The Nation June 15, 2014

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Oyegun: Time to kick out Jonathan –Pages 4- 5

Says Nigeria is Ruling party hails Atiku: I was not zoned Why Borno gov APC convention out of presidential race stayed away on the ropes

•L-R: Chairman, Convention Screening Committee, Kawu Baraje; All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; APC. National Leader, Gen Muhammadu Buhari; Governor of Sokoto State, Aliyu Wammako; New APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; Former VicePresident Atiku Abubakar; Dr Ogbonnaya Onu at the National Convention of APC at Eagle Square, Abuja at the weekend.

PHOTO: Taiwo Okanlawon

EKITI: NLC, TUC ENDORSE TAMBUWAL TO FG: DON'T FAYEMI FOR SECOND TERM REJECT BOKO HARAM TALKS –Page 6

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WHERE ARE THE CHIBOK GIRLS KIDNAPPED ON APRIL 15?

BAROMETER

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 2014

COLUMN

The crisis of knowledge Production in Nigeria F

OR the past 10 months or so, all the polytechnics in the nation as well as colleges of education have been firmly under lock as a result of an industrial dispute with the federal government. The federal authorities carry on as if technical education in particular is totally irrelevant or surplus to requirement in their purported bid to transform the nation. But then even the federal universities get a fraction of what they need only after protracted closures.

Yet at the root of the organic crisis that grips the nation is the crisis of knowledge production. A crisis of knowledge production occurs when the sum-total of knowledge available in a society can no longer guarantee meaningful and harmonious existence or serve as the solid basis for human development and self-actualisation.

This is usually a period of dark-

•Students protesting

S

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nooping around With

Tatalo Alamu ness in which a society disabled by historic cataract gropes in vain for the answers which must come from its own exertions, or if all fail, from the antagonistic logic supplied by conquering invaders who must then cite their superior knowledge and awareness as the basis and justification for humane intervention.

It is usually a time of dark superstitions and even darker mythologies. It is a time of murderous ignorance, with homicidal hordes on the loose. Ignorance of knowledge never leads to knowledge of ignorance. It leads to arrogance in ignorance.

Those who prevail do so not because of superior knowledge or learning but because of superior brute force.

Even in a society where the knowl-

edge-order has collapsed, somebody must lead the way, if only by ignorant example.

Leading in ignorance will not solve a nation’s problems. It can only compound them. Knowledge deficit is at the heart of the looming collapse of governance at every level in Nigeria. Yet that collapse is inevitable unless this country finds some fundamental answers to the fundamental questions plaguing its continued existence.

Four years ago at the Convocation Lecture of the Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu, yours sincerely addressed some of the contentious issues surrounding polytechnic education in Nigeria. This morning, we bring you excerpts.

Polytechnic Education: A recipe for visionary leadership and governance in Nigeria A NATION is a permanent project in progress. No leader can solve the problems of a nation at once. Any leadership that believes that it can solve the problems of a nation at once is merely delusional. Often, some of these problems are unanticipated side-effects of progress and modernity itself, particularly in nations emerging from the trauma of colonial subjugation.

Sometimes, they are also product of self-inflicted folly.

What is important is for a national crisis to throw up its organic leadership with the creative endowment and visionary intellectual wherewithal to solve the crisis.

But the structural disequilbrium of Nigeria is such that it throws up the wrong leader at the wrong time leading to a perfect mismatch. It is in this aspect that Nigeria has been critically challenged and shortchanged since independence Given the deliberate stigmatization and conscious inferiorization of polytechnic education in Nigeria, the very idea of polytechnic education as a recipe for visionary leadership appears on the surface to be incongruous and fatally flawed. How can something come out of nothing, we may ask? How can the bargain basement stock of polytechnic education as it has been made out in Nigeria be a recipe for such a noble and exceptional phenomenon as visionary leadership?

Yet as we shall argue in this convocation lecture, it is a profoundly ironic that the very denigration and defamation of polytechnic education in Nigeria is a pointer to the failure of visionary leadership in the country and a practical demonstration of inept governance. A leadership which slavishly follows the trends and educational patterns of other countries however advanced without first addressing the specific needs of its own people cannot by any stretch of the imagination approximate the sterling virtues of visionary leadership.

It may be fashionable and modish to ape western parameters of educational development but it is also instructive to note that while the systematic devaluation of polytechnic education proceeds apace in Nigeria, Albert Einstein, the greatest scientific genius of the modern epoch, was a product of polytechnic education. When we pay tributes to this preeminent avatar of human advancement, we

are also paying tributes to the virtues of polytechnic education.

With the hordes of unemployed and unemployable youths who have been sent on a wild goose chase of unviable “higher education” in universities and polytechnics with obsolete curricular and even more obsolete disciplines, alienation is leading to frustration with the entire system. The social fabric of the nation is stretched very thin and anomie looms. The social pathologies of this educational crisis are already here with us in the rise of the phenomenon of graduate armed robbers, educated malcontents, sophisticated deviants and well-polished outlaws. The society is being set up for a huge social explosion.

This ominous background is the best context to introduce the topic of the day. In the circumstances, how can a polytechnic education serve as a recipe for visionary leadership and visionary governance in contemporary Nigeria? As it has been famously observed, the worst university in Nigeria is more recognized than the best polytechnic. Several commentators have noted that there is an official seal to the systematic denigration of polytechnic education in the country. This is at best the worst dereliction of official responsibility arising from a lack of visionary leadership.

But what is a polytechnic? As the name implies, a polytechnic is not a university. But this ought not to be a crime but a mere emblem of distinctive identity. In its classical state, a polytechnic is a non-university higher educational institution focusing on vocational education. There are three factors at play here which often account for the erosion of parity and esteem when the polytechnic community is compared to the university community.

First, is the false notion that because polytechnic education is mainly vocational, it is merely functional and work-driven. This notion ignores the fact that in certain disciplines, a polytechnic education is more rigorous and quality driven than their university-based counterparts. This explains the preference of employers in fields such as Banking, Finance, Engineering, Accounting and Technology for polytechnic graduates over their universities counterparts. In these fields of human endeavour, the polytechnic graduates often arrive “perfectly tuned” and programmed for easy and immediate absorption.

The second is the binary divide traditionally erected between uni-

versity education and polytechnic education which makes one inaccessible to the other. Although a carry over from our colonial heritage, this divide ignores the reality of cross-breeding, cross-carpeting, cross-fertilisation and the transfer of talents and human resources between the two types of education that have existed across age and human societies.

The third factor arises from the fact that entry-level qualifications for polytechnics tend to be lower than those for universities and the staff generally less qualified. While this is true, this stigma ignores the human capacity for self-improvement and continuous exertion.

There are sandwich degree programmes and other avenues for self-realisation for those who start the relay race of education at a disadvantage.

In certain circumstances, teachers with lesser qualifications, because they have more to prove, are generally more focused and more ferociously determined to impart quality education than their better qualified colleagues. Although there is usually no short cut to pedagogic distinction, it is so that under the right atmosphere, these disadvantaged students and teachers often come into their own, and it is where you end up that matters rather than where you begin from.

The example of Albert Einstein again readily comes to mind. The German-Jewish genius was a famously lazy, sloppy and inattentive student. But this was not because he was mentally challenged but because the precocious boy had greater issues on his mind. Einstein was bored to death by the banality of his teachers and as he was later to put it: “Since I hated authority so much, God made me an authority”.

How many potential Einsteins would have been destroyed in the grinding gridlock of the Nigerian educational system?

In Nigeria, the stigmatization and discrimination against polytechnic education began right after independence when the first Cookie Commission of Enquiry set up a salary differential between university graduates and their polytechnic counterparts. Even worse is the fact that in universities, you cannot join the council in congregation unless you are a degree holder.

In 2006, the Nigerian federal authorities took what at first appeared as a bold and courageous step to harmonise and consolidate terti-

ary education in the country by virtually abolishing polytechnic education. Inaugurating the technical committee, Ufot Ekaette, the then Secretary to the Federal Government, noted that no country could achieve scientific and technological breakthrough when less than fifteen per cent of the populace have access to university education. According to him, the existing facilities were so oversubscribed that the entire educational system faced an apocalyptic meltdown.

With less than three per cent of the Nigerian populace having access to university education, the situation was very dire indeed. Consequently, all polytechnics were to be abolished with the minor ones becoming campuses of proximate and contiguous universities while the Yaba College of Technology and the Kaduna Polytechnic were to become City Universities of Lagos and Kaduna respectively. Crowing jubilantly about the development, the then Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, noted that the development would lead to the creation of half a million additional university placements and immediately ease the bottlenecks that have come to be associated with JAMB. On the face of it, this seems to be a revolutionary and radically innovative development; an admirable example of visionary and proactive governance. But on closer examination, there seemed to be something sinister and radically obtuse going on. There is no evidence that the momentous conclusions were arrived at after a holistic, exhaustive and comprehensive study of the country-specific needs of tertiary education in Nigeria. Had there been a more crucial interrogation of the dynamics of technological and societal under-development in the nation, the conclusions might have been different.

Far more disturbing however is the suspicion that as usual, Nigeria might have been aping developments and trends elsewhere particularly in the colonial metropole without any conceptual linkage to the country-specific crisis of education. Even the names given to the new polytechnicturned university came with a colonial imprimatur. It will be recalled that when polytechnics were transformed into universities in Britain, many of them were given the prefix of “metropolitan” simply to distinguish them from existing universities based in the same cities. Thus was born Leeds Metropolitan University, Sheffield

Metropolitan Universities etc.

Yet Britain was actually responding to country-specific needs based on the unique trajectory of education in the country.

Polytechnics in England came with a class-slur. As dumb-down vocational centres for middlelevel manpower, they were regarded as the natural habitat and havens for the educationally challenged and the socially disadvantaged flotsam and jetsam of the society. Naturally, this binary divide bred a lot of resentment and fuelled social tension.

Eventually, the contradictions matured into an impossible systemic lock down. As better educational facilities at the secondary level led to greater successes, pressures on scarce university placements naturally led to a millennial bottleneck. As more people gained higher educational qualifications, surplus quality staff meant for the universities had to be deflected to the polytechnic.

The lack of vacancy at the professorial level due to strict establishment ratio and the fact that quality staff now marooned at the polytechnic could not be expected to reach the pinnacle of their profession led to widespread intellectual disillusionment with the system and an internal brain drain.

Every shrewd societal engineer realizes that the presence of a radically disaffected intellectual class is a recipe for anarchy and rebellion. In 1992, the British authorities finally caved in to the pressures. Under the Further and Higher Education Act, the old polytechnics were abolished and transformed into degree-awarding universities. Britain had attempted to solve its unique educational crisis in its own unique manner.

If this was the trend and development in other lands that the Nigerian authorities were aping, it is clear that we have missed the boat again. Every country is unique in its educational specificity. You cannot slam on a country developments from elsewhere without first analyzing the country-specific dynamics. In this regard, ASUP’s critique of the committee decision is spot on. Ruing over why such a momentous decision should be coming at the very tail end of the Obasanjo administration, the union of polytechnic staff dismissed the whole exercise as a superficial and retrogressive charade.

Continued on page 74

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

NEWS APC NATIONAL CONVENTION

Atiku to Nigerians: You have opportunity to change inept government F

ORMER Vice President Abubakar Atiku sent a wakeup call to Nigerians yesterday, sensitizing them to change the clueless, inept, and corrupt Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led government in the 2015 Presidential election.

He said: "Today, you have got the opportunity to change the government that is corrupt, that is inept, that is weak, that has no clue."

Speaking at the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Convention at Abuja, he said that his prediction in 2011 that President Goodluck Jonathan has no clue about the nation's problems has come to pass.

"In 2011, I stood in this Square and I told Nigerians that they were about to elect a government that did not have any clue to the problem of this country. And today, we are seeing that prophecy," he submitted.

Atiku assured the citizenry that he will particularly lead the battle for the change of the current administration at the centre.

The ex-Vice President said: "Tonight is going to be the birth of the alternative party for the people of this country, who yearn change: For the people of this country who

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

want good governance, for the people of this country who want better security, for people of this country who want employment particularly our youth, for the people of this country who want better healthcare, for the people of this country who want to see a better future for their children."

He urged fellow party men to use their convention to distinguish themselves from the PDP, stressing that "to night we must show that we are a democratic party."

APC, according to him, was not founded on the premise of region, religion and ethnicity.

His words: "Tonight, we must show that we place this country Nigeria first before any other thing. We are not going to show that we are either from the North or from the South, we are not Muslims or Christians. We are not anything but Nigerians first."

While appealing to Nigerians to embrace the opportunity, Atiku urged the members to ensure that APC comes victorious in the 2015 polls.

Why Shettima stayed away from APC convention

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HE Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, yesterday said he stayed away from the National Convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a mark of respect for the more than 200 school girls abducted two months ago in Chibok, in the state.

According to a statement by the governor's special adviser on communication, Mallam Isa Gusau, in a statement in Maiduguri said, ``Shettima stayed away from the Eagle Square, venue of APC national convention as a mark of respect for victims of series of Boko Haram attacks in Borno State that include families of those killed across the state."

He added: ``The action is also to honour parents who have remained in despair following the abduction of about 200 school girls at Government Secondary School, Chibok.

"While the convention was a legitimate democratic process that mustn't be stopped in order to defy insurgents whose desire is to suspend and replace liberal

From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

and constitutional democracy ?with violent doctrines that has no religious backing, he opted to stay away from convention so as not offend the sensibilities of victims of the serial attacks in Borno State."

Gusau added, "The governor sent in his deputy, Zannah Umar Mustapha to represent him at the convention and he fully shares the aspirations and vision of the APC which is to transform Nigeria.

"Leaders and members of the APC have Borno at heart and sincerely share the grief of Borno people which was why the governors of the party visited the state and made humanitarian donation of N200m in 2013 in addition to other forms of solidarity regularly extended to Borno."

The governor prayed for the safe return of the abducted schoolgirls and an end to the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria as well as other terror activities across the world.

Osun APC lauds delegates

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HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State yesterday congratulated the national leaders and delegates to the party's convention in Abuja for the "maturity and skill they displayed in making the convention a success."

In a statement by its Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Kunle Oyatomi, the party said, "With this success, the party's internal democratic process has gained a firm foothold, and the leadership consensus building approach to solving difficult

issues has also matured significantly."

He said that opponents and detractors of APC who had wished and predicted failure of the convention would "at least now bow their heads in disappointment."

The party added: "Having scaled the hurdle of putting together a formidable National Executive for the party, led by the former governor of Edo State, Chief John OdigieOyegun, the task ahead now is to marshal a plan to replace the failed PDP through a democratic process."

• Senator Chris Ngige and Chairman Convention Committee Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko with other party members at the All Progressive Congress Party Convention in Abuja.

PHOTO AKIN OLADOKUN

How APC defied downpour to elect OdigieOyegun, 47 others

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HE All Progressives Congress, (APC) yesterday defied over three hours downpour to elect its 48-man substantive first National Executive Committee members.

The leaders of the party who thronged the Eagle Square sat throughout the night despite the cold weather to ensure the emergence of the new executive members.

The rains rippled through the unprotected stands at the square leaving over 6,000 delegates wet to their pants.

But despite being soaked, the APC leaders and members were goaded by their determination to effect change and tolerate the rage of the rains.

The downpour, which was accompanied by storm, blew off make-shift tents and attempted to sweep away the ballot boxes but the "Can Do" spirit of the APC leaders and members prevailed.

The convention which was officially declared open at about 8.15pm on Friday ended at about 11.00 am on Saturday morning.

Despite the three hour disruption by the rain, the leaders completed the most important assignments of the convention which were voting, the collation of the ballot papers and the announcement of winners.

Former Governor of Edo State, Chief John OdigieOyegun was declared elected as the National Chairman of the APC at about 9.40am by the Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the convention, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje.

He added that some of the

new executive members emerged by affirmation in line with the constitution of the APC while nine of the positions were keenly contested for.

Baraje said: "The following positions were contested for by one competitor only and therefore in accordance with the relevant provisions of the constitution of our party which gives us the opportunity that we could go ahead and make voice vote and affirmations, I am going to announce such positions that in spite of their being single contestants, we still voted for them and their ballot boxes can be seen over there.

"After, I am going to read those positions, nine of them, that were also keenly vied for by more than one contestant and the persons that emerged in that category too as the winners."

According to Baraje, the position of the National Chairman of the party was won by the former Governor of Edo State, Chief John OdigieOyegun.

The post of the Deputy National Chairman South went to Segun Oni while Senator Lawal Shuaibu emerged the Deputy Chairman North.

Mallam Ibrahim Bala Gubi was declared the National Secretary with Orji Ugofa as Deputy National Secretary while the post of the Vice Chairman South West went to Akinyelure Pius Oloye.

The Vice Chairman North West is Inuwa Abdulkadir

From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

while the Vice Chairman North Central is Zakari Abdullahi Ede. Others are Deputy National Organizing Secretary Alhaji Suleiman Manko Hunkuyi, National Treasurer Bala Mohammed Gwagwaruwa, National Financial Secretary Alhaji Tajudeen Olawutan Bello, National Welfare Secretary, Dika Umaru Lada, Deputy National Welfare Secretary, Mr. Jock Alamba, National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammmed, Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Timi Frank, National Legal Adviser, Mr. Muiz Banire, National Woman Leader, Hajia Ramatu Tijani, Deputy National Auditor, Oputa Ado, National Youth Leader, Ibrahim Dasuki Jalo, and the Zonal Youth Leader North Central, Mr. Tempe Adigwe.

Other national officers elected at the convention are Zonal Youth Leader North West, Shehu Marshal, Zonal Youth Leader North East, Michael Tanko, Zonal Youth Leader South West, Adedotun Oluwasegun, Zonal Woman Leader South East, Mrs. Helen Ojukwu, Zonal Woman Leader North East, Fatima Danjuma, Zonal Woman Leader North West, Aisha Kaita, Zonal Woman Leader South-South, Rachael Bassey Akpabio, Zonal Woman Leader North Central, Hajia Hassana and Zonal Woman Leader South West, Kemi Nelson.

Also elected were Ex-

Officio Members South East, Nduka Anyanwu, North East, Mallam Mamman Isah Azare, North West, South West, Mallam Razak Ayobamiseresile, Alhaji Nasiru Haladu Danu, and National Auditor, Chief George Moghalu.

Baraje further announced the following as the winners of the keenly contested elections where the party had more than one competitor: According to him, Mr. Emmanuel Eneukwu scored 683 votes to defeat Uchena Kiyari Ufiaro who scored 14 votes for the position of the National Vice Chairman South East.

The post of the National Vice Chairman South- South, was won by Illiad Atagbo with 328 votes as against Obono Obla who scored 54 votes.

Bibi Lawal emerged the National Vice Chairman, North-East with 772 votes against Dr. Umaru Duhu who polled 626 votes.

The post of the National Organizing Secretary was won

by Senator Osita Izunaso with 952 votes against Mrs. Adaugo Obi who polled 15 votes.

The Deputy National Treasurer went to Abubakar Lado Suleija with 722 votes against Alhaji Yusuf Sheriff who scored 210 votes while the post of the Deputy National Financial Secretary was won by Sunday Chukwu with 893 votes against Chijioke Agwugwe with 15 votes.

Helen Chika Adike became the Deputy National Woman Leader with 537 votes against Tina Akunobi who scored 10 votes.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

NEWS

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APC NATIONAL CONVENTION HE new National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John OdigieOyegun, assumed office yesterday with a challenge for the electorate ahead of the 2015 polls: it is time to sack the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from power.

He said the nation’s wait for an alternative political party is over.

But he vowed that the APC will not be under any illusion that the defeat of PDP is going to be easy as the ruling party will stop at nothing to frustrate the mission of the APC to dislodge it in the elections.

Oyegun in his acceptance speech at about 10.15am after his election as national chairman of the APC, asked party members to work as a united team to secure power at the centre next year.

He urged APC members to

T

2015: Oyegun serves PDP quit notice •Says Nigeria is on the ropes •Ruling party hails APC convention •Atiku: I was not zoned out of presidential race FROM: Yusuf Alli, Sanni Onogu, and John Ofikhenua, Abuja bury the hatchet and grudges associated with the election of a new chairman.

He demanded what he described as “the healing of rifts and smoothening of cracks” in the party.”

Oyegun said: “Our party has much work to do. The state of our nation is highly disturbing. It could be said with some justification that our great country, Nigeria, is on the ropes.

“A nation blessed by the Almighty with all the key en-

dowments to make any nation great has been virtually brought to its knees by corruption that is unbridled and will qualify for the Guinness Books of Records, resource management, directionless and what some have described as cluelessness.

“As if these woes are not enough, our situation has been compounded by the amazingly visionless national leadership that has been inflicted on Nigerians by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) since the dawn of our latest democratic dispensation.

“In this past decade and a half

of genuine suffering, Nigerians have been frustrated by the fact that there was no alternative national party of comparable strength to rescue them from the clutches of the PDP.” He assured citizens that “Your wait is over. Your prayers have not been in vain. Help is on the way. The APC is here! In 2015, Nigerians will finally have the opportunity to kick out a long-ruling party that has, among other things, failed to provide them with stable power supply, failed to provide them with security that will enable them sleep peacefully on their

•National Chairman, All Progressives Congress APC, Chief John Oyegun reading his speech after the election yesterday. With him are Deputy Chairman Segun Oni (right) Senator Osita Izunazo and other executives PHOTO Abayomi Fayese

PDP hails new APC leadership on successful convention

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HE All Progressives Congress (APC) got a rare commendation from its arch rival, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday on the success of the APC’s national convention in Abuja on Friday.

The PDP congratulated the national executive council members elected at the APC convention, saying the peaceful conduct of the convention is a good omen for constructive and purposeful opposition needed in Nigeria.

The PDP National

From Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja

Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, in a statement said his party looks forward to trading tackles with the APC on issues that could enhance the wellbeing of Nigerians.

He charged the new APC leadership to purposely and constructively engage the ruling PDP on issues of principles, particularly as they relate to vital democratic tenets.

Metuh said:”We charge the

newly elected APC national officers to ensure an issue based opposition that will purposefully and constructively engage and challenge the PDP with decency and maturity as prescribed by democratic tenets and principles.”

Stating further that Nigerians deserve a vibrant and patriotic opposition driven only by the national interest, the PDP charged the new APC leadership to put the unity and welfare of Nigerians ahead of other considerations.

beds at night, failed to provide employment for millions of Nigerian youths, and failed to stem the tide of corruption that is robbing Nigeria’s children of their future.”

Odigie-Oyegun promised that the APC would provide a visionary, dedicated and peopleoriented leadership that will liberate the nation from PDP’s rule of poverty and oppression, adding, “Under the stewardship of the APC, Nigeria will progress and Nigerians will thrive. This is our sacred pledge to Nigerians.”

He admitted that defeating PDP in 2015 requires unity within APC and forgiveness of offences and injuries in the party.

He added: “But we must not be under any illusion: our work will not be easy. The very task of salvaging Nigeria will, on its own, be hard because the rot is deep.

“But the task will be made even harder by the fact that we have, as opponents, a political party that will stop at nothing to frustrate our mission.

“We know the make-up, the habits, the philosophy and the mindset of our opponents. We know the extent they will go to cling on to power. And we know the immensity of the resources at their disposal.”

Party members, he said must learn to let go of past grudges and previous grievances and move together as members of the same family.

“And so tonight, I call for the healing of rifts and the smoothening of cracks. I call for forgiveness of offences and injuries,” he stressed.

He urged members to seek at all times the unity of the party as well as a common vision and commitment to work hand-inhand to accomplish the task

ahead.

He added: “If we fail in our task due to disunity and acrimony, it is not only ourselves we would have let down. We would have betrayed the hopes and aspirations of long-suffering Nigerians. And we must never lose sight of the fact that the collective destiny of the Nigerian people is far more important than our individual or group interests, ambitions or grievances.

“Because the road ahead of us is long and hard, we must heed the wise advice of our esteemed Nobel Laureate, Prof.

Wole Soyinka that “we must set forth at dawn.”

“And so, whereas tonight we party to celebrate the successful conclusion of the National Convention of our party, we must rise with the dawn and set forth on our patriotic mission to set Nigerians free, and usher in the New Nigeria of our dreams.”

While extending the olive branch to all co-aspirants, Odigie-Oyegun praised the “visionary architects” of APC who worked diligently to build the party.

He said: “Through personal sacrifices and patriotic vision, our party leaders assembled an impressive array of patriotic Nigerians and welded them into this great party and thus, for the first time in the modern era of Nigerian democracy, built a truly national party that provided a robust alternative to an oppressive ruling party.”

He thanked members of the former Interim National Executive Committee members, “who undertook the extremely difficult task of getting our party up and running, and keeping it on its feet in its infancy, even as our opponents tried every trick in the book to knock us down.”

‘Atiku not zoned out’

F

ORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday dismissed as “sponsored stories,” media reports that the All Progressives Congress (APC) of which he is a chieftain had zoned him out of the presidential contest under a new arrangement.

The Atiku Media Office quoted the former Vice President as saying

that at no time did the party’s Convention Planning Committee or its recently-dissolved Interim National Executive Council (NEC) discuss the issue of zoning of elective offices outside the positions of leadership of the party which he said, were filled at the just concluded convention in Abuja.

“As for the presidential ticket, the position of

all organs of the party is that it is open to all Nigerians irrespective of where they come from,” Atiku said, and described as “a hatchet job for Aso Rock” a newspaper lead story yesterday entitled “Atiku Zoned Out” He wondered why the Presidency was scared of the prospect of Dr Jonathan facing Atiku in 2015.

APC’S NEW NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS • National Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun • Deputy National Chairman (South), Engr. Segun Oni • Deputy National Chairman (North) Senator Lawal Shuaibu • National Secretary, Mallam Ibrahim Bala Gubi • Deputy National Secretary, Hon. Orji Ugofa • National Vice-Chairman (South-West), Akinyelure Pius Oloye • National Vice-Chairman (North-West), Barr. Inuwa Abdulkadir • National Vice-Chairman (North- Central), Zakari Abdullahi Ede • National Vice Chairman (South East), Emmanuel Eneukwu • National Vice-Chairman (South-South), Illiad Atagbo • National Vice-Chairman (North-East), Engr. Bibi Lawal, • National Organizing Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso, • Deputy National Treasurer, Abubakar Lado Suleija

• Deputy National Financial Secretary Hon. Sunday Chukwu • Deputy National Woman Leader, Helen Chika Adike • Deputy National Organizing Secretary, Alhaji Suleiman Manko Hunkuyi • National Treasurer, Bala Mohammed Gwagwaruwa • National Financial Secretary, Alhaji Tajudeen Bello • National Welfare Secretary, Dika Umaru Lada • Deputy National Welfare Secretary, Mr. Jock Alamba • National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammmed • Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Timi Frank • National Legal Adviser, Mr. Muiz Banire • National Woman Leader, Hajia Ramatu Tijani • Deputy National Auditor, Barr. Oputa Ado • National Youth Leader, Ibrahim Dasuki Jalo • Zonal Youth Leader (North-Central) Mr. Tempe Adigwe • Zonal Youth Leader (North-West) Barr. Shehu Marshal • Zonal Youth Leader (North-East), Michael Tanko

• Zonal Youth Leader (South-West, )Adedotun Oluwasegun • Zonal Youth Leader (South-East), Paul Chukwuma • Zonal Woman Leader (South -East) Mrs. Helen Ojukwu • Zonal Woman Leader( North-East) Fatima Danjuma • Zonal Woman Leader (North-West) Aisha Kaita • Zonal Woman Leader (South-South) Rachael Bassey Akpabio • Zonal Woman Leader (North-Central) Hajia Hassana • Zonal Woman Leader (South-West) Kemi Nelson • Ex-Officio Member (South-East) Nduka Anyanwu • Ex-Officio Member (North-East) Mallam Mamman Isah Azare • Ex-Officio Member (North-West) Alhaji Nasiru Haladu Danu • National Auditor, Chief George Moghalu • Ex-Officio Member( South-West, )Mallam Razak Ayobamiseresile • Ex-Officio Member (North Central) Hon. Nelson Alapa.

NEWS

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

NLC, TUC endorse Fayemi for second term T

HE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday endorsed the candidature of Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State for a second term in office.

Gov Fayemi is flying the flag of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the election scheduled for Saturday.

The NLC President, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, leading a delegation of the union’s Central Working Committee (CWC) on a visit to the governor in Ado Ekiti however asked stakeholders, including the federal government and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure fair play in the election.

Omar said Governor Fayemi has “performed creditably well and deserving of a second term as governor of the state.”

He hoped that the governor “will invite us for a tea party after June 21 election, by the special Grace of God.” He said: “Ekiti is capable of not taking dictation from any quarters. They (the people) are going to do justice to the election.

We are surprised by a lot of attention regarding our coming here

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

to hold our routine meeting. We don’t see any reason why anyone will interfere with that. Our consolation is that whether or not an election is going to take place, we know and can always identify with people who have identified with the movement.

“We are Nigerians coming to hold our meeting and no one can harass us. Your (referring to Fayemi) antecedent in labour movement is not something people don’t know and so we have every cause to be here to identify with you.

“During the June 12 struggles, was Fayemi not a part of that struggle and challenge?

Our people also moved round the capital yesterday and did not see any sign of violence or destruction. We don’t shy away from the truth.

“We believe the election will be free and non violent if the powers that be will allow the people to freely make their choice. And no one will like to go backward after having gone this far regarding development in the state.”

‘Unclaimed dividends hit N50.94bn in 2013’

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NCLAIMED dividends in the country now stand at over N60 billion, the Institute of Capital Market Registrars (ICMR) said yesterday.

It said the figure was N50.94 billion as at Dec. 31 last year.

Chairman of Council ICMR, Mr. Bayo Olugbemi, told reporters in Lagos that the figure represented 5.05 per cent of the total dividends declared for the last 10 years.

He said the current level of unclaimed dividends was a significant improvement compared with past years.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that N50.94 billion was recorded as unclaimed dividends in 2013 as against N60 billion recorded in 2012.

Olugbemi said that efforts made by regulators and registrars had helped to reduce the level of unclaimed dividends in the nation’s capital market.

He said the value of dividends currently being declared by companies were huge compared to 10 years ago.

Olugbemi, Managing

Director, First Registrars Ltd., said the efforts of regulators and registrars had yielded significant results in reducing the level of unclaimed dividends in the market.

“Years back the percentage of unclaimed dividends was around 24 per cent. But we have reduced it to below 20 per cent, 10 per cent and 5.05 per cent in December 2013,” he said.

He promised that stakeholders in capital market would do more to further reduce the level of unclaimed dividends.

The chairman said that some of the big banks in the country which paid dividends below N10 billion in past years, paid over N54 billion dividends in 2013.

He said that in 2013 Dangote Cement declared dividend of about N120 billion.

Olugbemi said registrars would not relent in their efforts to make the capital market more attractive to investors.

He said the ICMR had decided to focus on corporate governance at its conference coming billed for this year.

Kuta was a lover of his people, says Adeyemi

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HE Chairman of the Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Smart Adeyemi yesterday said Senator Dahiru Awaisu Kuta, who represented Niger East in the upper chamber, was a lover of his people.

Adeyemi, who paid the tribute this in a statement in Abuja, said he knew the late Senator as a primary school pupil as a good man.

The statement said: “It is really painful and shocking to lose a friend and elder brother like Senator Kuta.

“I knew Senator Kuta while I was growing up as a primary school pupil in Niger

State. He never changed from being himself and a lover of his people. I remember my last discussions with him two weeks ago. I mentioned the issue of his health and he said God was in control. He told me he had taken medications.

“He was always concerned about the downtrodden and his constituents. He was always closed to me like an elder brother. To Kuta, Nigeria is one. He was never a tribalist or religious fanatic. He was a senator of the Federal Republic. To him, every Nigerian must have three square meals.”

Omar warned those he called ‘external forces’ against meddling in the June 21 election, noting the electorate must be free to make their choice during the poll.

At the meeting with Umar were the Deputy President, Promise Adewusi; Acting Gen Secretary, Chris Uyot; Vice Presidents Isa Aremu and Lawan Dusima, among others.

Gov. Fayemi hailed the delegation for the sentiments expressed about his administration and the state.

He promised to continue to meet the yearnings and aspirations of his constituency including labour.

“My partisanship in the present political dispensation is a product of my past as student and pro-democracy activism. I promise that I won’t disappoint this constituency with my conduct in governance,” he said.

He described the NLC endorsement of his candidature as a challenge to do more for the state and the people.

On fears about alleged plot

to rig the election, Fayemi said: “the worst way you can incur the wrath of the people here is to wage war of rigging against them because Ekiti people will resist such. We are appealing to the labour leaders to continue to canvass one man, one vote so that whoever wins or loses can accept the outcome of the election.”

Meanwhile, the state chapters of the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have also thrown their support behind the governor.

The NLC and the TUC led by their chairmen, Comrade Ayodeji Aluko and Comrade Kolawole Olaiya respectively held an endorsement rally for Fayemi at the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium in the state capital with thousands of civil and public servants in attendance.

The labour leaders pledged that workers in Ekiti would continue to identify with leaders who perform well in office to sustain the confidence the populace reposed in them.

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) in a group photograph with the President, National Association of Women Judges in Nigeria (NAWJN), South West Zone, Hon. Justice Moronkeji Ogunwumiju (6th left), Chief Judge of Lagos, Hon. Justice Ayotunde Phillips (5th right), Attorney General &Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye (right, behind), Secretary to the State Government, Dr. (Mrs.) Oluranti Adebule (5th left), Head Judge, Lagos State Judiciary, Justice Funmilayo Atilade (4th left), Representative of International Association of Women Judges, Headquarters, Washington D.C., Mrs. Anne Goldstein ((left, behind) and other members of the Association during a courtesy visit to the Governor at the Lagos House, Marina, on Saturday, June 14, 2014.

Boko Haram: Govt must not shut door against dialogue, says Tambuwal

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PEAKER of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, yesterday declared that government cannot afford to shut the door of dialogue against terrorists in the country if it genuinely craves peace.

“I have said this before and I am still maintaining my ground: we need to dialogue and discuss and ensure that we bring back those that can be brought back,” Tambuwal said during a preRamadan lecture of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) in Kaduna.

He added: “we must not shut our doors. One of the most long standing disputes in the world today is the Israeli-Arab conflict

From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

or Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

They still find ways to dialogue and discuss how best to address their issues.

“If they (terrorists) have any issue that can be addressed by the government, those issues should be looked into with the possibility of being attended to.

And for those of them that feel all they need is to take up arms against the rest of us, we all face them squarely.

Tambuwal appealed to Boko Haram members to bear in mind the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed, sheath their sword and embrace peace,

as Muslims all over the world prepare for the holy month of Ramadan.

He pledged the support of the House of Representatives for efforts to ensure continued peace in the country.

The Sultan, of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, who also spoke at the event said the absence of fair play and equity in running the affairs of the country has always been responsible for threats to security.

The Sultan who is the President of the JNI, linked the high level of corruption and other vices in the country to lack of fear of God.

our national treasury by the exGovernor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and now the Emir of Kano.”

The Federal Government, according to him, “ has consistently targeted them for state persecution and slander. It’s no coincidence that the Federal Government has meddled into the appointment of the Emir of Kano. On this, the Government of President Jonathan stands unambiguously condemned. “ Kwankwaso is a victim of a desperate and dying government. All the ills and vices ascribed to him by the federal government were only splashed at him when he left the ruling PDP. “The orchestrated campaign of calumny and innuendos targeted against Governor Kwankwaso is a mischievous but failed attempt by President

Jonathan and his henchmen and hatchet men to rubbish the hard-earned reputation of the Governor.”

Sani, who asked the government to leave Emir Sanusi alone, said security challenges facing the nation should be addressed than personal issues.

He added: “Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi must be allowed to preside over the affairs of his emirate. Emir Sanusi is duly and properly appointed in conformity with the relevant laws, customs and tradition.

“The interference by the federal government is nothing but a continuation of the federal mission to morally stain him and physically incapacitate him. The interest, energy and resources invested by the federal government to nail Sanusi could have been of better use if directed at addressing the secu-

Sultan Abubakar said Nigeria’s leaders at all levels must learn to fear God and ensure justice and equity in their dealings, saying: “whatever happens to us is destined by God for us and cannot be changed but to accept it.”

He called for fairness and equity in “whatever you do, work because of God and fear him in all that you do.”

While asking Muslims in the country to desist from acts that will tarnish the image of the Muslim Ummah, the Sultan called on those occupying positions of leadership to discharge their responsibilities with the fear of God.

Attacks on Kwankwaso, press: Sani blasts Jonathan

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RESIDENT of the Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria, Comrade Shehu Sani believes that the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan is itching toward tyranny on account of its recent conducts.

He cites attacks on Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso over the appointment of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as Emir of Kano and the harassment of the press by agents of the Federal Government and says the Kano Governor is a victim of a desperate and dying government.

Sani, in a statement in Abuja yesterday warned government apologists against returning the nation to the dark days.

He traced Kwankwaso’s ordeal in the hands of the federal authorities to his defection from the PDP to APC and “the revelation of monumental theft of

rity challenges bedeviling our country.”

According to him, “Apologists of the government need to be reminded that this democracy was fought and won after a prolonged battle with the military, we cannot stand by and watch the nation sliding back to darkness of authoritarianism.”

On the recent harassment of the press, Sani described the action as sheer act of foolishness and archaic.

He said:”Without the sacrifice of the gallant Nigerian media, democracy could not have been restored and President Jonathan couldn’t have emerged as president. Free press is the guarantor of a free society. Setting the military against the media is tantamount to incinerating our civil liberties.”

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

NEWS

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NAPS to Fed Govt: Intensify efforts to rescue Chibok girls •Seeks end to over 12- month strike

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•Senator Florence Ita- Giwa flanked by the Mayor of Lambert, Mr. Adedamola Aminu; President , Nigeria Nurses Charitable Association, United Kingdom, Lady Wendy Olayiwola-Odutola and Palace Guards inside Buckingham Palace at the Queen's annual Garden party at Buckingham palace... at the weekend

FG approves polytechnic for Akwa-Ibom

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HE federal government has approved the establishment of a Federal Polytechnic in Ukana, Essien Udium Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

Already, a take-off grant of N1 billion from the Education Trust Fund has been approved for the institution billed to commence classes in September.

Governor Godswill Akpabio received President Jonathan’s approval letter from the Minister of Education, Hon. Nyesom Wike, at

the Governor’s Office, Uyo. He said: “On behalf of myself and the good people of Akwa Ibom State, we appreciate President Jonathan for this kind gesture in finding the state worthy in establishing a federal higher institution in the state and we are very glad about it.

“Our state is a state on the right track in the educational sector. Already, we have introduced the free and compulsory education in the state for the benefit of all the children in the state, which the federal polytechnic in the state is a

welcome development.”

Akpabio further stated: “The federal government has already provided a take-off grant of about N1 billion for the project.

“And in our way of supporting the federal government, we have decided to rehabilitate the existing Independence High School in Ukana as a temporary site for the school, which studies would commence by September of this year.”

He congratulated the Rector, Prof. Oluma Joseph, and other principal officers of the institution, assuring them of the cooperation of the state government.

Dispute over choice of new monarch in Ondo community

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OVES to fill the vacant stool of Olumoru of Imoru community in Ose local government area of Ondo State are causing ripples in the ancient community.

Sources hinted that one of the contenders to the throne who is said not to be favoured by the kingmakers is allegedly threatening to attack the choice of the kingmakers for the stool.

Prominent indigenes of the town are said to be concerned over the development, which according to them, may cause acrimony in the ancient community.

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday left Abuja for Dakar as head of Nigeria’s delegation to the African Union’s Summit on Financing Infrastructure Development holding in the Senegalese capital today.

According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the entourage will include the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the Minister of Industries, Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga.

Jonathan will join other participating Heads of State and Government, representatives of the United Nations, the African Union, global financial institutions and leading in-

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From Damisi Ojo, Akure

Six indigenes from the ruling house were said to have signified their intention to contest for the throne, which became vacant following the demise of the late Olumoru, Oba Abel Okinbaloye early last year.

A Regent, who is an octogenarian, High Chief Sunday Oluagbaka, has assumed responsibilities of administering the town during the current period of interregnum.

The Contestants are a serving Permanent Secretary, Prince Ade Okiti, Charles

Olotu based in Canada; a Journalist, Rotimi Obamuwagun, Akin Oluwafemi, Bade Olowojoba and Ade Aboluwodi.

Sources disclosed that Okiti is the most favoured among the contenders and his choice has been made known to others.

However, one of the contestants has allegedly vowed to frustrate the efforts of the kingmakers to present Okiti’s name to Ose local government for consideration and approval.

Some indigenes of the community who spoke to The Nation pleaded with the kingmakers and the local government to expedite action on the selection process.

Jonathan for summit in Senegal From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

vestors in deliberations at the summit aimed at accelerating the implementation of key priority infrastructure projects within the framework of the African Union’s Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa.

Jonathan and other participants at the summit, which has been convened under the auspices of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), will also brainstorm on the mobilisation of domestic financial resources for infrastructure development, the creation of conducive policy environments to

enhance investments in infrastructure development and the leveraging of Public-Private Partnerships for continental infrastructure transformation.

The summit is expected to pay particular attention to the evolution of fresh strategies for the financing of high priority infrastructure projects such as regional road and rail networks, power supply and ports development.

Jonathan, who will also be accompanied by the Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen; the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed and his Special Adviser on NEPAD, Ambassador Fidelia Njeze, will return to Abuja at the conclusion of the summit today.

Insecurity: Catholic Church holds six- month marathon prayer from July

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HE Catholic Church in Nigeria has outlined a six-month marathon prayer for all Christians to tackle the challenge of insecurity facing the nation.

The programme, which is at the instance of the Administrative Board of the Catholic Bishops’ Confer-

By Bukola Amusan, Abuja

ence of Nigeria (CBCN), commences in July with special prayers for the safe release and return of all kidnapped people in Nigeria, specifically students of Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.

The six-month programme will end in Decem-

ber with prayers focused on the promotion of family values as well as protection of lives.

A statement titled: A national call to prayer signed by President of the Conference, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, urged all bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful to observe the exercise.

HE National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) yesterday advised the federal government to do everything possible to rescue the abducted Chibok girls.

Over 200 students were abducted by the Boko Haram sect on April 15 at the Government Secondary School, Chibok Borno State.

NAPS called on wellmeaning Nigerians to join in the final mission to rescue the girls alive without crisis.

It also advised government and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) to ensure that the over 12- month strike is called off.

The polytechnic students said they were getting

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

agitated over the protracted strike.

A statement in Abuja after the NAPS Executive council meeting signed by its President, Comrade Ogbonnaya Sunday, said: “NAPS condemns the brains behind the Boko Haram group and appealed to them to stop playing politics with the lives and future of young Nigerians.

“The meeting also tasked security agents to be more proactive in their fight against terror.

“While appealing for the unconditional release of the Chibok girls, the council advised the general public to be more interested in the fight against terror.”

NAPS called on polytechnic graduates to spearhead the fight for proper recognition of the sector.

It said: “The meeting also agreed that if the fight for a better polytechnic sector must take proper shape those who are products of polytechnic education must be in the forefront of the fight as he who wears the shoes knows where it hurts.

“To that end, the executives called on former leaders of NAPS who are tested and trusted in intellectual engagement and negotiations to organise themselves and pick up the struggle for better opportunities for polytechnic graduates as that will consolidate effort of NAPS for current students.”

Missing $20 billion: ‘Diezani must step aside for forensic audit’

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GROUP, Gatekeeper Foundation, yesterday, insisted that the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, must step aside ahead of the proposed forensic audit of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The audit was approved

by President Goodluck Jonathan towards investigating the alleged non-remittance of $20 billion by NNPC to the Federation Ac-

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

count.

Briefing journalists in Abuja yesterday, the Executive Director of Gatekeepers Foundation, Blessing Agbomhere, said it will not be right for a government claiming to be fighting corruption to allow Diezani to preside over her own case.

According to him, Diezani is not bigger than Nigeria and should stop running away from the National

Assembly if she has nothing to hide.

He claimed the group protested at the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting in Vienna to stop Diezani from heading the organisation.

Agbomhere said: “She must bring our money and I am ready to go to court over this issue. What is good for Sanusi is good for Diezani.

She must step aside for the forensic audit to be carried out.”

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Crime: Alaafin berates police of complicity From Bode Durojaiye, Oyo

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HE Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, has berated the police for its poor performance in crime detection and prevention.

Speaking while receiving officers and men of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) who paid him a courtesy call in his palace, the traditional ruler attributed the upsurge in crime in the country to the inability of the police to diligently carry out the prosecution of suspected criminals.

While commending the VGN for its efficiency and thoroughness and impartiality in the discharge of its duties in spite of logistics challenges, the monarch said, "The service you are rendering is a voluntary one. You are not equipped with operational vehicles, let alone arms and ammunition. You don't even receive any salary. Yet, your performance is delightful and pleasant to the people.

"We held general elections and you proved yourselves by not compromising patriotism and diligence for gratification. You did not allow electoral malpractices, but rather provided adequate security to the electorate. The people are grateful to you.

Your patriotic zeal and commitment to nation-building is highly appreciated and admired by the people."

Taking a swipe at the police, Oba Adeywmi alleged that its performance in crime detection and prevention has fallen short of expectation, adding, "Sometime ago, about eight criminals were arrested with their exhibits by the people and handed over to the police. Surprisingly, rather than prosecuting them, five of the criminals were secretly released by the police without our knowledge. I later set up my surveillance team that eventually apprehended the five criminals released by the police."

Earlier in his remarks, the State Commandant of VGN, Mr. Sunday Olajide, urged traditional rulers not to sit on the fence in the task of reducing crime in their domain.

One-year Fidau prayer for Mogaji holds today

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

NEWS

HE one Year Fidau prayer for the late Iyaloja General and President General of Market Men and Women in Nigeria, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, who passed on last year comes up on Sunday at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos.

A statement by the deceased's grand-daughter and Iyaloja of Lagos, Chief (Mrs) Folashade TinubuOjo, said the event which will attract well wishers from far and near will commence at 10 am.

She added that Muslim clerics and scholars will use the occasion to pray for the repose of the soul of the late Iyaloja General.

crowns Fashola tasks NASS on time Fashola Lagos power kids 2014 limit for electoral offences • names Gbagada Housing T L Estate after Omojola

By Adetutu Audu

AGOS State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has called on the National Assembly to review the electoral law limiting to 180 days the time for seeking redress over electoral complaints.

Positing that it would be tantamount to an injustice to the complainant if the avenue to seek justice was constricted by time, Fashola, who spoke at the handing over of Gbagada Housing Estate which he renamed Ajibola Adewale Omojola Housing Estate in honour of the late human rights activist and former chieftain of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), said those who suffered any electoral fraud should be given enough time to seek

redress, adding that doing otherwise would deny such people justice.

He noted that access to complaints about electoral malpractices was as important as respect for the rights to cast a vote, adding that part of the process of securing and protecting the votes was where the vote was interfered with the right of the complainant to seek redress.

"By doing so, we seem to encourage those who are intent on subverting the process to say 'I will subvert the process and I will frustrate you in court,' the governor posited, adding that “the

National Assembly must act fast to make the amendment in order to protect the nation's democracy."

Acknowledging that the reason for the 180-day time limit could be in order to ensure that the cases are concluded on time, Fashola argued that where there are clear dangers of sacrificing substance for time and therefore occasioning injustice, the law should err on the side of justice.

The governor paid glowing tribute to Omojola, whom he said was among the men and women of honour who stood up to defend and

uphold the spirit of democracy as depicted by the election of June 12, 1993, saying that one of the reasons for dedicating the Housing Estate in his honour was to leave a legacy to remind coming generations of Lagosians about the sacrifice he made to sustain democracy.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Bosun Jeje, explained that the Gbagada Housing Estate was started during the administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, adding that the fact that the current administration dedicated itself to the completion of the project was a clear demonstration of continuity of governance.

HE Lagos State governor, Mr. Babatunde

Fashola, has crowned the winner of the Lagos power kids programme 2014, which was put together by the Lagos State Electricity Board (LSEB) and the Eko Project.

Abodunrin Shadrack of Imoye Junior high school, who invented a solar-watering device, won the best invention in 2014 with a cheque of N250, 000, while Girls High School, Agege, won the power school 2014 and carted home a solar installation to power its administrative and laboratory blocks.

In addition, the school also received an E-classroom donated by Tanus Communications Limited capable of sitting 80 students powered by an 8.8KWP donated by Concession Development Company, while Titilope Bamidele of Ijaye-Ojokoro High School, Agege was crowned the Power Kid 2014.

Methodist Prelate mourn Akunyili, others

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• From left: Temi Jayeola; Chairman Discovery Air, Mr. Babatunde Babalola and Managing Director of Discovery Airline, Capt.

Abdulsalami Mohammed at the inaugural flight of discovery Air from MM2 Lagos to Abuja.

... Accepts Disu’s resignation, appoints Coker as new SA

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AGOS State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has accepted the resignation of his Special Adviser on Central Business District (CBD), Mrs. Aderinola Disu.

The governor also

approved her replacement with the Managing Director of the Lagos State Number Plate Production Agency, Mr. Folorunsho Folarin-Coker.

According to a press release signed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on

Media, Mr. Hakeem Bello, Disu’s resignation followed months of consultations during which she explained the need for her to devote more time to family commitments.

While wishing Disu the

very best in her future endeavours, Fashola thanked Disu for her immense contributions and distinguished service as the Special Adviser on the Lagos State Central Business District from 2011 to date.

CCC crisis: Maforikan pleads for truce

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HE Spiritual Leader of Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), Pastor Paul Maforikan, has urged aggrieved members of the church to sheath their swords over the appointment of deputy pastors to assist in the running of the church.

Maforikan, who said the church requires total overhauling to occupy its pride of place, said the appointment of

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HE Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, has described the death of popular Nigerian music star, Kefee, as a calamity.

In a press statement signed on his behalf by Mr. Rotimi Adebayo, his Chief Press Secretary, the Speaker said: "For

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

three deputy pastors was to help him achieve God's purpose.

The church has appointed three deputy pastors, including Beni Omoge as Deputy Pastor 1 in charge of Evangelism, Pascal Togbe as Deputy Pastor 2 in charge of Monitoring and Discipline and Nicholas Moullo as Deputy Pastor 3 to

head the Ivory Coast Diocese.

Some members have, however, kicked against these appointments, saying the church leader should have taken age and seniority into consideration before going public with the announcement.

Speaking at a reconciliatory meeting held with representatives of Shepherds Council drawn from all archdio-

ceses, Maforikan asked those who are aggrieved over the appointments to allow peace to reign in the church.

A delegate from Oyo Archdiocese, Evang. Odewenwa, appealed to Maforikan to remain calm and focused on his administration.

He pledged the support of his colleagues from the archdiocese to the Maforikan-led administration.

Kefee's loss, a national tragedy-Ikuforiji us as a nation to lose such a hugely talented music star like the Branama Queen, Kefee Obareki a.k.a. Kefee at a time when her popularity was soaring internationally is indeed a very huge tragedy.

"What has made her demise

even more painful, is the fact that she was just emerging as an internationally reputable artiste, who would have had so much to show the world had she lived long enough. For us as a nation to therefore lose her at this time is not only

unfortunate, tragic and sad but also a calamity."

Ikuforiji however called on all admirers of Kefee, her family members, friends and the entire people and government of Delta State to see her death loss as an act of God.

HE Prelate, Methodist Church of Nigeria, Dr. Samuel Chukwuemeka Kanu Uche, has condoled with Nigerians on the deaths of Prof. Dora Akunyili, a former Minister of Information, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Abdullahi Bayero and former Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Akunne Chukwudifu Oputa.

In a statement signed by the Conference Public Relations Officer, Methodist Church Nigeria, Mr. Aramide Tola Noibi, the prelate charged Nigerians to make service to God and mankind their ultimate sacrifice.

He further implored Nigerians to emulate the sterling virtues of the three eminent citizens who died recently.

Akinsanya for burial June 20

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HE remains of the Supreme Head of The Cherubim & Seraphim Unification Church of Nigeria, Abel Olujimi Akinsanya, will be interred on June 20 at Ikenne, Ogun State.

Akinsanya, who until his death was the leader of the C & S Unification Church, the umbrella body of all the Cherubim and Seraphim church worldwide, died on April 17, 2014. He was aged 90.

The funeral programme begins on June 16 with a Service of Songs at Bishop Aggrey School, Mushin in Lagos State at 5pm, while there will be a lecture on June 17 at Praying Band C & S Church, 1 Akintan Street, Mushin by 4 pm. Commendation service holds at the same venue on Wednesday by 12noon.

The Christian wake will thereafter hold on Thursday at Ereke Recreation Centre, Ikenne by 5pm.

Akinsanya is survived by a wife, children and grandchildren.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 2014

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 2014

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

•Azazi

T

WO years ago this Friday night, President Goodluck Jonathan, on his return from an official trip to Brazil, fired his then National Security Adviser, General Patrick Owoeye Azazi (rtd.) and appointed Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd), to replace him. The then Minister of Defence, Mohammed Bello Haliru, was also affected in the shake-up that came after unabated violence and attacks by the Islamic sect, Boko Haram in states across northern Nigeria.

The announcement was made shortly after the President summoned an emergency security council meeting with all the security chiefs.

Justifying the change, the Presidency said the old order under Gen. Azazi had been unable to curtail the fast rising Boko Haram menace.

At the time of Dasuki's coming, the radical sect which seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate in states across northern Nigeria, had been waging violent insurgency attacks in the region, claiming hundreds of lives and destroying government properties, schools, military formations and churches.

The new security order, under Dasuki, a one-time ADC to former military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida and a prince of the Sokoto Caliphate who was retired from the Nigerian Army during the era of the late military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, in the expectation of the federal government, would swiftly put an end to the sect's activities.

The Presidency celebrated the coming of the Sokoto prince to high heavens. Much was made of the new NSA's blue blood. The Presidency carried on like people who got a prophecy that Dasuki was the solution to the threat that Boko Haram had become.

A new dawn?

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, amongst others, took to social media to gleefully announce the dismissals and appointment. With posts like "NSA Azazi dropped, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) new NSA. Minister of Defence also dropped.

Further details later," Abati ushered

•Gusau

•Dasuki

Insecurity: Whither Gusau, Dasuki magic?

Minister of Defence, Aliyu Mohammed Gusau and National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, are two respected retired military officers in whom Nigerians invested so much hope for ending the nation's security crisis. But rather than abate, the insurgency has exploded under their watch. Dare Odufowokan, Assistant Editor, takes a look at their performance. in the new order The two sacked security chiefs, who were in the security council meeting, earlier in the day with the President, before the announcement, were vilified and condemned for not being able to halt Boko Haram. Such was the scenario then that Dasuki was portrayed to all and sundry as the man with the magic wand.

Abati, when asked whether the dismissal was as a result of the inability of the security chiefs to handle the state of insecurity in northern Nigeria dodged the question, saying that "I will not tell you that the decision Mr. President has taken was a judgement on the performance of the two gentlemen that are involved.

"What I can tell you is that the decision that has been taken, is part of an attempt, in the series of attempts by the president to ensure that the Nigerian people are further reassured and that also, every step is being taken and where there are lapses, efforts can be made that those lapses should be corrected and possible efforts will be made to reassure Nigerians, that the administration is on top of the situation and President Jonathan is determined to ensure the safety, the

security of lives and properties."

Today, beyond the obvious effects of the raging insurgency in the northeastern parts of the country, and the constant attacks on targeted locations by the Boko Haram sect, the question on many lips is: has there been any significant change in the state of insecurity? Has Boko Haram been caged as a result of the personnel changes at the top of the national security leadership? To many, the answers to these questions remain an emphatic, No! It is not as if the NSA has not made an effort. Fresh on the job he took a tour of key states trying to establish contacts with the insurgents with a view to establishing a basis for negotiations. Not much came of that effort. Next, he came up with what has been dubbed the 'soft' approach to tackling the insurgency. That, clearly, has also not made a difference otherwise the government would not be declaring total war as its latest response to Boko Haram.

It is possible that Jonathan himself believes not much has changed, because nearly two years after appointing Dasuki with little or no respite in the severity of the insurgency, he went in search of another solution.

Here comes Gusau Enter General Aliyu Mohammed Gusau (rtd). Again, citing the need to intensify effort to bring peace to the restive North Eastern states, President Jonathan appointed the General who established his reputation as a master of military intelligence as the Minister of Defence in March 2014.

According to reports, such was the belief of the Presidency in the ability of Gusau, a former NSA, to quash the insurgency up north that the retired General gave Jonathan certain conditions before accepting the job.

One of the reported conditions was that he be allowed to directly control the armed forces for effective coordination.

But his first attempt to take charge of the military on March 12, 2014, by calling a joint meeting between him, Minister of State for Defence, Musikilu Obanikoro and security chiefs introduced a twist into President Jonathan's search for solution to the Boko Haram headache.

Gusau's call for a meeting with military chiefs was reportedly roundly rebuffed by the service chiefs who boycotted the meeting. Instead, they sent the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Vice Marshall, Alexander Badeh, to represent them. Sensing the

message, the new Defence Minister allegedly waited for the Federal Executive Council meeting of that week to drop his letter of resignation.

This was just days after he assumed the new role. It was a dramatic piece of power play. His departure at that point would have been embarrassing for President Jonathan who had pulled out all stops to get him on board.

Somehow, he was prevailed upon not to leave. He has been on the job ever since.

But pundits say the retired General's three-month stay at the helm of affairs has seen the insurgency in the North East grow in leaps and bounds rather than abate.

The records are indeed scary.

Barely weeks after his emergence in charge, over 270 girls got abducted from a public school in Chibok, Borno State. Nigerians and the entire world are still agitating for the unconditional release of the poor girls till this minute.

As if to send a signal of things to come, it was this same period that the Yobe school massacre in which about 29 boys were killed took place. In a new dimension to their activities, Boko Haram fighters descended on unarmed school pupils and killed them in their hundreds.

What is more? In both the case of the abduction of the Chibok girls and the massacre of pupils in Yobe, questions were raised about the conduct of soldiers on the scene.

Sighted nearby minutes before both attacks, security operatives were said to have been nowhere to be found while the insurgents operated for hours.

While insisting that the duo of Dasuki and Gusau have brought no respite to the security challenges facing the country, Dr. Peregrini Brimah, a social commentator and leader of Every Nigerian Do Something (ENDS), says it is difficult to understand how the Presidency came about the assumption that Gusau could be of any help.

Some analysts have pointed out that the rise of militant groups did not happen overnight. Indeed, it was while the minister was NSA under former President Olusegun Obasanjo that the •Contd on page 74

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 2014

Ropo Sekoni

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Page 14

Femi Orebe Page 16

SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 2014

#BringBackFayemi tunjade@yahoo.co.uk 08054503906 (sms only)

I

T’S been quite some time since I wrote on Ekiti State. Like most other Nigerians, I seemed to have gone to bed, believing that there is no reason to focus on that state, especially since it is now doing well in accordance with the aspirations of its founding fathers. But this is not the time to be silent on a state renowned for its erudite scholars, at least not with the vultures and predators now lurking around, waiting to reap where they did not sow.

Before I proceed to justify my support for the Kayode Fayemi administration, let me acknowledge the role played by the former governor of the state, Olusegun Oni, in the buildup to the coming June 21 governorship election in the state. Without prejudice to what anybody might say about the point that I want to make concerning Oni, the former governor under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), especially now that he has joined the All Progressives Congress (APC), I wish to salute Oni’s courage and forthrightness. I recall that in the course of the struggle by the then Action Congress (AC) to retrieve its stolen mandate from Oni a few years back, I was annoyed when a respected senior colleague told me that he knew Oni very well to be a gentleman.

I had wondered how a gentleman could be comfortable not only keeping a stolen property, but also having the temerity to face the owner in court.

With the benefit of hindsight, I now know better. It is not many people who will make the kind of decision that Oni made to join the APC, as he put it, in the interest of Ekiti State. As the former governor rightly said, it is the future of the state that is at stake in the coming governorship election. Oni had the choice of joining forces with those who do not share such an aspiration, and go to the centre for some filthy lucre, even as he knows deep in his heart that the PDP has no chance of winning any free and fair election in the state; he did not consider that option. This is a rarity in our clime. I salute his courage.

Back to Fayemi. It is when orange is not sweet that one will be satisfied sucking just one; but when the oranges are juicy and sweet, one could suck as many as one feels like sucking. I hardly endorse political candidates in my column, whatever the political party they belong to, unless I have sufficient reason to so do. I guess the last time I did that was during the reelection bid of Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State. I also did that for Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State. And for those who might be wondering why it is only governors of the AC or APC that I am mentioning, let me also say that I have had cause to celebrate Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State in this column way back as three years ago when no one could have thought he would join the APC. All these are acclaimed achievers, politics apart. Again, for those who might want to say whether it is only in the south that we

Ordinarily, Saturday polls should be a walkover for the incumbent

•Governor Fayemi

have performers, the answer is no. The point is that before I put pen on paper to say this candidate is good, I must be sure of my facts, and my main criterion is achievement.

It is on that same pedestal that I stand today to commend Fayemi to Ekiti voters.

Under normal circumstances, the election should be a walkover for Fayemi. His work should speak for him. But we are not in a country where circumstances are ever normal. Indeed, ours is a country where there is always cause for concern because everything is perpetually under alarm, especially when the matter has to do with elections.

What I am saying is that we are in a place where elections cannot be taken for granted, particularly when the PDP is involved. This is a party that has achieved next-to-nothing even at the centre , yet, it is its president who has been going about marketing the party’s candidates, a president who should lose his deposit even in his own ward! But that is Nigeria for you. And that, precisely, is what anyone who wants to contest the election with Fayemi wants to do: ride on the crest of that ubiquitous ‘federal might’, which in sane climes would have guaranteed nothing but electoral disaster. The people of Ekiti have tasted what life could be like under a PDP government and they have also tasted it under Fayemi and have seen the difference. There is just no basis for comparison. The gap between both is wider than that between apple and oranges.

After the years of the locust, the south west has rediscovered its lost compass; it has woken up from its slumber to remember that the region used to be the pace setter in terms of development in the country.

It is instructive that the governors of most states in the region know that they are like cows without tails that are at the mercy of God to ward off flies, unlike their PDP

“Fayose has all manner of allegations hanging on his neck like a necklace of iron, and it is only a party suffering from an acute shortage of good men that could have fielded such a candidate and expect to win an election”

counterparts that look up to the Federal Government for crutches at election time. Even if that explains the efforts being made by governors in the region, particularly in Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti and Lagos states, including even Edo in the south south to leave enviable legacies that they would be proud of, it is something. What matters is that progress is being made in these states.

I was in Ekiti about five years ago, and I was there again in December, last year. What I saw was amazing. It is unimaginable that anyone would have been able to make such a difference in less than four years, especially when it is realised that the state is not among those awash with petro-dollars. What are we talking about? Is it Fayemi’s social welfare grant of N5,000 to every old citizen in the state? This is commendable in a country where pensioners are left to their own device. And the uncommon transformation of the Ikogosi Warm Springs? Roads, especially intra-state roads in Ekiti are in good condition such that it takes only about one hour to travel from the state capital to anywhere in the state.

Fayemi’s covenant with Ekiti people is encapsulated in his eight-point agenda which he has been pursuing diligently.

“My eight-point agenda would be pursued with vigour and life would be more abundant for our people. Governance shall not only be transparent and accountable but the good of our people would be the template,” the governor said during his inauguration in 2010.

He has largely kept faith with that promise.

Without doubt, those who chose Ayo Fayose (PDP) to contest against Fayemi either wanted the PDP to fail in the state ab initio or are relying on something else to ‘win’ the election.

This was the same Fayose who established a poultry project worth over N1billion as governor in the state which Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (also a PDP president then) was shocked the usual smell associated with poultries was missing in Fayose’s poultry when he visited the place! As a farmer, Chief Obasanjo should know and he did know that the poultry was a ruse.

Moreover, Fayose has all manner of allegations hanging on his neck like a necklace of iron, and it is only a party suffering from an acute shortage of good men that could have fielded such a candidate and expect to win an election.

All said, what people are pleading for is that the June 21 election in Ekiti State be free and fair. No more, no less.

And that cannot be a misguided plea.

Those who are relying on wars and chariots or crutches from the Federal Government or the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the election are advised to go dust up their history books. A word is enough for the wise.

Lest we forget Chibok girls

B

From Gbemiga Olakunle,

Y today, the Chibok girls that were abducted by the Boko-Haram would be spending their 60 days in the hands of their captors since they were abducted on April 14th, 2014. One can only imagine how they are adjusting to the life in the jungle and other harrowing experiences that they may be passing through. I mean the psychological and physiological trauma that they may be passing through.

And lest we forget about these wonderful children and continue to carry out our businesses as usual, let us find time and spare some thoughts for them as we think about their welfare, health and total well being.

Besides, more disturbing is the news report credited to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who claims to be in contact with Boko-Haram that he believes that some of the school girls may never return home. He added that the insurgents might free those found to be pregnant or have given birth.

He also expressed worry that the girls might have been separated and kept in different locations.

To any of the concerned families and others who have genuine concerns for the destiny of these young girls that seems to have been truncated, there is nothing to cheer about that news report. That is why all of us and especially our politicians shouldn’t be going about with our businesses as usual. The girls should not be allowed to make their homes in the forest while their peers are preparing to enter tertiary institutions in October this year, hopefully. Since the use of force for their rescue is not advisable to avoid high casualties on the part of these girls, we can only resort to spiritual intervention.

In this regard, let us pray that God will grant the Federal Government working through the relevant committees or negotiators the needed wisdom to resolve the matter as soon as possible.

More importantly, let us pray that God will touch the heart of Boko-Haram and their handlers so that they can soft-pedal on this matter and allow the girls to be reunited with their respective families. And in exchange for this expected good gesture on the part of the sect, the Federal Government should reciprocate by releasing the sect’s family members and especially their wives so that they can perform their matrimonial roles to their husbands. It is pure haram on the sect’s part to allow other women to take over their wives’ duties while they are still alive.

Above all, part of our prayers should be that the insurgency in the north-east and other ethno- religious crises in other parts of the country should stop forthwith so that this nation can make forward and fulfill her destiny. Enough of this negative advertisement that showcases the nation in bad light. We should therefore allow our present challenges to make us move closer to God in prayers and not to despair or relent in our faith for glorious days that still lie ahead of this nation.

As the countdown towards 2015 General elections begins, negative prophecies concerning this nation will not come to pass in Jesus name. Such prophecies are not in line with GOD’s counsel for this nation and we send them back to their senders. We declare them null and void. We shall surely overcome our present socio-economic and political challenges in JESUS name. As we turn to GOD’s in prayers, He will surely answer us and not in any foreign nation(s) as they seek to assist us in resolving our political and security logjams./challenges.

Gbemiga Olakunle, General Secretary, National Prayer Movement gbemigaolakunle@yahoo.co.uk

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

COMMENT

Our republic, of monarchs?

Why should members of the ruling party at the centre or any other party for that matter be upset about who is chosen as emir in Kano?

N

IGERIA is a country where contradictions thrive or triumph, without anyone needing to be seen to do anything untoward.

Our country carries the nomenclature of a federal republic. Yet, its federating units can make laws without the power to enforce them. This contradiction is justified by those in charge of statecraft on the ground that this is the only way to keep the multiethnic country’s unity indissoluble. Some two decades ago, the country was called a secular republic until its citizens woke up one day to find out that its military dictator had registered it in the Organisation of Islamic States (OIC). It is now being characterised as a multi-religious country even though it is still officially a member of OIC and a section of the country is killing to force other religions to submit to Sharia. Most recent in our rulers’ bizarre actions is the increased attention being given and sought for monarchs of various names: Emirs, Obas, Obis, Obongs, etc. A few days ago, the death of the former Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero, a man of peace and of enviable inter-ethnic and inter-religious relations during his reign, has been made to increase the country’s insecurity by republican rulers scheming to take advantage of the trappings of monarchy.

As if the insecurity created by Boko Haram and its insistence that Nigeria must cease to be a secular state but a theocracy run by Islamic clerics functioning as kings or emirs is not enough, several political rulers seem preoccupied with adding another source of insecurity to the one that the international community believes has become too enormous for the country’s security forces to manage. As if the seizure of over 200 innocent schoolgirls is not enough to make politicians of all stripes reflect about the incapacity of the proverbial African Big Men to govern properly in a modern democratic context,

those in charge of governance choose to be entangled with raising the adrenalin level of the entire country by turning what should have been an entirely local affair of Kano city into a nation-wide drama of the absurd: death of an emir; nomination of a successor; threats to arrest the emir designate before investiture; threats by street urchins to vandalize the emir’s palace; virtual relocation or incarceration of the new emir in the governor’s guest house, etc.

If Nigeria were truly a republic, no mention would have been made in the public sphere of any manner of monarchy— of the turban popular in Northern Nigeria or of the beaded hats popular in Southern Nigeria. If Nigeria were really a republic, no head of state would call for special roles for traditional rulers in constitutional governance. If delegates at the ongoing national conference believe that Nigeria is a republic, they would not countenance the section of the items handed to them from the presidency for consideration with respect to carving a role for traditional rulers in government and in the constitution. It is clear that everybody that has a role to play in governance believes that the constitution he or she has sworn to uphold is full of lies that must be nurtured, without appearing to do so.

How else is any lay observer of public affairs to respond to reports that the riots in Kano since the succession of Ado Bayero by Lamido Sanusi— both of the Ibrahim Dabo ruling family in Kano for centuries— are reasons for heated rhetorical fight between rival political parties?

Why should members of the ruling party at the centre or any other party for that matter be upset about who is chosen as emir in Kano? Aren’t the four kingmakers required to submit the final list of nominees to the governor of the state in which Kano is situated? Did the kingmakers disagree with the announcement of Lamido Sanusi when the governor announced his name

as the new Emir of Kano? On whose behalf are the urchins on the streets demonstrating and what are they demonstrating against? Do these protesters no longer believe in the age-old selection process? If they do not, do they then have a right to expect that their preferred candidate would be nominated at the end of a process they do not find credible? What has been happening in Kano in the last few days illustrates that once a leadership group harbours and nurtures irreconcilable contradictions in the constitution and governance process of their country, citizens, particularly those with little education and the type that are easily indoctrinated and recruited to serve as suicide bombers are easy targets to be recruited to protest against the choice of kingmakers.

Should it matter if Lamido Sanusi were sympathetic to APC or PDP before his nomination as emir? Is Sanusi as emir not obligated to serve (and appear to do so) as emir to all the people of Kano, regardless of their political affiliations? Is there any evidence that Ado Bayero was a member of any of the political parties before he died? Is the son of Ado Bayero who some political leaders are believed to prefer and had congratulated before announcement of the final nominee a member of PDP? If he were, could the young Bayero have sustained that membership after ascending to the throne of his father? Do emirs have power to change the pattern of votes or the results of votes cast for political parties? Why is it important in this country of ours that the emir of Kano is sympathetic to APC or PDP if elections are guaranteed to be free and fair, and devoid of any form of intimidation by any branch of the security forces? In over sixty years that I had been witnessing elections in the country, there had been no report of an emir or oba going to the polls to vote for any candidate. So, what is the basis of the do-or-die attitude to whomever the peo-

ple of Kano choose to be their emir?

If traditional rulers are so influential to the extent that citizens cannot vote rationally once they are influenced by traditional rulers in their vicinity, then the time is ripe for the country to review its political structure and form of government. In the days of Lugardian Indirect Rule, traditional rulers in the Northern and Western Regions were powerful, but politicians decided not to allow the British to hand over the regions or the entire country to traditional rulers. This was why the country opted for constitutional governance and later for republican status.

Every day, things happen in our country to suggest that those who rule us are confused people. In one breadth, they want to run a modern republican state. In another, they want to acquire traditional titles to give them the appearance of having some pedigree in traditional rulership. Even in sections of the country that the colonial masters had to create paramount chiefs for lack of traditional rulers, politicians are in the habit of creating titles that entitle them to the regalia of traditional rulers.

In the meantime, the president should further the spirit of unity of purpose he evinced on June 12 to reprimand members of his party who sent congratulatory messages prematurely to the young Bayero. Such party fanatics have embarrassed the president and knowingly or unknowingly added to the country’s security challenges. The security problem that is being brewed in Kano over a function consigned to the Residual list in our pre-republican days shows that the lust for power to exploit the people by our post-colonial politicians is not any different from what made Frederick Lugard introduce the Indirect Rule in Nigeria. Serious-minded citizens need to let our political rulers know they are already too frustrated after three or more years of the violence from Boko Haram to be made to serve as cannon fodder in a fight between pro-monarchy political groups that should have no space in a modern republic.

COMMENT

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

15

Adaka’s ghost To lay Boro’s ghost to rest, Nigeria must do justice to all, majority or minority

I

SAAC Jasper Adaka Boro, Ijaw hero, others’ villain, remains an incubus that just won’t go away — 48 years after his 23 February 1966 declaration of a “Niger Delta Republic”, and a “12-day revolution” launched by his Niger Delta Volunteer Force.

Since that crushed “revolution”, there had been a Civil War (1967-1970) to keep Nigeria one, but keep seceding Biafra at bay — a war in which the pardoned Boro and his braves even fought, on the Nigerian side.

There had also been a series of coup d’états, purportedly to keep Nigeria “strong and united”, though a middle level officers’ coup, led by the late Major Gideon Orkar, attempted to excise some northern states from that “united” Nigeria.

There had also been a return to democracy (or more strictly, civil rule), after the military command-and-obey structure had exhausted itself. The military command mindset turned Nigeria from a putative thriving federation into a near-arid unitary state.

Still, after every movement sans motion, and a centenary after amalgamation, Nigeria seems back where Isaac Boro started: a republic torn apart by clear structural oddity and socio-economic injustice, but which the ruling elite wager they can keep together — not by addressing the unworkable structure, injustices and allied problems, but by sheer force of arms.

But Boro’s ghost of disjuncture remains as potent as ever. After his “Niger Delta Republic” had come the illfated Biafra. Now is renewed Niger Delta militancy over “resource control”, Boko Haram insurgency in the North East, purportedly angling for an Islamic Republic, current excitement in the South West, with minimum demand for a return to regionalism but with an extremist strand hollering for an Oduduwa Republic.

Aside, there is a South East fringe that romanticises Biafra, despite the tragedy of the Civil War, in the activities of the Ralph Uwazurike-led Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB). But even Uwazurike’s group would appear pacifist compared with the Biafra Zionist Movement (BZM), a group led by Ben Onwuka, that on June 5 raided the Enugu State Broadcasting Service (ESBS) radio studios, to declare a “Republic of Biafra”. The raid left two dead, including a policeman on guard. The same group had, on March 7, attacked

C

ORRUPTION is an issue Nigerians love to discuss F F F Fbecause F F F Fit with passion is believed to be the crux of the country’s under development.

It is an issue that many often discuss with sentiment, palpable frustration and anger over the seeming inability of successive governments to eradicate.

On such occasions, the political leadership, government functionaries and public institutions charged with the anti-corruption war are always at the receiving end of the public display of disappointment.

Such was the case recently, when a statement credited to the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Chief Ekpo Nta, that stealing is erroneously reported as corruption drew scathing criticism from some members of the public. He had, during the visit of a delegation of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria to the Commission, observed that Nigerians needed more understanding of the various dimensions of corruption in order for all to be able to tackle it effectively. He explained, for example, that stealing is erroneously reported as corruption.

His observation apparently hit the wrong chord in the hearts of some people who reacted with severe criticism, suggesting that he was probably not committed to the war against corruption. Some, including a section of the media, went to the extent of calling on him to step down, arguing that

the Enugu State Government House. It insists Enugu remains the capital of Biafra.

In the Middle Belt, there is a self-determination group that comes with the rather scary name of Arewa Christian Alliance for the Peaceful Disintegration of Nigeria (ACAPDON). That takes self-determinism from the charted waters of geo-political zones to the uncharted territory of religion.

Over the years, it would appear the result of alienation of Nigerians from Nigeria has morphed from failed republics, which attracted the failed medicine of military interventions; to a failing state, which even a democratic change of guards appears incapable of solving. That points to the structure — the very fundament of the Nigerian state. Yet, things need not have metastasised this much, if the Nigerian authorities had taken good heed of Boro’s 1966 danger signals, even after crushing it militarily.

Boro’s profile of Ijaw nationalism, if not Niger Delta separatism, would appear to explain President Goodluck Jonathan’s absence at his reburial, for which he drew flak from some of his kith-and-kin. Indeed, it would have been impolitic for a sitting Nigerian president to attend such a ceremony, lest he be accused of supporting “threats to national unity”.

But it is exactly that grand hypocrisy, of shunning ugly but true reflection of the Nigerian disjuncture, which has resulted in the present near-free fall, to which a solution must be found, to avert a total failure of the Nigerian state.

Even from sheer symbolism, the grand pretence has gone on for too long.

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

•Editor Festus Eriye •Deputy Editor Olayinka Oyegbile •Associate Editors Taiwo Ogundipe Sam Egburonu

•Managing Director/ Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh •Chairman, Editorial Board Sam Omatseye •General Editor Adekunle Ade-Adeleye

Take Boro himself as confusing, if not manipulated, symbolism. He was born in Oloibiri (now in Bayelsa State), where Shell Darcy first struck petrol on January 15, 1956.

Ironically, the first coup occurred exactly 10 years later, on January 15, 1966.

That coup provided the anomie for the launch of Boro’s “12-day revolution” that declared a “Niger Delta Republic.” But the social trigger was the dingy Oloibiri (sickening symbol of neglect for the whole Niger Delta region), even as the oil from its bowels nourished a far-away Federal Government and not-so-near Eastern Region government. That core complaint of neglect and injustice, in Niger Delta agitation has, therefore, remained unchanged, despite a son of the Niger Delta becoming Nigerian president.

Though the Aguiyi-Ironsi military government charged and convicted Boro and company for treason, the Yakubu Gowon amnesty and pardon came with a tinge of manipulation. That drafted a grateful Boro into the federal side, in a war waged to keep Nigeria one.

Biafra (not Nigeria) was the new putative overlord over the Niger Delta and its resources, and must be taken out.

But the “friendly fire” that threw up Boro as Civil War hero also consumed him, as he died during the war. In this case, Boro’s fate was no different from Ken Saro-Wiwa’s, another Civil War federalist, hanged over Ogoni rights agitation by the Sani Abacha military government. Ironically, Saro-Wiwa and Abacha were Civil War collaborators: Saro-Wiwa was Port Harcourt administrator; Abacha was the city’s garrison commander!

Years of systemic injustice, breeding a stalled economy, mass poverty and hopelessness have turned the Boro ghost into an ethnic ogre that ravages all parts of the country, calling for drastic changes, failure which they threaten disintegration. Yet, there is an ongoing pantomime at the National Conference, which seems to want to skirt the problems, instead of taking them head on.

Boro’s demands were the earliest of warnings to Nigeria on the imperatives of building a country founded on justice, equity and fair play. The Ijaw nationalist might have died in 1968, at the Civil War, aged only 30. But the only way to put his ghost to rest is to do justice to all by addressing his demands.

LETTERS

ICPC: Hues and cries about stealing and corruption his statement portrayed him as a tool in the hands of the political authorities whom they accused of not showing the required seriousness to effectively address the menace of corruption.

However, there are some who believe that the furious shooting of diatribe by the critics at the chairman over a harmless and sincere observation that merely pointed attention to the obvious but often ignored misrepresentation, was unnecessary, particularly after the clarification issued by the Commission to shed more light on the statement. The Commission had explained that stealing is corruption if it involves a public officer abusing his office for private gains as provided in sections 16 and 19 of the ICPC Act while stealing or theft as defined by criminal code and penal code falls within the police powers to investigate and prosecute.

This clarification can hardly be faulted. From the legal and constitutional perspective, stealing is recognised in the statute books of every country as a criminal act whether it is committed in or outside the public service. It has prescribed punishment in the relevant criminal and penal codes. Even private business concerns and corporations have rules for dealing with stealing or theft,

in their establishments, which may include recovery of the stolen items and dismissal of the culprit with or without prosecution.

There is no denial, by the critics, that a lot of Nigerians actually report plain stealing as corruption, such as the theft of crude oil or theft of refined petroleum products through pipeline vandalism. Which means that they (the critics) also subscribe to that notion.

Why is this so? Perhaps it is a way of blaming government for everything that goes wrong. Perhaps it is because of the historical antecedent of what is associated with corruption in Nigeria. The face of corruption Nigerians readily point to is the stealing of public funds through embezzlement or the mismanagement or abuse of public heritage.

This is referred to as the ‘chopping’ of government money in local parlance.

The purge of the public service during the Murtala Muhammed military regime which sanctioned both the military political office holders and civil servants deemed to have corruptly enriched themselves and the arrest and prosecution of political office holders of the second republic by the Buhari/ Idiagbon regime, for misappropriation of funds and corrupt enrichment,

were seen by the people as stealing of government money. So is the current effort by the administration of President Jonathan to prosecute public officers indicted in the pension fund scandal and others.

To many Nigerians, the offences of corrupt enrichment, misappropriation of funds and cases of fraud involving money all mean stealing.

Nigerians would readily pardon any form of corruption such as, favouritism, falsification, forgery and acts of official misconduct that do not involve money. They would wave such corrupt practices off with phrases such as “it is not new”, “everybody does it”, “this is their own chance”, “it is their time, wait for your turn” etc. It is against this background that the observation by the ICPC chairman raises a challenge that must be taken seriously.

Nigerians need to understand what constitutes corruption, its various forms and how to tackle it collectively. It is only then that the people can appreciate the efforts of anticorruption agencies and offer their own support where it is needed to rid the country of the menace. It should also be understood that Nigeria is not alone in the anti-corruption war. It is a global campaign that also affects the most developed countries of the world. It is a

structured war with internationally recognised templates for prosecuting it and assessing its effectiveness in terms of achievable results and targets over a period of time.

Like all global campaigns in which the United Nations Organisation is involved, the war against corruption is properly structured under the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) 2006. Nigeria is a signatory to this convention. Although some countries such as Nigeria had set up their anti-corruption agencies before the convention came into force, it offers a broad framework for countries to design their own campaigns in accordance with their environment and their laws. What constitute corruption is well defined under this convention.

According to the ICPC Chairman in a recent interview in The Nation newspaper, the anti-corruption war in Nigeria is in tune with the UN Convention and its provisions are captured in the ICPC Act. The ICPC is properly structured to international standard and it is working accordingly. In fact, in a bid to design a robust frame work that takes care of the peculiar needs of Nigeria’s anti-corruption war, the ICPC Act lists some offences which the UNCAC does not envisage. They include false statement, such as false dec-

laration of assets, failure to report bribery, obstruction of justice and making false report or petition.

What the ICPC chairman said in that statement, which appeared to have been clearly misinterpreted and misunderstood by his critics, is that a lot of Nigerians are yet to understand that corruption comes in various forms and dimensions.

It is not about embezzlement of public funds alone and certainly not about general theft in and around the society, which is within the jurisdiction of the police. It is also about those actions we take or witness that compromise the socioeconomic well being of the nation, the welfare of our fellow citizens and our own future.

How many Nigerians, for example, have reported bribery in public and private offices or reported suspicion of a case of illicit enrichment in their neighbourhood? The anti-corruption war is a structured war with a clear mandate and roles for both the anti-corruption agencies and the citizenry. It is important for the citizenry to understand this clearly and not hold the agencies to responsibilities outside their mandate.

The ICPC chairman has raised a very important point in the anti-corruption war. The people must understand the war and how to support it. The Commission may need to design a public education initiative in this direction in addition to its existing advocacy programmes.

By Ezekiel Babalola Surulere, Lagos

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COMMENT

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 2014

EKITI 2014: PDP demonic plans shall fail Vote Fayose and turn this distinctively unique state into a plaything for not only President Jonathan and his Niger Delta boys but also the likes of Buruji Kashamu and Bode George

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OR ten straight weeks on this column, I have done nothing else besides predicting, from what as a trained historian ,I know of its decade and a half stranglehold on Nigeria, what the PDP would be up to in the run down to the Ekiti election which they, from Abuja to Otueke, see as the opening chapter of President Goodluck Jonathan’s consuming 2015 ambition for which nothing is considered too sacrosanct to give and that includes the very survival of Nigeria. I wrote about the role of the first lady in Fayose’s emergence, allegedly claiming that he is the only one with the ‘craze’ to deal with a stubborn Ekiti people as well as the recruitment of some ‘billionaire’ political jobbers both of which accounted for the emergence of Fayose and Omisore as governorship candidates in Ekiti and Osun respectively. As a result of that imposition in Ekiti, 18 chieftains of the party, in an advertorial in THIS DAY of Wednesday June 11, 2014 disowned Fayose claiming that with ‘his questionable antecedents, and for not possessing the required temperament, disposition, and the capacity to deliver good government to Ekiti, they cannot, in good conscience, work for him’. Among them are Chief Ojo Falegan, Dr Bode Olowoporoku, Rt. Hon Kola Adefemi, Otunba Reuben Famuyibo, Ropo Adesanya, Chief Dapo Alibaloye, Sir Kayode Otitoju and Justice Edward Ojuolape (RTD) I interpreted the involvement of

a Niger Delta militant, as coordinator of their South West security strategy, not only as a cheap sellout of Yoruba people to a tiny Ijaw nation, but as the most direct evidence of their plan to import Niger Delta thugs. Hundreds of such thugs were infiltrated into Ekiti on the occasion of the President’s visit on Saturday 7 June when he primarily came to commission the war already promised by his Vice.

Dozens of them were allegedly arrested by security operatives at Fayose’s Spotless Hotel on June 10 as reported in the IROHIN ODUA edition of June 11, 2014. On interrogation they claimed Fayose invited them for ‘strategic reasons’ as they were paraded with their charms, arms and ammunition. This is, of course, a mere tip of the iceberg, as the dangerous Southwest PDP cabal, among them ministers, have promised to capture Ekiti. Here truly must be the changed Fayose which Jonathan said he was presenting Ekiti on Saturday, 7 June, and upon whose victory, which God forbid, he will now develop the state.

Hogwash!

President Jonathan on that day flagged off another of his many wars as in the North East, Rivers, and freshly, Kano and his Vice stayed behind to personally observe the commencement of their one-sided hostilities. Since it has become known that the likes of Yuguda were hankering after his job, that man of the permanent overflowing babariga, would do just about

anything to survive.

Ekiti people did not have long to wait. With the intent to ‘shock and awe’, they started with the state governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, who was tear gassed and shot at, as they broke up a peaceful rally. But if they thought we can be intimidated then they don’t know the doughty Ekiti with a checkered history of confronting, and defeating foreign invaders. Fortunately, the governor showed that minion something of the Ekiti make-up on that day. The foreign legion was, appropriately, led by an Ijaw police officer, one Gabriel Selenkere, the state MOPOL Commander, who was alleged to have served as Jonathan’s ADC when he was Deputy Governor in Bayelsa.

Apparently, the man who most probably does not take orders from the state Police Commissioner had impudently told the latter when confronted by him: who? Which governor? I know no governor when the Vice President is still around. I have orders from above’. If I may ask of this impertinent man, what federal project was his Vice President waiting behind to commission in Ekiti ? That, incidentally, is what Nigeria has been turned to by these cretins.

But all that is only the opening glee as there are worse lined up for election day in the state. As it happened in 2003 when a substantial part of Fayose’s votes were allegedly ferried in to Ekiti from the amala empire in Ibadan; the reason Baba chose whatever contract in Ekiti suited him, they intend to have police men and thugs escort stuffed ballot boxes into the state on 21 June. Thugs are also primed to disrupt vote counting in APC strongholds. They will be under orders to shoot into the air but if

unsuccessful, to shoot directly at the people. They have equally recruited some mid level rogue elements within INEC who will ensure that voting materials are either not supplied at all, or brought in very late to polling centres where they suspect the APC candidate will win.

The most sinister of this criminal gang’s plan which is already ongoing in all Yoruba states, however, is the devilish process of political recruitment to which former governor Segun Oni referred during the APC Mega Rally in Ado-Ekiti. Having been used to maximum effect in a particular Southwest state where millions were turned to literal political slaves ahead the 2011 general elections, it is now being extended into all the other states and as I write this, I have a copy of their membership application form which the Lagos PDP is already distributing. I am reliably informed Fayose is doing the same thing in Ekiti already. The phony empowerment organisation coyly attracts recruits with promises of jobs and credits but the two most important questions on the application form are: the applicants’ Voters card number, for purposes of cloning ahead the 2015 elections, and his/her mother’s name, for ritual purposes.

The initiation process, so beguilingly simple is extremely dangerous going by what a nearly entrapped woman confessed.

According to her, she was ferried, with others in a luxury bus to a certain town ostensibly for empowerment. Getting there, they were asked to fill a form in which it was compulsory for them to supply their mothers’ names and voter’s card number. Suspecting foul play she gave wrong names for both herself and her mother. Then into an inner room where a Moslem cleric was waiting to administer oaths of allegiance. After this came a herbalist

On another father’s day…

Sadly, there are many fathers who are not on talking terms with their children, and vice versa. The rule is, if we cannot heal, we must not fracture

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AVE you noticed that June is the month of confrontation?

It is the time of the year when the heavens and the earth meet in one long conversation that ends in downpours the likes you haven’t seen since the year began. It is also the time in the year when the earth’s plants and the sky’s sun begin their hide and seek game to bring out varied colours of flower sprigs so bright and fair Othello’s Desdemona would be green with envy. Above all, it is the month fathers and children look at each other and confront some hard truths: why in the world do they resemble each other in every way particular, even to the repeating of the same damned mistakes of the fathers? Is it just a hormonal thing or is it psychological: that we are all compelled to repeat our parent’s mistakes? Or is it a matter of the family’s share of the grey matter gene not being efficient?

Whatever it may be, it is important to note that the world is celebrating all fathers today. You know what they are, don’t you? They are those generally oak-like beings who hover around the house, growling their needs and displeasure (in one breath) at nearly every moment and are forever issuing commands. ‘You, get me my newspaper! You, get me my pen!

You, come outside and get me a stone to hurl at that lizard! What do you mean you are inside and I’m outside?

What has that got to do with any-

for another oath. From there they were herded to another town in the state to swear to two powerful Yoruba Deities one of which is reputed to suck the blood of those who backslide. Then comes the dark large space inside the building where they all stood on blood as a man in white emerged with a gourd of water for the final oath-taking. She said she pretended like drinking the water but did not. Engr Oni has warned against going to seek help from people who will make you swear to oaths, naked in a coffin and thereby succeed in making you their slave for life. Awo, the Avatar, must be squirming in his grave.

If care is not taken, these questionable characters will turn most of the youth in Yoruba land to political zombies who they will use as bargaining chips for their political harlotry , especially in 2015 and even beyond.

Obviously, they have, in their giddiness, forgotten that there is God. As a result, they cannot remember how God miraculously took Israelites out of Egypt or, nearer home, how God saved the likes of General Oladipo Diya from certain death in Abacha’s gulag. As the Lord liveth, they will fall victims of their own diabolical plans as Ekiti will never return to Egypt nor will it ever again be ruled by crooks. Ekiti, the land of honour and distinction requires not ragamuffins but a visionary leadership. Vote Fayose and turn this distinctively unique state into a plaything for not only President Jonathan and his Niger Delta boys but also the likes of Buruji Kashamu and Bode George.

God forbid.

We must all therefore refuse to be intimidated come 21 June 2014 whatever the enemy’s armada. For them, nothing is sacred or sacrosanct.

They will therefore descend on us in all their fury, believing we will vote with our legs. But as Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu never ceases to say, power is never served ala carte. We must stand our ground and shame these vampires. We must vote John Kayode Fayemi overwhelmingly to victory.

thing?’ Naturally, with reasonable attitudes like that, you are not surprised that world wars are fought daily in many homes, and the United Nations can do nothing to help.

Seriously, there are more fathers and children living in fractured relationships than you can imagine. Forget Freud and his psychoanalytic theory of Oedipus Complex or Rex that causes unnecessary and useless competitions; forget his student, Jung, and his even bigger theories about the inner workings of the (in)human mind. Fractured relationships are fractured relationships.

Something causes them; it is certain that something can mend them. But what do these relationships fracture over?

It is not certain but disagreements over what each takes to be the stuff of life helps. That is what makes one go, ‘YOU BETTER TALK TO YOUR SON; HE SAYS HE WANTS TO BE A WRITER WHEN HE CAN BE A LAWYER. WHAT DOES HE WANT TO LIVE ON, EH, WHAT? HE WANTS TO GO AND STARVE. OR DOES HE THINK I’M GOING TO SUPPORT HIM THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE? YOU BETTER TALK TO HIM!’ And the other goes, ‘Why can daddy not understand? Why is he behaving as if he was never a young man himself? Can’t he understand that I’ve got my life to live? It’s my life after all!’

With a stalemate like that, the mother can only do one thing: continue to

swivel her head from one speaker to another. Hers is such a placid, peaceful life.

Watching father-child interactions gives one a better understanding of the war of the worlds than any book or film can. It is a veritable collision of courses where everyone thinks he/she is just and the other a malevolent monster. What is a child but a being sent from the other world to come and plague you, said a father. And another asked his son: ‘And what do you want to be when you grow up?’ ‘A daddy, with a lot of luck’, replied the son, as he watched his father struggle to balance the family’s accounts.

Then there can be failure to appreciate the stuff that each is made of. One can go, ‘Mummy, why is Daddy such a hard man? No matter what you ask him, the answer is always ‘NO’. ‘No’ to shoe allowance; ‘no’ to make-up allowance; ‘no’ to summer holidays abroad when all my friends are going. Why can’t he understand that our times are different from his?’ And the father goes, ‘You better talk to your daughter. In this house there is no room for any spoiled child. My parents did not spoil me; why should I spoil any yeye child?’

That reminds me of a story I read in a magazine. The son of the house had asked to borrow the car for the weekend. The father had agreed on the condition that the son would first mow the lawn. He agreed and the contract was signed, verbally. When

the father returned from his own weekend trip, the son complained that he could not find the car key. ‘Funny,’ said the father, ‘I tied it to the handle of the lawn mower myself before going away.’

Of course, disagreements over properties are normal, everyday occurrences. Once Junior learns to drive, the question of who really owns the car becomes mute. Nobody asks it; only the father grumbles about accruing mileage, increasing fuel costs, and having to pay for the pleasure rides of sons who should be studying or working. ‘After all,’ father concludes his tirade, ‘at his age, I already owned a car. He just better not think that he is going to own this house’. Now, that is war.

I believe I have told this story before but I will tell it again for the sake of those reading this column for the first time while the old hands can enjoy it again and also because I enjoy repeating jokes. Once, a father and son were quarrelling, and at a heated point of the exchange, the father peremptorily asked the son to leave his house.

The son replied that he was going nowhere because he was in his father’s house. His father could go and look for his own father’s house if he wished and stay there.

I’m not quite sure but I seem to think that report cards may also have something to do with it. That’s another ‘at your age…’ syndrome that can cause fractures. You know how fathers are forever going on and on about how they always came first in

their classes in their primary school days? Well, one such bragging was brought to an end recently when some children discovered their father’s primary school report card in some very old box that appeared never to have been opened. In black and white, the report showed daddy coming second from the rear. When the children confronted their father with the evidence, he summarily sent them out of the house. The silly things, he grumbled; let them not go and read their books instead of going around searching old boxes!

Anyway, an analyst has suggested that men who always claim to have come first in their primary school days actually believe the lie they tell themselves. By the way, there are many self-deluding fathers who believe many other things: that their children are as well behaved outside the house as they are within it; that everyone lies against their children out of envy; that their children fail because teachers hate them, not that they are lazy…

Well, time to wake up.

On this column last year, we greeted the fathers and prayed that they would help their family members reach their best. This year, we are praying that fathers, as well as, if not better than mothers, can be fracture healers in their families. Fractures can heal with a great deal of patient and loving handling; and so will fractured relationships. Sadly, there are many fathers who are not on talking terms with their children. The rule is, if we cannot heal, we must not fracture.

Secondly, this column prays fathers to be encouragers of their broods for a healthy family relationship. The health of the Nigerian family is in the hands of both mothers and fathers; neither is indispensable.

COMMENT

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 2014

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(69)

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Is the fundamental question a weakened centre or a just and workable centre? (2)

AST week, I suggested a constitutional provision of the death penalty for public officeholders who loot 100 million or more from the public purse. But what constitutional sanctions must we make to end or substantially curb the myriad of legal and structural acts of looting and wasting of our national wealth. For instance, what are we to do about the humungous salaries and jumbo allowances that are paid out to the members of the National Assembly? What are we to do about the fact that an iron-clad cloak of secrecy has been officially thrown around the actual figures? By some accounts, the Senators and Honourables each receive about 23 million naira a month. Meanwhile, at 18,000 naira per month, the national minimum wage – which by the way, is yet to be implemented in many states of the federation – that puts the ratio between the lowest paid worker in our country to the sums paid out to the members of the National Assembly at 1 to 106. This is one of the worst income gaps in the world - if indeed it is not the very worst. How can a federation be founded on such an unconscionable social cannibalistic but legal looting of our national assets?

As if the scandalous case of the Senators and Honourables is not enough, think of the other perfectly legal acts of brigandage that are rife in the processes of governance in Nigeria. One startling aspect of this fully legalised looting and wasting of our national assets is the freewheeling manner in which the President and the Executive Governors dip into public coffers to patronise and reward their followers, kinsmen and women and cronies. Take the case of Jonathan’s fleet of 12 presidential jets. Obviously, Jonathan cannot be so besotted with jets that he would use presidential prerogative to satisfy a rather childish whim. The present has 12 jets because he must let those on a small list of the most favored among his patrons and clients to use a presidential jet to travel within the country and on occasions, outside the country.

Emirs, obas, obis, archbishops, chief imams and men and women of substance – it is a large band of patrons and clients of the President who regularly fly the skies of our country and the world gratis, all expenses paid. If the Governors do not have access to the magnitude of public funds to buy a dozen jets, they make up for this by the scale on which they dole out largesse to their clients. The whole political order is built on clientilism, a clientilism that means in effect that what we have in our country is one head of state and 36 mini heads of state. No country in the world, least of all a poor, developing country that is deluded by flowing oil revenues to seeing itself as super rich country, no coun-

try in the world can afford the level and the impunity with which our President and the Chief Executives of the States routinely dip their hands in to the public purse to satisfy their patrons and clients. In one particularly otiose expression of this clientilism gone mad, Moslem and Christian pilgrims to Mecca and Jerusalem respectively are awarded “scholarships” that take them to and back from the “holy lands” gratis, all expensed paid. And this happens on an annual basis.

Clientilism of one kind or another exists in all the countries of the world. It has always been a part of the processes of governance. But countries that have successfully modernized have found ways to curb it substantially, if not wipe it out. The sad, tragic fact is that in our country, far from being gradually brought under control, it is festering and it now pervades the entire system of governance. For this reason, the enlightened and progressive governors who know that clientilism exercises a crippling and wasting effect on governance think that they are trapped within a system from which they cannot extricate themselves.

I would like to suggest that this is a false and misleading dilemma.

The “solution” is in fact quite simple: the loud calls for reducing the constitutional power and authority of the President at the centre in Abuja must be extended to reducing the powers and authority of the

Governors. Again I repeat the obvious: no nation on the planet can afford the waste and squandermania that has become entrenched in our country in the last three decades. In plain language, no nation can afford to have thirty-seven heads and mini heads of state. And the only rational way to do this is to simultaneously reduce the power and authority of the Presidency and the Governors. Since this seems to be such a wild, improbable aspiration at the present moment, it is imortant that we briefly explore the reasons why this is so.

For Nigerians under the age of thirty, it may come as a surprise to discover that at one time in the postcolonial history of our country, both at the centre and in the regions, power and prestige was institutionally split between the head of government and the head of state. At the centre, the head of government was the Prime Minister while the head of state was the Governor General. In the regions, the head of state was the Governor while the head of government was the Premier. Thus, at both the centre and in the regions, the dignity and majesty of office was ceremonially attached to the Governor General and Governor while the Prime Minister and the Premiers shouldered the burden of governing.

With the emergence of Governors in the states, the governance duties and the ceremonial majesties of both the old Premier and Governor were merged. Thus the new Governors

are nothing remotely like the old Governors most of whom in fact embodied the institutional though purely ceremonial grandeur of their office.

One of most objectionable features of the power, authority and prestige of the new Governors is a habit that they all indulge in, almost without exception, of a predilection for very large pools of cabinet members, special advisers, personal assistants and press liaison officers.

The cost of maintaining such large cadres of highly paid officials is truly staggering, especially in light of the fact that most of these posts are redundancies and sinecures in which people collect money for doing next to nothing. With the old Premiers, between 10 to 12 cabinet members and advisers was the standard upper limit. Indeed, if you compare figures between the two periods, it will be amazing to discover how regions which were broken into states had less cabinet members that each of states that were created from them.

In all the conversations on federalism in Nigeria, there is hardly any thought given to the fact that it is not only the centre whose power and authority should be reduced but that of the Governors. Somehow, we have all be conned or duped into believing that the Governors represent the dignity and sovereignty of their states: In Akwa Ibom, the Governor is an embodiment of the dignity and sovereignty

of Akwa Ibomites; In the Oyo State Governor resides the dignity of Oyo state citizens. And so on and so forth. Meanwhile, in terms of actual lived experience of the populace “dignity” and “sovereignty” mean for the vast majority of the states in our country poverty, insecurities of life and grim hardships in the future. And indeed, it can never be overstated: no country in the world can afford the governance costs of having thirty-seven heads and mini heads of state.

Many pundits and commentators on federalism in Nigeria in the last three to four decades take the view that the fundamental cause of the problems and crises now is the change from a British-style parliamentary system with a Prime Minster who is elected into office with members of his cabinet and the new American-style Presidential system in which the Presidents and the Governors get elected on their own recognition and choose their cabinet members who are, for the most part, unelected. I contend that this is only part of the story.

More central is the fact that when we had the cost-effective parliamentary system, we simply could not afford the Presidential system because the nation was run on a political economy of cash or export crops and there simply was not enough surplus extraction from the cash crop economy to sustain the phenomenally high cost of the Presidential system.

What kind of constitutional provisions and institutional arrangements can bring the much-needed reform to this state of things? We need enforceable and justiciable constitutional provisions that will place severe limits on how much the President and the Governors can spend on the cost of governance and recurrent expenditures. In every state, the expenditure on capital projects should be at least three times the expenditure on recurrent expenditures. And instead of “Governors” we should give them a new designation to reflect their reduced power and authority. We could look to places like Ghana where their “Governors” are called “Regional Minister” or India where they are called “Chief Ministers”. If the vast sums of money that is flowing into our national coffers from oil revenues can be protected from the great looting and squandermania with which it is currently over-burned and put to good use, Nigeria will easily become the economic engine of the West Africa region. Such a vision ought to inspire our statesmen and thinkers among the political class but alas, alas, we look for such leaders in vain. The old adage comes to mind here: he on whose head a palm kernel is cracked will not live to be among those that will consume the kernel.

Biodun Jeyifo bjeyifo@fas.harvard.edu

COMMENT

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 2014

sms only: 08116759748

A

LITTLE over a week ago, the Nigerian newspaper industry woke to shocking reports that across the country, delivery vans were being seized by soldiers. Troops invaded sales points where publications were being distributed to agents and impounded copies. Hapless vendors were set upon and their products.

Military authorities explained that their strange action was the consequence of intelligence reports which indicated that Boko Haram was about to use the newspapers delivery chain across the country to distribute its weapons of mass destruction.

Interestingly, since the operation targeting newspaper sales lines began, not even a firecracker has been found in any of the distribution vehicles. In most cases, even when nothing incriminating was found, the vehicles, their drivers and bundles of harmless newspapers were detained until it was virtually impossible to sell that day’s edition. Bear in mind that the shelf life of the average daily newspaper is roughly six hours.

After reports of the crackdown emerged, the president’s public affairs adviser, Doyin Okupe, sought to rationalise the soldiers’ action by saying we live in difficult times, and that certain actions that may be taken by security agents could cause temporary discomfort.

Granted that all over the world where the authorities are battling terrorists there are disruptions. But what has happened over the last one week was not just a surgical security operation. Just take the example of delivery vans seized early in the morning and kept in military custody till late afternoon even when there’s no justification for the detyention.

It almost like saying you received intelligence that Boko Haram was ferrying its deadly ordnance into Abuja via the road from Kaduna. Such a report would necessitate searching all vehicles plying the road. But would you impound all vehicles and keep them in your custody for the better part of a day when nothing was found in them? What would be the point?

Even more curious was the assault on vendors found carrying certain ‘marked’ newspapers. They were attacked by soldiers and the papers they had on them seized. In what ways is national security enhanced by such actions or by the disruption of a private company’s legitimate business when it has not broken any laws?

There is no question that the government and the military have not been thrilled by the critical coverage of the insurgency by the media. Matters have been

Crackdown or cock up?

foot. As though it didn’t have enough troubles trying to bat away negative reports about its competence, it has now opened another front against an industry that is better as an ally. What it conceived as a crackdown has now turned out to be an almighty cock-up as it projects the Jonathan administration as insecure, desperate and intolerant.

Even more damning is that the authors of the clampdown don’t have a proper understanding of the way information flows in today’s world. Even if you shut down all the newspapers and printing presses, you cannot obliterate all the websites. Even if you could, you cannot seize every mobile phone or monitor who is using Facebook or Twitter or whatever.

The Nigerian media has never been and can never be a friend to terror. We have been some of the harshest advocates of a hardline against Boko Haram – long before the government woke up to declare “total war” against the sect.

For our troubles, back in April Haram fighters. As they enter into a third month •UNFORGOTTEN 2012, Thisday newspaper Two months ago as they slept in the dormitories of captivity men and women of goodwill must headquarters in Abuja, and a in the sleepy village of Chibok, over 270 innocent not let up the pressure until the girls return. complex in Kaduna housing the girls were snatched from their beds by Boko #BringBackOurGirls. bureaus of The Sun, Vanguard and Moment newspapers were The solution would be simple ‘deal bombed. In between we have received threats made worse by the intense presence brought upon the authorities by the with the unfriendly press.’ To do that you to our premises and persons because of our don’t need to tamper with the personal coverage of the conflict which the insurgents searchlight of the international press.

From the viewpoint of the authorities, liberties of journalists as that would make were less than pleased with. daily reporting of the latest atrocities of for even more sensational headlines. Go This was what Abu Qaqa, Boko Haram the Boko Haram amounts to celebrating instead after the businesses, disrupt their spokesman back then said in justification terrorists, while exposure of the operations and hit them in the pocket. of the attacks: “We have repeatedly But whoever came up with this idea cautioned reporters and media houses to shortcomings of the military operation in the North East is akin to trying to bring might as well have delivered an IED into be professional and objective in their the innermost sanctuary of the reports. This is a war between us and the down the institution.

Add to the mix the conclusion within administration itself. No one can convince government of Nigeria; unfortunately, the the ruling party and the administration me that Nigeria is safer today after the media have not been objective and fair in that the insurgency is political and being pointless seizures of newspaper parcels their reports of the ongoing war; they chose fuelled by the main opposition APC and and detention of delivery vans. None of to take side.” disgruntled northern politicians who these actions have brought back the Chibok The Nigeria media has suffered at the were determined to wound the incumbent schoolgirls nor has it prevented the hands of the terrorists. The authorities are president ahead of the 2015 polls, and demented Boko Haram killers from wasting everybody’s time trying to impress you have the perfect setting for rampaging through the remote villages of unarmed press men with their power and scapegoating. And what better scapegoat the North East. might. The real enemy is in the Sambisa What the government has only forest and those charged with responsibility than an increasingly uncontrollable succeeded in doing is shooting itself in the of taking them down need to focus. media?

Now that the Americans have come

A

COUPLE of weeks ago in this column, in the euphoria of foreign assistance flooding in from the United States, United Kingdom and other quarters, I wrote that even with the arrival of international assistance, the war against the insurgents would not be a walk in the park.

This is part of what I wrote back then: “While the renewed global focus on Boko Haram is a positive thing as it will limit their room for manouver henceforth, we should not forget that a similar US effort to track down the brutal Ugandan warlord, Joseph Kony of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), has not yet resulted in his capture. Just this March, the Barack Obama administration announced it was sending in more troops to assist in the operation.

“We must all hope and pray that the

intervention by the Americans and others yields better results in the North East. Anything short of the success of this multinational initiative would only further boost the mystique of a band of killers who have survived everything thrown at them so far.”

Several weeks have passed since the entry of the Americans into the conflict theater, but what has changed? From the outset it was clear that they were not going to put boots on the ground. But what has been the impact of their much vaunted technological and intelligence edge?

Was that what led to the identification of the “location of the Chibok schoolgirls?

Obviously, certain things will not be shared on the pages of newspapers.

But time will tell what the real value of the foreign intervention has been.

Not just Sri Lanka, Algeria too

R

EPORTS in the last few days say military authorities are studying tactics used by Sri Lanka to crush the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels as a model for dealing with the extremist Boko Haram sect. The Sri Lankans fought the Tamil Tigers in a seesaw war for almost 30 years until achieving military victory in 2009.

Perhaps more than the Sri Lankans, the military high command should also understudy how the Algerian state overcame a decade-long civil war in the 90s against several Islamist rebel groups.

The conflict which started in 1991 is believed to have claimed as many as 150,000 lives.

The Boko Haram insurgency bears an uncanny resemblance to what the Algerian Islamists did in the 90s, although the two conflicts had different roots. In the case of the North African country, the rebels were

driven to take up arms after the central government annulled elections that they were on course to win.

Just like the insurgents in North East Nigeria have been doing, the Islamic Salvation Army, the Armed Islamic Group and sundry groups engaged in terror attacks and brutal massacres of innocent people. The insurgents would target entire villages or neighborhoods without consideration for age or sex of victims.

People were killed in tens, and sometimes hundreds at a time.

Along with its military campaign, the government threw in an amnesty for repentant Islamists who were sick of the conflict. The war ended with a government victory, following the surrender of the Islamic Salvation Army and the 2002 defeat of the Armed Islamic Group. There might be something here from the administration to learn from.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

New twists in Delta 2015 governorship race PAGES 22

•Umeh

Nasarawa 2015: PDP’s plot to dislodge AlMakura

We pay parents to keep girls in school, says Katsina Gov

PAGE 24

PAGE 25

•Muazu

•Nwanyawu

2015: PDP woos opposition lawmakers

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HE Presidency and the leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are reaching out to some opposition lawmakers at the National Assembly, ahead of the 2015 general elections.

Investigations on Friday revealed that the leadership of the party had met severally with some lawmakers elected on the platforms of some opposition parties including the Labour Party (LP) Accord Party (AP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in recent times.

It was reliably gathered that while the meetings did not discuss defections of the said lawmakers into the PDP, parties to the parleys spent ample time talking about how their various parties can collaborate to check the rising

Ahead of the 2015 general election, the ruling party is intensifying efforts to ensure that it continues in office at the federal level. Dare Odufowokan, Assistant Editor, reports that the party, as part of strategies to ensure victory at the general election, is wooing opposition lawmakers at the National Assembly. influence of the All Progressives Congress in the national Assembly, especially the lower house.

The outcome of the ongoing talks, it was learnt, will see some opposition parties ganging up with the ruling party against the APC in the hallowed chambers ahead of the 2015 general election.

It was also gathered that the opposition lawmakers currently in talks with the PDP leadership may be doing so with the support of the leaderships of their parties as well as some Governors and former Governors.

A party source, who pleaded anonymity, said the talks are aimed at creating ripples at the owe house with a view to possibly changing the leadership of the party before the next general election.

“The PDP, backed by the presidency, is in talks with some opposition legislators. The talks have been ongoing for a while now and the notion behind them is to see how loyal PDP legislators in the House of Representatives can collaborate with ready opposition embers in parties like the AP, LP, APGA etc, to checkmate the growing

influence of the APC in the national assembly.

There is a strong fear within the ruling party that the leadership of the lower house is no longer with the party.

Although they are still members of the PDP on paper, many of the leaders of the House of Representatives are no longer with the party in principles and practice.

This explains why the APC appear to be having a field day on the floor of the house. It is also the reason for the incessant decamping of PDP lawmakers to the APC in recent times. The APC,

though still the minority party in the House, enjoys the sympathy of the leadership of the chamber.

For PDP to change the situation and ensure that it continue to steer the ship of the House, there is need for it to form alliances with other minority parties aside the APC on the floor of the House.

And since the APC forms the minority leadership of the House, the PDP is left with no choice that to deal with the legislators individually.

That is what the party has been doing. The Governors and national leaders of the concerned legislators are also part of the ongoing rapprochement. If the deal sails through, the legislators •Continued on Page 20

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

POLITICS •Continued from Page 19

will remain in their parties and champion the cause of the ruling party at all times on the floor of the house.

The basic implication of this would be the balkanisation of the opposition on the floor of the House. One of the immediate outcome of the ongoing talk is the recent botched attempt to change the minority leadership of the house,” our source said.

It would be recalled that motion seeking to have the leadership of the Minority dissolved caused a row a fortnight ago in the House of Representatives. The Nation learnt that the development was a fallout of several meetings between some opposition legislators and the leadership of the ruling party.

The botched motion was raised by the Deputy Majority Leader Leo Ogor (PDP-Delta), to the effect that the APC should relinquish some of the minority positions in the House for other opposition parties to occupy.

Immediately the lawmaker raised the motion, members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Labour Party (LP) and Accord Party (AP) from Ondo, Oyo and Anambra states insisted they should be part of the Minority leadership hierarchy in the House. This led to a rowdy session on the floor as APC legislators rose to the occasion.

Ogor noted that the Minority leadership slots of the House were filled with only All Progressives Congress (APC) members. This, the lawmaker said, was a breach of the House rules, which provide that minority parties – not one of the parties – would form the leadership.

Ogor expressed reservations that all minority leadership slots available were in the hand of APC without the consent and input of the LP, APGA and Accord.

He said: “It behoves on the minority parties, in line with Item 31 of the House Rules, to nominate among themselves a new Minority Leader, Minority Whip, Deputy Minority Leader and Deputy Minority Whip.”

Ogor urged the Minority leadership to vacate their seats and give room for a proper nomination.

“The lawmakers sitting on the platform of the APC now were members of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Accord Party and other parties.

Therefore, they are unknown to the House. and since they were not a part of the nomination process for the leadership of the Minority, APC members must vacate their seats,” he said.

But Minority Leader Femi

PDP woos lawmakers

•Jonathan

•Mimiko

•Ladoja

•Obi

Gbajabiamila (APC-Lagos) dismissed Ogor’s motion as unnecessary and unfounded. The lawmaker said the motion ought to have been raised by an opposition member, instead of a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker.

He said: “Under our rules of privilege, you have to have locus before raising such a motion. If this matter of privilege was raised by a member of the opposition, then it will have locus. Our rules do not create room for meddlesome interlopers. I have seen a letter nominating our leaders sitting

here, but I have not seen any letter nominating any PDP member sitting as a principal officer.”

But APGA, Accord and LP members in Anambra, Ondo and Oyo States disagreed with the opposition leader.

They insisted on having their shares of the opposition pie.

Bukola Abiola Ajaja (Accord -Oyo) opposed Gbajabiamila’s position.

She said: “I want to say whoever goes to equity, must go with clean hands. Since the formation of APC, we in the opposition

have not met to decide who would take positions. Rules 32, 33, 35 and 36 define the roles of different political parties and these provisions provide that all opposition parties must be represented on the leadership of the opposition.”

Another member, Debo Ologunagba (LP-Ondo), noted that the composition of the opposition leadership violates the privileges of Labour Party members.

He said: “It’s a collective privilege of members.”

The rowdy situation was saved when Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha, who presided over the plenary, referred the motion to Committees on Rules and Business and Justice for further legislative consideration.

Of course, many believe that is not the end of the matter. Sources within the collaborating parties insist the collaborators will not rest until the minority leadership of the House is altered.

“The idea is not just to make noise.

It is actually to kickstart the changes in the lower House by altering the minority leadership first. With the ongoing collaboration between some opposition lawmakers and the PDP, it is unclear how the Femi Gbajabiamilaled minority leadership of the House will survive.

Ogor’s argument has encouraged members of the LP, AOGA and Accord in the House to see that they can actually demand for representation in the minority leadership. This is merely a test case for the bigger push. If their agitation scales through, then the House leadership proper should beware.

The PDP will instruct its lawmakers to back the agitation of the opposition lawmakers against the pact. The House leadership, on its part, will work against such change knowing fully well that it will be the next target. This is the current scenario at the lower House,” our source said.

The Nation also learnt that the APC leadership in the House is aware of the nocturnal dealings between the PDP leadership and some opposition lawmakers.

“We are not unaware of their antics.

We are fully abreast of their plots and we cannot be caught unawares.

However, one thing we are sure of is that undemocratic forces can never defeat the progressives. We are insisting it is out of place for the PDP to dictate how minority parties will form the minority leadership of the lower house.

We are saying we will resist any attempt to impose a leadership on us by the presidency as it is done in the PDP,” another source, a lawmaker said.

‘Boko Haram not Nigeria’s main problem ’

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ORRUPTION, religion and the Nigerian police have been identified as the main challenges facing the country.

Senator Anthony Adefuye, a member of the on- going National Conference indentified these, during the week, at a seminar organised by the Political Science Students Association (POSSA) of Saint Augustine’s College of Education, Akoka, Lagos.

Speaking on the topic ‘Presidential or Parliamentary: Which Way Nigeria’, he said: “We have three main problems in Nigeria today and these are corruption, religion, and the Nigerian police. “ Civil servants now purchase private jets, bullet proof cars, build mansions inside and outside Nigeria without anybody questioning them. You are aware of the petroleum subsidy and the pension saga. The collapse of the banking system and the stock markets has to do with corruption. “ When I was growing up, there were healthy competitions among the various religions. Today what you find is Boko

By Innocent Duru Haram, burning of churches, kidnapping, religious militancy etc. Now pastors own private jets and ride in Rolls- Royce. They care very little for their followers who have no shoes and contributed part of their income to maintain these high living standards of these pastors. ”If the police will do their job, most of these corruptions will disappear. But of course, we all know what the police are today. I do not need to give any example. All I need to say is: ‘Happy weekend sir, your boys are here’. The moment you give them what they want they look the other way without minding whether you are Boko Haram or whatever.”

He therefore supported the call for the creation of state police, saying: “ There has been various reasons given in support and

against the creation of state police.

However, one advantage of the state police is that the state will be adequately policed by its own citizens that will form the core of the membership of the state police. The government of the state will have adequate security control and, therefore, protect the citizens better from kidnapping, armed robbery etc.

“If the opposition is afraid that state police will be used against them, we can limit the functions of the state police to fighting only criminal offences such as kidnapping, armed robbery, stealing among others.”

On the clamour for devolution of power in the country, he said the National Conference committee on devolution has recommended 42.5 percent of federally collected revenue for the Federal

“ Civil servants now purchase private jets, bullet proof cars, build mansions inside and outside Nigeria without anybody questioning them.”

Government, 35.0 percent for the states and 22.5 percent for the local governments.

“If this recommendation passes through at the plenary, then, a lot of powers would have been devolved from the central government to the states, thereby bringing dividends of democracy nearer to the people. The Federal Government, by this act, will be forced to shelve some responsibilities to the states,” he said.

He argued that the country is not ripe enough for resource control, stressing that: “ Any resource control at this time or increase in derivation principle will further aggravate the sufferings of majority of Nigerians. We must be our brothers’ keeper as we have done in the past.

“The committee on devolution of powers has therefore recommended a status quo ante in order not to further aggravate the suffering of Nigerians and neither do we want to reduce the benefits which the oil producing areas enjoy for now to maintain equilibrium and stability.”

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

POLITICS

21

Nigerians’ll determine fate of confab report - Okoye

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HE National Conference is currently considering reports of the various committees. What would you say has been the achievement so far considering the positions canvassed by the various interest groups before the conference?

I think that the National conference has entered a critical stage. It has entered a critical stage in the sense that we have finished work at the various committee levels. The 20 committees set up the conference has submitted their reports and we are now considering some of those reports. When we started at the National conference certain individuals and groups came with certain positions that would have, at the end present the conference with a faith accompli.

Some of them came with certain fixations, certain conclusions and insisted that it is either they get what they are asking for or the conference can as well close shop.

After about three weeks, people started to drop their hard line positions, having realised that you cannot have a national conference made up of the Nigerian people without engaging in consultations, negotiation, compromise as well as give and take. I think that it is that process of consultation, consensus as well as give and take that has moved the national conference to where we are now.

In arriving at decisions, how has the conference been able to harmonise all the views and positions of the different interest groups?

What the delegates are saying, and the position of patriotic delegates is that they are not going to be fixated to any position and that what should be the over-riding principle in relation to the National Conference will be, what is it that we want for the Nigerian people and not what the position of one section of the country should be. You can see that some of the issues that were very contentious, at the end of the day, civil society groups and organisations, the Labour union and some other patriotic Nigerians engaged in bipartisan consultations that led to some of those issues being resolved.

Let me give you an example with three issues.

First is the withdrawal of fuel subsidy. The positions were very high. There were some people that insisted that the only way Nigeria can make progress is if fuel subsidy is removed.

Some of us insisted that the removal of fuel subsidy will bring untold hardship on the Nigerian people. At the end of the day, it was a bipartisan position proposed by civil society groups and organisations as well as labour and other patriotic Nigerians that carried the day.

We now said that the government should go and fix the refineries and get them to work, improve the general condition of living of the Nigerian people after which you can gradually remove subsidy over a period of three years.

That was the bipartisan position everybody agreed on.

The second bipartisan position relate to the constant clashes between farmers and Fulani herdsmen and at the end of the day, we arrived at a bipartisan position saying that a time has come when we must establish grazing reserves especially in states that agreed to it and that over a period of five to ten years, the government of those states and the federal government must establish such reserves in other for us to reduce escalating incidences of people being displaced; people being killed on account of these problems and some of these challenges. The third bipartisan position was the establishment of what we called an equal opportunities commission which we have made a part of the federal character commission so that persons who are disabled, women and other people with challenges can also have an opportunity within the federation rather than reduce the issue of federal character to geography. These are some of the issues that have seen the light of the day at the conference using bipartisan positions. There are other issues that are still outstanding, one of which is whether we should transfer the land use act or expunge it from the constitution. There has not been any resolution regarding that. You also know that we are going to deliberate on issues of state police, whether Nigeria should be made up of three zones, state police among others. I am convinced that with the spirit of bipartisan position at the National Conference, we are going to resolve all these issues in a manner that will be in the best interest of the

Festus Okoye, a former National Pubicity Secretary of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), has said only the people of Nigerian should be allowed to determine the fate of the report of the ongoing national conference. He spoke with Tony Akowe.

•Okoye

Nigerian people ad in a manner that will lead to the development of this country. So, for me, I am positive that very positive resolutions will come out of the National Conference and at the end of the day, key stakeholders in the Nigerian project will look at some of the policy issues and implement them, look at some of the administrative issues and implement them and also look at the issues that will require legal and constitutional amendment and attend to them as such so that Nigeria will be the better for it.

From all that you have said, one is tempted to say that it has been hitch free all the way at the conference and that there have been no challenges.

We have been a lot of challenges. One of the key challenges we have is the crisis of imagination.

When a country stop thinking, when a country stop taking risk; when a country does not think ahead and does not plan ahead, that country is likely to stagnate and make a lot of mistakes. Other countries are already planning how to deal with pensionable citizens in the next 20 years. Some countries are already looking at the statistics to know how many people will be unemployed in their country in the next 20 years and are putting in mechanism on how to address them. But in Nigeria, we wait for things to take us by surprise before we start putting in place measures and mechanism to address them. I believe that this National Conference is going to put down the template for a greater Nigeria; a Nigeria of the future and will also look at some of those challenges and crisis that has stunted our growth and deal with them. I hope and pray that we should have the political will, the administrative will and

the constitutional will to implement some of those recommendations that will come out of the National conference. But one thing I would want to advise is that the Nigerian people must moderate their expectations relating to what is going to come out from the National Conference. The National Conference will not fix Nigeria in one day, but will lay down a template on how to resolve some of the challenges facing the country. So, it does not mean that the moment we conclude the National Conference, all Nigeria’s problems and challenges will disappear. That will not happen and so, I think we should moderate our expectations because some of the recommendations will be futuristic, while some of them will demand immediate implementations and I hope and pray that the political class in this country will have the will and courage to implement some of the recommendations that will come out of the conference.

Do you think the outcome of the conference will take the country to the promises land?

My own take is that the time available for the conference to do its work is too short. It would have been much better to divide members of the conference into the six geo-political zones for them to go to each state of the federation and feel the pulse of the people and get complete feedback from the people so that they will buy into whatever recommendation that comes out of the conference.

Secondly, the time available for us to do our committee work was also too short. For instance, I was a member of the committee on Political Parties and Electoral Matters. It would have been better, since we made recommendations on state

Independent Electoral Commissions, all the chairmen of the state Independent Electoral Commissions should have appeared before us and justify why the commissions should continue to exist. Local governments are having very serious challenges. I would have preferred a situation where those local government chairpersons appear before us and answer some questions relating to the operation of local government. I would have preferred a situation where we invite the leadership of the various political parties to appear before us and tell us why they think internal party democracy is not working. I would have preferred a situation where the leadership of the police force will come before us the type of challenges they are facing policing election. But because of the time frame available to us, we could not do all that and had to rely on previous reports as well as the imagination of people and the experiences of others in other to arrive at our decision. Now, it would have been better for us to have all these shades of opinion for us to do a good job.

But given the time available to us and the conference as well as the reports that has been presented, I think that the committee have done a good job and that if the conference considers those reports in the interest of the Nigerian people, it is possible that implementation of those report will be to the glory of the Nigerian people.

Some people hold the view that the outcome of the National conference will undermine the duties of the National Assembly. What is your take on this?

If you look at the Nigerian constitution, the National Assembly comes first even before the Executive and the Judiciary. If you look at part two of the constitution, the power of the Executive, the power of the Legislature and the power of the Judiciary are grouped as the powers of the federal republic of Nigeria. It is not in the interest of anybody, not in the interest of the delegates, not in the interest of the Executive and not in the interest of key stakeholders in the Nigerian project for anybody to ridicule the law making powers of the National Assembly.

We are not in competition with the National Assembly and can never be in competition. I respect both arms of the National Assembly because it is the National Assembly that is supposed to be the tribune of the people. But the truth of the matter is that there are certain policy issues, certain administrative issues, certain issues of perception and politics that has been bugging the Nigerian people and I think that it is when you get people of a rainbow coalition from different background that you can talk sincerely and honestly about those things and try to break down barriers of suspicion and I think that is one of the things that the conference is doing.

Nigeria as a country has always set up committees and hold conferences and reports of such committees and conferences has never been implemented. How sure are we that the report of this conference will be implemented and not abandoned like others?

There are people who have canvassed a position that the moment we conclude our work, the report should be subjected to a referendum and I have said no. I have canvassed a position that the faith of the report of the National Conference will depend on the outcome of the conference. I was a member of the Electoral Reforms Committee. When we submitted our report, it was like the report was thrown out.

But today, there is nothing that the National Assembly has done in relation to electoral reform that they have not referred to our report.

All the amendments that have been made arose from our report. Prof. Attahiru Jega who was a member of the Electoral Reforms Committee appeared before us and said that since he assumed office, all his actions are based on the report of the Electoral Committee. What that means is that the Nigerian people saw merit in our report and bought the report as their own.

That is why, the more the government runs away from the report, the more it follows them.

So, everybody is quoting the report. If we do a good job, the Nigerian people will determine the faith of that report and decide whether the report will be implemented or not implemented.

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POLITICS

•Okowa

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ESS than a year to completing his two terms as Delta State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has yet to give the slightest clue on his likely successor.

At several political gatherings involving his party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uduaghan has tactically refrained from giving anything away either in his utterances or body language on his 2015 succession plan.

As a source at the Asaba Government House puts it, “Even the governor’s closest aides are in the dark on which among the governorship aspirants he is backing to succeed him come next year.”

As at the last count, over 10 aspirants drawn from the three senatorial districts of the State are currently strategising, consulting, mobilising, aligning and realigning to gain advantage at the polls.

These aspirants, it was gathered, are also deploying their pedigree-educational, economic and network of contacts-into the race.

The aspirants include the Senator representing Delta North in the National Assembly, Dr. Ifeanyi Okonwa; a member of the House of Representatives representing Oshimili and Aniocha federal constituency, Ndidi Elumelu; former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe; Presidential Adviser on Monitoring, Prof.

Sylvester Monye; a former deputy governor of the State, Ben Elum; two former Speakers of the House of Assembly, Victor Ochei and Sam Obi respectively; Chief of Staff to Uduaghan, Festus Okunbor; a retired Police chief, Godswill Obielum.

Other names being touted as having interest in vying for the exalted seat include Senator James Manager, who currently represents Delta South.

In the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), former governorship candidate, Chief Great Ogboru, is allegedly revving up his political machinery to give the race another shot, while wealthy businessman, Olorogun Otega Emerhor, who contested the Delta Central sena-

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

• Olejeme

•Orubebe

New twists in Delta 2015 governorship race With the 2015 governorship election just eight months away, anxiety on who succeeds Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has reached a crescendo, as leading aspirants in the race intensify a fierce but subtle underground campaign, reports Remi Adelowo torial bye election last year on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is the party’s only visible governorship aspirant so far.

The big question is: Is Governor Uduaghan looking in the direction of any of these aspirants as his would-be successor?

The zoning controversy Since the creation of the state, Delta North has not produced the governor, while Delta Central and South have had turns through Olorogun Felix Ibru, Chief James Ibori and Uduaghan. The strident agitation for power shift to Delta North perhaps explains the high number of governorship aspirants from the area than Delta South, where the incumbent governor hails from and Delta Central senatorial district.

However, a closer look at the pedigree of the leading aspirants from Delta North shows that three of the governorship aspirants; Okonwa, Elumelu and Okunbor stand out.

How the aspirants rate Considered the frontrunner among the governorship aspirants from Delta North is Senator Okowa, a medical doctor by profession.

Okowa, former local government council chairman and a renowned grassroots mobiliser, Okonwa’s political pedigree has placed him in a vantage position to give the other aspirants a run for their money.

A former Commissioner for Health under the James Ibori administration, Okonwa also serves as Secretary to the State Government during the first term of Uduaghan from 2007 to 2011.

Okonwa’s profile was boosted recently following the passage into law the National Health Bill, which he solely sponsored.

Another notable aspirant is Elumelu, a second term member

of the National Assembly.

In the last few months, Elemelu has embarked on intensive consultations with key stakeholders across the State in his bid to enlist the support of the powers that be for his aspiration.

During his first term, Elumelu was the chairman of the House Committee on Power that exposed the fraud in the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP).

The federal lawmaker had earlier being rumoured to be interested in contesting for the Delta North senatorial seat in 2015, but he quickly dispelled the report, even as has not formally declared his governorship ambition.

From the Kwale area in Delta North is Godswill Obielum, a former Assistant Commissioner of Police.

In the run up to the 2007 general elections, Obielum made quite an impact in the PDP governorship primaries which was won by Uduaghan.

It is, however, not known whether he still pulls much political weight in the current dispensation.

Monye, a financial guru is a technocrat and currently the Presidential Adviser on Project Monitoring and Evaluation.

Speculations are rife that some leading private sector players who hail from Delta North are propping up Monye to contest the governorship.

The argument by this pressure group, according to sources, is that what Delta needs to move to the next level is a technocrat who can deploy his expertise to address the myriad of challenges confronting the State.

Also in contention in the race is Festus Okunbor, the Chief of Staff to Governor Uduaghan.

Having previously served as a commissioner under Ibori, Okunbor, no doubt, is well grounded in the politics of the State, but not a few PDP members in Delta State have argued that it would take more than experience in politics and perceived closeness to the governor to win the 2015 governorship election.

The only female aspirant from the zone is Mrs. Ngozi Olejeme, a member of the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Program (SURE-P).

Alleged to be the preferred choice of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan as Uduaghan’s successor, Olejeme, who is also the Chairperson of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has, in the last couple of months, been garnering the support of stakeholders from the three senatorial zones in the State in the pursuit of her ambition.

Can Delta South retain seat?

The entry of former minister, Godsday Orubebe, in the governorship race has thrown up controversies on whether the much talked about zoning policy in the State is real after all.

Since he resigned from the cabinet a few months ago, Orubebe, an Ijaw from Delta South like the incumbent governor, who however hails from the Itsekiri stock, has doggedly pursued his aspiration unfettered.

Currently on a statewide tour to confer with key opinion leaders in the State, sources however revealed that Orubebe may be using the governorship contest as a bargaining chip for another elective office.

Though those close to him have denied this claim, but Orubebe may also have to con-

tend with other obstacles, major of which is the opposition of his kinsman and leader of the Ijaw nation, Chief Edwin Clark, who has openly canvassed for Delta North to produce the next governor of the State.

Also expected to join the race from Delta South is Senator James Manager, the Chairman, Senate Committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The Senator’s alleged interest in the governorship is coming against the backdrop of pressure on the governor to contest for Delta South senatorial seat currently occupied

by Manager in 2015.

The governor, according to sources, is being prevailed upon to contest the seat, which has never been occupied by an Itsekiri.

Mrs. Stella Omu from the Isoko area represented the zone from 1999 to 2003 and was replaced by Manager, an Ijaw, who is currently serving his third term.

Politics of zoning in Delta North Can Delta North speak with one voice in choosing an acceptable candidate among the deluge of aspirants from the zone?

The Nation gathered that rivalry between the Anioma area and the Kwale may, if not handled with tact, scuttle the governorship aspiration of the zone.

Unconfirmed speculations have it that top political stakeholders from the South and Central zones would only agree to a power shift to Delta North only if the candidate comes from the Kwale area comprising three local governments, Ndokwa East, Ndokwa West and Ndokwa North.

The external factors External forces, according to sources, will play a major role in who wins the 2015 governorship election in Delta State.

Many of the PDP governorship aspirants, it was gathered, are hoping to get the Presidency’s endorsement to further brighten their chances at the party’s primary and the general election.

Who will the lucky aspirant be? The answer to this poser will be provided before the year end.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

POLITICS

‘Fayemi, a future national leader’

Germany-based journalist Femi Awoniyi is one of the members of the Ekiti Diaspora Europe group currently in the country to campaign for the re-election of Governor Kayode Fayemi. In an exclusive interview with Sulaiman Salawudeen, the publisher of bimonthly magazine, The African Courier, talks about the role of the Ekiti diaspora in the state’s coming governorship polls and its experience on the campaign trail.

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HAT is the support base for Fayemi in the Ekiti diaspora like?

Huge, really huge. Our support for Fayemi is as enthusiastic as anything you will ever get. And not only among the Ekitis alone but also in the other sections of the Nigerian diaspora community. They are impressed by the Ekiti model of development and they see in Fayemi a national leader of the near future.

How important does the diaspora take the coming election?

The Ekiti diaspora has never been as engaged in an election in Ekiti as this one because we believe that the state has finally seen the light and should not go back into darkness again. We also believe that the 8-point agenda of Governor Fayemi needs to be consolidated to maximise its benefits for Ekiti people.

How? Could you please explain?

Take the Youth-Commercial Agricultural Development Programme. If that programme is diligently pursued for four more years, we would have created in Ekiti a new generation of young educated commercial farmers. We would have then broken the jinx of educated young people not taking interest in agriculture which has been the major hindrance to the development of modern agriculture in the country. Ekiti has already become the largest producer of cassava in the country as a result of that scheme. I believe we can replicate that success in cocoa, oil palm, rice and so on. And processing industries will start setting shop here. In fact, they are already doing so.

Another example is the Ekiti Digital Vision under which laptops were given out to students and teachers in the state and fibre optic cable for broadband access has been laid in Ado. I believe that in the next four years, we would have started seeing the fruits of a digitally native youth who will be taking their skills to the international market without having to leave the country.

I subscribe to the governor’s vision that Ekiti can become the Bangalore of Africa. We must not underestimate how powerful an economic factor the IT sector is.

India earns 65 billion US dollars annually from IT services export.

According to a recent study by Ford Foundation, the size of the online work in Africa will already exceed 5 billion dollars this year. Ekiti youths can key into the sector which has a high growth potential.

I believe Ekiti is on the right path to developing a strong basis for selfsustaining economic development.

We have to stay on that path.

In what forms are Ekitis abroad showing their interest?

They are discussing the election at the home town association meetings and at social gatherings; by staying tuned to various news sites and discussion forums, and via social media campaigns and so

•Fayemi on. Our group, the Ekiti Diaspora Europe 2014, is appealing to Ekitis abroad to call our people at home to encourage them to vote on 21 June and do so for Fayemi because he is the best candidate for the state.

Why so much interest this time around?

Remember that for more than seven years before Fayemi became governor, Ekiti knew no peace and no meaningful development took place there because of political instability and widespread corruption. In fact, because of the insecurity that pervaded the state then, many of us stopped visiting home. And Fayemi turned the state around in less than four years. We now have peace and many things have changed for the better. We’re inspired by what he has achieved given the meagre resources available to the state.

Besides the Fayemi factor, the increasing concerns over the direction in which Nigeria is going is another reason why Ekitis abroad are taking interest in the coming election. There is a growing realisation among the diaspora that they have a responsibility to do something for their country. There is now therefore an increasing determination [in the diaspora] to be part of the political process at home.

How did the diaspora interest in Fayemi happen?

The enthusiasm has been as a result of the great work he has been doing in Ekiti. Of course his pedigree as an internationally renowned activist for democracy and development also plays a role.

I think at last Ekitis around the world feel a pride in the state’s leadership. After a long time we have

somebody we can say: Yes, we are with him and he is with us. You don’t have to hang your head in shame like in the past.

How has it been on the campaign trail so far?

Exciting and revealing. Some youths are being misled with cash handouts by some politicians. This should be expected because of their economic vulnerability . However, the majority of Ekiti people are very conscious of the impact the achievements of the Fayemi administration have made in their lives. Most are acutely aware of what was before Fayemi came into office and what presently obtains. And people still vividly remember what the situation of the state was under his main opponent. So they can compare the two of them based on their performance in office. Our experience shows that the majority of Ekiti people are clear about what they want for the state and nobody can deceive them. That gives me confidence that they will vote right on June 21.

What do you tell people when canvassing for Fayemi?

We point out the amazing transformation in the state under this administration and the antecedents of Fayemi’s main opponent. We remind them of the gloomy situation of the state before Fayemi came to office. We explain where the various programmes and projects being undertaken by the government could take the state in another four years. We tell them to choose a hopeful future and reject the gloomy past. We tell our people to vote for Ekiti because a vote for Fayemi is a vote for the future of the state.

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Ekiti: Ball in Jonathan’s court

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HE Southwest is unarguably the most discerning, sophisticated and politically sensitive part of the country. It has always been. The history of the struggles that truncated the First to Third Republics would bear eloquent testimony to the roles played by the Yoruba in leading the uprising against injustice.

In the First Republic, the Northern Peoples Congress leaders had decimated the Northern minorities’ parties and strongholds in local polls. The party therefore got emboldened to touch the tiger by the tail. It engineered a split in the Action Group by pitching the deputy leader against the leader and sought to profit from the ensuing crisis that engulfed the Western Region.

It was obvious that the Yoruba had rejected Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola’s political scheme and psrty. But, using the federal might, the ruling party imposed Akintola on the people. The result was an explosion louder than a combination of Biafra’s ogbunigwe and Boko Haram’s bombs. About fifty years after, Nigeria is yet to recover from the consequences of the crude, desperate tactics adopted by the NPC then.

After thirteen years of military rule, there was another opportunity for the civilians to make something of the lessons learnt from the giddy events of 1962 to 1966. Under the watch of the military, 1979 went well (at least fairly so).

If there was manipulation of the system, it was not brazen.

So, all Nigerians could live with that. The West sulked throughout the tenure of Alhaji Shehu Shagari. The people thought they had a better candidate in Chief Obafemi Awolowo, but democracy is no plutocracy. It was not about the best, but the most acceptable ca candidate. It was obvious that Awo was not the choice of the Eastern an Northern states. Even the middle belt that partnered with him earlier had parted ways. JS Tarka had sucked up to the Northern political establishment, a Waziri Ibrahim had emerged in the North East to galvanise the progressive angle of the North into what the people thought was an opposition to the NPN establishment. Aminu Kano held his own in Kano an needed an alliance with the progressives in the South to take Kaduna.

The progressives all over the country were prepared to leave the battle till another day. They learnt to live through the incompetent handling of national affairs during the Shagari reign. But, by 1983, when the ruling party resorted to desperate tactics to forcibly return the NPN to office, the West raged. The people rose as one, condemned the robbery and chose to keep the federal government dancing like ojuoro (the plant on the river) that is kept ever busy by the waves. The second experiment lasted only three short months.

In the Third Republic, it was a direct affront against the West as MKO Abiola was denied the popular mandate handed him by Nigerians of all hues. The people rose and, despite being a full blown military dictator, Abacha could not sit easy after Babangida had been disgraced out.

The Nigerian political elite and ruling political party have another chance with the approaching Ekiti and Osun elections. We do not need soothsayers to know that whatever becomes of the Ekiti governorship election next week would determine what happens thereafter. The Ekiti are not just sophisticated, but resilient. They would resist injustice with everything. In 2007, they fought for more than 40 months to reclaim a freely won mandate with the courts as the war theatre. This may be a little different as there is a government in power. The theatre may move from the courts.

The dynamics have moved overwhelmingly in one direction and whoever attempts to steal the votes would be given the same treatment as thieves. The defection of Chief Segun Oni to the ruling APC seems to have further sealed it for the incumbent r. Kayode Fayemi. The Oni party has fully mobilise the critical Io Osi for the APC. The West is waiting. The West is watching. The West is prowling. The ball is in the President’s court. If he walhs the talk of allowing emocracy thrive, it shall be well with all.

However, if he chooses to travel the way of his predecessors, he will be pushing Nigeria over the precipice. He would then go own in history as the last President of a united Nigeria.

The events of last Sunday portend no good. It suggests a possible resort to the NPC-NPN-military tactics that burnt the earlier Republics. Ekiti was peaceful until Ayo Fayose was procured to do the battle. Others who had shown interest in running on the PDP platform were shoved aside as they were considered too decent for the task, just as was the case in Osun where Iyiola Omisore was pushed up as candidate against Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

Let it be noted that the West fights sophisticatedly and would brook no injustice. Ekiti is a test case. Let those who have ears hear.

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POLITICS

HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), still smarting from a shocking defeat at the 2011 governorship race in Nasarawa State, is determined to wrestle power from the incumbent, Umaru Al-Makura come 2015.

The game plan codenamed “Operation back to power in 2015” has become popular among leading chieftains of the party. It is anchored on the exigency of the party to assume the governorship seat again at the next election with members promised juicy offers at the federal and state levels.

Investigations by our correspondent revealed that the game plan has been adopted as the blueprint of the party’s electioneering campaign ahead of 2015 with huge resources allocated to making it a huge success.

The ‘power’ of the unseen pact The mainstay of the strategy, according to reliable sources, is the alleged pact Governor AlMakura reportedly signed in the run-off to the 2011 race that he would only run for a term. For several months now, that pact has become the strongest weapon of the PDP in staving off efforts by the governor to seek reelection.

Party sources said Al-Makura entered into the pact in 2011 to curry the favour of Nasarawa North Senatorial District comprising Akwanga, Eggon and Wamba local governments. They said the governor needed the district’s support to dislodge former occupant of the seat, Aliyu Doma, who slumped to a famous defeat to the incumbent.

The Governor, they alleged, had an understanding with the district as candidate of defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) that he would only run for a term to repay the district’s support in 2015. But his camp has repeatedly denied such an understanding or pact existed.

Al-Makura, they said, came to power on the groundswell of supports from across the state and did not need a particular district to assume the governorship.

This line of thought has become popular across the state, especially in the PDP. The Eggon ethnic nation has been most vociferous in this agitation, insisting the governor lacks the moral strength to seek reelection based on this unseen pact. For key strategists in the PDP, it is a masterstroke that will keep the governor on the defensive and attract the sympathy of the politically inclined in the state.

The zoning dimension The major explanation for the governor’s alleged unseen pact is the need for zoning or rotation of power. Since it was created on 1 October, 1996 by the General Sani Abacha’s junta from neighbouring Plateau State, nobody from Nasarawa North has governed the state. The first governor, Abdullahi Adamu, ruled for eight years, filling the quota of Nasarawa West district.

Doma, according to the zoning agitators, served for four years while Al-Makura will complete the eight-year slot for Nasarawa South. By conceding power in 2015, Al-Makura will allow the governorship slot to go to the North and help promote the zoning arrangement in place, they explain. While it sounds altruistic and fair, the arrangement, according to political analysts, is only a PDP affair that is not binding on other

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

Nasarawa 2015: PDP’s plot to dislodge Al-Makura

Nasarawa State governor, Umaru Al-Makura, has many battles to fight ahead of his reelection bid in 2015, mainly from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has devised well-thought out strategies to outsmart him, reports Sunday Oguntola.

•Almakura stakeholders. They request for documents backing up the alleged arrangement as well as signatories supporting it.

As far as the governor’s camp and supporters are concerned, he is not bound by such an arrangement that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is not privy to. But the zoning argument resonates with many in the Nasarawa North, who feel marginalised and edged out of the governorship slot. This sentiment is spreading like wild fire in the district, winning many advocates and agitators.

To secure sympathy among voters, the PDP has reportedly zoned its governorship slot to Nasarawa North senatorial district.

The move, the party’s chieftains believe will strike a chord among people and portray it as standing for fairness and equity. The deputy governorship, according to PDP sources, is zoned to the Nasarawa West district while the speakership is expected to emerge from the southern zone.

Checks revealed that the zoning arrangement was championed by leading Eggon politicians to shore up their governorship bids and blackmail Al-Makura out of the race. Information Minister, Labaran Maku, Senator Solomon Ewuga, who decamped to the PDP recently and the deputy governor, Dameshi Luka Barau, reportedly bought the issue to the limelight.

Ewuga, speaking on the governor’s unannounced reelection bid, recently said: “Governor AlMakura told me that he wants to continue in office beyond 2015, and I said to him, ‘look, Your Excellency, I have no problem with you coming back in 2015 but you need to tell me how to approach the people whom you told openly that you would only run for a single term. It is not me. So, if the

•Doma blame is on me and it is on 2015, it is those who are looking for it that are causing it, not me.”

Playing religious card Since its creation, Nasarawa has never been governed by a Christian, a development that is becoming politicised by some of the aspirants. Many of them are clamouring for a Christian governor to give the Christian community a sense of belonging and in the spirit of fairness.

Professor Onje Gye-Wado, who was deputy to Adamu, openly canvassed for the emergence of a Christian governor.

He said it was unfair that the state has never had a Christian at the helm of affairs, a situation he said makes the Christian community wonder if they are not qualified to lead. Reports indicated that many aspirants have approached churches and their leaders in the state to drum up support for the emergence of a Christian as governor in 2015.

If the card works well, it will suit the PDP since the Nasarawa North, where the Eggons are predominantly located, is mainly Christian. With its governorship slot already zoned to the district, the religious card will work to perfect harmony of the PDP’s dream of having someone from the district as governor to succeed AlMakura.

The party has also embarked on widespread reconciliation moves to heal the wounds of 2011 and return defectors to its fold. Governor AlMakura started his governorship race from the PDP before he lost the ticket to Doma. He left for the CPC where he emerged victorious.

He is a Muslim and considered part of the state’s tradition. Sources close to him said he is working to diffuse the religious sentiment across the state by holding strategic inter-

faith meetings aimed at building consensus.

Prominent among those who have joined the PDP lately include Senator Solomon Ewuga, Damishi Luka and Professor Onje GyeWado, among others.

The spate of massive violence across the state has also become a selling point for the PDP, which accused the governor of incompetence in tackling the serious insecurity challenge. The proscribed Ombatse group unleashed violence in the state, killing over 70 security operatives in Alakyo village in Lafia East development area of Lafia local government.

There have also been communal clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in Nasarawa South as well as the recent incidents among Odobu, Obi and Assakio communities. The APC has however accused Eggon politicians of inciting the clashes to wrestle power violently, a charge they all denied.

The party is also banking on the support of the Assembly in unsettling the governor. It retains majority of the membership and made a good impression at the last council polls in March though the ruling APC won more seats.

Al-Makura fights back The governor is however a dogged fighter. He has survived several impeachment plots and remained grounded despite the massive oppositions against his administration. His political sagacity has enabled him to survive among hawks and retained his sanity despite the many killings in the state.

But like most of his colleagues in the APC, his masterstroke is obviously sterling performance and delivery of democratic dividends. Even his cruelest critics

acknowledge that he has revolutionised governance through infrastructural development. Major roads in Lafia, the state capital, have been constructed, helping to shake-off the rustic atmosphere of the city.

His administration has also impressed in the area of construction of schools, healthcare delivery and economic empowerment. Many cottage industries have become operational across the state, which has witnessed even distribution of government presence. Though he is yet to declare his intention to seek reelection, his aides said it is only a matter of time. It is believed that his fighting spirit, sharp political navigation and exemplary performances will stand him in good stead should he present himself for reelection. He has the power of incumbency on his side as well as large financial war chest.

Other contenders Senator Solomon Ewuga: In 2011, he has to align with Governor Al-Makura to win the senatorial election in the north district. He is the leading candidate for the district. Most people from the zone love to imagine him becoming their governor.

He served as deputy to former Governor Adamu in 1999 after he was believed to have won the PDP primary election in a compromise arrangement.

However until 2011, he never won any election. The lawyer is fiercely popular and recently defected to the PDP. Should he contest, he can count on the votes of his district but that certainly cannot take him to the governorship post.

Labaran Maku: The Minister of Information has the PDP structure in his pocket. He is believed to have nominated the current state chairman and enjoys support from the presidency. Also a deputy governor, Maku has to stave off the ambition of Ewuga to really win nomination from the district. Many believe that the PDP might not make any Eggon politician its governorship aspirant so as not to alienate several victims of the Ombatse cult group.

John Danboyi A gentle politician, Danboyi was in the Senate in 2003. He has been a loyal PDP member since formation and is a strong contender from Mada ethnic nation in the northern senatorial district. His biggest challenge will be how to handle the ambition of Maku and Ewuga, who are from his senatorial zone.

Dameshi B. Luka The current deputy governor is as daring as endearing. He caused a stir recently when he hoisted the PDP flag in his office despite serving in the government of APC. He was considered a big catch to the PDP when he defected from the APC recently. Many believe he is the anointed candidate of the presidency because it is believed he can give Al-Makura a good fight being an insider.

He is also from the northern district where the party has zoned its governorship slot to.

But can he dislodge his boss, who has tolerated his treachery with calmness?

Whichever one considers it, analysts say Al-Makura has to fight many battles within and without to win reelection come 2015.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

POLITICS

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We pay parents to keep Katsina girls in school —Shema •Shema

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ANY have argued that your state is an investment destination. Can you confidently attest to this?

Without doubt Katsina State has grown in leaps and bounds since I came in as governor. We are very focused on the need to open our doors wide. There is no serious economy in the world that can hope to grow and prosper at the pace which we hope to grow and prosper without partnering with the private sector. That is why Katsina offers tremendous opportunity in the field of agriculture, soil mineral development, livestock development and other critical areas of infrastructure, education and health.

Tell us the kind of strides you have made in the agriculture sector which engages about 75% of the population of the state.

Absolutely, agriculture engages about 75% of our population. Because of the importance of the sector to our economy, you can’t depend on rain-fed agriculture. We are establishing some kind of synergy between rain-fed agriculture and irrigation. Consequently, you can grow crops from the first day of January to December; when it’s chilly winter in Europe, you can come to Katsina and grow practically anything under the sun. We have five major dams. It is yielding result as we have moved from about 1, 000 cultivation per hectare to more than 13, 000 hectares in the last five years. On top of that, we invested hugely in terms of training, extension services, chemicals, seeds and fertilizer. Of course we established the Shongai farming initiative which is a partnership with some farmers in Porto —Novo in Benin Republic.

This initiative is aimed at creating young farmers who not only engage in agriculture produce but also in the utilization of the produce to provide employment for teeming youths in Katsina State and to indeed unbundle the chain of the activities in the agricultural sub-sector and livestock development. Attached to that closely is the issue of how we can drive production and the agro allied section. We also create market opportunity, market potential for farmers so that at the end of each farming season we buy off their produce. We buy the produce at competitive prices so that the farmer would not lose on the investment he has made that year. We now sell the produce to our consumers at subsidized prices. In that pattern you can see that the farmer does not lose and the consumer equally has access to controlled prices.

Besides that, Katsina is the largest reserve for cotton in Nigeria. It is called the Cotton Profession Center of Nigeria. The quality of cotton we produce in Katsina provides raw materials for the textile industry and exportation of cotton related materials. Side by side with that is the way we move in the direction of livestock development. So, in a nutshell, agriculture remains one of the key fundamental areas for job creation in Nigeria, not only in Katsina State.

Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema of Katsina State has explained how his government was able to increase the girl child school enrollment figures in recent years. Shema, who says he is not only deeply concerned about the insurgency in some parts of the North but also touched by the plight of the abducted Chibok girls, wants government to take proactive steps in tackling the development. In this interview with Adetutu Audu, he revealed how his administration has been using agriculture to drive the economy of the state.

The produce from the farmers are in large quantities. What are you doing in the areas of storage and preservation?

Preservation is critical in dairy and dairy products because without preservation the entire agricultural process would be in trouble. We have to teach farmers how to preserve their produce and large crop growers and developers how to process and preserve milk. That is what the Shongai initiative is all about. And we are trying to get into partnership with a foreign firm to re-energize what we used to have in Ronki grazing field where we have a diary facility to see how we can make it an effective facility for use by our cattle rearers because the market for diary products in Nigeria is quite large. All our cattle rearers need to do is to be assisted and to be redirected and be guided on how best to manage their cattle and how to engage with other entrepreneurs who have the skill and capacity to grow this critical sector of the economy in our state and our nation.

One thing I found out is the cost of transportation of the cattle from up North to the South which is a big challenge. Are you doing anything about it?

Transportation of agriculture produce poses a challenge like any other product in Nigeria because our means of transportation remains the roads and the cost of petroleum products keeps going up. But with the ongoing development of the railway by the Federal Government to move goods in large quantities, in the next couple of years when the railway system is very well established, the cost of transportation of goods will simply come down. But in Katsina State, what we have tried to do is to have infrastructure on a massive scale so that the farmer can have access to road to bring his produce to the market. As I am talking to you, we done over 52 roads and rural feeder roads spanning over 2000km to enable people move their produce from the hinterland to the mainland or to the central market. And we are reaching out to some Chinese companies to see how we can establish a local rail in Katsina State.

Another issue is beef. How is it preserved?

We have centres in Katsina since 2007 where we have facilities for meat processing and freezing for meat and dairy products and we have a large grain center. In addition, we have established a committee headed by a former President of Court of Appeal to look into the possibility of bringing back the marketing board in

Katsina, like we had in the days of old so that the farmers don’t just produce but are assisted to access to market within Katsina or market within Nigeria or market outside Nigeria. Nigeria should come together and address this issue of establishing or reenergizing the market structure for farmers and their produce and how we can process and even export. Nigeria is a beautiful country; our land is cultivatable from the first day of January to the last day of December. There is no excuse Nigeria cannot feed the rest of Africa.

If I am a young graduate and I don’t want to do any white collar job, I want to go into farming, I will think of land and access to credit facilities. How are you dealing with those two issues to encourage people to go into farming?

One of the approaches we are adopting in Katsina is, after the development into full scale the Shongai initiative, we are waiting; because it’s a modern trend and it is a current way to go for development and training young entrepreneurs. Our intention is to get land; we have in abundance of land and most of it is land that you can cultivate. All the young boys and girls we are training under Shongai in the three senatorial locations in Katsina, when they come out, will be given pieces of land to settle on the type of production they have learnt and they want to pursue in terms of agriculture activity.

Speaking about education, i am looking at some figures and wonder how it was done. I see there was this massive enrollment at primary school level of about 1 million in 2005 now close to 1.5 m in 2011. Some other states have the same free education but they don’t have these figures.

What did you do to ensure that this came to be?

Education is number one tool for breaking the cycle of poverty. When I came into office in 2007, I left no one in doubt that my number one priority is education. Without education, no nation can progress; no nation can hope to move to the level of development or success they need to. That is why we unbundled the problems around education and we made sure education is free from primary to secondary and government pays WAEC, NECO, NAPTEC, SSCE fees.

And we felt there is a challenged group, young girls in northern Nigeria have little or no opportunity to go to school and, when they do, poverty remains an issue for the parents. So we came up with a strategy, we set up a special department called the Girl-Child Education and

Development Department, and I appointed a Special Adviser who is doing a great job.

We went out to establish one girl-child school per LGA which of course attracted young girls in the 34 LGAs of the state who are who are doing pretty well. And then we introduced the conditional cash transfer grants.

We are working with donor agencies like UNICEF, USAID and others and this conditional cash transfer grants are meant to assist mothers and the kids to stay in school.

Stipends are given to the mother every term and the same stipends are given to the girl to stay in school.

You call it conditional.

Yes, conditional cash transfer grant.

Why is it conditional?

They have to remain in school to receive this stipend from government and donor agencies and of course the apparent increase in the number of children that go to school in Katsina is not only because of free education but also the additional facilities. We built over 200 new secondary schools, we expanded our primary schools, we hired more teachers, we bought more teaching aids and equipment and we introduced bus services in some of the LG headquarters to convey our students at 10 naira per drop, we improved the salary of our teachers because you know they say you can afford to have a school without a classroom but you can’t afford to have a school without a teacher, we increased the salaries of our workers in tertiary institutions I think twice at the end of my first tenure. You cannot run away from giving quality education to the people. The nation, not only Katsina, needs to put together strategic education development plans for the next 40years in order for us to break our people from the cycle of poverty.

You said you made education your number one priority and you have done this for over six years now. Regarding the insurgency in the North-east and the girls who have been kidnapped, Boko Haram doesn’t want them to go to school. This completely is against what you have been doing and maybe what others have been doing. What do you think?

Job creation is a critical tool to break insurgency. My understanding of the insurgency we are experiencing in Nigeria today is that it came from the fact that Nigeria has about five serious challenges that we must face head long: electricity, unemployment, drug addiction, transnational crimes, and indeed the electoral process which brings about perceived injustice. It is a sad story that a beautiful country like Nigeria with tremendous human and material resources and should be the most dynamic business destination in the world is the one suffering insurgency.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

‘How l’ve lived with disability for 40 years’ W

HAT is the focus of your organi s ation? It is about working with women with disabilities .We create an enabling environment for women with disabilities in the communities where they live. We are in 19 states of the federation, to be precise and we are in over 50 groups. We do it in form of self help groups where we just stay together and we discuss challenges facing us and try to proffer solution.

What are the major challenges that you are faced with?

One major challenge that we have is charity.

Getting into the development world is difficult for now, because of our history and our background as people living with disability, where we are confined to the walls of o u r

Patience Taiye Dickson has been living with disability for about 40 years. Instead of looking at the limitations the graduate of Accounting from Edo State University prefers to be a source of motivation for other woman living with disabilities across the country. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, she talks about the major challenges, what keeps her going and the gains from mentoring.

homes. It is difficult for us to change our mentality, they way we are thinking to the way the world is thinking.

That is one big challenge and another big one is exposure and low self esteem and it also has to do with our history, the way we think in a different direction. To bring about the needed change we have had some training. They are changing their self confidence and they are changing.

W e have over 800 women in this conglomeration.

We started in February 2009 in Abuja, and work in six different categories: the blind, deaf, physically challenged women, women with HIV AIDs, women with leprosy and those with Obstetric Fistula (OF). We set up the groups to h e l p women have

better access, manage and meet the various needs .As the founder who is physically challenged I started by identifying women with disability who are educated within Abuja to create a forum where they can discuss like problems and suggest ways of solving these problems.

The SHG in Zing Taraba State was the first group to emerge in the year 2009.

The vision is to empower women with disabilities to be self-sustaining and become ADVOCATES for others. Our focus is to build the capacity of Women with disabilities with leadership skills and self-confidence to participate in the society We have organized a number of training of trainers in the area of vocational, entrepreneurial, motivational, computer skills.

The focus of this group is to make a change in the society, starting by developing themselves. One way of achieving this is for them to come together in the form of self help groups in the areas where they live. This is a positive step towards self-development.

Majority of the women we have helped to transform their lives are illiterate and have no means of livelihood. They need a change in their mind-set to make them believe that they can actually live like every other person despite their disability What keeps you going?

God keeps me going. Living with disability for so many years has not been easy; I have been living with it for over forty years. I wasn't born with the disability but two years after I was born, I had polio trigger and I was paralysed from the waist. It has not been easy but I thank God for the strength from above and also my family. My family has been very supportive, I am from Edo state. My mum, dad and my immediate family have all stood by me.

When a child with disability is in a family, everyone is affected. It affects the other children; they have to change school and lifestyle to incorporate the child with disability. They had to make a few changes and rescheduled their way of life and my immediate family has been greatly supportive How have you been coping? What keeps you going?

Passion. I have always had this passion and I have been passionate to have acquired education. I studied at the Edo State University, Ekpoma where I studied Accounting. It wasn't easy coming from a poor background with so many children. My father had so many children and I am the only one with

disability.

Education is the key, without education it is almost not easy for a girl child with disability to forge ahead. In my case, I was very fortunate and that has been my passion to help others. I have been using my experience to mentor other women living with disabilities.

Talking about mentorship, what are some the projects that you run?

It is not just magic but things you can see. We do empowerment in form of skills acquisition and empowerment. We teach them how to make Beads, craft, bags, shoe making, sewing and more.

Not only doing that because we have been doing skills for so many years and a number of gains have been recorded. But along the line, we realsied that there are business skills which they also need to know about after the skills. We found out that it is not enough to learn the skill but we also need to know and understand what happens after that. We found out that there are some business skills that are missing and we looked into this and are making the necessary changes. These women interestingly are doing very well in this area.

What are some of the personal achievements that you have gained from all of this?

I have a number of women whose lives I have touched and that for me is a big development. I am happy each time I look back to assess the changes recorded.

We are trying to build the capacity of a new set of women with disabilities and it is a kind of movement for the future.

Creating voices here and there alongside with the bigger voices from other women in different spheres of life.

What do you consider the turning point in your life?

The turning point in my life was when my mentality changed. In the past, I used to think that this and that was not for a girl or woman with disability. Instead of looking for prospects at that point, I always saw the constraints and it was a great limitation. But when I started working with an organisation called Chisto Faith Blind Mission, an international organisation, they made me to realise that disability was not a barrier. That I was actually like every other person and I could even do more than others once I put my mind at it. Then I started to think in a different way.

I have been doing a lot of mentorship, counseling and structuring. I have not traveled far and wide but everywhere I go, I try to leave my foot prints. The award that I am receiving today is the third recognition given to me and this motivates and inspires me to do more.

Let's talk about your relationship and how you met the man in your life?

My husband is a pillar of support and someone who believes strongly in me.

He has been very supportive and words alone cannot describe what he means to me. He has been my father, lover and a great partner. As a man he is a bold man.

This is not the first relationship I had but he decided to stand by me in spite of the odds. For other women out there, the advice is to do whatever you can.

48

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

New WOMAN

PILLOWTALK YETUNDE OLADEINDE molaralife@yahoo.com

Raising a voice for the Nigerian girl With Temilolu Okeowo temilolu@girlsclub.org.ng 07086620576 (sms only)

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APPY Father's Day, wonderful fathers. You are the first men in our lives and you'll always remain very special and precious to us till eternity. I ought to do a father's day special today because of the very crucial role you play in our lives.

However, I have to continue this topic and would serve you a very special meal when I am through with this.

Thanks for understanding.

Childhood and adolescence ought to be the most enjoyable part in everyone's life as it is free from worries, tensions and the distractions that come along with a matured person's life. One could also be right to say the teen age is the most confusing time in the life of any human being and could bring about perpetual mood swings.

Happiness is an emotion triggered by circumstances. It describes that bubbly feeling you get inside when everything is going your way. Yet, it could be transient, unpredictable and undependable because of the unpredictability of life. Even if it seems to be running from you, you must be determined to catch it and tie it to your soul because in it lays the miracle that will turn things round for good and pave way for the best days of your life.

Unknown to many, being happy against all odds brings out the best in you and works wonders. Sadness on the other hand paints life in different shades of gray and makes it a dark abyss, most unenjoyable and very tiresome. As discussed last week, a lot of adolescents (and even you - dad, mum, sister, aunty, uncle, grandma and grandpa) could be much happier if only they dropped the unnecessary and uncomfortable baggage they seem so attached to. Here are a few more examples of such baggage which you may still be carrying about and suggestions on how to leave them behind.

1. Living in the past Most often, we feel a lot of anger towards someone for something they did to us or for their failure to do something for us. It could have made an enormous difference in our life if they had not done or had done that thing for us. There are times we harbour a feeling of sadness and guilt about something we did or didn't do. It's a waste of time and energy. Perhaps you disclosed to a friend some highly personal information which you later regretted telling. Perhaps, even when you vowed to keep your virginity till your wedding night, you broke the vow, slept with a

Etiquette

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ON'T open and read the contents of another person's diary, mail, or any written document unless he or she has granted you permission to do so.

Quote of the week

“Happiness is not determined by what's happening around you, but rather what's happening inside you.

Most people depend on others to gain happiness, but the truth is, it always comes from within.”

For our sisters in captivity

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HARIOTS of heaven, arise, shake the heavens, the earth, the seas and the dry land of Sambisa, release our sisters and disgrace the enemies of Nigeria.

Amen.

Is it thriving or you are just surviving?

I

Students in the school of sadness (II) number of guys and feel very cheap.

Whatever the reason, we are unforgiving and that precisely is the reason that a past event can engross our mind to the exclusion of other thoughts.

This is very unhealthy mentally. Such feelings of guilt and sorrow can only continue to haunt us for as long as we remember or think of it. What is done cannot be undone. It happened in the past and the past cannot be undone.

Learn from your mistakes and move on. Forgive yourself, forgive others.

Free yourself from all the mental and emotional pain. Throw the past in the bin and allow some fresh air into your life.

complaining. If you live your life as a victim, you also believe the lie that you have no power to change it. That's not a way to embrace a meaningful existence. Why must you always feel you are not good enough? Quite frankly, this negative mindset may have set in since your childhood, however, you have the power to change it, otherwise, life will box you in a very tight corner and heap all sorts of horrible baggage on you. Worse still, you may never be able to fight your way out. Change your faulty belief systems and empower yourself to take responsibility for your actions and the corresponding reactions you encounter. Never give your power 2. You hold grudges away to someone else. Don't worry, in a “Anger is an acid that can do more short while, I'll do a special on victim harm to the vessel in which it is stored mentality and give you some tips on how to than to anything on which it is conquer it. poured.” Mark Twain •To be concluded next Holding a grudge has about the same logic as drinking poison and waiting Fathers Dearest, we love you and for the other person to die. You are pray you live long enough to see harming yourself by carrying all of that the “wonderful wonders” we shall negative energy. Let the bitterness go… become! Amen. for your own benefit. Forget about the painful embarrassment your friends caused you when they spread that stinking rumour about you. And please stop moaning over the silly boy who dumped you for another girl you know, or those who criticised you unfairly at some point or the other. They probably are having a great time without giving you a second thought, while you waste your life sending them death rays with your mind. Instead of grudging your sister for being your parents' favourite, why don't you concentrate on your sterling qualities and wallow in it? It would take your mind off them and bring out the very best of you which they probably never knew existed.

Tips on motherhood (For mothers)

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3. You have a victim mentality ET interested in your The victim mentality is a very children's friends, their back destructive mindset which tends to grounds and what they do attract negativity and indeed deprive you of happiness. It is characterised by when they hang out together by a n a t t i t u d e o f b l a m i n g a n d being friendly and accommodating.

FINAL WORD

C

HASTITY does not belong to the past. It saves you a lot of trouble, preserves your beautiful destiny and stands you out from the crowd.

You are better off not engaging in pre-marital sex. Stay chaste!

Miss Temilolu O.Okeowo is the founder of Girls Club of Nigeria, an NGO for girls of secondary school age aimed at influencing a positive change. She published her debut-book for girls - THE BEAUTY OF LIFE - as an undergraduate and has other books and publications. She was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2003 and is a Certified Forensics Examiner.

T was Abosede's second year on campus and she was having a swell time, indeed. Two guys were in a keen competition over who was going to win this heart. To play safe, she maintained something casual and wasn't really keen about something deeper.

The following year, a friend came to see her with an older cousin who desperately wanted a life partner. “He looked very handsome and I wondered why she needed to match make us. Then she told me that he was a shy person and didn't want to waste time beating about the bush.”

“Should I say yes or should I say no?” Question and more questions, but the desire to be a good emotional Samaritan took over. Instead of pitching her emotional tent with love she became sympathetic to this shy guy. She also wanted to please her friend and imagined that the emotional gestures would be replicated by this heart.

“The relationship lasted for about a year and half. Sadly, the two guys who were keen about me then had to move on with their lives and they found better partners.

Faithfully, I put in all my energy, love and attention into the love process and I had great expectations.”

Why not! After all, to whom much is given much should be expected. Unfortunately, she discovered that this shy guy wasn't so shy after all. He had a number of girlfriends who were competing favourably with our dear friend. She also discovered that she was just not a major contender and she had to dwell on emotional crumbs to survive. For her love and dedication, she reaped sorrow, tears and pain. When she just could not bear it anymore, she packed her garbage and left the rotten heart for these set emotional scavengers.

It can be frustrating when you are stuck with a partner who just doesn't "get it" and doesn't show up emotionally in relationships. So, how do you fall into this category? you ask. It can happen when you dream of dating a partner that is not available. Sadly, a lot of women fall into this emotional box because they are afraid of being alone and in the process then end up picking the same kind of men over and over.

Related to this is the fact that if you are afraid of being alone, you're likely to put up with all kinds of behaviour which you aren't comfortable with just for the sake of being in a relationship.

The great news is that the only thing standing in the way of the love you want is you. The emotional ball is in your court and you have absolute power to change that. Once you identify your asset and how far you can go, then you would be in charge. This would definitely change your attitude the next time you are in front of an amazing, single, attractive dude who wants to get close to you.

And when you get close, you need to be sure of sustaining his attention not just for months but for years.

How far you can go would definitely depend on the value you place on yourself. If you are sure of this new asset then you must make him see you as the confident and radiant woman who has nothing getting in the way of her freely and openly giving her love as well as exploring the connection to see where the adventure could lead.

If you put everything in and still can't forge ahead, then you must refocus. The truth of the matter is that you can't keep running a race that takes you round in cycles. Here, you are likely to keep trying the same things over and over again.

If you are not making emotional progress, then it is wiser to think of another way to evolve and reap your maximum benefits. This can be done effectively when you put yourself on the other side of the wall, the stagnant wall that you have been bumping into in the past.

For some, if given the choice, they would prefer to jump past the wall instead of continually running into it, while for others, breaking away from the familiarity and patterns of "hitting the wall” may just be a step in the wrong direction or even be a threat to your entire relationship.

One other reason why we get stuck on the road to an amazing relationship has to do with the fear of being single or alone. Interestingly, there are times when we want to move over to the next phase in a relationship but somehow we just cannot move on. Here, we find emotional walls and obstructions that make our dreams impossible or a whole or even forever. If it is a temporary wall, then you need to think of ways to break free of the patterns that have had you running into your wall.

This way, it would be easy for you to replace those patterns with the things that will attract and bring love to you so you don't have to keep fighting or begging for it when you deserve it to begin with. It would certainly take you to the other side of your wall where there are no obstacles and where love and connection flow freely.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 2014

Nigeria: rich country, poor people Page 58, 59

•Revmatas

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development of the country.

The Supervising Coordinator of the Economy said that Nigeria had excellent relations with Germany and would want it to support growth and development in strategic areas of Nigeria’s economy.

"One of the areas is industrial revolution plan, which we have just launched.

We think that we need to manufacture more things in Nigeria because we have a large market.

"We think that Germany

can be of great assistance to us in sharing knowledge with us on how it has been able to organise itself to have the right skills at the right industries.

"We want to know, if we are going into manufacturing, how we can do that. The second area is that we admire the way that you built your development bank, KFW," she added.

The minister said that in manufacturing, Nigeria would give priority to electronics and cars, especially with the large market in the country.

NAMA: Sustaining the gains of airsafety Page 66

Page 60

FG seeks $200m credit to establish Development Bank

HE Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi OkonjoIweala, has said that the Federal Government is seeking 200 million dollars "soft credit" from the German government for the establishment of a development bank.

Okonjo-Iweala disclosed this when a delegation of the German government visited her in Abuja recently She added that a Development Bank of Nigeria was needed to ensure long-term loans for the

-- Page 53

Our responsibility is to educate the consumer

On the state of the nation's economy, Okonjo-Iweala said that the economy had maintained a stable macroeconomic framework with debt to a GDP ratio of one per cent "with the rebased GDP." The minister, however, stated that the nation was faced with three major challenges of jobs creation, inclusion and high inequality. Earlier, the leader of the German delegation, Mr Gerd Mueller, said that the aim of the visit was for the minister to educate them on current economic developments in Nigeria.

NDIC CEO visits new CBN Governor

T

HE Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has reiterated its commitment to strengthen its collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) towards ensuring safe, sound and stable financial system in the country.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive of NDIC, Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim, who led the senior management of the corporation to pay a courtesy call on the new CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, congratulated him on his well-deserved appointment and expressed confidence in his ability to continue to transform the nation’s financial system.

Alhaji Ibrahim observed that over the years, the two institutions had played complementary roles in banking supervision, particularly in the aftermath of 2008 banking crisis and the emergence of the Bridge Banking which was a novel initiative in Africa.

The NDIC boss pointed out the need for both institutions to continue to work more closely to ensure the vibrancy of the nation’s banking sector. He recalled the various efforts and contributions of the executive committee on banking supervision and other CBN and NDIC joint committees on critical issues affecting the financial sector, saying that the nation's economy had always been better off for the collaborative efforts.

Responding, the new CBN Governor expressed his appreciation for the visit and pointed out that the apex bank had always enjoyed harmonious working relationship with the Corporation.

GE launches distributed power business, targets Nigeria, 3 others

I

• GSK Vice President/General Manager GSK Africa, Mr. Jonathan Girling; Newly Elected Chairman GSK Board of Director, Mr. Edmund C. Onuzo; Outgoing Chairman, Chief Olusegun Osunkeye and Director/General Manager, Mr. Justin Korte at the 43rd Annual General Meeting of GlaxoSmithkline Consumer Nigeria Plc held in Lagos…recently.

Nigeria seeks China's support on influx of substandard imports

T

HE Supervising Minister of National P l a n n i n g , Ambassador Bashir Yuguda, has called on the Chinese authorities to take proactive measures to discourage the production of substandard products which are imported into the country.

The minister, who made this call during a courtesy call to his office by the new Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Gu Xiaojie, also praised Nigeria, China

diplomatic relations, stressing that both nations are enjoying mutually beneficial cultural and economic ties.

The minister noted that Chinese companies and entrepreneurs are actively engaged in different sectors of the economy, especially in the areas of agriculture and infrastructure such as power, railways and road construction, noting that, there is room for greater collaboration, recalling that

both countries recently signed many agreements towards deepening their ties.

On the need to control the influx of substandard goods from China, the minister said: "As I welcome you to the country, I want you to also focus on these areas of interest to both nations, including the need to improve the quality of imports from China.

"On our own part, we have been striving to ensure that Nigerian businessmen

do not go to China to demand for substandard products. We also try to discourage them by ensuring that, as much as possible, such products do not cross our borders. But we want China to also be able to control things from their end because we believe that there should be minimum standard for all countries.

There is no doubt that fake products have potential to hurting both economies," he added.

N a move aimed at bringing online 5,000 megawatts (mw) of new, affordable electricity in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania, GE Power and Water has launched its new Distributed Power business for Africa, building on GE's corporate commitment to help address the continent's need for more reliable, local energy supplies that can promote greater economic development and security in urban and rural areas.

The Distributed Power business focuses on power generation at or near the point of use, on or off the grid.

GE unveiled its new Distributed Power business for Africa and its plans for entry into the diesel space during an event in Lagos, Nigeria, a country where distributed power technologies are becoming increasingly popular for supporting local industrial production, the company said in a statement published on its website.

The announcement comes on the heels of President Obama's announcement of the Power Africa initiative, which seeks to drive growth in Africa by increasing access to reliable, affordable and sustainable power and by helping to ensure responsible, transparent and effective management of energy resources on the continent.

In support of Power Africa, the company says it is committed to working with governments and private partners to help bring about the 5,000mw of electricity.

Lorraine Bolsinger, president/CEO of GE's Distributed Power, says: "In areas of Africa where traditional grid service is poor or does not exist, we are seeing more customers seeking to install distributed power technologies that can help ensure that homes and businesses have more reliable supplies of electricity.

GE's Distributed Power is committed to helping customers throughout Africa use more of their own domestic energy resources, which in turn enhances the economic security of the region for future generations."

GE says it is currently in test with its 2.6-megawatts 616 diesel engine, the first high-speed diesel engine model for power generation that it will introduce as part of a larger initiative to further expand the company's footprint in distributed power applications that use reciprocating engine technology.

The 616, which GE plans to ship later this year, has been designed for higher efficiency, more reliability and technology excellence and is a derivative of Distributed Power's Jenbacher J616 gas engine design and the P616 locomotive diesel engine from GE Transportation. The 616 diesel brings together mediumspeed engine fuel economy with high-speed engine CAPEX, aiming to improve customer total life cycle cost.

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BUSINESS

President Goodluck Jonathan’s position that Nigeria is not poor, has triggered an enduring debate. Joe Agbro Jr. reports.

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RADICATE extreme poverty and hunger' is the first of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to be actualised by the year 2015. For many developing countries which the MDGs specifically target, there is a rush to achieve this. But, with 2015 less than a year away, not many have succeeded. And sadly, only a few will achieve them.

In the case of Nigeria, there has been a tussle to believe the government which constantly says the economy is healthy and the cries of poverty in the land is exaggerated versus other sources, especially international bodies and organisations, which with various data hold that the nation is in economic doldrums and poverty is endemic. That is the economic confusion assailing the most populous black nation.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), a rebasing of the Nigerian economy makes it worth about N80.3 trillion (about $509.9 billion), ranking the country as the 26th largest economy in the world and the largest economy in Africa. In celebratory tones, these figures have been bandied about by some government authorities to tout the country's new-found richness.

But these resources have not trickled down to the general populace, hence close to two-thirds of the Nigerian population wallow in poverty, according to other sources. In April, Jim Yong Kim, the World Bank president, in a report, listed Nigeria as one of the countries with the most poor people in the world. According to the report, seven per cent of the world's poor, defined as those living on less than a dollar (N157), live in the country, third after India and China which has 33 and 13 per cent respectively of the world's poor.

However, President Goodluck Jonathan, at a May Day rally, dismissed the World Bank's diagnosis of Nigeria being poor.

"Nigeria is not a poor country," Jonathan said, preferring to view the dire economic situation as a challenge of what he called 'redistribution of wealth.'

While defending his position with Nigerians' travels, ownerships of private jets, and current seven per cent growth rate, he acquiesced to the poverty label by saying: ""Probably wealth is concentrated in very a few hands and a number of people do not have access to it."

President Jonathan probably captured the real situation.

The Statistician-General of the country, Yemi Kale, however, said World Bank used 2010 NBS data to rate Nigeria among the extreme poor nations, hence the figures were 'not for 2014.'

But early this year, NBS said that 69 per cent or 112.5 million Nigerians lived in 'relative poverty' conditions in 2010. The NBS describes relative poverty as comparisons of living standards of people in a society in a specified period. And Kale had said this poverty rate might increase to 71.5 per cent when the 2011 figure is computed. In 2004, poverty rate was 54.4 per cent.

Using the dollar per day measure, NBS puts the poverty rate at 61.2 per cent, still as at 2010. And Kale also said that income inequality had risen from 0.429 in 2004 to 0.447 in 2010.

Though the country has witnessed growth at the rate of 7.4 per cent annually in the last decade, most of this growth has not reflected on the masses of Nigerians. Despite being adjudged the biggest economy in Africa after the rebasing

of the economy, situations on ground are dire.

How the growth rate does not reduce the poverty rate is confounding.

"It remains a paradox," Kale recently said, "however, despite the fact that the Nigerian economy is growing, the proportion of Nigerians living in poverty is increasing every year."

This has also baffled other watchers of the Nigerian economy.

"In the entire world, there is no country that can compare to Nigeria," said Dr. Austin Nweze, an economist at the Pan African University, Lagos. "Twenty-five per cent of all the natural resources in the world are deposited in Nigeria.

But the challenges we have is with the people managing the affairs of the nation. The nation is rich but the people are poor. And that's what we usually call the Dutch-disease of developing countries.

"Many years ago, Germany was a rich country but the managers of the economy were not managing it very well. And people were very poor. And what happened was that the nation prospered and people became poorer. Nigeria is in that situation right now. I agree (with them) that Nigeria is rich, but is resource-rich which when wellmanaged will turn around the country because the resources are there to develop the country."

The steady decline Largely responsible is corruption and a list of profligacies exist, like the missing funds in the petroleum sector which former Central Bank governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, and some Nigerian authorities clashed over figures involved. Also, the country's political structure places much responsibility on the federal government which controls over 50 per cent of all revenues generated across the length and breadth of the country. Since the return to democratic rule in 1999, Nigeria has also battled with violence of different colourations such as religious, geographic, ethnic, and political. And whether these eruptions take place by the NigerDelta militants, Boko Haram extremists in Northeast, or Fulani herdsmen terrorising local people in the north central, at the bottom of these violent eruptions are poverty and economic disruptions. Any combination of these results in a volatile cocktail which the economy contends with.

Hence, bleak figures have been associated with the economy this year. The latest World Bank statistics, using high rate of unemployment and low per capita income, recently listed Nigeria among the five poorest countries in the world.

Indeed, getting a job is not an easy task in the country.

In April, Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the economy, quoting the NBS, said not less than 5.3 million youths are unemployed and 1.8 million graduates flood the labour market annually.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), unemployment rate stood at 23.9 per cent in 2011 and urban unemployment was pegged at 29.5 per cent in 2013. And the youths seem to be worse off.

"In Nigeria, there is the issue of youth and employment," said Dr. Aisha Mahmood, the Special Assistant on Sustainable Banking, Central Bank of Nigeria, recently.

"Seventy per cent of the 80 million youths in Nigeria are either unemployed or underemployed."

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

Nigeria: rich country, poor people

• Huge turnout of candidates at the last recruitment of the Nigerian Immigration Service showed the dire unemployment situation

No doubt, the 1.2 million jobs which the NBS reported the Nigerian economy created last year is not enough.

While on paper, Nigeria's economy looks buoyant, it is paradoxical that there still exists a high level of poverty. Data from the Federal Office of Statistics (FOS) indicated that poverty incidence reduced between 1985 and 1992. And in 2004, the poverty incidence fell from 70 per cent in 2000 to 54.4 per cent in 2004. If the population increase is taken into account, by that scale, it means more Nigerians are still living in poverty.

In January, Financial Derivatives Company Limited (FDC), a Lagosbased financial organisation, forecast an increase in misery index from 38 per cent in 2013. In the same report, the firm also predicted the nation's currency would fall by about three per cent.

And while some people feel all is bleary, some are optimistic like Charlie Robertson, an economist at Renaissance Capital.

"Electricity reform is working," Robertson said in a report. "Growth of seven per cent a year since 2000 means Nigeria's GDP is on course to be bigger than 2012 Japan by 2050, at over $5 trillion in today's money by 2050."

But Dr. Mahmood said about 120 million Nigerians lacked access to electricity.

Another factor that determines a society's standing is its level of education. And according to the website of A World At School, an initiative of Theirworld, a UK charity founded in 2002 by Sarah Brown, 10.5 million primary school-aged children are out of school while 39 per cent of adults cannot read or write.

But Dr. Nweze says, "to get our

people out of poverty, we need education." But at 46 per cent literacy rate in Nigeria, Dr. Nweze said, "this is not enough to grow any economy."

Though, budgetary provision for education has increased, it is not yet up to the United Nations 26 per cent recommendation.

The Universal Basic Education Act that was passed into law in 2004, which made education free and compulsory for all Nigerians up to junior secondary level, has also faced challenges as the number of schools, facilities and teachers available for basic education remain inadequate for the eligible number of schoolaged children. Also, the goal of attaining education for all in 2015 has been put to bunkum by a recent UNICEF report. Hence, according to UNICEF, 'prospects of Nigeria achieving Education For All by 2015 remain frail.'

BUSINESS

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

h

e •President Jonathan

•Iweala

•Nweze

unemployment situation in the country

Also, the economist blamed the political system as partly responsible for the poverty in the country.

"It (Nigeria's political system) is expensive," he said. "Nigeria's recurrent expenditure is around 72/ 74 per cent. And 80 per cent of that is to take care of the people working in government. For Nigeria to grow, we need to make more investment in capital expenditure."

He also said economic policies are also not helping to grow the economy.

"You find out that the interest rate has a way of influencing the economy. Even funds that are meant to encourage the small businesses are passed through the banking sector."

The new CBN governor, Godwin Emefele, had recently noted that interest rates in Nigeria were highest among the MINT (Mexico,

•Kale

Indonesia, Nigeria, Turkey) and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, Indonesia, China, South Africa) countries.

Government interventions Poverty is not entirely new in the country. Since the 1970s, successive Nigerian governments have attempted to put in place one form of poverty alleviation or the other.

And interventions such as the 1972 National Accelerated Food Production Programme and Nigerian Agricultural Co-operative Bank attempted to develop agriculture; in 1976, Operation Feed the Nation sought to revolutionise rural farming; in 1979, Green Revolution Programme attempted to reduce dependency on food imports; in 1986, the Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFRRI) sought to create seamless contact of food from rural areas to urban areas; in 1993, there was the Family Support Programme and the

Family Economic Advancement Programme, an intervention geared towards empowering families; and in 2001, there was the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP).

In 2010, the government also introduced Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (You WiN!) Programme, a collaboration of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Communication Technology (CT), the Ministry of Youth Development and the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to create more jobs for Nigerians by funding business ideas of young Nigerians. And recently, the federal government introduced the Electronic Wallet System for farmers in rural areas to access funds via affordable bank facilities.

However, these interventions seem not to have solved the myriads of economic problems.

Overall these measures, Dr. Nweze advocated for a redirection of policies to come out of poverty.

"If the interest rates, inflation, exchange rates are good, then the economy can take off and people will begin to generate money."

Dr.Nweze also advocated for more venture capital firms.

"I'm not sure they (venture capital firms) are up to ten. These are people that would help grow the economy."

According to the don, "Nigerians have no business being poor" and leaders should provide the right infrastructure to grow the economy.

"Our leaders are not economic literate. You can go to university and have Phds but you need economic literacy to grow this economy. We don't have a critical mass of economic literate population. Our policy makers are not economic literate. So, they can't make policies that are business friendly."

With a GDP per head of $1, 710 and growth rate of seven per cent, according to The Economist, Nigeria seems to be on a right growth track. But with a nearly inexistent middle-class, this wealth seems to be cushy only for the rich.

Oil alone contributes 15 per cent to the GDP but employs only a fraction of citizens. But attention is even not directed to the rural poor who are in the majority.

Agriculture largely practiced by rural areas employs about 90 per cent of rural dwellers and contributes about 45 per cent of the GDP. And, following the rebasing of the economy, the director-general, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms Arunma Oteh, urged for market capitalisation of GDP. "Our market capitalisation to the GDP which is very low at 30 per cent has now declined further to 16 per cent after the exercise," Oteh said, "compared in ratio to some of our peer countries like South Africa with market capitalisation to GDP being at 230 per cent, Malaysia 159 per cent, United States of America 118 per cent, China 75 per cent and India 69 per cent."

And with these developments, foreigners trust less in investing in the country and this makes Nigeria naturally lose foreign direct investment (FDI). According to a report, Standards and Poor's (S&P), a global financial agency which many Nigerian authorities tend to cite, doubted the might of the economy. Its reasons - it lacked current information and didn't trust the monetary policies. To that effect, S&P stated: 'As a result, we are placing our long-term sovereign credit ratings on Nigeria on Credit Watch with negative implications.'

So, the everyday life of the average Nigerian is mired in poverty. Its hues just changes, depending on the statistics one relies on.

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GSK declares dividend

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SK Consumer Nigeria Plc has declared a dividend of N1.30k per share for its shareholders for the financial year ended December 2013. The company has also declared its resolve to invest in its industries across Nigeria to ensure its products are made more available to its esteemed consumers. The declaration was made at the 43rd Annual General Meeting of the company held in Lagos recently.

Speaking on the company's performance, Chief Olusegun Osunkeye, Chairman, Board of Directors, thanked the shareholders for their belief in the company and their continuous investment in the growth of the company.

"I am pleased to announce to you that your company's performance and operating results for 2013 were impressive. Turnover was N29.183 billion, a 15% increase over the previous year…the Board will be recommending a dividend of N1.243 billion to be paid to Shareholders, representing N1.30k per share subject to appropriate withholding tax deductions," Osunkeye announced.

GSK Nigeria recorded a revenue growth of 15.3% year on year to N29.18 billion, for full year 2013 compared with N25.3 billion in the 2012. The remarkable growth in revenues which is close to the rise in 2013 nominal GDP (real growth plus inflation) are attributable to product development in the consumer healthcare segment and continued sales, marketing and distribution efforts as well as its strong presence across Nigeria.

Dell announces additions to portfolio

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USINESSES have more options than ever to consider when choosing a device in today's evolving workforce. Not only do they need specific features and performance, they also require flexible technologies that can be used in multiple environments, are easily managed and help them secure their biggest asset-their data-and all accomplished with ever-shrinking IT budgets. And while the risk and fallout of cyber breaches have dominated recent headlines, the truth is that security has never been anything other than a major consideration for most executives.

However, more than 200,000 new malware variations are being developed daily and many of these are being created to target midmarket and small businesses. This means that enterprise level security is no longer solely the domain of Fortune 500 companies, but needs to be a vital consideration for every organisation, business and institution.

With this in mind, Dell is excited to announce two new additions to the OptiPlex portfolio - the OptiPlex 3030 All-in-One and the OptiPlex 9030 All-in-One. Along with the class-leading power and manageability features, the OptiPlex 3030 All-in-One provides the most environmentally friendly technology product on the market, at a great price.

It offers the perfect mix of security, manageability and reliability for today's modern workplace, while its space saving design, touch screen ability and durability also makes it perfect for the classroom

Farmers apply for N1bn Agric loan in Enugu

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O fewer than 9,000 farmers in Enugu State have applied for the state government's one billion naira agricultural loan facility.

The Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Enugu, Chief Alfred Eneh disclosed in Enugu recently.

Eneh said the farmers had been registered by AFAN for the exercise, stressing that farmers were waiting for the loan, which they had long expected.

"The information is that the money is now in the state and we are instructed to fill our forms for the disbursement.

"During the last registration of farmers in the state, we registered 9,939 and that is not to say this is the overall number we have in the state.

"There are farmers that have not shown interest to identify with us and we are encouraging them to make themselves available in order to benefit from this government largesse," he said.

Eneh appealed to the state government to ensure that the loan was disbursed to genuine farmers in the state.

The chairman said that their experiences in the past were enough to make them express reservations on the modalities for the disbursement.

"Already, we have started noticing signals of a possible hijack of the loan scheme by politicians for their selfish interest.

"We are already seeing strange faces coming for this facility in the banks where the money is domiciled and we appeal to government to check this fraud," he said.

Eneh said that AFAN needed to be carried along to identify the genuine farmers for whom the loan was meant for.

"Most of the people coming for this loan have no farms, no agricultural projects to show and we are worried that at the end they will be the ones that will benefit.

"This issue of attempting to hijack facilities and schemes meant for farmers is a recurring one.

"The last time the governor gave us 60,000 bags of fertilisers, some politicians and traditional rulers wanted to hijack it, saying that the governor used it to compensate them.

"It only took resistance from the farmers to ensure that the fertilisers got to our members.

"We want the government to carry us along so that when the loan would have been given out to our members, the process of repayment will be guaranteed by AFAN," Eneh said.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

BUSINESS

Over the past decade, Africa has r e c o r d e d phenomenal growth in its telecoms sector, led by mobile telephony. In this Interview with Bukola Afolabi, Mr Emmanouil Revmatas, the Director , International Technology and Mobile Samsung Electronics West Africa, looks at the revolution across African markets, the driving force and the unique features for some of its products.

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O what would you attribute this revolution on the continent? And what has the experience been like for Samsung across African markets, especially Nigeria?

There are several factors contributing to the "mobile revolution" from the lack of copper fixed lines to an improved infrastructure by telcomm operators, improved access to the internet as well as a high proportion of youth. For Samsung, we have been on the continent for some time and are committed to improving the lives of Africans through our technology. Our continued success, I believe, is linked to our investment in innovation, understanding the needs of consumers and having a wide product portfolio of quality but affordable products You recently launched your flagship Galaxy S5 Smartphone in Nigeria.

What is the driving force behind the design and production of the device?

There is a well known theory called "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs" ... in many ways, the new S5 is designed to meet the needs of people from all of walks of life as well as all

‘Our responsibility is to educate the consumer’ dimensions of our life whether that be security, social, safety or health.

What are some of the unique features that differentiate it from its predecessor, the Galaxy S4?

There are several unique differentiators but let me touch on a few of my favourites. The device features an ultra power saving mode that allows it to be placed into a mode that significantly extends battery time - a 10% battery charge can last for up to24 hours - a great feature which our consumers in Nigeria are already excited about; it has an IP67 certification meaning that it is dust and water-resistant and be submerged in up to one metre of water for about 30 minutes; it boasts advanced auto focus and image processing which has been achieved with a new companion chipset as well as selective focus which allows a person to change the area of focus within their picture; it provides users with the ultimate security, using their fingerprint as the password. With the S5 finger scanner, not only does the device become completely secure but the fingerprint scanner can also be used for payment processes. Actually, our theme for this launch is "Naija powered by the S5".

You also recently launched a new line of wearable devices, the Gear Fit and Gear 2. Can you tell us a bit about these devices?

Gear 2 is an improved version of our popular Galaxy Gear. The key enhancements are that all the hardware, including the camera, microphone and speaker, have been moved to the main body of the device, allowing the strap to be changed or personalised.

The Gear 2 also now has the ability to work as a standalone music player. As for the very cool Galaxy Gear Fit, the device is like a fitness band with power and style, starting with a curved super AMOLED touchscreen and a built-in heartrate sensor.

What is the level of compatibility between the Gear devices and Smartphones and tablets

•Revmatas

from Samsung's stable?

Every day the range increases!

Do you have any plans of working with local apps developers to incorporate local content and applications, i.e. games, entertainment, and such in the Galaxy S5?

For several years we have been actively engaged in building and offering an assortment of locally developed apps and content. Working with CCHub, we have been able to bring several new applications to our customers through our devices including Class Connect, an education app for children to other very successful Nigerian content providers like Dobox, Okada Books, Easy Taxi, Spinlet, Hello Food and so on.

There is a steady increase in the adoption of Android Smartphones in Nigeria and elsewhere. To what would you attribute this swift growth?

Kaduna refinery to run at 100% capacity in 2015 - Official

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AIDU Mohammed, the Managing Director, Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company, says the refinery would run at 100 per cent capacity by 2015.

Mohammed made the assertion at a workshop organised by the company for energy correspondents in Kano on Friday.

The two-day workshop has the theme: "Managing Information in the Oil and Gas Industry."

Mohammed said that due to the improved operational efficiency of the company at the moment, the plant operated at 60 per cent capacity.

"Major units of the fuel section of the refinery, including the crude, fluid catalytic cracking unit has been re-streamed to provide the desired output," he said.

Mohammed added that one of the foreign crude storage tanks had been

successfully rehabilitated.

According to him, the contract for the rehabilitation of the remaining two tanks had been awarded.

He said the company had met with the host communities, adding that several water boreholes had been built for them.

Mohammed said that comprehensive water project for Rido community was at its planning stage.

Nigerians are sociable and entrepreneurial and resourceful. Our devices with the android platform allow people to live out their lives! The android platform combined with our state-ofthe-art innovation and technology also allows people to access an endless ecosystem of apps and content.

Smartphones like the Galaxy S5 are high end devices with high cost of acquisition. Are there any security features on the device? And what are the implications for everyday users?

There are several ranging from the fingerprint scanner I mentioned earlier to our unique KNOX solution, which allows the device to be "compartmentalised" or in other words separates the users private from his business dealings and managing these with various levels of security.

How committed is

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HE Chairman, African B u s i n e s s Roundtable,Alhaji Bamanga Tukur,has said for Nigeria to position her economy as one of the fastest growing in Sub-Saharan A f r i c a , c r e a t i v e industrialisation and innovation is a must.

Tukur said "the country is in dire need of practical and creative industrialisation, to help her overcome the increasing burden of unemployment and under employment".

He said this at the opening of the third specialised trade exhibition,organised by Aulic Nigeria limited,held at the Lagos International Trade fair complex,and scheduled from June 6-15.

Samsung to the low-end Smartphone market, especially since margins are thinner in that area?

Every quarter we make progress in bringing more affordable but quality smartphones to our customers. Unfortunately, many consumers are not well informed about the technology subtleties that exist. My team and I believe one of our key responsibilities is to educate the consumer on and also to provide them with an ecosystem or value proposition that envelopes the device.

The digital age has revolutionised business. For a company like Samsung Electronics whose survival depends on developing new products and services people need and want, how can you constantly offer innovative and creative products?

The key to our ongoing success has been our innovation which is only possible if one is committed to investing in research and development. Supporting this is our desire to also intimately understand the needs of our consumers whether they are from Lagos or Kano or Calabar.

When it comes to mobile hardware today, there is only Samsung and a crowd of brands that are struggling to rise above being called "the rest." How much of your success is attributable to what you are doing and how much is attributable to the missteps that other companies are making?

Our growth and success has been possible because Nigerians from the north, south, east and west have embraced our brand and voted with their wallets. This I believe has happened because of our deep desire to be "glocal". In fact, my team and I pride ourselves on adopting a "Naija Style"!

What are your strategies for combating the grey market in Nigeria?

This is an ongoing issue with education as a key focus for us.

What are your benchmarks for 2014 in terms of increasing your Smartphones and tablets market share in Africa?

Where do you hope to be by the end of the year?

Suffice to say that we remain committed to building our presence and product portfolio in Nigeria whilst offering our current and potential customers a "True Blue Samsung Experience" that ranges from superior service to innovative technology and a real value Ecosystem.

Initially, the Smartphone market was highly device-focused, but now the spotlight seems to have shifted to content and apps management. What does this portend for Samsung Electronics and what do you think your consumers should look out for as the market evolves?

As mentioned earlier, we are very far down this road and in many ways have been a forerunner of the "ecosystem concept". As we all know the need for content and easier access is driving Smartphone development. In terms of how this market evolves, I think that wearable devices will gain more traction and become another gateway to content.

Which among Samsung's array of smartphones have been specifically designed to suit the unique needs of consumers in Nigeria?

The Galaxy Grand series has been enormously successful primarily because it has met the needs of Nigerians from a specs and value proposition perspective. However, having said that, we continue to be very successful in Nigeria with our Galaxy S and Note Series as well.

What sets you apart from your competitors in the local Smartphone market?

Our innate desire and passion to impact people's lives through smart technology … we pride ourselves on daily trying to understand what people across this great country need or aspire to have or be.

Let me give you an example - in the past few weeks my team and I have travelled from Kano to Asaba to Calabar to Ibadan to Warri to Abeokuta, the list of towns goes on. The point is that every one of these places has its own uniqueness and with this comes a better understanding of what a teenager in the east wants or a professional in north demands. Insight is the key.

‘Creative industrialisation, key to sustain Nigeria's economy’

By Ajose Sehindemi

The theme of the exhibition is "Boosting Nigeria's Development through Creative and I n n o v a t i v e Industrialisation",which Tukur said, is both timely and significant.

He said the event,like others before it,shall mark socio-economic and industrial relationships between individual teams,institutions and governments that are at the exhibition and exhibition of

products and services will challenge sound mind on new ways of doing things.

Commenting on the exhibition,the Chairman of Aulic group,Prof.Nick Ezeh said over 180 solid exhibitors and representatives from different fields and countries are at the specialised fair, which is for exhibition only and not sales.

He said the fair is to synergize different business concerns under a roof for them to meet and liaise on how their business work and transfer technologies.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

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HE latest report from the World Bank's World Development Indicators database states that approximately 2.5 billion people or 50 per cent of the world adult population lack access to formal bank accounts. Most of these people, the report said, are concentrated in developing economies.

According to the report, 22 per cent of adults worldwide save at a formal financial institution, while nine per cent benefitted from formal loans.

One of the greatest challenges faced by Nigeria is how to provide access to financial services to its more than 140 million people.

About 64.1 per cent of adult Nigerians (56.3 million) do not have access to financial services.

Giving these challenges, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 2013 initiated a drive for financial inclusion of the unbanked members of the Nigerian society. The benefit of this financial inclusion initiative is that it hopes to discourage money laundering and promote the use of cash for transactions; make financial resources transparently available for efficient intermediation and allocation for uses that have the highest returns. Funds moved from the informal sector into the formal sector strengthen the confidence in the financial industry that leads to financial development which would in turn accelerate economic growth.

Other benefits are that financial institutions will benefit, as the cost of financial services substantially reduces due to less volume of documentations, increased number of customers and through the deployment of innovative technology.

In June 2011, FATF published a Guidance Paper which provided support to countries and their financial institutions in designing AML/CFT measures that meet the national goal of financial inclusion, without compromising the measures that exist for the purpose of combating crime.

The Guidance Paper ensures that AML/CFT controls do not inhibit access to well regulated financial services for financially excluded and under-served groups, including low income, rural sector and undocumented groups.

FATF believes that the development of risk-sensitive AML/CFT frameworks will be a key step for countries that wish to build a more inclusive formal financial system. This gives access to appropriate financial services to a larger proportion of the population, including the most vulnerable and unserved groups.

The tiered KYC approach is intended to implement flexible account opening requirements for lowvalue and medium-value accounts. They are subject to caps and restrictions as the amounts of transactions increase.

The main objective of the approach is to promote and deepen financial inclusion.

As a result, the CBN's financial inclusion programme ba-

BUSINESS

61

Why CBN came up with the 3-tier 'know your customer' campaign As the CBN's 3-tier KYC requirements commenced in commercial banks across the country, Assistant Editor, Nduka Chiejina and Bukola Afolabi take a look at the issues surrounding the initiative designed to boost financial inclusion in Nigeria. but the apex bank insists that

•CBN Governor: Emefele

sically consists of: The Simplified Savings Accounts (CBN 3-tiered KYC requirements); Banking Agents (CBN Guidelines for the Regulation of Agent Banking Relationship in Nigeria); and Mobile Banking Arrangements (CBN Regulatory Framework for Mobile Payments Services in Nigeria).

When a customer in a particular Tier crosses the cumulative balance threshold and he has provided the full KYC documentation required for the next level, are the banks expected to move the customer to the next Tier on the portal or leave the account on that same tier? If the banks have to move to the next tier, does it not mean that they should have a product that will cut across all tiers?

The CBN's reaction to this set of inquiry is that "having provided the full KYC documentation required for the next level, the customer should automatically be moved to that next level. It is not expected that the move to the next tier should affect the product the customer was enjoying in the previous but lower category.

Pertaining to customers who exceed any of the thresholds for levels 1 or 2, should the CBN was asked if they should be barred from carrying out further transactions on their accounts pending when their accounts are upgraded to the next level. To this the CBN answered that "they should not be allowed to make withdrawals from

such accounts until all the necessary documentations are obtained."

Where a customer who has exceeded the threshold refuses/is unable to provide the required additional documentation to enable his account to be upgraded? Should such an account be closed?

The CBN's answer was that "the customer should be advised to operate his account within the limit. The account should not be closed but further withdrawal should not be allowed."

Stakeholders were also concerned that the nature and extent of awareness campaign required to be done should be clearly stated. To this the CBN responded that it has "taken it upon itself to carry out significant awareness campaign. Banks are, however, required to carry out their independent advertisements or awareness campaign as they do when new products are introduced into the market. The project should be seen as both corporate social responsibility and business decision taken by financial institutions in view of its manifold benefits to the people and country."

The policy covers all commercial banks but merchant banks are automatically excluded in view of their nature, being wholesale bankers.

Banks and other stakeholders wanted to know if banks can dedicate selected branches to offer this service to customers in levels 1 and 2 due to capacity constraints,

"the service is required to be available in all branches and agent offices. Target customers are not only in the rural areas but also available in big cities."

The opening up of accounts to customers in levels 1 and 2 could increase traffic of transactions and may cause capacity challenges (IT etc.) for some banks. The CBN was asked what such banks should do under such circumstances.

Responding, the CBN said "the main objective of the policy is to encourage financial inclusion. Banks are, therefore, expected to show understanding and contribute to the success of the project. In the long run, the economy including the banks will be better off. Financial institutions are therefore required to be creative and conduct researches on how to improve and make gains out of the project, including introducing various products within the tiers that encourage massive appeal."

The CBN added that "there is no restriction outside those already specified in the circular. This is to make it simpler and more friendly.

Restricting frequency and amount of withdrawal could discourage the customers at this initial stage.

Meanwhile, withdrawals are subject to the CBN 'Cashlite policy'."

The CBN believes that the challenges are not insurmountable but requested from financial institutions to have robust, effective and efficient AML/CFT solutions with strong and effective screening tools to monitor the various thresholds.

Above all, those involved in the operation of this policy, have to be dedicated and passionate in the fight against ML/FT in the country.

The apex bank argues that "the policy will have positive impact on the financial market by making account opening and operation more attractive and appealing to the masses in view of its simpler nature and the fewer requirements involved. It will, somehow reduce the administrative cost for banks as it involves online account opening, few paper filing and reporting."

It added that "the concept will usher into the financial industry several products through the use of mobile payments and agent banking channels. The next challenge is the creation of awareness on financial education by both the regulators and operators in order to ensure the successful implementation of the policy."

Why retail therapy fails in Nigeria

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ANY literatures these days suggest such things as window shopping, taking a walk or a drive giving one's self a treat as means to improve a bad mood and/or reduce stress. The explanations and the results of the survey so far provided are logical and leave no room for doubts.

However, looking back at a decade or more ago, this idea or concept would sound alien to an average Nigerian and obviously,it would not be received without much questioning and a want of proof to justify the action, time and resources.

One can imagine what the response of an aged yoruba woman would be to a news from her son, notifying her of a need to take a walk for a couple of minutes or hours to an unknown destination because he needs to clear his head. It's one of two things; she either begins to blame the enemies for what she thinks is the genesis of insanity by her son and immediately commences a prayer session or beckon on people around for help.

Parents of the generations gone by are not to be blamed, literacy level was low, ignorance was high on a lot of subject matters and technology was not this advanced. Those that were learned hardly went on vacations while those of the skilled workforce worked all year round. There was dignity in labour.

Before 2004, Nigerians were not used to the ideas of shopping malls, such that when it sprang up, some felt it was for people who belonged to the middle-upper and the upper class in the society. Most people would only enter a store because they want to make actual purchase. As much as the term window shopping did not sound completely strange even back then, it was just innate that people would rather appreciate items by mere sight seeing on the displayed wares while they passed by or have enough to afford something no matter how little before stepping into a shop, boutique or store to avoid any form of embarrassment. Have you ever been a victim of such statement or attitude as "do you want to buy or are you just pricing it" that's the usualuncultured line from a sales person who perceives a customer as time wasting.

With the advent of shopping malls strategically located in major cities of the country, housing a good number of restaurants, bars, brands, electronic stores, cinemas and grocery stores majorly shoprite, a good number of people now comfortably hide under the guise of the multitude trooping in and out of each store. They now visit many stores that they would ordinarily walk by to see what items are trending. The awareness is also on the increase for retailers, an understanding that some people like to run through samples of available options for a product of choice before making an informed decision of buying. Some store attendants are however appear to be in the wrong job, rather than assist customers during visit, their encounter either let them walk away without dropping a penny in exchange for a product or drain them of the emotional excitement of shopping.

Weirdly, store attendants profile their customers to decide what sort of treatment or service they deserve. They measure customers up based on their demeanour, fluency, dress sense and other things that suggests how large the size of the shopper's pocket is. A young man who after walking down the various aisles in Shoprite of Ikeja mall, decided to drop an item he picked up on his way out was instructed by one of the store keepers to return the item to where he picked it from. It appeared the young lady was venting, on a second thought, it's certain that she would not have had the effrontery to approach some other shoppers with the same attitude. The only available reason why the young man was the victim was his looks, too bad. I stood aside to see if there was anybody watching to correct the young lady but it slipped.

After about an hour of shopping, I joined the queue to pay and check out with a bold signage that says "we accept cards" verve, mastercard, visa. I approached the counter after all the items I picked had been scanned, handed a debit card to the attendant and with a frown she stated, it will not work. I then asked why she would just come to that conclusion without even a try, she pointed at a pile of items that were being carted away saying those who picked them up couldn't pay because they wanted to make use of their cards. With no remorse she told me to go and use the ATM and I may be lucky to get my items if I was swift about it or it would join the league of others being removed. That was definitely not encouraging after all that time spent moving around and the long queue that appeared like the whole nation was shopping at once.

It was time to pay for the ticket, I had to pay for two hours of achieving nothing, a young man who just ticketed, misplaced the receipt of payment on his way to car and sped back to the lady that attended to him so he could redeem the lost receipt with his ticket being sure that it would not be a challenge for the lady to fix his face but he was told he had to pay the same value he remitted initially.

And suddenlyi thought to myself, if my visit was actually to relieve a bad mood, I would most likely be leaving worse than I was initially, feeling depressed for myself and a host of others. Also, store owners are not maximizing revenue per day with the attitudes of their attendants who are unwilling to assist customers in locating items of interest or go as far as delegating their responsibilitiesto shoppers.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

BUSINESS

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HAT does it take to succeed in this kind of industry?

Before I ventured into banking, I had been into telecommunication business, i.e. distribution of recharge cards. I used to be a dealer, I happened to be one of the best ten dealers. The business was quite profitable as at that time, which made people to start getting attracted to it. I diversified into another business when I realised the business was no longer what it used to be - products were sold at reduced prices, thereby causing dealers to run into debt. I delved into banking and created Sovereign Microfinance Bank, which was based on my vast knowledge and experience in the banking industry. I had spent over 11 years working with Zenith Bank.

When was the business established, and what are the challenges so far?

Sovereign Microfinance Bank was established in 2009.

Microfinance banks in Nigeria face enormous challenges such as infrastructural inadequacies, social misconception, poor legal and regulatory framework, unbridled competition from other financial institutions, and abandonment of core microfinance function and paucity of qualified manpower. When we had the tsunami in 2010, whereby 288 microfinance banks were closed because of inadequate rendering of returns to the CBN; we were part of the 288, but it was not that we were not OK but because we did not render our returns. We were also having a lot of debt portfolio because people were not paying back our money; so after a lot of plea, the CBN reasoned with us and returned our licence along with some others. Another area of challenge is that many Nigerians are not too comfortable with giving microfinance banks deposits.

Most of the deposits we have in Sovereign Microfinance Bank are from friends and relatives. I want to use this medium to assure Nigerians that their money is safe with any microfinance bank because all of us are under serious supervision of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

What is your typical profit at the end of the year?

In our last financial year, we made N24 million; and that was the first time we made profit. To be precise, we broke even in August, 2013. This year we are hoping to hit N100 million because we have already seen what is on ground, even though we are in the middle of the year. Microfinance bank

‘Deposits safe with microfinance banks’ Managing Director, Sovereign Microfinance Bank, Sunday Akintola, speaks with Bukola Afolabi on his life, business and the operations of MFBs in Nigeria is one of the best things that have happened to our economy. CBN too got it wrong at the initial stage, but now I give kudos to them for their supervisory role. Not only supervision, they have given us a lot of training on microfinance banking and this has helped many MFBs to grow. What I will tell them is that they should give us more support. We still want them to understand the way we are doing our work so that it can be better. In Mushin where our office is located, we have empowered so many people. It is here that I know that N50,000 can make an impact on someone's life. People will come and borrow N50,000 and before you know it, they will come back and tell you what they've done with the money and even have proof to show after paying back the principal and interest.

What was your initial capital and what is your bank worth at the moment?

Our initial capital was N20 million and was later increased to N100 million paid up capital last year. That is what we have now; but by June it's going to go up because we are hoping to get a state licence. We are planning to get out of Mushin and replicate what we are doing in other areas of Lagos State, so that Nigerians can enjoy our services.

What's your management style and how well has it worked for you?

My management style is open-door policy. Firstly, as MD, many people want to be your friend, even though they may not genuinely love you.

Some staff just want to gossip, so what I do usually is call both parties and resolve whatever the issues are. This has discouraged several others who probably had the same intention. We try to create an atmosphere of love and mind you this is a microfinance bank, and the foundation we lay now is what will take the bank to greater heights. I got this style from my time at Zenith Bank.

Tell us about your Zenith Bank experience I joined Zenith Bank in1993,

•Akintola

just three years after the bank was established; but the structure the founder, Mr. Jim Ovia, put on ground amused me a lot. By the first week of February, he would give us our housing allowance upfront; by August - because June is Zenith Bank year end, the bank would give us our profit share. It used to be about 10 per cent of the bank's profit. The profit shared was so much that time, that you could use it to achieve great things for yourself. And by November, he would give us 13th, 14th and 15th month salaries as Christmas bonus. All these incentives helped serious staff to have savings and also start planning for their future.

These are what I saw and apply as my management style.

In Sovereign Microfinance

Bank, we pay Christmas bonus and profit sharing, too. Those are the things that we are doing here that are making things to be easy for us. We also encourage our staff to further their studies because 60% of our staff are OND holders.

And how have the staff responded?

They've responded with hard-work and loyalty. I have never had any cause to panic about the event at home anytime I travel, whether within or outside the country, because every staff is disciplined and dedicated to the job. Their loyalty is unquestionable; I want to use this avenue to address employers that question the loyalty of their staff to be caring. The way to get the best out of the staff is by empowering

Samsung unveils Galaxy Gifts package

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N further demonstration of its commitment to customer loyalty, Samsung Electronics West Africa is offering users of the new Galaxy S5 free gifts via the new Galaxy Gifts application. The Galaxy Gifts package comes preinstalled on all Galaxy S5 smartphones and offers a wide collection of premium mobile services and tools designed to make consumer experience more enjoyable and more productive.

Managing Director of Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Brovo Kim, described Galaxy Gifts as part of Samsung's unique ecosystem that seeks to offer the company's customers additional value for their purchase. "For the first time in this market, users of

the new Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone stand to get amazing gifts every day. The Galaxy S5 was designed to offer consumers the most advanced tool to help improve their everyday lives.

The Galaxy Gifts application perfectly complements this mission with a comprehensive offering of some of the world's best mobile resources to suit Nigerians' lifestyles."

To facilitate consumer access to its suite of Galaxy Gifts applications, Samsung has partnered with some of the country's leading mobile content and service providers including DoBox, Spinlet, Hello Foods and Easy Taxi, among others. In addition to discounts on meals,

movies, books and music purchased from these partners via the application, users of the Galaxy S5 also automatically receive three free movies from DoBox, a Spinlet premium voucher worth one thousand Naira and twenty-five percent off their first order via Hello Foods. Consumers also get 50 percent off their first taxi ride when they use the package's Easy Taxi application alongside seven N700 worth of books from Okada Books.

The Galaxy S5 smartphone features Samsung Premium, an advanced version of the company's original 24-month accidental damage from handling (ADH) warranty.

them and not enjoying the benefit of the company alone. Honesty and loyalty are the key things that can guaranty the success of an organisation, and that has been the pillar behind our prosperity at Sovereign Microfinance Bank since its inception five years ago.

Working with a staff that is made of 70% ladies can sometimes be challenging, how do you cope?

(Smiles) I started off as a primary school teacher between 1989-1993, and during this time first to third positions went to the girls and with the way the society is currently, the ladies are more focused and serious because they have to secure their future by themselves, and the reasons why they are mostly employed in banks is

because they are not excessively driven by greed and most time their income is mostly spent on material things like jewelleries. Men are too ambitious and they are excessively driven by greed. Secondly, some customers prefer ladies as their account officers, not that banks employ ladies for customers to take advantage of them, as is wrongly assumed.

So I see ladies as efficient and effective.

What is your typical day like?

The nature of my day depends on my schedule for the day. Sometimes, I am less busy and there is really not much to do except the daily routine of work; while there are days when I will be very busy with our customers, walking in and out of the bank. There are also days when I will travel out of Lagos and return the same day all because of the nature of my business. And once I close from work, it's off to my home straight.

What attracts you to people?

I love people who are serious with their work. I also love people who are professional. If I see that you are a professional, I can go to any length to assist you. There is one lady in one of our commercial banks, every morning she will send us our account statements, and also call to confirm if we have received the messages sent to our e-mails. I see that person as a serious staff, and there was a day I was opportune to be with her Regional Head and I mentioned her name, I told him that she is one of their best staff.

How do you relax?

I love travelling. I travel a lot both within and outside.

I rarely spend my weekends in Lagos because it's too congested. I go out because I have a few friends outside Lagos that I always stay with. I travel around because I know that by travelling you will get a lot of experience and learn one or two things.

Nigeria set to liquidate NITEL, MTEL

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FTER several failed attempts at privatising national telecom companies, Nigerian Telecommunication Limited (NITEL) and Nigerian Mobile Telecommunication Limited (MTEL), the West African country has opted for a "guided liquidation" of the companies' non-core assets to settle debts owed to stakeholders.

Nigeria Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) - the organisation that supervises sale of national assets - announced that the government has appointed liquidators to oversee the bidding process for assets of both companies.

The BPE wants bidders with five years of telecom experience and a net worth of at least $200 million. Bids are expected to flow in before the end of June and the assets would be handed

over to the preferred bidder in December as stated in a public note.

Nigeria decided to liquidate Nitel in March after attempts to privatise the companies proved unsuccessful.

Privatisation of NITEL began as far back as 2001 when the national telecom firm was put up for sale. Ms International London Limited (ILL) emerged the preferred bidder for $1.317 billion but failed to meet the payment deadline. In 2003, Pentascope of Netherlands was contracted by the Federal Government to manage and reposition NITEL for another round of privatisation process which also failed.

In 2006, Transcorp was well placed to acquire the company for $500 million after being victorious in the bidding rounds. The consortium, however, failed to fulfil its financial obligation.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 2014

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SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 2014

Another clampdown on broadcast stations

• Mba

WiJ Conference2014: Nigerian media women chart way forward Gboyega Alaka reports on the recent Women in Journalism Conference held in Lagos and the matters arising.

• Guests at the Conference

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

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EBERE WABARA

N

WORDSWORTH 08055001948

ewabara@yahoo.com

The danger list

ATIONAL MIRROR front and inside pages of June 12 troubled the English language almost innumerably: “…NYSC DG raises alarm (the alarm), says they’re on their own.”

“World Cup kicks-off (kicks off) with Brazil, Croatia.”

“The affected states are Borne, Adamawa and Yobe where further posting of corps members have (has) been suspended over security concerns.” “…as the remains of…arrives (arrive) at the National Hospital, Abuja, yesterday.”

“Food poisoning kills family of five, 3 others on danger list” National News: the danger list (fixed/stock expression) “Ekiti commissioner slams N1bn suit on police assault (on police for assault).”

“Aftermath of rigged Ekiti governorship primaries: Ekiti PDP at crossroad” (Full-page advertorial by the PDP Ekiti State Chapter) A party that is always at a/ the crossroads.

“We commend and support Mr. President’s genuine efforts at restoring peace and stability in (to) the country.” (Source: as above).

Finally from Ekiti State Chapter of the PDP: “The utterances and conduct of the candidate indicates (why?)….”

The next set of errors is from National Mirror Views Page: “All her personal belongings, jewelries, phones….” Existential humanism: ‘jewelry’ (also jewellery— BrE) is non-count. “…they are busy with dreams of sudden wealth and opulence lifestyle.”

Either: opulent lifestyle or opulence.

“They are paid and maintained by tax-payers’ money to give us a crime free (crime-free) society.”

“UI mourns late chancellor” Campus News: The foremost citadel cannot mourn a living person! So, yank off ‘late.’

“Lagos sets (set) to eradicate blindness among students” Still on National Mirror under review: “Multiple taxation hinder (hinders) tourism development— FTAN.” “New automotive policy threatens N25bn investment at (in) Lagos port.” “…policies that will attract both local and foreign investors into (to) the state….”

Finally from NATIONAL MIRROR Back Page: “…the right decisions that could restore hope and national pride at trying times like this.” In search of game changers: at a trying time like this or at trying times like these.

Wrong application of adjectives: overage players; right: over-age players; and high profile politicians (wrong); right: high-profile politicians. (Contributed

by Bola Ojo, Ogori, Kogi State, 08058810301).

The next two interventions are from Kola Danisa (08028233277): “The remains (plural) of the Emir of Kano…has (have) been….”

“The Nation condemns action…vehicles convening (conveying) our parcels….” (Source: THE NATION, June 7).

Note that ‘lots’ and ‘lots of’ are colloquial substitutes for ‘many’, ‘much’ or ‘great deal of’, ‘a number of’, etc. Avoid their use in formal writing as they have been declared obsolescent.

(Credit: Bayo Oguntunase/ 08056180046).

Let me also acknowledge the observation of Okor Ezewu/08033158484 and others on the misuse of ‘steer’ and ‘stir’ by DAILY SUN OPINION Page a fortnight ago.

DAILY Sun EDITORIAL of June 9 mismanaged two expressions: “Based on these allocations, the finance minister urged Nigerians to demand for an investigation of….”

Delete ‘for’, which applies when ‘demand’ is used as a noun. My strident demand for good governance in Abia State led to my near-fatalistic abduction on March 28, 2014, by a combined team of Abia and Lagos policemen numbering 17! “…the apparent disinterest of the citizens in holding the governors and local government administrators to account on (for) the financial resources entrusted in their care.”

THE NATION ON SUNDAY of June 8 comes next with militarization of the English language: “Soldiers takeover (take over) newspaper premises.”

“Navy keep (keeps) fit to defend waterways.”

“NGO mediates on (in) tax complaints in Lagos councils.”

“At the time of this editorial, no government official from the Presidency has (had) issued any statement on this primitive show of force.” (THE NATION ON SUNDAY COMMENT (EDITORIAL), June

8)

The next four blunders are from a full-page advertisement by Coalition Against Building Collapse: “The coalition has observed that inspite (in spite) of our intervention….”

“The argument about price and scarcity is lame and begging the answer (and begs the question).”

“As a consumer movement whose focus is in (on) the area of safe building….” “…cement brands that do not comply to (with) the new standard.”

“Rev. Sam Adeyemi advises single ladies” This way: Adeyemi advises spinsters (Headlines are not supposed to be full sentences).

DAILY SUN of April 3 is next on today’s line-up: “Obiano records progress in employment creation as SABmiller assures of more jobs” Who did the company assure?

“Soldiers arrest man over (for) alleged complicity in daughter’s kidnap” “Fashola raises alarm (the alarm) over Obanikoro’s alleged invasion of Lagos” Sub-editors should not, under any disguise, tamper with fixed/ stock expressions or idioms. There is no such poetic, literary, scholastic, pedantic or journalistic licence!

“This is even more so for the youth corps members who may be deployed to (in) this critical assignment against their will and better judgment.”

(EDITORIAL).

“But his life was nearly snuffed out by late (the late) Gen. Sani Abacha.”

“For example, the decongestion of the Lagos ports within few (a few) weeks of….”

“How to stimulate Nigeria’s medical tourism potentials, by experts” Lifeline: ‘potential’ is noncount unlike ‘potentiality’.

“Patient (Patients) should not engage in strenous exercises” Spellcheck: strenuous.

SUNDAY Sun EDITORIAL of March 30 which circulated copious lapses comes up next: “This is a welcome development, considering the fact that efforts to tackle the problem with military might alone has (have) also failed to achieve the desired objective of restoring peace in (to) the affected parts of the country.”

“Besides, the NSA said that (sic) the six governors in the Boko Haram strongholds will (would) work with….”

NBC: The need to be vigilant N IGERIANS tend to think certain things cannot happen in their country. Until two years ago, when suicide bombing was premiered in Abuja, precisely at the headquarters of the Nigeria Police, it was widely assumed that no Nigerian, given our fun-loving disposition, would consider killing himself in a bid to kill others. We are wiser now.

We still need to be a lot more, as there are some other things, while not here yet, that may take root here. One of such is pornographydelivered to us at home via pay-television. For now, it seems far-fetched. Soon, it may creep in on us. Why do i think so? Well, I recently returned from South Africa, where the decision of the country’s broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), to licence pornographic channels is causing massive public resentment.

On Digital Media (ODM) is on StarSat’s pay-television platform (backed by the Chinese-owned StarTimes) in South Africa.

Last November, ODM started broadcasting two pornographic TV channels – Private Spice and Playboy TV – in a separate StarSat sex TV package. This was shortly after being granted a licence by the South African broadcasting regulator. It is widely believed in South Africa that pornography was added to the viewing menu in a desperate bid to shore up flagging subscriber figures. Subscriber figures for the four-year old South African pay-TV operator, currently in business rescue, have dipped to between 100 000 and 120 000 from 150 000 a few years ago.

The newest face of the opposition to the porn broadcast is the group, Doctors for Life, which represents 1, 400 doctors.

The nongovernmental body has filed an application at the High Court in Pretoria, the country’s capital, seeking a revocation of the broadcast licence. Its application has since been joined to the applications of the Justice Alliance of South Africa (JASA) and the Cause for Justice organisations, which submitted separate applications in the Western Cape High Court.

JASA and Cause for Justice contend that South Africa’s broadcasting regulator, which initially rejected ODM’s porn channels application before approving it a year later, acted illegally in its failure to consider that the constitutional rights of children outweigh the rights of StarSat’s freedom of expression.

In its application, Doctors for Life, contends among other things, that pornography is addictive and has the potential to be harmful to the human brain

By Bitrus Kwabeh in ways similar to those of substances like heroin, cocaine and LSD. Doctors for Life appear to have based its position on a recent study by G e r m a n psychiatrists, which suggest that w a t c h i n g pornography may result in reduction in the activity of certain areas of the brain.

The study discovered that men who watch a lot of pornography tend to have less gray matter •Mba volume as well as less activity in the region of the brain linked to rewards.

The study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, which analysed a relatively small sample, but offers the first evidence that could lead to the establishment of a link between exposure to pornography and brain size.

Authors of the study questioned 64 healthy men aged 21 to 45 about their porn watching habits. They also examined how their brains reacted to pornographic images and took images of their brains in order to measure volume.

The results show that the brain region activated when people view sexual stimuli is less active in men who watch a lot of pornography. It also shows the part of the brain associated with processing rewards is smaller in men who view pornography more often.

JASA’s application requests the court to review the broadcasting regulator’s decision in granting a licence for porn television channels to StarSat, formerly the TopTV brand, and for ICASA to ensure a correct application of the law and broadcasting regulations.

The current wave of anger is a continuation of what began last year, when ODM (operating as TopTV) was licensed to broadcast three adult content channels—Playboy TV, Desire TV, and Private Spice in South Africa. Late last year, ODM’s shareholders voted to accept the business rescue plan offered by StarTimes, following a slump in fortunes.

The rescue plan was, however, immediately hit by a gust of public disapproval, chiefly from South African religious organisations, which argued that the pornographic channels could expose youngsters to explicit materials and could breed a society of perverts and increase sexually related crimes.

South Africa’s Muslim Judicial Council, MJC, which described ICASA’s decision to grant licence for pornographic broadcast as as “inconsistent”.

Nabeweya Mallick,

spokesperson for the MJC, said the council was “disappointed,” at ICASA’s insensitivity to the rights of tastes of religious and race groups and cultures. ”We feel they have really failed the standards set by ICASA. If one is sensitive to the rights of these groups... what about the rights of women?” she questioned.

South Africa’s Family Policy Institute, FPI, also railed against the channels and supported calls for a boycott. Its spokesperson, Errol Naidoo, said the channels stand to increase the rate of gender abuse in a country that already has one of the highest rates of sexual violence against women and children.

ICASA argued that there is no law of general application prohibiting the production and distribution of adult content in South Africa.

“Only the production and distribution of child pornography is expressly prohibited by the law,” it argued.

Offering largely unfettered access to pornography in a country with a high incidence of gender abuse is sure to be an invitation to chaos.

Is there a chance that Nigeria may one day have to face this kind of problem?

I guess most Nigerians would answer in the negative-as we did before bombings and kidnapping got woven into our social fabric.

Rape of minors has already become a problem here. So is that of adults, including women in their 70s. StarTimes operate here.

While the Chinese company has not suggested it may serve us pornography (in fact, it categorically told a newspaper last year that it has no such plans), we need to keep an eye on it and other pay-TV operators so that they don’t damage the minds of our children. The National Broadcasting Commission needs to follow what happens in other lands and ensure nothing is sneaked in.

Kwabeh, a statistician, lives in Abuja

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•Students of Rybeka Model College on stage during the competition

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T is glaring now that most culture departments in the Federal Ministry of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation want to focus more attention on the development of the young ones in the areas of craft, painting, dance, writing and more. In the past four years or so emphasis has shifted to primary and secondary school children in terms of encouraging them to show more interest in Arts generally. The overall concept is to let them know that there are career prospects in these areas and whoever among them that has innate qualities and talent should not hesitate to develop it.

This is one of the reasons the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) during the week organised a traditional dance competition for secondary school children in Lagos. Four schools were purposely selected to participate based on their dance pedigree over the years. The total concept hinged on how to let them know and then appreciate most Nigerian native and traditional dance patterns.

It was for them to look back in time to see how local elements of traditions and cultures influenced people’s dance styles. Essentially attention was paid on the rudiments of dances that are rich in content, movement and message.

The four schools indeed lived up to the bidding. When the drums began to beat and the arena became charged with variety of movements on stage, it became clear that the children had been tutored well. In the first place, three judges were selected. They included Adedayo Liadi Ijodee, Isioma Williams and Victoria Okolo-Agu. Their mandate was to look out for schools that would be able to define the concept of the competition.

Where necessary choreographical patterns should be clearly demonstrated mostly based on the level of the kids. It was mainly to see how they can be co-opted into the main core dance profession in which case they would be encouraged to focus on what they already know.

Methodist Boys Secondary School, Lagos, surprised everyone when they came on stage with male dancers that dressed like women.

Initially, the improvisation sounded convincing. A lot of people thought they were women until the end of the dance when they began to remove their costumes, ear rings, make-ups, beads and all those ornaments of decoration akin to women. But that was part of the beauty of the show. They danced, dressed like queens, married to a Benin Monarch. The concept was to juxtapose Benin and Igbo cultures which looked good on stage but incapable of convincing the judges. The dances were good at a point when the greenwhite-green national colours came into focus to form an essential ingredient of the dance pattern of the school. A rise in the

•Favour and her mate in Zulu war dance costumes

Serious business of dancing The National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), organisers of the show tagged it traditional dance competition aimed at discovering and nurturing young dancers who can make it a career in future. The four secondary schools that participated in the show proved that dance goes beyond mere movement in space and time. Edozie Udeze reports tempo of the drumming further accentuated the beauty of the traditional dance style exhibited by the kids. The long and dangling red beads on their necks, the royal crowns on their heads, the bracelets that defined royalty and the horse tail that symbolized power, each in very many ways added colour and rhythm to the dances.

When it was time for St. Andrews Secondary School, Lagos, to mount the stage, it was already glaring that both the audience and the judges were impressed with the efforts of the children. With colourful clothes tied smartly on their waists, with white singlet to match, they depicted the true picture of old traditional Igbo title-holders on their way to an important village parley. The costume was completed with beads of different sizes, each of which obviously defined the status of the wearer in the order of things in the society. Types and sizes of beads usually characterized a person’s place in life in the days of yore.

With the songs rendered in Igbo, the dancers deliberately delved into moonlight songs, songs of age-grades, songs of love and hate, songs that hinged on the format a maiden should take to reach woman-hood. The lead singer, with her voice pitching high and deep, used her mesmerizing movements to stir the arena. She was a maiden in the throes of traditional patterns, both by the way she dressed and her un-canning ability to carry everybody along. At a stage, it appeared they were older than the dance because the strong command of their movements stunned people beyond words. What they sang evoked memories of innocence, those days when young boys and girls lived transparent life that made them the toast of all.

When they were about to leave the stage, they beckoned on the people through their songs to remain faithful to themselves and to the entire society. “All of us are dancers in this world. We are the graceful people and we are going away. Who is a dancer in this sojourn of life? All of us are”. And then off, they went, leaving the audience dumbfounded

and in total need of more of such dances.

But it was Rybeka Model College, Lagos, that stole the show, even though they did not eventually win. They came, adorned in Zulu war dance costumes, almost frightening the audience with their awful but colourful war regalia. With spears glittering menacingly in one hand and war shield in the other, the dancers were poised to attack the stage with forceful and protest dances. As they moved from one end of the stage to the other, they made as if they would throw the spear and rush at the audience. These movements excited some, while others did not really find it funny. People were taken years back to South Africa when Apartheid was at its apogee and Zulu war warriors refused to be dissuaded by their white overlords. It was the symbol of protest, with the stringent potency to weaken the white man. But in the end, the judges bypassed them to give the first position to the Top Grade Secondary School, Lagos.

Top Grade, in the words of Adedayo Liadi Ijodee who spoke to The Nation, was able to convince people with their interpretation of the concept. He said: “The judgement was based on the level of the students and what they can offer. We looked at originality which Top Grade truly manifested. We also looked at content, audience reaction and the nature of costumes. The issue of the message and the depth of the songs they rendered, all formed the criteria to give them the first position.

“If you look at what they presented they were able to give the type of fishermen dance that can be replicated in any part of the country. The demonstration was not limited to any people at all. Even though both the costumes of adire and the songs represent the Yoruba culture, they had a central message that defined the whole country. The children, right from the start, were sure of themselves.

The choreography was good, the improvisations were apt. these are a set of dancers we need to keep together, keep training and encouraging them to live the life of dancers. If we can do that, I tell you, we’ll have a set of dancers that can move the world in the next

couple of years.” Liadi said.

Favour, a student of Rybeka Model College who led her own troupe also told The Nation that due to her love for dance, she has made up her mind to study Dance or Theatre Arts in the university. “Even though my mum wants me to be an Engineer, my grandfather insists that I should do what my mind tells me to do. At school, we rehearse Dance three to four times every week and that has afforded me the opportunity to learn more,” she said.

In her welcome speech, Chinwe Abara, the head of the Lagos office of NCAC apologised that the programme came a bit late due to some tight administrative schedule. However, she advised the children to keep close to their talents and the skills where they are proficient. “The concept of cultural literacy has long gained global acceptance. It encourages the perpetuation of broadly shared background knowledge of national language, history, traditional literature, folklore and myth.

Therefore the impartation of traditional contents provides children the necessary foundation for further educational, economic and social improvement. This is why the year’s programme focuses on traditional dance competition. It is to show dance in a folkloric form to synchronise with the beliefs of the people,” she said.

She reminded both the children and their parents that dance is now a serious business capable of job creation, economic empowerment and opportunity to make people excel in life.

“Let us look at the life of the Late Hubert Ogunde who rose to fame through dance. And here at the artistes’ village, you can see many dance troupes. You can also see Ijodee and his people who have conquered the world through dance,” she said.

The guest of honour, Ben Ikeakor who has been in the forefront of the promotion of children’s cultural programmes advised them not to lose focus of what dreams they have for themselves so that they wouldn’t grow up to be deviants. “We have too many of such young people today and so we need to do more to avoid raising more deviant leaders of tomorrow. Approach your parents with respect and obedience so that they will be able to do more to educate you. When they pay so much to educate you, all you need do is read and study very hard to justify the pay and then you’d have succeeded in making them happy.”

The schools that won the competition were presented with prizes. This is to encourage them do more in the next edition of the competition.

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‘Why many preachers are marked by govt’

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OU relocated to America in 2002.

What has been happening to you since then?

Well, I give glory to God for sparing my life. You know my musical fans and lovers who keep asking for me since I left. When I got to America, God spoke to me to start a ministry whose foundation will be based on speaking the truth and nothing more. You find out that truth is scarce these days. When you choose to stand for the truth and live in the truth, you are ready for persecution and all that.

We started with a prayer meeting where God was meeting people at the points of their needs in 2003. Between then and 2006, we were only praying with God performing diverse miracles among us.

Many diagnosed with cancer have been cured with many barren women now carrying their babies.

You have pastored in Nigeria and the US. What is the difference?

In Nigeria, we are focused and love God. You see many people trooping to church. But in America, it is never so. The nation does not allow people to serve God. You can get any job as long as you are not keen on going to church. It is a workaholic society with no space for God at all.

So, you find out that founding a church in America is tougher. Over there, if you can deceive people, you will have a large congregation. So, for some of us who have chosen to stand by the truth, it is even tougher. But we are braving the odds because America must be saved.

We have been standing strong because we are a tiny set of people who are bent on hearing the truth.

Our church is not that large but we are moving on. We are infusing the society

The General Overseer of the Christ Anointed Assembly (CAA), Baltimore Maryland, United States of America, Apostle David Olaleye, spoke with Sunday Oguntola on his sojourn in America and why many have lost faith in the church. Excerpts:

•Olaleye with the truth and carrying on.

Did you leave in the first place because God asked you to?

Yes, you recall that I was in the band of Chief Ebenezer Obey in those days. I left to start my gospel band. But God asked me to leave everything and

proceed to America because He said His people have forsaken the truth. Many Nigerians are in America without purpose and vision.

Many of them are motivated by economic considerations and not godly vision. They just want to make the money with no

thought for God. Many who left as Christians have been sunk in by the capitalist system. So, God needs them back and He said He was sending me to them. They are in America without knowing what to do and how to go about it.

Many immigrants there are frustrated and confused.

I hear many complain that most black church founders in America are only able to attract immigrants like themselves and not indigenous America. Is this true?

It is one hundred percent true my brother. This is because you still find racial discrimination in America. Many white Americans, as much as 80 percent of them, do not want to see the blacks.

And if they do not want to see blacks and you establish a church, how will they come? We blacks too, since we realised that they don’t want us, decided to keep to ourselves. Many of them will say it to your face that they don’t want to have anything to do with you.

But sometimes, you find a mixed congregation.

One thing is sure when you see people sent by God, they like to go once they are convinced through your character and conducts.

But churches populated more by immigrants are believed to have no future because the immigrants might leave, making them run down. Do you agree?

I don’t think it is like that. God has promised that He will build His church and the gate of hell will not prevail against it.

As you have immigrants, you also find citizens coming as well. Many immigrants become citizens over time, making them become permanent members. So, people change status every year, meaning churches are preserved by God’s grace.

There is a proposal at the ongoing national conference that religious organisations should start paying tax. What do you make of it?

It should be like it is in America here too. But how

many church leaders live here is giving the society several opportunities to hit the church. Many leaders are spending monies collected in the name of God on personal needs.

Many unbelievers sniff at us these days.

In America, the government is not interested in how you operate. But they ask that churches file their income and expenditure accounts every year.

That makes many churches to be careful of how they spend money.

But here, there is no caution or regulation.

As long as you don’t defraud and live flamboyantly in America, you are fine. But here, the people paying tithes and offering are miserable as against the leaders who live big with mighty mansions and vehicles. They acquire everything at the expense of the people.

You ask yourself if these people are living for themselves or serving God. Because people see of all these, many ministers in Nigeria are marked and under surveillance. It is amazing as much church leaders have acquired in Nigeria. Jesus will never acquire that much. He had many people to cater for.

What is new in your musical career?

In 1980, I released repent, judgement is coming. In 1986, I released command in my name. In 1990, I did we shall make heaven. Then in 1992, I did be watchful. In 1996, it was I’m going with Jesus. I have done I give thanks and I will never forget Jesus. But since I left, there was no one to take care of these albums.

I didn’t even have a marketer. I am just arranging for that now.

Last year, I recorded an album that I will release in November. I am doing the videos and will be adding more soon.

xxx

NEWS

Boko Haram threatens all faiths-cleric

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HE General Overseer of the Christ Salvation Christian Centre Lagos, Prophet Adesoji Abegunde, has stated the radical Islamic sect, Boko Haram, is not just a threat to Christianity but all faiths.

The sect, he said, is not just fighting Christians but all religions in Nigeria.

Abegunde, who was the guest speaker at the 44th birthday and 17th year pulpit anniversary of Bishop Harrison Inam, founder of Power House International Ministries Lagos, stated that all Nigerians must

By Daniel Adeleye

rise to work against the sect’s activities.

He said: “It is no longer reasonable to say Boko Haram is against Christians. Today, they kill Muslims and Christians, including innocent souls.

“The group is against all of us and we have to fight it together as Christians and Muslims.”

Inam called on Nigerians to hold firmly to God to overcome the numerous challenges facing the nation.

He assured that God will make

the nation overcome, pointing out that the current challenges will soon fizzle away.

Pastor (Mrs.) Maria Inam condemned the recent clampdown on newspapers in the country as barbaric and unacceptable.

She pleaded with President Goodluck Jonathan to call his men to order as the media remains voice of the people in any society.

She also prayed for the safe return of the abducted Chibok girls and encouraged their parents to keep hope alive.

Swap Chibok girls for terrorists, Iloh advises FG power do not have the will power

By Ambrose Nnaji

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HE President, Eclectic Network, Rev. Moses Iloh, has advised the Federal Government to consider the proposal of the Boko Haram sect for swapping of the kidnapped Chibok girls for terrorists.

Speaking with reporters in Lagos, Iloh said the country is subjected to what he described as divided attacks, including falsehood, confusion and terror.

According to him, the three phenomena exemplify terror and are fashioned against the defenseless and oppressed populace.

He lamented that most Nigerians in

to confront the hydra-headed problems because they feel insulated.

Iloh called for fervent and unrelenting prayers, saying only these can save the nation.

The Eclectic Network, he said, is an organisation for righteous politics.

He defined politics as the proper management of the affairs of men preferably by the righteous.

The cleric identified corruption as the greatest problem facing the nation, saying nothing should be spared to uproot it.

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WORSHIP

Inter-faith coalition protests in Jos A N inter-faith coalition, The Joint-Action of Student Movements and Concerned Christians and Muslims, last week held a solidarity rally to protest last month’s twin bomb blasts that left over 120 dead in the city.

It also condemned rising terrorism and insecurity across the nation, urging Nigerians to unite against insurgents.

The coalition pasted posters containing names of the abducted Chibok school girls in strategic parts of Jos, calling on the terrorists to release the innocent children.

In a communiqué at the end of the rally, the group condemned the twin bomb blasts and commended “the people of Jos city for shunning every provocation to embark on retaliatory or reprisal attacks.”

The communiqué was signed by the convener, Rev. Gideon Para-Mallam; Uztaz Farouk, Deputy Imam, Nasco Fibre Mosques, Jos; Ahmed Salihu, Secretary, Jos North NACOMYO & Muslim Students Society (MSS) and Mrs. Elizabeth Rimdans.

Some of the groups that participated in the rally include: International Fellowship of Evangelical Students in English and Portuguese Speaking Africa (IFES-ESPA); Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS); Great Commission Movement of Nigeria (GCMN); Christian Research International (CRI) and Nigeria Fellowship of Evangelical Students (NIFES).

Others were: Fellowship of Christian Nurses(FCN); Jama’atu Nasril Islam(JNI); Christian Women For Excellence and Empowerment in Nigerian Society(CWEENS); National Council of Muslim Youths Organizations (NACOMYO); Reconciliation Trainers Africa(RETA); Muslim Students Society(MSS) and

By Sunday Oguntola

The Navigators, Nigeria.

They appealed to security agencies “to be proactive and act swiftly in response to security information received and respond to early warnings.”

The stakeholders also called on parents, teachers and religious leaders to teach younger ones the sanctity of life while also appealing to governments to create special parking areas to avoid cars being parked just anywhere on the roads.

They called for the instal-

lation of security cameras and other such devices to detect criminal activities while encouraging shop owners in commercial areas to install cameras to support government’s efforts.

On the abduction of over 200 Chibok girls, they asked the federal government to ensure the safe return of the girls.

The coalition called for “comprehensive audit of the funds made available to the security agencies and demand a better and more prudent management of approved and disbursed funds as well as increased training and better equipment for the security agencies.”

•The minister-in-charge of Realm of Glory Church Gwarinpa Abuja centre, Pastor Emeka Igwe, assisted by his wife Dr (Mrs.) Peace Igwe to cut his birthday cake… recently.

PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN

When Methodists walked against terrorism T

HE Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence Dr Samuel Uche, stepped down from the pulpit last Sunday to show the activist in him.

It was during a protest rally against the abduction of over 200 Chibok school girls and the worsening insurgency in the country.

Hundreds of the church’s members and priests as well as students from the Methodist Girls Grammar School, Yaba participated in the rally, which took off from the Tinubu Methodist Cathedral in central Lagos.

Bearing placards condemning terrorism and insurgency in the country, the protesters walked through the streets of the church’s environs, calling for peace.

Uche said the march became inevitable considering

By Sunday Oguntola

the callous daily slaughtering and destruction in several parts of the north.

He also condemned the rise of car and suicide bombing, saying the trends were not only alien to Nigeria but totally reprehensible.

While urging members of the Boko Haram sect to cease fire, he warned that the wrath of God will descend on them if they fail to give peace a chance.

The Prelate called on the sect’s members to release the innocent kidnapped girls, saying God will not joke with anybody messing around with such damsels.

He said the girls should be released unharmed because they are innocent and shouldn’t be used as a pawn

WCCA praises church on children’s ministry

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HE World Christian Council Association (WCCA) has praised the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church Ayo Ni O for its commitment to raising godly children.

It said the church’s numerous training and orientation programmes for children are commendable and life-charging.

The WCCA said these measures will help to catch children young and brighten their future.

The group, in a statement by its founder, Primate Ayoola Omonigbehin, said: “The church deserves commendation because of its strides and we should be grateful for what it is doing.”

It thanked the church’s leader, Prophet Gabriel Fakeye, Special Apostle Kunle Agboola and others for supporting children to grow in the Lord.

The Shepherd of children’s ministry, Rev. Shebanjo, stated that the best time to train is in their prime.

in their political chess game.

It was his belief that insurgency lasted this long because Nigerians have distanced themselves from God by relenting in prayers and focusing more on their abilities.

According to him:”God will always hear the prayer of the faithful. Nigerians are not praying enough. Prayer is the weapon of the faithful and we can only achieve results if we are fervent enough in prayer.”

He, however, said the problems would soon be over because God has put it in the minds of Nigerians to pray.

Uche assured all trouble makers that Nigeria will not disintegrate, insisting that democracy has come to stay.

The Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev Dr. Sunday Ajayi, said Boko Haram is a faceless group out to damage the peaceful co-existence existing between Christians and Muslims in the country.

He urged Nigerians irrespective of their religious and tribal inclinations to come together in prayer against the sect.

The Head Girl of the Methodist Girls Grammar School, Miss Ebuzeme Iruchuckwu, said they all came out in solidarity with the kidnapped girls.

She pleaded with the sect to release the girls because they are innocent.

COLUMN

Living Faith

By Dr. David Oyedepo

Unveiling the wonders of thanksgiving! (2)

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AST week, we were exploring the many wonders embedded in thanksgiving, within a broader context of the Mystery of Faith. Further to that teaching, I shall be exploring those wonders that grant us access to a world of dominion.

What are the wonders in Thanksgiving?

The following are some of the wonders embedded in thanksgiving: Preservation of our Blessings: Thanksgiving is the mystery behind the preservation of the blessings of God in our lives. Therefore, if we want our blessings preserved, we must be addicted to thanksgiving.

We must thank God in faith, not casually or religiously but from the depth of our hearts, so that our blessings will not be turned to curses (Malachi 2:1-3; Jeremiah13:15).

Fresh Unction: Thanksgiving is also a covenant gateway to fresh oil. The more thankful we are, the fresher the oil on our head. When the oil on our head is fresh, we are empowered to live an over-comer’s life, because the fresher the oil, the greater our command in the day of battle (Psalms 92:12, 10-11/2 Chronicles 22:7).

On the other hand, with fresh oil we gain greater depth into the truth which empowers us to be more than conquerors in the battles of life (1 John 2:27; Psalms 45:3-5).

Supernatural Restoration: Thanksgiving will restore anything, any day and at anytime, because it carries restoration virtue within it (Habakkuk 3:17-19). Perfection of our Blessings: We cannot enjoy perfection by grumbling and complaining; perfection comes by the mystery of thanksgiving.

Through the mystery of

thanksgiving, whatever may have been damaged in any one’s life experiences perfection because perfection answers to heart–rooted thanksgiving, as it was in the case of the one leper that returned (Luke 17:17-19).

Supernatural Strength: We also understand that everyone that comes into His presence goes from strength to strength.

Therefore, thanksgiving is our visa unto His presence, which makes us go from strength to strength. We are required to enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise (Psalms 84:7; Psalms 100: 4).

Supernatural Fruitfulness: Thanksgiving rejuvenates our system for supernatural fruitfulness. We cannot be joyful and not be ‘praiseful’ and we cannot be ‘praiseful’ and not be fruitful. We don’t say ‘thank you’ with a cold face; every genuine ‘thank you’ is with a smile. Hannah got Samuel by being grateful; Abraham also got Isaac by being grateful, he refused to grumble, complain or murmur, but was strong in faith giving glory to God and that resulted in his supernatural fruitfulness (Romans 4:2021; Psalm 67:5-7).

Signs and Wonders: Thanksgiving is a covenant platform for the eruption of signs and wonders. This was graphically illustrated in John 6, when Jesus gave thanks over five loaves of bread and two fishes, they multiplied supernaturally to feed 5000 men, excluding women and children.

Jesus also gave thanks and Lazarus came out from the grave (John 11:41-43).

Let me conclude with these inspired thoughts on the great subject of Thanksgiving: •To be ‘thought-full’ is to

NEWS

be ‘thankful’ – Psalms 103:1-3 •Ingratitude grieves God and when God is grieved, man becomes vulnerable – Psalms 78:40-42 •If we understand the mystery of thanksgiving, satan will find it difficult to wear us out – Habakkuk 3:1719 •Every complaint only complicates our issues – Psalms 78:40-42 •If we genuinely give thanks, we shall become sweatless mountain-movers, because God will always back us up – Psalms 114:6-7 •To take God for granted is to be grounded – Psalms 78:40-42 •Anything we thank God for, supernaturally multiplies – John 6:11 •When things are happening as expected, give thanks and to keep them happening, give thanks the more – Psalms 135:1-7 •Our enemies are helpless when we become truly thankful– Psalms 60:12 •When we forget God’s benefits, He forgets our needs – Psalms 103:1 •To be thankful is to be ‘winful’ – Psalms 92:1/10-12 •Thanksgiving is a covenant gateway to our high places in life - Habakkuk 3:17-19 Friend, you can access the wonders of thanksgiving when you are born again? You can become a redeemed soul, by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. You can be God’s child now, by saying this prayer: “Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. Deliver me from sin and satan, to serve the Living God. Today, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour.

Thank You, for saving me! Now, I know I am born again!”

I invite you to come and fellowship with us at the Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Ota, the covenant home of Winners. We have four services on Sundays, holding at 6:00 a.m., 7:35 a.m., 9:10 a.m. and 10.45 a.m. respectively.

I know this teaching has blessed you. Write and share your testimony with me through: Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Ota, P.M.B. 21688, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; or call 7747546-8; or E-mail: feedback@lfcww.org

Foundation seeks greater access to education

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OST highly placed Nigerians have certificates but lack education, The Director General, Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Prof Bola Akinterinwa, has said.

He spoke while delivering the 7th Wilson Badejo Foundation (WBF) lecture with the theme: Nigeria, limited education access for the under privileged and the escalation of the incidence of mass poverty: an initiative for positive change in Lagos.

Lamenting the deteriorating access to education among Nigerians, Akinterinwa said there was the need for drastic measures to reverse the trend.

These, he said, should include making education strictly for the concurrent and residual lists to reach the grassroots.

According to him, if states and local government councils

By Tosin Adesile

are given exclusive authorities on education, the sector will witness rapid transformation.

He added that the dwindling enrolment will also give way, allowing Nigerians to gain access.

The imbalance and inequality in the educational sector, he warned, could spell doom for the nation.

“Most of the highly placed personalities we see as educated are merely certificated but not educated. Individuals will steal public fund or get involved in examination malpractices.

“The major determinant of one’s education is contribution and usefulness to the society.”

Akinterinwa said whoever is educated without being of any benefit to the communication is not any better than a stark illiterate.

The deputy governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope- Adefulire, advised parents to take care of their children.

There is no such thing as bad children but bad parents, she submitted.

She said today’s great people great wouldn’t have been where they are if they were not given the opportunity to be educated by their parents.

She frowned at child abuse and said parents turning their children to bread winners will be prosecuted, if caught.

The founder, Dr Wilson Badejo, said the foundation remained committed to granting Nigerians access to educational opportunities.

He hinted that hundreds of scholarships have been granted to brilliant but indigent students to enable them pursue their education.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 2014

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

in fresh war of words Whither Gusau, Amaechi, Wike •Minister: Gov has committed impeachable offences G • ‘Wike is desperate; a failure’ Dasuki magic?

•Contd from page 11

Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and Boko Haram freely came into their own right under the nose of the government of the day.

Today, much is made of the failure of intelligence as one of the reasons the insurgency persists. It is also possible that this failure also contributed to the evolvement of what looked like local rabble-rousers into a rampaging band of terrorists suspected to have links to Al-Qaeda and the international Jihadi networks.

Perhaps it was just about intelligence gathering but also analysis. A misdiagnosis obviously led to the conclusion that this was a group that could be ignored.

Now we know better.

"Is it surprising our girls were abducted and Nigeria's 168 million and our African partners could do nothing about it till AFRICOM and every single foreign nation interested were invited to land in Nigeria," the ENDS boss said to buttress his position that nothing has changed with the emergence of Gusau at the top of the defence hierarchy.

Explaining why he feels the coming of Dasuki as NSA has brought about no magic in the fight against insecurity across the country, Nnamdi Anekwe-Chive, a national security analyst, says it is either the NSA doesn't know what to do or his advice is being ignored by the very man who brought him in to salvage a very bad situation.

"It took the Baga and Bama massacres to arrive at a state of emergency in the north east. So if Baga and Bama had not happened, we would still be exposing Nigerians to Boko Haram's orgy of violence? There has been relative success since the state of emergency but the insurgents have regrouped and continued the strategy of burning down schools, killing teachers and students and raiding communities. It is an indictment on national security that the Boko Haram sect arrived at a school, had all the time in the world to kill and set 50 children ablaze."

The Boko Haram insurgency is not the biggest threat facing the nation there is the ongoing murderous invasion by Fulani herdsmen of villages along their grazing routes and settlements. This is a serious national security crisis that has remained constant across the country. The herdsmen enter villages in the dead of night with AK 47 rifles and machetes, and snuff out the lives of women and children, and set their houses ablaze. Such villages that tend to recover often carry out retaliatory strikes as well.

Anekwe-Chive believes nothing has been achieved by the duo to stop the killings while some may say there are no quick fixes for the sorts of security challenges confronting Nigeria, and that Dasuki and Gusau, who have only been in their roles for a few months, deserve more time to make a change. Unfortunately, such is the pressure for answers that if there is no dramatic change soon critics would be baying for a new set of magicians.

It was that kind of heat that caused the late Gen. Azazi his job when he was perceived to have failed to deliver.

OVERNOR Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and the Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, yesterday launched into a fresh war of words after the minister called for the governor's sack for alleged serial violation of the law.

The Governor's office dismissed Wike's claim, saying he was merely seeking relevance.

The minister who spoke on a radio interview in Port Harcourt said the governor's opponents would not fold their arms and watch him continue to engage in 'impunity'.

"Amaechi is always talking of plans to impeach him. If he has not committed impeachable offences, who will impeach him? He claims to have majority of members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and he is violating the law. Does Amaechi expect us to fold our arms?" he asked.

"An end must come to impunity in Rivers State. The two other arms of government must be independent, but all the three arms must work cooperatively."

On his alleged ambition contest in next year's governorship election in the state, Wike said his main interest is that "PDP must reclaim the Government House in 2015."

He added: "If I want to run for governorship of Rivers State, I am not running because I am an Ikwerre man.

I will be running because the constitution allows me to run; because I am a Rivers person.

"I am qualified as a Rivers man. There is no election in Rivers State, since 1979, where only one ethnic group has ever run. PDP wants a candidate that can win governorship election in Rivers State in 2015.

It has not come to party's primaries. You cannot run election without party's primaries. The candidate must be acceptable. Everybody can run election, but not everybody

From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

can win election. If I want to run election, the first person I will tell is my boss, President Goodluck Jonathan.

He said he has no hand in the crisis over who heads the state judiciary.

"The most senior judge of Rivers State High Court is Justice Daisy Okocha, who should be the Chief Judge. I am not interested in who becomes that Acting or Substantive Chief Judge. My interest is to uphold rule of law and due process," he said.

"The amended Rivers State Judiciary Law, which they claimed to have empowered the Chief Registrar to be assigning cases and performing other administrative duties will be resisted. Some people cannot abide by the rules. Amaechi is the father of impunity. The Chief Registrar is a magistrate and not a judicial officer. How can Chief Registrar be assigning cases to his superiors (judges)? PDP as an opposition party in Rivers State, will not allow that to happen. They are inviting anarchy."

He accused the governor's aides of misleading him.

But contacted, the Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt, Chief Tony Okocha, who doubles as his Political Adviser, said: "Governor Amaechi has not committed any impeachable offence. He does not award contracts.

Contracts are awarded through the Due Process Office. Monorail and KaribiWhyte Hospital projects passed through due process and are ongoing. " Justice Daisy Okocha is not the most senior judge in the Rivers State Judiciary.

Justice Peter Agumagu is the most senior judge in the Rivers State Judiciary and he has been

inaugurated by Governor Amaechi as the substantive Chief Judge.

"Governor Amaechi is a sound mind and a celebrated progressive in all ramifications. His towering personality cannot be dwarfed by those who, at best represent failure, extreme corruption and ignorance.

"Wike is a survivalist, thriving only on mischief.

Having failed as a minister, the only other way of protecting his meal ticket is by instigating confusion, leveraging on his perceived not-too-good relationship between Rivers State and the Federal Government. Wike has shown that he has nothing to offer. As the prodigal, which typifies his lifestyle, he offers himself as a tool to pull down his political mentor (Amaechi), but alas, there is God o. Shame!"

•A member of pro-Russian separatist forces looks through the debris on the outskirts of Lugansk June 14, 2014 of an IL-76 transporter which was taken down by pro-Russian rebels early on June 14. Ukraine's new Western-backed President Petro Poroshenko vowed Saturday to deliver an "adequate response" to pro-Russian rebels who downed a military transport plane, killing 49 troops.

AFP PHOTO / DANIEL MIHAILESCU

Polytechnic Education: A recipe for visionary leadership and governance in Nigeria Continued from page 3 Had the committee had more than a glancing acquaintance with the phenomenon of genuine branding and not the superficial shibboleths of Nigerian officialdom, it ought to have occurred to them that Yaba College of Technology and Kaduna Polytechnic were already successful brands in their own rights. Turning them into “city universities” actually devalues their brand. It is like asking Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Georgia Tech, Imperial College, London School of Economics etc to drop their gloriously unique brands and become universities.

In a remarkable stricture, ASUP noted that the committee was filled with establishment bureaucrats, equal opportunity consultants and other racketeers out to preserve and promote vested interests. In any case, we may wonder, what is the point of adding hordes of glorified graduate illiterates to an already saturated labour market? This can

only compound an already dire situation, fuelling social discontent and ultimately inviting anarchy.

It is noteworthy that while Nigeria was trying to abolish its polytechnics, the Singaporean authorities were strengthening theirs based on a rigorous evaluation of country-specific needs. In a remarkable speech at the closing ceremony of the annual Polytechnic Forum on 8th October 2009, the Minister of Education and Second Minister of Defence, Dr En eng Hen, outlined with engrossing perspicuity the vision behind the retention of polytechnic education in his country.

Among the reasons proffered, four are particularly compelling.

(1)The law of supply and demand. With over 40 percent of the primary cohort demanding for quality polytechnic education, the authorities had no choice but to grant the demand of the populace. (2)The fact that the polytechnic work-force arrive “industry ready” and is

readily available to fill opening vacancies in industries through what is a close symbiotic relationship between the forces of labour and the forces of production. (3)The rate and vigour of what he chooses to call “disruptive technology”. In a rapidly modernizing and increasingly globalised world new technologies intrude into our life on a daily basis which demands the constant upgrading of obsolete curricular and the constant introduction of new courses based on emergent technologies.

For example, a polytechnic in Singapore has begun to offer Bachelors’ degree course in Computer Games Software. There is also a degree programme in Culinary Arts. Finally, there is the need for existing workforce to be retrained, retooled and even re-certificated. Rapidly evolving technology renders a degree obsolete and antiquated during the life time of the degree holder. The cure-all and once-for –all time paper qualification is no longer tenable. A person that

holds a 1979 degree in Computer Science would no longer understand what is going on the profession by 2009.

According to the minister, polytechnics are there for “jobs yet to be invented and challenges not yet foreseen”.

Finally, “being autonomous, these universities can chart their own destiny, differentiate themselves and pursue revolutionary innovations”.

By creating themselves anew, they re-create and reinvent the society on the basis of ceaseless self-surpassing.

This is a radically innovative educational policy based on visionary governance and pro-people policy.

The dynamic is powered by country specific needs and a close study of the Singaporean society and culture. When there is a perfect congruence between the educational policy of a nation and the societal needs, there is a positive equilibrium between the parts and the whole. Little wonder then that within only one

generation, Singapore has moved from the Third World to the First World.

Without innovative thinking, there can be no innovative and cutting edge industry for that matter.

Even transferred technology requires considerable innovative thinking to be “tropicalised” and domesticated. And without revolutionary technological innovations, there can be no expanding economy. Any society caught up in a technological rut will always play host to mass unemployment and a glut of unproductive work force.

This is the basis of Nigeria’s contemporary plight. Let me now begun to tie up the loose ends as we arrive at the conclusion. As we have seen from the above-going, it should now be clear that the virus of unoriginal thinking is more dangerous and potentially more lethal than the virus of unemployment. This is because unoriginal thinking is the original form of unemployment; a critical disengage-

ment of the thinking faculty.

Yes, as we have read from above, Nigeria needs polytechnic education as a recipe for visionary leadership and governance. The can do spirit, the rugged determination, the energetic networking, the constant struggle to improve self-capacity, the urge to pull oneself up by the bootstraps such as we find in the polytechnic community are all heroic ingredients of visionary leadership.

But before these fertile resources can be milked and harnessed for national greatness, Nigeria itself will need a generous dash of visionary leadership to rescue it from the present morass and millennial under-development. I thank you all and wish the graduands the very best in the current circumstances.

Excerpts from the 19 th Convocation Lecture of the Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu, Tuesday, March 8th, 2010

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 2014 CHANGE OF NAME DAVID

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SUNDAY

I, formerly known and addressed as Eleojo Sunday, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Eleojo Victoria Omede. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take.

GBABE

I, formerly known and addressed as Mr. Abe Sunday, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Gbabe Ayo Sunday. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take.

WADA

I,formerly known and addressed as MISS NAOMI AYIBE WADA now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. NAOMI AYIBE PAUL. All former documents remain valid.

General public should please take note.

ALIGA

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Blessing Amarachi Aliga, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Blessing Udo Onuoha. All former documents remain valid. Africa Radio, 104.1 FM, Umuahia and general public should please take note.

ABU

AYENI

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Abu, Rahmat, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Abu Rahmat Abdulkadir. All former documents remain valid.

General public should please take note.

DANLADI

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Tobun Olajumoke Abolanle, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Odude Olajumoke Abolanle. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Adebola Maria Ayeni, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adebola Maria Oshin. All former documents remain valid.

NYSC and general public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Abigail Danladi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Abigail Francis Wasa. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

AKUNEKWE

I, formerly known and addressed as Adaeze Chinyere Akunekwe, now wish to be known and addressed as Adaeze Chinyere Mcarthur. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

TOBUN

AYUBA

CHANGE OF NAME ALLEN I, formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Allen Toyin Blessing, now wish to be known and addressed as Miss Oguntoye, Toyin Blessing. All former documents remain valid.

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AJIBADE I, formerly known and addressed as Ajibade Yetunde Adebola, now wish to be known and addressed as Oluwaleye Yetunde Adebola. All former documents remain valid.

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AYINLA I, formerly known and addressed as Ayinla Sikirat Adejoke, now wish to be known and addressed as Bankole Sikirat Adejoke. All former documents remain valid.

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UKAIGWE I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ukaigwe, Florence Ijeoma, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ohanenye Florence Ijeoma. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public should please take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I, Nwakanma Wisdom, Chinemerem refers to one and the same person. Now wish to be known as Henry Wisdom Chinaemerem. All former documents remain valid. BANKS and general public should please take note.

EMILOJU I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Omowunmi Abosede Emiloju, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Omowunmi Abosede Fatoki. All former documents remain valid.

Microfinance Bank Limited and general public should please take note.

FALEYE I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Faleye, Moduoe Rachael, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adewale, Modupe Rachael. All former documents remain valid. Federal Medical Centre, Ido-Ekiti and general public should please take note.

FAMEEWO I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Fameewo, Atinuke Kehinde, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Olaiya, Atinuke Kehinde. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

ALEGBELEYE I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Alegbeleye, Olaronke Elizabeth, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ogundana, Olaronke Elizabeth. All former documents remain valid. EKReliable Micro Finace bANK, iKOLEEkiti and general public should please take note.

FAPARUSI I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Faparusi, Modupe Ebunoluwa, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Oshundina Modupe Ebunoluwa. All former documents remain valid. Ekiti State Judiciary and general public should please take note.

ADEOTI I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Adeoti, Bamidele Adeola, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Babatunde, Bamidele Adeola. All former documents remain valid. Fidelity bank Plc., Ijigbo, Ado-Ekiti and general public should please take note.

OLANIPEKUN I, formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Olanipekun, Elizabeth Olanike, now wish to be known and addressed as Miss Makinwa, Elizabeth Olanike. All former documents remain valid. Ekiti State Teaching Service Commission and general public should please take note.

ATISO

I, formerly known and addressed as Gbenga Atiso, now wish to be known and addressed as Olugbenga John Ayivi. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

ADEBULE

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Adeola Adebule, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adeola Kolawole. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

AKIM

I, formerly known and addressed as Akim Arowosola Olukayode, now wish to be known and addressed as Akim Olukayode Ismail. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

WARIBEBE

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ayuba, Maryam Joy, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Oladunjoye Maryam joy. All former documents remain valid.

General public should please take.

I,formerly known and addressed as Hannah Kemi Waribebe now wish to be known and addressed as Hannah Kemi Esemu. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Oliva Adanma Nmerukini, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Olivia Adanma Orusa. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as MISS. AMASCHE FOUSTINA OBIAGELI now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. SAMUEL FOUSTINA OBIAGELI. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

NMERUKINI

AMASCHE

CHANGE OF NAME OLAITAN

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Olaitan Folashade Oluwatobi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Folashade Olaitan-Oladeji. All former documents remain valid. Accounting Solutions Limited, Tai-Solarin University of Education and general public should please take note.

ANYAWAH I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Anyawah Joy Nnendah, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Oge-Anele Joy Nnendah. All former documents remain valid.

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AJIBADE I, formerly known and addressed as Ajibade, Yetunde Adebola, now wish to be known and addressed as Oluwaleye Yetunde Adebola. All former documents remain valid.

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IGE I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ige, Opeoluwa Esther, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adebanjo, Esther Opeoluwa.

All former documents remain valid.

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AFOLABI I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Afolabi, “Adewunmi” Roseline, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Oyebade, “Adewumi” Roseline. All former documents remain valid. O.O.U., NYSC and general public should please take note.

OSONAIKE I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Osonaike, Oluwagbemisola Olusayo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Awoyemi, Oluwagbemisola Olusayo. All former documents remain valid.

General public should please take.

ADELEYE I, formerly known and addressed as Adebukola Abiola Adeleye, now wish to be known and addressed as Adebukola Abiola Ayangbile. All former documents remain valid.

General public should please take note.

OLOWU

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Olowu, Esther Funmilayo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adeogun, Esther Funmilayo.

All former documents remain valid.

University of Benin and general public should please take note.

OGUNMAKINJU I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogunmakinju, Abidemi Ronke, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Omotosho, Abidemi Ronke. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

ADEKOYA

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Adekoya, Aderemi Rasida, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ohiolei Joshua Aderemi Rasida. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

ADEWUMI

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Adewumi, Omotayo Margaret, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ajayi, Omotayo Margaret. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public should please take note.

EZEBUIRO

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Chinenye Ezebuiro, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Chinenye Ibiwari Sunju Epelle. All former documents remain valid.

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NWANKWO

I, formerly known and addressed as Okey Nwankwo, now wish to be known and addressed as Okechukwu Nwankwo. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

AGWU

I, formerly called Agwu Elesie Agwu now wish to be addressed as Chukwuka Elesie.

All former documents remain valid.

Supreme Court of Nigeria, Nigeria Bar Association, Nigeria Law School, Abia State (formerly Imo State) University, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry to note.

OGUNYEMI I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogunyemi Bolaji Olufunmilayo now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adebiyi Bolaji Olufunmilayo. All former documents remain valid.

General public should please take note.

AMUKPUME I, formerly known and addressed as Miss.

EUNICE NKECHI AMUKPUME, now wish to be known as Mrs. EUNICE NKECHI ONYEMA UCHENDU. All former documents remain valid general public please take note.

AKINLAGUN

I,formerly known and addressed as Omobolanle Akinlagun now wish to be known and addressed as Omobola Akinlagun. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I, ORIAKHI MONDAY refers to one and the same person as ORIAKA MONDAY. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

AKPAGU

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogunbela Bukola Arinola, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Oshineye Bukola Arinola. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

FAKOREDE I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Omolola Christianah Fakorede now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Omolola Christianah Alfonso. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

ALABI I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Alabi Grace Adenike now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Kolawole Grace Adenike.. All former documents remain valid.

General public should please take note.

ADEBAYO I,formerly known and addressed as Adebayo Yusufu now wish to be known and addressed as MathewAdebayo Awoyemi. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

IGE I,formerly known and addressed as Oluwasesan Samuel Ige now wish to be known and addressed as Oluwasesan Samuel Aina. All former documents remain valid.

General public should please take note.

AKANMU I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Akanmu Abiola Bukola now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Azeez Abiola Bukola. All former documents remain valid.

Ministry of Justice Abere Osun State and general public should please take note.

OGUNDIRAN I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogundiran Christana Kemi now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adeyemi Christana Kemi. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

OGUNSANWO I,formerly known and addressed as Mr. Oladapo Isaac Ogunsanwo now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Oladipupo Isaac Ogunsanwo. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

OSISANYA I formerly known and addressed as OSISANYA IBUKUN ABRAHAM, now wish to be known and addressed as ONASANYA IBUKUN ABRAHAM. All former documents remain valid. The general public take note.

OGUNBEKUN I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogunbekun Olubunmi Zainab now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adekanmbi Olubunmi Zainab. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

AGBOOLA I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Agboola Taiwo Christianah now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Dahunsi Taiwo Christianah. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

OSISANYA I formerly known and addressed as OSISANYA OLUSHINA BAMIDELE, now wish to be known and addressed as ONASANYA ADETUNJI DANIEL. All former documents remain valid. The general public take note.

OSISANYA I, formerly known and addressed as OSISANYA OLUTOLA SAMSON, now wish to be known and addressed as ONASANYA OLUTOLA OLUWATOYIN SAMSON . All former documents remain valid. The general public take note.

AGWUNCHA I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Cassandra Nkechi Agwuncha, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Cassandra Nkechi F. Maduenyi. All former documents remain valid. The general public take note.

OLUBODE I,formerly known and addressed as OLUBODE NATHANIEL, now wish to be known and addressed as OLUMODEJI OLUBODE NATHANIEL. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

ASUQUO I,formerly known and addressed as Eyibio Nora Bassey Asuquo, now wish to be known and addressed as Nobei Nora Bassey. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

ORIZU I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Orizu Ginika Gloria now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Okeke Ginika Gloria. All former documents remain valid.

General public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ibeson Joy Njideka, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Elendu Joy Njideka. All former documents remain valid. Ecobank PLC, Lagos State University and general public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Ngozi Annette Okorie, now wish to be known and addressed as Ngozi Annette Odilinye. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Akpagu Nmasinachi Mercy now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Daniel Mercy Nmasinachi. All former documents remain valid, Abia state University and Isuikwuato Local government Mbalano and general public should please take note.

OGBONNAM

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogbonnam Peace now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Peace Martins Ariwolo. All former documents remain valid, general public should please take note.

EMERURU

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Emejuru Immaculate Amarachi. Now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Amarachi Immaculate Maduabuchi. All former documents remain valid, NYSC and general public should please take note.

OGBUJI

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss. CHISARA BEATRICE OGBUJI, now wish to be known as Mrs. OKORO CHISARA BEATRICE. all former documents remain valid general public please take note.

APANMBAK

I, formerly known and addressed as Barr.

OFONIME UKO APANMBAK. now wish to be known as Barr. Mrs. OFONIME NSIKAN BASSEY. All former documents remain valid. NDDC. and the general public please take note.

NWAKAMMA

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss. NWAKAMMA EUCHARIA NKECHI, now wish to be known as Mrs. ONYEJEGBU EUCHARIA NKECHI. All former documents remain valid general public please take note.

POPOOLA

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss. POPOOLA FOLASADE ABIOLA, now wish to be known as Mrs. FAGOROYE FOLASADE ESTHER ABIOLA. All former documents remain valid general public please take note.

OKERE

I formerly known and addressed as Miss. OKERE MAUREEN AMARACHI, now wish to be known as Mrs. MICAH MAUREEN AMARACHI. All former documents remain valid general public please take note.

ENWEREM

I formerly known and addressed as Miss. ENWEREM NKEIRUKA FAVOUR, now wish to be known as Mrs. FAVOUR UBI EKABUA. All former documents remain valid general public please take note.

BARDE

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss. GRACE THOMAS BARDE, now wish to be known as Mrs. GRACE NUHU YERO. All former documents remain valid general public please take note.

OFOR

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss. UZOAMAKA STELLA OFOR, now wish to be known as Mrs. UZOAMAKA STELLA UGWULEBO. All former documents remain valid general pubic please take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME SUNDAY BANUNA and SUNDAY MENE-TEE, refers to one and the same person, now wish to be known as SUNDAY MENE-TEE. All former documents remain valid general public please take.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I, UDENSI GRACE UGOMMA and UDENSI GRACE refers to one and the same person. All former documents remain valid.

UNIPORT and general public please take note.

OKPE

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS OKPE CHINWENDU J. now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. WOJI CHINWENDU J. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

BAKARE

I, formerly known and addressed as Mrs Bakare Lawunmi Labisi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ismail Lawunmi Labisi. All former documents remain valid.

General public should please take note.

OGUNBELA

NJIDEKA

KUDEHINBU-FOLASADE

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Kudehinbu-Folasade Mary, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs KudehinbuAjayi Folasade Mary. All former documents remain valid. IKEDC and general public should please take note.

OKORIE

ADVERT:Simply produce your marriage certificate or sworn affidavit for a change of name publication, with just N4,500. The payment can be made through - FIRST BANK of Nigeria Plc. Account number - 2017220392 Account Name VINTAGE PRESS LIMITED Scan the details of your advert and teller to gbengaodejide@yahoo.com orthenation.advert@gmail.com.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

76

Prayer and the prosperity hustle (3)

T

HE following conclusion is devoted to reflections on two principal issues that have emerged from this essay. The most compelling issue is the transformation of religion, such that it is now practically preoccupied NOT with spirituality, promotion of virtue, or enhancement of values, but with the marketing, and gullibly investing in, spurious blessings and “prophetic visions” of prosperity. The second issue concerns the patent failure of clerical pretensions to bring about the arrival of the millennium, at least for the faithful. Arising from this failure is the unwillingness/inability of political executives, the elite and believers in general to see the manifest futility of expecting supernatural resolution, through the agency and magic of prayers, of the omnibus problems of the Nigerian world, including individual preoccupations and aspirations.

The memorable transformation in religion itself began some three decades ago, when a corpus of beliefs enshrined in the Prosperity Gospel assumed a new “spiritual” salience among the Christian faithful in Africa. These beliefs, which could be likened to the shell rather than the kernel of the Christian faith concern, essentially, Judeo-Christian mythologies and superstitions about God and the Hebrew patriarchs. They also include the “miracles” (but not the teaching, especially on values) of Jesus. These mythologies have long been viewed in the Western world, which brought Christianity to Africa, as allegories, at best, as distinct from the essential values of the faith.

Incidentally, it was on the bedrock of these values, ideals, and ethic, rather than on superstitious doctrines that Western civilisation was founded. In Africa, by contrast, prosperity teaching uses the myths of abundant blessings believed to have been bestowed on the patriarchs, as well as the “miracles” of Jesus to practically transform Christianity into magic for conjuring supernatural solutions to mundane problems. In the process, quintessential religious values and ideals have been compromised, relegated, and rendered somewhat irrelevant by the vogue for deploying faith and rituals to serve worldly aspirations for success.

Moreover, the ProsperityGospel, neo-Christian doctrine itself, which originated in the United States, has had the effect of instituting a new slavery in Africa – the intellectual subjection of the mind to the bondage of ancient Judeo-Christian superstition. This has compounded contemporary African prescientific worldview with Semitic/Christian biblical weltanschauung. Hence, the thinking that views the Hebrew/Christian scriptures as practically dictation by God himself to authors who were merely doing automatic writing, and hence the weird beliefs in demons and other malevolent powers. Thus, biblical mythologies, neo-Christian doctrines, and appropriately conditioned worldview have all combined to form the basis of the faith in prayer as incantation or ritual formula for resolving earthly prob-

•Christian worshippers

By G.A. Akinola

lems. More significantly, as the pursuit of prosperity became a universal passion, it gradually led to commercialisation of religion under the pretext of evangelisation. It also gave rise to emergency pastors. It was thus only a question of time before the influence of prosperity preaching by clerics, not to mention these same clerics’ increasingly questionable activities and conduct, began to be felt in society at large.

Even the undiscerning Nigerian ruler will sometimes acknowledge that instability has become a feature of the country’s life, and that there is a crisis of values. But there is always a stock prescription for abiding problems like failure of governance and abuse/decay of institutions, or for manifestations of anomie like socialcapital bankruptcy, child trafficking/baby factory industries, plus armed robbery and kidnapping, not to mention liberalised king corruption.

That prescription is: the clerics should redouble their praying efforts. Yet, practically every recourse to invocation of supernatural intervention, either by individuals or the nation, is occasioned by, or related to, failure of governance, misrule, or abuse of power. The socioeconomic consequences of all these are, however, wont to be represented by the clerical class as “spiritual” issues solvable by prayers, thereby making religion a specious alibi/diversion away from the real nature of the problems and their socioeconomic roots .

But this is not to say that transformation and commercialisation of religion, or its being virtually denuded of values, is the sole, or even the main, cause of the problem of values. Indeed, wherever there are clerical pretensions to solving socio-economic problems there is already failure of governance and socio/moralcapital deficit. However, under good rulership and relative socio-economic stability, there is minimal corruption. Thus, it is failure of governance, rather than abuse of religion per se, that has the utmost potential

to breed corruption and breakdown of values. Think, for example, about politics and the violence and murders committed or the fraud perpetrated in the course of prosecuting political ambition? Or, how can one discount the effect on values of a booty-economy in which institutionalised groups of quasi bandits in agbada or white collars, as well as freelance marauders known as militants share/loot unearned proceeds from the petroleum industry? Consider, also, the various corrupt practices and looting of the kind that has paralysed the Ajaokuta steel complex, the automobile industry, and the textile mills. Or reflect on how national assets have been shared out, and “oil blocks” distributed among the oligarchy, while V.I.P oil thieves undercut projected revenue from petroleum and bureaucrats loot billions of naira in pension funds. Is the nexus between these brazen crimes and the attitude of the average Nigerian as manifested in oil pipeline vandalisation, stealing of electric cables and stripping of public installations not clear enough? Why do employees in private businesses and small-scale enterprises act like termites, eating the innards of the companies in which they work until such companies collapse? What accounts for a culture that breeds cheating, unreliable artisans and technicians, as well as drug peddlers and internet scam artists?

The answer, I daresay, is that Nigeria has become a predatory jungle in which, unlike in the animal kingdom, people devour their own kind; a society without a sense of community, or of a public good. There is also a tendency for the attitude of political executives, from president to governor and chairman of local government councils (who live like Arab sheikhs) to influence the behaviour of those who voted them into office, but continue to subsist in squalor and degrading poverty. In sum, the prevailing societal values are principally a reflection of public morality as defined and debased by the ruling elite and people in public

life in general.

The role of religion in Nigeria’s value and moral morass is, nevertheless, considerable. Firstly, there is the all-too-common and self-serving use of sacred scriptures, interpreted and presented as empirical truth, to promote in believers, through relentless goading, a craving for success and wealth at all costs. Second is the vaunting of the putative ability of clerics to induce divine intervention for peace and prosperity in the country, despite the patent failure of such pretensions. Yet, the elite, to the consternation of discerning observers, do not cease to endorse this clerical salvationist posturing. For an institution that has become so corruptive to lay claim to being the answer to the prevailing moral crisis, and for such claim to be taken seriously even by the clerical establishment’s political allies, is a measure of the danger inherent in popular religion in contemporary Nigeria. The point is not so much that religious leaders seldom preach values nowadays, whatever such preaching might be worth. The problem is that the more powerful and influential charismatic preachers are as mired in corruption as their political allies.

One of these princes of the church is reported to have obtained import duty exemptions for his business empire during Obasanjo’s reign. In fact, according to a newspaper columnist “one of the country’s most popular and powerful Pentecostal leaders… has made securing the freedom of one of the [failed bank executives]… the power point of his denominational prayers, prayers that he has reportedly repeatedly also taken to President Jonathan in person”, soliciting “a ‘soft landing’ for my son in Jesus.”

Incidentally, the Pentecostal leader himself “and his church had benefited immensely” from the accused bank executive. (Tunde Fagbenle, “Sanusi’s removal: Lessons and import” Punch 23 Feb. 2014, back page).

The exploitative and other activities of charismatic

preachers of popular religion have increasingly tended towards criminality. Unemployment has made religion a haven for all sorts of unscrupulous characters posing as pastors. More dangerous still, are Muslim/Christian “spiritualists” who perform occult rituals for “deliverance” and magic money. The most successful and respectable churches are also flourishing business empires acquired through questionable means.

Yet these assets are usually controlled and owned solely by the preacher-founder. The men of God’s fabulous lifestyle, their stage-managed miracles and “spiritual’ scams, and the hawking of prayers, blessings and “prophetic” visions of prosperity, are simply incompatible with commitment to their advertised evangelical objectives. But even if the clerical establishment were applying religion to advance the cause of sociospiritual values, little would be achieved without the critical role of social institutions and political leadership.

Teaching and inculcation of moral and other values originated in the social institutions of family, community, and society before religion came to systematise, sacralise, and somewhat mystify them. In other words, customary mores and taboos, community social regulations, as well as society’s means of inculcating civic values while enforcing law and order, remain the foundation of all values. This is not to deprecate religion’s role in moral reform, or in the stoppage of barbaric cultural practices and institutions. However, it is necessary to observe that what obtains in Nigeria is a diversionary manipulation of religion by rulers for the avoidance of doing the needful at the state level to rehabilitate and strengthen values through personal examples, by building strong institutions, by enthroning equity and justice and by discouraging impunity. These are the cardinal roles of leadership that Nigerian rulers presume to foist on prayers. For example, successive presidents have avoided resolving the

nation-building problems of equity of political structures and power sharing while hypocritically invoking divine powers for peace and stability.

But as Solon, the Athenian statesman once said, it is human beings themselves, and not the gods, that establish the institutions and the atmosphere that conduce to eunomie or peace and stability, under the auspices of the divine natural order.

However, the limitation of our rulers in intellect and character, not to mention their hypocrisy and perverse vested interest in the status quo, are impediments against stabilising reforms. Probably equally important is that rulers and the people who exercise authority are unaware that their comportment in office has a bearing on morality and societal values. This is why a president should not condone his minions engaging in systematic destabilisation of a state government, while he is himself hopping from one pulpit to another parroting platitudinous homilies and asking for prayers for peace. Some years ago, PHCN was blatantly charging a fraudulent fee for “meter maintenance”. Today, driving licenses are being changed, and people are forced to re-register previously duly registered motor vehicles.

Motorists are also forced to pay fees for some of which there are no receipts, and under chaotic circumstances that encourage petty corruption. Certificates of road worthiness are required, even for virtually brand new cars, while vehicles issued such certification generally underwent no tests whatsoever. Thus, for the sake of “generating revenue”, docile citizens are routinely swindled, and the very essence of FRSC regulations, namely safety on the roads, is cynically undermined, perhaps right from very high levels of government. Can prayers avert the corruption and veiled danger inherent in arbitrary and whimsical exercise of executive authority like the above?

What essentially, then, has the practical transformation of religion into a means of evoking divine favours for comprehensive prosperity for all so far achieved? For religious entrepreneurs, especially those “men of God” who have become imperators of business empires, it has been truly a “breakthrough” to untold wealth, power and influence.

However, as for clerical assurances of mass prosperity by divine intervention, the growing scourge of mass destitution is an eloquent enough comment.

Above all, the craze for material things, and for success at all costs has undermined all values and liberated corruption from virtually all social and moral restraints. Part 4 takes up the second major issue arising from this essay, namely, the question whether human endeavours, adversities, and vicissitudes, as well as national peace and stability, are subjects that, given 21st Century understanding of natural processes, can be miraculously resolved through the invocation of supernatural powers.

G.A. Akinola New Bodija, Ibadan March, 2014

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2014

77

QUOTABLE “It is imperative for us all as members of the APC to put the interest of the party far and above our individual aspirations because to do otherwise would be akin to putting the cart before the horse.”

SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 2014 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL. 8, NO. 2881

—Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, at the National Convention of the All Progressives Congress.

W

HILE presenting a security briefing to their Nigerian counterparts last Tuesday, visiting Sri Lankan military chiefs led by their Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya, suggested that Nigeria could borrow a leaf from the strategies the Indian Ocean Island country used to defeat terrorism on its soil. If the response of the Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh, is anything to go by, the Nigerian military may be actively considering adopting aspects of the Sri Lankan war strategy that led to the defeat of Tamil Tigers after more than 26 years of civil war and militancy. It is not clear who invited the Sri Lankans to make the presentation, or whether their presentation was unsolicited. From the body language of the visitors and their Nigerian hosts, however, it seems that what caught the attention of the Nigerians is the last stage of the Sri Lankan anti-terror war that lasted between 2006 and 2009, and in particular the Sri Lankan military doctrine of “Total Security.”

The Nigerian military reacts testily to unfavourable public opinion, particularly in regards to its capability and tactics after just five years of fighting Boko Haram insurgents. Their Sri Lankan visitors fought a 26-year civil war. But testy or not, with the hint given by Air Chief Marshall Badeh that Nigeria could adopt aspects of the Sri Lankan strategy, this column would like to caution the military to reflect a little more, especially in view of its widely despised assault on civil liberties. According to a statement by the military, Air Chief Marshall Badeh had last Tuesday said: “The Nigerian military is seriously considering the counterinsurgency experience of the Sri-Lankan military with a view to identifying those areas that could be operationally beneficial to Nigeria in its battle to defeat terrorism.”

Comparisons are odious, say the British. It may therefore be necessary for the Nigerian military to take a holistic view of the Sri Lankan War in order to understand its beginnings, its course and its end before embarking on adoptions and adaptations.

Some four countries are lending Nigeria a helping hand in combating terrorism and in the effort to rescue the more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram since April 15. None of the four has

Boko Haram: Sri Lankan strategy has its pitfalls made a presentation like the Sri Lankans have done.

So, if the Indian Ocean country is being given a hearing by the Nigerian military, it may suggest that something may already be afoot, especially in the direction of the socalled Total Security, or in the words of President Goodluck Jonathan, Total War. But the Sri Lankan strategy portends grave danger. It must be emphasised that neither the Sri Lankans nor their Nigerian counterparts are talking about military tactics.

They are talking about strategy. And as far as strategy goes, a number of elements cannot and must not be discountenanced in planning the defeat of Boko Haram, if Nigeria is not to end up complicating and worsening the anti-terror war.

Sri Lanka may have defeated the terrorist Tamil Tigers in 2009, but that country’s democratic credentials remain suspect, with no prospect for a change for the better anytime soon. In fact the consensus is that the 26-year civil war “undermined democracy and eroded the rule of law.” The United Nations (UN) estimates that some 12,000 people detained by Sri Lankan security forces have disappeared, and are presumed murdered by the state. Sri Lanka acknowledges that about half of the detainees

have died. The civil war itself cost about 80,000 to 100,000 lives, about half of them civilians. The UN reckons that serious rights abuses were perpetrated by both sides in the war, abuses the world body appears set to investigate to establish war crimes.

Sri Lanka may have defeated Tamil insurgency, but it is a country with a population of less than 21 million, a little more populous than Lagos State. In addition, its demographic make-up is infinitely less complex.

With more than 70 percent Sinhalese majority and less than 12 percent Tamil, the civil war was a straightforward Sinhalese versus Tamil conflict. Nigeria’s ethnic and religious pastiche is on the other hand problematically complex, a situation Boko Haram has more imaginatively exploited and aggravated.

Total War or Total Security may seem sound on paper, in reality, however, the Nigerian anti-terror war calls for a much deeper understanding of the issues involved and a scientific approach to solving it. Unfortunately, like the Iraqi insurgency, every step the Nigerian government and military have taken so far has worsened the conflict.

Moreover, the Nigerian military must ap-

Jonathan’s obsession with ‘negative forces’

P

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan’s speech at the All-Political Parties Summit in Abuja last week took Nigerian politics to an abysmal low as it blamed everyone else but himself and his party for the country’s parlous state. It is now obvious that with every speech he makes, many of them spontaneous, inappropriate and misconceived, Nigerians feel more forlorn than ever. “There are still very remorseless anti-democratic forces operating in the political system, ever ready to exploit lapses in the management of our political and electoral processes,” the president began bafflingly. And he went on to predict that some of those forces, whose lifestyle he found objectionable, could endanger “the nation’s hard-won democratic liberty.” Mercifully, he never claimed to number among those who fought for that liberty, nor has he ever in any of his speeches given indication that he recognised the philosophical underpinnings of that liberty, let alone be willing, in accordance with the oath he took on assumption of office, to defend and uphold the constitution. A pointer to his miscomprehension of the concept of democratic liberty, as he put it, is his unconscionable and “remorseless” assault on the media.

Appealing to people he called “dear compatriots”, the president spoke of his resolve and that of the country “never to allow these negative forces to prevail,” especially with the 2015 elections around the corner.

But apart from the Boko Haram menace, the president does not appear to illustrate the negative forces he so glibly spoke about.

Surely, he could not mean his critics, the political opposition, and the media, for these

•Mu’azu (PDP chair- •Oyegun (APC chairman) man)

other groups have proved more resolute in defending civil rights than he and his conservative, if not entirely reactionary, aides and supporters. But the president was not done.

“The current national political outlook with regards to inter-party collaboration is less than salutary,” he said timidly. “Indeed, the conduct and utterances of leading politicians at home and abroad are rapidly creating and spreading unnecessary tension in the country. Such unguarded utterances on their part fan the embers of discord, bitterness and rancour. Such unfortunate development plays into the hands of extremist elements waging a vicious campaign of terror against the state.” It is all but clear where the military got its inspiration to assault the “democratic liberty” the president so casually referred to. He is obsessively angered by criticisms, having once described himself hyperbolically as the most abused president in the world. In his worldview, “unguarded utterances” rather than atrocious and ill-considered policies, repression, injustice etc. give fillip to insurgency and foster rancour and bitterness. It is hard to resist the temptation to

throw up one’s hands in frustration.

But worse was still to come. “We must never politicise the fundamentals and core imperatives of defending the state,” argued the president pretentiously. “Doing so can only embolden the terrorists and other enemies of our republics who will seek to employ any perceived political and social division for their nefarious ends.” It is not clear where the president got the idea that his critics had politicised the imperative of defending the country against insurgency. The problem, we all know, is his government’s unresponsiveness to the insurgency, his appalling misreading of the revolt, and his general refusal to inspire both the military and the country to fight. These are the things that draw everyone’s ire.

What the president wants is a docile society upon which to build a lazy construct of governance. Neither he nor his distracted military will get that kind of society, not even if they destroy the constitution to which they have been serially unfaithful. His deadpan that “Our political parties must remain positive and constructive in their engagements as we seek to build virile and stable nation that can compete with other states in the world” is all the more inappropriate for the simple reason that in his more than four years in office, Dr Jonathan has not given us a concise description of the virile and stable nation he yearns for. We can find no such vision in his speeches and actions. All we see is a bitter and rancorous president allergic to opposition and criticism, a president determined to shred the fabric that knits the Nigerian society together and willing to deploy all security forces at his disposal to reduce the country to a groveling and pitiable giant. He can rest assured we will not oblige him.

preciate the causes of the Sri Lankan Civil War in order to understand whether its lessons and solutions can be adapted in any way to the Nigerian situation. The political elite of the Sinhalese majority bear the larger responsibility for the beginnings of the Tamil revolt. Like Ukraine, not only did they enact insensitive language laws (The Sinhala Only Act) and other cultural, educational and political laws that discriminated against Tamils (Policy of Standardisation and the 1978 Constitution that gave preference to Buddhism), they also ignored all avenues to make peace before the problem got out of hand. Up till now, the lessons of that war have still not been fully learnt, nor has peace led to greater freedoms and deeper democratic practices. It is however understandable why Sri Lanka inspires the Nigerian military. Given the Nigerian military’s assault on the media in the past one week, and the active connivance of the Jonathan presidency, it is clear it is as uninterested in democracy as the Sri Lankan military and government have continued to restrict civil liberties.

Before adapting the Sri Lankan strategy, it is hoped that Nigeria’s military chiefs had received full briefings from their visiting counterparts. It is hoped they understood the shifting roles India played in the war, before and after Tamils assassinated exPrime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, how India, through its peace keeping force, the IPKF, changed sides in the conflict many times, including sometimes fighting on the side of the Tamils and supplying them weapons and also fighting on the side of the Sri Lankan Army when they thought it expedient. India, which has a Tamil (Nadu) State, does not of course want a Tamil country on its Southeast coast. It is hoped that the Nigerian military understands the geopolitical considerations of that war. It is also hoped that Nigeria understands that Sri Lanka’s Total Security cannot be replicated in Nigeria without dire consequences. The Boko Haram war can of course be won, but it is not by adopting the Sri Lankan strategy. For a nation of about 160 million, Nigeria would be sailing near the wind to adopt the war strategy of a country where in a base population of about 20m, 70 percent Sinhalese population, roughly speaking, faced about 11 percent Tamil population.

The Nigerian military should look inwards for explanation for the failure of its strategy in the Boko Haram war. Rather than hunt the media in an objectionable affront to the constitution, and accuse those who criticise its failure to fight a clinical war of lack of patriotism, it should ask itself why it has been unable to devise successful war tactics against insurgents it claims to have restricted to a forest of about 600 sq km. The Boko Haram insurgency resembles the Iraqi insurgency in their adoption of guerrilla tactics. The Sri Lankan conflict, notwithstanding rampant terror attacks, was mainly a conventional military/secessionist rebellion. If the Americans with all their military and technological might failed in Iraq and left the country a seething cauldron, why does Nigeria think it can use the tactics of conventional war to pulverize guerrilla insurgents? After its 2009 debacle, Boko Haram has refused to let itself be pinned down in a conventional war. Against whom, therefore, will the Nigerian military declare total war?

It is embarrassing that Nigerian commanders cannot formulate a unique, homegrown strategy that takes into consideration the country’s cultural, religious and political configurations, a strategy that promotes its latent ambition to lead Africa. By fishing for strategies and inspiration in farflung places like Sri Lanka, Nigeria gives the depressing impression of a country in precipitous decline, one lacking in vision and ambition for the future. The Boko Haram war should be fought without eroding civil liberties, and without endangering the constitution. There should be enough first class brains in the military to forge the right mix and temper of strategies to carry out the objective. If Dr Jonathan is unable to understand this, his brilliant commanders, if he has them, should educate him.

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