the impending relocation of motorists within the park.

In the course of the exercise, NURTW and mini-bus operators within the park were seen removing illegal structures voluntarily.

Speaking on the exercise, the Chairman of the task force of the NURTW, Mohammed Salihu Woko said that the move was to register the support of the union for the exercise.

NGO condemns face-off over prostitution

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HE Society against Prostitution and Child Labour in Nigeria (SAPCLAN) has condemned the face-off between the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and the policemen from Garki Police Station who released commercial sex workers arrested by the board.

Mrs. Grace Adogo, who is the coordinator of SAPCLAN which manages the FCT-owned Centre for Rehabilitation of Repentant Commercial Sex Workers, lamented that the face-off will affect the fight against street prostitution in the Federal Capital Territory.

According to her, for the war against prostitution to be won, the police and AEPB must work hand-in-hand.

Mrs. Adogo, who commended the FCTA over the removal and rehabilitation of sex workers

•Hawkers in business at Obollo Afor, Enugu State

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T was a glorious day for Mrs. Angela Ajodo Adebanjoko, a teacher with Government Secondary School (GSS), Nyanyan, Abuja as keys to a brand new Geely car were handed over to her last Sunday in Abuja.

She was not only the lucky one.

Nine other teachers were also specially rewarded with water dispensers as runners up while all 400 lucky winners were given quality goodie bags.

Teacher wins car at TREM’s Day From Dele Anofi, Abuja

The occasion was the Teachers’ Appreciation Day, second in the series organised by The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) Vision House, Abuja.

The magnificently-decorated Utako District auditorium of the church that hosted the event was filled to capacity w i t h gailydressed ushers directing guests to t h e i r seats.

There w a s enough music, kid per-

formances and drama that kept the guests yearning for more. Comedian Holy Mallam was at his best anchoring the programme with rib-cracking jokes.

“I am lost for words. I am humbled but I give all the glory to God; me owning a brand new car? This will be my first personal car ever. I am thanking God because it was not in my imagination that I will be publicly appreciated in this way. I am a village girl. I started my life in the village; I can still visualise how we used to trek to school in those days.

Though my parents were not educated, they ensured that I never lacked anything in school.

I can still remember, as day students, my father giving us N5.00 as pocket money every day while many students don’t have that opportunity. But my parents would not allow us out until we

have our N5.00, uneducated as they were. I never knew where they got the wisdom to educate us. I never knew a day when my father defaulted on our school fees and I have text books even though they were not wealthy.

My mother was a devoted housewife and each time we came back from school, there was always a meal ready for us,” Mrs Adebanjoko said.

Notwithstanding being a teacher the numerous challenges facing the education sector in the country, Adebanjoko as well as 399 others in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was able to excel in her profession of impacting knowledge to young Nigerians.

The Senior Pastor of the church, Rev. Ayodeji Cole said the reason for appreciating the teachers was not borne out of rewarding hard work and diligence but also a way of beaming the searchlight

From Bukola Amusan

called for support for the FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Nathaniel Olorunfemi in his efforts to keep the city clean, pending the appointment of a substantive FCT Minister.

She said officials of AEPB as well as the FCT Police Command should eschew bitterness and work as a team in order to ensure peaceful enforcement of the ban on street prostitution in the FCT. Mrs. Adogo disclosed that about seven ladies voluntarily came to the centre at the weekend to renounce prostitution while another 14 came with their family members for rehabilitation and training in vocational skills after writing an undertaken not to go back to prostitution. on the sector that requires proactive and urgent surgery.

He bemoaned the state of the sector that has been beleaguered with seemingly insurmountable challenges.

He said: “One of Nigeria’s biggest challenges today is the decline at various levels of the educational sector. In 2010, more than half of the number that sat for the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) failed the examinations.

“That is not all. Today, the country is battling with cases of examination malpractices, poor funding and lack of technical and physical resources in this vital sector. As if this is not enough, teachers’ morale has never been this low.

“If we turn to a nation where teachers are neglected, then we risk becoming a nation that will go into oblivion. God forbid.

Some segment of our society •Continued on Page 39

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

39

ABUJA REVIEW

F

OR campaigning against commercial sex workers in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja the immediate past Secretary for Social Development in FCT, Mrs. Blessing Onuh has been given a character molding award by Founder of Character Development Network International, a non-governmental organisation (NGO).

Presenting the award to Mrs. Onuh in Abuja, the Founder of Character Development Network International, Pastor Victor Osadolor explained that the former Secretary was recognised for the award based on her role in arresting and rehabilitating commercial sex workers in the nation’s capital.

He noted that housewives in Abuja had been having worries over the menace of call girls in the city which, according to him, was already a threat to many homes until the war against commercial sex workers commenced.

“We are moral crusaders and we are looking for those through whose characters we obtain an excellent report. So, from our search light, we have been watching your laudable and mind-boggling project.

•Continued from Page 39

would say if the politicians can get it right, we will get it right.

Some others would say if government officials can get it right we will get it right. Some others would argue that if the judiciary and the security agencies would get it right, then we will get it right.

Unfortunately, no one mentions how the teachers fit into this project of nation-building.

But I want to make a submission that beyond what those earlier mentioned can do, I believe very strongly that the foundation for change for any nation lay on the shoulders of, not the politicians, not the security agencies, not the government officials but the teachers of this great country.”

Cole however challenged the teachers in the country to see themselves as vanguards of change and transformation because the decision makers of today went through teachers.

He further said: “The politicians of today were once students in somebody’s hands. The President today was once a student in somebody’s hands, the government official that steals money was once a student in some-

Ex-FCT official bags character award From Bukola Amusan

We have seen that the activities of commercial sex workers were threats and menace to the society. Most wives in Abuja were not having peace of mind because of commercial sex workers.

“But today, you have created a voca-

tional centre to rehabilitate them and they are doing well. Now they have changed from commercial sex workers to good citizens of Nigeria which really attracted our attention and which we see as character molding.

“We are aware of the moral decadence in our society and you have been able to

Today, you have created a vocational centre to rehabilitate them and they are doing well.

Now they have changed from commercial sex workers to good citizens of Nigeria which really attracted our attention and which we see as character molding

identify with the youth by giving them a place in FCT. You have also given them an office where the youth can really express themselves. Not only that, you show concern for lepers, even as you rehabilitate them.

Considering all these, we want to appreciate you today with character honour.

It is not like every other award,” he said.

Responding, Mrs. Onuh commended the NGO for finding her worthy of the award, noting that the award would spur her to do more for the youth even when she is out of office.

She attributed the success recorded in the war against commercial sex workers in Abuja to the support she received from the former FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed.

Mrs. Onuh urged call girls who are still in the business to repent and embrace the opportunity of being rehabilitated and trained by the FCT administration.

Teacher wins car at TREM’s Day body’s hands. So, I want to say to you that every time a young boy or girl comes into your class, see him or her as the next President, the next decision maker, the next inventor, the next Nobel Laureate because when you see them in this light, then you will begin to impact proper morals, values and the principles of integrity in them.”

He added that the reward of today was not only to motivate them but also to remind them of the huge responsibilities of raising society’s molders.

The cleric however urged other stakeholders to be more responsive and proactive in salvaging the ailing sector.

“While the largest contribution to the development of educa-

The politicians of today were once students in somebody’s hands. The President today was once a student in somebody’s hands, the government official that steals money was once a student in somebody’s hands. So, I want to say to you that every time a young boy or girl comes into your class, see him or her as the next President, the next decision maker, the next inventor, the next Nobel Laureate because when you see them in this light, then you will begin to impart proper morals, values and the principles of integrity to them

•Chief of Staff, 82 Division, Nigeria Army, Brig-Gen. Agwab (left), representative of the division’s General Officer Commanding, and Deputy-Governor, Enugu State, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi at the West African Social PHOTO: OBI CLETUS Activities (WASA) celebration in Enugu.

tional sector lay with the government, they cannot do it alone and that is the reason behind the TREM Vision House’s contribution to the sector through the Teachers’ Appreciation Day. The selection process was thorough, fair and transparent as religion was not part of the criteria.

Mr. Mohammed Ali of GSS Karu, a Muslim teacher and one of the runners up, while receiving his gift appreciated the organisers’ initiatives and enjoined others to emulate them. He

dedicated his award to his daughter Halima. Mr. Titus Mallam Sule, another runner up urged his colleague’s nationwide not to relent in imparting knowledge on the students.

He added: “You may not know it, but someone is taking note of your contributions to the development of our society and your reward would come when you least expects it.”

The organisers promised to make the event national from next season.

Religious group gets interim head

T

HE Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International in Nigeria has nominated an interim president, Engr. Eghosa Ogedegbe following suspension of the former president, Ifeanyi Odedo, an Architect.

A statement by the International president, Mr. Richard Shakarian said Odedo was recommended for suspension by a membership task force set up early this year to examine the alleged violation of the fellowship’s code of conduct.

Introducing Ogedegbe to the pressmen, Ambassador Moses Ihonde, one of the international directors and interim national secretary of the fellowship said: “The membership taskforce consisting of members from several nations voted by 2/3 majority that the membership of the Nigerian NEC had violated the Scriptural Code of Conduct and bye laws of the fellowship and therefore

From Bukola Amusan and Oyin Kadiri

recommended suspension which the international president accepted.”

The new leadership, he said, is the only recognised one by the fellowship in Nigeria.

Ihonde said: “These men will work for two years and prepare for a national election to vote for a new national president.

According to the FGBMFI constitution and bye laws, the suspended members are not allowed to use the name of the fellowship or any associated insignias and logos while on suspension.”

Responding, Ogedegbe explained that “the aim of the fellowship was to intensify its vision through our personal stories and Christian lifestyle and to reach one person per family towards national transformation.”

The aim of the fellowship was to intensify its vision through our personal stories and Christian lifestyle and to reach one person per family towards national transformation

40

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

He assured that the free services that the centre is known for will be sustained by the government including the free feeding of clients

Ebonyi VVF centre renamed

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OLLOWING the takeover of the Josephine Elechi Fistula Centre in Ebonyi State by the federal government, the facility has taken on a new name.

It will now be called National Fistula Hospital.

Located in Abakaliki, the state capital, the centre, a project of the wife of Governor Martin Elechi, caught the eye of federal authorities because of the quality of facilities as well as the vision behind it.

The VesicoVaginal Fistula centre is described as the first of its kind in the country.

Ahead of the takeover, the Federal Ministry of Health had designated it as VVF Centre of Excellence for the training of fistula surgeons for hospitals in the country.

It is not for nothing that the erstwhile South East fistula centre Abakaliki, established in 2008, stands out for fistula management and prevention.

The hospital’s lush green surrounding with well trimmed lawns and flowers, is unforgettable.

It is now the first ever national fistula hospital in the country. It is within the Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital. The Federal Government formally took over the centre on Friday May 20, in an elaborate ceremony.

Dr Ileogben Adeoye, resident consultant at the hospital, said the entire enviroment is well taken care of and that services offered to clients are of the best quality.

“Treatment is sometimes psychological, so we want to ensure that our clients receive the best quality service in an environment that is

•Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Prof. Chigozie Ogbu handing over the symbolic key of the VVF centre to former Minister of Health, Dr. Onyebuchi Chukwu

By Oyeyemi Gbenga-Mustapha

friendly and natural. That is why we also tried to establish some kind of vegetation and fruits our clients are used to in their villages here; we strive for only the best here”, he told a team of experts from the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, on a pre-takeover visit to the centre.

At a ceremony to formally take over the centre the former Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu promised that whatever has been achieved at the centre in the last years will be surpassed now that the Federal Government has taken over the hospital.

He assured that the free services that the centre is known for will be

sustained by the government including the free feeding of clients initiated by the wife of the governor of Ebonyi State, Josephine Elechi at the centre.

While handing over the centre, Elechi had appealed that the free services have been sustained to ensure that poor citizens of the state and beyond who come down with VVF can access treatment at the centre.

The centre has 90 beds and some of the finest facilities for quality treatment of fistula.

The theatre benefits from a well equipped laboratory where all clinical investigations are conducted. In the future a blood bank is also planned to run side by side with other investigation services.

Adeoye said, “Our First Lady, Her Excellency Josephine Elechi has al-

ready had approval for the blood bank to start, two refrigerating facilities to store the blood have been purchased. So, what we have here is a place for dispensing comprehensive VVF services to our clients”.

He added that, “what the Federal Government is taking over is a centre of excellence and we hope that with the takeover, quality of services can only improve” Clients presently enjoy comprehensive free treatment at the center.

Registration to laboratory investigations, treatment and post operation care are all free.

“We are able to offer this to our clients because of the help we receive from government of Ebonyi State through the office of the wife of the governor, our development partners like USAID and UNFPA, be-

tween them they provide us with resources and consumables that enable us provide the excellent services we do now” Dr Adeoye said.

After operative care, each client remains at the hospital for sometimes for upwards of 21 days for care, observation and intervention in the event of a relapse.

“While they are here the clients are provided with all that they needs to stay here, things like bathroom slippers, bathing and washing soap, toiletries including sanitary pads, buckets and even cups and plates” Dr Adeoye said adding “all they need do is to present themselves for treatment and the center takes care of the rest”. They are also fed free during this period.

With the establishment of a cancer testing center at the center as part of the Mother and Child Care Initiative, MCCI, programme of the governor’s wife to reduce maternal mortality in the state, clients are now being screened for breast, cervical and prostate cancer.

It has a mammogram machine and other modern equipment for cancer screening and investigations.

“But we do not stay here and wait for our clients to come in for screening, we have outreach programs to take us to the people in their offices and homes for free screening” he said There is also family planning or child spacing services at the center to help clients deal with issues of child making after repair treatment.

The center is cardinal to the services of the center But Adeoye also said all the celebrations of today would not have been possible without the “huge and regular” support the center has received from development partners like USAID and UNFPA. Speaking at the handover ceremony the USAID deputy Team Leader Health, Population and Nutrition Celeste Carr who represented the Mission Director USAID at the ceremony. said the takeover is a laudable step towards bringing services closer to the people.

NAFDAC steps up border surveillance •Continued from Page 25

at Jibiya in Katsina State and other locations in Sokoto State.

The NAFDAC boss said during an interactive session with stakeholders that the federal government would provide a N200 billion intervention fund for pharmaceutical firms in the country.

The gesture, according to him, is aimed at empowering the domestic pharmaceutical firms to produce drugs in line with global standards, with World Health O rganisation pre-qualification.

“Only South Africa, Morocco and Uganda currently have firms that are WHO pre-qualified and this is the ugly development we want to change,” Orhii said.

“We recently met with the President and he is strongly committed to releasing this fund to enhance production of drugs as we now consume over 70 per cent imported drugs”.

Orhii noted that with this development Nigeria is would become self-sufficient in drug production as well as become a net exporter of same.

“Nigeria will also create over 250,000 additional jobs apart

from the multiplier economic impact of the prosperity of the local pharmaceutical firms.

“Unless the local production of these drugs is bolstered, the fight against the consumption of fake and counterfeited drugs will not be successful,” he said.

“We are sustaining the tempo of inter-agency collaboration as well as international cooperation to ensure the success of the drugs war.”

Also speaking, the NDLEA Zonal Commander in Sokoto, Alhaji Misbahu Idris decried the indiscriminate consumption of cough syrups with codeine by youths in the state.

He said: “In every 100 bottles of the twelve different types of these cough syrups, 80 are diluted with codeine . The most common one in Sokoto State is Tutolin. ‘’This type of cough syrup is even used by women in their houses and a bottle now sells for N700 as against the normal N200.”

Idris said that National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is incapacitated in totally taming the menace, enlisting the support of NAFDAC in this direction.

•Drugs and other unwholesome products being set ablaze during Dr Paul Orhii’s visit to Sokoto

The state Commandant of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Alhaji Aminu Kofar-soro also urged the agency to liaise with its national headquarters to ensure that the command is given the mandate to

prosecute drug hawkers.

“Most of the times we arrest them [drug hawkers] but we lack the mandate to charge them to the law courts and such a mandate would enhance the drugs war,’’ Kofar-Soro said.

Mr Olisa Okeke , the Sokoto State Head of NAFDAC, maintained that officers and men of the agency in the area are highly committed to reducing to the barest minimum the incidence of unwholesome products in the society.

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

e-Business Stakeholders seek policy on software development

Stakeholders in the Information Technology (IT) sector are demanding a policy framework to drive software development and promote economic growth, writes ADLINE ATILI

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HE Information Technology (IT) industry has been identified as a key factor for increasing national economic competitiveness giving the variety of applications of IT in many economic sectors. Substantial economic evidence shows that IT makes important contributions to productivity, organisational transformation, and growth of national economies.

Experts note that in an increasingly knowledge-based global economy, being able to leverage information more effectively is important to improving productivity. They add that productive and social networks are enabled by IT to satisfy the need for good health, education, government, employment, revenue generation, innovations and economic well-being.

Today, economic competitiveness depends on the ability to transform vast quantities of information into usable knowledge, and to deploy it effectively across organisations, market ecosystems and economies. In this way, the ICT industry has become an important catalyst for national economies.

According to the Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the body charged with facilitating the development and growth of IT in Nigeria, Prof. Cleopas Angaye, software plays a critical role in Information Technology as a veritable tool for sustainable socio-economic development, noting that: “The software industry is no doubt, of utmost importance to future competitiveness for economies across the globe, especially with its halo effect in creating related business opportunities.”

Computer software, or software, is a collection of computer programmes and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it.

Role of software Recognising the crucial role played by software in fostering socio-economic development, governments around the world are spending billions and setting ambitious targets to foster growth of their software industry. Enterprise software spending is increasing, with Gartner, a market research firm forecasting 7.5 per cent year-over-year growth in 2011, up from 6.1 per cent last year. That is spending of $253.7 billion, out of the total global IT spending of $3.6 trillion this year.

According to the research firm, IT services, which get a boost from new hardware and software upgrades, will see year-over-year growth rise 2.5 per cent in 2010 to 4.6 per cent this year.

Because software has become over the last 20 years both a major element of modern economic infrastructure and a major industry itself, policy makers in most countries are often faced with conflicting goals and complicated decisions to ensure that the opportunities inherent in software deployment are effectively and ingeniously harnessed, Nigeria not being an exception.

At a national retreat on development of software policy for Nigeria last week, Angaye said: “There is an urgent need to develop appropriate policy to guide software development in Nigeria in order to diversify our economy from mono economy mainly based on oil and explore the knowledge economy that can provide alternative sources of revenue for the country.

“We can’t continue to do business in the old order. New order of transformation

means application of IT. That is what all countries are applying across the world. We have tried some initiative in enhancing the software industry. Despite these, we have not been able to adequately explore the full potentials of the industry in a way to make software in Nigeria a major player in the global software industry. We are all aware of the critical role of software in information Technology as a veritable tool for sustainable socio-economic development.

“As far back as 1986, India formulated a computer software policy for itself in recognition of the fact that the software industry would be one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy; provide high quality employment for young people and for the country to earn significant revenues from export of software.

“The government of India also allowed multinational corporations to establish software development facilities provided the software was developed for export. The relatively low cost of labour, land and facilities made this attractive to the corporations thereby leading to a viable software industry in India. The value of software exported from India is currently about $20 billion a year.

“In 2007 alone, India’s software services industry employed about two million people and contributed about 4.8 per cent to India’s GDP. Today, India exports software and services to nearly 95 countries around the world.”

India’s software industry The Indian software industry has often been cited as an example of a ‘role model’ for other developing countries or even emerging economies trying to catch up, or leapfrog certain stages of industrial development.

Having started with basic programming services, India has climbed the value chain in IT industries within a time span of roughly two decades. Now, the country is delivering

products and services on a globally competitive level that has not been reached in any other industry since its independence.

According to Angaye, India came up with a software policy in 1986 and in 2002, established its first software development centre, with 11 centres currently operational.

Experts’ perspective Angaye believes Nigeria has the ability to replicate India’s feat, diversify the economy through a shift from dependence on oil and reap $6 billion a year from the software subsector if appropriate regulatory policies are enacted to drive software development in the country.

To the NITDA boss, this can surpass the contributions from the oil industry, especially as the software industry is not a capital intensive sector.

He said: “We have the resources to replicate what Indians have done, here in Nigeria.

Nigerians can codify one of the best software in the world. We see it in Atlanta Olympic. The IBM timing machine software was written by a Nigerian in Chicago. Nigerians can go places with indigenous software.

“In Nigeria, the deployment of Information Technology in almost all sectors of the economy has led to considerable investment mostly on imported software especially in the financial, telecommunications, oil and gas and both public and private sectors. The Nigerian software industry is potentially a $6 billion industry and can surpass the contributions from the oil industry, especially as the software industry is not a capital intensive sector if appropriate policies are put in place to diversify our economy from mono economy.

“In addition, the Internet has created a level playing-field for software developers all around the world; proximity and flexibility would therefore favour our indigenous developers for local, regional and international markets. Information Technology is the key

to achieving the Vision 20:2020 and software is the engine.

“We are aware of the challenges in the area of successfully deploying Information Technology in Nigeria. These are also hindering the software sub sector in addition to the issues of global standard, scalability, adequate documentation and inadequate research before developing the software. These are critical issues that must be addressed in order to make our software meet globally acceptable standard.”

He stressed that the country needs a software policy to: establish a national framework for the development of indigenous human resource on software skill capacities for global competitiveness, including mandatory software training for the National Youth Corps (NYSC) members before passing out; establish strategies for promoting the local demand for software products and services; provide incentive mechanisms for Nigerian software developers, investors and their intellectual property rights and an implementable roadmap for ensuring easy access of Nigerian software products, services and skills in the international market.

Speaking in a similar vein, Managing Director of Netop Business Systems, an Information Technology solutions provider, Mr Cyril Asuku speaking recently at the launch of Netop’s biometric solution, maintained that not only is appropriate software policies necessary to enable development of the sector, the menace of software piracy in the country would be greatly reduced.

He said: “If we choose to use our locallydeveloped software, the issue of piracy will reduce because it is difficult to p i r a t e local software. What government needs to do is encourage development of local software. Countries like India got to where they are today because their government made policies to encourage local software development.

“Incidentally, government spends a lot of money trying to create employment; if they spend a large chunk of that money to develop IT parks for young people to learn how to develop software, it’s a very big industry. That’s what India is living on today.

Even America outsources its software development to India. Nigeria has the population, the human and material resources to make this happen.”

President of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Prof. Charles Uwadia, who gave a presentation at the retreat noted that for policies to be effective, collaboration and networking among developers is vital.

He decried the level of networking and collaboration among the players, saying: “The truism, ‘More could be done together than separately’ largely applies. Collaboration has become the key word. Change agents in our midst must guide the shift from competition and protectionism to collaboration.

“Networking and collaboration ensures survival, competitiveness, cost effectiveness, increase in Return on Investment, reduction in time to market products, exchange and sharing of facilities, and resources, knowledge sharing, unity and rapid development of the industry.

“Therefore, policy guidelines to engender collaboration should foster an ecosystem for open source, open standards and open systems; motivate, encourage and support through incentives, companies that collaborate; support the setting up of software research, development and testing centres in identified parts of the country; support the creation of cloud facility to aid developers and conduct baseline studies every other year to determine the status of the software industry.”

Also speaking at the retreat, President of the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Dr Chris Uwaje said software is the new paradigm shift in the history of •Continued on page 46

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CPN to tackle fraud in IT

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EGISTRAR of the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN) Mr Sikiru Shehu has vowed to combat the menace of quacks in the information technology (IT) industry.

Speaking at a media briefing on the forthcoming CPN IT Professional Assembly/Annual General Meeting in Lagos, Shehu said there were too many impostors in the sector, noting that this did not augur well for the growth of the sector.

He said this year’s assembly would be the fifth in the series and would hold between June 29 and July 1.

According to him, the assembly is an exclusive networking forum for senior IT decision makers, consultants, entrepreneurs, practitioners, teachers and systems administrators.

He said: “The assembly is a platform for some of the industry’s most innovative technology distribution and service providers to showcase

Stories by Adline Atili

their products and services; and for participants to appreciate the emerging technologies, trends and risks that are associated with transforming the various industries using IT.” The registrar also noted that one of the high points of this year’s assembly would be the formal presentation of the scale of professional charges as well as the control and supervisory regulations for the IT profession.

Speaking on the theme of the assembly, which is, Information Technology and Democratic Dividends in Nigeria: Issues and Prospect, Shehu said the forum is an attempt to take stock of the country’s benefits and gains from IT since the advent of democracy in 1999. This, according to him, will enable a roadmap to be drawn for future development in IT. “There is no gainsaying that IT is

the bedrock of national survival and development in a rapidly changing global environment. Thus, we have been challenged to devise bold and courageous initiatives to address a host of vital socio-economic issues such as reliable infrastructure, skilled human resources, open government and other essential issues of capacity building.

“The assembly will, therefore, take a look at how our present democratic experience can benefit from the deployment of Information Technology. Less explored areas such as agenda setting, dialogue, alternative sources of information, consensus building, openness and transparency, would be looked at because they are germane to the realisation of people’s aspiration and yearnings in a democracy. Also, they can assist in the design of a national information infrastructure at reasonable cost,” the Registrar said.

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ULTINATIONAL Information Technology corporation, HewlettPackard (HP) Nigeria, has warned consumers against patronising unauthorised distributors dealing in fake and substandard products.

At a media briefing to announce a promotion campaign in partnership with Airtel and Microsoft, Category Specialist, Personal Systems Group of the company, Tayo Adeware, said such consumers risk losing warranty claim which comes with purchase of genuine HP products.

She urged consumers to buy only from accredited distributors and dealers, adding that the company would not relent in its efforts at enlightening consumers on the dangers of counterfeit products.

In the promo, tagged: Summer Splash, HP customers in Lagos, Abuja and Delta who purchase either an HP Pavilion DM4-1150ea entertainment notebook, HP Pavilion DV6-3301ei notebook or HP Pavilion G6-1053ei notebook, from now till July 13th, will get free 60-day Internet connection from Airtel Nigeria, an instant gift and opportunity to participate in a raffle draw after the promo ends.

According to Adeware, the raffle draw prizes include an all-expense paid weekend to the safari in Kenya,

HP warns against fake products an all-expense paid weekend in Ghana and a $1,000 gift voucher, courtesy of HP, Microsoft Windows 7 and Airtel.

HP’s Retail Acount Manager, Womiloju Olabanji said: “The promo is another way of telling our consumers that we appreciate the support they have been giving us all through the years. Eleven retail partners in the three states will participate in the promo.

“By buying any of the products at the accredited sales outlets, consumers instantly get free two months Internet connectivity and other prizes. The HP Pavilion DM4-1150ea is an entertainment notebook, lightweight, with Wi-Fi and optional WAN capability. The DV6-3301ei on the other hand has an impressive powerful mobile performance and ample storage space for data. The HP Pavilion G6-1053ei notebook has the latest processors and great productivity. With great audio and visual capability, the bright view display enables users view movies and photos in High Definition.”

Airtel assures customers of efficient service

A

•Executive Director, Marketing, Technology Distribution, Chioma Chimere; Channel Director, Middle East and Africa, APC by Schneider Electric, Thierry Chamayou at an event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Stakeholders seek software policy •Continued from Page 45 human knowledge development with immense ability to change the way we live, adding that Nigeria must devise a strategy not only to tap into the immense opportunities presented by software but also the ways and means to avert a national software disaster.

He lamented the apathy of Nigerian leaders to the development of the knowledge economy, fuelled by software.

He said: “The role of software in national prosperity is not well understood by the apex of leadership in government. In my candid opinion, there is not only a technology knowledge gap in our national leadership, but indeed, a critical software-phobia which has deepened the perspective of our e-ignorance syndrome.

“Our growing dependence on software raises national issues and challenges that require informed and effective leadership intervention. The availability of essential human resources to exploit the new age of information and communication technology is a critical asset for global competitiveness. However, recent evidence exposes the unfortunate inadequacies in the development of IT human resources in Nigeria. The current human development plan for IT and software in particular is characterised by imbalance between vision and dynamic model for the actualisation of set goals.

“Weak institutional framework for IT development is a key factor for the retardation of the software supply and demand curves. This is due to lack of an efficient national

software human resources development and product patronage strategy and policy.”

He added that the impassiveness of government to software development could expose the country to a lot of avoidable risks. “The potential risks are many: risk of critical infrastructure sabotage and failures; risk of software glitch leading to severe national economic loss; risk of mass dislocation of the national workforce of the knowledge economy; risk of loss of public confidence in governance; risk of loss of global competitiveness in knowledge economy and our mission of technological leadership in Africa; risk of total national crisis and a major disaster.

“To translate national software challenges to opportunities into real solutions require a conscious and proactive political will. It is now time for us as a nation to elevate software as a matter of national policy through the establishment of a national software strategy.”

For this mission to be accomplished, Uwaje said two fundamental strategies with mutually supporting and complementary goals are imperative: building and achieving the ability to constantly develop, promote and sustain the deployment of trusted software products, systems services; ensuring the mandatory and continued country-patronage and competitiveness of Nigerian software industry.

“As a first step in implementing the strategy is to establish a na-

tional software whitepaper and set up a national software council. To champion the mission, we require the Number One citizen that is Mr President to be the Speaker and Chief Marketing Officer for national software development strategy. This constitutes the most effective strategy.

Local Content “If we don’t patronise Nigerian made software, it’s as good as taking an Indian and making him Nigeria’s President. Resolving these issues demand a well-crafted national software policy and strategic implementation roadmap, overtly promoted with a committed political will, dedication, integrity and patriotism at all levels of engagement,” he emphasised.

Corroborating, Asuku said: “You can say, for example, a government body should not buy any foreign software. In some category, you can say for accounting software for example, any solution that is going to be purchased by a government parastatal in Nigeria should be a locally-developed one. With such policies in place, software companies will be able to employ more people and encourage people to come into software development.

“The local content policy in the oil industry, though commendable, is not specific about percentage of local software to be used. You can say some very critical software in perhaps, engineering, cannot be got locally. But for human resources, accounting and other basic fields, you should get local software.”

IRTEL Nigeria has assured subscribers of uninterrupted service delivery despite a dispute between its Human Resources contractor, Spanco Nigeria Limited and workers in its Abuja Call Centre.

In a statement, Managing Director of Airtel, Mr Rajan Swaroop said the dispute would not affect services.

“Airtel wishes to assure Nigerians that last week’s incident would not affect the integrity of the network or the quality of service delivery to customers.

“While respecting the contractual relationship between Spanco

E

and its employees, Airtel has stepped in to ensure speedy resolution of the crisis in recognition of international best labour practices and the interest of our customers.”

The company restated its commitment to its core values as “a world class employer of choice and a responsible corporate citizen, to the welfare, personal and professional accomplishments of our employees.”

Swarop added: “The Management of Airtel regrets the unfortunate incident and restates its commitment to the development of the telecoms industry in Nigeria.”

Etisalat’s Cliqfest berths TISALAT Nigeria is organin varsities ising a sepcial programme

tagged: Cliqfest for youths.

Cliqfest is Etisalat’s annual campus tour, an initiative spearheaded by the company’s Easycliq package designed to entertain and educate youths.

According to the company, this year’s Cliqfest will begin with a week-long road show and dovetail into other activities such as motivational seminar, cinema, Nigerian Idol season 2 pre-auditions and a grand concert at the University of Benin.

The Cliqfest train will embark on road shows to selected universities in the Southwest: Federal University of Technology, Akure; Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife; University of Ibadan and the University of Benin.

The FUTA Cliqfest will comprise a motivational talk and career counselling where a raffle draw

will be held in which a lucky student will go home with a brand new car. These activities will be replicated in OAU and UI and end with a concert at the University of Benin in July.

Etisalat’s Chief Commercial Officer, Wael Ammar said: “Cliqfest includes a range of activities aimed at connecting with the youth in a special way that sufficiently prepares them for the future. This is why a major feature of the Cliqfest is career counselling, featuring a motivational workshop and seminar.”

Ammar explained that the programme is aimed at providing the needed support for the youth in their quest to succeed in life. “We want all students to take advantage of this robust a programme and participate in the Cliqfest because it redefines learning, exploration and entertainment,” he said.

Firm enlarges network across Africa

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HE Kimberly Ryan Group, a human resources management firm, has extended its business operations to Sierra Leone and 16 other countries in Africa.

According to the newly-appointed Chief Executive Officer of the company, Uchenna Bassey in a statement, the expansion arose out of the need to meet clients’ demands in an increasingly global world.

Uchenna Bassey, with over 13 years experience in human resources, has gained experience working in the private sector. She holds a bachelor degree in Politi-

cal Science and a Masters in International Human resources. She has been part of the Kimberly Ryan team for 10 years.

The company also announced the appointment of an Acting Country Managing Consultant for Nigeria, Jumoke Adama. Adama’s background in law, psychology, and industrial relations aligns with her expertise in human resources strategy and systems implementation.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Lagos and was called to the bar in 2002.

rica

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

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e-Business

Production Team: Femi Jolaolu, Lekan Hammed, Yomi Oseni, Ugo Ananaba, Michael Ojo, Lanre Malik Marketing: Adeline Atili, Nkechi Nwabaogu, Kemi Makinde, Lillian Nsi-Enodien, Mariam Adeyanju Edited by: O’seun Ogunseitan

Pls. send Questions to oseun2@gmail.com or text to

080 5511 9009

M.K.O.Abiola memorial videos on Facebook

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HE Nation newspaper databank and archives, at the weekend, began a month-long release of its Abiola memorial videos on the internet.

Until July 7, which will mark the 13th anniversary of the death of Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola, internet users worldwide will be able to download and store their copies of epochal videos of the beginnings of the pan-Nigerian democratic struggle, triggered by the annulment of the peaceful presidential election of June 12 1993.

The Nation had published the archival Abiola memorial videos in June and July 2009 and distributed them as free video and data disc inserts in the newspaper in honour of the large-hearted hero of the 1999 military handover.

Although more than 200,000 copies of the free discs were published and given out free by the newspaper, requests for copies have still not ceased two years after.

Now, OpenMarket, The Nation Databank’s burgeoning new multimedia marketing forum for Nigeria’s 80 million phone and web users, has teamed up with the newspaper to release the videos in four downloadable parts for phone and web users within and outside Nigeria. This week’s first of the four-part download is already available on the internet at www.facebook.com/pcuser2user Although a full download of the over two hour-long footage of rare videos of the June 12 crisis is possible on the internet, the extremely slow speed offered by internet service providers in Nigeria, has made it advisable to chop up the whole video into smaller bits.

Downloads of a large single video file, will need to be restarted each time the download stops due to drop in internet

OpenMarket releases free archival video connection. Besides, YouTube, the internet’s largest host of web-viewable videos, limits its free user videos to a maximum of 15 minutes each.

Tosin Akanmu, spokesperson for USbased Media Tools and Technologies, owners of the OpenMarket franchise, confirmed that the organisation will indeed open a web access that will enable owners of high-speed internet connectivity to download the video as a single file on July 7, the anniversary of Bashorun Abiola’s death.

A single file disc (iso) image containing the videos and hundreds of photographs,

other documents and ebooks, including Dr. Olatunji Dare’s authoritative eyewitness recount of the June 12 crisis, Diary of Debacle, will also be made available for free download on the special weblink to be announced later.

A disc iso image is a digital clone of a disc. It is a copy of the entire contents of a disc, as a single computer file. With a disc recorder software, mostly called disc burning software, such image will automatically turn a blank disc into an exact copy of the original disc cloned.

The special disc iso image that will be released for free download from the

internet on July 7, will enable any PC User to create their own discs containing the Abiola videos for television viewing as well as for computer playback while also having access to rare e-documents and ebooks on the June 12 crisis including a comprehensive biography of Chief M.K.O. Abiola and other heores and heroines of Nigerian struggles from independence to the 1999 third democratic berth.

A feature-rich archival disc of the same videos and more, as well as many new materials including updates to the very popular video on the Life and Times of M.K.O Abiola, will be published later by OpenMarket, for Nigerians who may find the internet access for the video download too technical or the disc-creation from the iso image too demanding.

PCUser2User forum releases second JAMB examination practice software on Facebook

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HE PCUser2user forum page on Facebook, now has a second JAMB tutorial software.

The publishers of Nigeria’s first-ever e-learning software Fashola.exe at the weekend, published the second lastminute revision software on www.Facebook.com/pcuser2user.

This second practice and tutorial software, also flash-based like Fashola.exe, contains hundreds of answer options to 10 selected short comprehension passages.

The forum two weeks ago, also put the country’s first digital-age examination practice video tutorial for television and computers on the internet.

That 14-minute video preview is available on the same Facebook page, courtesy of The Nation newspaper. It is an extract from a multimedia disc package that promises to reverse the trend of mass failure in English language examinations across the country.

The Nation Databank’s O’seun Ogunseitan created a flash-based examination test and practice tutorial software which he named Fashola.exe, as a model e-learning software tool and aid for Nigerian secondary school students. The software was adopted as a campaign medium by ex-students of Lagos-based Birch Freeman High

46,962 phone users have used OpenMarket ™ Have you?

School, in honour of Lagos Governor Babatunde Fashola, himself an exstudent of the school.

The newly released second tutorial software is exactly like the Fashola.exe. It runs on virtually every type of computer available today with its web languagebased version. It uses answer options and answers to past examination questions, to teach the principles of the particular subject.

Tosin Akanmu, spokesperson of North Carolina, US-based Media Tools and Technologies Llc, (MT&T) who midwifed the development phase of the novel multimedia e-learning package, said the new software is the second of a triad of English language tutorial software that will be released along with 10-hour long special television viewable tutorials, whose pilot she announced two weeks ago.

Ms. Akanmu, a budding e-learning tools development expert herself, had said the successful creation of the new video is a breathe of fresh air for learning in Nigeria. MT&T she said, believes digital-age audio-visual teaching is one sure way to arrest the decline in quality and standard of education in the country “by teaching digital-age children with digital age tools”.

The new interactive video version of the tutorial software, teaches young students, with animated texts and graphics-based television-viewable videos, playable on any regular home DVD player or computers. The discs also contain tens of e-books and software when used on a computer.

The video-based test and practice tutorials, now being promoted by The Nation Databank and its American Associates, were developed from a database of more than 65,000 past examination questions and answers spanning the last 30 years and available with The Nation Databank.

The databank believes the mass deployment of phone and multimedia computer technologies which make learning fun, hold the key to a reversal of mass failure in Nigerian schools.

Visit www.facebook.com/PCUser2User for the weblink to download Fashola.exe and others, as well as to watch previews of the JAMB-NECO-SSCE-SAT Video tutorial .

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Data protection in SIM card registration (1)

Matters e-Rising Segun Oruame segun@segunoruame.com

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OWARDS the ending of year 2009, the Nigerian communications regulator, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in exercising the powers granted it under the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003 issued a directive that all new Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards must be registered before activation, to be followed by the subsequent registration of the SIM cards of existing SIM card holders at a later date.

This directive coming from the NCC was borne out of the need to have a credible database of SIM card holders in Nigeria that will be used to identify (for possible prosecution), criminal actors who perpetrate criminal activities through the use of mobile phones by exploiting the anonymity of an unregistered SIM Card.

This article seeks to identify and address the data protection and other issues that will arise in implementing the SIM card registration process Data protection and the concept of privacy under Nigerian law The right to privacy is an inalienable human right that cannot be derogated from; neither can it be subsumed under any government law or policy. Though Nigeria presently has no comprehensive legislative framework for data protection, the right to privacy can be traced to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFRN) 1999, in particular, S. 37 provides: “The privacy of citizens, their homes, correspondence, telephone conversations and telegraphic communications is hereby guaranteed and protected.”

The broad import of this particular statutory provision is to guarantee from interference and intrusion, the private affairs of the Nigerian

By Izuogu, Chukwuyere Ebere, LL.M (Hannover)

person. This statement finds meaning in the definition of privacy as: “The right of the individual to be protected against intrusion into his personal life or affairs, or those of his family, by direct physical means or by publication of (personal) information (emphasis mine).

When this constitutional right is juxtaposed with NCC’s directive to register SIM cards, one is wont to ask the nature of privacy and or data protection issues involved in the registration of these SIM cards. SIM cards as the name implies is used to identify subscribers to mobile telecommunications services. It is a removable card that allows the user to transfer its subscribed services to another mobile device.

Notwithstanding the protection of customers’ information embedded in the Consumer Code of Practice Regulation 2007 made under the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, I intend to propose as a reference model the principles contained in the EU wide Data Protection Directive 95/46 EC, as a guide for the implementation of this SIM card registration process.

Amongst other things, this directive has been internationally touted as setting the benchmark by which data protection laws are evaluated, the standards set are widely regarded as “high” and places an emphasis on human rights while its principles have been flexible in their approach.

Pursuant to this directive, data or personal data means any information relating to an identifiable natural person (data subject); the directive also

goes further in defining an identifiable natural person as one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular, by reference to an identification number… Therefore, for data to be “personal,” two conditions must be met: First the data must relate or concern another natural person; secondly, the data must be used in the identification of the natural person. Where the data does not refer to a natural person, it falls outside the scope of the EU Directive.

Since SIM cards contain both the unique serial and international numbers of the subscriber, a registered SIM card would therefore meet the requirement of “personal data” as contemplated under the directive since another individual can be able to connect the personal data to the owner of the SIM card.

The registration process requires the presentation of any of the following identification documents: epassports, company ID cards with tax/pension number, student ID cards from recognised institutions, drivers’ licence from the Federal Road Safety Commission and will also include the capture of the subscriber’s photograph and biometrics (which undoubtedly is also personal data). The collection of all these information would be deemed to be data processing (pursuant to this EU Directive). Data processing occurs when an operation or a set of operations is carried out upon personal data, whether or not by automatic means. These operations will include the collection, recording, organisation, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination,

blocking, erasure and destruction of personal data.

Since it is evident that due to the nature of the personal information stored in the SIM card database, accessing this database would therefore be implicating the privacy rights of SIM card holders, the crucial question then becomes: Under what circumstances will these personal data or information of mobile telephony subscribers be collected, accessed or used legitimately? This is important in order not to run afoul of the SIM card holder’s constitutional right to privacy by illegitimately accessing the information stored in the SIM card database as information specifically provided for one purpose might be used entirely in a different context.

The EU Directive has a set of principles that must be adhered to when accessing the personal data of the private individual. It sets out the right of the private individual in regards to his personal data and establishes the general principles guiding the processing of personal data. These principles fall into three broad categories: Transparency, legitimate purpose and proportionality. They are summarised below to aid the SIM card registration exercise in Nigeria: • Personal data shall be processed fairly and lawfully. This means that there must be a legitimate reason for registering SIM cards and for accessing the information stored in the SIM card database. The information contained in the SIM card must not be used in ways that would be prejudicial to the interests of the SIM card holder. This principle also imposes an obligation on the data controller to be transparent on how it intends to use the information stored in the SIM card database.

• Personal data shall be obtained only for one or more specified and lawful purposes, and shall not be further processed in any manner incompatible with that purpose or those purposes. This principle means that the reason for registering SIM card must be specified from the onset. This is the main thrust of any good data protection policy. What is the main purpose of registering SIM cards in Nigeria?

Legitimate processing requires that uses of the personal data must be known and publicly stated at the time of registration. A 2006 decision of a German court comes to mind here, where the demand by a public prosecutor investigating a criminal case to access personal data stored on a SIM card of an on-board unit in a truck was denied by the court. The court was of the opinion that the German Federal Toll Collect Act, on which the collecting of SIM card data is based, restricts the use of toll data to only the control of toll payments. In this regard, access to the SIM card database in Nigeria must be restricted to only the purpose(s) specified by the NCC, i.e., cases of criminal activities perpetrated through the use of mobile telephones. To override such a purpose would require legal justification and authorisation.

This principle also illustrates the inadequacies of the Consumer Code of Practice Regulation 2007 where the overriding aim for the collection of customers’ information is for the business purposes of a telecommunications licensee. This principle will also ensure that where the information is used for a different purpose, such purpose will be fair as long as the fair processing requirement has been complied with.

•To be continued

Ex-minister urges NASRDA, NIGCOMSAT to close ranks

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• Head, Indirect Channel Sales, Starcomms, Tunde Odetunde; Commander, Infantry Corps Centre, Jaji, Maj-Gen Mohammed Isah, and Head of Business Solutions, Starcomms, Hassan Jichi, during the official launch of Starcomms services in Jaji, Kaduna State.

Glo-1 lands in other cities

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ORE Nigerian cities will soon be able to enjoy the benefits of ample Internet bandwidth courtesy of Glo- 1, Globacom’s international submarine cable.

This follows a move by the company to empower Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to extend their business to all major cities in the country.

Head of Glo-1, Folu Aderibigbe, said the submarine cable would not only offer Internet bandwidth, but would help ISPs in setting up operations and extend services to major cities where they do not currently have presence.

He noted that most of the ISPs in Nigeria at the moment operate mainly in Lagos alone and few other cities due to the huge capital expenditure involved in setting up operations in other cities and the unavailability of reliable bandwidth in those areas.

He said: “Globacom has decided to address this problem by providing the required bandwidth in all the major cities and remov-

ing the burden of huge capital needed by ISPs to start operations in all major cities where their services are needed.”

Globacom, riding on its MPLS-VPN network spread across the country, has extended Glo-1 services to all major cities in Nigeria, thus empowering ISPs to extend the benefits of bandwidth to the cities.

According to Aderibigbe, “This is in line with the commitment we made when we commissioned the cable last year to ensure that quality service is available in all parts of the country.

“We assure Nigerians that Glo-1 will offer 100 per cent connection to prosperity. Glo1, which is the only optic fibre cable that connects United Kingdom directly from Nigeria, has provided solution to the bandwidth capacity constraints in the West Africa region.

“With its integration with Globacom’s 10,000 km nationwide optic fibre cable, Glo1 is able to give end-to-end connectivity, including last mile solutions, thus providing a one-stop shop for customers’ requirements.”

ORMER Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Mohammed Abubakar, has urged officials of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) and Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited to sink their differences.

He spoke in Abuja when he received the board of NIGCOMSAT led by former Science and Technology Minister, Prof. Turner Isoun.

In a veiled reference to the supremacy tussle among top officials of both agencies, Abubakar promised to ensure that NIGCOMSAT becomes a full-fledged parastatal under the Science and Technology Ministry. This, he said, is “to erase doubts as to its legal status” by asking the Permanent Secretary, Mrs Dere Awosika, to engage all concerned in the interest of peace.

According to Abubakar, it was out of place for NASRDA to create the impression that it is the singular authority to launch satellites in Nigeria, adding that this could potentially prevent any smooth initiative in the sector.

He urged NASRDA to seek ways of cooperating with NIGCOMSAT to actualise the blueprint for space development and national growth.

Abubakar said he was satisfied with the work of NIGCOMSAT's boss, Timasaniyu AhmedRufai hence his recommendation for renewal of

Stories by Adline Atili

his term to the President.

He enjoined management of both agencies to cooperate and work in harmony, ensuring that peace reigns for the good of Nigeria, and asked the NIGCOMSAT Chairman, Isoun to ensure this is achieved during his tenure.

Earlier, in his remarks, Isoun who led the NIGCOMSAT team on the courtesy visit, said the visit was to acknowledge that NIGCOMSAT is an entity under the Ministry of Science and Technology despite misconceived perception arising from the board's inauguration by the National Security Adviser.

Isoun, while commending the NIGCOMSAT Chief Executive, Ahmed-Rufai for his ability to engage engineers in the use of skills for the benefit of the nation, listed some of the innovative products that have been developed by NIGCOMSAT to include: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Staff Attendance and Access Control System (SAACS) and electronic voting platform, demonstrated to INEC in August 2010.

He urged the ex-minister to ensure a harmonious relationship between the two bodies in order to bring about meaningful advancement in space science and technology.

Firm advises businesses on service delivery

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USINESS orgainsations in Nigeria have been advised to improve their customer service delivery through deploying appropriate software.

Speaking at a seminar organised by QuantumNG, a provider of technology-based customer interaction management solutions, QuantumNG’s Managing Director, Sonny Oyediran noted that proper handling of customer-relation issues in businesses using the right technology is key to success.

He said the forum was informed by the need to sensitise small, medium and large organisations on the imperative of deploying scalable contact centre solutions. He said this followed the company’s observation that organisations are not running their contact centres the way they should be run while cus-

tomers do not know how to demand for effective customer centre treatment as a right.

He added that the seminar was organised to introduce the company’s Customer Relationship Management and unified Internet Protocol communications solutions and other customer-focused technology solutions to the business community towards helping them improve their customer engagement services.

“We are trying to enlighten both middle management and senior management on how they can improve customer services. Since the best way to reach people is to give them information at the point of need, we have decided to pull them out of their offices to allow them openly and freely ask questions about how they can improve their customer services,” he said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

46

INSURANCE

‘How we arrived at N1b capital base for PFAs’ P

ENSION Fund Administrators (PFAs) wanted a capital base of N750 million, but the Pension Commission (PenCom) jacked it to N1 billion to enable the operators meet operational demands, Director General National Pension Commission (PenCom), Mr Muhammad Ahmad has said.

Ahmad, who disclosed this in Abuja, said PenCom took the decision to raise the capital to N1billion having observed that some PFAs capital base have been eroded.

He said: “The law provided for N150 million for the minimum capital base. Of course, most of them didn’t start with N150 million. But over the years, we have realised that they needed sufficient resources to invest heavily in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure, skills upgrade as well as branch expansion.

“When we started, capital was

Stories by Chuks Udo Okonta low and many of them couldn’t afford resources for these. Over the years, some of the PFA’s capital base have been eroded by operating losses. We needed to make sure they are well capitalised.

“What we did as an industry, I am not sure if any sub-sector operator did this, is to say operators’ advised us on what should be the ideal capital base for PFAs operations. We don’t have problem with Pension Fund Custodians (PFCs). Through their association, they set up a technical committee and did an extensive review.

“They looked at the cost implication of setting up a new PFA in in terms of ICT infrastructure skills, and other related services including business development.

They came up with N1 billion and also said, I think that was last

Soyewo heads Africa brokers

year hoping that it would have taken effect by January, that by December 2011, they would have met that requirement.

“The third element of the technical committee recommendation is that it should not be paid up capital by shareholders’ fund unpaired by losses. When the association met, with pressure from marginal players, they agreed on N750 million. So, they recommended N750 million capital base, based on shareholders’ funds and not paid up capital. It should commence June 2012.

“We looked at it as a regulator and said it should be based on shareholders’ funds. We have agreed the deadline should be June 2012. However, we said the capital base should be N1 billion rather than N750 million and we communicated it to them.”

Ahmed said the proposed capital base would force those that are not able to raise it to merge.

“Of course it is not all the 24 PFA’s that will have the N1 billion. The implication is that they would seek to merge, seek to bring in additional shares or sur-

render their licence to us.

“In the past, there were talks of merger but it would appear the initiative, except for one of them that completed the process, wasn’t pursued with the vigour with the way it should be pursued perhaps because it was an appeal to them to come together and merge.

“Now that there is a statutory requirement, we want to believe that it would compel them to merge if they so desire to. Those who cannot merge are likely to surrender their licence. PFA business is not like banking business.

“The greatest risks in banking business lies in credit risk, PFAs don’t have that risk because they don’t grant loss. The second issue is, as an industry, you can afford to withdraw the licence of a PFA and nothing will happen to the pension fund because the fund is a separate entity from the PFA and it is also kept by a custodian. So, the impact in terms of possible erosion of public confidence is limited.

Therefore, even if some of them decided to say they want to surrender their licence because they

don’t have N1 billion, they can afford to do that without adverse impact on retirement savings account (RSA).

“For instance, one of the pension fund administrators, Standard Alliance surrendered their licence but it didn’t affect the integrity of their pension funds.

PFAs are like investment managers and largely it is not a business that requires huge capital but gradually as they grow depending on their size of business, their capital base may have to increase.

“There are PFAs today with shareholders’ fund up to N1 billion. I think there are about five of them. We have those who are close to N1 billion and they should get to N1 billion in six months. We have quite a few that except they merge or shareholders introduce more money, they may have to surrender their licence.

Of course, we are watching them and we will be engaging them regularly to see their progress.

We will supervise the merger process,” he said.

A

FRICAN Insurance Brokers Association (AIBA) has elected Dr Feyisayo Soyewo, a past president of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers, (NCRIB), as the chairman of the continental body.

The election took place in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe during the just concluded 38th Annual Conference and General Assembly of the African Insurance Organisation (AIO).

Until his election, Soyewo was the Vice-Chairman of the body and he succeeded Mr Omar Ngadi of Morocco, who stepped down after a year in office.

Also elected was Mr Albert Nduna from Zimbabwe as ViceChairman. He was the association’s Treasurer before his election as Vice-Chairman. Mrs E.U. Kolawole of Nigeria was also elected to act as Secretary/Treasurer of the organisation. All the other officers kept their positions.

Soyewo, who is also the Executive Chairman of Prestige Insurance Brokers Limited, has been a strong advocate for the recognition of insurance broking as an independent and self regulating professional body.

He has consistently pushed for integrity in the practice of insurance broking.

Soyewo is a member of the

• Soyewo

Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) and London as well as the Insurance Industry’s Elders Advisory Council.

He is also a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), Fellow of the Institute of Directors (IOD) as well as Fellow of the Institute of Cost Management.

The African Insurance Brokers Association (AlBA) is the umbrella body for all practicing insurance and Reinsurance brokers in Africa and it is one of the most important organs of the African Insurance Organisation (AIO).

AIBA is one of the earliest bodies established by the African Insurance Organisation (AIO) for the facilitation, encouragement and promotion of insurance brokers in Africa.

The objectives of AIBA include the protection and promotion of the general welfare and interest of insurance brokers and insurance brokers associations in Africa.

Swiss Re, IFC support micro-insurance in West Africa

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NTERNATIONAL Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-investment arm of the World Bank Group, and Swiss Re Corporate Solutions (Swiss Re), a reinsurer and financial services group based in Zurich, Switzerland, has partnered to further develop the Global Index Insurance Facility (GIIF).

Index insurance is a product that covers farmers against presumed crop failure based on measurable factors such as if rainfall is below a predetermined threshold.

GIIF was launched by IFC in 2009 as a regional platform intended “to develop agricultural insurance systems in West African countries including Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso.”

Swiss Re will provide technical

services to GIIF projects and support unspecified strategic objectives through its experience in developing risk transfer solutions for emerging markets. IFC CEO Lars Thunell said, “Innovative insurance products offer small farmers the tools they need to manage risks from unforeseeable events, giving them the certainty they need to grow their operations… Our partnership with Swiss Re Corporate Solutions will help us develop affordable new types of index-based insurance.”

GIIF, which is based in Senegal with satellite branches in the Mali and Burkina Faso, aims to reach 60,000 people directly and raise awareness of agricultural insurance amongst 165,000 farmers by 2015 [2].

• From left: Taraba State Governor, Danbaba Danfulani Sontai receiving contract agreement from Mrs Oluremi Adiukwu-Bakare, MD/CEO UNISPACE Ltd. With them is the Commissioner for Environment and Urban Development, Mr Gebon Kataps, at the Signing of the contract agreement on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) in Jalingo, Taraba State.

Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers pledge improved services

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HE Acting Managing Director, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Limited, Mr Obinnia Abajue, has said the company would continue to offer prompt services to meet its customers expectations.

Abajue, who disclosed this in Lagos, said the company will continuously help to enhance industry best practices, part of which includes creating awareness about the benefits of retirement savings and helping workers plan for that eventual-

ity.

He noted that the company has diligently paid all its Retirement Savings Account (RSA) holders, numbering over 850,000 customers, their monthly entitlements on time since the PFA was established five years ago.

He said: “We continue to be encouraged by the feedback we receive daily from retirees across the country who are delighted with the quality of service they receive from us.

CrystaLife Assurance pays N170m claims in Q1

C

RYSTALIFE Assurance Plc, settled claims of about N170 million in the first quarter, its Managing Director, Mrs Seyi Ifaturoti has said.

Ifaturoti said this at a press parley in Lagos, adding the company recorded a total premium of N2.1billion last year.

She said: “Our total premium in-

come for 2010 came to over N2.1 billion, which is an attestation to the volume of business that was underwritten in the year under review. Equally, we paid claims of about N800 million the same year.

“In line with that promise of being a dependable insurer, we have paid claims valued at N170 million at the end of the first quarter of 2011.

“Our aim is to continue to set higher standards of service delivery and ensure that our RSA holders derive maximum value from their investment.”

He said the company is driven by the sole objective of ensuring that people retire into a period of relative comfort and peace after their working lives.

“We want to help people plan for their retirement in such a manner as to ensure that retirement is as rewarding and productive to them as possible.

“We make a promise to our clients: that they will retire safely. It’s a promise we always keep.That also accounts for why we have opened offices in virtually every part of Nigeria, so that our clients will not go long distances to talk with us.

We are also expanding our interface platforms to ensure that no matter your language preference, you can converse with our fund managers.

“Retirement is a time to rest and enjoy the fruits of your labour. At Stanbic Bank Pension Managers, we help you to achieve just that,” he added.

47

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

INSURANCE

NAICOM secures $1.5m for IT project T

HE National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has secured $1.5million from the World Bank to build an Information and Technology (IT) infrastructure to enhance supervision of the industry’s operations.

A statement by the Assistant Director, Corporate Affairs, NAICOM, Mr Lucky Fiakpa, said the project tagged e-Regulation, would enable the commission have seamless interconnectivity with insurance companies.

He said: “The current adminis-

tration’s quest to align with international best practice, led to the initiative to migrate from current manual supervision to IT-driven supervision. The project tagged Project e-regulation when fully operational will allow seamless inter-connectivity between the commission and the insurance sector thereby ensuring “real-time-direct data capture” and timely solvency monitoring.

“This project became the first NAICOM project to secure the positive endorsement of the

World Bank resulting in $1.5million financial assistance under the Economic Reforms and Governance Project (ERGP). The project is nearing completion with the conclusion of the business process mapping and training and the recent award of the contract for the procurement and installation of requisite IT infrastructure.”

He said NAICOM’s Market Development and Restructuring Initiative (MDRI), which is aimed at

enforcing compulsory insurance laws, has also received the support of the World Bank.

The MDRI, when fully operational, will compel motorists to have valid drivers licence and property developers to possess insurance cover for buildings and buildings under construction.

“So far, the MDRI programme has been flagged-off in the Southwest, Southeast, Northcentral, Northwest, Northeast and Abuja.

The programme is well received by all stakeholders.

“The Lagos State government bought into the programme by signing into law the Building Control Bill, which is a variant of the compulsory Builders’ Liability Insurance Policy. The Lagos law makes it mandatory for a developer of a three-storey building and above to provide insurance certificate as a pre-requisite for government approval, which is in conformity with existing federal law, as contained in Section 64(65) of the Insurance Act 2003,” he said.

He said the company’s business success is the result of longterm customer-satisfaction and loyalty that have survived the twists and turns of the operating environment. He charged the agents to shun any form of fraudulent practices, as all frauds would eventually be exposed and culprits severely punished.

Olowude noted that the com-

pany has continually invested in the welfare of agents to ensure optimal performance.

“We have, among other things, provided cars for some category of agents as well as put all agents on the Group Life Pension Scheme to increase the level of their motivation to work,” he said.

“Management is very particu-

lar about the way staff and associates conduct business because the IGI family has a commitment to upholding the ethics of our profession.”

The conference, with the theme Adapting to Changes in Insurance Practice was attended by the company’s agents, analysts and chief analysts from all over the federation.

Stories by Chuks Udo Okonta

IGI woos agents to boost operations

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NDUSTRIAL And General Insurance (IGI) Plc has pledged to support its agents in enhancing their market share of life insurance business.

Its Executive Vice-Chairman (EVC) Mr Remi Olowude, said this at the 2011 IGI annual agency conference in Lagos.

Olowude described the agents as critical partners of the company who have made significant contributions to the growth of the company’s business.

He said: “IGI’s leadership position in the insurance industry today derives from the interplay of several important factors, part of which is the contribution of our agents to our vision of being the preferred provider of insurance, risk management and financial services.”

He enjoined the agents to work harder so that the company can continue to remain the insurer of choice of the populace.

“You must strive for success; and strive to surpass the production targets that were set for you and your field officers. We will give you our total support in this regard and you will be greatly rewarded for your success,” he added.

Olowude noted that the scope and sophistication of competi-

• Participants at the event.

tion in the market place are fresh challenges that will continue to spur IGI to reach for new heights.

He said: “We recognised that competitors and new entrants into the market are committed to challenging our leadership but, with your cooperation, we shall continually raise the bar of performance to maintain our position of leadership.”

Insurers seek accreditation of CIIN diploma HE accreditation of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) diploma by the Federal Ministry of Education is near conclusion, its President and Chairman Mr Sunny Adeda has said.

Adeda, who said this at a press parley in Lagos, noted that the visitation panel from the Ministry of Education, which visited the CIIN has submitted its reports which is awaiting endorsement by the minister.

He noted that the accreditation will properly situate CIIN diploma holders to be qualified in the civil service employment.

“The institute’s accreditation committee has also continued to visit institutions of higher learning offering insurance for accreditation. Accreditation of the institutions has enabled the institute ascertain the suitability of their syllabuses and the faculties necessary for preparation of their students to sit for the CIIN professional exami-

T

nations,” he said.

He said the institute has continued to march in the direction of progress, engendering the actualisation of its statutory roles in the determination of the standard of skill and knowledge requisite for the professional and ethical dispensation of insurance services by all practitioners registered by the institute.

“This is a task, which the successive leadership of the governing council has never taken for granted because of the abiding challenges of nurturing the framework and structure for carrying out such task effectively.

“The framework comprises the complex but effective machinery of the Council and its committees, an efficient secretariat which translates the policies of council into action as well as the branches of the institute across Nigeria, which provides liaison functions and guarantee membership spread in an obviously populous country such as ours.

• From left: Project Director, Mr Olayinka Ositu; Managing Director /Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Fola Laoye, both of Hygeia Nigeria Limited, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Digital Jewels, Mrs Adedoyin Odunfa and Consultant, Africa and Middle East, McGhee Productivity Solutions, Mr Lanre Onasanya at the monthly information value chain breakfast forum on “Redefining Healthcare Management through Technology” organised

by Digital Jewels in Lagos.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

48

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION with

Secrets of wealth creation BOOK REVIEW Author: Brian Sher Publisher: Prima Publishing Reviewer: Goke Ilesanmi

GOKE ILESANMI

I

T is human nature to want to hide one’s source of success. The tendency is very high when it comes to money-making. That is why the rich would not like to disclose their financial-success secret. But the good news is that there is revelation of the whole secret in this text entitled What Rich People Know & Desperately Want to Keep Secret.

The text is written by Brian Sher, who bagged a degree in Marketing from the University of New South Wales, and developed and launched a successful baby-care product. His subsequent business travels overseas sparked his interest in consultancy.

According to this author, most people dream of being rich. Sher adds that a relative few set off on a different journey, a journey so challenging and demanding, yet so exciting that it brings new life and new meaning. He says in the end, many of these dreams are also shattered as a result of lack of knowledge of what rich people know.

This book has six parts of 44 chapters. Part one is christened The basics of success, and contains four chapters.

Chapter one is interrogatively entitled What are riches, and what do rich people do?

According to Sher here, virtually anyone you meet wants to be rich in the momentary sense. He says nearly everyone in life wants to make more money and the truth, however, is that being truly rich in life is not just about having more

money but striving for balance in all aspects of your life.

In chapters two to four, Sher discusses the first step on the road to riches; why more businesses fail than ever succeed; four critical advantages your competitors can never have.

Part two is summarised as You, and covers 14 chapters, that is, chapters five to 18. In chapter five based on the starting point for all riches, Sher says one thing he discovered early in his business career is that there is no point in reinventing the wheel, and for that reason, you must learn all you can from successful people.

In chapters six to 18, Sher identifies education as the only one shortcut to success; stresses the need for you to dream big and be unique or be nothing at all. He advises you to ask for help, adding that you will be surprised at what will happen. Sher says you need something far more valuable than money before you get rich.

He stresses that passion is the secret weapon of the rich, adding that rich people feel alive and exhilarated because of risk. Sher advises you to take responsibility and take charge. He says you should move fast or get out of the way, adding that you should always be self-employed.

Part three is tagged Your marketing, and contains eight chapters, that is, chapters 19 to 26.

Chapter 19 is entitled The machine that drives your business. According to Sher here, marketing is the second critical area of your business and the machine that drives your business.

In chapters 20 to 26, this author defines marketing and reflects on the number one reason why most people never get rich. Sher also examines concepts such as the death

of market share; making it easy for customers to buy; how advertising can kill your business; 50 per cent of something being better than 100 per cent of nothing, etc.

Part four is conceptually summarised as Your people, and contains five chapters, that is, chapters 27 to 31. In chapter 27 based on how to get your employees to fall in love with your company, Sher says he has always stressed that your people are your greatest asset and one of the four critical ways you can gain a competitive advantage. In his words, “If your people are positive and happy to be working for you, you’re way ahead. No one, I repeat, no one, can compete with individuals who actually enjoy their work, who have fun with customers, and who actually care about customers.”

In chapters 28 to 31, Sher examines the concepts of how to hire the right people; getting good people, then holding on like Hell; frequent use of all your resources, including your entire brain pool; and the redundancy of one person if two people think the same way.

Part five is generically christened Your systems, and contains nine chapters, that is, chapters 32 to 40.

Chapter 32 is entitled Why systems are so important. “Systems are one of the four competitive advantages you have…Drawing on your experience, learning from trial and error, or using meticulous planning, you can use systems to maximise your efficiency and maximise waste,” submits Sher.

In chapters 33 to 40, this author examines concepts such as how to make the complex seem easy and sell your business quickly and easily; leverage as a word that makes people millionaires; focusing on money-making activities and delegating to others; tendency for problems to happen once; how to measure performance; the need for you not to gamble your profits away; the need for everyone to know your business, etc.

Part six is conceptually woven together as Things to remember, and contains four chapters, that is,

chapters 41 to 44. Chapter 41 is based on the need for you to realise that growing too quickly could mean getting too big for your boots.

According to Sher here, “Although it’s fun and exciting to grow, growing too fast can also kill you….”

In chapters 42 to 44, this author Xrays concepts such as the possibility of the word Trust to be a four-letter word; the need not to go it alone; and the impossibility of creating successful people.

Stylistically, this book is a success.

Sher includes boxed messages where he radiates powerful messages and recapitulates his major gist in every

chapter. A lot of graphics are equally used to achieve visual reinforcement of understanding. The use of black and grey colours on the outer cover of the book reinforces the subject matter. Black is for ignorance and grey for knowledge because “grey matter” means “intelligence” or “brain”.

However, Sher should have used the coordinating conjunction “And” instead of the symbol “&” in the book’s title.

Generally, this book is fantastic. Is your desire to become rich through knowledge of the secret of being rich? If “Yes”, then you need to get a copy of this book and read.

Winning big business with effective proposals

O

NE of the ways of enhancing your business by winning big and profitable business is through effective and persuasive business proposals. If your service or product is the best in your industry, you need to communicate your uniqueness to the target customers in a way that relates to the specific needs of such customers. Proposals also help you explain financial terms and procedures to your prospective customers to avoid misunderstanding down the road. Complete proposals offer details and help you land great jobs.

Presentation mode An effective and persuasive business proposal clearly identifies the consumers’ problem, need or issue, and recommends a solution. It backs up your proposed solution with a discussion of the capabilities of your business as well as market research related to the proposal. It shows that your experience puts you ahead of the competition.

Your focus The way you present your business in this proposal will shape the success or failure of all future relationships with target

By Goke Ilesanmi buyers. To earn their respect and attention, your proposal must show that you have a keen understanding of the prospective customers’ needs. You need to focus on the fact that your business is very well-equipped to handle their needs in the most effective and efficient manner possible. Therefore, make the time investment—conduct research to gain a full understanding of the nature and scope of the customers’ requirements, then, present your ideas in a manner that convinces them that your product or service represents the best possible solution.

Effort and benefits Though writing an effective and persuasive business proposal is taxing (not “tasking”, which is Nigerian English, please), you have to consider the valuable benefits for your business. The effort you make in tailoring the proposals to prospects’ specific needs shows the level of service they will receive from you. And your prospects or target customers are bound to notice that extra effort.

Components

To get started with your personalised proposal, you will need to understand the basic formats and components. Before you write, determine what the overall message of your proposal will be. Stating the theme or the reason for the proposal helps to ensure that your proposal will be routed to the appropriate personnel. The theme should be one of the first things that your prospect sees. This is not a headline whose purpose is to entertain, but a description that clearly informs the prospect of the reason for the proposal. An appropriate theme might describe how your product (or service) will enable the client to solve a problem or achieve a goal.

Accuracy In seeking contracts, for instance, you win business when your proposal persuades clients that your solution is superior to your competitors’. Your proposal will persuade the reader if you understand the client’s needs, show the benefits, make a firm, clear recommendations accompanied by action steps and give the reader technical and other supporting details that highlight your qualifications and competence to deliver

the solution on time, on budget and to specification.

Effectiveness The effectiveness of a proposal is not judged by its volume but based solely on the value you bring to the table. When you do your initial presentation, that is part of your proposal. When you meet your prospects for the first time, shake hands and talk, that is part of the proposal. When you start listening and asking questions, that is part of the proposal.

Request for Proposal The task of responding to a Request for Proposal (RFP) is daunting. Apart from the pressure of getting the best proposal in on time, defining an effective approach to the response poses several challenges. For example, the various proposal team members may argue that their respective contributions are worth the most attention. But you need to assimilate each contribution into the final document from the customer’s perspective.

You need to avoid a situation whereby the final proposal is bidder-focused, In other words, you have placed your solution at the heart of the bid.

From the customer’s perspective,

these bids tend to come across as ME-ME-ME. A more successful approach is to place the customer’s needs as the focus of your response.

Final note Through effective and persuasive business proposals, you will enhance your business, achieve profitability and stay ahead of competition.

NOTE: The duration of the public speaking seminar has been greatly reduced as requested, in addition to other adjustments. You will find the programme on the right side at the upper part of my website. Click on the text and see details. I appreciate your suggestions and requests.

•GOKE ILESANMI, Managing Consultant/CEO of Gokmar Communication Consulting, is a Certified Public Speaker/Emcee, Communication Specialist, Motivational Speaker, Career Management Coach, Renowned Book Reviewer, Corporate Leadership Expert and Editorial Consultant..

Tel: 08055068773; 08187499425 Email: info@gokeilesanmi.com Website: www.gokeilesanmi.com

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

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50

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

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By Taofik S Osu

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

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EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 14-06-11 2ND-TIER SECURITIES Company Name JULI PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 1

Quotation(N) 2.90

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 6,289 17,357.64 6,289 17,357.64

AGRICULTURE/AGRO-ALLIED Company Name FTN COCOA PROCESSORS PLC LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC PRESCO PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 3 12 16

Quotation(N) 0.50 0.50 7.71

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 14,000 7,000.00 294,905 147,452.50 212,080 1,679,105.08 520,985 1,833,557.58

Quotation(N) 2.66 8.61

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 878,641 2,337,185.06 534,689 4,575,246.33 1,413,330 6,912,431.39

Quotation(N) 0.50 2.29

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 10,712 5,356.00 112,347 259,594.61 123,059 264,950.61

Quotation(N) 7.02 1.04 5.55 3.52 7.55 2.61 13.11 0.54 15.93 10.20 0.85 1.09 0.76 8.03 1.72 6.15 1.96 0.85 0.99 14.98

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 4,585,256 32,130,162.79 35,356 35,002.44 2,060,494 11,425,718.23 206,857 728,136.64 833,847 6,293,642.65 13,819,053 35,945,361.33 8,009,329 106,282,623.53 9,907,673 5,380,648.14 10,494,551 167,248,377.81 1,636,238 16,699,427.80 3,008,292 2,557,048.20 2,259,440 2,462,789.60 2,083,314 1,583,318.64 4,522,804 36,535,426.85 2,817,063 4,857,577.81 14,680,840 91,227,939.00 9,085,284 17,621,520.40 1,656,455 1,425,738.96 2,877,610 2,856,296.40 7,728,952 115,742,124.92 102,308,708 659,038,882.14

Quotation(N) 4.05 245.00 6.42 91.00

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 18,000 72,900.00 517,182 126,594,168.65 113,130 696,431.60 825,839 75,238,134.07 1,474,151 202,601,634.32

Quotation(N) 24.47 10.30 132.00 47.61

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 286,031 6,918,770.94 435,740 4,478,384.30 22,996 2,993,050.01 4,586,805 222,846,605.42 5,331,572 237,236,810.67

Quotation(N) 10.97 30.96 1.52 10.93

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 4,900 51,107.00 53,947 1,753,277.50 3,266 4,735.70 3,259 33,861.01 65,372 1,842,981.21

AIR SERVICES Company Name AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 9 44 53

AUTOMOBILE & TYRE Company Name DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC R. T. BRISCOE (NIGERIA) PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 4 12 16 BANKING

Company Name ACCESS BANK PLC AFRIBANK NIGERIA PLC DIAMOND BANK PLC ECOBANK NIGERIA PLC FIRST CITY MONUMENT BANK PLC FIDELITY BANK PLC FIRST BANK OF NIGERIA PLC FINBANK PLC GTBANK PLC STANBIC IBTC BANK PLC INTERCONTINENTAL BANK PLC. OCEANIC BANK INTERNATIONAL PLC BANK PHB PLC SKYE BANK PLC. STERLING BANK PLC UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC. UNION BANK OF NIGERIA PLC UNITYBANK PLC WEMA BANK PLC ZENITH BANK PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 205 6 58 10 57 101 488 84 486 52 38 37 18 73 31 271 208 33 44 266 2,566 BREWERIES

Company Name CHAMPION BREWERIES PLC GUINNESS NIGERIA PLC INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC NIGERIAN BREWERIES PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 75 13 125 214 BUILDING MATERIALS

Company Name ASHAKA CEMENT PLC CEMENT CO. OF NORTHERN NIGERIA PLC DANGOTE CEMENT PLC LAFARGE WAPCO PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 58 31 13 70 172

Bond offer further erodes key indicators T HE sale of Federal Government bond which opens today may further erode the key market indicators of the Nigerian Capital Market (NCM).

At the close of business transaction yesterday, the market capitalisation and the All-Share-Index of the NCM dropped further by 0.3 per cent each.

Market capitalisation reduced by N23 billion to close at N8.164 trillion while the index dropped 71.17 points to close at 25,533.68 basis points.

Market operators yesterday said bond sale by Federal Government was further depleting the market with investors selling to reinvest in the bond market.

Operators said the sale of the bond today will further reduce macro economy liquidity.

“When the rescued banks get to a resistance level; because that is the major cause of the drop recorded in the market, the market will witness equilibrium and it will reverse to the positive side,” an analyst said.

No of Deals 4 16 2 2 24

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 14-06-11

COMMERCIAL/SERVICES Company Name COURTVILLE INVESTMENTS PLC RED STAR EXPRESS PLC TRANS NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 4 12 2 18

Quotation(N) 0.50 2.84 5.78

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 374,425 187,212.50 294,700 844,450.00 40,000 220,000.00 709,125 1,251,662.50

COMPUTER & OFFICE EQUIPMENT Company Name OMATEK VENTURES PLC TRIPPLE GEE AND COMPANY PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 2 1 3

Quotation(N) 0.50 3.42

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 460,000 230,000.00 1,500 4,875.00 461,500 234,875.00

CONGLOMERATES Company Name PZ CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC UAC OF NIGERIA PLC UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 44 54 35 69 202

Quotation(N) 36.11 0.89 39.99 29.00

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 187,147 6,854,571.84 5,565,587 4,887,769.79 97,452 3,858,674.31 1,994,411 57,769,865.39 7,844,597 73,370,881.33

Quotation(N) 3.67 56.00 0.50

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 48,250 168,392.50 16,564 930,920.95 260,000 130,000.00 324,814 1,229,313.45

CONSTRUCTION Company Name COSTAIN (WA) PLC JULIUS BERGER NIGERIA PLC MULTIVERSE PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 4 12 3 19

ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY Company Name CUTIX PLC NIGERIAN WIRE AND CABLE PLC. Sector Totals

No of Deals 9 5 14

Quotation(N) 2.18 0.73

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 259,499 542,307.94 64,000 45,700.00 323,499 588,007.94

FOOD/BEVERAGES & TOBACCO Company Name 7-UP BOTTLING CO. PLC CADBURY NIGERIA PLC DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIGERIA PLC HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC NATIONAL SALT COMPANY NIGERIA PLC NIGERIAN BOTTLING COMPANY PLC NESTLE NIGERIA PLC TANTALIZERS PLC UTC NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 12 46 124 69 77 14 40 38 35 1 6 462

Quotation(N) 46.00 18.50 17.54 14.00 90.00 4.55 6.54 40.53 400.49 0.50 0.63

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 12,091 556,586.43 541,351 10,194,416.21 432,564 7,557,407.80 725,263 10,155,891.86 679,404 61,153,635.80 138,150 610,199.30 793,290 5,211,679.30 339,655 13,775,048.40 43,010 17,195,490.84 9,000 4,500.00 16,992 10,319.58 3,730,770 126,425,175.52

Quotation(N) 1.99 28.35 4.00 1.78 4.07

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 670,230 1,354,104.50 15,460 417,062.40 82,673 318,657.40 26,688 45,369.60 500 1,935.00 795,551 2,137,128.90

HEALTHCARE Company Name FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC GLAXOSMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC PHARMA-DEKO PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 15 5 23 4 1 48

HOTEL & TOURISM Company Name IKEJA HOTEL PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 8 8

Quotation(N) 1.44

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 116,598 167,325.12 116,598 167,325.12

INDUSTRIAL/DOMESTIC PRODUCTS Company Name B. O. C. GASES NIGERIA PLC FIRST ALUMINIUM NIGERIA PLC VITAFOAM NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 2 4 33 39

Quotation(N) 8.20 0.54 6.00

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 1,615 12,580.85 6,165 3,205.80 702,415 4,215,840.00 710,195 4,231,626.65

INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY Company Name CHAMS PLC STARCOMMS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 4 12 16

Quotation(N) 0.50 0.54

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 504,000 252,000.00 106,128 56,116.56 610,128 308,116.56

Quotation(N) 0.80 1.11 0.50 3.08 0.50 0.50 0.50 1.59 0.50 0.50 0.50

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 2,086,062 1,672,673.94 28,780 32,085.25 18,041 9,020.50 5,500 16,555.00 60,032 30,016.00 2,941 1,470.50 982,500 491,301.00 952,694 1,557,781.21 25,400 12,700.00 55,528 27,764.00 5,037,661 2,518,830.50

INSURANCE Company Name No of Deals AIICO INSURANCE PLC. 84 CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC 6 CORNERSTONE INSURANCE CO. PLC. 3 CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED INSURANCE PLC 2 EQUITY ASSURANCE PLC 6 GREAT NIGERIA INSURANCE COMPANY PLC 2 GOLDLINK INSURANCE PLC 11 GUARANTY TRUST ASSURANCE PLC 30 CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INSURANCE PLC 3 INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC 4 LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. 7

However, besides the drop recorded by the major indicators, all the five sectoral indices tagged along the negative line.

NSE 30 reduced by 0.59 points to close at 1,139.30 points followed by NSE Food beverages with a drop of 0.75 points while NSE banking shed 2.92 points.

NSE Insurance and NSE Oil/ Gas also dropped 2.21 and 1.60 points respectively.

In all, investors traded 158.090 million shares worth N1.600 billion across 4,718 deals.

The mortgage company sector displaced the banking sector with the highest volume of 405.445 million shares worth N202.832 million in 49 deals.

This volume was mainly driven by the shares of resort savings and loans with 400.100 million shares worth N200.050 million in just three deals. This transaction, an operator said could only be described as cross deal.

“What can be deduced by

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE

CHEMICAL & PAINTS Company Name BERGER PAINTS NIGERIA PLC CHEMICAL AND ALLIED PRODUCTS PLC DN MEYER PLC PREMIER PAINTS PLC. Sector Totals

By Tonia Osundolire

this move is that a shareholder is trying to increase his position.

The company is not having any spectacular performance being recorded, a shareholder maybe making a strategic positioning,” he said.

Other sectors with significant volume were the banks, insurance, conglomerates, building materials and Food beverages with 102.209 million shares, 11.320 million shares, 7.845 million shares, 5.332 million shares and 3.731 million shares.

On the price movement tables 43 stocks recorded price change with 17 appreciating while the remaining 26 stocks reduced in value.

Leading the gainers table was Eterna Oil with an increase of 4.89 per cent followed by Air service and Ashaka Cement with 4.72 per cent and 4.04 per cent respectively. Others were NEM, Cutix and Union Homes among others.

On the losers table, Bank PHB led the lots with a drop of 5.00 per cent followed by RT Briscoe and ETI , Ecobank, GT Assurance and AIICO.

LAW UNION AND ROCK INSURANCE PLC. LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC N.E.M. INSURANCE CO. (NIG.) PLC. NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. OASIS INSURANCE PLC STACO INSURANCE PLC STANDARD ALLIANCE INSURANCE PLC UNIC INSURANCE PLC. UNIVERSAL INSURANCE COMPANY PLC INTERCONTINENTAL WAPIC INSURANCE PLC Sector Totals

3 3 6 34 3 1 1 3 6 4 13 235

0.54 0.50 0.50 0.53 0.72 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.54

20,300 8,100 64,404 1,531,625 20,249 53,727 299 33,000 4,100 50,775 278,199 11,319,917

10,862.00 4,050.00 32,202.00 796,428.01 14,579.28 26,863.50 149.50 16,500.00 2,050.00 25,387.50 146,120.81 7,445,390.50

Quotation(N) 1.30

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 16,671 20,672.04 16,671 20,672.04

Quotation(N) 1.15

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 3,639,032 4,171,208.71 3,639,032 4,171,208.71

Quotation(N) 0.51 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 250,000 127,500.00 2,196,167 1,098,083.50 2,446,167 1,225,583.50

LEASING Company Name C&I LEASING PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 4 4 MARITIME

Company Name JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SERVICES PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 99 99

Company Name AFROMEDIA PLC DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 3 20 23

MEDIA

MORTGAGE COMPANIES Company Name ABBEY BUILDING SOCIETY PLC ASO SAVINGS AND LOAND PLC RESORT SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC UNION HOMES SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 12 3 33 49

Quotation(N) 1.44 0.50 0.50 0.55

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 1,000 1,370.00 3,019,234 1,509,617.00 400,100,000 200,050,000.00 2,324,952 1,270,592.83 405,445,186 202,831,579.83

OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS Company Name DEAP CAPITAL MANAGEMENT AND TRUST PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 1

Quotation(N) 2.02

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 4,434 8,956.68 4,434 8,956.68

Quotation(N) 2.50 4.01 1.21

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 1,325,756 3,380,528.70 42,351 178,137.71 5,000 5,750.00 1,373,107 3,564,416.41

PACKAGING Company Name NIGERIAN BAG MANUFACTURING COMPANY PLC NAMPAK NIGERIA PLC POLY PRODUCTS (NIGERIA) PLC. Sector Totals

No of Deals 60 5 1 66

PETROLEUM(MARKETING) Company Name AFRICAN PETROLEUM PLC. BECO PETROLEUM PRODUCT PLC MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC CONOIL PLC ETERNA OIL & GAS PLC. MOBIL OIL NIGERIA PLC. OANDO PLC TOTAL NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 10 1 8 41 24 11 166 15 276

Quotation(N) 21.35 0.50 72.00 40.00 4.93 159.00 50.49 195.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 16,307 330,869.03 13,000 6,500.00 10,566 767,232.00 125,446 4,849,755.31 207,687 1,006,068.22 657,522 104,530,131.00 1,732,594 87,229,974.96 18,887 3,692,544.73 2,782,009 202,413,075.25

PRINTING & PUBLISHING Company Name LONGMAN NIGERIA PLC UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 14 15

Quotation(N) 6.60 5.51

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 303 1,899.81 168,533 922,457.95 168,836 924,357.76

Quotation(N) 18.00

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 248,137 4,535,723.68 248,137 4,535,723.68

REAL ESTATE Company Name UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 23 23

REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST Company Name SKYE SHELTER FUND Sector Totals

No of Deals 4 4

Quotation(N) 97.00

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 8,000 800,000.00 8,000 800,000.00

ROAD TRANSPORTATION Company Name ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 3 3

Quotation(N) 0.60

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 57,907 33,606.99 57,907 33,606.99

Quotation(N) 0.62

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 251,000 155,590.00 251,000 155,590.00

TEXTILES Company Name UNITED NIGERIA TEXTILES PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 2 2

THE FOREIGN LISTINGS Company Name ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED Sector Totals Overall Totals

No of Deals 23 23

Quotation(N) 15.00

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 3,430,608 51,459,520.00 3,430,608 51,459,520.00

4,714

558,061,254

1,799,282,399.88

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

55

MONEY LINK

C

OST of cash manage ment per annum by the 24 deposit money banks (DMBs) could hit N10 billion by next year. This covers cash purchasing, vault management, cash in transit and cash processing costs by the banks.

The Director, Currency Operations Department, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Muhammad Nda, said there is need to reduce cost of banks’ operations by at least 30 per cent, adding that reducing high cost of cash management is one viable means of achieving that.

Speaking during a cash management seminar organised by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Nda, said in the wake of the banking industry intervention, analysis indicated that the high cost structure of the banks was partly responsible for their preference for lending to the capital market and oil and gas industry.

This, he said, prompted the Bankers Committee, in conjunction with the CBN to commission a study which identified cost drivers in the industry and the possibility of achieving 30 per cent cost reduction with the attendant positive impact on lending rates and bank charges.

He said, Five Cost Reduction/Shared Service Initiatives were identified and included cash management services, retail payment systems, Information Technology Infrastructure Services and back office operations.

“On average, 30 per cent of branch physical space and employees are deployed to cash logistics, handling and storage. Cost of banking services to customers includes the appropriation of this cost of

Cash managemen cost for banks to hit N10b

By Collins Nweze Senior Correspondent

cash and related expenses,” he said.

Nda, argued that the N150,000 maximum daily cash withdrawal policy of the CBN is not meant to place limit on cash transactions, but provide that the 10 per cent of customers that make high volume cash transactions will

bear the associated cost.

He said the policy has a direct impact on banking industry efficiency and cost structure, adding that it would reduce the cost of cash to the financial system, result in significant savings that could be passed on to customers in form of reduced cost of banking services and lower lending rates to borrowers.

Nda, said the Bankers Committee has also agreed to an aggressive deployment of Point of Sale (PoS) Terminals. “Agreement reached with telecommunication networks to provide dedicated channels for POS transaction data Non-acceptance of cards over POS due to interoperability impediments by service providers

Pearson eyes N3bn as divestment from Longman Nigeria begins

P

EARSON Education UK, may receive about N2.6 billion as it begins the divestment of its majority shareholding in Longman Nigeria Plc. Pearson, which established Longman Nigeria five decades ago, last week announced plans to divest its 51 per cent stake in the firm and establish a new company in Nigeria, later this year.

Longman Nigeria Plc yes-

By Taofik Salako

terday, formally notified the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) of the divestment, putting Pearson on course for 51 per cent of Longman Nigeria ’s current market capitalisation of about N5.1billion.

According to the notice, the process of divestment commences this month and would be completed by No-

vember 2012.

Longman Nigeria currently has 771.45 million ordinary shares of 50 kobo each trading at N6.60 per share on the NSE. Current and recent historic market considerations are key considerations in valuation of a quoted company.

Longman Nigeria has hovered between a high of N8 and low of N6.60 at the NSE this year, giving it a prob-

MoneyGram partners Access Bank on funds transfer

M

ONEYGRAM Interna tional has entered into a strategic partnership with Access Bank of Nigeria Plc to provide money transfer services in the banks over 200 locations across the country.

A Statement from the company said that the partnership with the bank has provided MoneyGram the opportunity to expand its operations across the length and breadth of Nigeria, giving it the opportunity to serve more Nigerians.

“MoneyGram, which has operated in Nigeria since 1998, saw vast significant growth be-

tween 2006 and last year when it tripled its network in the country and we are excited about partnering with Access Bank as it is MoneyGram’s most recent and significant expansion which will allow us to provide more services to many more people through the bank’s large number of branches,’’ the Regional Director , Mrs Feyikemi Rosaline Adebayo said.

Access bank is one of Nigeria’s fastest growing banks and the bank has locations in all key cities including Abuja, Benin, Lagos,

Ibadan, Port Harcourt, and Warri as well as a significant presence in rural Nigeria making MoneyGram services even more convenient for Nigerians.

MoneyGram’s Regional Director noted that the company is pleased to partner with bank in this regard. She added that “Our partnership will help to ensure that our services are accessible and convenient for the people of Nigeria and that we can continue to meet the growing demand of consumers in this important remittance market”.

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

Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33 N1000.00 N552.20

7.9-10% 10-11%

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2011 “ 14-04-2011

GAINERS AS AT 14-6-11 SYMBOL INTERNOIL AIRSERVICE ASHAKACEM NEM CUTIX UNHOMES UNILEVER IKEJAHOTEL UNITYBNK WAPIC

O/PRICE 4.70 2.54 23.52 10.40 0.51 2.1.10 0.53 28.00 1.40 0.83

C/PRICE 4.93 2.66 24.47 0.53 2.18 0.55 29.00 1.44 0.85 0.54

CHANGE +0.23 +0.12 +0.95 +0.02 +0.08 +0.02 +1.00 +0.04 +0.02 +0.01

LOSER AS AT 14-6-11 SYMBOL PLATINUM RTBISCOE ETI ECOBANK GTASSURE AIICO INTERCONT STERLNBANK OCEANIC JAPAULOIL

O/PRICE 0.80 2.41 15.78 3.70 1.67 0.84 0.89 1.80 1.14 1.20

C/PRICE 0.76 2.29 15.00 3.52 1.59 0.80 0.85 1.72 1.091 1.15

D

ELOITTE, Akintola Williams, has urged businesses to always ensure that they come out with a true picture of their financial disclosures.

This, they said during a media parley with newsmen at the weekend, will go a long way in enhancing the quality and value of their businesses.

Speaking during the media chart , a management staff of the firm, Joseph Olofinsola said Deloitte is

a leader as long as IFRS is concerned.

“We started it , because we realised the importance, and the enormous benefits and value, it could add to businesses and the economy as a whole, that was why, we were quick to launch an academy, at that time we realised that most businesses were not strong for it, so we supported them in giving them the necessary tools that will help them,” he said.

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

INTERBANK RATES

Tenor 91-Day 182-Day 1-Year

geria said the divestment would not result in any capital flight or dilution of the current shareholding structure of the company.

Market analysts said there were possibilities of management buy out given the reassurance from the Nigerian management and directors of the company that the divestment would not create capital nor technical flight.

Deloitte urges transparency in financial reporting

Amount Amount Offered ($) Demanded ($) 300m 383m 300m 244m 400m 452.3m

MANAGED FUNDS

OBB Rate Call Rate

able valuation range of between N6.2 billion and N5.1 billion.

Market fluctuation saw Longman Nigeria ’s market capitalisation temporarily dropping to N4.84bn with a single deal for 303 shares at N6.27 per share but it corrected during the trading to close at N6.60 per share, its lowest market consideration this year.

The board of Longman Ni-

DATA BANK

Tenor

NIDF NESF

commenced the process of registration of companies providing cash-in-transit and currency sorting in Nigeria. In addition to enhancing the efficiency and costeffectiveness of currency management, the policy is aimed at facilitating the generation of fit notes for payment and ensure product quality, integrity and standardisation.

has been out-ruled with strict compliance, he said.

In order to drive down the cost of cash operations and engender healthy competition among DMBs, CBN is promoting the use of shared facilities. The process will be private sector-driven to enhance the efficiency and costeffectiveness of currency management, among others.

The apex bank has also

CHANGE -0.04 -0.12 -0.78 -0.18 -0.08 -0.04 -0.04 -0.08 -0.05 -0.05

Amount Sold ($) 300m 244m 400m

Exchange Rate (N) 154.50 153.59 153.4

Date 13-6-11 06-6-11 23-5-11

EXHANGE RATE 30-05-11 CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Currency

Year Start Offer

Current Before

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

NGN USD NGN GBP

147.6000 239.4810

149.7100 244.0123

150.7100 245.6422

-2.11 -2.57

NGN EUR NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N) (S/N) Bureau de Change (S/N) Parallel Market

212.4997

207.9023

209.2910

-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

14-06-11 N8.164tr 25,533.68

Name

January ’11

February ’11

May ’11

MPR

6.50%

6.50%

8.00%

Standing Lending Rate ,, Deposit Rate ,, Liquidity Ratio Cash Return Rate Inflation Rate

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00% 12.10%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00% 12.10%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00% 11.3%

NIBOR

7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

13-06-11 N8.1876tr 25,604.85

% Change -0.3% -0.3%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS

DISCOUNT WINDOW

Tenor

NSE CAP Index

Rate (Previous) 04 MAR, 2011 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917 12.1250

Rate (Currency) 24, MAY, 2011 10.17% 11.46% 11.96% 12.54%

Offer Price

Bid Price

9.17 1.00 117.83 119.45 0.84 1,582.15 9.94 1.00 1.39 1.87 9,089.18 193.00

9.08 1.00 117.32 118.70 0.81 1,576.19 9.46 1.00 1.33 1.80 8,807.35 191.08

ARM AGGRESSIVE KAKAWA GUARANTEED STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND THE LOTUS CAPITAL HALAL NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL DEB. PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND BGL NUBIAN FUND CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST CENTRE-POINT UNIT TRUST STANBIC IBTC NIG EQUITY THE DISCOVERY FUND • ARM AGGRESSIVE • KAKAWA GUARANTEED • STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE • AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND

Movement

OPEN BUY BACK

Bank P/Court

Previous 04 MAR, 2011

Current 07, MAR, 2011

8.5000 8.0833

8.5000 8.0833

Movement

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FOREIGN NEWS

No time limit on Libyan mission, says UK military chief

T

HE head of the armed forces has said United Kingdom operations can continue in Libya as long as necessary - after concerns were raised by the head of the Royal Navy.

General Sir David Richards told the BBC: “We can sustain this operation as long as we choose to”.

Nato took over the Libyan mission on 31 March, initially for 90 days but that has been extended by a further 90 days.

Navy chief Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope said on Monday priorities must change if the mission exceeds six months.

The Nato mission - enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya to protect civilians using “all necessary measures” short of a ground invasion - was prompted by Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi’s violent response to an uprising against his 41-year rule.

It was mandated by the United Nations, and led by France, Britain and the US

until 31 March, when Nato took over.

Having initially been given 90 days - which would have run out on 27 June - the mission has now been extended for a further 90 days.

World leaders including UK Prime Minister David Cameron have said Colonel Gaddafi must go but despite months of air strikes on military targets, the Libyan leader remains in control of the capital Tripoli and much of the west of the country.

If we do it longer than six months we will have to reprioritise forces” As the UN resolution specifically ruled out ground troops, concerns have been raised the action could lead to stalemate.

General Richards told the BBC: “We can sustain this operation as long as we can.”

He said Adm Stanhope’s comments had been “misconstrued” adding: “We can sustain this operation as long as we choose to. I’m absolutely clear on that.”

On Monday Adm Stanhope, told a media briefing: “How long can we go on as we are in Libya?”

“Certainly in terms of Nato’s current time limit that has been extended to 90 days, we are comfortable with that.

Beyond that, we might have to request the government to make some challenging decisions about priorities.”

He continued: “If we do it longer than six months we will have to reprioritise forces. That is being addressed now.

“It could be from around home waters. I will not prejudge what that decision will be.”

He did not say what might have to be reprioritised and insisted he was not calling for a re-examination of the decision to cut the Ark Royal and its fleet of Harriers.

Critics of the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) have suggested the Libya mission illustrated the importance to the Navy of an airport carrier.

Tunisia’s ex-President Ben Ali to be tried in absentia

•Ben Ali

T

UNISIA’S deposed president Zine Abidine Ben Ali will be tried in absentia on June 20 by civil and military courts on charges ranging from embez-

French parliament rejects gay marriage bill FRENCH lawmakers yesterday rejected a bill presented by the opposition Socialist Party seeking to legalize same-sex marriage, despite growing public support for gay rights.

The vote reflected opposition to gay marriage among President Nicolas Sarkozy’s governing conservatives and the strain of traditional values that runs through many parts of France — away from the gay-friendly bars and neighborhoods of Paris.

The National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, turned down the measure by 293 votes to 222. Opposition was led

by Sarkozy’s UMP, while Socialists and other leftists supported the bill, which said “marriage can be contracted by two people of different sexes or of the same sex.”

Supporters say France has fallen behind the curve on gay rights, as nearby countries like Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands have legalized gay marriage.

Earlier this year, France’s highest court ruled that laws banning gay marriage don’t violate the constitution. The esteemed Constitutional Court said any change would be up to parliament to decide.

zlement and murder to drug trafficking, the prime minister said.

Ben Ali ruled Tunisia for 23 years until a monthlong popular uprising forced him to flee to Saudi Arabia on January 14.

Tunisia’s Ministry of Justice said there are 93 counts pending against him, including plotting against the security of the state, murder, abuse of power, embezzlement, money laundering and drug trafficking.

Military tribunals will handle 27 of the counts, according to the state news agency.

The first trials will focus on large quanties of drugs and

weapons found in the presidential palace of Carthage, as well as an estimated $27 million (euro18.69 million) in jewelry and foreign currency found in another palace at Sidi Bousaid.

Ben Ali ruled Tunisia with an iron hand for more than two decades, dealing ruthlessly with internal dissent and presiding over a docile press and token political parties.

Since his departure, however, there have been an explosion of political activity with elections to choose an assembly to write the new constitution set for October.

Republican 2012 hopefuls open debate in New Hampshire

S

EVEN Republican presidential hopefuls have attacked President Barack Obama’s economic record in the first major debate of the 2012 campaign.

The candidates for the party’s nomination also focused criticism on his 2010 overhaul of the healthcare system, pledging to repeal “Obamacare”.

They refrained from attacking one another, preferring to hit at Obama.

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is the front-runner in the field bid-

ding to challenge Obama.

The first Republican primary elections do not take place until February.

The president’s handling of the economy and healthcare reform quickly drew criticism, while his policies in Afghanistan and Libya also drew fire during the debate at Saint Anselm College, in New Hampshire.

Early on Romney said Obama had “failed” America, while former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said a new president was needed to end what he termed “the Obama depression”.

Two dead as six-storey building collapses in Kenya

A

SIX-STOREY building under construction in Kenya’s capital collapsed yesterday, killing at least two people and leaving 14 missing, officials said. An architect said the building was being constructed illegally because it wasn’t up to standard.

The Red Cross dispatched people to the scene. Spokeswoman Nelly Muluka said two people were killed and six wounded after the building on a main Nairobi highway collapsed.

Fred Majiwa, a spokesman for St. John’s Ambulance Service, said 14 people were unaccounted for and that officials could hear the voices of people trapped under the rubble. A crane was later brought in to help in the rescue effort.

The collapsed building is on Nairobi’s outskirts, near its international airport.

Musembi Mumo, an official with the Architectural Association of Kenya, toured the site of the collapsed building and said it was being constructed illegally because it didn’t follow standards.

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SPORT EXTRA

Mobil pullsout of athletics

M

OBIL Producing Nigeria (MPN) has pulled out of the sponsorship of the annual All Nigeria Open Athletics Championships with immediate effect.

In a statement signed by its Executive Director,Gloria Essien-Danner,Mobil did not state any reason for pulling out of the sponsorship of Athletic Federation of Nigeria's flagship event but thanked the federation for the opportunity it got with its joint venture partner, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to contribute to the development of sports in Nigeria.

The statement reads thus:The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) /Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN) joint venture confirms that effective 2011 it will no longer be the title sponsor of the Nigerian Track and Field Athletics Championship, which has become the foremost event for

selecting Nigeria’s representatives to major international athletics championships.

The joint venture in the 21 years that it sponsored the ‘Nigeria/NNPC/Mobil Track & Field Championship’ contributed to the development of sports in Nigeria in keeping with its commitment to developing the youths of our country, and providing them with opportunities to contribute to national development and progress in various capacities.

We appreciate the opportunity to sponsor AFN’s flagship property through the years and wish the association well in its endeavours.

Meanwhile, AFN president, Solomon Ogba has thanked the company for sponsoring its flagship event for 21 years and believes the company's decision to pull out may not be unconnected with the reality that the championships has grown in geometrical fashions

and needs much more funding than it is presently getting.

'We at the federation want to thank Mobil and its joint venture partner,the NNPC for their sponsorship of the All Nigeria Open Athletics Championships.We believe the joint venture has taken the championships to a height that requires much more funding than it is presently getting',said Ogba in a statement.

The AFN boss assured that the federation under his leadership will take the championships to a new height that Mobil and NNPC will be proud of in no distant future.

'As part of our resolve to take the championships and athletics to a higher level,we have secured an annual N50M sponsorship deal for the All Nigeria Open Athletics Championships with Cross River State Government with effect from this year's edition''.

EUROPEAN UNDER-21 CHAMPIONSHIP

Emeghara lifts Switzerland to 2-0 win over Iceland

N

IGERIA-BORN Innocent Emeghara who turned out as a late substitute at Wembley for Switzerland in their 2-2 draw with England in the last round of EURO 2012 qualifiers about 11 days ago scored for the Under-21 side yesterday against Iceland in the ongoing European Under-21 Championship holding in Denmark.

The Swiss had gone up 1-0 very early in the game as Fabian Frei hit target from the right

•Scores Swiss’ second goal

By Olusoji Olukayode

with a shot in less than one minute after kick-off in the first stanza.

And while the Icelanders were still nursing hope of a comeback Emeghara emulated Frei but this time from the left as he made the best of a through pass from the middle to send home the ball one time for goal in the 40th minute and although the Iceland goalkeeper got a

touch to the ball it went in anyway for Switzerland’s second on the night.

Switzerland defeated hosts, Denmark in their first match 10 courtesy of Xherdan Shaqiri’s 49th minute strike and will be up against Belarus in their last group game.

Emeghara cannot play for Nigeria at any level anymore since he has represented Switzerland at full international level.

Akpan joins Crawley Town

C

RAWLEY Town have signed teenage midfielder Hope Akpan following his release by Everton.

Akpan, 19, made his only appearance for the Toffees as a substitute in the Europa League against FC BATE in 2009.

Akpan, who was born in Liverpool to Nigerian parents spent time on loan at Hull City in the 2010/11 season, making two appearances for the Championship side.

Crawley manager Steve Evans told the club website: "He had

Milan announces Taiwo, Oduamadi signings

A

FTER completing the deals for Phillipe Mexes and Taye Taiwo, as well as concluding the contract negotiations for a number of their older stars, the Italian champions have announced a number of permanent signings from Genoa.

A statement on the club website read: “AC Milan announce that certain transfer moves were concluded today with Genoa CFC. “The Rossoneri club signed on a permanent basis Marco Amelia, Nnamdi Oduamadi, Rodney Strasser and Gianmarco Zigoni.

“The club sold Sokratis Papastathopoulos on a permanent basis and renewed the co-ownership of Giacomo Beretta.”

The majority were all on coownership deals which are now permanent apart from that of Beretta.

many offers from Football League clubs to consider but I have kept in regular touch with him."

Evans continued: ''I watched him play several times last season for Everton reserves, indeed I tried to get him on loan at that time, but David Moyes said no to me and a few other interested managers.

"I made sure we monitored him thereafter and the report from his performance when he played for Hull City against

Queens Park Rangers made my decision very clear, we should try and sign him if we could. ''Being honest I did not really fancy my chances of getting the lad here, but if you don't try then you would never know was my thought process, and we have got him. ''He is a big lad who can be aggressive and strong, but he is a footballer. He has a good range of passing and a terrific work ethic, he is young, and I think he can become a big player for us."

Tomorrow in THE NATION

http://www.thenationonlineng.net

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL. 6 NO.1784

‘They spend billions of tax payer’s money to renovate government properties which they later sold to themselves at fraction of the cost of renovation. They just don’t give a damn’ JIDE OLUWAJUYITAN

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

T

HE contrast between the transition from the 6th Senate to the 7th and that of the 6th House of Representatives to the 7th couldn’t have been sharper; one was patently as smooth as could be, the other as turbulent as the roughest sea.

The secret seemed to lie partly in the cunning and experience of the Senate President, Brigadier-General David Mark, RTD, as a veteran of the military’s cloak and dagger politics and partly in the more manageable size of the Senate itself - 109 senators as against 360 members of the lower House.

Obviously, the greater of the two secrets is the man’s cunning and experience.

Clearly these two had helped him overcome the controversies that had surrounded his election as senator in 2003 and his re-election this year, to begin with.

The secrets had also helped him see the back of colleagues who had challenged his leadership of 6th Senate early in its life.

Then there was his masterstroke of the so-called “Doctrine of Necessity” which helped clear all opposition to then VicePresident Goodluck Jonathan succeeding his ailing bedridden boss, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. That move was probably the president’s biggest “I owe you” to the man.

Last but by no means the least, these secrets lay behind his pre-emption of any challenges to retaining his leadership of the upper house by the sleigh-of-hand of getting an outgoing senate to set the rules of proceedings and precedence for an incoming one - and get his party, which still holds a comfortable majority in the National Assembly in spite of its terrible record since 1999, to endorse such a patently dubious method lock, stock and barrel.

In sharp contrast to the tranquility of the Senate, things could hardly have been more turbulent than they have been in the lower house. To begin with, the erstwhile Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, failed to get reelected in spite of eating crow and going to genuflect before PDP’s and, by extension the country’s No. 1 political Godfather - no price for guessing right - whom he had earlier badmouthed.

As if this was not bad enough, the man is now in the EFCC net charged with sundry offences, including fraud and money laundering. To kick even more sand into the man’s eyes, questions are being raised about how his old man, by no means the best of friends with THE Godfather, came about buying NECOM House along Marina, Lagos, one of the country’s tallest buildings and a prime property of the more or less dead Nigerian Telecommunication company, NITEL. The man may be the author of his own

People and Politics By

MOHAMMED HARUNA ndajika@yahoo.com

Between the Senate and the House leadership ‘As it is now even if he is eventually acquitted by the courts, he has suffered enough embarrassment and damage to last a lifetime’ •Mark

predicament but there is a good chance that if he had been as good a boy of the PDP Establishment as his more cunning compatriot of the upper chamber and returned as Speaker, all the terrible stories we are being told about him may not have surfaced just yet. Or if they did they might have been dismissed as heresies.

As it is now even if he is eventually acquitted by the courts, he has suffered enough embarrassment and damage to last a lifetime.

The lesson of his predicament could hardly have been lost on the new leadership of the House which had his support. This obviously explains why his successor, Ahmed Waziri Tambuwal, with his deputy in tow, quickly went to Wadata House, Headquarters of PDP, last week, to repent for his “sin” of defying the party’s injunction on zoning. His visit followed the incredible statement by the party that his

RIPPLES AIYEGBENI SEEKS RECALL TO SUPER EAGLES–News

Invite him...and get HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

election as Speaker was unacceptable.

Whether his repentance is sufficient to secure for him his four-year tenure, only time will tell.

Meantime, the queries being raised about the purchase of NECOM House by Bankole’s father underscores the incredible political cynicism only Nigerian political leaders, as a rule, seem capable of.

In his acceptance speech as the President of the 7th Senate, Mark promised to put an end to the steep cost of governance in the country.

“Nigerians,” he said, “complain that our democracy is too expensive. We, as representatives of the people, must initiate legislation that will reduce the cost of governance at all levels, thereby freeing resources to attend to the basic needs of the people.”

One of the sources of the excessive price Nigerians have been paying for their democracy is the abuse of office by

HARDBALL

A

NY thought that peace is about to break out in the north-eastern corner of Nigeria currently being

bombed to bits by Boko Haram militants might just turn out to be a forlorn hope, judging by the truce terms rolled out by the radical Islamist sect.

They say they would lay down their arms and open dialogue with the government if certain conditions are met.

Among other things they want to see the strict application of Sharia law in the 12 northern states that adopted Islamic legal code in 1999.

They also demand the resignation of the newly elected Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State, as well as the prosecution of former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff and senior security officials for the killing of their leader, Mohammed Yusuf, in 2009.

“If the federal government cannot fulfil these conditions, we cannot participate in any dialogue,” the group declared in the statement signed by one Usman AlZawahiri. Boko Haram then thumbed its nose at the efforts of the government to pacify Borno State by declaring that the proposed deployment of additional troops to the

Boko Haram’s truce terms state would not deter them from ongoing guerrilla attacks.

The statement is a response by the sect to government’s peace overtures as expressed at different fora recently by President Goodluck Jonathan and Shettima. It is especially significant because the group which seemed implacably committed to the use of violent means to further its cause now appears ready to talk.

However, it is difficult to know what to make of the hard-line statement. Is this the opening gambit in a potentially protracted negotiation process? Or is it just a clever gambit to lull federal and state authorities into an extended period of inaction?

Frankly, the truce terms are not practical.

The demand for strict implementation of Sharia in the far north would be hard to achieve as the political environment that encouraged the likes of Zamfara and Kano

government officials, elected or otherwise.

Bankole Snr’s purchase of NECOM House, in so far as it may not have followed due process, and certainly because the property was grossly undervalued at 4 billion Naira, was an abuse of office.

But last year, there was an even more egregious abuse of office not only by the Speaker. In what was clearly a cynical move

by President Jonathan to secure the support of the leadership of the National Assembly for the renewal of his presidency, the residences of the four top officials of the National Assembly –the Senate President and his deputy, the Speaker and his deputy were sold to them and a provision of 800 million Naira made in the 2011 budget to build new ones.

Except the Senate President is being cynical in his speech about the cost of our democracy, he should not go ahead with the purchase. If he stops the purchase, others too would have no choice but to follow suit.

Still on the Kaduna Polytechnic strike

S

INCE my piece on May 25 on the six month long lecturers’ strike that has paralysed Kaduna Polytechnic, probably Africa’s largest, there have been renewed interventions by the authorities to end the strike. Among these was a meeting the Governor of Niger State, Dr. Muazu Babagida Aliyu, presumably as Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, held with a team of the institution’s academic union led

by Comrade Yahaya Mustapha.

The Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, as the host emir of the institution, also met with the unionists to renew his old appeal to them to go back to the classroom.

I think those interventions are somewhat misdirected. Instead of putting pressure on the lecturers, anyone sincerely wishing to end the strike should be asking the authorities in Abuja to do the right thing. As I said the last time I wrote on this matter, this is as simple as implementing the government’s White Paper on the report of the panel that investigated the lecturers’ accusations against the institution’s management.

The report confirmed those accusations of corruption, waste and incompetence, etc, against the management and recommended its wholesale sack. Government agreed.

It’s hard, if not impossible, to understand why government is finding it difficult to implement its own decision.

•For comments, send SMS to 08054502909

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above States to adopt the code in 1999 does not exist today. There is no evidence of a groundswell of support for Sharia, and if it imposed by force it would suffer the same fate it did over the last decade.

It is equally unrealistic to expect that Shettima would just pack his bags and go just because a bunch of thugs say so. In real life, things don’t work that way. He has an obligation to fulfil the mandate he has received from the people of the state.

Dialogue is good, but the truth is that there is no single cure-all solution for all kinds of insurgency. The fact that amnesty worked in the Niger Delta creeks does not mean it would arrest an uprising driven by religion. Amnesty has been applied to kidnapping in Abia State with woeful consequences. The only thing it has not been applied to is official corruption.

The Jonathan administration may not have the stomach for fighting against its own people, but when citizens of a country decide to take up arms against their nation and murder innocent members of the populace, the only way to deal with the issue is with a firm hand – not by preaching naïve sermons about brotherliness.

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