The Nation June 17, 2015

Newspaper of the Year

•Man, 51, remanded for raping corps member to death •Ramadan: New moon likely today, says govt agency •My two weeks in captivity, by freed Ondo Regent •Hope rises for Delta Steel as new investor takes over •Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

VOL. 10, NO. 3248 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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•INSIDE: EGYPT COURT UPHOLDS OUSTED PRESIDENT MORSI’S DEATH SENTENCE P59

Buhari to probe Jonathan’s $9.7m failed arms contract President: I’ll kill corruption From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

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HAT actually went wrong with the $9.7m arms deal? Why was the cash flown to South Africa from Nigeria?Was the money, which South Africa impounded, actually meant for arms purchase?

These are some of the questions which will soon be answered.

President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to probe the Goodluck Jonathan administration’s deal.

He is to take up the issue with President Jacob Zuma.

The cash was seized by South African security men last September as it was being transferred into their country on a private jet by agents of the Federal Government.

Former President Jonathan’s government claimed that the money was mearnt to puchase arms from private companies in South Africa.

According to the government, Nigeria resorted to private puchase of arms to fight Boko Haram because the United States declined to sell arms to the country, in addition to persuading its allies not to allow sale of arms and ammunition to the country.

But eyebrows were raised about the manContinued on page 4

•ON FIRE: An illegal refinery destroyed by naval officers in Warri, Delta State...yesterday. STORY ON PAGE 12

PHOTO: BOLAJI OGUNDELE

Saraki’s election unacceptable, says Abdulsalami panel

W •Rev. Kukah

ITH the Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakarled National Peace Committee declaring Senate President Bukola Saraki’s and Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu’s elections “unacceptable”, the bitter row sparked by the exercise

From Olugbenga Adanikin, Abuja

may take some time to go away.

The committee faulted the process that led to the election of the key principal officers of the Senate in a statement signed by the Convener, Bish-

Governors seek bailout for states

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LL Progressives Congress (APC) governors last night made a strong case for a bailout for cashstrapped states to enable them pay outstanding workers salaries.

No fewer than 16 governors met at the

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WILL THE CHIBOK GIRLS EVER RETURN?

Imo State Liaison Office in Abuja for over five hours under the auspices of the Progressives Governors’ Forum.

Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha is the

From Tony Akowe, Abuja

chair of the Forum.

The governors in May requested then President-elect Muhammadu Buhari to consider some financial assistance to the states because of their dwindling allocations caused by falling oil prices.

Okorocha told reporters last night that the governors were worried about the state of the economy.

He said: "We the governors of the Continued on page 4

op Hassan Mathew Kukah.

The National Peace Committee 2015 played a pivotal role in ensuring peaceful elections. The group facilitated a peace pact between former President Goodluck Jonathan and his then challenger President Muhammadu Buhari to

douse the tension in the land ahead of the crucial general elections.

The group also spearheaded the post-election peace management.

Apart from Gen. Abubakar, a former Head of State, and Rev. Kukah, who is the Cath-

olic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, other members of the group are: Former Chief of General Staff (CGS) Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, former Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) President Mrs Priscilla Kuye, Abuja ArchContinued on page 4 •From left: Caroline Elkins, Director, Center for African Studies, Harvard University, Dr. Emmanuel Kachikwu, Executive Vice – Chairman, ExxonMobil Upstream Affiliates in Nigeria and Paul Arinze, General Manager, Public and Government Affairs, ExxonMobil Upstream Affiliates in Nigeria during the Harvard Alumni visit to ExxonMobil Head office in Lagos …yesterday.

•METROPOLITAN POLICE REPORT EXONERATES BABALAKIN OVER IBORI’S JET P5

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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NEWS

Why U.S.‘ll spend $5m to battle Boko Haram, by envoys •Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) Chairman Ledum Mitee flanked by Chairman, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Board, Clare Short (left) and NEITI’s Executive Secretary Hajia Zainab Ahmed at a meeting with the EITI delegation in Abuja...yesterday.

United States (U.S.) delegation to the African Union (AU) Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, including Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield; Ambassador Reuben Brigety, Representative of the United States to the AU and U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Economic Commission of Africa; and U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan Ambassador Donald Booth, briefed reporters on the battle against insurgency and others.

W •Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Managing Dierctor Babs Omotowa flanked by his deputy, Isa Mohammed Inuwa (left) and Chairman, Badagary Ship-Repair Marine Engineering Consortium (BSMEC), Dr. Taiwo Afolabi at the signing of a $1.7 b Memoradum of Understanding (MoU) on a dockyard facility by NLNG, Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI).

PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

•Director-General, National Agency for Food, Drug, Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Dr. Paul Orhil, flanked by Director, Veterinary Medicine and Allied Product, Dr. Buka Ali Usman and National President, Poultry Association of Nigeria, Dr. Ayoola Oduntan at a news briefing on the consumption of unwholesome smuggled poultry products at the NAFDAC Office in Oshodi, Lagos...yesterday.

PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS

•President, Youth Initiative for Sustainable Human Development in Africa, Mr Joseph Yaba (right); President, World Bank Children Forum, Miss Peace Chiejine and Chief Executive Officer, Connected Development, Mr Hamzat Lawal at on the anniversary of the “Day of the African Child” in Abuja...yesterday.

ITH the renewed commitment of Nigeria and its neighbours to combat Boko Haram, what specific assistance is the U.S. offering?

We have been working with Nigeria, as well as other countries in the region, to address their concerns about Boko Haram, because we don’t see this as just a Nigerian problem.

And with the new government, we are having discussions with them on how we might bolster our support.

That said, we have already been working with them on providing information, providing some training and support, and we look to, with this new administration, to see how we might increase the level of support that we are providing to Nigeria.

At the same time, we have just announced since I have been here at the AU, a $5 million contribution to the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF). This is funding going to the AU. We are also providing some equipment and support, and we had a number of meetings with the countries who are members of the Multinational Task Force to look at other areas that we might support.

How does Washington view President Buhari’s statement at the AU that Africa is under siege?

Africa has faced some really horrific terrorist acts over the past few years.

The Westgate attacks that took place in Kenya; the recent attack in Garissa in Kenya; the Boko Haram attacks that led to the kidnapping of almost three hundred young girls and Boko Haram’s continued attacks, including the most recent one in Chad, today (Monday). So, while I will not say that Africa is under siege, Africa has some major security challenges that requires a very strong and very concerted strategic efforts by African countries and their partners to address the security concerns of the people of Africa.

The contributions of the U.S. in helping to ensure security in Africa One of our largest and most important priorities on the continent of Africa is security. We have three. We look for promoting security, peace, and prosperity. But we also look for development and opportunity on the continent and they are all related to each other. But we have worked very closely with our partners across the continent to support their efforts on security assistance. We have supported peacekeeping. We have provided training to more than 200,000 African peacekeepers. I think the exact figure is about 250,000 African peacekeepers have received some form of training or support by the U.S. government. We are also supporting the AU’s efforts in the security area.

So, we have been a strong supporter of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). We have supported the efforts of both the AU and the UN in Central African Republic (CAR). We are working very, very closely with the Lake Chad Basin countries of Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon, to address the issues of Boko Haram. So, we do have a strong partnership with the continent on security.

U.S. cooperation with Africa in terms of fighting terrorism We actually have a very strong partnership with the government of Chad.

We have been working with the Chadian government and the Chadian military, particularly in their efforts against Boko Haram. We have supported them, as well, as they have fought against those who have attacked Mali, and we will continue to engage with this government, because they have been a good partner on fighting terrorism in the region. And again, I want to express my condolences to those families who lost family members in this most recent attack.

Illegal armed groups.

There is no one who works in Africa today who would say that Africa has no hope. Yes, there are armed groups, there continues to be conflict, there is poverty, but there are also amazing opportunities that are being presented on the continent as we look at what young people across the continent are doing. We look at opportunities for business; we look at what Africans are doing in their efforts to find peace; we look at what young women and some older women are doing to promote peace and to look for prosperity and opportunities on the continent. So, there is no way that anyone in this room, or elsewhere in Africa, who would say that Africa is hopeless. That does not mean there are not problems to solve and resolve, but we are resolved to solve those problems, and are committed to assisting the AU and member states of the AU in addressing the problems that we are facing across the continent.

The South Sudan problem and the Peace and Security Council I think the progress that has been made at this summit is the bringing together of Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the five AU countries that were selected to represent each of the regions in the continent, to work with IGAD to try to move the peace process forward. At the end of the last round of negotiations in early March, the chairman of IGAD indicated that there would need to be a reinforcement of the mediation effort, given the lack of willingness of the South Sudanese parties to make the compromises

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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NEWS

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been working with them on providing information, providing some training and support, and we look to, with this new administration, to see how we might increase the level of support that we are providing to Nigeria

•President Buhari

•President Obama

•Thomas-Greenfield

•Army Chief Lt.-Gen Kenneth Minimah

•Defence Chief Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh

• Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau

needed for peace.

And so, the addition of the AU Five and the endorsement of the IGAD Plus process, which involves the AU five, as well as other key international partners, to work together and to present a common front will help, I think, move the peace process, which has for the last two months not been making progress, and has resulted in an opening where the South Sudanese have returned to fighting.

So, I would say that the procedural basis for this IGAD Plus has been laid here at the summit, and I think the statement, the PSC communique, was a very strong communique, and a very strong signal to the South Sudanese that this is the time to stop the fighting, and to move forward on a peace agreement and a transitional process that will give South Sudan an opportunity for a new start.

The U.S. and Kenya’s efforts against al-Shabaab Let me just say, fighting terrorism is not easy. We have been fighting terrorism since 2001, and we continue our efforts to stop their efforts to foment insecurity across the world. So, the Kenyans have done the absolute best they can, but they are getting assistance from their neighbours, and they are getting assistance from the U.S. in fighting terrorism that is not just Kenya’s problem. It is a problem that all of the region face, and it is a problem that requires the support of the entire region to fight terrorism.

So, we are there to support the Kenyan efforts. We have continued to work with them, as well as other partners in the region. Kenya has done an extraordinary job in assisting us as a troop contributor to AMISOM in Somalia, and they, at the same time, are trying to fight terrorism inside their own borders.

President Obama’s visit to Kenya This will be President Obama’s fourth trip to Africa since becoming president and each of those trips have built on what has been a strong partnership that we have with the countries of Africa. So, this trip will highlight that partnership, but it will go even further, because it will highlight the relationship that we have with the government of Kenya as they fight terrorism, related to your first question, but also as they build prosper-

ity for their own people.

Part of the president’s trip will be to participate in the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, which will bring about a thousand individuals to Kenya to look at opportunities for bringing partnerships to promote development, and to promote prosperity, and to look for opportunities for entrepreneurs in Africa. And we think Kenya is the perfect location for that, as they have indicated their desires to increase the amount of investments from across the U.S. as well as the world, to Kenya.

U.S. government’s position on some African leaders’ decision to change their country’s constitution in order to cling on to power Our position on extending term limits is very clear. We do not support that, we think that it does everything to defeat the purposes of democracy, which is one that supports countries having the ability to change governments and have a free and open society. So, where countries are attempting, or presidents are attempting to change constitutions in order to extend their own term and power, we have expressed our disagreement with that, and we have encouraged them not to do that. And I think African people across the continent are also standing up. Because we have seen...there was a recent poll done in which some thirty-four African countries indicated that they wanted term limits. They want to see changes of power. And for those countries that don’t have term limits, we think they should also have a change of power, as well. So, our position, again, has been very clear, and our policy has been supported in our engagements with countries on the continent.

Omar al-Bashir and diplomatic relations with South Africa Look, we continue to engage with all of the countries across the continent, but also globally, to encourage them to honour the requests for Bashir to be turned over to the International Criminal Court (ICC). There is a warrant out for his arrest. We have engaged with our colleagues here in South Africa on that issue. But we will continue to have relations with the South African government. This is not going to be an issue that is going to change the nature of our relationship, but we certainly have expressed our views on this particular issue.

Third term syndrome The AU has been extraordinarily strong in its efforts to press Nkurunziza, and other countries on the continent on the issue of third term. This has been an issue that has been taken up by the sub-regional organisation, the East Africa Community, but I will note that the Chairman of the AU made a very, very strong statement that indicates her position, and the position of the AU, that Nkurunziza should not be seeking a third term, and expressing concerns about the deteriorating security situation in the country.

AGOA trade deal The significance of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is that it provides opportunities for jobs. It is a trade programme that gives benefits to South African companies to send goods produced in South Africa, including vehicles that are produced here, tax free, into the U.S. So, AGOA is a trade preference that is sought by many countries, and it is a one-way trade preference.

It is a trade preference that we give to African countries to encourage them to trade with the U.S. The issue related to poultry was a consequence of the view by American poultry producers that they were being disadvantaged in the South African market, and so, the negotiations that took place was an effort to address that. But I do...I would argue very, very strongly that the benefits of AGOA, and the job creation that comes out of AGOA, those benefits will far outweigh any possible negative benefits that the poultry industry thinks that they might experience here in South Africa.

United States and fight against HIV/AIDS and other diseases Because of PEPFAR and our HIV/ AIDS programmes across the continent, we have seen and experienced a change in the whole trajectory of negative impacts that HIV/AIDS could have had on the continent of Africa.

I was traveling with Secretary Kerry a few months ago in Addis Ababa and we visited an HIV/AIDS center where we saw babies who were born AIDS-free. And we have the opportunity to see a whole generation of children born in Africa who are AIDS-free because of the pro-

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grammes that the U.S. government has been a part of, in supporting efforts against HIV. The U.S. position is on that IGAD blueprint My understanding is that there will be a meeting of all of the IGAD Plus partners in the very near future to discuss the substance of the way forward. IGAD mediation has also given to the South Sudanese parties an outline of what they believe is a possible peace agreement, and we understand that both the government and opposition are taking a serious look at that. Inevitably, both sides will have some concerns, but what is needed, and what has been stressed repeatedly, is that in order to achieve peace, there needs to be the leadership demonstrated to make the compromises for peace.

The people of South Sudan continue to suffer. In the past two months, because of the uptick in fighting, over another roughly 150,000 South Sudanese have been displaced, and the UN estimate is that as of early July, close to 4.6 million South Sudanese will be on the verge of lifethreatening hunger. That’s 40 per cent of the population.

So, the idea that fighting is only in small pockets of the country is definitely not an accurate reflection of the situation. South Sudanese in many parts of the country are facing severe hunger issues, needing emergency assistance. They have been displaced in numbers that go up to, roughly, 1.5 to two million, between those that are in internally displaced camps, and in refugee camps in neighbouring countries. So, this is a very serious humanitarian situation and the only way to begin to turn this around is through a peace agreement and get-

ting all South Sudanese to begin to work together.

With the U.S. not being part of the ICC, isn’t there a bit of hypocrisy to say that countries which Omar alBishir visits should look at executing the warrant of this criminal court?

Well, as we said in the press statement that was issued yesterday (Sunday) in Washington, that while the U.S. is not a party to the Rome Statute, that we strongly support international efforts to hold accountable those responsible for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. And so, those indicted by the ICC, we believe there should be cooperation of all countries to ensure that they can have their day in court.

African leaders showing a resistance to international justice and the powers of the ICC This has been a subject of discussion with Africa, the view that African countries are being somewhat targeted by the ICC. We don’t subscribe to that view. The vast majority of individuals, who have been turned over to the ICC, who are from Africa, have been turned over by their own countries, or have been turned over by other countries where they have been caught.

So, this is not a battle about holding Africans to a different standard. We think Africans, as broadly as possible, that they deserve justice. And if justice can be done on the continent, well be it. If it can’t be, there are organs outside of the continent that will provide opportunities to find justice for the people of Africa. So, that is our goal in supporting these efforts, and I think it is the goal of many African countries that have also supported and participated in the ICC—Rome Convention.

Apology Our attetion has been drawn to an advertisement on pages 62 and 63 of the June 12 edition of The Nation tittled: “The Akpabio Govt: A Legacy of Terror and Evil”.

We have nothing whatsoever to do with the advertisement placed by a group that gave its address as Muhammadu Buhari Way, Central Business District, FCT, Abuja. We understand that His Excellency, Senator Godswill Akpabio is embarrased by the content and hereby state emphatically that we do not endorse it. We apologise for the embarrasement it has caused him.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

NEWS Buhari to probe Jonathan’s $9.7m arms contract

EFCC quizzes ex-Governor Elechi

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CONOMIC and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigators yesterday interrogated former Ebonyi State Governor Chief Martin Elechi for six and a half hours for alleged financial mismanagement while in office.

The ex-governor is under probe along with his son, Nnanna, who allegedly benefited from some contracts.

The EFCC is also looking into an allegation that a company belonging to Elechi’s family was allegedly used as front for contracts.

Top on the allegations against the governor is the use of one third of the state’s revenue to fund the Labour Party (LP) in the state after he was ostracized from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According sources, Elechi arrived at the EFCC in Abuja at 10am and was quickly ushered into the interrogation room where he was still being questioned as at 4.35pm.

A top source in the anti-graft

Continued from page 1

ner the money was taken to South Africa.

“I will attempt to ask him (President Zuma) about our $9.7 million which was not correctly transferred,” Buhari told Nigerians in South Africa during a meeting with them in Johannesburg to round off his visit to the country for the African Union (AU) Summit.

He said: “I’m told there are 83 Nigerians in prisons, I don’t know what they have done but I spoke to the President of South Africa this afternoon. He wants to come to Nigeria.

There are issues we will talk about, I will certainly talk to him, I hope our ambassador will send a comprehensive report about the court cases, about those who lost properties during the disturbances.”

The South African authorities froze $9.3 million transported in cash by two Nigerians and an Israeli for arms purchase. At the time, South Africa said the transaction violated its laws on movement of cash.

The two Nigerians and an Israeli were arrested at the Lanseria International Airport, Johannesburg, on September 5 in a private jet from Abuja.

The money, stashed in three suitcases, raised suspicion when the passengers’ luggage were unloaded and put through the scanners.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in South Africa said there was an invoice for helicopters and armaments intended to be used in Nigeria.

Two black plastic suitcases, filled with 90 blocks each containing US$100,000 in notes, with combination locks, were seized, as well as two pieces of hand luggage also containing US currency, according to City Press.

The Israeli national, Eyal Mesika, had the combination to open the locks.

Under South African laws, a person entering or leaving the country is expected to carry cash not exceeding US$2,300,

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

agency said: “Some of the allegations against the former governor include the theft of millions of naira in the asphalt contract for the 13 local government secretariats and headquarters.

“Till date only six out of the 13 LGs executed the contract, though monies were approved and paid for all the LGs. The contract was also allegedly awarded to Nnanna Elechi, the ex-governor’s son.

“Also, the former governor was put to task on the expenditure of funds earmarked for the centenary celebration. Towards the celebration, a supervisory committee under the former Commissioner for Local Governments, Celestine Nwali, deducted N1 million from each of the 13 LG areas for the purchase and production of T-shirts for the celebration but there was no evidence of T-shirts produced for the celebration.”

Governors seek bailout for states Continued from page 1 •President Buhari (left) Nigeria’s Consul General in South Africa, Amb. Uche Ajulu-Okeke (middle), at the inauguration of the new Immigration Service Centre at the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa…on Monday.

or the equivalent in foreign currency notes.

The private jet involved belonged to the head of the Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN) Pastor Ayo Ortisejafor.

Pastor Oritsejafor said the plane was on lease to a third party and he could not be blamed for its schedules.

President Buhari also promised to implement the cardinal policies of his administration.

He said: “Government is determined to secure the country, manage the economy, create employment and fight corruption. Some articulate writers have said if we do not kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria. This APC administration intends to kill corruption in Nigeria. We will do our best, I assure you.”

The All Progressives Congress (APC) government, Buhari said, is determined to secure the country, improve the economy and eliminate corruption.

According to him, the G7 leaders have expressed com-

mitment to helping Nigeria tackle insecurity and develop its oil and gas sectors.

“We are getting the facts and logistic requirements together,” he said.

Buhari urged Nigerians resident in South Africa to be good ambassadors of the country, stressing that Nigerian and South African leaders will soon meet to discuss several issues bordering on their relationship.

“Those of you who have the opportunity to come here and represent us, make sure that you are representing Nigeria, you are all ambassadors of Nigeria. This means a lot of patience, restraint, self-respect and pride. You must have all these,” the President said.

According to him, those accusing him of locking them up have no case as himself was locked up for three and half years from his position as Head of State.

He said: “But I assure you that after being in the military for 25 years, and getting to the

highest rank and becoming head of state and under unusual circumstances. As head of state, I went straight to detention for three and half years; so those who accused me of locking them up, I too have been locked up; so what?”

Buhari said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) messed up Nigeria and that was why the people decided to vote for him.

He said: “They remember me more as chairman of PTF than as a former head of state, than a governor or a minister of petroleum. Inspite of the fact that it was during my time that I signed the contract for Warri Refinery, Kaduna Refinery, more than 3,500 lying pipes and more than 20 depot, we got the tankers off the road, we saved lives, we saved fuel, we save the road itself. But from 1999 till date, PDP has messed it up. That is why Nigerians decided to vote me.

“In spite the fact that they say money is working from primaContinued on page 58

progressive party met today to review the state of the economy. We also met to review the issues as they affect our great party.

“We are concerned and worried by the dwindling revenue of the states which today has affected negatively the lives of our people.

"It has become so serious and urgent actions must be taken for a bail out for the states.

“Things are not getting better; we sat down to review what steps could be taken. We

are calling for overhaul of the system to block all the leakages in our economy.

"We have realised that what we are going through today is as a result of the poor management of our economy in the recent time.

“The APC government met a near empty treasury. This has become very worrisome, not ?just for us, but for the entire nation.

"We have some natural challenges in the country because of the drop in oil price and the Continued on page 58

Ramadan: New moon likely today

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HE new Moon is likely to be seen today signaling the beginning of the Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan.

The National Space Research and Development Agency in a statement yesterday by its Head of Media, Mr. Felix Ale, said the moon will be seen today with the first crescent in Abuja appearing at 6.45pm to 7.15pm with sunrise at 6.22am and sunset at 6.42pm.

“From the far North, Maiduguri’s appearance of first

crescent will be between 7.23pm to 7.53pm, with sunrise at 5.57am and sunset at 6.21pm. Kano and Katsina will experience the first crescent at 7.14pm to 7.44pm and 6.46pm to 7.16pm.

“The sunrise for Kano will be 6.15am and sunset 6.40pm, and for Kastina, the sun will rise at 6.18am and set at 6.44pm.”

Also yesterday, the League of Imams and Alfas comprising clerics from the SouthWest, Edo and Delta states urged Continued on page 58

Saraki’s election unacceptable, says Abdulsalami panel Continued from page 1

Diocese Catholic Bishop John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) Nicholas Okoh and Africa’s richest Man Aliko Dangote.

Saraki was elected by less than 60 of the 109 senators on June 9, with minority Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members behind him.

The Deputy Senate President is a member of the PDP. Yesterday, the committee said it was important for the highest legislative body to uphold moral authority and value.

It said: “We must have all arms on deck so that we can quickly rout Boko Haram, restore law and order and proceed with the much-desired change of cleansing the Augean stable and delivering quality services to the Nigerian people.

“The story of the process leading to the elections of the principal officers in that august body last week is well-known to all Nigerians. Given the maturity, track record and ex-

Why there is massive corruption in NNPC, by Saraki

S

ENATE President Bukola Saraki yesterday attributed alleged massive corrupt practices in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to lack of operational budget framework.

Saraki said such an era where there was deliberate non-provision of operational budget for the Corporation was gone for good as will not be tolerated by the 8th Senate.

The Senate President spoke while receiving members of Civil Society Groups in Abuja.

He added that transparency and accountability must be brought to bear in all government transactions.

Saraki said: “On the issue of transparency of oversight, which you raised here, we will work very hard to see the areas where there can be improvement on our part.

“The budget process which you talked about, I want to tell you that some of us have strong views that issues of budget

perience of the body, we wonder why a routine process has turned into an ugly, selfish dogfight.

“This is unacceptable to Nigerians. It neither dignified the Senate nor does it honour what Nigerians voted for.”

“Even the most optimistic of

From Onyedi Ojiabor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

must be transparent, particularly the days are gone where agencies like the NNPC would be able to function without operational budget.

“We must move away from that because one of the key issues that we have now is the issue of revenue leakages because of lack of transparency. I think we must move away from that, especially agencies that have revenue coming in.”

He added that the red chamber will reintroduce the Constitution Amendment Bill, which was not assented to by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

Other Bills to receive priority attention, according to Saraki include the Petroleum Industry Bill and the Electoral Act. He said the Senate under his leadership would focus on people-centered legislation, that would safeguard the interest and

us did not imagine that we would be where we are today in our country. Up till the last elections, the atmosphere after every election since 1999 has been poisoned by endless quarrels among political elite, long drawn out appeals at Tribunals and occasional violence

welfare of every Nigerian.

The Convener of the Groups, Clem Nwankwo, praised the election of the leadership of the Senate and that of the House of Representatives, adding that independence of the legislature will expedite development in governance.

He solicited the support of the National Assembly on while such bills as the ones on people living with disabilities, Electoral Acts as Amended, Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and the Constitutional Amendment. He urged the Senate to ensure their passage.

Nwankwo said: “With respect to several Bills that have been going on, we did see the National Assembly passed several bills in the 7th Assembly. One of them, of course, was the Disability Bill.

“We know that it was passed by the 7th Assembly but we have no indication that

leading to loss of lives. Happily, this has not been the case since the last elections.

“It is not the way to thank God for what he has done to those who were lucky to be elected to that high office, nor does it honour what He has done to our country.”

Continued on page 58

However, the Committee lauded members of the House of Representatives who successfully concluded their process, ready to begin their legislative duties.

Describing the crisis between the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership

•Dr. Saraki and the Senate as a “family quarrel”, Kukah said the disagreement should not become a public show.

“The challenge now is for the APC to justify the confidence that Nigerians placed on them when they bought into their mantra of Change. We expect this change to be marked by personal and institutional acts of patriotism, altruism, discipline, decorum, maturity, sacrifice and decency,” he added.

The committee also sought support for the Federal Government in the battle against the Boko Haram.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

NEWS NEITI tackles NIMASA over audit report

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•From right, Chief Executive Officer, Sabaoth Technologies, Dr Dania Simpa, Market Development Manager Intel, Simbo Olatoregun; Chief Medical Director First Consultants Medical Center, Dr Benjamin Ohiaeri; Chief Executive Officer, Lionstone Health Partners, Mrs. Njide Ndile; Chief Corporate Services Officer, Smile Communications Nigeria Limited, Mr Tobe Okigbo at the donation of Smile Router Wifi by Smile Communications Nigeria Limited to First Consultants Medical Center, Obalende in Lagos.

HE Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative ((NEITI) yesterday expressed displeasure over the refusal of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to comply with the 2012 oil and gas report.

According to the Executive Secretary of NEITI, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, the watchdog organization would ensure compliance with the audit report.

She said that: “Also in the just released 2012 report, we have indication there that NIMSA also did not cooperate and we have started the process of bringing NIMASA to the table.

“We have been having discussions with them and we are hopeful that that also will be resolved. What we have not done is to go up to the court process, which is provided for in the law because the general belief is that it is better to engage the agencies to understand the impor-

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

tance of compliance.”

She spoke in a news conference with the Chair of the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Clare Short at Abuja.

Short said only the Federal Government can effectively sanction oil and gas companies indicted by NEITI for defrauding the country.

The Global EITI chair noted that government can achieve sanctions through effective enforcement of the laws of Nigeria.

"The sanctions are enforcement of the laws of Nigeria. To insure that all the companies pay their taxes, and those taxes are properly managed and spent for the benefit of the people. The sanctions are in the hands of the government of course you know that some international action is being taken against corruption," she said.

How Ibori bought N3.4b jet, by UK police

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RESH facts indicated yesterday that a report of the Metropolitan Police has shown that the Chairman of Bi-Courtney, Dr. Olawale Babalakin or his company has no link with the purchase of a N3.4billion Challenger Jet by ex-Governor James Ibori.

There was also no part of the report showing that Babalakin is wanted in the United Kingdom or anywhere in connection with the deal by Ibori.

The EFCC had accused Babalakin and four others of laundering over N3.4billion through Mauritius for exGovernor James Ibori to buy the controversial Challenger Jet Aircraft.

The others are Stabilini Vision Limited, Bi-Courtney Limited, Alex Okoh, and Renix Nigeria Limited.

It also accused the five suspects of siphoning $11.3million abroad for Ibori through Erin Aviation Account in Mauritius.

But a document exclusively obtained yesterday by our correspondent revealed that neither Babalakin nor any of his firms was on the list of those investigated by the Met Police.

None of the suspects implicated in the alleged scandal was referred to in the Met Police document.

The Met Police said its officers are prepared to come to Nigeria to testify.

The Met Police implicated a London based solicitor called Bhadesh Babulal GOHIL (BG) as the mastermind of how the controversial jet was purchased.

These facts were contained

•Report exonerates Bi-Courtney’s chair Babalakin From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

in a bundle of information, dated August14, 2014, which was sent to the immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN) from the UK Central Authority Judicial Cooperation Unit.

In the document, which gave insights into how the Challenger Jet was bought, there was no mention of Babalakin or any of his company.

The information reads: “A mutual legal Assistance Letter of Request was received by the United Kingdom Central Authority from Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, CFR the Attorney General of Nigeria dated 11th July 2012 and was referenced CAU/MLA/007/12.

“This request was for assistance to obtain evidence in relation to an investigation conducted by the Metropolitan Police in relation to the funding of a jet aircraft by a company called Erin Aviation. This statement is made to clarify the investigation.

“The funding of this aircraft was part of an investigation called Operation Tureen and centred on the money laundering activities of James Onanefe Ibori (JI). The investigation began in March 2005 and as it progressed it became apparent that JI has utilised the services of a London based solicitor called Bhadesh Babulal GOHIL (BG).

“JI had instructed BG to

purchase UK property, assist with his very day expenses such as utility bills, his children’s school fees and his Centurion American Express credit card bills amongst others.

“The investigation also revealed that BG was involved in the purchase of a Challenger Jet aircraft from a Canadian company called Bombardier Inc. BG used his company’s client accounts to launder stolen monies received from Nigeria and falsified due diligence documents to authenticate the monies he received.

“As the investigation progressed it became necessary to arrest BG for his role in the money laundering activity and to search his business premises.

“BG was arrested by DC Greenwood on suspicion of money laundering at the premises and was cautioned.

The premises were searched and a large quantity of docu-

mentation and computers were seized.

“From examination of the material seized from the premises it became apparent that BG had been instructed to purchase a luxury business jet aircraft from a Canadian company called Bombardier Inc based in Texas and Canada.

“BG, in his capacity as a solicitor, conducted the required legal work for the purchase price of the jet aircraft which was due to cost in excess of $20million.

“BG used a variety of ‘off the shelf’ company vehicles to purchase property for JI and his family in particular BG used the services a fiduciary company called Copex Management Services (CMS) who were based in Mauritius to set up such companies.

“For the purchase of the aircraft BG intended to use an ‘off the shelf’ company called Teleton Quays Ltd

(TQ) which was a special purposed vehicle designed to simply hold the ownership.

“TQ was incorporated by BG in the British Virgin Islands using a formation agency called Trident Trust on 22nd April 2005 and the early contracts paperwork with Bombardier Inc showed TQ as the initial purchaser.

However, BG actually used TQ to purchase a house in Dorset, UK for JI situated at 42 Great Ground, Shaftesbury because the builders required a quick sale and BG had no other special purpose vehicle available. “ Therefore, BG then needed a new separate special purpose vehicle to hold the ownership of the jet aircraft. BG therefore instructed CMS to incorporate a company called Erin Aviation in Mauritius. “The papers seized from Arlingtons

•Babalakin

Sharmas Solicitors offices on the 7th November 2007 revealed that Erin Aviation was beneficiary owned by a NM who it was established was a known associate of JI. “It is my belief that NM was a ‘front man’ introduced into the intended aircraft purchase in order to keep JI’s name away from the ownership.”

ACF tasks new govts on security, citizens’ welfare

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HE northern socio-cultural group, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), yesterday urged the new governments, both at state and federal levels to quickly swing into action towards delivering their promises, particularly as regards security and citizens’ welfare.

The forum said, the change Nigerians voted for, was not all about change in government but in security and wel-

From Abdulgafar Alabelewe, Kaduna

fare of citizens.

A statement issued and signed by the forums’ National publicity Secretary Muhammad Ibrahim stated that, “the northern region has in the last six years had its fair share of insecurity problem such as Boko haram, communal clashes, cattle rustling which have adversely affected its socioeconomic development”.

The forum therefore commended the “peace building and community consolation on security” by the Plateau State Governor, Mr. Simon Lalong, aimed at finding a lasting solution to the incessant hostilities between herdsmen and Berom communities in Riyom, in Jos South and Barkin Ladi Local Government areas.

According to ACF, the recent renewed clashes among the various communities that have lived together peace-

fully over the years in plateau state and other states in the North was not only of serious concern to the forum but a disturbing, considering the huge destruction of lives and property.

The forum urged other states Governors to emulate the initiative of the plateau State by involved all critical stakeholders to ensure reconciliation and restoration of peace in the LGs affected with similar problems especially Benue.

Glo had 68 per cent of new internet users in April, says NCC

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ELECOMMUNICATION giant Globacom added over a million new internet users on its network in April and thus retained its position as the second largest data service provider in the country.

According to information available on the website of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Globacom had 19,690,526 subscribers surfing the net

with its network in April, up from 18,617,607 users in March.

Globacom gained 1,072,919 additional internet users during the review period. This increase translates to 67.58 per cent of total number of new internet subscriber figure of 1,587,514 for the telecom networks for the month of April.

NCC data showed that MTN lost 384,487 internet

subscribers in April, after it recorded 39,520,285 users, down from 39,904,772 in March 2015. Airtel Nigeria, it said, had 17.2 million internet users in April, as against 16,603,147 customers recorded in March. The data showed that internet users on the Airtel Nigeria network increased by 669,518 in April.

For Etisalat, 10.4 million of its customers browsed the

internet in April, against the 10,189,568 users in March, showing an increase of 231,661 in the new month.

NCC said the number of subscribers browsing the internet on Nigeria’s telecoms networks increased to 87,055,484 in April, up from 85,467,970 users in March.

The data showed that the increase of 1,587,514 internet users during the period was

on both the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks in April.

The recent internet subscriber acquisition by Globacom could be linked to the recent massive upgrade and modernisation of the operator’s network across the country. The network enhancements have increased the capacity of the network

and significantly boosted service quality levels.

Globacom also recently introduced a number of innovative initiatives which give more value for money for the various services the operator provides. One of such was the recently concluded Overload promo which gave subscribers 400 percent bonus for data bundle subscription on renewals of N2000 and above.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

NEWS

Court orders First Bank to provide details of bullet proof cars purchase J

USTICE Mohammed Yunusa of the Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday ordered First Bank of Nigeria Plc to disclose details of the loan facility it granted the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for the 2013 purchase of two bullet-proof BMW cars for former Minister of Aviation Princess Stella Oduah.

The judge held that the bank is covered by the provisions of Sections 2(7) and 31 of the Freedom of Information Act even though it is a private company.

Justice Yunusa had on April 28 delivered a similar judgment against Coscharis Motors Limited, which was involved in the transaction.

The company has appealed the judgment.

By Joseph Jibueze

The vehicles were said to have cost N255million.

Yesterday’s verdict was on a suit also filed by a group, Enough is Enough (EiE) Nigeria, against the bank over its refusal to disclose the information following an application it made under the FOI Act on October 30, 2013.

Although First Bank claimed at the hearing that as a private company, it was not covered by the FOI Act, Justice Yunusa noted that the bank did not deny EIE’s claim that it collects levies and taxes on the government’s behalf and is, therefore, a private company performing public functions within the meaning

of the Act. Justice Yunusa ruled that Sections 1(3) and 20 of the FOI Act give EIE the right to apply to the court to compel the First Bank to disclose the information that it applied for.

According to him, the bank did not give any reason for its refusal to disclose the information.

Holding that the objective of the FOI Act, as stated in its preamble, is to make public records and information more freely available, the judge granted the reliefs prayed for by EIE. The court, however, refused to issue an order directing the Attorney-General of

the Federation to initiate criminal proceedings against First Bank but asked EIE to write formally to the Attorney-General.

The suit was filed on behalf of EIE last January 9 by Mr. Ayodeji Acquah of Media Rights Agenda Network.

The applicant sought a declaration that the bank’s refusal to grant access to or make available to EIE the information it requested in its letter dated October 30, 2013 amounts to wrongful denial of access to information under Section 7(5) of the FOI Act.It sought for an an order of mandamus compelling First Bank to grant access to or make available to EIE the

information it requested.

It sought to know the credit application file the bank provided for the loan facility of N836,970,156 for the purchase of two bullet proof BMW 760 Ll HSS vehicles for the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) from Coscharis Motors.

EIE asked for the original documents, including proforma invoice(s) from the supplier, request letter from NCAA and insurance certificate for the assets (the BMW vehicles); rationale for approval including the credit application (or an acceptable alternative) originating the request and details of the approving authority; and offer letter to NCAA stating the terms and conditions of the loan facility.

It also asked for the loan ac-

•Oduah

count statement reflecting the two payments, and an order of mandamus compelling the Attorney-General of the Federation to initiate criminal proceedings against First Bank for wrongful denial of access to information to EIE under Section 7(5) of the FOI Act.

PDP cautions Kwankwaso on criticism of Saraki, Ekweremadu

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•From left: Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment Abdulkadir Musa; Director, Weights and Measures Department Adeyinka Sikuade and Principal Legal Metrology Officer Mr. Olusegun Ateji, during an inspection of petrol stations in Abuja ... on Monday.

Court restrains Edo from sacking striking judicial workers T

HE National Industrial Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State, has restrained the Edo State government from terminating the appointment of members of the state’s Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) pending the hearing on notice.

Courts in the state have been closed since January when JUSUN members embarked on an indefinite strike over non-implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary.

Also restrained were the Attorney-General and Com-

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

missioner for Justice, and the Judicial Service Commission.

Justice A.N. Ubaka restrained the respondents whether by themselves, their servants, agents or privies from terminating the appointments and advertising the positions of the claimants after entertaining hearings from Uhunmwangho D.A. from Olayiwola Afolabi’s chamber.

Justice Ubaka also barred

the respondents from filling the JUSUN members positions on account of the ongoing industrial action embarked upon pending the hearing and determination of the suit.

The judge further ordered that the 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants are hereby restrained from carrying out anything that will lead to the termination of the appointment of the claimant/ applicant’s members or advertise their position and or

fill same on account of the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by the claimant/applicant’s members pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice for interlocutory injunction filed in this case”.

The case was adjourned to June 23.

Secretary of the Commission, Mr. Issac Sanu, had in a statement, ordered all judiciary workers in the state to report for duty on June 10 or faced dismissal.

Over 3000 persons have filled recruitment forms into the state judiciary.

Ex-militants to Buhari: appoint Amnesty Office head

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X-MILITANT leaders, under the aegis of the Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiatives (LPCDI), have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint a Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta.

A statement issued yesterday on behalf of the ex—militants by Pastor Reuben Wilson, reads: “We call on the President Buhari to immediately appoint a Special Ad-

viser to the President on Niger Delta. This call is sequel to the approval of the number of special advisers by the National Assembly requested by Mr. President and the impending crisis as a result of the vacancy.

“We, therefore, write to implore Mr. President to quickly appoint a credible person as a special adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and Chairman, Presidential Amnesty Programme, which Hon.

Kingsley Kuku just vacated.

This request is coming on the ground that the absence of the SA/Chairman has hindered the payment of the monthly stipends to the beneficiaries both home and abroad.

“Our brothers and sisters currently schooling abroad on the platform of the Presidential Amnesty Programme are suffering due to lack of funds as they are yet to receive their monthly allowances. There is presently a

palpable tension in the Niger Delta region as a result of the non-payment of the monthly stipends for May to the Amnesty beneficiaries.

“It is, therefore, in the interest of peace and stability in the Niger Delta that this situation be nipped in the bud by a speedy appointment of a credible person into the above office. We enjoin Mr. President to treat this matter with the urgency and seriousness it deserves.”

HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cautioned former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, against what the party described as “incendiary utterances capable of destabilising the National Assembly and rubbishing the prevailing political tranquility in the country”.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a statement yesterday, said the party was particularly shocked by the “hate statement” from Senator Kwankwaso wherein he used offensive language on the PDP and its members in the National Assembly.

Kwankwanso criticised the way Dr Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu emerged president of the Senate and deputy president on June 9. The process shut out no fewer than 51 All Progressives Congress (APC) senators.

The PDP said it was taken aback by the “venom and bitterness” in the statement, especially coming from a former governor, an elected senator, a highly respected former member of the PDP, who also benefitted hugely from the party as minister and two-time state governor.

The party said it would have wished not to join issues with politicians who grew their political profile in the PDP no matter where they are at the moment, but regretted that Senator Kwankwaso went too far in declaring the party dead just because he is aggrieved that the Senate Presidency did not go his way.

The statement said it was “indecorous, mischievous and misleading” for anybody to declare dead a party with an enviable history as the PDP, with 14 state governors, 47 Senators and hundreds of members in the House of Representatives and State Houses of Assembly.

It continued: “Where was Senator Kwankwaso when a party he claimed was dead defeated his choice candidate in the Senate? Was it a dead party that was able to do what according to Kwankwaso, no other party could do in the 16 years of PDP control of the National Assembly?

“Indeed, we found it very baffling that such unguarded

From Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja

statement came from a person who contested for the high office of the president of Nigeria.

“Statements from such personalities should be decorous, statesmanly and focused on the national interest instead of promoting acrimony and division in the polity. This unfortunate outburst is well below Senator Kwankwaso’s character and status and we urge him to desist from such”.

The party underlined that Kwankwaso and other APC leaders should rather be grateful to PDP senators for being disciplined and not using their preponderance at the inauguration to take the entire leadership of the Senate following the opening created by the APC leaders in convening a meeting of senators-elect at the same time fixed for the election of the leaders of the National Assembly.

The PDP also dismissed as frivolous, Senator Kwakwaso’s unfounded and unsubstantiated claim that PDP’s agenda’s is to irritate President Muhammadu Buhari and put hurdle before him.

The statement described as laughable, Senator Kwankwaso’s claims that under President Buhari, everything is working well in the country and wondered why he failed to give the credit for the stability in the nation to whom it is due, immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan whose conceding of power even amidst electoral irregularities brought the conducive atmosphere the nation is enjoying.

It noted with delight the statesmanly stance of President Buhari who at the just concluded African Union (AU) summit in South Africa eulogised former President Goodluck Jonathan for taking the unique action that brought calm to the country.

On Kwakwaso’s claim of giving 1.9 million votes from his state and over 750,000 votes from his senatorial zone to Buhari and APC, the PDP said it does not want to join issues with him on that because of its decision to toe the path of peace, except to note the “electoral ridicule” of 1.9 million voters, with no single void vote, a record for the Guinness Book.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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NEWS

Deputy Speaker: N150b for National Assembly okay

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OUSE of Representatives Deputy Speaker Yusuf Lasun yesterday defended the N150 billion budgetary allocation for the National Assembly, saying it is not excessive.

Lasun spoke at the inauguration of the House Ad hoc Committee on Welfare, where he represented the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara.

Reacting to questions from reporters on the public criticism of salaries and allowances of senators and members of the House of Representatives, the Deputy Speaker noted that the N150 billion received by the National Assembly yearly is only 2.67 per cent of the na-

•Lasun vows not to resign From Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja

tional budget.

His words: “When you talk about salary, it has to be tied to something. Let me tell you this.

For the last three years, with the exception of 2015, the budget of National Assembly has been N150 billion and that is exactly 2.67 per cent of the total budget of the federation. So, I don’t know where people see this when they said it was 25 per cent of the budget of the federation.

“The budget of the National Assembly is 2.67 per cent of the budget of the federation and so, it is not overblown. People

have suddenly forgotten and don’t know that there are 469 members in the National Assembly with each one having five aides, paid from the N150 billion with their technocrats. We have National Assembly Commission; all of them drawing their salaries and allowances from the N150 billion.

“So, when people talk, they say it’s only the House of Representatives members and the senators that collect the N150 billion. But they forget that in the 2015 budget, the money has been reduced to N120 billion.

“That’s why the Dogara’s Speakership in the last one week has repeatedly made it known to the public that he’s going to engage in what we call NEEDS assessment; that we are going to call the development partners to sit down and see what it takes for the National Assembly to be involved as an arm of government. You might be surprised that we have reasons that we can compare with other legislative houses all over the world. But it’s not going to come from us. It will come from that body that is going to sit down.”

Responding to questions on the call for his resignation

from some quarters, Lasun, who polled 203 votes against 153 votes by his opponent, Mohammed Monguno (APCBorno) in the June 9 election House leadership election, said anyone who was expecting him to resign was merely wasting his or her time.

He said: “It’s not correct, that is speculation. Why will I resign when I went through an election?”

Lasun instructed the committee to provide working materials/office equipment for the lawmakers, sitting allowances for various standing committees and ensure payment of entitlements, including car loan, accommodation

•Lasun

among others.

The committee, which has a member from each state, he said, is also to allocate offices and seats for members based on ranking and to provide conducive environment for members to work.

We ’re not deterred by criticisms, says Defence chief From Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja

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•From left: Regional Director, Etex Marc Vanoverbeke; Chairman, Nigerite Prince Adeniji Adele; Managing Director, UPDC Hakeem Ogunniran and Managing Director, Nigerite Frank Le Bris, at the launch of Nigerite Kalsi at Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos...yesterday.

PHOTO: JOHN EBHOTA

Goje, Yerima battle for Senate Leader

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NOTHER battle may have ensued in the Senate, even as the dust raised by the controversial emergence of Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki and Senator Ike Ekweremadu as President of the Senate and Deputy President of the Senate is yet to settle.

This time, the battle is over who will occupy the office of the Senate Leader, which has reportedly pitched Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje and Senator Ahmed Rufai Yerima Sani against each other.

The position was occupied

by Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (Cross River Central) in the Seventh Senate.

Goje represents Gombe Central Senatorial District (Northeast). Sani is Zamfara West Senatorial District representative (Northwest).

The two ranking senators are

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

frontline members of the Like Minds Senators, a group of senators who spearheaded Saraki’s emergence as Senate President on June 9.

Goje is said to have wanted the Deputy President of the Senate position, but the slot eluded him when Ekweremadu, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker, was elected to take the position.

Goje is said to be positioning himself to clinch the Senate Leader slot.

Yerima is also said to be angling for the same position, a situation that may lead to another titanic clash in the Senate chamber.

Sources in the Senate told The Nation in Abuja that Goje and Yerima were already working surreptitiously to clinch the coveted position.

One of the sources said: “Remember, Yerima nominated and read Saraki’s profile on June 9, to take the chair of the Senate President.”

He noted that Goje on the other hand came handy to dismiss Senator Barnabas Gemade’s Constitutional Point of Order on June 10, bothering on the election of Saraki, as a non-issue.

When Gemade raised the point that 51 senators, who went to honour APC invitation for a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari were shut out of the election of Saraki, Goje did not waste time to remind Gemade that those who went to the International Conference Centre for the meeting were on their own.

Goje was also at the head of a group of Northeast senators, who disowned Senator

Ahmed Lawan’s candidature for Senate President at the initial stage of the struggle for the office between Saraki and Lawan.

Yerima, on his own, has been very vocal of late in support of the election of Saraki, apparently underscoring his interest to lead the upper chamber as its leader.

It is not clear what the thinking of Saraki may be.

But a source said: “The Saraki will certainly back one of those who backed him to become the Senate President.

The precedent established in the Senate is that the majority party will produce the Senate Leader and Deputy Senate Leader.

As scheming and horse-trading for the positions, including committees, continue, the days ahead before the resumption of plenary will point where the pendulum will shift.

Don’t cloak Buhari in partisan toga, says youth group

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N umbrella group of youths, Youths for Change Nigeria, has warned against covering President Muhammadu Buhari with the “toga of partisanship”.

It said Buhari is the leader of Nigeria and not just of the All Progressives Congress (APC), adding that it would be wrong to cloak him in a partisan toga.

The organisation’s National Leader, Mr. Seun Bobade, in a statement in Lagos yesterday, said the moment Buhari was sworn in as President on May 29, he became the leader of all Nigerians, irrespective of their party affiliations.

The statement reads: ‘’We have been following the controversy over the comment purportedly made by the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai

Mohammed, that President Buhari is not the leader of the APC. We watched the interview in which Mohammed made the comments, and we can say without equivocating that his comments have been taken out of context. ‘’What we believe Mohammed said in that interview is that while President Buhari is a loyal party man and the product of his party’s primaries, it will be wrong for anyone to pigeon hole him as just the leader of the APC, because as president, he is the leader of Nigeria.

“The President himself said that much in his inaugural speech of May 29th. The President said inter alia: ‘I would like to thank the millions of our supporters who believed in us, even when the

cause seemed hopeless. I salute their resolve in waiting long hours in rain and hot sunshine to register and cast their votes and stay all night, if necessary, to protect and ensure their votes count and were counted. “’I thank those who tirelessly carried the campaign on the social media. At the same time, I thank our other countrymen and women who did not vote for us, but contributed to make our democratic culture truly competitive, strong and definitive. I thank all of you. Having just a few minutes ago sworn on the Holy Book, I intend to keep my oath and serve as president of all Nigerians’.”

The group added: “We are, therefore, constrained to warn those who have been

seeking to make a mountain out of a molehill over the comment purportedly made by the National Publicity Secretary of the APC to desist from their distracting game, unless of course they have an ulterior motive for pushing their jaundiced views,” the youths said.

It reminded Nigerians that in the United States, after which Nigeria modelled its system of government, the President is not seen and addressed as the leader of the Democratic Party, but the leader of the United States of America.

It called for an “end to unnecessary bickering and controversies that do not contribute positively to ensuring the welfare and security of Nigerians, which is the reason for the existence of any government”.

HE Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, said yesterday the Nigerian Armed Forces will not be deterred by any criticism in the ongoing counter-insurgency campaign in the Northeast.

Badeh spoke in Abuja when a group under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Society Group visited the Defence Headquarters.

He was reacting to Amnesty International’s indictment of some past and serving military chiefs over the counter-insurgency campaign.

He noted that the Nigerian Armed Forces fought a war in the 1960s, which ended in the 1970s and that the country had remained one, adding that the current war against insurgency was not different.

“One thing that the Armed Forces are doing is that we are not deterred by criticism; in war nothing is equal and people behave differently under pressure.

“And war is the worst form of pressure any normal human being can ever face. So, if there are one or two infractions out there at the venue of war, it is normal.

“It happens in every army, the most developed armies had committed worst crimes.”

Badeh said the military was waiting for the outcome of investigation by the Federal Government on the indictment of some past and serving military officers for alleged human rights abuses by the Amnesty International.

He said: “Our duty and obligation is to make sure that we return this country to normalcy; that is our pledge. And as civil society groups, you know that you are the conscience of the nation and we urge you not to rest on your oars.

“We know we have been hit by you before; when we do what is not right, you hit us; that it is expected. And when we do what is right, you commend us and we want to thank you for being a check and balance.

“We can guarantee you that there is no amount of distraction that can stop us from having a secured Nigeria”.

The President of the group, Comrade Etuk Williams, said they were on the visit for solidarity and to appreciate the good work of the military in the fight against terrorism.

Williams said the group, after critical and painstaking analysis of the report of the Amnesty International, discovered that the report was “devoid of truth”.

Commission asks IGP to prosecute ‘fake doctor’ From Faith Yahaya, Abuja

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HE Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) has asked the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, to investigate and prosecute one Mr. Martins Ugwu.

Ugwu, according to the commission, impersonated his friend, Davidson Daniel George (a medical doctor), to gain employment into the Federal Civil Service since 2006.

A letter to the Inspector General of Police dated June 11, 2015 and signed by its chairman, Deacon Joan Ayo, indicated that the commission decided to look into a petition against the medical doctor by a group and its findings revealed that he was an impostor.

The letter reads: “The investigation commenced when a group of petitioners alleged that a “Dr. George David Daniel” appeared to be a fake doctor. On FCSC investigation and based on a letter Ref. No. MDCN/760/Vol.II/99 of June 4, 2015, from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, the FCSC discovered that the man under investigation is actually Mr. Martins Ugwu, who stole the certificate of his friend to impersonate and take up appointment as a medical doctor.”

Ugwu, according to the letter, has been using Daniel’s certificate to work for nine years before the discovery.

FCSC, in the letter, alleged that Ugwu, on discovery that his cover has been exposed, threatened to the friend he impersonated.

The commission attached the letter from the MDCN conforming that Ugwu has been impersonating George, who is undertaking his Residency Training in Jos, Plateau State.

In the letter, MDCN said it summoned and interacted with the genuine doctor, who gave some vital information which further confirmed Ugwu as an impostor.

“Council has reported the matter to the law enforcement agency as a case of impersonation, with the genuine doctor deposing to a statement with regards to what happened between him and the fake doctor, whose real name Mr. Martins Ugwu,” said MDCN. Also attached to the letter is another letter from the Faculty of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, which disowned the accused as a graduate from the faculty.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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NEWS

Kidnapped Ekiti Catholic priest regains freedom

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CATHOLIC priest in Ekiti State, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Akingbade, has been freed.

The Nation learnt that the cleric regained freedom yesterday, exactly a week after his abduction.

The kidnapped priest was sighted by reporters on a factfinding mission to the Catholic Secretariat in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

Rev Akingbade, the parish priest of St. Benedict’s Catholic Church, was kidnapped by a three-man gang from his house at 8pm penultimate Tuesday. His abductors demanded for N20 million.

Rev Akingbade, who is also a lawyer, was born on September 9, 1971. He was ordained on July 18, 1998.

The cleric is the Assistant Director, Justice, Development and Peace Initiative

Special status for Lagos

•No ransom paid, says bishop From Odunayo Ogunmola, Ado Ekiti

(JDPI) of the Catholic Diocese of Ekiti.

The Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, the Most Rev Felix Ajakaye said no ransom was paid even though the kidnappers upped their demand to N200 million.

Bishop Ajakaye said it was sad that Ekiti was in the news for the wrong reasons as it became the first state in the Southwest, where a Catholic priest would be kidnapped.

He said he hoped that the incident would end abductions in Ekiti State. The bishop also advocated for stronger anti-kidnapping law, noting that the 10-year jail term is mild.

Bishop Ajakaye thanked the Inspector General of Police,

Solomon Arase; DirectorGeneral of the Department of State Services (DSS), Ita Ekpenyong; Commissioner of Police Etop James; state Director of the DSS Duke Fubara and their officers for their effort.

He called for better security equipment for security agencies to perform their statutory responsibilities.

The bishop said: “Yesterday morning, we thank God, we saw him (Akingbade), God did it and I thank everybody for their prayers because we rely on God, we believe in God and God can do anything.

“But we told our people not to abuse the abductors because we wouldn’t want the abductors to be cursed and we want things to change for the better in our state, the land of

honour, and Nigeria as a whole.

“What happened to Fr. Akingbade can happen to any member of the church, so all over the world people were praying.

“They were even threatening that they would kill him and I told them that on the day he was ordained he had sacrificed himself. But we were still negotiating. They asked me how much we could afford, I said we can not afford a kobo.

“God took control, we told them we would be praying, that we would not even curse them. I told them that they should know that they are children of God, that the cleric should be released unconditionally, that we are not paying them.

“I pray that what has happened to Fr. Akingbade would put an end to all these

nonsense in Ekiti, particularly abduction.

“If a Catholic priest can be abducted in his room, then nobody is safe.“ While lamenting the sad experience the church went through during the priest’s incarceration, the bishop described abduction and other vices plaguing the country, particularly Ekiti state, as “menace must be stopped.”

He said further: “We cannot give up on Ekiti State, we cannot give up on Nigeria. We need practical change even though people deserve the type of government they get.

“The law must be revisited, this thing must be addressed and all of us must speak against it. What we have not been experiencing before in Ekiti State, we keep on experiencing it.

“In a place where there is no security, no justice, there

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Sanity on Lagos roads

By Oziegbe Okoeki

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HE Eighth Lagos State House of Assembly at its first plenary yesterday passed a resolution, calling on Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to direct relevant agencies to sanitise the gridlock on roads.

The resolution followed a motion by Lanre Ogunyemi ( Ojo II), stating that road users on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway have been undergoing harrowing experience due to on-going reconstruction of the road.

The lawmaker added that the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) should brace to carry out palliative measures on the road to ensure that sanity is restored.

Bisi Yusuff (Alimosho I), who is a co-sponsor of the motion, said “Even law enforcement agents do drive against traffic. The corridors dedicated for Lag Bus and BRT are now being plied by other motorists. Law enforcement agents must be drafted to such areas to restore sanity.”

can be no development. The energy of the kidnappers can be better diverted to other good things and there should be respect for human dignity.

“This thing must be addressed and all of us must speak against it. It is unfortunate that what we had not experienced before in Ekiti is now happening. But must we keep quiet? No. “ Efforts to speak with the police spokesman Alberto Adeyemi were not successful as calls to his phone were not answered.

Osun APC calls for understanding

By Oziegbe Okoeki

PEAKER of the Lagos State House of Assembly Mudashiru Obasa has said the pursuit of a special status for Lagos will be one of the legislative agenda of the eighth Assembly.

The Speaker promised that in doing this, the Assembly will work with National Assembly members to ensure the actualisation of the quest.

According to him, this is imperative because apart from being a former federal capital, Lagos remains the economic and commercial nerve center of the country and the destination of many Nigerians seeking better life.

“It is, therefore, important that the Federal Government takes a special interest in the state by according it a special status and making necessary provisions to cushion the pressure on infrastructure in the state,” Obasa said.

Obasa said this at plenary yesterday after the Majority Leader, Sanai Agunbiade, presented a report on the June 12 anniversary lecture.

Agunbiade said one of the recommendations at the ceremony was that since the All Progressives Congress (APC) has formed the Federal Government, the state should seize the opportunity to ensure that it is granted the status.

•Rev Fr. Akingbade

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

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•Chief Ayandotun Ayanlakin presenting an award of the order of the peacock conferred on him by the Island Club, Lagos, to the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi at his palace.

My two-week ordeal, by freed Ondo Regent

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HE abducted Regent of Akungba-Akoko in Akoko South West Local Government Area of Ondo State, Princess Toyin Omosowon, yesterday regained her freedom.

It was learnt that her rescue followed the intervention of a combined team of soldiers and officers of the Department of State Security (DSS), who invaded the kidnappers’ den.

Also freed were a senior official of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) and the driver of the Regent, who were both abducted with her.

The 45-year-old regent and her aides were waylaid on June 3 on the Owo/Oba-Akoko/Akungba-Akoko Road on her way from Akure, where she attended a function at the Federal University of Technology.

The regent, who was driven to the Government House, Alagbaka, Akure, by security personnel, had a brief meeting with Governor Olusegun Mimiko before she moved to Akungba-Akoko.

Two of the suspected kidnappers David Ekpen (52) and Lucky Smart (35) were also seen at the Government House.

A third suspect died during the gun battle with security personnel.

Ekpen said he was a driver whose vehicle was hijacked

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

by some culprits, who he later discovered were kidnappers.

Mimiko said the princess had gone through a terrible experience, stressing that the regent’s abduction was an unfortunate incident in the state’s history.

The governor hailed security agencies for rescuing her.

He said the kidnappers would be punished in line with the existing laws of the state.

He said the state frowns at kidnapping and other crimes.

Narrating her ordeal, Princess Omosowon said she was driven to a forest in Ifon, headquarters of Ose Local Government Area.

She said she was forced to sleep in a cocoa plantation for days while she refused the foods given to her.

Her words: “When I got to the forest where they drove me to, I was told by the kidnappers that they had been paid to kill me. They told me

that I prevented the people of Akungba-Akoko from having a substantive traditional ruler.

“I told them I was made regent a few years ago and I was not the one preventing the community from having a monarch, but they insisted that I would be killed,” she added.

Princess Omosowon recalled that the kidnappers demanded for N200 million after days of pleading with them.

She said: “They told me that N200 million is the price for my life and when I complained that my people cannot get the money they told me to tell them to tell Governor Mimiko.”

The regent said she was tortured and denied good food, adding that she had developed ulcer.

The Army, in a statement by the Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Capt O.I Adenegan, said soldiers of the 32 Artillery Brigade, Akure, led the rescue opera-

tions.

The statement reads: “The successful rescue operation of the Regent of was led by the soldiers of 32 Artillery Brigade, Akure.

“The joint operation was conducted with officials of the Department of State Security Service (DSS) from Ondo and Edo states.

“The kidnapped victims were rescued in Ose Local Government, behind Ose Market. Other victims are the regent’s driver, Aliyu Abdulwalil, CSO Opute Sunday, a corps member, Miss Ijeoma Azubuike and an Indian, Mr Alex, who was kidnapped in Port Harcourt.

“During the operation, one of the suspects was killed and two of the other suspects Mr David and Lucky were arrested.

“This should serve as a warning to all criminals in the state, that the Brigade has zero tolerance to crime and always ready to secure lives and properties in the state.”

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has called on the people to exercise restraint, perseverance and understanding in the face of the financial adversity facing the state.

A statement by its Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Kunle Oyatomi, assured the people that things would soon normalise.

It reads: “Nigeria is going through an avoidable financial tragedy which had befallen the country owing, fundamentally, to human selfishness and carelessness, including gross mismanagement of the country’s financial resources.

“In times like this, when we face a collective challenge approaching the Ramadan, our faith must not waver, our restraint must not snap and our perseverance should hold firm so that we can triumph over this tragedy within the period.

“We give assurances to government workers and the people who depend on government that this crisis of non-payment of salaries and other entitlements will soon be resolved.”

The APC urged residents to disregard "the evil characters amongst us who are trying to incite them against the government over this tragedy”.

It continued: "These cynical people are empty and incapable of even suggesting a solution; but are out there only to sow discord and pry on others' misfortune to gloat in mockery.”

Gunmen attack Oyo APC chieftain RMED men attacked the home of a former Oyo State lawmaker, Waliu Ganiyu, yesterday.

Waliu, who represented Atiba from 2011 to 2015, lost his re-election bid and he is challenging the result at the tribunal.

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From Sikiru Akinola, Ibadan

Four armed men were said to have arrived his home at 1:20am in a grey Toyota Camry and operated for about an hour before policemen arrived at the scene.

Ganiyu said: “When we heard gunshots, we thought it was from the guards, until it became sporadic. I checked my watch and it was 1:20am.

This is the second time.

“Last week, they came around the same time but they

were unable to gain entrance.

They came in a Toyota Corolla without number plate. “ I call on the inspector general of police and other security agencies to investigate the matter. This must be stopped,” he said.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

NEWS Lawyer petitions COAS, NHRC From Olugbenga Adanikin, Abuja

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•Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Med-View Airline, Muneer Bankole (second left); Special guest and Onikotun of Ikotun Land, Oba Abdulazeez Gbadabiu Asiwaju (second right); Father of the Day and Chief Imam, Ikotun Central Mosque, Abu-Bakry Obalanlege (left) and Mr. Olalekan Adebola at the 14th Walimatul Qur’an of Ikotun Arabic & Islamic Centre, Ikotun, Lagos State.

Aregbesola to workers: I share your pains

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SUN State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has appealed to workers to be calm, saying thir salaries will be paid before June 30.

He said his government was not immune to their pains.

He spoke when the Australian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Jonathan Richardson, visited him at the Government House in Osogbo.

Aregbesola said: “I want to appeal to workers to be calm as the period of hardship caused by the delay in the payment of salaries will end very soon.

“We are with them in their pains, we are not immune to any of their pains.

“I have not received any salary ever since I became governor.

“I urge workers to take heart, in no distant time, at least, before the end of this month, we will all put this terrible experience behind us.”

The governor said the state is eager to partner with Australia for the benefit that will accure to it and the country.

‘CBN’s figures vindicate Osun govt’ THE Osun State government has said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) statistics of the nation’s revenue has vindicated it.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore on Monday accused Governor Rauf Aregbesola of financial recklessness.

Aregbesola’s Director of Communication and Strategy Semiu Okanlawon said the governor was the first to raise the alarm of an impending economic doom.

“His cries and alerts that an economic war had been declared on the states were politicised by the Federal Government and the PDP in order to divert Nigerians’ attention away from the realities.

“For us, Omisore is not the issue as we are more focused on getting the salary issue resolved. However, it is germane to note that traducers of the Aregbesola administration in the ilk of Omisore should be told that capitalising on the plight of the state and its workers through fraudulent figures is not only selfserving, it is also wicked and ungodly.

“The CBN’s explanation that showed that at N119.27 billion or 77.7 per cent of the total, state governments’ receipt from the Federation Account was below both the 2014 monthly budget estimate and the level in the preceding month by 29.7 and 30.3 per cent, respectively, is a direct vindication of our position.”

•Govt to pay before June 30 From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

He noted that besides gold and other resources, the state has a large deposit of gemstones.

Aregbesola added that the

mining licence that the state gave to an Australian company was small compared to the mineral deposit that the state is blessed with.

He said: “We have a lot of potentials in mining, agricul-

ture and technology. As important as mining and agriculture are, acquisition of knowledge is quite important to development.

“We look forward to the contribution of countries like yours. Whether we like it or not, a society without skilled people will soon fizzle out.

We are eager to partner with Australia for the benefits that will both come to us. We are struggling hard to develop our state on every facet.”

The high commissioner said his country is ready to offer necessary assistance to develop the economy.

Richardson commended the people for the peaceful transition, saying the negative view of Nigeria to foreigners is due to lack of information.

He stressed that Australia is ready to partner with Osun because of the state potentials in tourism, agriculture, mining, among other areas.

“We think we have a lot to offer in mining, agriculture, tourism. We are happy to inform your government on how we can help in some of the areas.”

Protesting Ondo pensioners demand arrears

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ETIRED workers under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) in Ondo State yesterday protested the non-payment of their arrears and allowances.

The workers, who described themselves as senior citizens, marched on the Governor’s Office with placards and demanded immediate payment of all their benefits.

They carried placards with

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

various inscriptions, such as “Pay our three months arrears”; “We are dying of hunger and starvation, save our soul” and “We are an oil producing state, why owe us our entitlements?”

The NUP Chairman in Akure South Local Government Area, Akin Adubuola, said members have been abandoned, despite their age and years of service.

Adubola said the government owed the pensioners five years arrears with 33 per cent increment, including three months allowances and gratuities.

He appealed to the government to come to their rescue by paying them all their entitlements.

Femi Odere and Deaconess Mary Abiola begged Governor Olusegun Mimiko to have compassion on them.

They said many of their colleagues have died of hunger and frustration.

Mimiko’s Senior Special Adviser on Union matters Dayo Fadahunsi said the delay in the payment was as a result of the state’s dwindling finances in the nation.

He reiterated government’s commitment to the welfare of its citizens and promised to relay their grievances to the governor.

Foundation hails APC leaders’ maturity

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GROUP, the Eko Foundation, has praised All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders for handling the National Assembly leadership crisis with maturity.

It said they displayed sterling leadership qualities in the manner they handled the

By Joseph Jibueze

“fragile situation” to douse tension in the polity and keep the party united.

Speaking at the extra-ordinary general meeting on the state of the nation, the chairman, Hakeem Danmola, called on Nigerians to support

the Federal Government through prayers and constructive criticisms.

In a statement by its spokesman, Aramide Noibi, the group said the opposition has been put to shame

by APC’s magnanimity, and urged the party members to

embrace peace.

“In as much as we do honestly appreciate the electorate’s determination to have change, it behooves us all to genuinely justify such determination with a common front as compatriots,” the statement added.

Cleric advises Buhari

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HE General Overseer, Christ Apostolic Church, Canaan Land, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Prophet Hezekiah Oladeji, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to make a mistake in the choice of his ministers and advisers.

The cleric advised Buhari to

put those who share his dream into his cabinet. Oladeji spoke in Erio-Ekiti during a briefing on theweek-long programme tagged ‘Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola Power Explosion 2015’, which begins on June 22.

He said the programme, which would feature prayers for the Buhari’s government

would attract over three million people to the Erio-Ekiti Mountain.

“President Buhari needs a good team. He needs people who can help him translate his dream into reality. Those who won’t bother about robust perks of office, those who won’t perpetrate corruption

and those with intention to engage in selfless services.

“In a country like Nigeria, where corruption has become a way of life, good people are not easy to come by. But if Buhari is careful and prayerful, he will get a good team and Nigeria will be better for it,” Oladeji said.

N Ekiti State lawyer, Gbolahan Ogunyemi, has petitioned the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and the National Human Right Commission (NHRC) over over his alleged assault by soldiers in Ado-Ekiti.

The lawyer, in a petition titled: “Complaint on the assault and inhuman treatment meted out on my person by your officers,” decried how one of three unidentified military officers was instructed to shoot him at a military checkpoint, if he disobeyed their instruction.

In a copy of the petition yesterday in Abuja, Ogunyemi said: “On May 24, I noticed people were walking under the sun with hands above their heads; and believed they were criminals.

“On getting to where the soldiers were one of them shouted at me to raise my hands above my head, as I tried to obey out of duress and intimidation, the supervising officer called me out of the throng of people and asked me who are you?

“I responded that I am Barrister Ogunyemi Gbolahan Samuel, then, he said you are not above the law because you are a barrister, barrister my foot.

“The supervising officer shouted at me to be quiet, ordered me to go back to the starting point and trek down with my hands raised above my head, to which I declined. It was at this point I informed him that I was in Ado for an important meeting which was to begin at 2pm.

“To my surprise, he called one of the junior officers that he should deal with me and if I made an attempt to walk I should be shot.

“I was falsely imprisoned on that spot for more than 40 minutes with threats to my life.

“Another junior officer hit me with a plank on my knee and I was bleeding from the punctured hole in my leg. I was beaten publicly in the presence of by-standers and passersby.

“In the process of such degrading treatment, a soldier biked down in mufti came to the scene and he pleaded with the three soldiers to let me go.”

Ogunyemi urged the relevant authorities to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

Bricks firm begins production

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IRE Burnt Brick Firm, Ire-Ekiti, Ekiti State, began production yesterday. The former lawmaker representing Ekiti North Federal Constituency I in the House of Representatives, Bimbo Daramola, praised former Governor Kayode Fayemi for resuscitating the abandoned company.

He said nay-sayers, both within the state and outside, who doubted “our sincerity to get the company back on stream” should now go to the company to see the product of vision and commitment.

Also, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, congratulated Fayemi and Ekiti people, for the resumption of production in the company.

Olatubosun said Fayemi’s dynamism and commitment to the industrialisation of Ekiti State had resulted in the great feat.

He urged the new administration to emulate the former governor by making industrialisation one of its development agenda.

Daramola, in a statement, said what appeared as an impossibility was made possible by the former governor, who committed both financial and human resources to the company to ensure the completion of the project.

He added that the production of the first sets of products was a dream fulfilled.

“Ekiti people had looked forward to the completion of the project for the employment opportunities it would generate.”

The former lawmaker said the company was abandoned 22 years ago, but Fayemi insisted that the industry must be brought back to life by fully paying for the resuscitation before he left office.

He added: “I told my people that if they could give me their mandate, I would ensure the completion of the project.

“Working with the government on this, Fayemi took bond in the capital market to resuscitate the industry, among other income generating development projects he executed.

“He engaged professionals and gave them a marching order to bring the industry back to life. The result is what we are celebrating today as the company begins production.

"I want to thank Governor Fayemi for turning the moribund industry into a viable commercial enterprise that will not only put Ire-Ekiti on the nation's map but will also create jobs for the people.

"Besides creating jobs, the industry will also create opportunities for service providers, whose services will be needed by the company and its staff," he said.

He urged the community to jealously guide against any illegal activities that would hamper the operations of the company.

Daramola urged the new administration to emulate Fayemi in looking inward for local revenue sources to enhance the financial standing of the state.

"I hereby plead with the new administration to allow the company flourish by leaving its affairs in the hands of professional management staff.

“It should not politicise a potential revenue earner by starving it of the needed support just because it is a project of his predecessor," he said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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CITYBEATS

•The late Ufoma

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ROPRIETOR of the school attended by the three siblings, who died in a fire last weekend, yesterday described them as some of her “most intelligent pupils”.

Ufoma, Emeka and Udoma Patrick died in the fire that gutted their home at 18, Fakoya Street, Egbeda in Lagos. The fire was sparked by a candle lit by their father.

The proprietor, who pleaded anonymity, said she saw the children last three weeks ago.

“They stopped coming to school three weeks ago because their fa-

CITYBEATS LINE: 09091178827

•The burnt building

‘We lost intelligent pupils’

By Basirat Braimah

ther had outstanding tuition to settle. It is a great shock. Udoma, the third child, clocked three the very day she died. I will miss my very active pupils, especially Udoma, who participated in almost everything in her class,” she said.

The candle burnt some furniture before spreading to the ceiling of their self-contain apartment.

•Proprietor relives siblings’ time in school It was learnt that there has been no love lost between the landlord and the children’s father who had gone to the hospital to see their mother, who just gave birth.

A neighbour said she was shocked at the lukewarm attitude of the landlord that night.

“The circumstance surrounding the death is strange. The landlord

and his family ran away that night and returned the next day. The family moved in exactly three years ago - the day the incident happened. Also, the youngest child, Udoma, who was born in that same house three years ago, died on her birthday. I learnt he gave the Patricks quit notice few months ago,” she said.

The landlord, Samuel Oyekola, however, told The Nation: “I don’t know why the neighbours are blaming me for this tragedy. Immediately my family and I were alerted, I called the Lagos Fire Service. My daughter fetched over 10 buckets of water because the tenants ran away when the incident began. It is very unfortunate.”

It was learnt that Patrick has been taking to his home town for treatment.

Cook Cook‘drugs’ ‘drugs’mistress mistressto torob rob her COOK has landed in trouble for drugging her mistress in order to rob

By Precious Igbonwelundu and Ebele Boniface

her.

Mrs Omowunmi Fadojutimi hired the cook, Victor Hounkpe, David Amusu.

Mrs Fadojutimi and her acquaintance, Nwogu Chinaka and two security men were hospitalized after taking the vegetable soup prepared by Hounkpe.

Hounkpe and Amusu allegedly drugged the soup to enable them have unhindered access into the couple’s rooms to steal their valuables.

The suspects, who were paraded by the Lagos State Police Command, claimed that they only wanted the couple to sleep off during the operation.

According to Hounkpe, he was briefed on the operation and handed the concoction (drug) by Amusu.

Their plan, he said, was to dispossess the woman of her gold jewellery, which would have only been possible if she was asleep.

“It was David (Amusu) who brought me to work as a cook for his former boss. He was the one who told me that the Madam invests in gold. He told me the reason he wanted me to work as cook was to enable us rob her “I confirmed it when I started working there that she had plenty gold. So on that fateful day (April 22), he gave me something which he said was sleeping drug to put in the vegetable soup I was asked to cook to enable him come in so that we can rob the woman.

“After eating the food, the woman and her husband slept. The two security men who also ate the food slept. We tried to enter the woman’s room but it was locked.

“We became scared the way all of them were sleeping. We thought they were dead and so we ran away,” said the Beninoise.

But Amusu, who admitted he brought Hounkpe for his former boss, denied giving him any pill.

He said the Beninoise hatched the plot, adding that he grounded 10 tablets of Super Appetite.

He said: “I did not give him any drug. I did not even know he drugged their food. It was when we went for the gold that I saw everybody sleeping.

“I was scared because I thought they were dead. So when we realised the door was locked. I quickly ran out of the premises.

“I left my former boss because I was not feeling well. I have recommended four cooks to her but she kept saying they were not good. Hounkpe was the last person I introduced to her. But when he got the job, he called me and said we should rob the family, that they were rich. He asked if I had any sleeping tablet that would put them to sleep. I grounded 10 tablets of Super Appetite and gave them to him. Our intention was never to kill anyone but to rob and leave for Benin Republic, where we intend to establish our business.

But after the deed was done, Hounkpe called me and I went and stayed in front of the gate waiting for the next call to come in, only for him to announce that people were suspecting him. The devil pushed me into this because the family was nice to me when I was working there.”

The Lagos State Police chief Kayode Aderanti said the offence was uncovered following a petition by Mrs Fadojutimi, who accused the suspects of attempted murder.

According to the police boss, the complainant’s husband developed severe stomach ache after eating the meal and collapsed before he

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•The suspects

was rushed to the hospital.

“The petitioner alleged that she engaged the services of Hounkpe as a domestic cook through Amusu who was her former cook.

“She alleged that on April 22, at about 5pm, the cook was instructed to prepare vegetable soup for dinner for the family and all domestic staff.

“The cook duly complied with the

directive and every member of the household ate dinner as served.

After dinner, the complainant’s husband, Chinaka developed severe stomach ache and collapsed.

“The complainant immediately rushed her husband to a nearby hospital amidst her own severe pain having eaten the meal.

“She became unconscious also at the gate of the hospital and both

husband and wife were admitted for medical attention. Shortly after, two of the security guards of the complaint who ate the dinner were brought in unconscious in the same hospital.

“It was discovered that shortly after serving the dinner, the cook, Hounkpe sneaked out of the house.”

Fake MFM pastor remanded in Lagos prison

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YABA Chief Magistrate’s Court in Lagos yesterday remanded a man, David PraiseDiri, who impersonated a pastor of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry (MFM) at Ikoyi Prisons.

Chief Magistrate Bola FolarinWilliams, gave the ruling after the accused pleaded guilty to the offences.

The accused, Praise-Diri, is facing a three-count charge of impersonation, obtaining money under false pretences and stealing.

Prosecuting Sergeant Benedict Aigbokhim told the court that the accused committed the offences on June 3 at Toyin Street, Ikeja.

He said the accused approached the complainant, Miss Itohan along Toyin Street, and introduced himself as a pastor of MFM. “The accused said he got a revelation from God for her and collected N13,000 from the complainant on the pretext of praying and fasting on her behalf for a possible solution to her problem.

“She became uncomfortable when the accused told her to come for a vigil and decided to inform a relation who also worships at MFM church.

“They informed the church and upon investigation it was discovered that the accused is a fake pastor.

“The MFM church management alerted the police, who arrested the accused,” Aigbokhim said.

According to him, the offences contravene Sections 78, 285 and 312 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.

The case was adjourned to June 23.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

CITYBEATS

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Residents protest to Assembly over killings

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ESIDENTS of Taniolodo Community Development Association in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos, yesterday staged a peaceful protest to the Lagos State House of Assembly (LAHA) over spates of killings by hoodlums in the area.The protesters alleged that the insecurity in the area had led to the death of several innocent people, forcing the residents to continue to live in fear.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the protesters carried placards with inscriptions that read: “Governor Ambode, we need protection”; ``Enough of these killings in Jibowu Community”; and “Save our inno-

cent children.”

Others include: “This terror is too much for our innocent children”; “We are tired of premature death”; and “We are tired of living in perpetual fear.’’

The Chairman of the CDA, Alhaji Akeem Taniolodo, told NAN that several of the citizens residing there had relocated elsewhere because of fear of attack by the hoodlums.

Taniolodo said, “Our lives are in danger and we can no longer sleep with our eyes closed.

“We have written several letters to the police with no effect, as at now, lots of residents have left the place to other areas to seek refuge.

“We want the lawmakers to save our lives and property, it is unbearable now.”

Another resident, Mr Abiodun Lesi, who spoke on behalf of other residents, corroborated Taniolodo’s submission.

Lesi said: “We are seeking the intervention of the Lagos Assembly to come to our aid to put a stop to the killings of innocent souls.”

He said the areas mostly affected include: Taniolodo, Ogidi, Lawani, Ojelade, Kadiri and Adewusi areas of Jibowu.

Addressing the protesters, LAHA Deputy Speaker Mr Wasiu Eshinokun, said the House would take appropriate steps to solve the problem.

“We share in your concern, we assure you that we will pass your grievance to the appropriate quarter,” Eshinlokun said.

Erring motorists will be sanctioned, says FRSC

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HE Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) yesterday vowed to

sanction violators of traffic rules in accordance with existing laws.

The Unit Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, RS 2.17 Ojota Unit Command, Lagos, Kehinde Hamzat, an Assistant Corps Commander (ACC), handed down the warning following the June 9 assault on an official by a fuel tanker driver, Usman Dauda, opposite its Ojota, Lagos office.

Usman attempted to evade arrest after his tanker marked LSR 528 XE, belonging to MRS Petroleum, was stopped.

In anger, he blocked the expressway with his truck between the command’s gate and the nearby motorways.

On arrival, a patrol team made efforts to ensure easy free traffic flow, but Usman instructed his “motor boy” to “completely block the road” to hinder on-coming vehicles.

•Businessman begs for driver’s action

•Usman...at the scene

By Dada Aladelokun

Shouting “no one stops tanker drivers,” he hit a Toyota Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) marked AKD 408 DH by the side. When the owner confronted him, he reportedly slapped the man.

Usman also attacked a Corps official who wanted to restore order. The official spent five days in hospital.

The matter was handled by the Alausa Police Station where operatives waded into the matter.

Yesterday, the tanker owner, Alhaji Jimoh Toibu of Tawahb Nigeria Limited, wrote a letter of apology to the corps’ Unit Commander, with an undertaking to pay for the damages.

Like the association of tanker drivers, Toibu dissociated himself from the driver’s unruly act.

Group seeks support for Buhari

AGABAN Elders Forum, a non-governmental organisation aimed at fostering unity among supporters of All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has

J

sought support for the Buhari adminstration.

Its Chairman, Elder Adebanjo Ogunmayin, praised members for their role in the party’s victory during the last election.

He called for continued

support for the party’s members, especially the elders.

Ogunmayin added: “To win an election is one thing, to fulfil the promises made to the electorate is an onerous task that needs the cooperation of party members”.

•The suspects

PDP chief gave us guns, says robbery suspect •’We were paid N200,000 after each rally’

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N armed robbery suspect, Adebayo Dipo, yesterday said his gang got its weapons from a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Lagos during the last elections.

Dipo, 30, alongside Alade Ogbulu 30 and Kofi Olumede (Ghanian), 21, were paraded by the police over the series of attacks and killings on Lagos Island.

They said they were hired and paid N200,000 by politicians to foment trouble during the elections.

One pump action rifle, a single barrel rifle and four rounds of ammunition were said to have been recovered from them. The suspects said the arms and a FEDECO bus were given to them by the PDP chieftain.

The suspects, who belong to different cult groups, also reportedly had two cutlasses and an axe in their possession.

They told reporters that they were involved in many cult wars in Ajah, Tafawa Balewa Square and other areas in the state.

But Dipo, popularly

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ordered the arrest and detention of a vessel laden with 5,000 metric tonnes of kerosene over an alleged contract breach.

The cargo, covered by an allocation letter by the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company Limited (PPMC), is onboard MT Sea Pioneer on Lagos waters.

Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke made the order following an application by a petroleum products dealer, Stallionaire Nigeria Limited, who sued Acorn Petroleum Plc, PPMC and others.

The plaintiff claimed that it paid Acorn for the product, but rather than deliver it, Acorn (the first defen-

By Joseph Jibueze

dant) resold it.

“Acorn has now completed plans to accord loading rights to the said third party over the 5,000MT cargo of DPK (Dual Purpose Kerosene) over which the plaintiff has and retains legal title as per parties’ agreement and full consideration paid,” Stallionaire said.

The plaintiff said Acorn has applied to PPMC for loading rights over the cargo which Stallionaire is entitled to.

Justice Aneke held that the vessel should be detained, pending Acorn’s provision of a bank guarantee for N488 million and N132,287,960 from a repu-

table commercial bank to secure the plaintiff’s claims.

Acorn has prayed the court to discharge the order, but the plaintiff is urging the court to refuse the application.

It accused the first defendant of conducting the sale of kerosene allocation “in a similar manner as resulted in this dispute.”

Stallionaire recalled that in November 2014, it paid for 5,000 metric tonnes of DPK to Acorn upfront, but the first defendant collected money on the same consignment from another company, Bono Energy/ Achetype International.

“Upon arrival at the cargo offshore Nigeria, confusion ensued between the two buyers,” Stallionaire, said,

known as SARS denied that his gang killed five persons after at a particular rally on Island.

He said: “It was only Ashake that we killed. The others died during a fight with our gang. Nobody shot at them. We also lost some of our members during the clashes. I am a member of Black Axe Confraternity and I dropped out of the university due to lack of finance.

“We were usually given N200,000 after each rally, which we shared among ourselves, no matter how large the crowd is.

“The PDP chieftain (names withheld), gave us guns and FEDECO bus during campaign. I am a site agent. My nickname is SARS. We killed one Ashake on Saturday but four others died on Sunday, making five.”

Kofi said about six persons were killed by the Abija Confraternity, which he belongs to.

“I belong to the Abija Group. About six persons

have been killed in separate clashes. I am a political thug to the PDP. “On the day when the PDP held its rally at the TBS, my group shot dead one person.

That was also the day Jonathan came to Lagos.

“After the rally, some of our boys killed Otun who brought his boys to engage us in a fight. It was one Layi, our gang member, who shot him. The following day, the APC faction came to Enuowa area to engage us in a reprisal attack; we also killed four of their members.

It was the APC thugs that launched the first attack “We are loyal to Abija, he was our leader and he brought all these guns (pointing to the recovered weapons). Abija had so many boys- too many to count. I was a meat pie seller before I joined the group in Lagos Island,” he said.

Police Commissioner Kayode Aderanti said the suspects were arrested following raid of all dark spots in the state, because of the incessant skirmishes on the Island and its environs.

Man ‘stabbed’ to death by cobbler

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N Ebute Meta Chief Magistrate’s Court, Lagos, yesterday remanded a 21-year-old, Olalekan Aweda, in prison for allegedly stabbing a man to death with a dagger.

Mrs O.I. Adelaja, the Chief Magistrate, ordered that the accused should be remanded at Ikoyi Prisons for 30 days pending advice from the Director of Public

Court orders arrest of kerosene-laden vessel HE Federal High Court in Lagos has

By Ebele Boniface and Precious Igbonwelundu

adding that it was only after it offered to refund Archetype that it was able to take the cargo.

Acorn denied the allegation, saying it is not true and not related to Stallionaire’s claims.

Yesterday, the first defendant’s counsel, Eubena Amedu, sought to move his pending application, but the plaintiff’s counsel, Mr Chijioke Emeka, objected because Amedu has not filed a memorandum of appearance and as such was not properly before the court.

Besides, Emeka said Acorn has not satisfied the claim nor furnished a bank guarantee to secure the claims as ordered by the court.

Justice Aneke adjourned till June 30.

Prosecutions (DPP).

The accused, a cobbler, is facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and murder.

Earlier, Prosecutor, Insp.

Richard Odigie, told the court that the offences were committed on May 8 at about 10.00 p.m. at Joseph Street on Lagos Island.

He said the accused and the deceased 36-year-old Ganiu

Bello had a misunderstanding and Aweda vowed to deal with Bello.

“On that day, Aweda ambushed Bello and upon sighting him, stabbed him with a dagger on his neck killing him instantly.”

The case has been adjourned to July 8.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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NEWS Woman held for dumping baby

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OLICEMEN from Textile Mill Road Police Division in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State yesterday arrested a 25year-old woman, Joy Tunde, for dumping her three-dayold baby.

The mother was said to have thrown the baby over a fence into an uncompleted building at Obazuaye Street, off Osakpamwan Street, in Evbareke Quarters.

She allegedly committed the act at 2am last Saturday.

The residents were said to have discovered the baby three days later.

It was learnt that the residents investigated the discovery, which led them to the mother.

The residents were prevented from beating her up, following her confession, which only came after they threatened to use spiritual means to punish “the callous” mother.

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

Joy said she threw away the baby because she had a another “unwanted” baby for a man.

According to her, she dumped the baby when the man, who impregnated her refused to accept the baby.

The police arrested Ms Tunde and took the baby to the Neonatal clinic at the Benin Central Hospital.

Bruises were discovered on the head and sides of the baby.

The hospital’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mrs Sandra Omoregbe, said the baby was responding to treatment.

Police spokesman Stephen Onwochei, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the incident.

He said the mother had been released to enable her take care of the baby.

‘Methanol caused ogogoro deaths in Rivers’

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HE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said methanol, and not ethanol, caused the deaths among consumers of local gin (ogogoro) in Rivers State.

The Chairman of Rivers State House of Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee set up last week to investigate the cause of the deaths, Michael Chinda, broke the news yesterday on the floor of the Assembly.

The lawmaker said his committee discovered that methanol was in the ogogoro that has killed several people in the last three weeks.

Chinda, who spoke during the presentation of the committee’s report to the Assembly, said investigation revealed that some “greedy” dealers used methanol to produce the local gin, following the shortage of ethanol.

The lawmaker said the state recorded 80 reported cases and 70

From Clarice Azuatalam, Port Harcourt

deaths in five communities and local government areas, including, Ahoada West; Woji, in Obio/Akpor; Abuloma, in Port Harcourt City, Gokana and Bonny.

He said workers of the Ministry of Health took the victims to Bori General Hospital, Woji Health Centre, Bonny General Hospital and a private hospital in Abuloma.

According to him, it was unfortunate that all the victims in Ahoada West died before they could get help.

Chinda said: “The officers of the Ministry of Health took samples of the killer gin from the affected locations and sent them to NAFDAC. The laboratory result of the investigation revealed excess presence of methanol in varying quantities.

“Due to the shortage of ethanol used for the production of local gins, unscrupulous elements resorted to the use of methanol to bridge the supply gap.”

Akwa Ibom Assembly elects four officers

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HE Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has elected four principal officers to run the affairs of the Assembly.

Their names were announced yesterday during plenary by Speaker Aniekan Uko. Uko said the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state approved the appointment of Udo Kerian Akpan, representing Oruk Anam, as Majority Leader and Aniefiok Akpan, representing Etinan, as Deputy Majority Leader.

The speaker also announced the appointment

From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

of Emmanuel Ekpenyong, representing Ini, as the Chief Whip and Nse Essien, from Onna, as the Deputy Chief Whip.

Uko urged the officers to do their best for the smooth running of the sixth Assembly and enact laws that would bring dividends of democracy to the people.

The Assembly, at its inaugural sitting on June 8, elected Uko the Speaker and Effiong Bassey, representing Oron/ Udung Uko, as Deputy Speaker.

•Ms Tunde with the police...yesterday INSET: The baby...yesterday

Navy destroys 500,000 litres of ‘stolen’ crude oil O •Seven illegal refineries demolished FFICERS and men of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta in Warri, Delta State, yesterday destroyed over 500,000 litres of substance suspected to stolen crude oil and cooked products.

The products were destroyed during Navy’s antioil theft operation in Otegele community, Warri Southwest Local Government Area.

The operation, which uncovered seven illegal oil refineries, covered three kilometres of swamp.

It also led to the destruction of the equipment oil thieves used in their operations, including huge tanks, stretches of pipes and hoses, generators, foodstuffs and shelter.

Addressing reporters at the NNS Delta base in Warri after the operation, the base commander, Commodore Aliyu Sule said the oil thieves were becoming innovative in their illegal operation.

He said his command would surpass the criminals

From Bolaji Ogundele, Warri

in their illicit methods to beat the hoodlums to their game.

Sule attributed the persistent crime rate in the area to a lack of jobs for youths and the wrong notion among the residents that they have the right to tamper with pipelines in their communities.

He said: “In continuation of the drive to stamp out crude oil theft, we destroyed some illegal oil refineries at Otegele, in Warri Southwest Local Government Area of Delta State; seven of them were destroyed. It is estimated that about 500 metric tonnes of substances, suspected to be either crude oil or cooked products, were involved.

“This is just to send a warning signal because since I assumed the command of

the NNS Delta, people thought there was a lull in operations.

But there won’t be any vacuum. We just have to be sure of our sources before we go out to carry out any operation.

“The number one reason this menace has persisted is a lack of jobs. There are several youths without jobs. Some of them are skilful; they have gone to school, but can’t find jobs. We also have a group of people who believe it’s their right to tamper with pipelines that traverse their communities. That one, as far as I’m concerned, is illegal. The Navy is going to stop it.

“On the other hand, being unemployed does not give you the liberty to go about stealing; it’s not good. I’m urging youths in this area to desist from going about ‘harvesting’ pipelines.

“We are winning the war against oil theft. The more

they become more sophisticated, the more we too will be changing our strategies to counter whatever they are up to. I’m aware that they have improved on their equipment; the length of the thickness of their tanks has been increased.

“They are becoming daring, but we are going to be more daring because the resources are our common heritage. If things go well, they will get employment. But I don’t think this is the way to go about doing things. They enter the creeks to look for where they can find a canopy of trees, dig up a hole and plant storage facility and cover it up. Sometimes, if you fly, you are not likely to see anything unless you have correct intelligence information. “...You can imagine the distance of the hose; about three kilometres from where the refinery is. I’m sure when they initially started, they weren’t using this kind of hose.”

Police recover ashes, bones of kidnap victim

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HE Edo State Police Command has recovered the bones and ashes of a 67-year-old kidnap victim, Premie Eboigbe Ohakhena, who was reportedly killed by his abductors.

The late Ohakhena’s body was said to have been burnt.

His abduction and murder were reportedly masterminded by a 53-year-old grandfather, Fred Ikhimu

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

Arobi.

The suspect led the police to the spot where the charred remains of Ohakhena were recovered.

He said Ohakhena was murdered because of the death of his (Arobi’s) older brother.

Arobi claimed that his older brother died when he

(Arobi) intervened in a land dispute between his older brother and Ohakhena.

Only Ohakhena’s skull was found in the bush where he was killed.

Arobi said visiting the killing site was painful to him, adding that he regretted his action.

The suspect said he had known Ohakhena for over 15 years.

According to him, it was a

man he named simply as Monday that introduced him to kidnapping.

The grandpa said he had participated only in one abduction, from which he was paid N300,000.

Police spokesman Stephen Onwochei, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DS), said the command was on the trail of the fleeing members of the kidnap gang.

Hope rises for Delta Steel as new investor takes over

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HE new investor in Delta Steel Company - Premium Steel and Mines – has begun an elaborate revival plan to resuscitate the plant with the injection of N70 billion in the first phase and N300 billion in subsequent phases.

The investor said its plan includes a substantial socioeconomic value chain in Niger Delta by reviving the plant to produce one million tonnes of steel.

The investor pledged to expand the company’s capac-

ity and establish industries for other value added products.

It said the product range at the complex is aimed at optimal utilisation of the country’s mining and gas resources and producing import substitution products.

Premium Steel also said it would provide gainful employment to the community.

The new investor pledged to assist the communities in their education and healthcare.

Premium Steel has taken

over only the company’s assets with a promise to restore its operations.

The liabilities remain with Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and the plant’s receivers.

In February, the then Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Musa Mohammed Sada, appeared before the Senate Committee on Power, Mines and Steel.

He noted that AMCON had given the initial company the opportunity to pay back its loan.

But the company was unable to do so and the grace period had long lapsed.

Sada said: “There were no previous claims. Delta Steel was a privately-owned company. The company took loans from the local banks.

By Nigerian Law, AMCON was put in place to make sure that banks do not fail.

“So, AMCON bought over the loans of that company. It gave them a payment schedule, which they failed to honour. So, AMCON has no issue with anybody.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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NEWS Boko Haram: 27 missing policemen yet to be declared dead, says I-G

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WENTY SEVEN policemen missing after terrorists attacked Gwoza, in Borno State in August, last year, are yet to be declared dead, InspectorGeneral of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase said yesterday.

Arase responding to questions from reporters after inaugurating the Board of Directors of the Nigeria Police Property Development and Construction Company Ltd. (NIPPDCC).

The IGP explained that the police will follow its tradition of declaring officers that got missing in battle dead after the lapse of a period of time which he declined to give.

He said: “About our colleagues, who are missing in Gwoza, there is a tradition in the police force.

“When officers are missing in battle, we do not declare them dead or missing until after a period has lapsed.

“So, we are still waiting

for that period to lapse, and if we cannot find them after that time, then, we will formally declare them either dead or missing,’’ Arase said.

Thirty five policemen were declared missing on August 20, 2014, after the insurgents attacked Gwoza, where one of the police training schools is located.

However, on 26, August 2014, the Police spokesman, CP Emmanuel Ojukwu, a Commissioner of Police told reporters that eight of them were found, leaving 27 still missing.

Earlier, he said that the current police management was passionate about the welfare of the inspectors, rank and file, who were mostly operational personnel.

Arase stressed that the welfare of those categories of personnel needed to be given priority to stamp out corruption in the force.

He announced that 36,000 of them would by

•Arase

next week proceed on training preparatory to their promotion.

“We have a social contract with our inspectors, rank and file,’’ he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the seven-man board is chaired by the IGP. NAN also recalls that the IGP, on June 4, mandated the Police Works Department to build 6,000 units of modern houses for the rank and file personnel.

Five hundred units of the houses are to be located in each of the 12 police zonal commands across the nation.

Cycle owners get ultimatum

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HE Ogun State Police Command has warned the owner of abandoned motorcycles parked at Ifo and Ipokia Divisions to remove them within 14 days or lose them to members of the

public.

They are: Boxers TRE 816 FKJ, OK 885 GGE, OP 186 LSD, OG 476 FST, QY 469 SMK, QL 457 KJA and other 30 brands of motorcycles.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

Life NANTAP to honour practitioners – PAGE 17

15

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Text only: 08023058761

Behold, the new face of justice

‘My guidance counsellor said I shouldn’t enter college’ – PAGE 47

National art competition calls for entries – PAGE 47

SEE SEE STORY STORY ON ON PAGE PAGE 16 16

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

Behold, the new face of justice

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ESPITE the differences in the concept and theory of justice dating back to the ancient Greek philosophers, such as Plato, in his work, The Republic, one thing, however, remains constant-the depiction of justice.

Lady Justice, a symbol of justice, is depicted as a goddess equipped with three items: a sword, symbolising the coercive power of the court; scales, representing an objective standard by which competing claims are weighed; and a blindfold indicating that justice should be impartial and meted out objectively, without fear or favour and regardless of money, wealth, power or identity.

Last Friday, all that changed at the Law Faculty of the University of Lagos. A new statue of justice created by Deola Balogun a lecturer at the School of Arts, Design and Photography, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, mounted at the faculty is embedded with cultural elements to reflect and project the traditional paraphernalia of justice, authority and honour as signified by the Eben, Irukere, Suku, Jigida and Udu. Balogun speaks on the relevance of the statue to national aspiration, its concept and inspiration among other issues.

What is your reaction to the concept of the statue as symbol of justice in relation to the political situation in the country now?

The new administration’s campaign slogan is Change while the immediate past administration’s slogan is Transformation, what we should deduce from the two slogans is that it is high time for us to Change or Transform in the way and manner we conduct our affairs as a people. It is imperative to embrace ‘Change’ in order for us to experience ‘Transformation’ socially and economically’.

However, this might turn out to be a mirage if pertinent sign-posts that will subconsciously serve as element of re-orientation are not in place such as the newly created statue of Justice and Culture.

Nigeria runs a mono-economy, which implies that a large percentage of her consumables are imported as most Nigerians prefer items with foreign contents to locally produced ones. No nation can develop with this kind of attitude. Yearly, Nigeria celebrates her independence from the colonial masters, yet, she has not been able to detach herself from the former’s influence.

That is why I talk about sign-post; one of the ways by which we are influenced subconsciously is through what we perceive visually. Reason why most dictators will erect imposing statue of themselves in order to constantly be in the psyche of their subjects.

Therefore, it is very germane at this point in time in our national life to project ourselves positively in the light of our cultural heritage. Thus, the title of the monument is very apt- ‘Justice and Culture’.

The brief was for me to re-conceptualise the universal symbol of justice in traditional Nigerian context. It was a bit challenging as relevant motifs from different ethnic nationalities had to be considered in order to give the monument a national appeal. It was successfully revolutionised; the concept of the universal symbol of justice now reflects and projects traditional paraphernalia of justice, authority and honour as signified by the Eben, Irukere and Udu respectively.

I must acknowledge the initiator of the idea in person of Professor Ibidapo Obe who is very passionate about a symbol of justice imbued with local content. Most especially, the contribution of Omooba Yemisi Shyllon cannot be overemphasised to the success of the project.

How readily were you to execute the project considering the material, labour and

•From left: Mrs Shyllon, Prof Grillo, Shyllon, Oshinowo and Dr Adesanya of at the event.

PHOTO:OZOLUA UHAKHEME

Shyllon donates sculpture to UNILAG

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HE Law Faculty of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) was given a facelift last week when a 15-foot bronze sculpture, Justice and Culture, donated to the faculty by Yemisi Shyllon was unveiled byart patron Justice Amina Augie of the court of Appeal.

The event was attended by eminent personalities, such as UNILAG Vice Chancellor, Prof Rahaman Bello; Registrar, Dr Taiwo Ipaye, Dean, Faculty of Law Prof Akin Ibidapo-Obe, Prof Yusuf Grillo, Dr Ronke Adesanya, Mr Kolade Oshinowo and Mrs Bolanle Austin-Peters.

Justice Augie described the statue as a testimony that God blessed Africa with unique gifts of culture, which, she said, Shyllon is

By Ozolua Uhakheme Assistant Editor (Arts)

leaving a proof that ‘before the coming of the colonial administration, Africans have law and order rooted in culture.’

Bello commended Shyllon for his gesture noting that he is not new to the University of Lagos in terms of philanthropy. He said Shyllon has been very active at the faculty of arts with the sponsorship of the annual creative workshop. “Today, he is reaching out to the faculty of law which is his second part. This is a very welcome gesture and we commend him,” he added.

Prof Ibidapoi Obe said the new statue was initiated following the poor state of the old

Stories by Ozolua Uhakheme Assistant Editor (Arts)

INTERVIEW time factors involve in the project?

When it comes to executing some sculptural pieces, division of labour, a system of production has to be introduced, especially in the production of bronze sculpture; it will require one to pass through 5 different stages before a piece can be accomplished and for most commissioned project, time is of essence. However, considering the fact that I embarked upon the job around the I was supposed to be observing my annual leave. The studio-ground work lasted two months after which the moulds were moved to the foundry and that stage lasted three months.

How relevant are those cultural motifs and elements used on the work (ie Eben, Urekere, Udu etc)?

The blindfolded universal symbol of justice has a long history as far as its design is concerned; the statue was designed based on the mythologies and goddesses of Greek and Romans. Since the goal of the project was to adapt symbols from different ethnic nationalities in Nigeria , then, the chosen motifs such as Eben, Irukere, Udu etc are very relevant as representational emblem of authority of obas and obis in this clime.

How long did it take you to execute it and who were other persons that assisted apart from Mr Paul Omorodion the bronze caster?

Aside Paul Omorondion who assisted at the casting stage, Fatai Abdulkareem who happens to be my studio assistant was very much involved. While others are students on industrial attchement in my studio and they include: Azeez Daniel, Dapo Dada, Biodun Akinola and Aanuoluwa Omolade.

Among the outdoor monuments you have done in the past, what special place does justice statue occupy in your works?

It is a great privilege for me to have been considered for the execution of the project of this nature and magnitude, certainly, it’s going to occupy a special pedestal in my

• Balogun

mind amongst other public monuments I have executed.

What are the other materials used apart from bronze?

The entire piece is cast in bronze aside the base, which was constructed with black galaxy marble.

How relevant is the statue to the university community?

The location is very appropriate as the university campus is the right environment to beam the essence and beauty of our culture to the younger generation.

What would be the value of the work if you were to sell it?

As regards the monetary value of the piece if I were to sell it, it will be difficult for me to tag it with a particular amount publicly as cases of kidnapping is yet to subside (on a lighter note). However, execution of the project runs into some millions considering

one at the faculty and that he chose to contact Shyllon for the assistance. “The erection of the statue at the faculty of law was not by accident. The reason for the statue is to encourage the students and that culture is not all about dancing but that law should be a representation of our sociological values,” he added.

Shyllon said he would use art to ‘promote Nigerian identity and culture, put us in the map of civilisation. We are a people with a proud past and we can return to it if we believe in what we are as a people.’

He said his family decided to chose art as area of contributing to the society, adding that ‘we are not a rich family but we are struggling.’ logistics implications nowadays.

What are your views on the quality and quantity of public monuments in Nigerian cities?

When it comes to quality public monuments, it has always been a controversial issue even in advanced clime. However, there several factors to be considered before a public monument can be commissioned and these include design content/size/medium vis avis the relevance of the monument to the location amongst others. It is also pertinent for the artist to intimate the community concerned with his concept for approval even if the project is going to be sponsored by an individual. Unfortunately, the reverse is the case in our environment, especially with government’s sponsored public monuments; government officials award the contract to themselves and subcontract it for peanuts, regardless of the competency of the sub-contractor. On very few occasions had the public shown its discontent about a particular piece and got it destroyed through an arsonist in Lagos. It is not unusual for the public to protest a particular monument even in saner climes, but one would notice that in those places, a significant number of factors amongst the one mentioned above must have been taken care of. At least, Rodin’s statue of Balzac was rejected despite his popularity. The statue was later installed several years after the death of the sculptor.

Our cities and public buildings need to be imbued with aesthetic appeal, however, we might continue to get the reverse if it’s not done through the right channel; reason why the public should not be docile. My public works include Obafemi Awolowo Statue Ikeja, (2000), Brig. Samuel Aderunlegun (2001) Ondo State, Sir John H Glover and Madam Williams Tinubu Courts (Union Bank Building Foyer 2007), Funsho Williams (2007), Costain Roundabout, Lagos, Towards Achieving Distinction monument (University of Ibadan (UI) 2009.

In Sweden there are Tamed, Uteshberg, (2003) and Veteran, Trollthan, (2013).

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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The Midweek Magazine

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NANTAP to honour practitioners

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HE celebration of World Theatre Day is an opportunity to draw attention to the arts and culture sector, chairperson of the National Association of Nigeria Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP), Lagos chapter Ms Eki Eboigbe,

has said.

She spoke with arts writers at a briefing in Lagos. She explained that the celebration which would have held on March 27 was shifted to June 26 due to the exigency of election in the country.

She said the celebration would be in tandem with the globally theme, Celebrating people behind the scene of theatre. This, she said, made NANTAP Lagos chapter to adapt Theatre and Conflict Resolution in the 21st Century as its theme.

Among those to be honoured are founder of Terra Culture Centre Mrs Bolanle Austen Peters, Teju Babyface, Femi Odugbemi, Yemi Shodimu, Mrs Laja Adedoyin, Debon Lexandra and Dr Osita Ezewanebe for their contributions to the sector.

Chairman Planning Committee of World Theatre Day, Shaibu Hussein stressed that since 1991, the celebration has been used by NANTAP to call attention to the theatre and advocate a more sustainable policy for theatre in the country.

“We felt that we could use theatre to resolve political, economic and religious conflict so also can it be used to proffer solution to the problems in Nigeria,” he said.

He noted that Bolanle Austen Peters has been chosen to be recognised and celebrated as the ITD personality of the year due to her inestimable contribution and commitment towards theatre in the country as well as other genres of art.

“So also has she provided space through her terra culture and has funded a production that featured about one hundred and twenty members of NANTAP,” he said.

Shaibu said two sets of people would be recognised during the celebration. They are the ambassador and certified practitioners for the Nollywood industry, adding that their contributions of people like Don Pedro Obaseki, Ejike Azogwu, Rita Dominic helped in the smooth take-off of Nollywood.

He disclosed that on the celebration day, the association would work on the start-up of an Endowment Fund for the theatre profession, noting that as it would help fund projects

• Eki

• Bolanle

By Francis Abidoye

CELEBRATION and render aids to theatre practitioners with challenges on the field.

He said community theatre project would only come to reality only if the endowment fund is in place and once it is started, it would be encouraged at the national level because the country doesn’t have an Endowment fund for the art which has made it look as if when money is given to the art it looks like a token.

Odunfa charges young writers to promote mutual respect

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N INTERNATIONAL freelance journalist Mr. Sola Odunfa has tasked young writers to promote mutual trust, respect and understanding among Nigerians in their reportage of news and current affairs.

Odunfa spoke at the sixth edition of the Student Acquiring Media Skills (SAMS) organised by African Foundation for Peace and Love Initiative, Channels Television and the Private Education Services of Lagos State Ministry of Education.

The theme of the programme was Bridging the Divide in the Nigeria’s Socio-Cultural Heritage through effective communication and brought together over 100 students drawn from the six education districts in Lagos. It featured training in basic tools in print media, broadcast presentation and production.

According to Odunfa the need for young journalists and writers to build the bridges of religion, ethnic, tribal and cultural cohesion that often times divides is very germane for national development.

He said that throwing stones at each other do not make for peace. Nobody has the monopoly of violence. We must continue to make frantic effort in mending the broken walls around us.

Odunfa who took the students through the basic skill in newspaper and radio production said that young writers must be avid readers and be open to new knowledge, ideas and perspectives from other people.

President of the foundation, Rev Titus Oyeyemi said the programme is for youths, peace and nation building, adding that the vision behind SAMS is in three fold which are encouraging students to have fore knowledge of their future career, encouraging young people to have a lifestyle of peaceful co-existence and the need to reach Nigerian socio cultural divide most especially at the period the country is witnessing transition into new government.

By Adeola Ogunlade

LITERATURE He said the reason for this year’s theme arose from the need to build and not to expand the Nigerian socio-cultural heritage, particularly as the country is moving into a new administration.

“I call it a heritage because we as Nigerians are the heirs to and have inherited multiple cultures which are often competing against one another for superiority. A cultural divide being an artificial boundary in society that separates communities whose social economic structures, opportunities for success, conventions, styles and norms are so different that they have substantially different psychologies”, he said.

Oyeyemi also described cultural divide as the virtual barrier caused by cultural differences that hinder interactions and harmonious exchange between people of different cultures.

He listed factors that can cause socio-cultural divide as internal attitudes, external influences, ideological differences, stereotypes, conflicts of identities and some social barriers as well as social pressure and media bias in news and reports.

“Though not premeditated, but a mere coincidence, we are aware of the ongoing debacle where party chieftains of the incoming government are being said to be banning some media houses from event coverage. Yet there are counter reports to the contrary.

The question is how we can nip this ugly phenomenon in the bud before it becomes intractable,” he said.

Oyeyemi said that in a multilingual, ethno religious and ethno political dichotomous environment with emerging democracies like Nigeria, ‘we need to understand cultural boundaries increase cultural interactions and build a wealth of cultural intelligence.’

“We know that theatre has a lot of roles to play in the area of uniting this country, creation of job which interestingly is one thing the incumbent president is interested in. We are rest assured that if we set up theatre in the 774 local governments, it would create job opportunities like carpentry, set designing, light designing, make-up artiste, props managing, etc for the youths as well as people in the community.

When government invest in theatre art, it would assist in curtailing unemployment in the society; we have a new government of change so what we hope for is that most of those things we are hoping to do would be changed for the better as theatre practitioners and performing artistes,” he said.

BRIEF

Back to My Roots: Nike unveils first home show

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N exhibition of the works of iconic artist, Mrs Nike Okundaye and other leading artists, is one of the activities lined up for this year’s Ogidi Day holding in Ogidi-Ijumu, Kogi State on Saturday.

Activities lined up for the event include a medical outreach to be conducted by Ripples Charity, a United Kingdom based organisation and a grand finale at which Senator Dino Melaye as Chairman and Chief Mrs. Modupe Jemibewon as Chairperson.

The exhibition tagged “Back to My Roots” will be Okundaye’s first show in her home town since she found fame with indigo art over 40 years ago.

National Public Relations Officer of the Ogidi Development Union, Mr Oladipo Akande, in a statement said the works of 45 other artists in the various genres of the visual arts will feature at the exhibition which is being jointly coordinated by Okundaye and Mrs Ngozi Akande, President of the Female Artists Association of Nigeria.

The Director-General, National Gallery of Art, Mr Abdullahi Muku, is expected to declare the exhibition open.

The statements said over 1,000 persons were expected to benefit from the medical outreach at which free medical tests would be conducted and free drugs given out, up from over 600 beneficiaries last year.

The grand finale holding at the Community Hall Grounds, Agegbe, Ogidi would feature a display of the community’s rich cultural heritage, the presentation and blessing of the new yam as well as performances by visiting cultural troupes from Lagos, Osun and Ondo States.

An appeal fund for the rehabilitation of the two dilapidated secondary schools in the community as well as other decayed educational infrastructure will be launched at the event.

18

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

From a little boy growing up in a farm community to one of United States (US) enterprising journalists, New York Times, Washington correspondent, Ron Nixon’s life inspires hope. His story typifies the saying that great things spring from little beginnings. For 27 years, Nixon has brought his experience to bear on America’s journalistic landscape. His incisive investigative pieces have earned him a place in the world of investigative reporting. Nixon visited Nigeria for a workshop organised by Nigeria Investigative Reporting Centre (NIPR). In this interview with EVELYN OSAGIE, he shares his journey to greatness.

H

OW easy is it, practising journalism in the US? It is not easy. Journalists, I think, are the same, no matter where you go. We complain about our editors; we complain about the hours we work. They assign us stuff and we don’t like it but we’ve got to do it anyway – that is happening throughout journalism. We face the same thing at the New York Times. For most part, you do great work and get to meet people. I got to meet all kinds of people whom I never thought that I would meet. I started out as a sportswriter covering high school football. We had typewriters at my first newspaper.

My first interview in journalism was with Whitney Houston. I started in 1987 and she had a concert in the town I was working in, so they sent me to interview her and Jonathan Butler, the South African singer who opened for her.

Like I said I’ve met lots of people whom I never thought that I would meet. The rock star Bono wrote me a really nice handwritten note that I still have after I did the on his “Red” campaign and that felt was cool. I am sure there were a lot of things that they didn’t like but he took the time out to write me a three-page note. This guy is a multi-millionaire, one of the biggest rock stars on the planet; and he is writing me, kid from a place of 500 people, a note. I got to interview Rwanda President, Paul Kagame. And what was interesting about it was we sat down and talked; and that was just like two men talking. I was telling him about my experience in the military and he was saying that he misses being in the military what was interesting about him. And his staff was always coming in to say, “Mr President we have to go”. He just enjoyed sitting there and talking to someone. I never would have thought that I would be interviewing presidents of countries and people like that. Anyways, it has been interesting and I hope that it continues. I hope that I have another 27 years with which to practise. If I don’t, it’s been great and I am sure I’ll find something else to do.

Some argue that oftentimes stateowned media houses usually avoid criticising the government, how true is it of those in America?

I don’t think that it is necessarily true.

People think of Voice of America (VOA) as state owned, but they do critical stuffs on the US government. And sometimes people just don’t like it. I am not saying that every time they go and criticise the US government because they are the US government. But I think oftentimes they do criticise. We don’t have newspapers owned by the state – it is just not an American phenomenon. Most of the media houses are privately owned. It is not subject to government oversight, you don’t have to have a license to be a journalist. Anybody can be a journalist.

There are times accreditation is necessary, such as if you want to cover the US Congress, then you have to get a ‘congressional pass’. We have guidelines among ourselves but the constitution gives freedom of the press, so the US media takes its cue from that.

How was it growing up?

I am from a little tiny town of about 500 people in a place called Lauderdale, Mississippi. It is close to the Alabama border. Many people weren’t going to college. Most of them work in agriculture, cutting timbers. That was what most people did. It was a family thing - as little boys, you did that with your father. Your father did, his father did it and that is what you did. And there was a factory.

That was kind of stuff that I grew up in.

So, growing up, I didn’t really know anybody who had gone to college. One of my mother’s younger sisters was the only person that I knew went to college. And

‘My guidance counsellor said I shouldn’t enter college’ ‘It has been interesting and I hope that it continues. I hope that I have another 27 years with which to practise.

If I don’t, it’s been great and I am sure I’ll find something else to do’

•Nixon and a colleague

INTERVIEW my mother’s went to college but she didn’t finish because she had me. But I didn’t know that at the time. My dad didn’t finish high school. At that time, kids had to go work to foot the family. School was not really an option, you had to go out, help in the farm and make a living. And that was not just something that I wanted to do.

At what point did you decide you wanted to toll a path different from norm?

The first time that I realised what was going on. I felt differently. In school, they are teaching you about writers, you are

learning the alphabets and how to count; and I thought that was exciting. You met these black people who were teachers.

This was the first time, you are seeing professional black people - and you are like ‘whoa’! There were some really good teachers – because not all of them were good - that encouraged you. My guidance counsellor said I shouldn’t even try to go to college because I was not a college material that I should just go work in the factory.

Why did she say so, was it a racial thing?

She was black too. I don’t know what her motivations were or what she was thinking. She helped other people go to

‘Growing up, I didn’t really know anybody who had gone to college... At that time, kids had to go work to foot the family. School was not really an option, you had to go out, help in the farm and make a living.

And that was not just something that I wanted to do’

college – a young woman that I went to school with said: “Miss Nelson helped me”. All I know is that she telling me not to just made me want to do it more.

How did that incident inspire the journalist you’ve become?

I didn’t set out to say that I want to work at the New York Times someday’. I just knew I didn’t want to be there (hometown).

I am glad that I worked at The Times: it’s a great place, it’s a great career but it wasn’t in my mind when I was there, thinking that I need to go work for the New York Times. I just wanted to get out of there (hometown). When I look at some of my classmates now, they look old; they look like people who are beaten down. it is depressing…I don’t want to do that.

People have this image of America that people go to Harvard and Yale; we come out and get good jobs, drive BMWs that is not true. There are a lot of poor people in the US. There people who struggle, people who work during the day and go to school at night. You see people who are 70 something years old getting their degrees for the first time. But the opportunity is there. I think that is one of the amazing things about the US. In course of your schooling, did you also have to work alongside your studies?

Yes. I worked at restaurants and other places and on my break, I would study.

And then at night, I would study, get up in the morning and do the whole thing over again. I worked at the Burger King, then at this chicken place called Mrs Winters as a cooked.

What advise do you for young Africans who have the image of America that you mentioned earlier?

One has to exercise some caution because America is not that way. Of course, there is tremendous wealth in America. It is the biggest economy in the world. But not everybody has wealth.

There poor people who grow up there. I mean if you at Ferguson, Baltimore or all these places where there is uprising, what it tells you is that it is not a perfect system.

You look at Trayvon Martin, who got killed and nobody goes to jail. A child gets killed by a guy, a wannabe cop, who was just out cruising. Obviously, blacks, African Americans do suffer but there are tremendous opportunities there because you see people like Oprah Winfrey and Shander Realms, who have some of the tops shows on TV. And that is what President Barak Obama talks about and people say he’s talking down to blacks by saying that racism is not a barrier.

Although it can be a barrier, it is not the barrier to achieving greatness. You’ve got to try; you may fail but you’ve got to try. I failed at a lot of times. I first started out, •Continued on Page 47

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

19

COMMENTARY EDITORIALS

LETTER

Aregbesola not reckless

Ports injustice •An NPA order allows a firm, INTELS, to profit from impunity at our ports

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HE concept of fairness has always been central to the free enterprise system. But the Nigerian ports have waxed astir with a case of palpable unfairness suggestive of legitimised monopoly. This is in the context of a recent directive purportedly handed by the Jonathan administration in its dying days.

According to the directive, the only port concessionaire in the country known as INTELS has been given exclusive rights to handle all vessels with cargoes of oil and gas in its ports in Warri, Onne and Calabar. This implies a monopolistic privilege.

The mysterious order emanated apparently from the desk of the top brass of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) at the behest of the former minister of transport under the Goodluck Jonathan administration. Why should such an order go out of the portals of a minister in a democratic system dedicated to the rule of law, due process and the principle of equality?

The ports reforms constituted one of the legacies of the Obasanjo tenure, and it is worthy of emulation in compliance with best practices around the world. For the Jonathan administration to have revived this act of lawlessness only underlined some of the capital wrongs of his era. The Buhari administration will do well to reverse the order.

The activities of INTELS have generated resentment among port operators in the aftermath of the 2006 ports reforms undertaken under the President Olusegun Obasanjo administration. INTELS alleged monopolistic practices within the oil and gas domain were a part of the reasons for the reforms. The idea was to make the ports free for every vessel or company bringing goods to our shores.

The reforms were sequel to a committee set up by the Obasanjo administration in the interest of free enterprise. The committee was headed by Dr. A.S.P. Sekibo.

When it finished its work, the committee’s recommendations were unambiguous. It asked the NPA to “ensure that cargo owners are free to patronise any truck of their choice for the freight of cargo discharged in the Oil and Gas Free Zone,” emphasising that “importers of oil and gas cargo should be free to choose their ports of preference.”

Again, the government has an ongoing agreement with NPA and the Bureau of Public Enterprises designed to create an atmosphere of trust and collegial peace.

The contract, in article 18.2, stated that “no change, amendment, or modification of this agreement shall be valid or binding upon parties hereto unless such change, amendment or modification shall be in writing and duly executed by the parties hereto.”

The INTELS monopoly is taking place without any tweaking of the contract based on any meetings or consultation.

Barely two years after the 2006 port reforms, the Minister of Transportation,

Prince John Okechukwu Emeka, released a directive similar to the one recently unleashed by the Jonathan administration.

But the Yar’Adua administration stepped in and restored the rule of law. The former president responded to a flurry of petitions from INTELS’ fellow port operators.

The ports reforms constituted one of the legacies of the Obasanjo tenure, and it is worthy of emulation in compliance with best practices around the world. For the Jonathan administration to have revived this act of lawlessness only underlined some of the capital wrongs of his era.

Oil and gas forms a major plank of the nation’s imports, and for just one company to corral it as though the industry exists for its own profiting is the sort of impunity that this nation should not accept. It runs against every tenet that justice inspires in commerce. Indeed, every port operator does not run the ports for charity. They pay dues to the federal purse, and it will asphyxiate some and invigorate others. That accounted for the port reforms. INTELS is the metaphor of this impunity.

The concept of equality of ports and port operators opens the system to efficiency and choice. Vessel owners and cargo owners will pick ports that work best for them, not only in efficiency but also in reaching their ultimate consumers or customers.

What if a port in Warri is forced to handle cargoes intended for Lagos customers?

The cost of carrying the goods to Lagos will cost the business in time and money. It negates simple business sense.

The Buhari administration will do well to reverse the order.

Making of a gangland • Are street gangs getting the better of Lagos city?

F the manner of his killing was most gruesome, the brazenness of the gang suggested a total absence of government. Thirty-year-old Sodiq Shittu was ambushed by a neighbourhood gang on Lawani Street in Mushin, a suburb of Lagos, last Friday. It was during the daylight, about 4.00 on the evening. Apparently monitoring him, the mob accosted Sodiq, brought him down; someone cracked his skull with a hammer and his eyes were gouged out. Then one of the hoodlums hefted a large stone and smashed his head with it. They were about to set the body ablaze when Sodiq’s friends and some residents managed to chase them away.

In the last one decade or so, violent neighbourhood gangs have continued to blossom in some areas of Lagos State and the more the authorities attempt to stamp them out, the more they seem to fester and grow in scale and intensity.

The areas of the state most notorious include Mushin, Fadeyi, Idioro SomoluBariga, Mafoluku, Isale-Eko and Ajah. A menace that used to be restricted within the hot zones of Mushin and Idioro has spread to numerous other impoverished, high-density neighbourhoods in Lagos. In fact, as gangs get away with their nefarious activities and their members grow in notoriety and ill-gotten means, they become role models and influencers of neighbourhood kids.

As some gang members become ‘influential’ among some government and security circles, the evil tends to duplicate itself and spread like virus to other communities. A gang is not worth its name if it is not killing and maiming as frequently

I

as it can get away with. And the more gruesome its mode of attacks the better its fearsome reputation; aren’t fear and dreadful terror the mainstay of mob gangs?

Violent mobs will also express themselves the only way they know thus will always spoil for fights with other gangs in sight. Supremacy tussle is therefore the order of the day in areas that are gang-infested. Each fight comes with the collateral damages of innocent residents hurt and vehicles and even houses burnt. Such stories abound in these past few years.

It is worthy of note that between attacks and counter-attacks; reprisals and even more vicious reprisals, many more groups are born. According to reports, in the early days, the gangs were subterranean as well as surreptitious in their operations but in recent years, they would strike anytime they choose and their weapons are sometimes more sophisticated than the law enforcement agencies’.

They have become so rampant and brazen that hardly any week passes without an incident of attack in one part of Lagos or the other. In Sodiq’s street alone, that was the third gang attack and killings since March.

The police in Lagos is obviously overwhelmed.

Being undermanned, underequipped and untrained for this new challenge, they merely carry on in their old, routine manner. When arrests are made on some occasions, the gang members are often ‘bailed’ or sprung. They return to the community more emboldened and more vicious.

Neighbourhood gangs are primarily the evil babies of the state government. So, only the state can deal with the menace and the

new government must resolve to do so now.

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode seeming to understand the challenge, had upon being sworn in, ordered that all unauthorised arms in the state be turned in. It is a commonly known fact that politicians often blamed for the festering of these gangs, may have armed many more of these hoodlums during the last election.

Gov. Ambode must determine to eliminate these murderous gangs for good before they make the state an uninhabitable jungle. Some of the few measures to be taken quickly include a review of laws on arms ownership, cultism, hard drugs peddling and use. In the short run, a special task force on gangs and tribunal for expedited trial of suspects may be considered.

In the long run, local council authorities must be made to work better across the state so that they would afford the people more economic and social well-being, after all a gang is merely a violent expression of some sort of poverty.

‘Gov. Ambode must determine to eliminate these murderous gangs for good before they make the state an uninhabitable jungle.

Some of the few measures to be taken quickly include a review of laws on arms ownership, cultism, hard drugs peddling and use. In the short run, a special task force on gangs and tribunal for expedited trial of suspects may be considered’

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IR: The delay in payment of salaries in Osun is regrettable and it pains me to no end to see families suffer. I have lived with these people, worked with them and interacted with them. These are dedicated workers, excellent human beings, rare breed that can hardly be bettered anywhere in the world.

I am happy that a word of assurance has come from the governor that by month end workers are going to smile again.

We however need to correct an impression that has gained ground and has largely informed the comments of well-meaning people as opposed to the rabid partisans of PDP and Aregbesola haters who though appears to be concerned about the workers but are indeed praying secretly that the governor would not find the money to pay them. The wrong impression is that Governor Rauf Aregbesola has been engaged in too many projects and that is why he could not pay salaries. This is false.

The barebones is that there is not enough revenue to pay salaries. In 2010 when Aregbesola came in, the total monthly salaries and other emoluments are N1.4 billion out of which pension was N200 million. Today, salaries take N3.6 billion while pension has risen to N530 million.

For those who don’t know, wage bill rises automatically every six months when workers are promoted to the next level. So by the end of this year, Osun would have surpassed the N4 billion mark in wages and this figure will keep growing ad infinitum.

On the other hand, revenues accruable to Osun from the federation account was an average of N4 billion in 2011 up till July 2013 when it fell to N2.6 billion and has been going down until it dropped to N466 million in April 2015.

Indeed, the net statutory allocation to Osun in January was N1.25 billion, February N1.12 billion, March N624 million and April N466 million. If we add other accruals like VAT, SURE-P, excess crude, exchange rate differential etc., January rises to N1.99 billion, February N2.05 billion, March N1.61 billion and April N1.39 billion.

Some would then ask: how about deductions for loans taken? Good question. About N700 million is deducted for loan repayment every month. Add this to any of the figure and do the maths and see if it still pays salaries and other emoluments of N3.6 billion every month. The highest figure of N2.05 billion in February will add up to N2.75b and will still be a far cry from the N3.6 billion required to pay salaries and other emoluments.

This regrettably is assuming that all the government would do would just be to pay salaries.

From the above analysis, what Nigeria is going through is a financial disaster and we should see it as that. Definitely, it calls for new thinking and a new paradigm in public finance.

We must however understand this for what it is: a financial disaster ravaging the land.

• Sola Fasure, Osogbo, Osun State

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

• Executive Director (Finance & Administration) Ade Odunewu

•Deputy Editor Lawal Ogienagbon

•Advert Manager Robinson Osirike

•Deputy Editor (News) Adeniyi Adesina

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

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

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

20

CARTOON & LETTERS

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IR: As Nigerians eagerly expect the composition of the ‘change’ cabinet by President Muhammadu Buhari, several factors are being speculated influencing the choice of the new ministers. The calibre of ministers, when eventually announced will either soar his popularity rating or cause Nigerians to be cautiously optimistic about the ability of the new administration in ushering change.

If I were the President, the following criteria will guide me in appointing my cabinet ministers. The ideal candidate should have a track record of achievement in previous positions. A cabinet position should

EFCC’s unfinished task IR: The EFCC and ICPC are both working round the clock to nab offenders and corrupt officers. Kudos to both organizations for trying to curb corruption, but they have not done a honest job till they get former Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and others to give detailed account of how the trillions of naira left in Nigeria’s account by the former Central Bank Governor, Professor Soludo was spent. This is despite the nation’s daily income revenue from crude oil and other natural resources that accrued to government purse on a daily basis. She needs to explain why Nigeria’s account now is in the red. The same yardstick for every Nigerian please. No sacred cows. President Buhari , we are waiting and watching.

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• Mrs Irene Adeniyi, Ondo

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

As Nigerians await Buhari’s cabinet not be for green horns, not with the national problems waiting to be surmounted.

These times demand that candidates for ministerial positions should have a banner without stain.

People or politicians with proven or suspected cases of abuse of office or misconduct should not have a place in Buhari’s cabinet. We should not have a cabinet nominee that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency would keep under house arrest for past misdeeds.

Ministerial nominees should be

S

IR: On May 29, new, bold and pragmatic steps aimed at stemming the ugly trend in Kaduna State were taken. Governor Nasir El-Rufai in his inaugural speech announced a 50% reduction in salaries and emoluments of his office and that of the Deputy Governor Bala Bantex. This was part of government’s measure at cutting cost and wastages prevalent in government in order to provide quality services and leadership to the good people Kaduna State.

The governor did not only stop at that; he appointed few advisers and merged/reduced existing ministries in Kaduna State from a total of 24 to 13. He also served an advanced notice to the yet to be inaugurated Executive Council to as a

subjected to health screening to ensure they are healthy enough to undergo the rigours of the office.

Though all of us are human and susceptible to sicknesses, a potential cabinet Minister should not be managing ‘terminal’ disease.

Of course, it is realistic to expect that a cabinet Minister should be someone that the President trusts.

The ideal candidate should also believe in the manifesto of the ruling party- the All Progress Congress, as well as patriotically loyal to the Nigerian nation and people.

The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. There should be a way we of determining the godliness of our potential appointees to cabinet positions, as this is the surest way of determining their moral values.

A letter of reference from their Pastor or Imam could be useful. If public officers know that they are representing various constituencies, including their religious communities, there is a likelihood that they will properly comport themselves in office.

In line with the electoral promise

The El-Rufai example matter of compulsion brace up to this new policy. Similarly, the governor while inaugurating the State House of Assembly took the gospel of change, selflessness and prudence in managing state’s businesses to their door steps. Kaduna people expect the House of Assembly to key into this people-oriented initiative.

Those who knew Governor Nasir El-Rufai can attest to his vigour and mettle as a public servant. The courage and burning desire with which he carried out his duties as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) should be replicated in Kaduna. First, the governor, if it falls within his purview, should take a bold step at reviving the dead Textile Industries in the state which

provided employment opportunities for our teeming youths in the 80’s. Second, for industrial growth and development, government should liaise with the electricity provider in the state for an agreed number of megawatts of electricity to power these major and other Small Scale Industries in the state.

Third, agriculture in the state should be revolutionalised for food sufficiency, stability and economic growth. The traditional rainy season fertilizer distribution and other agro incentives to farmers should still be maintained. Fourth, corresponding good and accessible road network for easy transportation of goods and services in addition to agricultural produces from rural communities to the urban areas de-

of President Buhari, his ministerial nominees should be willing to publicly declare their assets as soon as their nomination is confirmed.

The ‘change’ cabinet should reflect societal diversities, we should have a mixture of the old and new breed, and we should respect gender interests, while vulnerable groups should be represented. It is not out of place to appoint a physically challenged person into the cabinet.

We should have at the minimum, graduates as cabinet ministers. Potential cabinet ministers should have innovative ideas for change.

It may not be out of place to even conduct interviews and administer competence tests on potential ministerial nominees. It should not be business as usual, as the APC’s change slogan symbolises.

• Babatope Babalobi, Lagos

serves government’ attention.

Fifth, it is the right of our children to access quality and improved education.The classroom teacher should be qualified and experienced, while the school environment should be conducive for learning too. Sixth, the lives of our people are precious; therefore, affordable health care for the sick should top the agenda of government. It is said that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation.

Kaduna is a state of great potentials with huge burden of debt and lack of basic infrastructure. The state needs urgent overhaul and there is no doubt that Governor Nasir ElRufai holds the ace to reviving it.

• Sunday Onyemaechi Eze, Kaduna

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

21

COMMENTS

Our Girls; Media vs military; FRSC checkpoints; Legislate against ‘Insult the Citizen Month’

O

UR Girls are missing since April 15 th 2014. Intelligence is vital for their recovery. This is usually from a debriefing interrogation of freed captives and capTony tured Boko Haram fightMarinho ers. Are they and kidnap victims debriefed to identify their captors, locate hideouts, analyse modus operandi, trace cellphone numbers and locations and track the money trail? Some intelligence requires to be paid for leading to opportunities for fraud among security personnel. We pray that the new offensive works. However, it is unethical of the press to prematurely reveal military strategies which must be kept under wraps until after the incident. Boko Haram follows the news giving them an opportunity for ambush, evasion and diversion. Nigeria is at war. Such details cost our soldiers their lives and can cost us the war.

The Amnesty International Report about military atrocities is another media frenzy matter which the President will study.

Human rights are the right of all Nigerians. It is difficult to justify or enforce the human rights of a suicide bomber apprehended only because the bomb failed and who promises to do it ‘properly next time’. However we Nigerians also know that our Human Rights are threatened by everyone in ‘authority’ or uniform, including the police who have again stopped checkpoints, saving the population N12-24billion/ year. The police still swoop on traffic outside their police stations and along major roads in spite of the order.

Into the gap created by the IGP to stop checkpoints, the FRSC deserves high praise[??] as it has repeatedly proven its uninvited ability to replace the police having abandoned its primary role of ‘keeping traffic moving safely’ at traffic jam areas like on the expressway due to construction and inadequate supervision. Instead the FRSC prefers to jump into the middle of the road, at the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Ijebu/ Benin turn and a point at Ogere where the FRSC can truncate your human rights to reach your destination merely by stop-

T

HE approach of the 2015 elections in Nigeria brought with it, fear and trepidation.

There was this fear that the country was likely to go up in flames as had been predicted by those who said Nigeria was capable of disintegrating in 2015. So, the more the elections drew nearer, the more heightened was the fear that gripped the populace. But one man was quite optimistic that the country will remain intact after the elections. That man is General Abdulsalami Alhaji Abubakar, otherwise known as General AAA or Triple ‘A’ for short.

I remember in one of my routine visits to him in his Minna, Niger State home some time last year. As had become customary with him, the issue of the state of the nation and the impending elections came under discussion. That day was a day after the leaders of the All Progressive Congress, APC, who were going round and holding consultations with notable senior citizens and political figures across the country, visited him. They had visited the old but energetic former leader to put before him, their resolve to effect a change in the leadership of the country which, according to them, they believed deserved something better, a more purposeful leadership with vision and vigour.

The APC entourage that visited him was so large that the General quickly looked for a way out by simply asking the delegation to nominate five people among them to deliberate with him in an inner room. There and then, General Muhammadu Buhari, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Alhaji Aminu Masari and two others were unani-

ping you for no offence other than ‘being on the road’. Thereafter they seek an arrest-able or fine-able offence- trumped up or otherwise. There are bad eggs in the FRSC and their actions kill local and international tourism. Why should I be afraid of the FRSC every time I travel? Indeed I cut down travel not because my papers are not intact but because the FRSC has lost its way and will attempt to embarrass anyone.

Travellers beware. FRSC ‘checkpoints’ are alive and well and hungry. It seems it is now a detainable offence ‘to be on the road’. The FRSC needs a new direction and requires to be reined in by President Buhari. I am tired of being stopped at Ogere. I always see three or four cars stopped by FRSC at Ogere and Ijebu turn-off. I cannot understand why I have been stopped more than seven times by FRSC. What is this your experience?

The Chinese are building a 57-storey building in 19 days.

Our 120km Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is under construction in a four years contract. President Buhari must resist the temptation to ignore this vital road, made problematic by the withdrawal of the road from World Bank contractors with an undisclosed probable ‘breach of contract’ payment by Obasanjo who passed it to Babalakin where it stagnated till Jonathan awarded it to two contractors –Julius Burger and RCC. This four-year contract, too slow, too long and too expensive, has crippled life and ‘enjoyment of the journey’ for millions frequently ‘on the road’. Uncaring contractors create malicious bottlenecks and diversions- a nightmare on Saturdays and Sundays.

After the ‘please vote for me, I beg, I beg’, it will soon be ‘Insult The Citizen Month’ led by Internally Generated Revenue ‘Consultants’ –the time when the drive for IGR will turn politicians into rude arrogant and often stupid animals as they alienate their voters with stupid ‘No U turn’ and parking laws and excessive fines and taxes. Have you had a really outrageous bill or an insulting ‘Demand Notice’ from an agent, private or government insisting that you pay a maliciously and fictionally high figure, with too short payment times seven days to 28 days –as if you are a thief or robber; backdating for several years –before the politian even came to power; and threats of ridiculous sanctions- cumulative interest rates or sealing of premises or eviction? All these are

typical in normal Nigerian customer client/ official relationships. This government must change this and REDUCE TAXES IN LAGOS. Such letters and bills deliberately destabilise you and cause you anger and anxiety from the arrogant unsupervised officials. The Nigerian citizen is not a prisoner and deserves to be treated with better respect and compassion by estate agents, tax officials, and organs of government.

The legislature must introduce ‘Citizen/Client Protection Laws’ making it a punishable offence for government and private agencies to send stupid, insulting and enraging ‘Demand Notices’ for unimaginable ridiculously high fees, rents, etcetera. Instead they should opt for more civilised and respectful ‘Request Letters’ or ‘Expectation Letters’. ‘Anti-Outrageous Bill’ Legislation is required to enforce accountability, supervision and self-discipline in tax bodies and utility companies and thus stopping outrageous, inflated, unrealistic bills, sent to force the receiver to be corrupt, steal or die from annoyance or blood pressure. Legislation must prevent litigants from naming ludicrous sums as damages and perhaps demand that if the litigant loses a libel case, the litigant must pay the person-sued a sum equal to 1-10% of the sum sued for defamation of character.

‘The Chinese are building a 57-storey building in 19 days. Our 120km LagosIbadan Expressway is under construction in a four years contract. President Buhari must resist the temptation to ignore this vital road, made problematic by the withdrawal of the road from World Bank contractors with an undisclosed probable ‘breach of contract’ payment by Obasanjo who passed it to Babalakin where it stagnated till Jonathan awarded it to two contractors –Julius Burger and RCC’

General Abdulsalami Abubakar @ 73 mously chosen to meet with him.

After the five-man team had briefed him about their mission and their concern for the progress of the nation, General AAA wished them the best of luck in their chosen endeavour and urged them to go about the whole thing in a peaceful manner.

The above scenario emblemizes the quiet and unassuming nature of General AAA. On the day of my visit and as always, one thing that dominated our discussions was the state of the nation. Like I mentioned earlier, at a time in this country when numerous prophecies from several doomsday prophets predicted gloom and disintegration in the political horizon, General AAA buried himself in a rather quiet domestic diplomacy in the search for enduring peace. With unrelenting vigour, he made pragmatic efforts that helped to banish despair and replaced it with renewed hope in the citizenry.

At many fora, he strongly expressed his conviction that despite the negative predictions that the country was capable of disintegrating by 2015, the prophets of doom would be disappointed, as the umbilical cord of the federating units cannot be separated. He once said: “God has joined us together.

Whether you break Nigeria into pieces, we will remain joined by our umbilical cord. No matter what happens, our umbilical cord is still there. We will live together either as neighbours or as communities.”

What this signifies is the fact that

‘At a time in this country when numerous prophecies from several doomsday prophets predicted gloom and disintegration in the political horizon, General Abdulsalami Abubakar buried himself in a rather quiet, domestic diplomacy in the search for enduring peace’

the General is always concerned about the peace, progress and development of Nigeria. Long before the 2015 elections, when many people were visibly worried about what becomes of the country before, during and after the elections, he was seriously involved in efforts to calm frayed nerves across the country. His passionate commitment towards ensuring peace helped the country to successfully navigate landmines that political interests had erected at various points. His headship of a national peace committee that brokered the non-violence agreement between thenPresident Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, the main presidential challenger at the time, was not by accident. It was through this agreement that the two most prominent gladiators in the 2015 presidential election, agreed to rein in their supporters in the event of anyone of them losing the election.

That was just one aspect of General AAA that everybody got to witness.

Ever since he handed over power to a democratically elected government in 1999, the General has been toiling to ensure peace in the country, peace in Africa and peace globally. His numerous travels, (I believe he spends more time inside the aircraft than he spends with his lovely family), are to enthrone peace wherever there is turmoil in the world particularly in the trouble-prone areas of Africa. He was in Zimbabwe several times as leader of the observer group in the country; he was involved in the negotiations in Liberia during the country’s decade-long fratricidal war and succeeded in getting former President Charles Taylor to agree to step aside. He was also involved in Sierra Leone and many other hot spots in Africa.

In 2007, when we - myself, Prof.

Steve Azaiki, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi and Alhaji Ibrahim Shehu Shagari conceived the National Think-Tank,

General AAA was unanimously selected as the most qualified Nigerian to be the chairman at the formal inauguration of the organisation at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, on May 23, 2007. He gladly accepted the offer, came early for the function and waited till the end of the programme. By this, he demonstrated friendship and recognised labour and patriotism. It was Ambrose Bierce, the American writer who once said: “While your friend holds you affectionately by both your hands, you are safe, for you can watch both his.” Those who truly know General AAA, will agree with me that he does not and cannot betray friendship.

To paraphrase John F. Kennedy: “If this nation is to be wise as well as strong, if we are to achieve our destiny, then we need more new ideas for more wise men working for our country than most of those sitting in Abuja dreaming about a time long gone and a future that reads failure”. Friendship, like a novel, to me and the much I know of General AAA, remains for me one of the few forms where I can express my innermost thoughts, express man’s complexity and the strength and decency of his longings; where I can describe, step by step, minute by minute, the unpleasant struggle to put ourselves into a viable and devout relationship to our beloved and mistaken world. In friendship, you can be yourself and not worry about mistakes and caution and language and compromise and pain and love; that is true friendship.

Over the years, General AAA has distinguished himself as a detribalized, courageous, patriotic, trusted and committed Nigerian of unequal statesmanship. That is why he is readily at home wherever he finds himself around the globe, with people welcoming him with open hands, open minds and open hearts.

His noble deeds and friendly dis-

Dele Agekameh position to everyone clearly marks him out as one of the responsible and revered leaders and fathers of this great country. Like Martin Luther King, he believes that every man should be judged by the content of his character.

I agree with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu when he wrote in The Nation newspaper many years ago, long before the 2015 elections, that: “When the history of this country is written, (Abdulsalami) Abubakar will be remembered as the one that saved our unifying institution, the Nigerian military, from itself and restored democracy in our country.

For this singular act of courage, generations unborn would be grateful to him.” These living words are still valid, if not very relevant today, in view of the role being played by the General in the contemporary history of this great country.

So, our dear beloved General, as you clock 73, we celebrate you and give you 73 ‘gbosas’. May we celebrate you for many more years to come and may our country, for which you toil day and night, rediscover itself and achieve the type of greatness we all envisage. Happy Birthday!

For comments Text (only) to : 08058354382

22

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

COMMENTS ‘My joy is that Saraki has no leadership trait and integrity to sustain the height he coveted.

He should remember the fate that befell Afonja. I believe somebody overtly or covertly bought the idea of cutting a certain chieftain of the APC to size. Here comes their comeuppance.

Bukola Saraki’s antecedent as a cosmopolitan feudalist is scary and inimical to the change mantra of APC. Kwara has been the fiefdom of the Sarakis and Kwarans have been called names derogatively. Bukola Ilorin Afonja has just berthed at our national political space; we are panicky. This is a litmus test for APC to put enemies within in check. From Bisi, Ilorin’ •Fayose

For Segun Gbadegesin That NASS “election” which installed Saraki as its President and Dogara as Speaker was yet another annulment of our future! And there goes the sweat, toil and hope of the good people of this country once again, with this political coup against the common man. Cruel fate, colluding with unconscionable, but willing politicians, and a naive, idealistic president, has done it again...in the same month of June! Are we in for another 22 year’s wait?

Pray, when will the ‘common’ Nigerian be free from wicked tyrants, slave masters, impunity and class greed? From ‘Tunde Smith, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State Re: NASS the 8th .What happened at the inauguration of the Eighth NASS was a bad omen for The Nation .It portrayed most of our politicians as still being politically indiscipline, morally bankrupt, unpatriotic, and self-centered. APC promised CHANGE cannot be wholesomely attained with PDP elements in its kitchen. Let patriotic Nigerians just continue to pray that GOD will strengthen Mr. President with good health and wisdom .APC still has a lot of work to do- trusting its members. From Ladipo O . David. Gwagwalada I’m 67 years old, who for the first time voted on March 28, because I fervently believed in Buhari, Osinbajo and Oyegun suitability to bring about true change. I not only voted but mobilized some “elite” friends of mine to “physically” vote-please, note I didn’t vote on April 11. But see the change Buhari has given us with National Assembly leadership by the naive aloofness stand. Please, tell him I didn’t go through those hassles for this lothe has Terribly disappointed me! Anonymous A president who is for nobody shall have no bed not even how to sleep on how he makes the bed, just 12 days after his inauguration he must now sleep on the floor of his enemies house Period! From Alhaji Abdulazez Thank you for this wonderful commentary today. Don’t give up until the right things are done not only as regards the 8th Senate, but in every strata of governmental business in Nigeria. Thank you and Keep it up. Anonymous Sir, I have an uneasy feeling that Senate Prerident Saraki is going to rue this victory in no distant future. From Olufemi, Ibadan Your Piece on the NASS The 8th was good.

However, I want to disagree with the method of election of Saraki. If the Senate had allowed all senators to be at the chamber and Saraki won, I would have supported his election just like the House of Rep. Saraki disappointed me personally. The election of Dogara took place when all members were in the green chamber unlike Saraki’s election. Thus it was the wish of the majority members of the House of Reps. From Dada, Ibadan Sir, your commentary today “NASS the 8th” no doubt is truly incisive and active. Complex as the issue at hand may be, I would agree absolutely with the recommendations given in your last three chapters. Be it as it may, to prevent throwing away the baby with the bath water, the APC as a party must explore these options and many more that would tend towards the mending of their fences. From Ibidapo Olorunda.

Why must APC senators work with PDP in National Assembly to elect deputy senate president, after all during their 16 years of leadership there was nothing to show for it. ln time of PDP they didn’t allow oppositions to get key position in National Assembly, why now APC allow PDP to get deputy senator president? l don’t see the reasons why PDP should benefit from the ruling party (APC) government, after all during their l6 years of governance, opposition parties were sidelined for major appointment. APC should

rally round and correct their mistakes before it consumes them over selfish ambition. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia

For Olatunji Dare Re: Ekiti:The conquistor at work . Thank you Professor for the piece .Conquistador is a person who takes control by force .This has been the trait and trend of Chief Obasanjo the estranged god-father of Fayose and the later adopted ‘ god-brother’ Mr.Jonathan .”The evil that men do live after them “. Fayose will surely end far worse than his fore bearers; tearing all his cards and on self-exile. From Ladipo O . David, Gwagwalada .

Good morning. Please I want to advise you to please use your God-given strength and office, to help advise our new government on how to fight corruption, unemployment, security (Boko haram and kidnapping), Power failure etc because our past leaders have failed us. Let Ekiti people and their governor rest at least for now . God bless you. From Pastor Isaiah Ime, Owerri Imo state.

Prof I dof my hat for your fine chronicle of the trancient victory of the conqueror of Ekiti State. May it never be long before the long arm of God that is shining like lightening rescue Ekiti people from their man-made conqueror amen.

R: Ekiti: The Conquistador at Work. I’ll use two similar Igbo adages to qualify your comment on the above topic. (1) “Ejule danyere n’oku suru ufufu k’ogbonyua oku ma sugbue onwe ya” The snail that fell into the fire started foaming to quench the fire but got itself killed.

(2) “Nwanza n’aza aka n’okpa, osi na ya n’aha mmanu” The robin bird that’s swelling hands and legs is boasting that it is nourishing. Ayo Fayose ‘ll soon conquer Ayo Fayose. It’s a question of time. From Okeke Eleodichukwu Emmanuel.

One day, before our very eyes when the much expected new Nigeria dawns, Fayose will earn his rightful place - in jail! From Wole St.Jones, Lagos.

For Governor Ayo Fayose to escape impeachment, the game is not over because he would still commit offence that will lead to his impeachment someday. From Gordon Chika Nnorom.

Re-Ekiti: the conquistador at work. Both governor Fayose and opposition’s camps have disorganised themselves in different ways between June 2014 and June 4, 2015. I am sure that, both had learnt their lessons. My advice is that, we should be careful in making derogatory statements as ‘words are an egg’. If I were governor Fayose, will apologise through a paid advertorial to President Muhammadu Buhari. From Lanre Oseni.

Sir, does the situation in your home state of Kogi or is it Kwara give as much nightmares and sleeplessness as that of Ekiti? Kwara is sold to a political family and Kogi is even worse, sold to Igalas who cannot pay salaries.

Those two are pathetic sir and should bother you more. Anonymous Prof, I enjoyed your article of today titled” Ekiti: The conquistador at work. You captured the entire scenario that is currently playing out in my dear state. I hope that before long my people would see the difference between alagidi (stubbornness) and eranko (animal in human skin). Governor Fayose would never change, leopard cannot change its colour! The day of reckoning is at hand, then thousands of truck drivers, motor cycle taxi operators, motor park touts, artisans, petty traders etc may not be able to save him! Anonymous Loving you dearly for this commendable and salubrious-professorial write-up for its laudableness and literary measurement, very scintillating. You are a veritable role model. I pray God to reward you for your legendary work. As for Fayose, his mistakes are too nu-

merous, there is no how he would not pay dearly for all his actions. Both provocative statements, indecorous utterances, unnecessary political arguments. All he has done, due to his narrow and pedestrian thinking and intellectual laziness. Ekitis are more educated than having such mimic, dubious, person like him as a Governor. From Surveyor Amidu Saheed, Ifo.

For Gbenga Omotoso Do your research well of the mentioned states; if they owing! And for how many months!

Sir, I feel the pain in your column today. I am in pains too; Senator Bukola Saraki’s election is what Sagay called it, a fraud. And I shudder too to think President Buhari could have been part of it all. Strange! This is the classic, selfish, Ilorin Mesu Jamba. But we must move on and let Karma do its work.

Anonymous Re: Of change and strange agents: There is practically no change. PDP is in charge as enunciated in the emergence of number 3 and 4 position in Nigeria. I pity the average Nigerian who so much anticipates and yearns for the so called ‘change’. I may sound pessimistic but there is no hope for Nigeria.

It will continue to be a laughing stock in the comity of nations. Anonymous Re: Osun and its traducers. I refer to your above captioned article and state that Kano does not owe salaries to its workforce. Pay day is 25th of every month or the next working day. From Abdul M Ibrahim Your piece today June 11 titled: ‘Of change and strange agents’ refer. The APC is a Special Purpose Vehicle [SPV] not meant to provide purposeful leadership but to satisfy the greed of a few. Soon it will be clear that the alliance between the political elite in the North West and South West have nothing in common. President Buhari is a kind of meal ticket to many, not up to 0.1%, who believe in him and what he represents. From OwenBrowne Katsina State is not in financial quagmire to pay salary. The previous administration paid our salary up to May 2015. Anonymous Now that Senate and House of Representatives has decided to pick their leaders in a controversial manner, let them use their positions to enact people-oriented-laws that citizens would benefit from rather than enrich themselves with taxpayers’ money. Let them cut their jumbo pay in the interest of Nigerians because they are the most expensive lawmakers in the world. Nigeria is bigger than one person or group of people. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia Just read your comment. The PDP sees it as an opportunity to rebuild. Ekweremadu told some people that APC said they had defeated PDP but not their own generation. Anonymous Must the APC senators visit Buhari before an election in the legislature? I am comfortable that APC version of election you refer to as selection. Sagay’s views, with due respect, is a trash, offensive to democracy. From Mike Ayodele esq.

For Tunji Adegboyega “The fear out there”: APC caused own problem by allowing party entry of the five PDP governors and Co. They were unlike minds. That, anyway, is not to invalidate the election that made Bukola Saraki the Senate President. All said and done, if anticorruption fails in the Senate, it is because of the APC which wanted power at all cost then!

Then, I responded in one of my comments on one of your write-ups that Impunity +Purity = Impurity. So, for every advantage, disadvantage exists. The APC will search

• Saraki itself to see whether it would win the anticorruption fight. Buhari could fight it as an individual, the party, aside Saraki being targeted, cannot fight corruption in Nigeria successfully as corrupt members won’t tackle corruption headlong. It is not only Bukola Saraki that has a dent(s). From Lanre Oseni.

Tunji, I am amazed many people erroneously arrogate too much powers to Saraki being the Senate President. For the time being; he has only one vote. Let him go against President Buhari, the people will rise against him in defence of the president. Anonymous.

Whatever inspired some senators to elect Senator Saraki as Senate President when there are cases of financial mismanagement levelled against him by the anti-corruption agencies is unacceptable, despite his winning by majority votes in a controversial manner. Our National Assembly members should know that the government of President Buhari would not encourage corruption and other vices because he has a name to protect. Legislators should not use the National Assembly to cover themselves of irregularities that they did as governors. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State.

Thank you for speaking the minds of most Nigerians in your piece, “The fear out there: can Saraki fight corruption”? The apostles of darkness went to work. Nigerians need prayers to overcome them finally. From Ijegbai, M., Edo State.

I am surprised that people are saying that the new Senate President will not support the president on the war against corruption; they forgot that it was he as a senator who raised the alarm about fuel subsidy scam that led to the Senate investigation that also led to the discovery of so much scam in the scheme. This led the Federal Government to wake up the case against him that was done with in the court so as to cover up the fraud case. From Ben, Uromi, Edo State.

There is no gainsaying the fact that the election of Dr Saraki as Senate President is a big blow to the anti-corruption stand of the Buhari administration. Worse still, is that Saraki’s emergence was through the instrumentality of the PDP senators whose party was rejected

by Nigerians for its legendary romance with corruption. I pray Buhari remains resolute in his fight against corruption and with the support of the masses, he will succeed. Anonymous.

I have just finished reading your write-up “The fear out there” in The Nation on Sunday of June 14 and those of others like you. The question I want to ask you and others in your class is this: were these bad sides of Saraki there and known when he defected from PDP to APC and won Kwara State for APC? If yes, why did you change the goal post after the goal had been scored? Thanks. From John Iwu, Okokomaiko, Lagos.

No patriotic NASS member plays politics with what is good for the nation coming from the executive or a political party. The change is not to be sought only from a political party but from individuals irrespective of party of affiliation. The president understands this; he should be allowed to be a true democrat. From Samuel Michael, Uyo. Kudos, Saraki is an intemperate and intolerant pseudo politician, how can a man love power to that extent? Pitched tent with opposition party simply because of his selfish interest. Organized a very dubious election-selection, when another 51 senators-elect are waiting the president of the country on this issue. Is it because of the straightforwardness of President Buhari who has not concerned himself about who becomes the leader of the Senate? What a great mistake from power-hunter. What transpired on the floor of House on that day is nothing but National embarrassment. From Surveyor Amidu Saheed, Ifo.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

25

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

‘How to secure your homes against burglars”

By Lucas Ajanaku

A

N online property portal, Lamudi has given property owners tips on how to secure their homes against unwanted guests.

The firm identified human security: security, electrical: electrified fences, electronics (alarm systems, security cameras, motion detectors), structural (huge iron gates, bulletproof doors, high fences, peepholes), animal such as trained dogs as some of the traditional ways of securing properties.

Its Public Relations Officer, Keisha Diamond, said some of these security measures can deter criminals, lamenting that not everyone can afford to live in a high-fenced compound or employ security staff.

She said: “Here are some of the things you can do to ensure your home’s security. Try out this exercise: Imagine arriving at your doorstep without a key, how are you going to get into the house? Think outside the box. Would you break the windows? Would you go through a back door? After brainstorming, you will likely find out a weak spot around your home that you may need to secure. Make sure you install door and window alarms.

“If you already have an alarm system, but it goes off every once in a while without being tripped, then you need to have it repaired, or your neighbou rs might neglect a burglar who breaks in, thinking it is a false alarm. Install motion sensor detectors, and using lighting at night deters most burglars, especially when you travel out of town.”

According to her, some homes have security cameras at all entrance points, adding that an intercom could come in handy too, but is not always the safest bet as a criminal may disguise as a sales person for instance.

“Install metal doors with peep holes. You can also have windows built next to the entrance doors. Install a safe for cash, important documents and expensive jewellery.

Commercial banks are not manufacturing-friendly as their interest rates are usually very high; therefore, commercial banks remain a major challenge to the sector. Even the Bank of Industry’s (BoI) framework, which pegs interest rate at nine per cent, only finances machinery acquisition; it does not cater for working capital.

-MAN President, Dr Frank Jacobs

11 companies ordered to dilute majority equity stakes T

HE Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has directed the boards of 11 quoted companies to restructure their companies’ issued share capital to dilute the existing concentrated shareholdings of the core investors and allow more investments from the general investing public.

In the latest report on public shareholding status of quoted companies obtained by The Nation, the NSE indicated that 11 companies are currently below the minimum thresholds of public shareholding in violation of the listing requirement, which compels companies quoted on the main board of the NSE to ensure that a minimum of 20 per cent of its issued shares is in the hand of the general investing public.

Companies listed on the Exchange are required to maintain a minimum free float for the set standards under which they are listed in order to ensure that there is an orderly and liquid market in their securities. The free float requirement for companies on the

By Taofik Salako, Capital Market Editor

main board is 20 per cent while companies on the second board, otherwise known as Alternative Securities Market (ASEM) are required to have 15 per cent free float.

Free float, otherwise known as public float, refers to the number of shares of a quoted company held by ordinary shareholders other than those directly or indirectly held by its parent, subsidiary or associate companies or any subsidiaries or associates of its parent company; its directors who are holding office as directors of the entity and their close family members and any single individual or institutional shareholder holding a statutorily significant stake, which is 5.0 per cent and above in Nigeria.

Thus, free float’s shares do not include shares held directly or indirectly by any officer, director, controlling

shareholder or other concentrated, affiliated or family holdings.

The 11 defaulting companies included Transcorp Hotels Plc, Dangote Cement, Union Bank of Nigeria, Capital Hotel, Great Nigeria Insurance, Chellarams Plc, Aluminium Extrusion Industries, AG Leventis, Interlink Technology, Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank and Nigerian Ropes Plc. The report indicated that Dangote Cement currently has 9.07 per cent of its issued shares in the hands of the general investing public while Chellarams and Nigerian Ropes have 14.87 per cent and 13.96 per cent respectively. Capital Hotel currently has 2.23 per cent of its issued shares in the hands of the general investing public, implying that the core investors will need to sell down about 17.77 per cent to the general investing public or undertake a dilution through new capi-

•From left Head, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, FirstBank, Ismail Omamegbe; Centre Manager, FirstBank Sustainability Centre, Dr. Ijeoma Nwagwu; Director, Sustainable Business Initiative, University of Edinburgh, Dr. Kenneth Amaeshi; and Group Head, FirstBank, Timothy Arowoogun, at the 'Leading a Sustainable Business' Executive Programme sponsored by the FirstBank Sustainability Centre.

tal issue. Union Bank has a free float of 14.94 per cent, Great Nigeria Insurance currently has 16 per cent, Aluminium Extrusion has 17.55 per cent, AG Leventis has a subsisting float of 11.64 per cent, Interlink Technology has 14.26 per cent while Transcorp Hotels has 10.80 per cent free float.

According to the report, the management of the NSE has given the 11 companies deadlines to restructure their share capital. The deadlines for the companies are Transcorp Hotels Plc, December 31, 2015; Dangote Cement, October 26, 2016; Union Bank of Nigeria, June 30, 2017; Capital Hotel, April 20, 2016; Great Nigeria Insurance, July 8, 2016; Chellarams Plc, July 8, 2016; Aluminium Extrusion Industries, April 3, 2015; AG Leventis, March 3, 2017; Interlink Technology, December 31, 2015 while the Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank has not been decided.

However, Nigerian Ropes, whose deadline expired on January 01, 2015, has indicated that it would pursue voluntary delisting from the stock market rather than dilution of the majority shareholding.

The deadlines are in deference to application by the managements of the companies for some period to comply with the free float. However, the companies are required to provide quarterly disclosure reports to the NSE on the efforts being made to fully comply by the deadline.

By the expiration of the deadline, the companies are mandatorily required to have completed partial divestments or dilution of the ‘non-public’ shareholdings to free 20 per cent equity stake for public holding, unless the management of the NSE grants fresh waivers and extensions for the companies. In the extreme instance, a company with deficient public float may opt to delist its shares.

Stock markets maintain minimum public float to prevent undue concentration of securities in the hands of the core investors and related interests, a situation that can make the stock to be susceptible to price manipulation. Besides, it provides the general investing public with opportunity to reasonably partake in the wealth creation by private enterprises.

Indigenous upstream operators urge NCDMB on monitoring

I

NDIGENOUS service providers in the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry have urged the Federal Government to reinforce the Nigerian local content programme to enable it meet its value creation agenda, and not just being a mere gate keeper.

The President of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Emeka Ene, who stated this in a chat with The Nation, said the purpose of creating the Local Content and Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), is to ensure that value from the industry is retained incountry, as well as capacity building for the locals, but regretted that some players have turned the programme into toll gates, where no value and capacity are created.

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

He said the Content Board has done well in the development of local content, but said that it has not so performed in monitoring and enabling access to long-term loans by players.

Ene said although the Nigerian Content Fund now over $500 million, so it needs to improve in these areas so that the programme will achieve its objective.

He said: “The NCDMB has created an enabling environment for Nigerian companies to grow capacity. When the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board was formed, the policy makers did the right thing by not emphasising the monitoring part, but the development part.

“Although the people in the industry were a bit concerned about the potential negative impact of

GTBank, UBA to raise more funds for Kenya subsidiaries - P 26

the local content on the growth of business, the NCDMB went to a large extent to assure companies and emphasise the development of Nigerian capacity. That has expanded the scope of many indigenous companies.”

Ene said there has been a fair amount of abuse because one of the dangers of local content is the potential creation of toll gates, where no value is added, adding that PETAN as an organisation frowns at such.

“We think that local content should be value-added. It should be competitive. People should make investments and not to sit back and collect tolls. That does not help to grow the industry.

That is not local content,” he stated.

“Nigerians have borrowed money and made investments.

We expect that the NCDMB

should support such companies so that they recoup their money.

What happens is that when they invest in equipment and capacity, people learn real things that they can apply. Nigerians are working across the globe now based on the skills they learnt from Nigerian service companies.”

Ene said the content board focusses much on monitoring, an aspect he stressed, is ”very important. It allows us to sieve the chaff from the real thing. It also helps to strengthen the institutional and regulatory role of the NCDMB. “One area we think more should be done is in the area of capacity building through fund access for local companies. That was the purpose of the Nigerian Content Fund. Nigerian Content Fund was supposed to strengthen

Nigerian companies. Not necessarily contract financing, but to strengthen capacity growth,” he stated.

“If a company invests $100 million buying an ocean going vessel, and all he has to finance it is a two plus one year contract, whereas it takes 10 years to recover the cost of that investment, if you take away that contract, what happens to him? How does he make up?

How do you then encourage local content, he querried?

He said for the content board to develop local content, “we must put money where our mouth is. We must support Nigerian companies with real capital, access to long-term low cost capital, so as to deepen and grow their capacity in the real, not in the figurative and inconsequential way.”

Why business fail in Africa, by Elumelu

‘Why are training entrepreneurs’ - P38

- P39

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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THE NATION

BUSINESS MONEY

e-mail: money@thenationonlineng.net

GTBank, UBA to raise more funds for G Kenya subsidiaries

UARANTY Trust Bank Plc (GTBank) and United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) are to raise more funds for their Kenya subsidiaries following the increase in banks’ minimum capital base.

The government last weekend raised minimum capital requirements for banks by fivefold to promote competition.

Core capital for lenders will jump to 5 billion shillings ($52 million) by the end of 2018, from 1 billion shillings, Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich said in his yearly budget speech in the capital, Nairobi. He said the benchmark for insurance companies was also increased to 600 million shillings.

But, GTBank and UBA will have to source for the funds in Kenya because of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) policy that banks with foreign subsidiaries should utilise resources in their host-countries to boost their operations rather than use funds from home to do so.

The CBN’s stand is that banks raise funds from the offshore capital market through private placements or public offerings. CBN’s advice followed its earlier directive stopping banks from using local resources to fund their offshore subsidiaries. It also stopped quarantee of deposits for foreign subsidiaries.

CBN Director, Banking Supervisions, Agnes Martins advised that the banks could also pursue a

Stories by Collins Nweze

merger or acquisition; or if external capital raisings fail, submit a strategy for exiting the relevant foreign jurisdictions to the regulator.

The directive also bars Nigerian banks from guaranteeing the deposits of their foreign subsidiaries and mandates banks with foreign subsidiaries to submit plans showing that their subsidiaries are fully capitalised in line with Basel II and III accords.

Capital increase in Kenya has been reoccurring. The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) increased the minimum capital requirement in 2008 to Sh1 billion from Sh250 million, with banks given a four-year period to comply. The process was expected to see small lenders merge but most of them convinced their shareholders to inject additional capital while others invited strategic partners. A 12-fold increase in capital requirement in 2004 saw Nigerian banks shrink from 89 to 25. Banks are currently aggressively raising additional funds from shareholders and the debt market to comply with new capital adequacy ratios coming into effect at the end of the year.

The CBK had last year, hinted at

• UBA CEO, Phillips Oduoza

• GTBank CEO, Segun Agbaje

increasing the minimum capital requirement for banks in a move that could lock out small lenders and new entrants from the market.

The banking regulator is concerned that low levels of capitalisation will lock Kenyan lenders out of financing large infrastructure projects being undertaken in the country.

“The Sh1 billion minimum capital requirements may actually con-

strain financing potential of some large banks. The CBK may consider raising this minimum capital requirement to make the industry move to the level of Egypt, Angola, Nigeria and South Africa,” it said. Kenya banks are not allowed to lend more than 25 per cent of their core capital to a single borrower. ”This should help promote consolidation in the banking industry,” particularly among smaller lenders known as Tier 3 and Tier 4 banks, Francis Mwangi, head of research at Standard Investment Bank, said told Bloomberg.

Kenya, a nation of 44 million people with a $55 billion economy, has 43 commercial lenders and a mortgage-finance company, according to the Central Bank of Kenya. About 70 per cent of banking business is done by eight companies and industry fragmentation is hindering the development of scale lenders need to offer more complex services, Kenya Commercial Bank Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Joshua Oigara said in August.

The bottom 20 lenders in Kenya all have capital below 5 billion shillings, Martin Oduor-Otieno, a partner at Deloitte East Africa, said

in an e-mailed note.

Smaller banks also may be forced to consider mergers because the three-year timeframe imposed to increase core capital may be insufficient, Mwangi said. Those lenders already face competition from bigger banks in their traditional markets such as micro-lending and low-income retail customers, he said.

“The Tier 3 and Tier 4 lenders won’t be able to grow their earnings as fast because of increased competition from the bigger banks,” Mwangi said.

The increase in minimum core capital requirements is in line with the government’s development programme, known as Vision 2030, Rotich said.

“Kenya needs to have strong, well-capitalised financial institutions, which are not only able to participate in financing the large projects envisaged in the vision, but that are also well capitalised to withstand financial shocks and crises,” Rotich said KCB, Kenya’s largest bank in asset base, has a core capital of Sh52 billion, capping its lending to a single entity at Sh13 billion. Most of the infrastructural projects being put up in Nairobi require huge funding. For instance, the Lamu coal plant is expected to use an estimated Sh177 billion of which Sh130 billion will be debt.

CBK disclosed that two banks violated the minimum capital requirement last year underlining the challenges facing banks funding large projects. The capital requirements in South Africa is Sh9 billion, Nigeria (Sh8 billion), Egypt (Sh6.2 billion) and Angola at Sh2.2 billion.

Eighteen banks in Kenya have a core capital of less than Sh2 billion. Analysts pointed out those large banks were in a strong position to comply with whichever extra amount that may be required but small lenders are likely to struggle.

“The effect is dependent on the amount but I expect the key players will comply with it,” said Standard Investment Bank’s Francis Mwangi. Mr Mwangi said a regulation meant to push banks to finance infrastructure projects by raising capital may see the lenders used to micro-lending holding idle cash.

N3.5m prize for banking contest • From left: Managing Director, Diamond Bank Plc, Mr. Uzoma Dozie; Chairman of the Nigeria Electronic Fraud Forum (NeFF) and Director of Banking and Payments System Department, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Mr. ‘Dipo Fatokun; and Director of Risk Management Department (CBN), Ms. Folakemi Fatogbe at a meeting of NeFF in Lagos.

MfBs’ assets rise from N280.76b to N300b

T

HE total assets of microfinance banks (MFBs) increased to N300.73 billion at the end of December 2014, from N280.76 billion in June, reflecting an increase of 7.11 per cent, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Deputy Governor, Financial Sector Stability Dr. O. J. Nnanna has said.

In a report obtained posted on CBN website, he said total deposit liabilities and net loans/advances also increased by 0.99 and 25.80 per cent to N145.83 billion and N162.91 billion, compared with N144.4 billion and N129.5 billion, at the end of June 2014.

“The relative improvement in the operations of MFBS was attributed to the impact of the CBN initiated Microfinance Certification Pro-

gramme (MCP) for the boards and management of MFBs and the growing acceptance of the microfinance banking model. Reserves, however, decreased by N3.5 billion to N8.6 billion at endDecember 2014, from N12.1 billion at end-June 2014, owing to increased loan provisioning,” he said.

The bank chief said the apex bank collaborated with development partners and other stakeholders to establish a unified application (Core Banking System) for the MFB sub-sector. The proposed unified platform, together with the Rural Financial Institutions (RUFIN) project for online rendition of electronic returns by MFBs, he added, is expected to facilitate accurate and

prompt rendition of statutory returns.

He said that in the review period, 289 candidates completed the Microfinance Certification Programme (MCP), bringing the total certified operators to 2,882 at the end of December last year. The certified operators were spread over 632 microfinance banks, representing 71.5 per cent of the sub-sector.

The number of primary mortgage banks (PMBs) in operation increased to 42 at the end of December 2014, from 40 at end-June 2014, as two dormant PMBs were reactivated following their recapitalisation. “National PMBs remained at 10 at end-December 2014, while State PMBs increased to 32 from 30 at end-June 2014,” he said.

T

HE Nigeria Inter-Bank Settle ment Systems Plc (NIBSS) has introduced cashless banking online crowd sourcing contest tagged: EnnovateNaija, with a N3.5 million prize money.

Disclosing this to the media, Mrs Lilian Phido, NIBSS Head of Corporate Communication said the execution of the contest is in collaboration with Samsung and IBM and that participant are required to logon to the “EnnovateNaija” website and forward their ideas bordering on the topic ‘How do I make cashless policy more effective in my community.’

“A cash reward of N350,000 and some Samsung devices will be awarded to the top 10 ideas. The competition is open to everyone irrespective of nationality, age, tribe or gender.

“This initiative is open to the general public and it is aimed at gathering innovative ideas from the consumers perspective on fresh and implementable solution based initiatives to further drive and ultimately to overcome the present challenges and further deepen electronic payment in Nigeria,” she

said.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) introduced cashless policy on cash-based transactions which stipulates a cash handling charge on daily cash withdrawals. The policy is aimed at reducing the amount of physical cash circulating, encouraging more electronicbased transactions (payments for goods, services, transfers, etc.) and driving financial inclusion by providing more efficient transaction options and greater reach. It is also aimed at developing and modernising the Nigerian Payment System.

Mrs Phido noted that the criteria for selecting the best idea would be innovation and originality, importance and relevance of the problem addressed, presentation quality of the submission and feasibility.

To ensure credibility and transparency, she said that the members of the Jury who were carefully selected from both public and private sectors of the economy are made of distinguished and well respected contributors to the Nigeria Financial System.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

27

MONEY

Bridging the N10.3tr infrastructure gap Private Finance Initiatives (PFI) and Public Private Partnerships (PPP) are being adopted by banks to fix Nigeria’s N10.3 trillion infrastructure deficit. COLLINS NWEZE writes on the roles of commercial banks in driving PFI and PPP to achieve set objectives.

I

NFRASTRUCTURE development is central to Nigeria’s bid to attain social and economic stability. This is why the federal and state governments are committed to building infrastructure.

Infrastructure have to do with the fixed provision of tangible assets on which other intangibles can be built. Not limited in scope, they include the provision of housing, power, transport, education, communication, and technology.

Former Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister for Finance Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala estimated that Nigeria needs N10.63 trillion ($67 billion) for road upgrades, bridge repairs, the energy sector, hospitals and schools.

Also, the Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic (AICD) Report for 2011 estimates that Nigeria requires sustained spending of $14.2 billion per annum over the next decade in order to address the infrastructure challenge.

Furthermore, the chairman of the board of Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Chief Ernest Shonekan, had stated at the inaugural meeting of the Africa Public Private Partnership (APPP) network hosted by ICRC that there is a yawning investment gap of about $31 billion required yearly to fund infrastructure development in sub-Saharan Africa.

The above scenario clearly shows that as a result of the huge funding requirement for present and future infrastructural development and its attendant impact on survival and growth of businesses in Nigeria, traditional funding methods can no longer suffice as the traditional fund providers, different levels of government, do not have such resources at their disposal.

In view of this, Private Finance Initiatives (PFI) and Public Private Partnerships (PPP) are being adopted to meet the funding challenge. In Nigeria, PFI and PPP are relatively new models for public project finance and commercial banks remain the formal source of finance for driving PFI among enterprises.

Of course, banks have three social and economic functions: to collect and secure savings and other deposits; to finance the economy by handing out credits; and to facilitate payments and to transfer funds. Their role is to reduce the gap between supply (the money deposited and potentially available) and demand (the money needed for investment) that exists between idle money and productive investment.

In recent time, an increasing number of socio-economic projects bothering on infrastructural and natural resources rejuvenation and business growth and expansion initiatives have been developed and financed through equity and medium to long term loan packages by commercial banks.

In the last half decade, leading commercial banks in the country have continued to make strong mark in the area of project financing.

For banks that have been on the scene for years, it is expected that playing big in the project financing landscape would be seen as a game of experience and financial might built up over years of profitable operations in the country – a case of bailing out a structure that has heavily fed them fat in the past.

However, a quick look at the country’s project financing market shows commendable influence being exerted by a few new players, who ordinarily, would have been considered as greenhorns without the required skill, stamina and wizardry to play in the intricate game of project financing.

Leading in this wise is Heritage Bank, which entered the market about 24 months ago.

Since its foray into the Nigerian financial sector, Heritage Bank has played a pivotal and leading role in the equity and project financing market, arranging in excess of $2 billion of debt facilities either as lead or sole financier or financial adviser. The field of engagement has equally been diversified, covering economic sectors such as Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Entertainment & Arts, Education, Oil & Gas, Aviation & Haulage and Public Sector.

For instance, the bank has provided over $100 million in funding for a variety of transactions in the film and entertainment indus-

• CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele

• Sekibo

try from 2013 to date. These include Bloomberg TV Africa (the Pan African TV

by Bloomberg LLP), Free-to-Air TV Broadcast Rights in Nigeria for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, HIP TV (a Pan African TV Music Channel broadcast on satellite TV which was funded from scratch) and a variety of other investments spanning content, platforms and production.

Also, the innovative multi-billion naira MSME Investment Protection Fund (InPF), which is a non-collateralised funding option with embedded insurance to address the default risk inherent in the SME Finance scheme, remains a strong differentiating indicator of the Heritage Bank approach to SME funding in the country.

However, the recent successful finance of Forte Oil Plc’s acquisition of 100 brand new Mercedes Benz product delivery trucks for haulage, logistics and product transportation across the country as well as the Project Finance Facility to PIPP LVI GENCO to set up a 6.5MegaWatts Captive Power Generating Plant and a 25km Distribution Network to power Public Utilities in Lekki,Victoria Island and Ikoyi represent giant strides by the relatively young Heritage Bank which had already financed similar and bigger projects in Port Harcourt and Abuja in deals worth several billions of Naira in the last 12 months.

Heritage Bank’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Ifie Sekibo said the lender developed and introduced wide range of services to address the capacity and financing needs of MSME businesses.

“The goal of Heritage Bank’s MSME offerings is to build a network of entrepreneurial leaders that will drive the growth of the sector. This would enhance the ability of the MSME sector to effectively play its role as the engine growth of the economy”, he said.

Heritage Bank’s commitment to leadership building in the MSME sector is reflected in the bank’s SME Clinic. “The Heritage Bank SME Clinic is designed to enhance the entrepreneurial capacity of our SME customers.

Through the Clinic, Heritage Bank understands the different aspects of the customer’s business in order to identify areas where it can add value. As a result, we are able to develop customised products and services based on the identified needs of each SME customer,” Sekibo said.

Also speaking on the significance of Heritage Bank’s project finance initiatives, Executive Director, Manila Banking, Niyi Adeseun noted that, “for us at Heritage Bank, our core business philosophy as a timeless wealth partner to our customers is captured in our mission to create, transfer and preserve wealth. Our support efforts through project financing in the various sectors of the economy is one of the platforms that underscore our resolve and readiness to make a mark in the financial sector as a major pivot of socio-economic transformation of our country,” he explained.

“For instance, in the Oil and Gas industry, our interventions span the downstream sector areas of product importation, supply, engineering and many more while we are also gradually getting really involved in the upstream as well. We have financed a few of such projects in Port Harcourt and we have a couple of them also in Abuja”.

In a testimonial, Group Chief Executive Officer, Forte Oil Plc, Akin Akinfemiwa lauded Heritage Bank on its project financing portfolio. According to him, “We appreciate the strategic role of Heritage Bank in financing the acquisition of our latest 100 world-class product delivery trucks which, to us, is a very strategic investment that will substantially increase our capacity to grow our revenue and profitability and ultimately maximise value for our stakeholders”.

Aside Heritage Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc recently took a frontline position in stakeholder’s discussions on bridging the gap between opportunity and infrastructure investment in Nigeria and Africa.

At a United States (US)/Africa Infrastructure Conference, themed: Building the Infrastructure for Nigeria’s Vision 20:20, was organ-

‘For banks that have been on the scene for years, it is expected that playing big in the project financing landscape would be seen as a game of experience and financial might built over the years. However, a quick look at the country’s project financing market shows commendable influence being exerted by a few new players’

ised in the US by the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) in conjunction with the Embassy of Nigeria and co-sponsored by UBA Plc. CEO, UBA Capital, Africa, Wale Shonibare spoke at a panel session titled “Financing it All”. He praised the Federal government’s renewed focus on developing infrastructure to stimulate economic growth. According to him, “policy decisions such as the recently announced tax incentives to encourage private sector investment in infrastructure are essential to accelerating investment in the sector.

He said UBA Capital is positioned to assist American and other overseas investors with interest in exploring the abundant opportunities presented by the rapid growth in the Nigerian economy. “As one of Africa’s leading financial services group, UBA has proven ability to finance big ticket transactions,” he added.

He said the conference was an important step in bringing the Vision 2020 goal to fruition. Key speakers at the conference identified project opportunities totalling $2.8 billion for successful development of roads and bridges, rail, ports, airports, agro-allied cargo operations, housing, water and information communication technology.

The World Bank said in a statement that the office will focus on infrastructure, information communications technology, the financial sector and knowledge sharing.

The lender also announced the launch of a new $90 million to support developing countries, the Korea-World Bank Partnership Facility. The facility will support a broad range of economic development opportunities with a focus on promoting best practices, by leveraging the bank’s knowledge and convening power and Korea’s expertise in areas such as economic development policy, information communications technology, infrastructure and the financial sector.

Also, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has proposed plans to float Africa’s first infrastructure bonds to member nations to raise up to $22 billion for investments in much needed infrastructure projects such as ports, railways, roads and energy, across the African continent.

In a statement, the firm said this brings to reality, an initiative first raised at the March 2009 conference on Growth Corridors, hosted by Made-in-Africa Foundation’s Ozwald Boateng and UK Foreign Minister, David Miliband.

The $22 billion would take advantage of the AfDB’s AAA rating, which would make its African bonds a more secure investment than those issued by a number of European states potentially, making it one of the more attractive opportunities in the global debt capital markets.

The investment of $22 billion in infrastructure projects across Africa would, if implemented properly, have a positive effect on the continent’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), raising it by an estimated two per cent. This would lift millions out of poverty and dramatically decrease regional disparity. Its effect on Africa could be similar to the Marshall Plan which was a huge stimulus for growth on the European continent in the post war period.

“At a time of global uncertainty, there’s an even greater sense of urgency to help developing countries tackle their challenges to reduce poverty and create greater prosperity for their people,” the bank said.

Analysts insist that Nigeria’s rich entrepreneurial culture, its dynamic economic landscape is characterised by a high level of local and international trade which has continued to witness growth over the years. This has been generating and will, possibly, continue to generate high demand for innovative commercial and corporate finance services.

They believe that new financial services providers like Heritage Bank, UBA even World Bank are already established on strong foundation to drive their survival and growth in the nation’s competitive banking sector and boost infrastructure financing.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

THE NATION INVESTORS

Eight companies to raise N180b as core investors stake more funds T HE new issue market promises to be quite active in the second half as eight companies have initiated plans to raise about N180 billion as core investors signalled they would be providing additional funds to support their companies.

Regulatory filings and investment banking data obtained by The Nation indicated that not less than eight companies have started plans to raise new funds, with nearly 60 per cent already at the initial regulatory approval stage.

The largest chunk of the new funds, according to the data, will be raised through equity issues, while some 15 per cent of the value may be through debt issues.

Also, about three-quarters of the new issues are expected to be in form of rights issue, a supplementary equity issuance under which shares are preallotted to existing shareholders. All the companies undertaking rights issue have substantial majority core investors, who are expected to provide in most instances more than a quarter of the new equity funds.

Rights issue gives the first right of refusal to existing shareholders and thus preserve existing shareholding structure. It however ,provides window for new investors to buy into the company through rights trading on the secondary market.

Chief executive officer, Finawell Capital Limited, Mr. Tunde Oyekunle, said the preference for rights issue might

Stories by Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

not be unconnected with the lingering apathy and erosion of investors’ confidence that arose from market downturn in 2007, which has continued to haunt the primary market.

He said some companies are also mindful of the shareholding dilution that may likely come from public offers while management of some companies feel existing shareholders will understand management strategy and trust their investment with them than new shareholders.

“Most companies are embarking on rights issues due to the certainty that they can raise the required funds from existing investors, particularly the institutional shareholders and some large bloc holders who may be fully committed to retain their shareholding positions in the companies. Those shareholders will definitely have a buy in into such rights issues before they are floated. Another reason is that public offers may not necessarily get patronage or commitment from new investors due to the current state of the market,” said Sewa Wusu, economist and head of research and investment advisory at Sterling Capital Markets Limited.

Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd ), the chairman and major core investor in May & Baker Nigeria, is taking the lead in the recapitalisation of the healthcare company. Danjuma, a multibillionaire, holds the largest equity stake of 24.38 per cent in May & Baker Nigeria through his company, T.Y Holdings Limited.

There are strong indications that Danjuma, who had earlier extended N2 billion bail-out to the company, might consider providing additional equity funds beyond his pre-allotted shares to bolster the success of the rights issue.

He told other shareholders last month that the board of the company had decided to opt for rights issue and delay the offer till now to enable all shareholders pick their rights in line with the company’s commitment to equitable and fair treatment of shareholders who had stood by the company through thick and thin.

Shareholders had earlier in 2014 approved a resolution authorizing the company to raise additional N3.2 billion. The shareholders also empowered the directors to decide on absorption of excess monies from the new capital issue.

The new capital issue would be for the “purposes of enhancing the company’s working capital and financing the

development of the company’s businesses”.

To create headroom for the new capital issue, shareholders also increased the authorised share capital of May and Baker Nigeria from N1 billion, consisting of 2.0 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each, to N1.90 billion, consisting of 3.8 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each, by creating additional 1.80 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each. May & Baker currently has 980 million issued shares outstanding on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, Nigeria’s most capitalised and largest flour-milling company, plans to raise about N40 billion from existing shareholders as the flour miller seeks to consolidate recent investments and support ongoing corporate restructuring with longterm funds.

A regulatory filing indicated that the board of directors of Flour Mills has called shareholders to an extraordinary general meeting next month to discuss and approve resolutions on increase in authorised share capital of the company and a rights issue.

The board of director is proposing increase in authorised share capital of the company from N2 billion to N2.5 billion through the creation of additional 1.0 billion ordinary shares of 50

From left: Past President, Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), Mr. Adebayo Adenubi; Executive Director, Market Operations and Technology, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) Mr Ade Bajomo; President, Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), Dr. Nelson Uwaga and Past President, NIM, Mrs. Margaret Adeleke during a visit to the NSE in Lagos

S

kobo each.

The company then plans to raise up to N40 billion in new equity funds from existing shareholders. In the event of under-subscription, the board is seeking shareholders’ mandate to allocate unsubscribed rights’ shares to interested investors.

Shareholders are also expected to empower the board of directors to use net proceeds of the rights issue to meet the funding requirements of the company.

As banks continue to preempt future changes in capital requirements, deposit money banks are expected to be among the major players in the new issue market in the second half. Two of Nigeria’s strategically important banks (SIBs), Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc and Skye Bank Plc, are raising new equity funds in the second half.

Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, the holding company for Stanbic IBTC Bank and other subsidiaries, plans to raise N20.4 billion from its shareholders. A regulatory filing indicated that Stanbic IBTC Holdings would be issuing 800 million ordinary shares of 50 kobo each to existing shareholders at N25.50 per share.

The rights issue will be pre-allotted to shareholders in the book of the company on the basis of two new ordinary shares for every 25 ordinary shares held by the close of business yesterday.

Skye Bank Plc plans to raise about N30 billion in new equity funds in the third quarter. It had earlier indicated it could raise as much as N50 billion, an amount still within the range of the latest offer value of N30 billion in the event of a provision for absorption of excess monies.

Group Managing Director, Skye Bank Plc, Mr. Timothy Oguntayo said the bank would be raising some N30 billion tier 1 capital, referring to new equity funds, in the third quarter.

While Skye Bank is still finalising the details of the equity issue, there are indications that the supplementary issue will include an element of rights issue.

Presco Plc, a palm oil plantation and processing company, has commenced the process to raise some N3 billion new equity funds from its major core investor and other minority shareholders to reorganise its highly leveraged capital structure.

Sa Siat nv, which holds 60 per cent majority equity stake in Presco, will provide nearly two-thirds of the rights funds. First Inland Bank/Fidelity Finance Company (TRDG), which holds 8.0 per cent equity stake, is expected to provide the second largest chunk of the funds. Presco has some 9,415 shareholders with the largest group of shareholders holding small units within the range of 1000 to 10,000 shares.

Sterling Bank Plc, which had raised some N19 billion new equity funds through special placement late last year, and Wema Bank Plc, are also said to be considering further capital raising.

Wema Bank Plc also plans to raise $100 million in tier II capital,

Saudi Arabia opens $585b stock market to foreign investors

AUDI Arabia’s stock market, valued at $585 billion, opened up to direct foreign investment for the first time on Monday, as the kingdom seeks an economic boost amid low global oil prices.

The opening of the Tadawul Saudi Stock Exchange allows companies, particularly those that are not in the oil business, to raise money straight from foreign investors, with the goal of expanding businesses, diversifying the economy and creating more jobs for the kingdom’s growing population. Before Monday, foreigners only could access the market indirectly, through a local Saudi institution, which was costly and complicated.

The stock exchange’s estimated value makes it the biggest in the Middle East. Petrochemical firms

make up a fifth of Tadawul, with heavyweights like Saudi Basic Industries Corp. among those listed.

Associated Press reported that the move comes at a crucial time for Saudi Arabia, whose revenue has suffered from a plunge in oil prices over the past year. That lower revenue could constrain government spending, which in turn would affect the many companies relying on government projects. The kingdom has been drawing from its robust foreign reserves to maintain spending.

An influx of foreign money could “help to plug some of the external shortfall and slow the pace at which Saudi Arabia is drawing down its reserves,” says the London-based analysis firm Capital Economics.

The firm says Saudi Arabia has been traditionally cautious about

foreign influence in its political and economic affairs. Its decision to open its stock market could be seen as part of a broader liberalization effort in the kingdom’s economy.

The socially and religiously ultraconservative country is already awash in some of the world’s biggest brands and many multinational companies have their factories and facilities there.

However, foreign investors say they are taking a cautious approach and warn not to expect an immediate rush of foreign investment into the Middle East’s biggest market.

“In the immediate to short term, the money flow will be gradual,” says Sachin Mohindra, Gulf portfolio manager for Invest AD. One reason for the cautious approach: When local investors anticipated the opening of the mar-

ket, they bid up stock prices, leaving them overvalued in the opinion of fund managers.

Additionally, there are regulations in place for foreign investors.

Only financial institutions with $5 billion or more of assets under management that have been in operation for five or more years are eligible to invest, though the regulator says it could make exceptions.

Other regulations are that qualified foreign investors cannot own more than 5 percent of the shares of any company. These investors as a whole cannot own more than 20 percent of shares in the roughly 165 listed companies.

There are also five companies that will be off limits to foreign investors. Most are in construction in the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina, which are closed to non-

Muslims.

The kingdom’s stock market regulator, the Capital Markets Authority, says the decision to open the market to direct foreign investment is aimed at supporting increased participation of institutional investors and reducing the role of smaller investors.

According to Tadawul, Saudi individuals make up 34.4 per cent of stock market ownership, but account for nearly 90 percent of trading activity. That has exposed the market to volatility.

John Sfakiankis, Middle East director based in Riyadh at emerging markets investment firm Ashmore Group, says he does not expect a big influx of foreign investment right away. He expects a gradual flow over the next few years of $20 billion to $25 billion.

Newspaper of the Year

AN EIGHT-PAGE PULLOUT ON THE SOUTHWEST STATES

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

PAGE 29

It has been a tale of woes for residents of Ogun State Property and Investment Corporation (OPIC) Estate in Agbara, who have been battling dust-polluted environment, WALE AJETUNMOBI report.

Cruel dust-pollution ravagesOguncommunity •OPIC: there’re ongoing construction projects

•The OPIC Estate entrance

M

INSIDE

ATTHEW Akinkugbe and his wife, Sarah, relocated to Ogun State last year after their wedding in Lagos. Their new-found abode is a three-bedroom bungalow in an estate developed by Ogun State Property and Investment Corporation (OPIC) in Agbara, Ogun State suburb on the border of Lagos.

A few months after the couple moved to the estate, Daniel, their first baby, was born.

But four months after his birth, Sarah watched her baby sneeze and cough heavily, and showed sign of inability to breathe properly. She screamed for help and baby Daniel was rushed to the hospital.

At the hospital, doctors carried out diagnosis on him and discovered that the baby had developed acute respiratory problem. The medical result, according to Sarah, showed that Daniel’s lungs had layers of dirt, resulting from excessive inhalation of dust-polluted air from the envi-

ronment. How did dust find its way to the lungs of a four-month-old baby?

The Akinkugbes are one of the households inhabiting Area 8 of the Agbara OPIC Estate, where residents are battling to save their lives from dust-infested environment. The dust wafts from non-asphalted road 411, which is the main thoroughfare stretching to the Area 8 flank of the estate from a well-asphalted Area 4, where high-profile politicians and civil servants live.

Experts bemoan increase in street children Plight of a ‘neglected’ Lagos community PAGE 34 PAGE 31

The condition of Road 411 is deplorable and it is becoming an eyesore to residents. This is because the road is now being used as alternative route by travellers’ vehicles and trailers to avoid craters and ditches on Agbara-Atan Expressway, which extends from Badagary Expressway to Agbara.

Southwest Report gathered that the terrible state of the Agbara-Atan Expressway, a federal road, is caused by trailers and trucks plying the route; the heavy-duty vehicles dug

Ondo community prays for abducted Regent PAGE 35

craters and gullies on the expressway. To avoid the crater-ridden highway, trucks and travellers’ vehicles used the non-asphalted Road 411 in the estate as alternative route to connect the smooth end of the Agbara-Atan Highway at the industrial layout of the estate.

As they pass through the estate, the vehicles, which are always on high speed, leave a thick pall of red dust in their trail. The Continued on pages 30-31

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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•A flooded road around the estate

Cruel dust-pollution ravages Ogun community •A flooded house in the community

Just two days ago, two young siblings were discharged after days of admission for asthma-related sickness. Their mother had recently passed on. This is the extent to which residents have been made to suffer because of the terrible state of roads in the estate and the polluted air. I want you to go round the Area 8 to see how ill-health is taking toll on the people. This situation must be urgently addressed to prevent outbreak of uncontrollable health crisis

•The dusty road Continued from page 29

dust pollutes the environment even after the vehicle has long gone. The dust-filled air is deposited on the walls and louvers of houses.

Blazing Glory Academy, a private primary school on the Road 411, has its wall and painting defaced by the thick dust.

When Southwest Report visited the school penultimate week, its louvers, doors, walls and classrooms were all covered in red dust. Some of the pupils coughed intermittently. Some had nose masks strapped to their faces; others used white handkerchiefs to cover their nostrils and mouths. The school staff moved round the classrooms to mop the walls and louvers.

The Headmaster of the school Mr Segun Bayode, said the situation was becoming worrisome, saying it has become a routine in the school for

members of staff to mop the wall and classrooms every two hours. But the constant cleaning of the classrooms could not stop parents from withdrawing their children because of the health problem posed by the pollution.

Bayode said some pupils had left the school with life-threatening ailments, noting that he would not blame parents who withdrew their children/wards.

He said: “Dust covers everywhere you turn to. We mop the louvers and classrooms every two hours to ensure our pupils are not suffocated by the dust-filled atmosphere. I have never lived in this kind of polluted environment before.

Even in villages where there are no asphalted roads, the situation is not as bad as what we experience in this estate.

“Already, we are losing pupils

because parents are withdrawing their children from the school. I know how many pupils who have been hospitalised in the last two months for asthma and other breathing problems. We are not animals; Governor Ibikunle Amosun should not continue to watch us to die because we are not influential people.”

Endless complaints As a result of the bad nature of the highway and activities of officials of the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), who allegedly cash in on the situation to exhort money from motorists, trailers and other heavy-duty vehicles shun the expressway and pass through the residential area of the estate.

This development is raising a concern among residents, who said their children are not safe, even to play on the streets again.

“Between 8:00 a.m. and noon, highspeeding buses and trailers exert pressure on Road 411, “Pastor Idowu Alebiosu, Chairman of Residents’ Association of OPIC Estate (RAOPIC) in Area 8 said.

Continuing, he said:: “At times, you can count up to 150 vehicles traversing Road 411 a day; all trying to dodge the craters and road safety officers on the highway. This usually leads to gridlock that could last six hours. The carefree drivers blow dust into our rooms as they pass through the estate. We cannot open our windows to get fresh air during the day. Our children cannot walk freely on the road because of the vehicles that are usually on speeding.

Our lives are endangered because the estate road has been practically turned to another highway.”

Besides, residents said there has

been a steady encroachment on the buffer zone. Filling stations and gas depots are being erected within the residential area, thereby endangering the lives of the people.

Residents further said they had made several representations at the OPIC office, adding that nothing has been done by the officials to alleviate their suffering. The hapless inhabitants accused the corporation of breaching the agreement it reached with them with regard to the use of the residential area.

Rising cases of asthma and respiratory illness Deposits of red dust are common sight on houses in the area. Walls and gates have been defaced. Residents, who forgot to shut their doors and windows while the polluted air blow would have whiff of dust to inhale.

The exposure to dust-filled environment has resulted in growing cases of asthma and other respiratory illnesses among the residents.

Rock of Ages Hospital located on the Road 411 has become a Mecca of sorts for residents battling with asthma-related ailments. The Chief Medical Personnel of the hospital, Dr Adekunle Babaniyi, said no fewer than 10 people were admitted weekly for various illnesses resulting from the polluted environment. Common illness, he said, include severe sneezing, asthma, dyspnea, allergy, sore eyes and respiratory tract blockage.

Most of the patients admitted for asthma and dyspnea treatment, the doctor said, are mainly children between ages seven and 16 years. Babaniyi, whose hospital was also covered by dust, said scores had

been given referral to specialist hospitals. He warned against dire health crisis in the neighbourhood if government does nothing to stop the pollution.

He said: “The state government seems to have neglected the estate and shows no concern to the wellbeing of the people living here. We are having a growing health hazard in this part of the estate because the air people breathe in is saturated with dust. Many people are now showing symptoms of various illnesses, which include asthma and trachea blockage.

“Just two days ago, two young siblings were discharged after days of admission for asthma-related sickness. Their mother had recently passed on. This is the extent to which residents have been made to suffer because of the terrible state of roads in the estate and the polluted air. I want you to go round the Area 8 to see how ill-health is taking toll on the people. This situation must be urgently addressed to prevent outbreak of uncontrollable health crisis.”

Mrs Isi Okwuadi, a resident battling with asthma, said she has become drug-dependent because of the long hours she is exposed to dust-polluted air. She could barely utter words clearly when this reporter met her.

She had sore throat. With her croaky voice, Mrs Okwuadi said she moves about with sachets of piriton and prednisolone tablets to control her allergies to the condition.

“I am permanently on piriton and prednisolone in order to control my body reaction to the contaminated environment. If you open my bag, you would see the drugs. Any day I fail to use the drugs, I would experience crisis. The situation has made

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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SOUTHWEST REPORT

me to be drug-dependent; it was not like this when I moved into the estate with my husband in 2010,” she said.

Counting losses Residents whose means of livelihood is being destroyed by the dense dust are counting losses. Traders and business centres in the residential area have closed down because of the thick dust. Landlords also complained about their vacant houses which could not be given out for let because of the situation.

Madam Atinuke Atoyebi had a flourishing cement business in front of her three-bedroom bungalow located on the Road 411. When the dust problem started in November last year, she sought the daily service of a menial job worker to help mop her shop and clean the products of dust.

After a period of exposure to the dust, the menial worker stopped coming.

Madam Atoyebi also took ill, leaving her cement shop closed down for more than five months.

After she recovered from a breathe-related illness, Madam Atoyebi said she left the dusty environment to stay with her son in Lagos, vowing not return until the road is asphalted and dust cleared. “I was hospitalised three times in January.

Why have we been left to suffer this much in an estate whose land was sold by the government?” she asked.

Bayode said there has been mass withdrawal of pupils from the Blazing Glory Academy since the dust problem started. In April, the principal said parents came en masse to withdraw their pupils because of health concern. Despite the efforts of the school management to prevent dust from taking a toll on the premises and the classrooms, Bayode said many parents are unwilling to enrol their children to the school except the dust is cleared.

“Some parents have withdrawn their children and many are considering doing the same because of the dust.

This is the challenge we have been coping with in the last four months. Since we have not had assurance from the OPIC officials or government on when they will tar the dusty road, there is a possibility that no pupil will resume after the third term holiday,” a female teacher, who pleaded anonymity because she didn’t want to be identified told our reporter.

A livestock trader, Mrs Titilayo Onabolu, has not stopped counting losses since the problem started. “I had to sell off my chickens at give-away prices after three of them died in one swoop. I cannot return to my shop to do business because of the dust which has made life difficult for me and my family,” she said.

Rain to the rescue Many of the residents were happy that the rainy season has come.

They thought that the coming of rainy period would bring relief to their woes, since it will dampen the dust.

But, that only reduced the pall of dust in the air; the rain engendered another problem for the residents–their homes are flooded whenever it rains.

The Area 8 is flood-prone because of lack of drainage system. All inner roads in the area become impassable after downpour. Besides, some residents whose houses are not raised beyond the road level would be preoccupied with scooping out of flood

water from their living rooms whenever it rains.

An early-morning downpour penultimate Wednesday prevented Mr Obawaeki Ehizoje, a lecturer at the Ogun State Institute of Technology, from going to work. His compound was heavily flooded after the rain. He had to stay at home.

Lamenting the situation, Ehizoje, who has lived in the estate for three years, said it was the second time his house would be flooded in two weeks.

He said: “Imagine what would happen to my family when the rain reaches its peak in August. The whole house is cracking up and the fence can pull down any moment. I have been living in this estate for three years now and there has been no effort whatsoever to construct drainage system despite that flooding is another challenge we face here. The situation is worrisome because our lives are being threatened each day. If it is not dust, then it would be flood. The state government must come to our rescue before the situation gets out of control.”

Increasing accident and crime rate Residents said they have been at the mercy of petty robbers and burglars since the estate roads became alternative routes for commercial vehicles and trailers. They also said accidents have become frequent.

Some 10 months ago, Dr Babaniyi said there was no record of accident in the estate. The accident rate, he said, has increased because of the overspeeding by commercial motorcycle operators (okada) and petrol-tanker drivers.

He said: “We recently had fatal accident involving a trailer and four okada riders. Such incident was not common in the estate before our roads were opened for all comers. The menace of over-speeding vehicles is becoming worrisome, because some residents have been knocked down in the process.”

Mrs Bola Jones, a resident, said her neighbour was robbed at gun point in the estate by two men on motorcycle.

The incident, she said, occurred when the victim was returning from work at 8:30 p.m.

While several complaints have been made to the OPIC Estate Police Station in Area 4 about the growing wave of crimes, residents accused the police of not taking drastic action to fish out the criminals. The Nation gathered that police usually complain of not having adequate vans to patrol the area. Residents also alleged that some of the criminals caught for burglary are released by police after collecting money from them.

The residents’ effort Residents said attention of OPIC officials has been drawn to their plight through their association but nothing has been done so far to ameliorate the situation.

The General Manager at OPIC office in the estate, Mr Taiwo Aridegbe, allegedly told the troubled residents that nothing could be done to prevent the heavy-duty trucks and commercial vehicles to pass through the estate.

Given the lackadaisical attitude of the officials to their predicament, some of the residents are threatening to resort to self-help. But, RAOPIC President, Pastor Afolabi Ibinayo, urged for calm, promising to meet Amosun on the matter.

Aridegbe said the corporation won’t stop commercial vehicles from passing through the estate. “Why should people have an estate and they don’t want commercial vehicles to ply its roads?” Aridegbe said when Southwest Report spoke to him penultimate Friday.

Asked why the corporation has not fixed roads in the Area 8 despite payment of development levy by residents, Aridegbe said: “I want to confirm to you that there are ongoing construction projects in the estate but I cannot give you more information on the project. I oblige you to talk to our Director of Public Relations for details.”

•Hawkers

Experts bemoan increase in street children T

HE Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba, Lagos Prof. Innocent Ujah has expressed discontent at the rate at which street children increase in recent times, even as he maintained that the trend has become worrisome.

Prof. Ujah spoke at this year’s symposium organised by his institute to mark this year’s Children’s Day celebration. He noted that the number of street children was on the increase despite best national, regional and global efforts to ensure their well-being.

The theme of this year’s celebration was “The Burden of Street Children in Nigeria” which was anchored by the Maternal, Reproductive and Child Health Research Group of NIMR. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the number of working children in Nigeria that are under the age of 14 is estimated at 15 million. The tedious jobs that children are involved in are particularly disquieting. They include street vendors, beggars, car washers, and shoe shiners. Others work as apprentice mechanics, hairdressers and bus conductors while a large number work as domestic servants and farm hands.

Prof. Ujah represented by the Head, NIMR Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Research Group, Dr. Nkiruka Odunukwe said: “Street children fall within this category. They are found in every city worldwide. They are most neglected, even victimised sometimes by the society which ought to protect and care for them. They lack basic services such as education, health and shelter, which should be their fundamental rights. Unfortunately, these basic needs are taken for granted by various governments and organisations.

“As a research organisation, the onus is on this institute to carry out a nation-wide research to determine the magnitude of street children, the predisposing factors, and suggest informed policy guideline for the three tiers of government as well as philanthropists that would address the menace in a bid to r e duce t h e burden.”

Head of the Research Group, Dr. Oliver Ezechi said many street children have ended up

By Oyeyemi Gbenga-Mustapha

as drug addicts and other crimes. He said the symposium was to educate school children on the dangers of such vices and the need to stay away from crime.

In her lecture entitled “Burden of Street Children”, one of the resource people, Dr. Agatha David said though street children are visible, they are most invisible. “Study conducted in Enugu, Ibadan and Kaduna showed that more female children are more on the streets than male children. In Enugu, about 414 were discovered, 1,959 children were discovered in Kaduna and 1,931 were discovered in Ibadan. “The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) finding indicates that girls start working at an earlier age than boys, particularly in the rural areas. They also suffer the triple burden of housework, school work and work out of home whether paid or unpaid. One of the most common practices is the use of children as child domestic helps, especially girls.”

Continuing, she said: “Major causes of child labour are widespread poverty, rapid urbanisation, breakdown in extended family affiliations, high rates of school dropout and lack of enforcement of legal instruments meant to protect children. “Traditionally, children have worked with their families, but today children are forced to work for their own survival and that of their families. The money earned by child family members has become a significant part of poor families’ income.

“These children suffer from fatigue, irregular attendance at school, lack of comprehension and motivation, improper socialisation, exposure to risk of sexual abuse and high probability of being involved in crimes.”

Administrator, Ayobo Transit Home, Ms Patience Ifejuna shared her experience in rehabilitating street children.

She said: “Most are lost because of lack of funding to pursue the causal factors or in some cases give them good treatment for their impaired health. I will appeal to the government to commit more money into the issue of research and rehabilitation of street children.”

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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SOUTHWEST REPORT

R Bursar in theft mess T HE Bursar of the Osun State College of Educa-

tion (OSSCE) Ila-Orangun, Mr. Akin Latiwo, may be dismissed from office following the recommendation of the Governing Council of the institution.

The Chairman of the Governing Council of the college, Chief Niyi Akande disclosed this to reporters during a facility tour of the 35-year-old-institution.

Chief Akande said the council recommended that the bursar be dismissed on account of several misdemeanours, including alleged incompetency; inefficiency; dishonesty and theft.

“We didn’t send him (Bursar) on suspension. He was recom-

By Adebisi Onanuga

students.

To change the culture of impunity in the college, Chief Akande said he insisted on the dismissal of the daughter of a traditional ruler in the state. It was alleged that the monarch was caught stealing the funds of the college. Chief Akande added that he stopped financial exploitation of the students by lecturers.

Akande, who also expressed discontent over the retarded growth of the college when compared with others that were founded in 1979, attributed it to years of unchecked impunity, indiscipline and corruption.

Akande revealed that the college was now set to partner with private investors, saying the col-

mended for lege has the dismissal bewherewithal to cause only the be self-suffigovernor can cient dismiss an ofThe Provost ficer at that of the college, level.

Dr. Gbadamosi “So, all Basiru, howevthese put toer, told reportgether made ers that the 300it necessary seater e-library for the counof the college cil to make was ready for recommendause. tion to govThe Provost ernment to further disget rid of the closed the reman in the inceipt of 450 lapterest of the tops, out of college, the which 150 were state and distributed to even in his •Akande members of own interest. staff of the “I am sure The council recom- school while the matter is receiving ad- mended that the bursar be the remaining equate atten- dismissed on account of 300 were intion of the several misdemeanours, stalled in the library for stugovernment including alleged incomdents’ use. because I am “We are sure Gover- petency; inefficiency; disnor Aregbe- honesty and theft. We ready for any sola is not the didn’t send him (Bursar) c o m p u t e r based examinatype of governor that will on suspension. He was rec- tion; be it the sweep cor- ommended for dismissal Joint Admisrupt cases un- because only the governor sions and Mader the car- can dismiss an officer at t r i c u l a t i o n Board (JAMB), pet. Not this governor that that level...So, all these put the West AfriI know,” he together made it necessary can ExaminaCouncil said. for the council to make rec- tions (WAEC) or any Akande, ommendation to govern- other examinahowever, clarified that ment to get rid of the man tion for that Not the recom- in the interest of the col- matter. mendation of lege, the state and even in only that, the college has a the govern500KVA power ing council his own interest has nothing to do with the un- generating set aside the one incompleted Amphitheatre con- stalled for the library’s use.

Gbadamosi also said he plans tract over which several millions of Naira had been ex- to introduce entrepreneurship vopended without anything to cational courses for the students so that when they graduate “the stushow for it.

The chairman lamented the dents would not only be armed high level of impunity that per- with their certificates, they would vaded the institution prior to also have acquired skills in one vohis assumption of office, re- cation or the other that would vealing several stories of finan- make them be self-reliant”.

He said all the students would cial mismanagement allegedly involving the bursar. He be encouraged to develop interest pointedly mentioned the spu- in at least one vocation, in addirious insurance welfare scheme tion to the course they offered to allegedly put in place between pursue, adding that a committee 2010 and 2011 for the students was already working to identify who were made to pay N300 various vocation studies that could be undertaken in the school. each as premium.

He said the vocation courses He said the purported insurance company, AIICO, wrote would be introduced once they are the college to deny the exist- approved by the governing counence of any such scheme for the cil and the government.

IDDING Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, of dens of kidnappers is fast manifesting as strength of the current leadership of the state’s police command. The command is ripping through the heart of the many operational hideouts of these men of the underworld and weakening their grip on targeted victims across the state.

Penultimate Tuesday, there was yet fresh discovery of another hideout of men of the underworld, sending signals that more kidnappers may exist in the city than contemplated.

The present hideout was discovered three months after the first one was uncovered at Eleegun village near Ajia village.

According to the Commissioner of Police, Mr Mohammed Katsina, at the first den, police men engaged the hoodlums in a gun duel before they were overpowered. Eight suspects were arrested. Their captive, Chief Adebowale Omotoso, who was kidnapped in Awe, a community near Oyo, was also rescued. Huge sums of money and weapons were recovered from them. The suspects have since been charged to court.

They are Shittu Olaide, Bisi Adetutu, Ajayi Olaniyi, Ayobami Babatunde, Abayomi Oladipupo, Isiaka Kazeem, Femi Alabi and Hazzan Aliyu (who was arrested much later).

The second den is located at a sleepy village of Isase of Ojoku community in Ona-Ara Local Government Area of Oyo State. But unlike the first one, only one suspect was arrested.

Adulterated currencies including Euros, pound sterling and United States (US) dollar as well as charms, statues and cowries were recovered from the hideout. Two Toyota Camry and a Nissan Almera cars were also recovered from the site.

The police boss said the den was discovered through intelligence gathering by his men.

Katsina said: “This place is another basket of criminality and multicriminal den that accommodates all manner of crimes-kidnapping, armrobbery, money doubling and other crimes. Here is a place meant specifically for exploiting members of the public. Their victims cut across the length and breadth of this country, some in Abuja, Lagos, Kogi and other states.

“This result was arrived at by my men after a painstaking investigation. You are aware that an innocent man was kidnapped in Kishi area, although the man was later released, but we never relented and this was the place the man was kept for days.

According to Katsina, the princi-

Kidnappers losing grip of dens in Oyo Kidnapping, one of the contemporary nauseating problems in Nigeria, is believed to be rooted and restricted to some parts of the country. However, BISI OLADELE and TAYO JOHNSON write that the uncovering of two kidnappers’ hideouts in Ibadan within three months raises the concern that many more dens may exist. pal suspect was arrested but the Headmaster is on the run.

“I want him to know that the world is a circle. If he runs around, the arm of the law will surely catch up with him. I want to appeal to members of the public to be watchful of where they go and people they relate with, whether you are a Muslim or a Christian only God can sustain.

“Our war against crime and criminality in this state is yielding positive results and we will surely find more criminals no matter where they are. I have launched Operation Water Icing which is aimed at assisting us to spread our tentacles to accommodate, dominate and smoke out all criminals no matter where they are hiding,” he said.

The suspect, Ismail Adesina, 43, claimed that he was not a kidnapper but a herbalist and a fraudster.

He said he and his other members of the gang who are currently at large, are involved in producing fake currencies. Adesina said he and members of his gang deceived their victims and extorted money from them.

“I am from Beyeruka in Ibadan. I am a herbalist. I treat people suffering from diabetes, blindness, stomach ache and other diseases. I use herbs to cure them, but when there were no patients, I ventured into defrauding unsuspecting people through diabolical methods. We are three that operate here and we have customers all over Nigeria. The names of my accomplices are Tajudeen Orji and Saheed,” he said.

He confessed to have been involved in the criminal activities for four years, disclosing: “We have duped five people and we charged

them between N150, 000 and N300, 000, depending on what they wanted us to do for them.

“Some people do come and say they need a child. Some want promotion in their office. Some may be looking for favour and protection, among others.”

Adegboyega Babatunde, the land vendor from whom the fraudsters bought the land claimed that the suspects bought two acres of land from him about five years ago for N50, 000.

“They claimed that they wanted to buy the land to build a house for traditional medicine until recently that we started seeing some suspicious activities. I will take the land back and refund their money if they want because we do not want evil people in this community,” he said.

Similarly, the Baale of Ojoku community, Chief Moses Adetunji claimed that he suspected the nefarious ýactivities being carried out at the area but was scared of reporting to the security operatives.

As it turned out in the two incidents, the kidnappers are ordinary people that we may meet on the road or may be our next door neighbours.

They form a network of fraudsters, herbalists and informants with accomplices in different towns and communities.

While some specialise in giving insightful information about their preys’ measure of financial ability and their daily itinerary, the real gun-carrying criminals trail the preys until they track them down and kidnap them. Then, another set receive the victims into their hideouts where they are kept for days in an environment specially designed to instil fear in them. As shown in

This place is another basket of criminality and multi-criminal den that accommodates all manner of crimes-kidnapping, arm-robbery, money doubling and other crimes. Here is a place meant specifically for exploiting members of the public. Their victims cut across the length and breadth of this country, some in Abuja, Lagos, Kogi and other states...This result was arrived at by my men after a painstaking investigation. You are aware that an innocent man was kidnapped in Kishi area, although the man was later released the two hideouts, the den was surrounded by shrines as well as items that convey signs of evil spirits to completely terrify the victims.

They keep threatening and terri-

fying the victims to enable them prevail on their relations to surrender to the demand for huge sums of money.

The first den was located near Eleegun village, a community of about 10 houses in the remote part of Ajia village. The entire wide expanse of land around the village has been bought by different people who are building residential houses on it. But while some houses are springing up, some new land owners use their parcel of land for farming of arable crops such as maize and cassava. Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) has opened in the village.

The den is tucked about 500 meters away in a parcel of land. With only two houses surrounded by five shrines, kidnap victims are completely cut off from the people.

“They must have been operating at nights. If victims shout, outsiders can’t hear them,” said a resident in the village who did not want her name in print for fear of intmidation.

She added: “Eleegun is a very old community. We have never had any issue of security. We were so happy to see police do the job. We just saw them pass. It was a huge surprise for us. Police never disturbed us just as the criminals never disturbed us. We have been enjoying our peace since then. Maybe, they do come at night, we don’t know.”

Some source revealed that the community had since decided to hold regular meetings to protect it.

“We shall soon begin to hold meetings in order to protect our community,” she said.

According to her, they were surprised to hear gunshots on that fateful day that the criminals were arrested. But she said they believed

those shooting were hunters “We started shouting, screaming and panicking, but we believed the gunshots were those of hunters. It was about 10:00 a.m.

The police didn’t come to ask us anything. They only came later to interrogate us,” she said.

On a close examination, the terrifying items were mere man-made from wood, sand blocks, cement and other raw materials. They are usually designed for the purpose. But victims can’t even fathom their genuineness under the circumstance in which they are held.

With traces of genuine charms and divination which may include a display of magic before the captives, the latter will surely be held spell-bound and in gripping fear about the supposed paranormal ability of their captors.

From the external appearance, none of the houses convey any suspicion of the internal content.

Passers-by are most unlikely to suspect that such evil is being perpetrated in such houses. This makes it possible for the kidnappers to easily operate in areas that are scantily populated or even in purely elitist communities where population is very scanty and everyone minds his or her own business, never seeing one’s neighbour or caring about what is going on in the nearby house.

•Suspect

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

34

SOUTHWEST REPORT Group condemns imbalance in NDDC appointments From Damisi Ojo, Akure

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OTHERED by an alleged imbalance in the appointment of key officials into the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) among the nine- member states, one of the concerned groups in the riverside communities of Ondo State has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to correct the alleged injustice with regard to appointments.

In a communiqué issued after its meeting in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area and signed by its Coordinator, Nelson Mafo, it lamented that since the inception of NDDC in 2001, all its executive positions have been produced by the five states which include Bayelsa, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Rivers and Delta.

The group said: “The NDDC Act stipulates that Executive positions in the NDDC shall rotate among the oil-producing states of the Niger Delta; beginning from the state with the largest quantum of oil production to the least.

“We appeal to President Buhari to extend the appointment of the Managing Director (MD) or any of the Executive positions in the NDDC to the oilproducing area of Ondo State for the sake of equity, justice and fair play.

“We plead with the present administration to end the provocative discrimination by previous administrations in the appointment of Executive positions in the NDDC. “It is unfair and runs contrary to the NDDC Act which clearly projected the principle of Federal Character in the distribution of full-time positions in The NDDC Act stipulates that Executive positions in the NDDC shall rotate among the oil-producing states of the Niger Delta; beginning from the state with the largest quantum of oil production to the least…We appeal to President Buhari to extend the appointment of the Managing Director (MD) or any of the Executive positions in the NDDC to the oil-producing area of Ondo State for the sake of equity, justice and fair play

the commission.

The communiqué frowned that the NDDC has performed abysmally below average in the 14 years of its existence in spite of huge amount of money at the commission’s disposal.

This, the group attributed to dearth of people with immense administrative experience, integrity and strong character which were unavoidably excluded from appointment to manage NDDC plans and resources for the benefit of the inhabitants of Niger Delta who are daily experiencing agonising environmental

Forum lifts the needy with N2m I

N fulfilment of the annual Zakat, an obligatory charity performed by wealthy Muslims to ameliorate the sufferings of the poor, the Oyo State chapter of the Elders’ Consultative Forum of the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria has empowered over 111 less-privileged Muslims with materials and cash worth over N2, 270, 000. The amount accrued from the annual Zakat it collected from wealthy Muslims.

Beneficiaries included brilliant but indigent students, physicallychallenged persons, widowsý, orphans and others.

The 111 beneficiaries received between N10, 000 and N50, 000, depending on their needs.

Distributing of the gifts to the beneficiaries, the chairman of the forum, Alhaji Lasun Sanusi (SAN) explained that the only way to be a true and adherent of Islam is by observing all the requirements of the five pillars of Islam, urging that Muslims need to be sensitised on these as they don’t take payment of Zakat seriously as they take the other four pillars of Islam.

According to him, the response of the concerned Muslims is low, but assured that the awareness will continue.

“This sitting of today is evidence of gradual response to the issue as we have always been having some-

The only way to be a true and adherent of Islam is by observing all the requirements of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims need to be sensitised on these as they don’t take payment of Zakat seriously as they take the other four pillars of Islam…This sitting of today is evidence of gradual response to the issue as we have always been having something to share to the needy since the programme took off about four years ago From Sikiru Akinola, Ibadan

thing to share to the needy since the programme took off about four years ago,” he said.

Quoting copiously from the Quran, he implored wealthy Muslimsý to pay Zakat for the well-being of Muslims and the society at large.

He informed the gathering that the Jaiz Bank (Islamic Bank) which began with a regional licence is now becoming national.

Speaking on how Zakat can help tackle poverty, Ustaz AbdulRasheed

Ashiru revealed that 54.7 per cent of Nigerians are living in penury. He added that most Nigerians live below a dollar daily as par capital income, disclosing that the Muslims are the worst hit as poverty has ravaged the Muslim-dominated Northern parts of Nigeria.

He said he almost broke down in tears during one of their village dawwah (lecture) under the auspices of Muslim Corpers’ Association of Nigeria (MCAN) while serving in Yobe State. According to him, the villagers urinate inside the same river they fetch water from for domestic use.

Advising Muslims to invest in health care, education and other significant projects in the societies as they available ones belong to non-

Plight of a ‘neglected’ Lagos community •Some of the flooded houses

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ESIDENTS of Zone 1 Community Development Association (CDA) of Estate Phase 3 in Igando/Ikotun Local Council Development Area of Lagos State have appealed to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to rescue them from menacing flood.

The cause of the fearsome flood, according to them, was illegal construction and diversion of erosion from other communities to the estate. They maintained that time and again, rain floods deal a heavy blow on members of the estate. But it is the resultant floods that made the people cry out most, because whatever pours down from the heavens finds no other outlet than the road to the estate. This is so because water erosion from other areas are channelled to this forsaken area Investigation revealed that

another cause of the flood is the blockage of the underground drainage by refuse which prevents free flow of the erosion.

But for what could be perceived as neglect on the parts of local and state governments, the estate would have been a very exciting and bubbly community; far from it. Any wonder members of this forgotten area are gnashing their teeth.

The residents are going through hell as the flood is a huge threat to their lives and properties. They stated that if Lagos State Government fails to respond quickly, the inhabitants may experience an epidemic or may be totally dislodged by the flood.

The affected streets are Odubanjo, Alamu Olaleye, Ovwigboyoma, Kajola, Oluwakemi, Ogunmeru and Otunba Oladokun.

When Southwest Report visited the area, the suffering of the resi-

dents was striking.. Some of the residents were seen draining the flood off their houses with pumping machines, while some have finally relocated their families to other areas.

Most of the houses in the area have been submerged by the flood.

Some appeared weak and dilapidated, even as weeds have taken over some of the houses. If care is not taken, some of the buildings may collapse and may result in the death of innocent people.

In their innocence, some children were seen playing; unaware of the impending risks. Some of them between the ages of three and10 years do not go to school for fear of the flood. It may not be out of place if some residents ardently pray that rain should stop falling, at least, with the estate.

Despite the efforts of the owner of a mortuary in the area to save it from the erosion, the menacing

We are unhappy about the nauseating situation we have found ourselves in. It would be nice if government could even carry out a palliative measure to save the troubled residents...When it rains, the erosion is so heavy so much so that it had once carried away a car parked along the road. flood still pulled down the hospital’s wall. The residents expressed the fear that there might be epidemic because some of the corpses

in the mortuary might be affected by the flood.

A landlord in the area, Mr Obafemi Ogunmeru, said the community has been battling with the situation for over 10 years now; saying the situation got worse last year when the owner of the mortuary single-handedly constructed a thick concrete wall to prevent erosion from destroying his property, even as he re-directed the direction of the flood to another area; an action, he said, is adversely affecting other people currently.

“We are unhappy about the nauseating situation we have found ourselves in. It would be nice if government could even carry out a palliative measure to save the troubled residents.

“When it rains, the erosion is so heavy so much so that it had once carried away a car parked along the road. We have made several representations at Alausa and Ministry

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

35

SOUTHWEST REPORT The abduction of the Regent of Akungba-Akoko in Ondo State has created tension in the university community. DAMISI OJO reports.

Ondo community prays for abducted Regent T •Alhaji Lateef Oyelade presenting the gift to one of the beneficiaries.

Muslims, he said “not only that we are poor, the rich among us forget to empower the needy.”

While presenting the items to one of the beneficiaries, the Asiwaju Musulumi of Oyo State, Alhaji Lateef Oyelade urged wealthy Muslims to take the payment of Zakat very seriously.

The chairman of Oyo State Muslims’ Community, Alhaji Kunle Sanni revealed that there are rich Muslims just as there are poor ones. He said there should be concerted efforts towards empowering the less-privileged people in the society.

One of the beneficiaries, Sulaiman Akogun, who uses crutches, thanked the foundation for the gesture. He said he never knew he

would be considered by the society.

A student in one of the nation’s higher institutions who didn’t want her name in print also received the sum of N50, 000. With the token, she said, the hope of continuing her education up to the Higher National Diploma (HND) level has been rekindled.

Present at the event which took place at Ansar-Deen Mosque, OkeAdo, were Dr. Abdulbashar Elesinmeta, Hon. Shakirullah Fajinmi, representatives of the Federation of Muslims Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), National Council of Muslim Youth Organisation (NACOMYO) and other Muslim groups.

of the Environment among other authorities, yet we have been neglected as if we are not part of the system.

“Anybody that comes to this area will cry for us. How can we be living in slum? Some houses have been swept away and some others erosion has laid bare their foundations.

According to Ogunmeru, several letters have been written to Lagos State Secretariat and Alimosho Local Government Area concerning the issue. Till today nothing has been done.

“We have written series of letters to both the local and state governments concerning the horrid nature of the estate. Since we began writing to the authorities concerned the issue, no help has come our way. It seems we are not part of humanity.

“It also seems our offence is our being part of Lagos State. We are looking forward to the time when

another state will be moved by our pitiable situation and come to negotiate with the Lagos State government to adopt our community,” he said sarcastically.”

Another landlord, Chief Michael Offe said he has become frustrated as the Lagos State Government failed to address the problem over the years.

He said every resident of the estate is frustrated so much so that they have agreed not to pay for land use again if the government continues to neglect them.

Chief Offe appealed to Governor Ambode to visit the area in order to appreciate their pains and agony.

He also urged the governor to direct the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) to stop the burning of tyres in the area and to asphalt the road leading to the dump site to avoid their unending inhalation of dust.

HE bubbling university community of Akungthe meeting with the Omosowon’s family. ba-Akoko in Akoko South West Local GovernThe State Police Command has stressed that it ment of Ondo State has, in the past few days, was not advisable for the Regent’s family to pay remained in the news. This was occasioned by the the N20 million ransom demanded by the kidnapkidnap of the Regent of the town, Princess Oluwapers. toyin Omosowon.

It assured that the woman would soon be reSince the incident occurred along Owo-Oseleased through relentless efforts of the police.

Ikare-Akoko Road, the Princess’ whereabouts is yet A source in the town stated a meeting will be to be known by her kinsmen, despite frantic efheld in Lagos where the Regent was residing forts by security agents to secure her rewith members of her family before she lease. was installed a Regent about two The development has, no years ago, following the death of doubt, affected the peace in the Regent’s father, Oba Adethe town, as several spiritukanye Omosowon, who was al and traditional means the traditional ruler of the have been deployed to town. ensure the release of the Princess Omosowon, Regent alive from her a 45-year-old woman captors. and a successful LaAs at press time, gos-based business there has not been tycoon before she any inkling on was called upon to how to secure her be made a Regent release, as her by the kingmakers whereabouts reof Akungba-Akoko mains unknown to in line with the traher people. dition and norm of The communithe town, was inty has been emstalled the Regent broiled in tension of Akungba-Akoko and anxiety as a rein 2013, and her insult of the developstallation followed ment. All social and due process and tradicommercial activities tions. in the ancient town The Regent was ab•Omosowon have since been paralyducted while returning sed. from the Federal UniversiThe atmosphere in the ty of Technology Akure town is unpleasant and sever(FUTA) where she had gone al meetings were held on daily with some of her aides to attend a basis to discuss how to ensure the public function. She was kidnapped release of the regent. Traditional Chiefs by unknown gunmen along Akure/ in the town, who met on daily basis since the Akungba-Akoko Expressway the same spot abduction of their regent, have also turned the palwhere a Catholic Priest, Rev Father Onyeka and ace to a ghost of itself. They prevent traditional achis brother; Obi were killed recently by armed bantivities from holding at the palace. dits.

As a result of the ugly development, the commuAlso abducted alongside Princess Omosowon, nity has declared a seven-day fasting and prayer to were a senior official of the Adekunle Ajasin Unibe observed by all Christians and Muslims in the versity, Akungba-Akoko and one other aide of the town, while special inter-denominational prayers regent, while her driver narrowly escaped after he will also be held daily for the release of the regent. had been mercilessly beaten by the abductors.

Besides, traditionalists in the town were said to The development has also led to the closure of have commenced rituals to appease the gods and the Adekunle Ajasin University (AAU) located in seek their wrath on her captors. The rituals, accordthe community. This, according to the manageing to findings, are done at night while special ment of the university, was to avoid breakdown prayers are held during the day. of law and order by students.

According to a community leader in the town, It was learnt that the regent had, in April, durwho is also the Seriki of Akoko land, Chief Ade ing a religious programme in the town announced Awesu, the fasting and prayers, which had begun her resolve to install a new traditional ruler for are to be observed by all the youth and adults, saythe town, and therefore directed the kingmakers ing “we believe in the efficacy of prayers and we and High Chiefs in the town to commence the are sure that, with the prayers and fasting, our Research for a new traditional ruler to take over from gent will be released.” her.

Also, the Chief Imam of Akungba-Akoko, AlThis development, it was gathered, arouse the haji Shittu Arikewuyo, who spoke on behalf of the interest of some individuals in the ruling houses Muslims, appealed to security agents to assist in the in the town who are interested in the throne. The release of Princess Omosowon, just as he called on action, it was also gathered, was praised by all inall indigenes of the town to be committed to the digenes of the town both at home and in the Difasting and prayers declared by the religious leadasporas. ers.

The recent abduction of the Regent has, howevVenerable Olu Akerele of the Anglican Communer, opened the town to heavy security presence, as ion said Christians in the town would continue to police detectives have commenced the search for pray until the regent is released. the Regent.

His words: “We have faith as Christians. We beThe search team was led by the Ondo State Comlieve there is nothing impossible for our God to do. missioner of Police, Mr Isaac Eke who assured that So, we are sure that the Regent and others abducted the abducted Regent would be released with the with her will be released before the end of the sevefforts of the security agents already deployed to en-day fasting and prayer.” the town.

Already, the abductors of Princess Omosowon The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of have demanded a ransom of N20 million, but the the State Police Command, Mr Wole Ogodo said community was reluctant to pay the ransom as the Mr. Eke had led senior police detectives to Akungleaders believe the ransom was too high, and expect ba -Akoko to ensure the release of the regent and that the current fasting and prayers embarked upon her two aides, reiterating the police commitment will expedite the release of the Regent. to the timely and safe release of the Regent.

Although it was learnt that the community leadHe assured that the police would ensure release ers, including traditional chiefs will meet with the of those kidnapped, adding that the command family of the Regent to discuss issues concerning swung into action immediately the incident was the Regent’s abduction, it was not certain whether reported to it. He thereby appealed to the people to or not the community would pay the ransom after remain calm and peaceful.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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SOUTHWEST REPORT

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ATER projects in Nigeria have recorded low achievement going by the current pilot study of water infrastructure in the country, which is due to non-professional heading the water ministry in the country, therefore there is a need for President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint a professional as the Minister of Water Resources.

Those were the words of the National President of Association of Water Well Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners, (AWDROP), Mr Michael Ale while having a chat with journalist in Ibadan, Oyo State capital entitled” The Nigeria We want” According to him, in the history of the Ministry of Water Resources, no president has ever appointed a professional to head the ministry and this has brought retroggression ?to the ministry.

In order to address the varing challenges confronting the water sector, Ale urged President Buhari to appoint a water expert or geologist as a minister of water resources.

The AWDROP national president further warned the president against merging the Ministry of Water Resources with any other ministry, as he has been planning to reduce the ministries to 19.

“We heard that President Buhari is intending to downsize the Ministries to 19, we are not against downsizing but Ministry of Water Resources should be independent and shout not be attached with any ministry. If attached to any other ministry it will bring about degeneration in the water sector.

“Water has been giving little

Appoint credible Nigerians, groups urges Buhari •From left: The National Secretary of AWDROP, Yomi Adeyemi, and President of the association, Mr Michael Ale, while briefing journalist

they have also commonised our profession. They are not professionals but are merely a welder when they came into this country. As a result of their presence, many of our members are out of job.

“But people are patronising them because they are cheaper without knowing the danger associated with the borehole they are drilling for them. We are looking at an integrated approach to solve water challenges in the country but we cannot do it alone without the support of the government” Ale noted He said that government needs

to formulate a law to regulate the management of water issues, adding that there has been a bill to that effect but the lawmakers has been putting it under the carpet without passing it into law.

“Each States can have its own water drilling regulation laws without waiting for the federal government.

Its the responsibility of the state assembly lawmakers and the governor to ensure this. If this is done, economic activities will improve in such state, there will be improved internal generated revenue, jobs will be created and it will santify the en-

vironment for healthy living” Ale said The AWDROP boss further appealed to the government to assist it’s members financially by subsidising drilling equipment for them, noting that this will in turn reduce the cost of borehole drilling for the public.

Ale said: “We are also government stakeholders because if we stop borehole drilling, it will put government at a great task to provide water for its citizens, but all we are appealing for is the regulation of this sector.”

The general elections have come and come, but pockets of violence and disagreements over results of the polls have continued to trail the outcome of the election in some states. To prevent ýthis trend, especially in Oyo State, a nongovernmental organisation (NGO) has organised a stakeholders’ meeting to address the development. SIKIRU AKINOLA reports.

Youths upgrade secretariat

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

or no priority by past administration but that must stop now for the sector to be productive.” he said On the challenges confronting their profession, Ale stated that? about two years ago, precisely 2013, the uncontrolled, unabated invasion of many of the Asian drillers numbering up to 300 Indian rigs into the country has not only sent it’s members out of job, but has caused environmental hazard for the public.

“Illegal drilling by Asian invaders is really killing our business and

Post-election violence dominates stakeholders’ summit

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HENEVER elections are conducted in the country, there are disagreements and pockets of violence over the outcome of the polls. Most times, this propensity, according to political pundits, is well conspicuous in the Southwest part of the country, with Oyo State as one of the most bothersome areas. It is never without casualties.

As a precautionary measure in subsequent elections, the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) ýhas urged all stakeholders to join hands in ensuring sustainable violence mitigation.

While welcoming participants to the meeting, the Executive Director of WARDC, Dr. Abiola AkiyodeAfolabi said the summit became imperative judged by the historical antecedents of the state, adding that “reactions from opposition still trail the 2015 general elections, leading to court cases by the opposition which are challenging the results of the elections.”

Noting that the governorship election in Oyo State was tough not only because the candidates had pedigrees, but because “three of them had been at the Agodi Government House as governors. So, there were lots of expectations as we were not sure of who was ýgoing to win. It was very glaring that it was not going to be an easy win.

While thanking the contestants for cautioning their supporters in order to avert violence, she advised government at all levels to address the problem of poverty and unemployment in order to reduce the spate of violence before and after elections.

Dr. Olusola Ishola of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan who delivered a lecture

on “Issues and Challenges of Peaceful Co-existence in Oyo State” said the state has always been turbulent as politicians who carry over bitter politics and unhealthy rivalries of First and Second Republics are still present in the state.

According to him, the involvement of the members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in politics often make Oyo politics highly volatile and violent, adding that there was the need for reconciliation among the various communities.

He noted that history of political compromises among the security agents is worrisome, citing the examples of political killings at Oke-Ado, Odinjo and other areas during the electioneering process.

“There were unguarded utterancesý among politicians while many media houses also compromised ethics. They were divided along political lines.

Mudslinging, name-calling, hate speech were common during political campaigns. There was a deep political disunity among the people,” he said.

He revealed that there was deepseated political antagonism among the dominant political parties, calling for reconciliation among the various communities in the state.

“No government can succeed without people’s support. Government needs to make itself available to the people. Our leaders must address the cases of unemployment, poor infrastructure, inadequate workers’ salary and epileptic power supply. Our education and judicial systems must be strengthened to address injustice and inequalities,” he said.

He urged people to expose criminals within their communities, saying that “apart from that, they should be counselled against evil doing. You recall that former Governor Rashidi Ladoja was impeached by a motor-park tout.”

Contributing, the Baale of Ikolaba, Chief Safiu Amoo commended the people for shunning violence during the last election. “ P e o p l e shouldn’t take laws into their own hands.

Anybody that is not satisfied with the outcomes of the election should approach the law court and they should wait till judgment is delivered. With the emergence of a new government, I pray God to let us witness the needed change,” he said.

Mrs. Brenda Bepeh of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) said her organisation was committed to peaceful polls, saying that “after the elections, we did an analysis of the states that needed intervention and we discovered that

There were unguarded utterances among politicians while many media houses also compromised ethics. They were divided along political lines. Mudslinging, name-calling, hate speech were common during political campaigns…

No government can succeed without the people’s support.

Oyo, Ogun and Lagos states are still not peaceful. We should all join our voices in our community and pass on the message in our different network so that we can move violence out of the South West and Oyo State, especially.

Participants also spoke about their perception of the summit.

Mrs. Omidiji commended her colleagues for the successful monitoring of the elections, noting that everybody must embrace peace from their respective homes till it gets to every part of the country.

Mrs. Balijis Apanpa urged the broadcast media to help in sensitising the people about the consequence of post-election violence, adding that she doesn’t have anything against those who are not satisfied with election results and have gone to court for redress.

For Abdulhamid Olawale of the Centre for Disaster and Crisis Reduction, first-class traditional rulers such as the Alaafin of Oyo, Olubadan of Ibadanland and others should call the two major gladiators in the state to order.

“They should tell them the importance of peace. Also, market leaders should desist from joining partisan politics in order not to cause rifts among members of the market association,” he said.

For maintaining peace before and after the election, Ishola Ibrahim thanked Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, even as he disagreed that no amount of peace talk by traditional rulers can settle the rift between the two major gladiators except God. “Traditional rulers should be banned from politics. If there were to be three Orubebes during elections, the rest would have been history.

At the event were the representatives of the police, traders, community and religious leaders.

By Adegunle Olugbamila

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HE youth in the Ado Odo Ado/Odo Ota Local Government, have expressed their willingness to host the headquarters of the proposed Ado-Igbesa Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) if plans by the Ogun State government falls through. To this end, the large compound that once housed the secretariat of the defunct Ado/Igbesa Local Government, is currently being cleared and given a facelift.

The youths’ action followed the decision by the Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun, to conduct establish more LCDAs with the splitting of Ado Odo/Ota local government into three one of which would be Ado Igbesa LCDA. “We youths are happy with the decision of the government,” said a statement by the Ado Odo Development Foundation (ADF).

“This is why we all come out to clear the council secretariat voluntarily, paint the façade and the fence as a sign of our readiness to host the LCDA headquarters again.”

A statement signed by ADF pioneer member Comrade Saeed Alagbe and secretary Wale Hassan, stated that youths are merely saying that the status quo should remain since Ado Odo Igbesa Local Government which once existed before it was proscribed by the military in 1984, had its headquarters at Ado-Odo. According to the duo, Ado Odo/Igbesa/Ipokia federal constituency also used to have its headquarters at Ado-odo from pre-colonial period till 1988.

In 2003, the government of Olusegun Osoba created the Ado Odo Local Government which was rejected by federal government and later returned to the present Ado Odo/Ota Local Government when former governor Gbenga Daniel came on board.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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THE NATION INVESTORS

Mergers & acquisitions: We ‘re in business to grow, says Stanbic IBTC S TANBIC IBTC Bank, Nigeria's largest wholesale banker, may not have immediate need for mergers or acquisitions but it will not ignore viable opportunities to support its growing business.

Chief executive officer, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr. Yinka Sanni, who gave this indication in a media chat, said the immediate concern of the management of the bank, which is aggressively rolling out to deepen its emerging retail and commercial lending business, is to continue to grow its existing business.

He however noted that the bank might consider opportunities for mergers and acquisitions if they occur in the course of its business and fit into the growth outlook of the bank.

"I couldn't confirm that, we are in the business to grow, we look for opportunities. Our core focus is to continue to grow our existing business," Sanni said when asked about a report about future mergers and acquisitions in the banking industry.

Exotix Partners LLP, a global finance and investment firm with offices in major global financial centres and significant imprints in Africa, in a recent report said a certain bank could be a target for acquisition or merger, echoing similar belief by many analysts that there could still be further consolidation in the Nigerian banking industry. Exotix Partners coordinates its global operations through five major offices in London, New York, Lagos, Dubai and Nairobi.

Sanni said Stanbic IBTC would continue to play its leading role in Nigerian corporate finance industry noting that the bank would con-

Stories by Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

tinue to make its services available to financial and non-financial institutions seeking to raise funds, acquire or combine their businesses.

There were two main acquisitions in the banking industry in 2014. Skye Bank Plc acquired the entire issued shares of Mainstreet Bank Limited from Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) for total consideration of N120 billion, the second largest mergers and acquisitions transaction during the year.

Also, HBCL Investment Services Limited acquired 100 per cent equity stake in Enterprise Bank Limited from Restructuring Company Limited and Eligible Securities Limited.

The Nation recently reported that there were 24 mergers and acquisitions in Nigeria in 2014, citing official data obtained from Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The mergers and acquisitions industry continued to be driven largely by the continuing divestments by banks from noncore financial services.

Mergers and acquisitions within the period were highlighted by major transactions such as the business combination between Nigerian Breweries and Consolidated Breweries, the acquisition of Mainstreet Bank Limited by Skye Bank Plc and acquisition of ConocoPhillips Nigeria's business

by Oando Energy Resources, a subsidiary of Oando Plc.

The biggest transaction was the acquisition of Nigerian businesses of ConocoPhillips (COP) by Oando in a transaction valued at $1.55 billion. In December 2012, Oando, through its subsidiary Oando Energy Resources (OER), had entered into an agreement with COP to acquire COP's Nigerian businesses for a total cash consideration of US$1.55 billion. The payment and government sign-off of the deal was concluded in 2014.

The report underlined the ongoing divestments by banks as major drivers for mergers and acquisitions with nearly half of the transactions directly and indirectly related to the change in banking regulatory framework. Most banks are divesting from non-core financial services as stipulated by the Scope of Banking Activities and Ancillary Matters No 3, 2010, which requires banks to fully concentrate on core banking functions.

Veritas Registrars Limited acquired 658.3 million ordinary shares, about 45.4 per cent equity stake, in Zenith General Insurance Limited from Zenith Bank Plc. Stacap Limited acquired 100 per cent equity stake in Union Capital Markets Limited, a subsidiary of Union Bank of Nigeria Plc. Also, Greenoaks Global Holdings acquired 6.97 billion ordinary shares or 92.75 per cent equity stake in Union Assurance Company Plc from Union Bank of Nigeria Plc and its subsidiaries, including Union Homes, UBN Properties, Union Trustees and William Street Trustees.

Quad Capital Limited acquired FinBank Securities and Asset Management Limited, Oriental Capital Asset Management Limited acquired 100 per cent equity stake in FINBANK Insurance Brokers Limited, Capital Alliance Private Equity III Limited acquired 3.17 billion ordinary shares or 96.11 per cent equity stake in FIN Insurance while Capital Limited acquired 2.50 billion ordinary shares in FinBank Capital Limited.

Other transactions related to the banks' divestments included Kaizen Partners Nigeria's acquisition of the entire issued shares of Diamond Capital and Financial Markets Limited and Diamond Securities Limited, acquisition of 50 million or 100 per cent equity stake of Citadel Registrars by Union Registrars Limited and acquisition of 54 per cent equity interest in Kakawa Discount by FBN Capital Limited and simultaneous redistribution of 20 per cent interest to FBN Holdings Limited.

Other acquisitions during the year included acquisition of 334.62 million ordinary shares or 94.7 per cent equity stake in Independent

Investment One to manage FG's Innovative Distribution Fund

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HE Federal Government has appointed Investment One Financial Services Limited as the consultant for the Innovative Distribution Fund (IDF) under the government's Project ACT Nollywood.

From Left: Director, Prof. Olumide Olusanya; Acting Managing Director, Mr. Olatunji Anjorin; Chairman, Mr. Mohammed Yinusa; and Company secretary, Mr. Lekan Sanni, all of Vono Products Plc during the company's annual general meeting in Lagos

Red Star Express to declare dividend next week

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IRECTORS of Red Star Express Plc are scheduled to meet next week to consider the audited annual report of the courier and logistics company for the year ended March 31, 2015.

The meeting will also deliberate on possible dividend payment to be recommended to shareholders. The directors are scheduled to meet on Thursday, June 25 at the company’s office in Lagos.

Red Star Express distributed N206 million as cash dividend in 2014, with shareholders receiving 35 kobo on every share. It has

maintained a progressive dividend pattern in recent years in spite of tight bottom-line. The company increased cash dividends slightly from N176.85 million in 2012 to N188.64 million in 2013. Dividend per share thus improved from 30 kobo in 2012 to 32 kobo in 2013.

Key extracts of the unaudited report and accounts for the third quarter ended December 31, 2014 showed appreciable growth in turnover but the bottom-line remained under pressure. Turnover rose to N5.0 billion in 2014 as

against N4.77 billion recorded in comparable period of 2013. Profit before tax inched up from N441.03 million to N441.56 million. Profit after tax rose slightly from N308.72 million to N309.09 million. Earnings per share stood at 52 kobo.

Red Star Express’ share price rose by 3.14 per cent to N5.25 per share on Monday as investors anticipated above average dividend yield. At the opening price of N5.25 on Tuesday, Red Star carries a probable dividend yield of about 6.7 per cent based on the

Securities Limited by Butterpot Capital Limited, the acquisition of 25 million ordinary shares of N10 and 29 million preference shares of N10 in SIM Capital Alliance Limited by ACA Holdings Limited from Sanlam Investments Holdings Limited, and acquisition of 60 per cent equity stake in Penman Pension Limited by Mansard Insurance Plc. In major non-finance transactions, Dangote industries Limited acquired 99 per cent equity stake in Dangote Agrosacks Limited from Dangote Flour Mills, Consol Glass Proprietary acquired 51 per cent equity stake in Glassforce Limited, Microsoft Mobile OY acquired 99.998 per cent equity stake in Nokia West Africa and acquisition of 160 million ordinary shares in CUMMINS West Africa Limited

by CMI Africa Holdings B.V from Leventis Power Systems Limited.

The three mergers during the period included the business consolidation between Nigerian Breweries and Consolidated Breweries, the merger between Afriland properties Plc and Heirs real Estate Limited and the combination between Planet Capital limited Emerging and Strategy and Arbitrage Limited.

previous year’s dividend payout.

Red Star Express was incorporated as a private limited liability company in 1992. It became a public limited liability company and was quoted in 2007. Wholly owned by Nigerian institutional and individual investors, the major core investor in Red Star Express is Dr. Mohammed Koguna.

Koguna, through direct and indirect holdings, holds 33.25 per cent equity stake. Red Star Express has some 4,361 shareholders with 589.5 million ordinary shares of 50 kobo each.

Project ACT-Nollywood is an initiative of the Federal Government, led by the Ministry of Finance in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The project's objective is to encourage the sustained growth of Nigeria's movie industry to realize its potential as a significant creator of employment and contributor to national GDP. Head, Capital Management, Investment One Financial Services Limited, Ademola Aofolaju, said the appointment further confirmed the position of Investment One as a leading financial services firm noting that the Investment One was selected as the best from a list of 40 technical proposals submitted in consideration for the contract.

He said Investment One will act as consultant to the IDF for 12 months, coordinating activities of all other parties to the fund and driving the due diligence, structuring, disbursement and post-disbursement monitoring of the fund.

"Investment One will also ensure that the funds are channelled to companies and projects that most appropriately address the distribution challenges faced by the film industry," Aofolaju said.

He pointed out that the Project ACT Nollywood aims to alleviate the obstacles to the sector's growth and promote key components along the movie value chain through the provision of grant funding to support existing or aspiring practitioners within the industry, including in the Diaspora.

Project ACT Nollywood is made up of three funds-capacity building fund; film production fund and innovative distribution fund, with mandates to build capacity of individuals and institutions, to support viable production projects and to back financially viable and sustainable solutions in content distribution.

Aofolaju noted that content distribution remains a key area of concern for entertainment practitioners and investors because they can only recoup invested funds when the distribution channels of creative works-movies, short films and documentaries among others, are properly structured to deliver results.

9

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

38

SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Essiet_daniel@yahoo.com 08180714151

Dr. Uzo Anozie, an academic in Bournemouth University,United Kingdom, doesn’t only encourage students to become entrepreneurs, but to also figure out what they are passionate about, what they can to achieve success with their lives. She spoke with Blessing Olisa of the Online desk.

‘Why we are training entrepreneurs’ H OW many entrepreneurs have you mentored so far?

I have trained students who own businesses and those who have the ambition to start something on their own.

I mentor them and look at what they are doing.I advise them, follow up to see how they developing their ideas.

Outside the university , I have one or two small business owners that I mentor just like those on campus.

We meet frequently to discuss their business models, suggest what they can do to reinvent the business if need be, grow it ,identify what they might be doing wrong, commend what they might be doing right. I am always offering tips on what they can do to improve the performance of their businesses. There is one in London, who is into into IT, hardware and software business.

Though the business has grown, I have suggested diversification. At the moment, he's looking to get involved in satellite installation and maintenance.

The computer aspect of his business, is getting saturated with many people running into it. It is becoming very challenging even for those who are competent in it. He needs to add something to what he is doing and go that extra step forward.

At the moment he's thinking about satellite installations. He is also planning to go into the phone business as well. So these are the types of entrepreneurs that I'm involved with. As a mentor, I keep up with the progress of such businesses.

How would you access the entrepreneurial landscape in Nigeria having been in the United Kingdom?

There are things that don't need comparing. I don't really know the basis of comparison when it comes to issues of different environment. I am proudly Nigerian but sorry to say, nothing actually works. Nothing actually works it's quite a difficult one so if I can start with in the very first place, government policies, government regulations, government plans for entrepreneurship in Nigeria are supposed to be the same thing elsewhere in the developed countries or in UK, you see the difference. Here it's like government policies and plans are on paper. It doesn't get implemented, it's just

•charcoal

something that is written, people hear about it but nothing happens.

At a point, I think there was a time government partnered with banks to fund small businesses, certain percentage must go to the small businesses but that was just on paper, I don't think that has been implemented.

While in the UK, whatever policy it is, is followed up with implementation. You can't just have a desire to help without actually helping, it doesn't make sense. So the basic difference first of all is the type of policies that are put in place in these two different places and is it implemented at the end of the day? Secondly, we look at the environment we are in. I think by now you must have heard so much about inadequate infrastructure but it cannot be overemphasised. Without infrastructure, entrepreneurship cannot survive, businesses cannot work. There are some basic things that are not existing in this country while in the UK it is being taken for granted that there is electricity, that you open your tap and there is water running. It's being taken for granted that someone comes to take out your bin as a business person and you don't have your bin all over the compound. Our environment is not conducive for entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs have to go the extra mile, they have to suffer in order to sustain their business, not to talk of developing or improving the business further. While in the UK there are basic things that are already on ground and it is left for the entrepreneur to work with those things, those other resources and things that are available for them to progress. Let's leave entrepreneurship aside, as individuals, like I said I'm proudly Nigerian but I live in the UK. I wake up in the morning and I'm not thinking about the basic necessities of life, I'm thinking about my work. So my brain and energy is reserved to think about my work. And if I have got such resources to think about my work, I'll be more productive than the person that wakes up in the morning and there is no light to get ready for work, so they are thinking about how to get electricity to iron clothes or see where they are going. There is no water so they are thinking about where

to buy water from. So even when you wake up, you have exhausted your energy thinking about the basic necessities of life. So you have nothing left to input into your work, so the work suffers. That is how it is for business. If the entrepreneur starts thinking about the unnecessary basics, there is nothing left to input in the business. There is nothing left to motivate the person to really make sure that their business thrives or is sustained. These are two landscapes that shouldn't really be compared.

We should compare like for like. For me, there is just no need comparing Nigeria and UK. What business opportunities would you recommend for young school leavers considering the current unemployment situation Nigeria faces?

It is so unfortunate that in Nigeria today, the school leaver has the responsibility of creating jobs for themselves. It is someone else's responsibility to do that, not the young school leavers. So like every other thing, when you are in school and you're thinking about how to create a job for yourself when you leave because there is the uncertainty of unemployment when they leave school. So you find out that there is a high rate of unemployment in Nigeria. Everyone has become an entrepreneur in Nigeria. For the young school leaver as well, this causes a problem because they are thinking of what exactly to do when they leave school.

There is that dilemma of "should I go with my passion?" "Is my degree worth anything in the business world?" "Should I learn a new skill even though I've got my accountancy degree?" "Should I do what every other person is doing because it has been tested and trusted?" There is that dilemma facing them, but having said that, Nigeria is full of opportunities. Anything we complain about in this country is an opportunity for someone to start a business on. We've got one million and one complaints in Nigeria, that is an opportunity for a young school leaver to start and do something with. So I wouldn't say there is a laid down set of opportunities for them. People are different in their capabilities, people are different in the resources they have, some might need financial help, some don't have that problem, people are different in their skill and their knowledge, so there is no one size fits all answer to the question. I think the main thing when it comes to opportunities would be that a young school leaver should try to make themselves different from what is available, no matter what path they choose. Even if you are trying to develop a new product, even if you're going with the crowd and trying to do something that is already existing, try to be different because it is so competitive, and in Nigeria, things get picked up so easily. You see someone that starts bead making and in six months time, everyone is into bead making. You see someone that goes to Turkey to start buying and selling and in the next six months, Nigerians are all going to Turkey. The only way a young person can manage in this environment is to be different from the crowd, be innovative, be creative, be proactive. Don't just be complacent. There was a time we never had sachet water in Nigeria, but now, every nook and cranny produces sachet water. For a young school leaver that may think he is tested and trusted for people to drink water, would add a straw to that sachet of water get him that one per cent increase in the customer base. Being different doesn't mean doing something out of the blues, perhaps going to the moon and coming back, it is just that little addition and that little difference you could make. It could just be your customer service. We are too impatient and "aggressive" in Nigeria. That little pre-customer service and post sales service could draw you that customer base you need. To be different irrespective of what opportunity or what idea you might have is key. Many opportunities exist for young entrepreneurs, but whatever opportunity they decide to go into, they should try and be different because that is the only way they can survive in such a competitive environment and be able to take their business to the next level.

How would you advise a young school leaver with N100,000 to go about entrepreneurship?

People have different capabilities. Whatever you have a passion for, your N100,000 wouldn't be able to get you that. If you have a passion for medical services because you have seen the state of the hospital in Nigeria and want to add your bit to the health sector, your N100,000 may not be able to get the sort of equipment you need to start that business. That is your passion, but you don't have the resources to fulfill it. Again you might have the resources, but not the knowledge. So it's a combination of mix and match. Entrepreneurship is not one sided, you have to think about loads of different things. Now as an entrepreneur, the thing is never giving up. Entrepreneurs work with very limited resources and whatever they can lay their hands on. They can start small, but the essence of being an entrepreneur is to be able to go the next step and be able to develop that business. So it is possible that the N100,000 might not fetch you what you are passion wants, but can you start from somewhere with your N100,000?

That is the question. It is not necessarily having that big business, you can start from somewhere. Start first, then grow the business to where you want it to get to.

What kind of small businesses do you think would thrive in Nigeria?

Any small business that does not require

•Dr Anozie

electricity. (Laughter). But seriously, there are so many factors that will limit the survival of small businesses in Nigeria. Although I keep saying Nigeria, entrepreneurship anywhere in the world is difficult, but you find out that their environment is not as harsh and unfriendly as ours. There are so many factors that limit small businesses thriving in Nigeria, but if I can at this point make this difference, a small business is different from an entrepreneur. A small business owner is someone that just has a small business and is content with the way it is run. The entrepreneur has got their own business but are never content with where they are, they are always willing to move forward, have targets and goals to achieve, always looking for how to differentiate themselves from all that is happening around, as opposed to a small business owner who thinks "I have a business, I can sustain my family, fair enough". In the next 10 years, that shop is still as it is, exactly the same thing and the same products, nothing new. The entrepreneur, given the same business and in three years time has gotten another branch somewhere, they are online, they are thinking about "I started with this business model, what do I add to this business model?" That is the difference. Businesses that will thrive in Nigeria are businesses where the owner is neither complacent nor content with where they are, because if you are, competitors will come and take away market share and customer base from you and you are trying to find your feet.

So those businesses that aware of competition are those that would thrive in Nigeria. So I'm not going to pick out any sort of business and say the restaurant business or health business or fashion business will thrive, it all depends on the person who is in charge of that business. That would determine if the business will thrive.

Do you think that there are prospects for the growth of entrepreneurship in Nigeria?

Yes, but under one condition, the government has to come in now and do something.

Individual entrepreneurs in Nigeria are diehard, they struggle to the best of their capabilities and abilities but the environment is not conducive, they've tried to make the environment conducive by themselves but that impacts on the cost of doing business, that impacts on their profit so someone needs to come in, someone needs to step in and help.

Now think about a business that generates its own electricity. You know and generating electricity, we are talking about you using generators as your main source of power supply, not as a backup, as your main source of power supply. Now you need to maintain that generator with fuel and you know what the situation of fuel is in this country so that taps into their profit, that source away all their profit. Think about a business that has to provide its own water and you're talking about buying water or digging boreholes which you need to have using electricity, think about there are no good roads to actually transport your goods to wherever or distribute them to your consumers or to your retailers, you know. I'm saying think about these challenges, even though they are real, they are better imagined than really experiencing them because at the end of the day, they leave the entrepreneur with nothing. So the entrepreneur as individuals do their best but it's so difficult for them. The only way entrepreneurship can thrive in this country is for the government to step in, take the baton and continue the race, yea, so they need to really come in.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

39

BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL

Why businesses fail in Africa, byElumelu N

IGERIA has lost businesses worth billions of dollars to board room squabbles, financial malpractices and other corporate governance issues in the past two decades, the Chairman, Heirs Holdings Limited, Tony Elumelu has said.

He spoke at the Institute of Directors (IoD) Fourth Presidential Biennial Conference with the theme: ‘’Building a global conglomerate on corporate governance issues: Challenges and benefits in a developing economy’’.

He said businesses established

By Akinola Ajibade

and funded by Nigerians have gone down the drain because their owners failed to introduce and implement sound corporate governance frameworks.

He said this has resulted in the death of many companies, as well as loss of huge capital funds.

He said General Electric(GE) was able to grow its market capitalisation to $234billion in May this year because it put sound corporate governance policies in place, adding that only few businesses in Nigeria outlived their

owners.

He explained that family businesses die with their owners because there was no good succession plans in place.

He said: “In Nigeria and Africa in particular, we have not been able to grow our businesses to outlive us unlike what happened to General Electric, a United States - bases power conglomerate. There was nothing like succession programmes, zero tolerance for contraventions, compliance to capital market rules, integrity of the directors and other issues.’’

Elumelu said Transcorp would have long been dead, if not for its management that fashioned out policies to put the company on track.

“When Heirs Nigeria Limited took over Transcorp Hilton, we discovered unsecured shares of between 3 and 3.5 millions. This aside the 99 cases the company was battling with.

“To reposition the company, we made a resolution that we want to run the company in a different way. Zero tolerance policy was

Gin manufacturers fault ban on product

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•From left: Executive Chairman, Vegefresh Group, Prince Samuel Joseph Samuel, Onimeko of Imeko Land, Ogun State, Oba Benjamin Alabi Oyeditan Olanite and the Executive Chairman, Hammersmith Project Solutions Limited, Otunba Dele Ajayi-Smith, during a visit by the Monarch to Vegefresh Group Corporate Headquarters, Lagos

Manufacturing, mining drag U.S. industrial production

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NITED States industrial production unexpectedly fell in May, likely as a strong dollar and energy spending cuts continued to weigh on manufacturing and mining output, bucking signs of an acceleration in the broader economy.

Industrial output fell 0.2 percent after a revised 0.5 percent drop in April, the Federal Reserve said.

The production side of the economy continues to struggle against the lingering effects of dollar strength and deep spending cuts

in the energy sector in response to a sharp decline in crude oil prices.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast industrial production rising 0.2 percent last month after a previously reported 0.3 percent fall in April.

Last month, manufacturing output slipped 0.2 percent after gaining 0.1 percent in April. Manufacturing continues to be hamstrung by a strong dollar, which has eroded profits of multinational corporations.

Mining production declined 0.3

percent as oil and gas well drilling fell 7.9 percent. Unseasonably warm weather in May lifted demand for air conditioning. Utilities production increased 0.2 percent after dropping 3.7 percent in April.

Industrial capacity use fell to 78.1 percent last month from 78.3 percent in April. Officials at the Fed tend to look at capacity use as a signal of how much “slack” remains in the economy and how much room there is for growth to accelerate before it becomes inflationary.

SMEs charged on risk assessment

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EAP Africa, Lafarge Africa Plc and Sterling Bank have advised Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) on the importance of risk identification, assessment and analysis with a focus on minimising loss of revenue.

They spoke at the 10th CEOs Forum. It had as theme: ‘Staying ahead: Maximising profits and mitigating risks’.

In a statement, the group said: “The forum addressed SMEs on the essence of risk identification, assessment and analysis with a focus on minimising loss of revenue.”

LEAP Director Juliet Chiazor, and the Group MD/CEO, Lafarge Africa Plc, Mr. Guillaume Roux were at the event.

Mrs. Chiazor, who is also Google Country Manager, noted that the posture of a company regarding risk management should not be reduced to a checklist, but be imbibed in the DNA of a company and is the responsibility of all employees.

Roux urged the participants to imbibe Lafarge’s practice of viewing risks as opportunities rather than threats.

Other speakers include Mr. Dharnesh Gordhon,managing director/chief excutive officer, Nestlé Nigeria Plc; Mrs. Adepeju Adebajo, Managing Director, WAPCO Opera-

tions, Lafarge Africa Plc; Mr. Oluwole Oshin, Managing Director, Custodian and Allied Insurance Limited; Mr. Abubakar Suleiman, Executive Director, Finance and Strategy and Mrs. Clare Omatseye, Founder, Managing Director, JNC International Nigeria Ltd. The event was moderated by the Managing Director, Risk Watch Insurance Brokers, Mrs. Morin Desalu.

The forum discussed how to manage financial and currency risks in the Nigerian and global business landscape as well as supply chain, operations and sales risks.

The importance of insurance, other risk mitigation strategies and how to build risk management culture were also discussed.

While Mr. Oshin highlighted the importance of insurance policies and the benefits to SMEs, Mrs. Adebajo spoke on using a risk matrix to analyse risks at all levels of the supply chain, drawing on experiences of Lafarge.

Mrs. Omatseye, shared her experiences in dealing with risks as an entrepreneur, emphasising the importance of a strong risk culture.

LEAP presented at the event, its 11th book, The Art of Managing Risk.

“The book introduces entrepreneurs and business managers to risk management as it applies within our local context and introduces them to explore opportunities with boldness by taking practical steps to identify, analyse and mitigate risks,” the statement added.

Air Peace acquires two aircraft

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O expand its operations , new entrant in the domestic scene: Air Peace has acquired two Boeing 737-300 aircraft.

The new acquisition brings to six its Boeing aircraft.

Speaking while taking delivery of the aircraft at the Lagos Airport, chairman of the airline, Mr Allen Onyema, said the carrier was responding to the yearnings of passen-

put in place and other issues. Today, the organisation is better for it. This is evident by the Most Compliance Institution the company received from the management of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in 2014," he said Also, the outgoing chairman of the institute, Mrs Eniola Fadayomi, urged the private and public institutions to adhere to the best practice’s of corporate governance, arguing that a company that worth its onions should not be found wanting on issues to corporate governsnce

gers to serve them on many routes.

Onyema said as an airline conscious of meeting customers’ needs, its management team have begun route development and consolidation team that would be unveiled in the coming days.

Air Peace, he said, would boost its flight operations and be able to meet passengers‘on time requests for services on many routes.

HE Chairman, Raw Gin Producers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Aritson Kroboakpo, has faulted the ban on native gin production and consumption in the country.

He said the local gin has not been proven to be unhealthy unless the product is adulterated.

He said the association was worried over the public perception about the faking of local gin, with its attendant consequences to consumers.

He said the association is ready to partner with relevant government agencies to ensure that quacks in local gin production are eliminated entirely.

The clarification by the association has become imperative following the ban on ogogoro by Ondo and Rivers state governments where some Okada riders reportedly collapsed after drinking the product in popular spot.

The association said the first research on distiller alcoholic beverage otherwise known as ogogoro was carried out in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Lagos under Dr Femi Odeyemi.

Odeyemi, the association, said gave a clean bill of health to the product eliminating doubts con-

cerning the authenticity of the beverage to human health.

The association said: “With the outcome of the laboratory test, the distillers thereafter organised themselves into small units, that later became a nation -wide association as its known today.

“In the early days, ogogoro production witnessed some form of challenges, both in the courts and in the hands of law enforcement agents but in the end, the association surmounted all known legal matters.’’

It continued: “With members across the length and breadth of the country, we affirm that ogogoro distilling is no more an all-comers business.

“There are criteria and laid-down rules before members are admitted into the association.

“We recommend that anybody who fails to obtain the association’s identity card should not be allowed to distil, sell or transport the crude gin(ogogoro).

“The association shall work with the Police, Consumer’s Protection Council (CPC), Nigeria Administration of Food Directorate Agency and Control (NAFDAC), and all health workers who shall seize all crude gin (ogogoro), found in possession of non- members of the association.

Vitafoam to produce panels

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ITAFOAM Nigeria Plc is set to begin the mass production of sandwich panels for the construction industry, following installation of continuous panel production plant.

Speaking in Lagos, Chairman, Vitafoam, Dr. Bamidele Makanjuola, said the company is positioned to take advantage of untapped potential in the construction industry, saying: “In the current financial year, we expect our rigid polyurethane subsidiary (vitapur) to come on full steam with the installation of continuous panel production plant and commencement of mass production of sandwich panels for the construction industry.

“The System House Project of this subsidiary, assisted by the UNDP, is also expected to commence commercial blending of chemical for the industry.

“The current global trend in housing construction and the upswing of inquiries and nascent patronage

from government (at both the federal and the state levels) and the private sector should bolster the contribution of this subsidiary to our overall growth in the year ahead”.

He pointed out that the year under review was characterised by uncertainties arising from insecurity to tightening of monetary policy by the CBN which left commercial activities paralysed, especially in the North-Central and North-east geopolitical zones where companies, including vitafoam distributors have been displaced and left adrift.

The directors explained that the Vitapur in partnership with the UNDP pioneered a chemical blending factory as a unit of the operations of the company. They stated further that the project when completed, will afford vitapur the opportunity to sell chemicals to other producers of sandwich polyurethane in Nigeria and West Africa sub region using environmentally friendly raw materials.

U.S.: Colt files for bankruptcy

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ONNECTICUT-based gun maker Colt Defence has filed for bankruptcy protection, as it grapples with a heavy debt load.

The company says it plans to continue its normal business operations during its restructuring.

The company is struggling with more than $350m (£225million) in debt, as well as waning sales.

Colt’s fortunes were hurt by a loss of a contact in 2013 to supply the US army with its M4 assault rifle.

Keith Maib, the company’s chief restructuring officer, said in a statement: “Colt remains open for business and our team will continue to be sharply focused on delivering for

our customers and being a good commercial partner to our vendors and suppliers”.Colt has been plagued by financial problems in recent months.

Last November, Colt took out a $70million loan from Morgan Stanley to help make an interest payment.

But last month it missed a $10m interest payment.

Last year sales of its sports rifles and handguns fell 30 per cent.

The company has a long US history, known for making American firearms for more than 150 years.

The company previously filed for bankruptcy protection in 1992, emerging again two years later.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

BUSINESS OUTLOOK

Agro-processing to drive Nigeria’s new economy O

N the back of strong support for domestic food pro duction and processing, Nigeria can launch an era of food diplomacy with her trading partners.

Nigeria is in a transition from supreme oil-dependency to a more diversified economy. Susceptibility of the domestic economy to external revenue shocks, when oil prices fall, well informs this transition. But if oil prices were to stabilise at the $147 per barrel peak, there would still be very strong reasons why Nigeria must broaden the base of formal economic activities.

One of the reasons why economic diversification is an imperative for Nigeria is because the country is too richly endowed with natural assets for us to concentrate on tapping just one. The one we have concentrated on – oil – is a depleting asset. And then, the production of hydrocarbon resources employs too few labour for Nigeria’s fast-growing population and huge workforce. Therefore, the economic diversification model that the country needs is one that can help absorb fiscal shocks, fend off monetary instability, provide employment for the teeming work-age population as well as generate more revenue for the government to meet its commitments to the people.

Prospects of global agriculture Agriculture represents the low hanging fruit in the quest to structurally transform the Nigerian economy. The outlook of global agriculture support this assertion. Since the global spike in food prices in 2008, food security has remained at the front burners of the international policy agenda. Even the downward trending of food commodities in the past few months only further raises concerns about global food security. If lower food prices stifle new investments in agricultural production, the downward pressure on prices can only continue for so long before it stirs a sharp reversal as a consequence of ensuing supply shortfall.

Beyond this, global agriculture itself is undergoing multiple layers of transition. Population growth and changing consumption habits have started to drive up demand for food in multiple varieties. By year 2050, the world population will reach nine billion. That means additional two billion people would require food in 35 years’ time, compared with now.

But the upward projection of demand for food is met with constraints to expansion of supply by the traditional international producers. Climate change and other constraints have continued to shrink the hectarage of the world’s arable land.

Latin America and sub Saharan Africa are now the last bastion of sizeable arable land. The MENA region (Middle East and North Africa), Europe, Central America and the swath of Asia now have little room to upwardly adjust food production because of limits to available arable land.

This means that sub Saharan Africa and Latin America will be the food baskets of the world in the future. According to World Bank data, Nigeria’s arable land continued to expand between 2000 and 2014. In this period, the available arable land as a percentage of Nigeria’s total land mass increased from 36.2 per cent to 38.4 per cent. It is a trend that is unique to only a few countries. However, low level utilisation, in which Nigeria became dependent on a number of imported food items – including mostly those that can be grown in the country – might have exerted the greatest influence on supply of arable land in Nigeria.

The interplay of current domestic demand and supply scenarios also supports a buoyant outlook for agriculture and the agro-industry in Nigeria. On the demand side, Nigeria is a growing market. Although we currently profile the over $10 billion we spend yearly on food importation as negative, it actually also paints the picture of an aspect of effective demand which can be served locally, and which can help conserve our foreign exchange and make the local currency less volatile in value. This therefore provides a strong-financialreturns impetus for additional local investments in agro-food processing. More success with poverty reduction and strengthening of the middle class will further boost food demand growth.

On the supply side, the country is blessed with a wide range of agricultural resources including a favourable climate. We also have the benefit of the knowledge of once being a predominantly agric-economy, before commercial production of crude oil began in the country in the early 1970s. Even now, annualised Nigerian agricultural output tops $122 billion.

Therefore, some of the key factors for a successful transition to an industrialised economy in which agriculture and agroindustrialisation play important roles including providing domestic food security, contributing to export revenues and supporting strong employment numbers, are present with us. In the last four years, we actually saw a strong momentum to the transition, under the Agriculture Transformation Agenda of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Agro-processing virtuous cycle In line with the statutory mandate of Nigerian Export-Import Bank as the Trade Policy Bank of the Federal Government, we see Nigerian agriculture from the prism of agroprocessing. This is because agro-processing inspires the vir-

By Roberts Orya

tuous cycle of increased agricultural productivity, industrialisation in the value chain, sustainable growth in the export of secondary agricultural products, creation of domestic employment, and poverty reduction. For this reason, NEXIM Bank in the past five years has put forward agro-processing, with other three sectors, as the major frontiers of economic transformation in Nigeria. The other three sectors are manufacturing (which I recently devoted an op-ed to), solid minerals and services. The sum of these sectoral focus constitute the MASS Agenda of NEXIM Bank.

Policy intervention to increase agro-processing will, no doubt, prove revolutionary for the country. Africa-level statistics, which sit well with the Nigerian reality, put post-harvest losses for fruits and vegetables at 35-50 per cent of total production. The level of loss for grains is at 15-25 per cent.

These high levels of losses weigh down production; and ultimately deny farmers the needed revenue to facilitate expansion of their farms. Little wonder then that, for a region that produces much less food than it needs, the share of agro-industry to total manufacturing declined over the period of 1995 to 2006, according to a UNIDO 2013 report.

To unlock potential for agricultural production, expansion of agro-industries is an essential pre-condition. The factors that constrict the agro-processing sector, which include poor integration of agriculture with markets, lack of know-how by SME agro-industrialists, inadequate investment in equipment and poor storage system, are solvable. With the fertiliser subsidy conundrum already solved, government can deploy fiscal tools to provide massive support for farmers in the acquisition of equipment. NEXIM Bank’s credit guarantee instrument could be strengthened to provide much stronger support for industrialists in the post-harvest value chain to acquire equipment and tools.

The business savvy that is required to attract funding interests from commercial banks into agriculture can best be initially provided in the post-harvest production segment. Food processors, agro-traders and packaging businesses can then, either through backward integration or by providing more liquidity to farmers, bring financial buoyancy into farming.

Ahead of the provision of the needed elaborate infrastructure by the government, food manufacturers can bring technology and improved haulage hardware that will ameliorate post-harvest losses. Similar solution has propelled Nigeria to being one of the world’s top cement producing countries.

Policy considerations As I had mentioned, much of what is in the solutions suite for continued turnaround for the agric sector is not new. For instance, food processing industries have been dominant in Africa’s manufacturing for a few decades. Depending on the individual country, the share of food and beverage ranges from 15-40 per cent of total manufacturing capacity in Africa.

Local and multinational conglomerates in food and beverage are some of the most valued stocks on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). With the stimuli of positive demand projection for food locally, combined with opportunities to tap food export markets, the economy can get a strong nudge with increased support for food processing.

On the back of strong support for domestic food production and processing, Nigeria can launch an era of food diplomacy with her trading partners. In a number of situations, lack of access to export markets by existing Nigerian agro-manufacturers are down to competition from other exporting countries. Although Nigerian exports of food and semi-processed produce are often denied access in some foreign markets based on issues of standards and safety concerns, without diplomatic efforts, it is unlikely that the putative technical requirements can be met. As such, and without seeking to circumvent

‘

Population growth and changing consumption habits have started to drive up demand for food in multiple varieties. By year 2050, the world population will reach nine billion.

That means additional two billion people would require food in 35 years’ time, compared with now. But the upward projection of demand for food is met with constraints to expansion of supply by the traditional international producers.

‘

•Orya

the technical standards, the country can start to look at using bilateral agreements as a trade tool for providing Nigerian food products access to foreign markets.

In addition to financing solutions, broad fiscal tools are required to raise the scale of production and processing of agricultural commodities in Nigeria. As a matter of principle, fiscal tools including tax breaks and waivers on tariffs should be directed at production. They should be completely biased against importation of consumer food products. Not least because, such incentives, like subsidy on imported petroleum products, are subject to abuses by clever private sector operators who can therefore thwart the good intentions of the government.

The food security objective of the government cannot be altogether served by foreign multinational companies. As such, it is important that foreign capital is not allowed to crowd out indigenous agric-food companies. Again, this suggests stronger financing role for government; although not altogether through direct public funding. Existing PPP frameworks to bring financing to agriculture should be strengthened. Public institutions involved must be subjected to stern performance metrics.

Special consideration With the weakening of the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast by the Nigerian military, a grand programme to close the productivity gap in northern agriculture is an imperative. Over the last few months, food prices had inched up marginally on the Consumer Price Index of the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, of which agricultural produce are a significant component. Under the scenario of the displacement of the local population including agric communities in the northeast, it is beyond question that supply growth would have become much weaker, whereas demand projections have remained very positive in the country. Determined efforts should therefore be made to close the existing productivity gap by expanding capacity through strong intervention in the North generally, since the region occupies a vital position in the nation’s food production.

New economic structure Following the GDP rebasing in 2014, a new (but changing) structure of the economy emerged. We saw the decline of oil as a percentage of the GDP and the rise of services as the largest sector of the Nigerian economy. In 2013, agriculture constituted 26 per cent of the GDP – a percentage only exceeded by Ghana’s 29 per cent, amongst Africa’s main frontier markets. Over the coming decades, the transition in the Nigerian economy will gain more traction. But transitions within industries should also be under watch. Agro-processing will define the changes in the agriculture sector, even as it will drive wider industrialisation and therefore catalyse further adjustment in the structure of the Nigerian economy.

For Nigeria, the size advantage is a huge one. Egypt’s $284.9 GDP of 2014, of which agriculture constituted 14.6 per cent, grew her food exports revenue by $1.9 billion in just one year (2013). From our current low base of agricultural exports, with vast arable land and favourable climate, we are more than able to drive more momentous change through value-added agriculture, considering Nigeria’s $594.3 billion GDP. The most important recommendation for promoting Nigeria’s agro-industrial sector is the potential for job creation across the agric value chain. The value chain of the agric sector is well capable of generating additional ten million jobs over the next decade, and it can serve as one of the centrepieces of capital formation in Nigeria’s new economy. Indeed, agroprocessing promises exciting prospects for inclusive growth and social stability.

•Orya is Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Export-Import Bank

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WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2015

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY CRISIS

The election of National Assembly officials has polarised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines steps that should be taken to resolve the crisis and achieve meaningful reconciliation.

APC and challenge of reconciliation T

HE emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki and Hon Yakubu Dogara as Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives, in deviance of the directive of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has generated crisis in the ruling party. Bothh Saraki and Dogora formed an alliance with members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in both chambers and went for the leadership slots.

Eight APC senators-elect with 49 PDP senators-elect adopted Saraki for the presidency in the absence of 51 senators led

by Senator Ahmed Lawan, who had won the party’s nomination in a straw poll. For the Speakership, Dogara slugged it out with the party’s candidate, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila in a keenly contested election and won by eight votes.

Analysts described the scenario that played out at the inauguration of the National Assembly as a sad development for the ruling party. To them, it was an act of gross indiscipline and disloyalty on the part of Saraki, Dogara and their APC sympathisers in the two chambers. They likened the emrgence of Saraki as a coup because the 51 senators that are loyal to Lawan were disenfranchised from exercising their voting right to participate in the election of the leadership of the senate. The group is threatening to challenge the election in court.

“The principle of separation of power is not watertight and nothing says that the party cannot have a say in who becomes what in the political offices available to the party.

Party politics is about supremacy and it amount to political naivety or gross indiscipline for any member to see himself as being above the party”, they argued.

With this development, the APC is caught between the devil and the blue sea. While the leadership is bent on ensuring discipline among its members, it is faced with the onerous task of sustaining unity. The party has threatened to sanction the law makers involved in the deal. According to the party’s spokesman, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, Senator Saraki and Hon. Dogara are not the candidates of the APC and the majority of its National Assembly members-elect for the positions of Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives.

Muhammed disclosed that the APC leadership has been meeting in a bid to re-establish discipline and to mete out necessary sanctions to all those involved in what has been described as a monumental act of indiscipline and betrayal meant to subject the party to ridicule and create obstacles for the new administration.

But, analysts have advised APC leadership to tread softly and avoid using a sledge hammer to kill an ant. In the present circumstance, they said neither the threat of court action nor punitive sanction can save the party from its current crisis. What is more important now is the capacity of the leadership to evolve an appropriate conflict resolution mechanism that would see it through the cloud of uncertainty that lies ahead of the new administration.

A party stalwart, who spoke in confidence, said the damage has been done and that is the reality we have to admit.

He bared is minds on steps towards reconciliation. He said: “I think the Senator Saraki should start the reconciliation move. He should reach out to his colleagues (APC stock) in the senate individually and collectively and offer the olive branch to them particularly the aggrieved senators of Unity Forum led by Senator Lawan. If he does that reconciliation will commence.

“Saraki still need to pledge his loyalty to the party in view of what has happened. He should impress it on party members that he will ensure that he will works in line with the party programmes and policies. The party should carry him along in appointing principal officers of the Senate: Majority Leader, Deputy Majority Leader, Majority Whip and Deputy Majority Whip. These positions are very important.

APC should ensure very competent and experienced senators occupied these positions in the interest of the party. The competence and experience should be taken into consideration because of the enormity of the job ahead. The party should put the Senate President in confidence in picking the principal officers because they need to work in tandem with the Senate President particularly now that the Deputy Senate President is not an APC member.

“The party should realise that some committees are not equal in terms of relevance. For instance, for Rules and Business Committee, the Chairman of the committee should be an experienced legislator, not a green horn. Other important committees like Power, Petroleum, Works, Finance and Appropriation must be headed by experienced senators with key knowledge of the ministries in order to enhance the attainment of the party’s goal.

“These concessions are also means of calling the truce in respect of aftermath of the leadership crisis. The same must

•Saraki

•Dogara

•Buhari

•Tinubu

•Oyegun

go for the House of Representatives. All APC senators should meet with the President, Vice President and leadership of the APC to finally smooth the rough edges and pledge to work together not only in the interest of the party but Nigeria as a whole.”

On the resolution of the crisis, a party chieftain, Chief Femi Majekodunmi expressed confidence that it will be resolved soon. He said the National Leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has the political sagacity to handle the matter and urged him to begin the process of reconciling all the parties involved in the crisis.

Majekodunmi, a close associate of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, said, given the immense contribution of Tinubu to the successes recorded by the party, the onus is on him to save the ruling party from what could lead to its disintegration. According to him, the former Lagos State governor has the skills needed to call a meeting of the major stake holders of the party where the crisis which erupted over the election of Senator Bukola Saraki as Senator President and Hon. Yakubu Dogara, as Speaker, House of Representatives respectively, can be settled once and for all.

“Going to court by the aggrieved party will bring further damage to the APC. It is important for the party leadership to learn from and also move a step ahead of what happened when both Hon. Dimeji Bankole and Hon. Aminu Tambuwal were elected Speaker of the House of Representatives even when they were not the preferred candidates of their party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which did not sanction them.

“With what Asiwaju Tinubu has done in the past, the time has come for him to deploy his political know-how to tilt the leadership of the party towards genuine reconciliation through a meeting of the necessary stakeholders which will make Nigerians not to regret voting for the party in the last general elections. The APC has to be careful not to give room for the opposition to come to limelight because the PDP will always be happy to capitalise on the foibles of the ruling party to catch attention of Nigerians.”

One way out of the present quagmire is for the APC leadership to swallow its pride and see the development as a positive feedback and forge ahead without necessarily compromising the rules of standard behaviour amongst its members.

The leadership of the APC appears to be towing the line of reconciliation when the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun said the party had decided to put the matter behind it and move ahead. He said the party is now disposed to working with Dr Saraki.

Oyegun reasoned that: “It is high time the APC faced reality on the dispute, and work with the current leadership of the National Assembly even as the party tries to resolve the issue internally. What has happened is within the APC family and we are sorting it out within the family. People say they are going to court which is their right, but as a party we are coming out strong. We have faced greater challenges before and this too shall pass away.

A member of the House of Representatives, Mallam Muhammed Sani Zorro, has expressed satisfaction with the steps being taken by the party leadership in addressing the issue. Zorro, a former President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) said: “I can assure you that the measures being worked out by the party, the presidency, and the National Assembly are being triangulated and will involve all the three main institutional stakeholders. I can assure you that it will accommodate all the concerns and the fears at the end of it will provide a single template for everybody to key in.

“Even the senate itself or some element, either in the Sen-

APC has to be careful not to ‘ The give room for the opposition to come to limelight because the PDP will always be happy to capitalise on the foibles of the ruling party to catch attention of Nigerians

’

• Continued on page 44

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2015

POLITICS

He assured Deltans of an all-inclusive government ‘where there will be no discrimination, and there will be equity, justice and fairness ’

Delta Governor Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has unfolded a development plan. But, the dwindling allocation from the Federation Account and the state’s huge debt burden may hamper the implementation of the five-point agenda. OKUNGBOWA AIWERIE writes.

Okowa unveils development plan

F

OLLOWING his inauguration on May 29 as the 12th governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has hit the ground running. He has received approval from the House of Assembly on two executive bills.

The bills are: Delta State Contributory Health Commission Bill, 2015, Technical and Vocational Education Board Bill, 2015, and the Asaba Capital Development Agency Bill, 2015.

The House has passed into law the bills for Technical and Vocational Board and Asaba Capital Development Agency.

Former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, his deputy, Prof. Amos Utuama (SAN), and their spouses, thronged the Cenotaph-venue of the event.

Also present at the occasion were traditional rulers including, Ogiame Atunwase 1,Olu of Warri ,Asagba of Asaba, Prof Chike Edozien, Obi of Owa, Obi Efeizomor 1.

Okowa, shortly after taking the oath of office, inspected a guard of honour mounted by a detachment of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) after which he took a salute during a parade to mark the ceremony.

He assured Deltans of an all-inclusive government where there will be no discrimination, and there will be equity, justice and fairness.

The Governor who credited his emergence to the collective commitment of Deltans, and the will of God, said, “We regard the entire state as our constituency and we will work for the common good of all Deltans.

“We will create opportunity for our people to participate in the act of governance, I promise to govern our people with respect and fear of God, greed must give way and sacrifice must take its place.’

Continuing, Dr Okowa said, “We will enthrone a legacy of wealth and prosperity for our people based on our five point agenda.”

Okowa said the five-point agenda with the acronym S.M.A.R.T: Strategic wealth creation and provision of jobs all; meaningful peace building platforms aimed at political/social stability; Agricultural reforms and industrialisation; relevant health and education policies and transformed environment through massive urban renewal.

Okowa said that promises made during the heat of the campaigns are meant to be kept as it is the only way to maintain the trust and confidence that is necessary between the people and their leaders.

The governor (PDP) congratulated

President Muhammadu Buhari of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and promised a robust working relationship with him and the Federal Government.

Okowa said his administration will give strength to the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) Law by restructuring the board and management, in line with the Niger Development Commission (NDDC) model through an amendment bill.

Okowa has taken many far-reaching decisions since he mounted the saddle.

The appointment of the Secretary to Government by the governor, analysts say, was an attempt by Okowa to stamp his authority and whittle the overbearing influence of the PDP in his administration.

The PDP had pencilled down two Urhobo sons-a former Commissioner of Finance, George Orogun and pioneer Economic Planning Commissioner and ex-governorship candidate, David Edebvie.

But, Okowa pulled a fast one by announcing his choice as Secretary to Government (SSG), Festus Ovie Agas, taking Deltans by surprise by the announcement.

Okowa said: “Exactly three days ago, I announced the appointment of Hon. Barrister Festus Ovie Agas as the SSG. It was an announcement that many were not expecting at the time it was made. But, the element of surprise only served to excite the

•Okowa

audience, who broke into spontaneous jubilation.”

Okowa had during the handingover ceremony, reiterated his desire for a ‘commitment to a new order, an era of love for all, where the good of all takes precedence over the gain of one.’

Okowa has held consultations with key contractors handling the multi-billion naira airport. He met Commissioner, Austin Aiyemidejor and Managing Director, ULO, Uche Okpunor, the indigenous contractor handling the project.

The Okowa regime in taking some keys decisions, appears to be reflec-

•Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State (left) receiving transition committee report from the committee chairman, Senator Mohammed Mohammed in Bauchi... yesterday

T

Nyako admonishes Adamawa lawmakers Barnabas Manyam, Yola

F

ORMER Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako has urged senators and members of the House of representatives to offer quality representation.

The former Naval Chief spoke at a community reception in honour of his son, Navy Commander Abdulaziz Nyako, a senator representing Adamawa Central District.

He charged the elected representatives to organise themselves as a family so that Adamawa will benefit from their services.

The reception, which was attended by supporters of the former governor, was organized to celebrate the return of Nyako from exile and the the victory of his son.

The Chairman of the occasion and two-time Speaker of Adamawa State House of Assembly, Alhaji Hassan Turaki, said the reason for organizing the event was to celebrate the return of Nyako, who has immensely contributed to the development of the zone.

He said the people could not forget the human development strides of Nyako, which he instituted through the creation of various human development programmes, including the Special Assistant (S.A) and the agricultural and skills acquisition programs.

“We voted your son because of the laudable human development programs you instituted when you govern this state. We shall continue to remember that goodwill forever,” he said.

• Continued from page 43

From Duku Joel, Damaturu

ment elections, which is coming up before the end of this year.

“I feel that Yobe should take adavantage of this good technology and set the pace for being the first state to conduct a local government elections with the INEC Card Readers. Don’t ask me if we are going to procure our own card readers. No. we have already concluded arrangement with the INEC and they would release to us the number that we require for the exercise,” Jauro added.

The electoral officer also disclosed that his commission has gone far on the arrangement for the smooth conduct of the local government elections. “I already have my timetable for the election but I

•Nyako

APC and challenge of reconciliation

Yobe to conduct local govt polls HE Chairman of Yobe State Independent Electoral Commission (YBSIEC), Mohammed Jauro Abdu has said that the commission will use the card reader for the conduct of the local government elections.

Jauro, who spoke with reporters in Damaturu, the state capital, said the commission will take a queue from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to use the card reader due to the credibility the technology brought to the recent general elections in the country.

“I believe the use of the card reader by INEC in the last general elections in the country has brought a lot of credibility to the electoral process. We are therefore, poised to replicate that in our local govern-

tive, cautious, and adventurous.

The new administration is also spearheading a reform of the board and management of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), in line with the NDDC model through an Amendment Bill.

Okowa is not afraid of controversy. He has suspended the recruitment into the Civil Service.

The move prompted protests from the over 4000 affected Deltans who have given government ultimatum to rescind the decision or face legal action.

He said the suspension was sequel to the flawed recruitment process, adding that such the process was not credible.

In a statement signed by the Head of Service, Mr Patrick Origho, Okowa said the process was fraught with sharp practices ranging from abuse of office to sale of jobs slots.

According to him, the recruitment cannot by any stretch of imagination be adjudged credible, ‘no flawed process produces a credible exercise’.

The governor appealed to Deltans for support and understanding on the suspension of the exercise assuring that” action will be taken to study the report of the Administrative Panel at the appropriate time with a view to strengthening the Delta State Civil Service Commission and ensuring transparent recruitment process.

•Gaidam

will not release to you until the time is ripe for me to do so”.

The last local government elections in the state were conducted in December 2013.

ate or House of Representatives that appear war-like, I can assure you that by the time this template is presented, if they look at it, it is based on reason and rationality and it is going to be based on the reality on ground.

The party is no longer interested in sentiment. The damage has already been done, we want to keep it at bay and move on. That is what the party wants to do. We are moving on we are no longer interested in all that has happened.

“We have decided to remain loyal to the party because we have seen this kind of situation before. For instance, some of us participated in Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) which had a similar crisis in the states it controlled between 1979 and 1983. Those who remained in the party actually triumphed.

“I can assure you that, at the level of the National Assembly, we have the mechanism that will reconcile the whole differences in no time. So, we have met with the leadership of the party and we are fully satisfied with the explanations that the party has given to us and we can assure you that this is not beyond reproach and solution of the party.

“I can assure you as a member of the House of Representatives, we are satisfied by the explanation by the chairman of the party on measures itemised first to clean up the mess, manage the crisis and de-escalate the tension and achieve early solution to the emerging political brouhaha.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

46

TRIBUTE

Otunba Olu Adebanjo : Exit of a media In this tribute Sina Ogunbambo, journalist/public analyst extols the virtues of the late Otunba Timothy Olufunmilopeda Adebanjo, who died on May 7.

O

TUNBA Timothy Olufunmilopeda Adebanjo, founding editor of defunct Daily Express, former Special Adviser on Information to former President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari and a foremost chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) worked vigorously for change. Utilising his wealth of experience, proffessionalism and intellect, this man of the people whose Otunba Funsegbuwa villa gates at Idowa in Odogbolu Local Government Area are always wide open to receive politicians and people from different communities in Ogun State, did not only campaign relentlessly for our much beloved Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and President Muhammadu Buhari.

He developed a scientific template called “Search and Rescue, Search and Recover” to ensure that energy is not only concentrated on APC members and admirers but also on professionals, traders, artisans, farmers and other eligible voters who were yet to determine whom they will vote for. The importance of convincing every Permanent Voters Card (PVC) holder in each unit of every ward ,he wiil stress, is the gateway to success.

While he was on his sick bed due to old age related sickness during the election time, he was glued to his television and telephone, monitoring, mobilising and strategising.

The placebo effect towards getting better was the victory of Buhari, Amosun and many other APC candidates at the polls. Papa Olu Adebanjo got discharged at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu full of praises towards Almighty God and

the electorates that changed has indeed come.

However as God works in a mysterious way, a change occured in the life of this elder statesman, an associate of Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and one of the esteemed chiefs and friend of His Royal Majesty, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, the Awujale of Ijebu land. He translated from mortality to immortality on Thursday 7th May, 2015, twenty seven days before the May 29, 2015 of the inauguration of the change agents - Muhammadu Buhari, Ibikunle Amosun and others.

Three days had been set aside for the celebration of life of this quintessential politician, begining with a service of songs, a christian wake keep service and a funeral service at Saint Peters Anglican Church, Idowa on Friday, June 19, 2015.

The somewhat somnolent town of Idowa will be pulling a crowd of political juggernauts , just like the late media chief attracted political and business giants such as the late Premier of defunct Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Adeola Odutola, Otunba Solanke Onasanya, Chief S.O. Shonibare and several other dignitaries at the final outing service for his late father, Papa John Banjo Agbasale in 1962. Otunba Olu Adebanjo was just 30 years old then.

What made the late Adebanjo so tick that endeared personalities like Awolowo , Shagari and of recent, Amosun, to him ?

The late Otunba Adebanjo was a man of principle.Highly disciplined and straight forward, He was also sincere and very accommodating. A courageous person, blunt in speaking the truth.

•Emir of Gombe who doubles as the National Vice President of Jamatu Nasir Islam (JNI), Alhaji Abubakar Shehu-Abubakar (right), presenting food items to internally displaced persons in Gombe...yesterday

Before the 2015 election, a group of APC party stalwarts came to him to endorse a movement called SIA Vanguards.(SIA stands for Senator Ibikunle Amosun). As he briefed some of his political associates later , Adebanjo told the group that he was SIA number one. However he added that his own SIA was not just as a supporter of Amosun. The full meaning of his own SIA , he told them, is sincerity, integrity and accommodation. He pointed out to the group that no other person from the APC has come out from the party to contest against Amosun and therefore SIA Vanguards will not add any value to the electoral victory of Amosun , but will create unnececessary insinuation that some people are more loyal.

This position taken by him put an end to the formation of that group.

On November 23, 1965 the then 31 year old editor of Daily Express lost his job, an aftermath of the crisis in defunct Western Region, which made the Coker inquiry instituted by the Federal Govenment to distabilise the activities and assets of the National Investment and Property Corporation (NIPC).

NIPC owned by the Amalgamated Press of Nigeria , publishers of Sunday Express and Daily Express. The publications had to fold up due to lack of funds. He then left Nigeria for United Kingdom to take a short holiday and explore some temporary job opportunity.

He came back to Nigeria and joined the Federal Civil Service on Dec 8, 1966 with a resolve to spend ten years, retire voluntarily and join partisan politics as he envisaged the Military will quit and al-

low democrcy to grow. He stood by his plan.and retired as a Director on 31st Dec 1976 at the age of 45.

He came back to Idowa and picked a job as the first General Manager of Wadai Leather Industry at Ijebu Ode, with the Awujale of Ijebu land, Oba Sikiru Adetona as Chairman of the company. The urge to play a major role made him leave this job after a year and ten months.

Adebanjo joined the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) as a founding member and served as Director of Publicity at the Presidential Campaign Office from Dec 1978 to September 1979. Apart from being appointed Special Adviser to the President on Information Matters, he was also the Sole Administrator of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and later the Chairman of the boards of NTA and FRCN. However, Adebanjo resigned from this plum job and also from the NPN on 27th July 1983 on principle. In his biography “ Chronicle of a Federalist “ he stated that the then President Shehu Shagari breached the NPN transition agreement on the office/post of Special Adviser (Information) and Minister of Information as the decision was that if the President had a Special Adviser (Informatio) there would be no Minister of Information and vice versa. Despite this agreement, Shagari appointed the now late Mr Garba Wushishi as Minister of Information in addition to himself as Special Adiser on Information.

Secondly, he said Shagari con-

•The late Adebanjo

sented to the political manoeuvre to change the NPN gubernatorial candidate for Ogun State, Chief Alani Bankole , after Bankole had been democratically elected at a properly constituted state congress of the party , substiting him with late Chief Soji Odunjo.

It can only take a principled mind to quit his comfort zone on issues that most politicians will gloss over to keep their job.

In the words of the precious husband of Mrs Ayodeji Adebanjo, “ With the continued grace of God , i will like to be remembered as someone who has done his best to contribute to the welfare and happiness of fellow men and women, his community and the land of his birth” Until his death Otunba Olu Adebanjo was the leader of the APC in Odogbolu Local Government Area of Ogun State and one of the revered elders/leaders in the state. Another vibrant politician, Asiwaju Olajide Awosedo ,has now taken over.

Adieu to a great leader and a mentor of so many people including this writer.

•Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (third left) with members of the Coalition of Civil Society Group, during their visit to the CDS In Abuja...yesterday

Children Of Bakari Dukku Junior Secondary School presenting songs during the African Child Day celebration in Bauchi...yesterday PHOTOS: NAN

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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•Director African Artists’ Foundation, Wunika Mukan, Ekanem, Nwagbogu, Fadugba at the briefing in Lagos.

PHOTO: HASSAN MUYIWA

National art competition calls for entries

N

IGERIAN Breweries Plc in collaboration with the African Artists’ Foundation has called for entries for this year’s national art competition initiated to promote the conceptual develop-

ment of contemporary art in the country as well as raise awareness on relevant social issues through the use of creative expression.

The competition, which has as theme Future Histories is open to aspiring Nigerian artists, and accepts entries in diverse mediums including painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, installation and video art.

According to Corporate Affairs Adviser, NB Plc, Mr. Kufre Ekanem collection of entries will close on July 3 after, which a shortlist of 12 best entries will be announced for the final.

This, he said, will be followed by artists retreat and work-

By Ozolua Uhakheme, Assistant Editor (Arts)

COMPETITION shop facilitated by leading artists and scholars. He said the competition has evolved into a leading platform for the development of the next generation of contemporary artists in Nigeria.

“The grand finale and judging ceremony will hold in November to select winners. The winners will be decided by a panel of judges led by Prof El Anatsui. The prizes to be won include N2million and a solo exhibition for the first place winner. There will also be a N1million each for winner of outstanding concept and outstanding production,” he said.

He stated that the objective of selecting this year’s theme is to encourage artists to think laterally about social, politi-

cal and cultural climate of their local communities while exploring their creativity. He noted that the competition places emphasis on the processes of artistic creation rather than solely on the end product and that it is designed to support artists to develop ideas and the message of their work.

Director African Artists’ Foundation, Mr Azu Nwagbogu disclosed that there will be a session on proposal writing for the artists this year in pursuance of their art practice.

Past winner of the prize, Modupeola Fadugba described the competition as a perfect platform to launch her career as it allows her to plan creatively. “Also, the competition brought great visibility to my works. And lots of people now have access to my works including galleries form the US,” she said.

‘My guidance counsellor said I shouldn’t enter college’ •Continued from Page 18

working at a small black newspaper, and I was telling Evelyn that we would get paid on Friday and rush to the bank to withdraw first because they didn’t have money and everybody else had a car and I didn’t. So, I am trying to get my cheque first and run so that I can get to the bank, which was half-a-kilometre down the street, before they do. So, it hasn’t always been rosy.

What kept you going at those moments?

I just thought that I can sit here crying and complain but once I finish crying and complaining, I am still in the same condition so I may as well try something.

It may not work but at least try. And that is the thoughts that kept me going. We don’t know what we can do. I had no idea I would one day be a writer. My grandmother used read magazines and newspaper to me. One day she read me this article in the National Geographic magazine about Kenya. And I said: ‘hey, I am going to go there one day!” And she was like “okay baby!” I didn’t if she believed it or not but I most certainly did.

And I have been to Kenya more than once.

That kind of thing is unimaginable. Here was a woman who didn’t finish school because she had to work but she is encouraging her grandbaby to do whatever and not think that you can’t do stuff. So she encouraged me to do whatever I set my mind on.

How do you feel when you’ve achieved what you set out to?

That is the easy part: achieving what you’ve set out to is the easy part. The hard part is that you’ve got to stay there. So you have to work; got to produce. I didn’t set to cover riot or stuff like that but it my

•Chiemele (Thisday), Nixon, Evelyn Osagie and Mojeed Alabi at the workshop

job. So I did the best job that I can. Just like when Baltimore’s happened, I put in 12 hours a day and went where other people weren’t.

People that once you’ve achieved a certain level of success that you are good

or done. But you’ve got to stay there. As a musician, you can rest on just one CD; you’ve got to keep producing CDs. It is the same with if you are an artist, screenwriter or scientist; because two years from now, nobody is going to care.

So you’ve got to keep doing it: compete with younger people who are just coming out schools, people with different skills and qualifications, and you got to always stay on top of what you are doing.

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Aare Arisekola Arisekola:: Death, the lion and the dog

T

OMORROW, Thursday, June 18, is the first anniversary of the death of Alhaji AbdulAzeez Arisekola Alao, CON, the late Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Aare of Ibadanland and Vice-President General, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA). He died on Wednesday, 18 th June, 2014 in his London (UK) home, aged 69 years, and was buried on Friday, 20 th June, last year in his home at Oluwo Kekere, Basorun, Ibadan, Oyo State. May Allah (SWT) forgive him his sins and keep him in Aljannah Fridauous. Amen.

To say that Aare’s death has created a big vacuum in religious, economic, traditional, social and political realms in Nigeria and abroad is an understatement. A man of huge means and influence, whose open palms and gates are legendary, but yet very humble and jovial, Aare had friends, admirers and protégés across class, religions, tribes and nations. Well, all these are terrestrial and Aare had equals, juniors and seniors – as God creates geniuses for seasons and climes in His unfathomable wisdom and time.

In the celestial realm, however, we, ordinary human beings become aware of people with mystical touches from the Creator when we read, hear or see extraordinary deeds or inventions of our fellow beings. Or what do we say of the discoverers of light, radio, aeroplane, television, telephone, penicillin, train, motor-car, boat, ship, rocket etc. In the same league are great orators, thinkers authors, artists, scientists, musicians, composers, athletes, dancers etc.

But, because talented people described above and others outside my stated scope were/are by nature humble, self-effacing and without airs, we take them for granted. And as the Yoruba say, “Ojo iku la d’ere, eniyan ko wuyi laaye” (Geniuses/mystics are not revered while alive).

In my tribute to Aare last year as published in major newspapers (for ease of reference, The Nation newspaper issue of Saturday, 14th February, 2014), I stated that I was and still is, a student of the philosophies/lifestyles of great men and women in and outside Nigeria. I gave a long list which of course, included Aare Arisekola Alao. Those who know will testify that the cells of my strong bond to Aare included history, culture, music (especially Yusuf Olatunji’s genre of Sakara music) dresses, among others. I am improving in my pace in the tracks of piety and charity though! You will soon read how a dirge

by Yusuf Olatunji a.k.a “Baba l’Egba” in one of his LPs influenced the title of this piece and the connections thereof. May God help me, a common prayer of Aare to people.

The celestial realm that I mentioned earlier influenced the title of the piece. Aare’s Oluwo Kekere home at Basorun area of Ibadan is expansive and comparable in size, structures, amenities population and traffic to some towns/countries in Nigeria and abroad. In there is a zoo which boasted of a family of lions (until he donated them to the UI zoo), camels, crocodiles, ostriches, tortoise, and many species of birds, fishes and animals. I once touched one of the lions! The hawks, doves, egrets etc knew when to fly down without fail at their breakfast and lunch hours in the open courtyard in Aare’s home. You needed to see the massive flights or birds that descended from the sky to feed while Aare was alive. After each pick they would, ‘sing’, as it were and spread their wings as if saying “see you soon” thank you.

Now, to the “Baba l’Egba” nexus I mentioned earlier. In the Sakara music genre among the Yoruba people of Western Nigeria, Yusuf Olatunji, alias “Baba l’Egba”, was no doubt a philosopher-king, going by his numerous highly melodious and philosophical songs. Until he died on December 15, 1978, the Abeokuta, Ogun State – born musician waxed the largest number of LPs (40) in Nigeria, apart from small records and EPs.

•The late Aare Arisekola

By Oloye ’Lekan Alabi

TRIBUTE In his volume no 2 LP titled, “O wo’le Olongo k’eyin”, “Baba l’Egba” sings a dirge for one of this many fans, the late Mr. Ramon Alao, from Ijaye-Quarters in Abeokuta, Ogun State (track 2 on the flip side of the said LP) in Yoruba, which translated goes thus – Among those who are noble. (i) A gentleman has passed on in Ijaye (Abeokuta) Wailings filled the air Death has wrecked havoc by taking Ramoni Alao away Lati’s father has gone on a journey of no return.

Alao, when you get to heaven continue your good deeds.

The rest is a journey in our dreams. (ii) Please don’t forget AbdulRamoni, our people Wherever you may be – Don’t forget Mulikat’s father, Alao Death has taken him away. (iii) “A noble soul has gone and has become part of history He who knows the value of the egret please mourn the great with me.

Egba nobles, I condole with you Alao the famous has died, we shall all die.

Babalawo (native doctor) will die. (iv) “Death snatched the lion, the king of the jingle Alao, the dog swaggers past its den with impunity Alao has journeyed to the home of giants If they create wonders in heaven with wealth Alao, ensure that you make a good mark.

If they recreate in heaven Alao, do wonders Alao, you have been so generous while alive God, please consider Alao’s charity and good deeds Prevent Ramoni from going to hell A notable fan of “Baba l’Egba” was the late Aare Arisekola Alao, who possessed ALL the recorded works (singles, EPs & LPs) of his music idol, Yusuf Olatunji and other great musicians.

Authors, musicians, poets and other creative minds who reach philosopher – king levels, appear to ‘see’ tomorrow, as

the Baba l’Egba’s dirge for Mr. Ramoni Alao quoted above aptly demonstrates when placed in context with the passage of Aare Arisekola.

“Baba l’Egba” sings about the impunity and the audacity of a dog as it swaggers past the dead lion’s den! A suicide bid on the part of the dog were the lion to be alive.

But death has taken the lion, the king of the jungle!

Born on February 14, 1945 to the late Pa Abdul Raheem Olaniyan Alao and the late Alhaja Olatutu Alao at Adigun village of Ibadan, in Ona – Ara Local Government Area of Oyo State, young Abdul Azeez attended St. Luke’s Primary School, Adigun and ICC Primary School, Igosun, Ibadan where he persistently topped his class until he obtained the Grade ‘A’ Primary School Leaving Certificate in 1960, the year he came to the city from his village.

Till he died, he kept referring to himself as an “Omooko” i.e. Villageboy. He, thereafter, successfully passed the entrance examinations into the prestigious Christ School, Ado – Ekiti and Lagelu Grammar School, Ibadan, but could not take up his admission in either school due to the poor financial position of his parents. A scholarship opportunity was not allowed by fate to be utilized by him either.

Nonetheless, the determined AbdulAzeez studied Western, Arabic and Quranic education privately, and comfortably transacted business with the brightest and the best in the corporate world.

Young AbdulAzeez first joined his uncle, the late Alhaji Karimu Olasupo Jenrola at the popular old Gbagi Market in Ibadan as an apprentice trader. After successfully understudying his uncle, he started the sale of Gammalin 20 products vide the incorporation of his Azeez Arisekola Trading Company in 1961 with a loan of 310 pounds given to him by Mr. Olaniyi Owodunni. The Western Regional Manager of Imperial Chemical Industry (ICI) of England, Mr. P.K. Hampel, discovered in the young AbdulAzeez, great business acumen, a fantastic impetus for hard work, integrity and creativity and therefore appointed him a dealer of their products in the now – defunct Western Region of Nigeria. From there, the future business magnate took off, combining charity as a hobby.

Within a year, he received a commission

‘Aare was one of the privileged few honoured by the Chief Iman of Mekkah to send delegates for the annual ceremonial washing of the Holy Ka’bah. He was also invited to the annual Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs International Convention in Cairo, Egypt’

of 1,000 pounds from ICI and an all – expenses paid trip to the company’s headquarters in the United Kingdom. An astute young man, he purchased a Peugeot pick up van at the cost of 400 pounds and by 1970, he built his first house at the age of 25 years. In 1972, he registered his motor company, Lister Motors, becoming the star dealer for the Japanese brand, Datsun.

It was during that era that Aare’s fame as a philanthropist soared as he donated cars to institutions and individuals like one donated loaves of bread. He also had a fair share of social life and became the toast of parties and juju bands. But all the social circuit stuff stopped in 1980, when he became the first Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland.

His business interests included, oil and gas, banking and insurance, food and beverage, farming and animal husbandry, real estate, publishing, transportation and food processing.

From his league of friends, staff and admirers, Aare was a detribalized man as his love for Nigeria was great. His avowed love was based on a popular saying of the Holy Prophet Mohammed (S.A.W) that: “The love of one’s nation is part of faith”.

He had amongst the staff of his business conglomerate, all ethnic tribes of the federation as well as foreigners. Knowing the importance of education, Aare gave scholarships to indigent students both as primary and tertiary levels within and outside Nigeria. He established a scheme for that purpose in honour of his father, Pa AbdulRaheem Alao. In appreciation of his love for his place of birth, Ibadan, he was honoured with the chieftaincy title of Aare of Ibadanland in 2006 by the immediate past Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Yinusa Bankole Oladoja Ogundipe, Arapasowu I. He performed his first holy pilgrimage to Mekkah, Saudi Arabia in 1971, and was turbaned the first Aare Musilumi of Yorubaland by the League of Imans and Alfas in Yorubaland on July 14, 1980. Being a celebrated Muslim leader, he established the Abdul Azeez Arisekola Mosque on Iwo Road, Ibadan, Oyo State. He founded the Grand Council for Islamic Affairs (GCIA) in Nigeria in 1996 to complement Islamic propagation efforts just as he set up the Asalatu Ibaadu-Rahman Society for the spiritual advancement of the womenfolk. He was patron and foremost financier of more than 100 Muslim organizations in Nigeria and abroad.

From 1980 when he became the Aare Musulumi of Ibadanland, he extended annual Hajj scholarships to hundreds of Muslim faithful just as he sponsored Christian pilgrims to Jerusalem annually too.

Aare was one of the privileged few honoured by the Chief Iman of Mekkah to send delegates for the annual ceremonial washing of the Holy Ka’bah. He was also invited to the annual Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs International Convention in Cairo, Egypt.

Aare was on record as the one who mobilized support for the settlement of the internal rift amongst the members of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, OkeSeni, Ibadan and ensured the settlement of their rift out of court. The said church eventually conferred on him the title ‘The Defender of Faith’ in recognition of his love for religious peace and harmony.

He was married ad blessed with children who are successful professionals at home and abroad or currently in higher institutions of leaning. The training he gave them makes them excel intellectually and morally. A blessing which he always ascribed to God. Can one complete a piece such as this on Aare without a mention of his passion for Oka (amala) and ooyo (ewedu)! He once had his favourite menu packed from home while on a transatlantic business trip to China.

May his kind and noble soul continue to rest in Aljannah Fridaous. Amen.

•Alabi wrote from Ibadan

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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Remembering Alao Arisekola

he Book,”Arisekola in Our minds; A Compendium of Tributes” compiled and edited by Prof. Rashid Aderinoye of University of Ibadan is a collection of documented as well as published articles and tributes on the subject i.e. Aare Alhaji Abdul Azeez Akanmu Arisekola Alao, the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland. Although, it is a publication with articles and tributes on the Subject (Aare), it is however, more of a “Collection” on the personality of the subject which is intended to immortalise as well as celebrate the ‘life and times’ of an ‘internationally acclaimed good man ’who departed this world on Wednesday, June 18, 2014 in London.

The introductory aspect of the book i.e. the “Front Matter” covers 17 pages in roman numerals which includes the foreword by the Aare AlaasaOlubadan of Ibadan, OloyeLekan Alabi, the preface by the Editor and other ancillary contents. The 202 paged book, published in March 2015; barely a year after the demise of Aare, is indeed a beauty to behold which probably gives credence to the fruitful and beautiful life that the Aare lived. The entire tributary contents which include relevant and appropriate pictures add up to 195 pagesof 11 sections (sectionalised by titles) with 82 articles being an editorial and publications from Tribune Newspapers, 38 from the Nation, 8 from the Sun, 6 from the Punch, 2 from This Day, 2 from Village Fortune, 1 each from the Guardian and Vanguard Newspapers while 14were compiled from the Condolence Register and other sources such as letters sent to the Deceased. The sectionalisation of the Compendium with different titles as well as relevant, rich and exquisite pictorial references added value to the Book and actually, further justifies its being “A Compendium”.

Pages1-75 of the Book, articles from the following individuals, Femi Abbas, Ladi Williams, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, Ayinla Mukaila, Imam, Alhaji Abdul RazakAkuru, Dr. Taiye Ayorinde (Baale of Ekotedo), OloyeLekanAlabi,Prof. D.O.S Noibi, The late Chief Imam of Ibadan,Chief Imam Busairi, On page 67-71 we have the famous, astute and prolific Punch Columnist TundeFagbenle, Paul Omorogbe and JimohMumin.

Pages 77-84 could best be described as Presidential Tributes of the Compendium as five former Heads of State and one former Vice President described the late Aare as a good man who lived for the benefit of others and

T

BOOK REVIEW From Uzor Maxim Uzoatu Title: Author: Reviewer: Publishers:

would be sorely missed. These include, Presidents Alhaji Shehu Aliyu Shagari, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Dr Goodluck Johnathan, Gen, Ibragim Babangida and MuhammaduBuhari as well as Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Pages 85-102 can better be described as the Governors Tributes as it contained tributes from Military to civilian and Deputy Governors published in different news papers.

They include, Governors Geneal Tunji Olurin, Prince Amien Oyakhire, Omololu Olunloyo, Rashidi Ladoja, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Alao Akala,Kayode Fayemi, Gbenga Daniel, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu,Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola,Senator Isiaka Adeleke,Muazu Babangida Aliyu,Ibikunle Amosun,Olusegun Mimiko, Alhaji Fatai

No one wants pain...

A

LL over the world, several books have been written on pains, but I have not seen any book written to capture understanding of pains from the perspectives of different segments of the society in clear terms. Pain experienced from the womb to the grave with enourmous “gain” for human existence in a detailed manner is not what can be exposed overnight, it seems. This scenario, is what the book: ”Life is Pain: No Pain, No gain” clinically addresses.

The book chronicles why pain is unavoidable from birth to death. It explains different types of pain and reasons for pain.

Chapter 2 begins with the origin and concept of life, DNA as the language of life, the anthropic principle, and the vanity of life.

Chapter 3 reveals marriage and family as critical institutions of life worldwide.

Chapter 4 looks into society and culture, national and regional conflicts in Nigeria and Africa at large including the newspaper stories of “when the heaven wept for Rwanda” among others.

Chapter 5 dwells on God as supreme in understanding and handling pain. Chapter 6 reveals fear as connected to pain and how to deal with it. Chapter 7 takes the reader to the journey of success and how to deal constructively with failure and end with all round success. Chapter 8 reflects the golden age and extensively details useful submission of the African iconic legend on his 95th birthday - Late Nelson Mandela. It also contains sayings of other well known

BOOK REVIEW From Uzor Maxim Uzoatu Title:

Life Is Pain: No Pain, No Gain

Author:

Amagwu, Ibeawuchi Francis

Reviewer:

Sola Oluwadare

Publishers: A-Solutions (EJ Kons Enterprises)

wise men. Chapter 9 looks at how beautiful life with a desire to live on if possible.

Chapter 10 talks about inevitability of

Ahmed, Babatunde Fashola,Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Senator Isiaka Ajimobi.

Deputy Governors include Hazeem Gbolarumi and Chief Moses Adeyemo both of Oyo state. Details of the content of their tributes is better appreciated in reading the book.

The fourth section of the Book which captures tributes from Royal Fathers and Religious Leaders on pages 103-116 include those of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba (Dr.) Samuel OsundiranOdulanaOdugade I; The Sultan of Sokoto His Eminence Sulatan Abubakar Saadu, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba LamidiAdeyemi III, the Soun of Ogbomosho, Oba OladunniOyewumiAjagungbade III; the Oyo Traditional Council (Oyo Mesi); the Iyalode of Yorubaland, Chief (Mrs.)Alaba Lawson; traditional rulers from Okeogun and Ibarapa areas of Oyo State; the Prelate emeritus, Methodist Church Nigeria, Dr. Sunday Ola Makinde; the National Missioner of Ansar-ud-deen Society of Nigeria, Sheikh Abdur-Rahman Ahmad, the Aare Musulumi of Ibarapaland, AlhajiSanusi Mustapha, Ojolowo; the Chairman Oyo State Pilgrims Welfare Board (Muslim wing), AlhajiTaofeekAkeugbagold; and the leader of Anglican Church of Nigeria, Ekiti Province, Rev. (Dr.) R.A Adetiloye.

Politicians were not left out as their tributes spread over Pages 117-132. They include those of Senate President, Senator David Mark, Speaker House of Representatives, Tambuwal, Chief OlajumokeAkinjide, Senator MusiliuObanikoro, Ambassador TaofeekArapaja , Hon. Monsurat Sunmonu, Mr.RemiBabalola, Senators TeslimFolarin, Olufemi Lanlehin, Hosea Agboola, IyiolaOmisore and RasheedOlasunkanmiAkinlabi. Others include Seyi Makinde, Muhammad Dele Belgore (SAN), Alhaji Abdul JeliliAdesiyan, Hon. Segun Olulade, The various Islamic Organisations Tributes were capture on pages 133-140. These include the The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) to which he was the Vice President, Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) through its Secretary General and National Coordinator, Prof.

IshaqOloyede, The Oyo State Muslim Community via its Chairman, AlhajiIshaqKunleSanni, ObafemiAwolowo University Muslim Graduates Association (UNIFEMGA),The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Prof. IshaqAkintola, the founder of DaruDawah Islamic Centre, Sheikh Mustapha Zuglool, Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria (MMPN), Federation of Muslim Women Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN), Jama’atuNasru-l-Islam (JNI), Nawair-ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, The Companion, Al-Muminaat Organisation, Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN),

death and how it is understood by different religious leanings. Death in the perspective of heaven, hell, reincarnation and what happens after. Beyond death who deserves to go to heaven or end in hell? Chapter 11 cracks this mystery.

Apart from being written in a matter-offact style that keeps every reader engaged towards the end, the references are fantastically phenomenon which is an indication that the book was well researched to meet the needs of the academia. The incredible assertions and quotations from the religious books (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism) and other philosophical pedagogies without unnecessarily creating controversy but deepening healthy argument, is commendable.

Indeed, many intellectuals would find the revelation embedded in this book interesting for education and counselling; hence it is a must read for cleric, spiritual leader, philosophers, researchers, community leaders, parents and students. The masterpiece is more than spiritual as it exposes the nittygritty of life, now and thereafter.

The photograph used in the front cover of the book would have shown a better gesticulation of painful mannerisms. Also, the author seems to have more in his quivers as the book keeps the reader in suspense of more books in pipeline. It is amazing that despite his busy schedules as a banker with Nigeria’s apex bank, the author, Mr. Francis Amagwu, still did justice to the subject matter with unparalleled details. In fact, it will not be out of place to term him - a pain therapist!

Without mincing words, the mystery unfolded in this practical life literature, to say the least, speaks volumes. It is therefore recommended for every lover of knowledge.

Ansar-ud-Deen Society of Nigeria (AUD/ ASN) and National Council of Muslim Youths Organisation (NACOMYO) and the University of Ibadan Muslim Graduates Association.

Family and Friends could be find from pages 141-162. Some of them include, Pa Jenrola, the Mogaji Arisekola at the Ita-Baale family house, Oba-Otudeko AlhajiYekiniAdeojo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyawu, Chief Harry Akande, the ViceChancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac Folorunsho Adewole, the Pioneer Chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Justice Mustapha Akanbi, Evangelist Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi, Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN) Joseph O. Sanusi, Prof. A.O Popoola of the Faculty of Law, O.A.U, Ile-Ife, Ambassador Roland Ola Omorua, Nigerian Embassy, Bangui CAR, Pastor (Dr.) J.A Adeniji, S.D.A Conference, Oke-Bola, Ibadan A section of compendium contained those who could be described as beneficiaries as they all described him as a father to all as we can find from pages 163-167. These include Yinka Ayefele, Hafeez Adeaga, Rashidat Ogundele, IyaboYisa and BashiruAyinla all acknowledged that Aare was more of a father to them whom God has made a pillar of success in their lives.

Pages 169.184 contained Tributary Messages.

These are mainly advertorials in National Dailies which opened with what could be described as a poetic ode with the title “Good Night, Aare” written by Governor Ajimobi of Oyo State and his wife.

Last of the tributary messages/advertorials on page 184 announcing, the demise of Aare is a list (36) of Aare’s children.

Arisekola at 70 a Posthumous birthday article on Aaare was last part of the Compedium authored by on pages 185-195 authored by Oloye ‘Lekan Alabi and Ayo Akinyemi published in both The Nation Newspaper (Saturday, February 14, 2015) and February 14, 2015 on page 34 of Saturday Tribune.

In concluding this review, efforts of the editor and all those involved, directly or indirectly in the compilation of this Compendiumare worthy of commendation considering the speed at which the book was published.

Aaare was mirror in this Compendium as a God creation to the service of humaniyt, a special envoy of God to bring smiles to the faces of those that came across him. He came, doggedly ran his race, faithfully delivered on the errand his creator sent and left in a blaze of glory” Suunre o enire Ibadan (good person of Ibadan). Aare Alhaji Abdul Azeez Arisekola Alao, the first (1st) Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland and Aare of Ibadanland and Vice President, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA).

POEM

Our world, our environment

By Benjamin Anabaraonye

Our environment is our entitlement A gift of God to be guarded jealously Let us seek for our world’s betterment A better world for you and me.

Our world is our environment Our duty is to take good care of it With diligence, discipline and contentment Let us take care and keep it fit.

Health is wealth we say So is an environment free from pollution A conducive environment is essential every day We can achieve this through determination.

Let us keep clean our environment For good health is our priority Dirtiness is a detriment Cleanliness is good for you and me.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

ROAD AS BED? Two kids taking a nap on the Lagos Abeokuta Expressway, near FRSC Office, Sango, Ogun State.

PHOTO: OLALEKAN AYENI

Same Boundary: From workshop to galleryy

W

HAT started like an ordinary interaction at a workshop at Green House, Lambe in August last year has evolved into a platform determined to promote art in local communities of Ibafo, Mowe and Ofada in Ogun State.

As a first step, the 5-man exhibiting artists: Stella Ubigho, Oguntimehin Ariyo, Luke Iyorah, Okoro Nathan and Chijioke Nwoga last Saturday held a group art exhibition of sculptures and paintings at the Quintessence Gallery, Park View Ikoyi, Lagos.

The group show tagged Same Boundary is featuring five works by each artists most of which mirror the day to day activities of making a living. They include scenes such as market, milkmaid, party time, overcrowding, celebration and landscape. Apart from borrowing from indigenous imagery, their works lend themselves to contemporary trends.

Thematically, the collection on display tells stories of the dignifying way Nigerians eke their living riding on buses and going through roughages with smiles on their faces.

Ubigho’s Beauty of creation is a landscape painting that highlights the flourishing trees as well as their different characteristics. Will I see you again? is a painting any viewer will give a second look as it highlights the state of insecurity focusing on the missing Chibok girls.

The artist shows a woman staring through a window into the sky asking ‘will I see you again? It is a reminder of the travails many mothers of the missing girls would have been going through since last year April when the Boko Haram militants kidnapped the girls.

Instructively, the artist uses cracked brown walls and the barricade between the mother and the invisible girls to symbolise the state of the nation in terms of security and unity.

Nwoga captures the Lagos women’s social life in Ode ya showing the elegance of head tie most women adorn on during social outings at weekend. Although a metal sculpture, Ode ya is as simple as it is elegant in presentation.

According to Ubigho there is possibility for the group to evolve into another formidable group of exhibiting artists with a strong interest in creating awareness on art in local communities. This, she said, will be carried out through workshops in studios in the communities in order to bring the art closer to the people. Same Boundary will run till June 26 at Qiuntessence Gallery, Park View Ikoyi, Lagos.

•God watches over us by Stella Ubigho

Winners emerge at Tastee Spelling Bee competition

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HE annual Tastee Spelling Bee Competition has come and gone with three popular Lagos Nursery and Primary Schools emerging winners. The one day event took place at the cozy, large hall of Tastee Fried Chicken Festac Town branch eatery. After an intensive competition, the winner’s trophy went to the First Prize winning school New Hall International school,

Lekki, who was represented by Isaac Inemesit Abasi.

The Second Prize went to Corona School, Ikoyi, represented by Imo-Imo Ukpong, while the Third Prize went to Pampers School, Surulere, and was represented by Eshiotse Hemuagbor. The competition had a robust participation with 50 schools competing for the three winning positions.

The

winners all went home with juicy prizes among them a brand new Ipad, computer Laptops and numerous gifts from other corporate organisations that also supported the event.

For the group of boys and girls from the competing schools that were also inside the cozy hall to cheer up their representatives, the organisers of the event Tastee Fried

Chicken ensured that they had a swell time enjoying every moment of the day.

The competition was anchored by Cool Fm popular presenter, Mannie, while presentations were done by the Acting Managing Director of Tastee Fried Chicken Mr Bode Ogunsanwo and Dr Fowoke Akinleye a member board of directors Tastee fried chicken.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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SHOWBIZ

Dare Art Alade to drop next album soon

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OTABLE Nigerian musician, Dare Art Alade, is set to release a brand new album.

Darey as he is popularly called, revealed this on Saturday at the grand finale of the Nigerian Idol, a musical talent competition.

Darey who served as one of the celebrity judges of the competition also performed at the grand finale, while held at Dream Studios, Omole, Lagos.

Wearing a shimmering white danshiki-styled outfit and matching white sneakers, Alade gave an energetic

• Dare

By Joe Agbro Jr.

performance with the backing of six other dancers on the Idols’ stage. At the end of the performance, he dropped the news.

“A new album is coming

soon,” he said, to the delight of his fans in the audience.

Darey, a multi-platinum selling and award-winning musician is the son of renowned Nigerian entertainer, Art Alade.

Kids Say show hits Nigerian screen

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HE Nigerian adaptation of American children’s comedy series, Kids Say the Darndest Things, will hit local television screens next Sunday. The first edition will be aired on AIT Channel 21 and DSTV Channel 253 to celebrate the Father’s Day. The show is sponsored by Etisalat Nigeria through its Cliqlite platform, a learning and development plan for children.

At its premiere, which held last Sunday at the Silverbird Galleria, the sponsors said the show was premised on belief that children often respond to live questions in the most unexpected and amusing ways.

The programme, which will be hosted by Tony Okungbowa, would regularly have children between the ages of two and 10 years as participants.

The Head of Sponsorship and Events, Etisalat Nigeria, Ms Modupe Thani, said: “Etisalat is sponsoring the show because it recognises the importance of education, learning and innovation in the development of children. The show will offer Nigerian children the opportunity to com-

Judith Audu joins Women at the End T is looking to be a seaof the World her career. “I can’t really say, son of achievements for but I hope it works in my

Nollywood actress, blogger and OAP, Judith Audu Foght. Coming a few days after she released riverthemed photos, the actress received an unusual visitor from Poland, Martyna Wojciechowska, an awardwinning filmmaker who specialises in documentary.

According to the actress, Martyna was in Nigeria to shoot a documentary on her as part of her docu-series, Women at the End of the World.

Martyna, who has been travelling around the world for the last seven years, making documentary movies about the most inspiring women in the world, described the Nigerian actress as an incredible and energetic person.

“What was interesting for me was that she decided to do a movie about domestic violence and to fight for women’s rights,” Martyna, who also develops content for National Geographic, said.

“I think that it is very important to also educate people through movies and Judith definitely is doing that. She is well known, she has a great

By Joe Agbro Jr.

radio programme which I had an opportunity to take part in and it was unbelievable.”

Reliving the three days experience, an excited Judith said that it felt surreal.

“I was selected to be the protagonist for the first Nigerian edition,” Judith said.

favour. The series will be broadcast in Poland, France, Japan and some other European Countries. I hope it will boost my career in Nigeria and internationally,” she added.

Women at the End of the World airs on the Polish station, TVN.

“For three days we were together as they were doing a documentary about me. They spoke to my husband, my mother and my friends.

They visited the radio station with me, we were on a movie set together among other things.”

She also expressed optimism that the documentary, which exposes her to a large part of Europe and some parts of Asia, would be good for

• Judith

Mummy Dearest to hit cinemas June 26

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new humorous family flick, Mummy Dearest, featuring Liz Benso-Ameye is set to hit cinemas nationwide by June 26.

In the movie, a loving and

By Joe Agbro Jr.

caring mother tries to stay in-touch... but her son finds it overbearing.

Veteran actor Liz Benson plays the role of the overprotective mother, setting

herself and her son, played

by Daniel K. Daniel, on a collision course Mummy Dearest which was written and directed by Willis Ikedum also features Wendy Elenwo.

Seun Kuti off to New York • Kids Say

By Wale Ajetunmobi

municate and talk better to express themselves among their peers.”

She said the show confirmed the mobile telecommunication company’s belief in making the environments in which it is operating peaceful and sustainable through lifechanging products and services.

The show’s Executive Producer, Chichi Nwoko, said the TV series would be a fantastic show that would be delightful to children and adults,

stressing that Nigerians would be amazed at the level of knowledge children possess.

Nwoko said: “We are excited that a show of this magnitude, which celebrates our children and focuses on family is now in Nigeria. Our key objective is to deliver top-quality family entertainment television show.”

Parents of the children who attended the audition for the show hailed the initiative, saying they looked forward to an entertaining show that will build families and the society.

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FTER successfully completing the European segment of his international tour, Afrobeat musician Seun Kuti is set to continue by performing in the United States.

‘First leg of the European part of the tour is over,’ Seun, son of legendary Afrobeat musician Fela Anikulapo Kuti, wrote on his Facebook page on Monday. ‘New York City here I come.’

Seun is due to perform at Brooklyn Bowl in New York with Ikebe Shakedown on June 19.

The musician who also posted an accompanying

By Joe Agbro Jr.

selfie in a series which he has dubbed #lifeondroad thanked his supporters for being with him at every stage of the tour.

On his current tour which began sometime in May, Seun has performed many gigs across several venues in the France, Norway and the UK.

PAFF-African series to debut in Nigeria

• L-R: Pascal Atumah, Deborah Mangut, Asantewa Olatunji and Ayuko Babu during the agreement signing

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T was another milestone for the Nigerian film industry as the Nigerian Film Industry, the number one Black Film Festival in the world, The Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) is set to debut in Africa starting with Nigeria.

The initiative will be known as PAFF-AFRICAN SERIES, and the maiden edition will take place in Nigeria. The PAFF-AFRICAN series will provide a platform for young African filmmakers and new talents to inter-

act with the best of Black filmmakers around the world, and also open room for co-productions between black people all over the world. In addition it will be a vehicle to showcase the works of the best of African filmmakers, actors, writers etc.

The President/Founder of Pan African Film Festival, Mr. Ayuko Babu said “It is a new day for African Cinema and we are delighted to take our brand to Africa. African Cinema is refreshing to world cinema because of the stories

and talents that abound in Africa, with the Nigerian and South African Film industry leading the pack.

The African representatives include Miss Deborah Mangut and Filmmaker Pascal Atuma. The leader of the group Hon Richard MofeDamijo who joined the signing via conference said “ It is time to take African Cinema to a new level, the day is today and the time is now”.

One of the African Cinema representatives and coordinator of PAFF-AFRICAN SE-

RIES- USA, Filmmaker Pascal Atuma during the signing emphasized “We need PAFF in Africa so the people can see, feel and touch the growth of the industry and also have a first class platform to showcase their talents and work to an International audience. We are very grateful to Mr. Ayuko Babu and the entire PAFF- Los Angeles for opening their doors and bringing this wonderful brand to Africa, it can’t get better than this, it is a beautiful day for the entire African Cinema.

Ms. Deborah Mangut, the coordinator PAFF-AFRICAN SERIE in Africa added “This platform will be a melting point for African and black filmmakers - It is a game changer for black creative talents/filmmakers from across the world. The Date for the maiden edition in Nigeria will be announced soon.

PAFF, a non-profit, corporation is dedicated to the promotion of cultural understanding among peoples of African descent. PAFF is dedi-

cated to racial tolerance through the exhibition of film, art and creative expression established in 1992, has showcase over one hundred fifty (150) quality new films and over one hundred (100) fine artists and unique craft persons from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, South America, Europe, the South Pacific and Canada, all showcasing the diversity and complexity of people of African descent. For the past 16 years PAFF-ATL has put on a summer festival formerly presented by the National Black Arts Festival, exhibiting the best films from PAFF-LA supplemented by Atlanta submissions catering to the Atlanta audience. Both festivals feature special red carpet screenings and receptions as well as a variety of other special events including panels & workshops headed by industry professionals on various topics surrounding acting, directing and other film industry related topics.

PAFF has premiered a host

of top black films including Think Like a Man, Free Angela and All Political Prisoners, Love & Basketball, Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day, Blackbirdand many more. Each Year PAFFLA presents awards of recognition to key industry players and rising stars who have soared in the film industry.

Previous recipients include Forest Whitaker, Loretta Devine, Charles Dutton, Alfre Woodard, Idris Elba, Billy Dee Williams, Sidney Poitier, Nicole Beharie, Omari Hardwick, Phylicia Rashad, David Oyelowo, and a host of other extraordinary industry professionals both before and behind the camera lens.

PAFF collaborates with other festivals from around the world, giving an audience that is truly international. Not only are we the largest and most prestigious black film festival in America but PAFFLA is the largest Black History Month event in the US during the month of February. PAFF is the quintessential Black festival.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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BUSINESS EXTRA

Customs seizes goods with N41.322b duty paid value

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ETWEEN 2009 and last year, a total of 34,485 seizures were made with duty paid value of N41.322 billion, the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has said.

A Deputy ComptrollerGeneral of the NCS Tahir Musa, who made this known yesterday during a meeting between the NCS and textile value chain stakeholders at the NCS Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, Abuja, said the figure excludes recent seizures from

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

Kano and the ones that were made over the weekend.

Presenting a paper titled, ‘Customs Anti-Smuggling Strategy: Issues and Challenges,’ he said the Federal Government is now paying attention to the revenue generated by the NCS following the global fall in government revenue as a result of the more than 50 per cent drop in oil prices. He said the Customs is next to the oil and gas sector in terms of revenue

generation in Nigeria.

Musa said: “Over this weekend the federal operation in Lagos zone seized more than 10,000 bags of rice on the Badagary boarders. The western marine also detected a vessel that was carrying over 2,000 bags.”

According to him, the government has a high expectation from the service in order to ensure economic and national growth.

He said: “A lot is expected of the NCS to ensure the sustenance of economy. One of

the prominent role of the NCS is the generation of revenue, which is only second to the revenue generated from oil.”

He described smuggling as an act of illegal importation or exportation into or out of the country without payment of duty and evasion of prohibition and restriction order without legal document required for that purpose.

Musa said smuggling encompasses false declaration, concealments, willful under-

payment of customs duty, under-invoicing, over-invoicing, trafficking in prohibited or restricted goods.

He said owing to the challenges that local manufacturers face, most of the goods are imported into the country by smugglers.

Musa blamed smuggling on the preference for cheap imported goods, regretting that some companies that were booming in the past have gone down.

The NCS, he said, has put strategies in place to curb the

menace of smuggling with reform measures.

He said the Customs was able to convince the Federal Government to approve the purchase of AK-47 and commando riffle to prosecute the anti-smuggling war, adding that no other agency has ever bought arms from the United States (U,S).

He said:“The NCS has just acquired two high speed patrol boats that have the capacity to carry 30 men on board and has the endurance of two week in the high sea.”

‘Glo has 68% of new internet users’

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•From left: Head, Communications, Philips Africa, Radhika Choksey; General Manager, Personal Health, Philips West Africa, Chioma Iwuchukwu Nweke; General Manager, Philips Lighting West Africa, Felix Dacko and Head, Marketing Philips Lighting, John Westermeyer, during the launch of Philips Buy Original at Protea Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos. PHOTO: JOHN EBHOTA

Stallion eyes 1.5m tonnes in rice production

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TALLION Group is planning to produce 1.5 million tonnes of rice this year.

Leveraging on the policy impetus provided by Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA), the Group said it has already increased local production to 430,000 metric tonnes per annum.

To achieve this target, the firm said it is setting up more milling capacities and structured farming activities. The firm’s investments to boost the rice supply chain is expected to exceed N30 billion in the next few months.

The Group is producing premium varieties of rice from local paddy being marketed by the company under the names “Royal Stallion Shinkafa” and

By Daniel Essiet

“Super Champion’’, which are now amongst the most popular Made-in-Nigeria brands of rice.

Stallion Group Chairman Sunil Vaswani said: “Sensing the need for local selfsufficiency and alignment with the Federal Government’s ambitions for food security, Stallion pioneered investments into backward integration, creating a fully integrated value chain. Stallion is working tirelessly to improve farm yields and bring in sustainable and scalable growth to farmers.”

Within the last 10 years, the Group has established fully integrated agricultural operations, including world-class rice mills at strategic locations, to pro-

mote milling and paddy cultivation in the captive areas. Its activities have increased local production of paddy, thereby contributing to the nation becoming self-sufficient in rice production.

Stallion’s efforts to increase local rice production began as early as 2007, when the associated challenges were more complex.

The company has established several collection centres across rice producing states of Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Niger, Jigawa, Sokoto and Kano, which will assist farmers in understanding modern rice farming techniques. Besides, it will focus on forming associations with various farmers’ cooperatives and progressive farmers with a view to leading the

nation’s rice revolution.

The Group said it is poised to be a leading contributor in the country’s quest for self-sufficiency in rice production.

Its vision is to preserve and enrich rice production by ensuring seeds genetic integrity, encouraging farmers to adopt modern agricultural practices and processing technologies.

Stallion has fully backward integrated rice value chain production programme, including procurement through collection centres, partnership with co-operatives and farmers, logistic and post-harvest services and marketing.

Stallion’s operations also include local manufacturing facilities for packaging and distribution of various products.

Expert to Buhari: Focus on energy, others

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RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has been advised to focus on the energy, oil and gas as well as transport sectors of the economy.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Economic Associates, Dr. Ayo Teriba gave the advice at a breakfast meeting by the Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria (SCGN) in Lagos.

Describing the three sectors as enablers that would ultimately impact on other sectors, Teriba said no meaningful development can be achieved unless there was a cargo rail system in place.

He urged the government to liberalise the transport sector so as to allow for partnerships and other investors, just as he emphasised the need for Ni-

By Precious Igbonwelundu

geria to start refining its own crude.

He said only six of the 46 sectors of the economy were huge, just as he stressed the need for a clear sense of priority in order for change to become a reality.

Teriba said unless there is an effective and efficient cargo rail system in place, manufacturers will forever find it difficult and agriculture will remain uncompetitive.

He urged the government to take the same steps it took in deregulating the telecoms sector in 2001, which eventually brought the sector among the big six from the lowest.

He also advised the government to remove the fiscal au-

tonomy of the revenue generating agencies, in order to block leakages and achieve fiscal adequacy.

He lamented that while the government was broke, its agencies such as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) were rich.

“Nigerian government is inadequate in revenue. Some state governments are owing their workers up to six months salary. It is not that the government does not generate money the size of its economy but it is because the leakages from fiscal process in Nigeria are bigger. The leakages ensure these revenues don’t get to government coffers.

“There are abuses on fiscal policies such as import duties; tax wavers; payment of subsidies for products that were never imported.

“We have large number of revenue collecting agencies in Nigeria enjoying autonomy.

They collect, spend, declare surplus and only remit percentage to the government.

“The government is broke buy many of its agencies are not. NNPC does not even know how many accounts it has, neither does the finance ministry.

“Fiscal autonomies should end. We run an economy of pretence. Our CBN was modelled after the Bank of England but the Bank of England does not enjoy financial autonomy,” he said.

ECOND national opera tor, Globacom, added over a million new internet users on its network in April, this year and thus retained its position as the second largest data service provider in the country.

According to data posted on the website of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Globacom had 19,690,526 subscribers surfing the net with its network in April, up from 18,617,607 users in March.

Globacom, therefore, gained a total of 1,072,919 additional internet users during the period under review. This increase translates to 67.58 per cent of total number of new internet subscriber figure of 1,587,514 for the telecom networks for the month of April.

On the other hand, the NCC data showed that MTN lost 384,487 internet subscribers in April, after it recorded 39,520,285 users, down from 39,904,772 in March this year.

Airtel Nigeria, it said, had 17.2 million internet users in April, as against 16,603,147 customers recorded in March.

The data showed that internet users on the Airtel Nigeria network increased by 669,518 in April.

For Etisalat, 10.4 million of its customers browsed the internet in April, against the

By Lucas Ajanaku

10,189,568 users in March, showing an increase of 231,661 in the new month.

NCC said the number of subscribers browsing the internet on Nigeria’s telecoms networks increased to 87,055,484 in April, up from 85,467,970 users in March.

The data showed that the increase of 1,587,514 internet users during the period was on both the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks in April.

The recent internet subscriber acquisition by Globacom could be linked to the recent massive upgrade and modernization of the operator’s network across the country. The network enhancements have increased the capacity of the network and significantly boosted service quality levels.

Globacom also recently introduced a number of innovative initiatives which give more value for money for the various services the operator provides. One of such was the recently concluded Overload promo which gave subscribers 400 percent bonus for data bundle subscription on renewals of N2,000 and above.

BEDC, Elizade varsity sign MoU on capacity development

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HE Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State, to promote human capital development in the power sector.

The Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of BEDC, Mrs. Funke Osibodu, told reporters in Benin, Edo State, that the MoU was part of efforts of the Disco’s core investor, Vigeo Power Ltd (VPL), to train new and existing personnel on best technical practices for addressing the needs of electricity consumers in the country.

In a statement, Osibodu explained that the five-year partnership would cover the cost of training facilities in the university and remuneration of staff drawn from both in-house and private institution.

She said the Disco had recruited about 200 graduates in relevant fields in electricity management who had received on-the-job and rotational training and were set to commence the classroom training in the university, which she said shared the vision of the company.

“This signing of a MoU commits us to work together closely towards our common goal, which is grooming a crop of skilled workforce as a way of building capacity in the power sector.

“Each party will pursue numerous significant activities such as effective classroom trainings, field work, physical activities and community development projects to mention a few,” she added.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Valentine Aletor, described the initiative as a timely intervention to address major challenges such as human capital deficit and corruption practice in the power sector.

Aletor said: “VIPL-EU joint initiative is to engender government- industry-university partnership in research and innovation for the projection of local initiatives, which would ultimately lead to the building of homemade alternative, indigenous technologies that are easily adaptable to solving the emerging technical and engineering problems that have bedevilled electricity generation and distribution in Nigeria.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

54

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 16-06-15

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 16-06-15

Union Bank outlines growth plan as shareholders laud performance

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NION Bank of Nigeria (UBN) Plc would further consolidate its growth this year by focusing on four key priorities while aggressively pursuing its overall aim of being a simpler and smarter bank driven extensively by cutting-edge technologies.

Group managing director, Union Bank of Nigeria (UBN) Plc, Mr. Emeka Emuwa, yesterday at the bank’s annual general meeting outlined the strategic growth plan of the bank to shareholders.

According to him, the bank would further drive its performance in 2015 by focusing on proactive risk management; driving low cost deposits by leveraging new business model; effective cost management and proactive capital management to ensure regulatory compliance and effective utilization of capital.

He said the performance of the bank in 2014 underlined

By Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

the success of the management strategy as the impressive growth in earnings was driven largely by operational performance rather than external gains.

“While one-off gains of N6.3 billion from sale of subsidiaries added significant boost to profits, we were able to grow profitability from our core operations, combined with our effective cost management initiatives which stabilized our costs, and kept expenses flat year-on-year,” Emuwa said.

Union Bank recorded 28 per cent growth in net operating income from N60.9 billion in 2013 to N77.9 billion, while the group’s net operating income rose by 34 per cent from N63.9 billion in 2013 to N85.7 billion in 2014 largely due to one-time events. The bank grew profit before tax by N16 billion, closing the year with N20.7 billion as against N4.2 billion in 2013.

Group’s pre-tax profit jumped to N27.7 billion in 2014 as against N3.8 billion in 2013.

The bank’s cost-to-income ratio improved from 74 per cent in 2013 to 68 per cent in 2014. Group’s cost-to-income ratio consequently improved from 75 per cent to 63 per cent, after deduction of restructuring costs. The bank’s balance sheet remained strong with total assets of the bank and group closing the year at N920.9 billion and N1.01 trillion respectively.

“We are pleased to say that we improved shareholder value by increasing return on average equity from 3.0 per cent in 2013 to 10 per cent in 2014 for the bank and from 2.0 per cent in 2013 to 13 per cent in 2014 for the group. Earnings per share improved from 30 kobo to 121 kobo in 2014 for the bank and from 37 kobo to 157 kobo in 2014 for the group,” Emuwa said to the admiration of shareholders.

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 16-06-15

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

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MONEYLINK

CBN recalls suspended BDCs to forex market

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HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has commenced recall of some of the suspended Bureau De Change (BDC) operators to the foreign exchange (Forex) market, The Nation learnt yesterday.

President, Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), Alhaji Aminu Gwdabe said 164 out of the 437 BDCs which were barred from accessing the $30,000 weekly dollar sales by the CBN have started accessing the fund.

He said the remaining BDCs will be integrated into the market as soon as they pay the N2 million fine for non-rendition of their monthly returns to the apex bank.

The Nation had at the weekend, exclusively reported that the CBN suspended 437 BDC operators from accessing its weekly dollar sales. The affected BDCs are said to have

Stories by Collins Nweze

defaulted in providing detailed reports on how previous dollars sourced from the regulator were utilised.

Sources said the level of abuse was so massive that the CBN decided to impose sanctions to serve as deterrent to others.

“Given that the BDCs were long viewed as a potential source of forex leakage in the system, these measures should boost confidence in the sustainability of the forex band,” one of the sources said.

CBN Director of Communications, Ibrahim Mu’azu said he was aware of the sanctions but cannot confirm the number of affected BDCs. Gwadabe also confirmed the development, but described the sanctions as punitive.

Gwadabe said the CBN would make over N1 billion

when the 437 BDCs pay the stipulated penalties and that will add undue pressure on the finances of the operators already wailing from the burden of increased capital base and N35 million mandatory cautionary deposit.

“My suggestion to the CBN is that instead of demobilising the affected BDCs for non-rendition by denying them access to forex market, their N35 million cautionary deposit should be debited with the penalty sum,” he said.

This is coming as CBN had last week, licensed additional 70 BDCs, bringing the total approved operators to 2,688 since the request that operators increase their capital base from N10 million to N35 million plus another cautionary deposit of N35 million kept with the CBN. There were 3,208 registered BDCs before the apex bank ordered them to recapitalise latest by July 31, 2014.

IMB Energy Master Fund records N341m income

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HE IMB Energy Master Fund’s income rose by 26 per cent to N341.01 million in the firm’s audited results for the year ended June 30, 2014.

In a statement, the firm said shareholders of the firm would by this month-end, hold the Fund’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos where they will consider the report and its financial statements.

The firm is managed by First City Asset Management Limited (a subsidiary of CSL Stockbrokers Limited, a member of FCMB Group Plc).

The meeting, it said, would among other things, seek approval of the Amended and

A

Restated Trust Deed, which formally changes the name of the Fund from IMB Energy Master Fund to Legacy Short Maturity NGN Fund. The Fund’s investment strategy would be significantly altered, as the new Fund would no longer invest in equities but money market instruments and short-dated bonds.

The Chief Executive Officer of First City Asset Management Limited, James Ilori, said that the Central Bank of Nigeria’s tight monetary policy stance, as shown by increases in the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) on both public and private sector deposits, created some level of uncer-

tainty in markets.

He said the new Legacy Short Maturity NGN Fund is specifically designed for individuals who seek to preserve capital and generate stable income.

The client only requires twenty-five thousand units, to invest in this relatively lowrisk Fund.

As the manager of the Fund, First City Asset Management Limited ensures that the public subscribe to the Fund and thereafter invests such money in Money Market Instruments, Federal, State and Local Government bonds, Governmentguaranteed and Agency bonds, Supranational bonds and Corporate bonds.

Skye Bank rewards customers

BUSINESSMAN residing in Kaduna, Kaduna State, and Mukaila B. Hamza has emerged the first winner of N1milion in Skye Bank’s ‘Reach for the Skye Millionaire Reward’ scheme.

Hamza, a former Mainstreet Bank account holder, now merged with Skye Bank, became the first winner of the scheme, following an electronic draw from over 400, 000 customers, during the unveiling of Skye Bank’s new retail banking project, tagged, ‘Retail Transformation and Growth’, R-TAG. A surprise congratulatory phone call was made to the winner by Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Mr. Timothy

Oguntayo, who urged him to invest his reward wisely and continue his loyalty to the bank.

Speaking earlier at the launch of the project in Lagos, Mr. Oguntayo, assured that the new business transformation project would bring about customized and needs-satisfying financial solutions in a manner that will exceed the expectations of the customers.

“Our renewed drive and focus on retail banking is anchored on the premise of building a long lasting relationship with our customers based on trust as well as supporting the financial inclusion drive of the Central Bank of Nigeria so as to bring a lot

more people into the financial system and the formal economy.”

Executive Director, Southsouth, Southeast and Retail Banking, Mrs. Ibiye Ekong said the ‘Reach for the Skye Millionaire Reward’ scheme was instituted by the bank to encourage savings culture amongst the mass market segment.

Mrs. Ekong added, “Skye Bank is not just encouraging customers to save, but we are also rewarding customers for doing this. In the end, the scheme is a win-win for both our esteemed customers and Skye Bank as we seek to grow our customer base.”

Sterling Plus Account unveiled

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TERLING Bank Plc yesterday inaugurated the New Sterling Plus account to meet the increasing needs of its customers.

The bank’s Executive Director, Suleiman Abubakar said the product is in line with the bank’s customercentric focus in delivering “solution” for its target market segment.

He described the product as an “affordable” hybrid offering with the promise of many goodies and freebies such as free Lenovo smartphones pre-loaded with cool financial and environmental apps and cash rewards amongst others for

its individual customers.

“It is the perfect solution for individuals interested in enjoying the exciting benefits of both current and saving account offerings without the associated cost of running a current account. Customers are entitled to free cheque books, free debit card and free SMS alerts on their transactions,” he said.

The bank, he said, conducted an extensive market research on the needs of its existing and potential customers before the product was developed.

He explained that the choice of goodies for customers especially “the free

smartphones” was in consideration for the increasing demand and use of mobile platforms in the Nigerian market “With apps such as the sterling mobile banking (banking on the go), solo music which gives access to over 20 million songs from local and foreign artistes, solo movies which is an affordable pay per view access to the latest Hollywood, bollywood, nollywood movies and the billionaire club pre-installed on it, customers are assured of having an exciting experience with fulfilling banking, entertainment, financial literacy needs,” he said.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

NEWS ‘Nigerians should be patient with Buhari’ From Ogochukwu Anioke, Abakaliki

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CHIEFTAIN of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi State, Comrade Chinedu Ogah, has urged Nigerians to be patient with President Muhammadu Buhari over appointment of key officers.

He said rather than ‘crucify’ the president, Nigerians should support him to succeed by bringing ideas that will help the country grow.

He said: “Appointing people into key positions is not the issue; Buhari should be allowed to carefully select people of honour and integrity; people that can help him pilot the affairs of this country.

“If he fails the people’s expectations, the same people condemning him for being too slow will blame him. So he should carefully select those that can assist him to succeed, he should not rush the appointments,” he said.

•From left: Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike; Vice Chancellor, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Prof.

Barrineme Fakae; Secretary-General, Association of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities Prof. Micheal Faborode and Head, National Information Technology Development Agency Mr Peter Jack, at the 30th Conference of Association of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, in Port Harcourt...yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

We don’t owe salary arrears, says Okorocha

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MO State Governor Rochas Okorocha has described as unfounded, allegations that the state government owed workers 11 months salary.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, Okorocha said he was

From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

compelled to react following calls and reports by people seeking to know the truth.

The statement reads: “Some patriotic Nigerians and Imo citizens in particular, have been inundating senior offi-

cials of the Imo State Government with calls, following reports that the Rochas Okorocha-led government owed workers eleven months salary arrears.

“The truth is that government does not owe civil servants or the teachers. We make

this claim to be contradicted with verifiable reports. What we owe is May salary and we are about to pay.

“We have decided to make this factual claim so that those behind the report can come out with their own facts to back their claim”.

FUTO to mentor first Imo private varsity

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HE Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) has been chosen by the National University Commission (NUC) to mentor the first private university in Imo State, the Hezekiah University, Umudi (HUU).

Vice Chancellor Prof Chigozie Asiabaka said yesterday at a news conference to mark his four years in office that

From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

FUTO was selected in recognition of its landmark achievements in providing academic and administrative advice, as well as sending periodic reports to NUC in the last five years.

Asiabaka noted that since he became the VC, the institution had soared to greater heights, especially at getting new pro-

grammes fully accredited.

He added that the institution recently graduated the first set of Optometry doctors as the Optometrists and Dispensing Optician Registration Board of Nigeria (ODORBN) granted interim accreditation to the department.

The VC however lamented the continued encroachment on the school’s land by the host communities, describing

it as worrisome.

“It is sad that despite efforts at improving relationship with our host communities, the issue of encroachment, disruption of university activities and destruction of school property is yet to be resolved because some unscrupulous members of the host are still encroaching on the school land for pecuniary benefits,” Asiabaka said.

Residents protest poor power supply

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ESIDENTS of Awada in Onitsha, Anambra State, yesterday, marched on the streets, protesting poor power supply by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC).

The protesters carried placards, with various inscriptions such as: “EEDC give us prepaid meters”; “Old PHCN is better than EEDC”; “EEDC officials are taking us for granted”, among others.

They marched on EEDC offices in Awada and Ogidi,

•Demand pre-paid meters From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

where they handed their petitions to the officers on duty.

The protesters accused EEDC workers of sharp practices, even as they lamented nonreading of meters, outrageous estimated bills, electricity surges and outages, total blackout, removal of transformer fuses and deploying same to preferred customers.

The petition, signed by their counsel, A.C. Aneke, reads: “It is worthy to note that despite promises to install pre-paid meters in our houses, we still operate the analogue system because of the corruption of EEDC workers.

“The epileptic power supply has disrupted social and economic activities, making living unbearable.

“The current situation is un-

acceptable to us; we can no longer tolerate it and that is why we want EEDC to address our complaints”.

Addressing the protesters, EEDC’s official, Fred Ugwu said the company was not deliberately denying the consumers steady power. He assured them that EEDC was prepared to serve them faithfully.

He also praised them for their peaceful protest, saying that their complaints would be tabled before the management.

Police recover ammunition, arrest car snatchers in Abia

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HE police in Abia State have recovered a large cache of live ammunition from Ugba na Nkata Primary School, Bende Road, Umuahia.

It was learnt that a teacher alerted the police after some pupils discovered the ammunition covered with dried leaves.

The police dispatched its Explosive Ordinances Department (EOD) officers to the spot where about 1,233kg of 7.62mm (Long) live ammunition was exhumed.

As of the time of filing this report, the police were still searching for more ammunition or other explosives.

In another development, the Aba Area Command has arrested two men, ThankGod Onyebuchi and Egwim Onyekachi, sus-

Otti greets Saraki, Dogara

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HE All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate in Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, has congratulated Dr Bukola Saraki and Alhaji Yakubu Dogara on their victories.

Otti expressed confidence that the duo would lead the National Assembly through a successful tenure.

He described the Senate President and Speaker as intelligent, bold, experienced and visionary leaders, who have graduated to the pinnacle of the country’s political leadership.

The APGA chieftain praised the maturity exhibited by the lawmakers and appealed that they sink their differences and work together for the good of the people.

“The seventh Assembly recorded remarkable feat with the demonstrable peace, tranquillity and stable leadership that became the hallmark of the leadership of former Senate President

•Otti From Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia

David Mark and Speaker Aminu Tambuwal.

“The current National Assembly should not go below the set standard; Nigerians expect that the present leadership will sustain the peace and stability and also improve on them,” he said.

Otti implored the 8th National Assembly to enact laws that would advance democracy as well as drive the present administration’s agenda for a positive change.

Panel demands arrest of three council chairmen From Ogochukwu Anioke, Abakaliki

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NINE-MAN committee set up by the Ebonyi State House of Assembly to probe financial dealings of the 13 local governments has asked the Speaker, Fancis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru, to issue a warrant of arrest against three council bosses for failing to honour the committee’s invitation.

Committee chairman and Deputy Speaker, Odefa Obasi Odefa made the request while presenting its interim report during Tuesday’s plenary.

The chairman said the committee covered Afikpo South, Ivo, Ohaozara, Ezza South and Onicha councils and what was common was huge withdrawals from the councils’ accounts and non-adherence to E-payment.

He said those who should not handle funds were assigned to withdraw millions. Odefa added that the HODs of works were the major culprits because they sometimes withdrew cash using their names. In some cases, the councils pay money into private accounts for no reason, he said.

“We equally found that between April 9 and 10, a huge amount was withdrawn in virtually all the accounts of the LGAs,” Odefa added.

House leader Joseph Nwaobashi moved a motion that the matter be deferred till the committee concludes its report. It was seconded by Julius Nwokpor Nwifuru put the motion on voice vote and it was unanimously adopted.

The affected chairmen are: Edwin Okeh (Ezza South), Chaka Nweze (Ohaozara) and Chief Egwu Chima (Afikpo North).

FARIM holds revival/Night of Prophesy

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•The ammunition...yesterday From Sunny Nwankwo, Aba

pected to be members of a car snatching gang operating between Aba and Port Harcourt.

Onyebuchi and Onyekachi

were arrested at a fast food joint at Tonimas junction on the outskirts of Aba after a tip-off by officers from the Abayi Police Division.

A Toyota Camry, fake naval identity cards and mili-

tary camouflage were recovered from them.

A senior police officer who for pleaded anonymity, said the suspects were being interrogated and would be prosecuted later.

HE quarterly revival of the Freedom Foundation Apostolic Revival International Ministry (FARIM) began on Monday, June 15 at 5pm at the church Headquarters, No. 30, Ajisebi-Ara Mecca Street, Opposite Low Cost Housing Estate, Sabo-Ikorodu.

Another all-night session tagged: ‘Night of Prophesy’

will begin today at 10pm.

Venue is 32, Olayiwola Street, New Oko-Oba/Abule-Egba, Lagos.

General Overseer, Prophet Sam Ojo Omoloju Jesu said God will bring much revival to Ikorodu, adding that Oko-Oba, Agege and Abule-Egba worshippers will receive God’s visitation.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

57

NEWS

Man, 51, remanded for ‘raping’ Corps member to death A N Ilorin Magistrate’s Court has remanded a 51- yearold man, Abdullahi Tanko, for allegedly raping a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to death in Kwara State.

The deceased, Idowu Yetunde Shukurat, was a member of the 2014 batch B set. She served with the state Broadcasting Corporation (Radio Kwara), Ilorin.

Her body was reportedly found about a month ago at the GRA, Ilorin.

The suspect and his ac-

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

complices, now on the run, allegedly lured the girl from her home at Sawmill to Tanko’s home at Plot 6, Simion Okedi Street, Ukpabi Asika Junction, GRA, Ilorin where she was raped to death.

Police prosecutor Inspector Matthew Ologbon told the court that they received a distress call that day to go to Simeon Okedi Street,

GRA. He said when they got there, they found the late Corps member on the ground in a pool of blood.

The prosecutor said the suspect and his gang defiled the deceased inside their car, resulting in her death.

He added that they later dumped her body at a nearby junction.

Ologbon said the police located Tanko’s home through the bloodstains of

the deceased and he was arrested, adding that her phone was found with the suspect at the time of his arrest.

According to him, efforts were on to arrest Tanko’s accomplices.

The prosecutor urged the court to remand the suspect in prison custody until others are arrested.

Magistrate K.A. Yahaya ordered that the accused be remanded in Mandala Minimum Prison, Ilorin.

He adjourned the case till August 10 for further hearing.

APC chieftain attacked in Makurdi

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HE Director (Liaison), Ortom/ Abounu Campaign Organisation, Mr. Johnson Agada, narrowly escaped being killed yesterday by suspected hoodlums in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

His political associate, Tony Odoh, was, however, not lucky, as he was stabbed with broken bottles in the chest. His ear was almost cut off.

Narrating the incident, Agada, an engineer, said they were in a popular hotel relaxing about 11pm when suddenly the state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Abba Yaro, allegedly appeared with five thugs.

He alleged: “When the hoodlums saw Tony, who was relaxing with some friends, they thought I was the one and pounced on him, beating him to a pulp.”

Agada alleged that one of

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

the thugs broke a bottle of wine and hit Tony in the head, adding that his ear was almost cut off.

“They also stabbed him in the chest. He was soaked in blood. They later dragged him out of the hotel and dumped him in a gutter, thinking he was dead.”

Agada alleged that he was attacked because of his ambition to become the caretaker committee chairman of Ogbadigbo Local Government and his influence as the director of Liaison, Ortom/Abounu Campaign Organisation, which contributed to the success of the APC at the polls.

Odoh, who is being treated at an undisclosed hospital, told our correspondent that all he knew was that he was stabbed and he found himself in hospital after regaining consciousness.

He said: “I thank God for

K

From Abdulgafar Alabelewe, Kaduna

According to him, his government recognised health as being important, adding: “We have identified it as one of the priorities of this administration.”

El-Rufai said the goal of the present administration was to give the people good healthcare services.

“In this quest, we seek results that will place our state on top concerning healthcare delivery,” he added.

The governor noted that the improvement of the

A •Odoh on the hospital bed...yesterday

saving my life.”

Comrade Yaro denied the allegation. He told The Nation on the phone that he did not know anything about the matter, as he was in his room sleeping at 11pm when the incident occurred.

His words: “It’s a false and baseless allegation. I

PHOTO: UJA EMMANUEL

did not attack anyone. I was in my room sleeping at the time the alleged attack was carried out.”

Our reporter visited the hotel room where the victim was allegedly attacked and saw bloodstains.

Police spokesman Austine Ezeani said he was yet to be briefed.

health sector became imperative because it had been neglected over the years.

His words: “This government refuses to accept that it is too broke to save lives.

“We are committed to devoting more resources to improve the life chances of our people. To free these resources, we are focused on reducing the cost of governance.

“This is why the deputy governor and I have decided to donate 50 per cent of our salary and allowances to the basket treasury.

“We look forward to col-

laborating with you in achieving our goals in the health sector.

“We seek improvement in healthcare outcomes for our people because the present situation is unacceptable.

“Kaduna State has the second highest HIV prevalence and only 36 per cent of mothers have the benefit of being attended to by skilled birth attendants.

“There are about 100,000 avoidable deaths every year, which translates to a life lost every three days.

“This government refuses to accept fatalism.”

Ganduje advocates Kano– Burkina Faso joint commission

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ANO State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has advocated a Kano–Burkina Faso joint commission to facilitate trade.

The governor, who was receiving in his office the Burkinabe Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Piabie Firmin Gregoire Ndo, said the commission would enhance cross-border movement of agricultural products and livestock as well as facilitate mutually- beneficial economic activities.

He said the Kano State

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

government would facilitate the meeting, which will bring together government officials, members of the business community, Immigration officials, the police and officials of the Central Bank from both sides, to discuss the way forward regarding social and economic relations.

Ganduje, who said he visited Burkina Faso three years ago as the vice pres-

A

N All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Vice Admiral Murtala Nyako, has urged Adamawa State senators and members of the House of Representatives to ensure that they not only represent the state well, but fight for it when the need arises.

The ex-naval chief, who spoke at a community reception in honour of his son, Navy Commander Abdulaziz, who has been elected as a senator representing Adamawa Central, enjoined the legislators to unite for the benefit of Adamawa so that the people will benefit from their services.

The reception, which was attended by thousands of supporters of the former governor, was organised to celebrate his return from exile and the victory of his son.

The chairman of the occasion and two-time Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, Alhaji Hassan Turaki, said the event was organised to celebrate the return

From Barnabas Manyam, Yola

of Nyako, who contributed to the state’s development.

Said he: “We voted for your son because of the laudable human development programmes you put in place when you were the governor.

We shall continue to remember that goodwill.”

The Director-General of the AbdulAziz Campaign Organisation and a leader of the APC in the zone, Alhaji Isa Bagalci, said it was good for a human being to embrace selflessness in his endeavours, noting that the good seed planted by Nyako germinated to the election of his son to represent the senatorial district.

Adamawa State Chairman of APC, Alhaji Shuaibu Yamusa, recalled that during his days as the governor, Nyako instituted educational and youth empowerment programmes that touched the lives of the people, hence the massive support the APC got in the last elections.

Kogi governorship poll: I’m not fronting for anyone, says Baba-Ali

El-Rufai: we’re committed to saving lives ADUNA State Governor Nasir El-Rufai said yesterday that his administration was committed to the reversal of the state’s poor healthcare delivery.

He noted that a situation where the state had the second highest HIV prevalence was unacceptable.

The governor, who spoke at the opening ceremony of the Kaduna State Health Summit at the new complex of the Government House, said his administration was committed to the provision of a functional healthcare system.

Nyako urges Adamawa federal lawmakers to fight for state

ident of Tabital Pulaku, a Fulani international nongovernmental organisation (NGO), stressed the need for governments in West Africa to cooperate and address cross-border movements of the Fulani, especially in view of the prevailing security challenges in parts of the region.

Amb. Ndo stressed the need for closer relations between Kano and Burkina Faso, considering the long existing cultural, religious, economic and his-

torical ties between people of the two places.

The envoy dwelt on the leadership role of Nigeria in Africa, saying the country’s recent successful elections has set a good example for African countries.

He hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for his leadership role in working hard to restore security to the West African sub-region, noting that his recent meeting with some leaders in the region was a step in the right direction.

FRONTLINE aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the October governorship election in Kogi State, Alhaji Sulaiman Baba-Ali, has said the allegation of fronting for another aspirant was unfounded, laughable, wicked and ridiculous.

Baba-Ali, who was fielding questions from reporters, said he was coming into the race for the first time to make a difference and bring change that would work for all, adding that he was not in the race to front for anyone.

He said: “My mates have been governors for eight years and have been senators for four or eight years.

How can I then come into the race to front for somebody? If you check my background, I was commissioner in 1999. That was a long time ago. I was executive director in a public-quoted company in the Nigeria Stock exchange as far back as 1989. Then in 2015, I am fronting for somebody? I feel insulted. Why should

people think such about me?

“I am running for the governor and by the grace of Allah, I will get the ticket. I will bring about change that works for all Kogites, the civil service. A change that will work for the Ebira man, the Okun man or the Igala man.

A change that will work for farmers. A change that will bring about fairness and equity.

“This is not about getting the governorship seat so that you can take vengeance on an Igala man, because an Igala man has been holding power for 12 years, or you are going in there as a western senatorial district man to grab all the power and give it only to your people. My agenda is to bring about a change that will be fair to all, because we all own Kogi State. So the issue of fronting for somebody is ridiculous and insulting.”

Baba-Ali said if elected, the state would experience development in education, economy, rural development and human and natural development.

Baptists hold quarterly assembly, meeting •Celebrate Fathers’ Day

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HE second quarterly assembly of the Itesiwaju Baptist Association holds on Saturday at Ajayi Dahunsi Memorial Baptist Church, 55/57, Akanro Street, Ilasamaja, Lagos, from 9am.

It will be presided over by the Moderator, Rev. Gbenga Ojo of Araba Baptist Church, Ilasamaja, Lagos and Consultant, Rev. Adenrele Philip Oyeyemi of First Baptist Church (FBC), Itire, Lagos.

The Executive Committee meeting of the Lagos East Baptist Conference will also take place on Saturday at the Conference Room, Baptist Academy, Obanikoro, Lagos, from 10am.

The Conference President, Dr. Emmanuel Awotunde, said members should attend punctually, adding that kingdom matters and other busi-

By Tokunbo Ogunsami

nesses affecting the conference would be discussed.

The men of FBC, 12, Oremerin Street, Itire, Lagos, under the aegis of the Men Missionary Union (MMU), will on Sunday celebrate the Fathers’ Day. MMU spokespersons, Messrs Biodun Popoola and Michael Okerinde, said members, who have distinguished themselves as responsible fathers and loving husbands, would be honoured on the occasion.

The minister-in-charge, Rev. Oyeyemi, wished members a long life and good health to celebrate the event and other Baptist occasions.

Fathers’ Day will also be celebrated by other churches in the Nigerian Baptist Convention.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

NEWS Cross River governor gives thumbs up to Buhari

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ROSS River State Governor Ben Ayade has dismissed insinuations that President Muhammadu Buhari appears slow in taking decisions on critical national issues.

Ayade said rather, the President has so far have shown that he is a strategist and a skillful planner who would like to take his time to plan rather than take rash decisions that will lead to unpleasant consequences.

“Those who want the President to embark on hasty policy decisions have a poor reading of who Buhari is and they do not really understand him. Any attempt by the President to hurriedly hit the ground running without any strategic thinking and planning will ultimately lead to loss of steam,” he said.

Ayade said President Buhari

has so far shown maturity and understanding of issues besetting the country, and he is prepared to tackle them headlong.

“For me, the President has demonstrated a good grasp of the issues on ground. The way he has gone about galvanizing needed support to tackle the Boko Haram conundrum shows him as s master strategist on crisis management and containment. It is only a good war strategist who could take the decision he has taken by relocating the military command to the epicenter of Boko Haram insurgency.

“Also, as a former head of state, he knows exactly the challenges of governance. That is why he does not appear to be overwhelmed by them.”

On corruption, Ayade said:

“The President’s critics expect him to use might to fight corruption, but that is not the way. That approach had failed in the past.

So, he is being more tactical in his approach to fighting the scourge by applying the wisdom of Solomon and the prudence of a jurist. And that is the hallmark of an astute administrator.”

Ayade said the Peoples Democratic Partyis ready and willing to provide a credible opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“It is gratifying to note that the pain and disappointment that attended the loss of the presidential election to the APC is gradually being overcome. We have decided to forge ahead as a party and allow reason to prevail in the overall interest of the country,” he stated.

Buhari to probe Jonathan’s $9.7m arms deal Continued from page 4

ries to my election is a proof that Nigerians know what they want once they make up their minds. You can give them the money, some refuse to take it, some took it and said it is our money and they do exactly what they wanted to do.

“So, why did I join partisan politics in spite of that? When I went home people knew that I have no money I thought they will leave me alone, but they didn’t. They were coming to me, asking me to do this and do that. And I found that the only way I could do it is by joining partisan politics. And maybe if I speak even if I’m not a member at any level, people will listen to me.

“The second that happened that finally convinced me to join partisan politics was what happened to Soviet Union.

You know the Soviet Union was an empire in the 20th century that collapsed without a shot being fired. Everybody went home. There was confusion. Now there are 18 countries out of the old Soviet Union. They were more advanced than the western countries in science because they

wanted to go to space specifically in 1957, and they had more nuclear war heads and delivering system than Warsaw.

“And they had organised their societies and they had much less crimes and they got jobs for people. When people had no jobs they got one for them. And that was when I decided and I believed that the best form of governance is multi-parties democracy with a big caveat: election must be free and fair. And that was why I was in trouble. I moved from APP to ANPP to CPC, eventually to APC. Buhari wished he got to be president when he was younger in age.

He said: “How I wish I became head of state when I was a governor, just a few years as a young man. Now at 72, there is a limit to what I can do. But what brought me there I think mainly is because I love this country. I was in the war front for 30 months during our civil war, I lost a lot of loyal people to me, I lost a relative, a lot of Nigerians did too. We lost about two million Nigerian lives just to keep Nigeria one.

So nobody should come now and tell us rubbish. We are going to remain one country God has given us another opportunity to reorganise this country. Those who work hard, the society will pay them back.”

Speaking earlier, the ConsulGeneral of Nigeria in South Africa, Ambassador Uche Ajulu-Okeke, told President Buhari that 143 Nigerians were killed in South Africa between 2011 and 2014; 81 were in Johannesburg prison.

“Out of this 81 Nigerians, 21 have been convicted,” she said, Ajulu-Okeke also disclosed that shops and other property worth millions of Rands belonging to Nigerians were destroyed during the recent xenophobic attacks.

The President of the Nigerian Union in South Africa, Mr. Ikechukwu Anyene, congratulated Buhari on his election and inauguration, saying “your victory is victory over poverty, hunger and signals hope for the common man”.

Ayene urged the president to facilitate compensation for Nigerians affected by the xenophobic attacks.

‘Why there is massive corruption in NNPC’ Continued from page 4

it was assented to by the President and we believe that it is important that the National Assembly takes this as one of the priority Bills for the 8thAssembly so that if it is not assented to by the President, we know that the National Assembly has powers to ensure that this Bill comes into effect.

“We also know that the Na-

tional Assembly worked on the issue of the Electoral Act Amendment.

“The 2011 elections were conducted and lessons learnt from those elections, which were included in that amendment made in the Electoral Act. “We know that the National Assembly passed that amendment but we did not have any indication that the former President assented to it.

“Very importantly, we know that the Constitution was amended by this National Assembly and the amendments that were made were the farreaching amendments of any amendment to a life document.

“This amendment covers making justifiable some of these institutional and economic rights as contained in the present constitution.”

Governors seek bailout for states Continued from page 4

issue of oil theft.

“There are other issues like the crude swap. We have the gas revenues which have never reflected before. We have the mismanagement of oil subsidy. A few years ago, we paid about N200 million. Today, it is about N1.4 trillion. We are worried".

He said further the forum decided to intervene in the crisis starring the party in the face as a result of the election of the leadership of the National Assembly.

He said: "We also have congratulated the leadership of the National Assembly. That is the leaders of the ?National Assembly. We are aware that the process attracted a lot of disagreements here and there.

We, the governors of the party have resolved to embark on a peace process to make sure that we return as members of

one family we have always been.

"We have also discussed how to strengthen our party.

“This is the party that brought change and that change must stand. We will make the party meet the desires of our great members.

“We are assuring Nigerians that we will remain focused

and address some of the issues".

Some of the governors at the meeting apart from Okorocha are: Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos) Tanko Al Makura (Nasarawa), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje ( Kano), and Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo).

Ramadan: New moon likely today Continued from page 4

Muslims to watch out for the moon today.

This is part of the communiqué issued after its meeting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

It was signed by its Secretary-General, Sheik A.O. Aladesawe and Publicity Secretary, Sheikh Habeebullahi Adam Al-Ilory.

Besides, the group also congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari and subsequent

inauguration.

Although the clerics acknowledged that going by the track record of the president as a former head of state, they had no doubt that he would perform, they however urged him to fulfill his electioneering promises.

The group said, “As a worthy and an exemplary Muslim, we urge our president to live up to his campaign promises as we are ready to support him with prayers.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015

FOREIGN NEWS

Egypt court upholds ousted President Morsi's death sentence

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N Egyptian court yesterday confirmed the death sentence of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi over the mass 2011 prison break that eventually brought him to power, making him the first leader in Egypt's modern history to potentially face execution.

While this is the first death sentence for Morsi, courts have handed out hundreds of similar sentences against Islamists in mass trials since his 2013 overthrow and a mass crackdown on dissent in Egypt.

The ruling, which will be automatically reviewed by Egypt's highest appeals court, brought no immediate outcry on the streets as thousands remain imprisoned, though the country faces threats from Islamic extremists, including an affiliate of the Islamic State group.

It is not clear if Morsi will be executed. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who led the military's ouster of Morsi, repeatedly has defended the independence of the judiciary, though their mass rulings have faced international criticism.

Morsi, who served a year as Egypt's first freely elected president, appeared in court yesterday in a blue prison uniform, enclosed in a cage separate from other defendants held in a glass-covered cage covered in mesh wire. He first raised his arms to cameras and those in the courtroom. He listened to the verdict with a slight smile, but said nothing.

Presiding judge also confirmed death sentences for five other imprisoned leading members of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, including Mohammed

Badie, the group's leader, and Saad el-Katatni, the head of its short-lived political party. Another 21 imprisoned defendants received life sentences in the case, which in Egypt is equivalent to 25 years in prison. Another 93 defendants were tried in absentia and sentenced to death, though they will be automatically retried once they are in custody.

Defendants in the case were found guilty of conspiring and attempting to kill police officers in the mass breakout targeting three Egyptian prisons, enabling some 20,000 inmates to flee, causing chaos in Egypt and breaching its borders with the Gaza Strip. Al-Shami said the prison break received help from the Palestinian Hamas movement, Lebanon's Hezbollah and Sinai militants.

Nigerians report new xenophobia attack in know the whereabouts of the HE Nigerian Union in South South Africa not other Nigerians,’’ he said.

Africa yesterday reported

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new xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other foreigners in Sternkopf, Namakwa Municipality, Northern Cape Province of South Africa.

The President of the Union, Mr Ikechukwu Anyene, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Pretoria, South Africa, that the Northern Cape Province Chapter Chairman of the Union reported the incident to its National Secretariat. ‘’The National Secretariat of Nigeria Union has received report of xenophobic attacks from Mr Kennedy Osagie, the Northern

Cape Province chapter chairman of the union. ‘’The report indicated that South Africans attacked Nigerians.

“Two cars belonging to Nigerians have been reportedly burnt and they have been going from house to house looting and destroying their property,’’ he said.

Anyene, who said that there were 20 Nigerians living in the affected community, added that none had been reported dead in the incident. ‘’Six Nigerians have taken refuge with their families in nearby SpringBok community and they do

He said that the Union had reported the incident to the Nigerian Consulate in South Africa.

Nigeria’s Consul General in South Africa, Amb. Uche AjuluOkeke, confirmed the incident, saying the mission had commenced investigations. ‘’The Nigerian Consulate in South Africa has received report of new xenophobic attacks in Northern Cape Province of South Africa. ‘’The mission has commenced investigation into the incident and will ensure that Nigerians are safe in South Africa,’’ she

Yemen al-Qaeda chief killed in U.S. strike

A

L-Qaeda has confirmed that Nasser alWuhayshi, the leader of its offshoot in the Arabian Peninsula, has been killed in a US drone strike in Yemen.

His death was announced by the AQAP group in an online video. His successor was named as military chief Qasim al-Raymi.

Wuhayshi was seen as alQaeda's second-in-command and was a former personal assistant to Osama Bin Laden.

He built one of the most active al-Qaeda branches, say US officials.

In Yemen, resurgent al-Qaeda militants have seized territory and infrastructure - indirectly assisted by Saudi-led air strikes on the rebel Houthi movement, their Shia Muslim foes.

But the deaths of a number of leading figures in AQAP in recent months have reportedly fuelled rumours among supporters that it has been successfully targeted by intelligence agencies.

Nasser al-Wuhayshi was a major global figure among jihadists - even supporters of alQaeda's rival Islamic State viewed Wuhayshi with respect.

According to reports, in August 2013 Wuhayshi was appointed deputy of al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, a sign of the extent of his influence.

As well as creating AQAP itself, Wuhayshi also played a major role in forming the AQAP offshoot, Ansar al-Sharia, in 2011, to appeal to disaffected youth in Yemen at the time of the Arab Spring.

AQAP's leader cultivated good relations with local tribes, which

helped his group advance in various places in the south of the country.

His death is no doubt a big blow for AQAP - but it seems to have been prepared for this moment, swiftly naming another highly influential figure, Qasim al-Raymi, to succeed him.

"We in al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula mourn to our Muslim nation... that Abu Baseer Nasser bin Abdul Karim al-Wuhayshi, may God have mercy on his soul, passed away in an American strike which targeted him along with two of his mujahideen brothers," Khaled Batarfi, a senior member of the group, said in the video.

The Pentagon has previously said it would not comment on the

• Al-Wuhayshi

killing of Wahayshi - thought to be the highest ranking al-Qaeda leader killed since Bin Laden's death in Pakistan in 2011.

Yemeni officials said Wuhayshi was believed to have been killed in a raid in al-Qaeda-held Mukalla, in south-eastern Yemen's Hadramawt province.

Witnesses were quoted as saying an explosion had killed three men on the seafront last Friday - and that al-Qaeda gunmen had quickly cordoned off the area and gathered the remains, leading them to believe a leader was among those killed.

The US State Department had offered a $10m (£6.4m) reward for anyone who could help bring Wuhayshi - who is believed to have been in his 30s - to justice.

"Your decisions taken from a distance will result in (the IS) losing support of religious scholars, mujahideen... and in order to defend its achievements the Islamic Emirate will be forced to react," it added.

The letter, published on the Taliban website in Pashto, Urdu, Arabic and Dari, did not elaborate on its threat.

The statement demonstrates a growing disquiet within the Taliban about the creeping influence and popularity of IS within insurgent ranks, analysts say.

Donald Trump to run for president in 2016

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ROPERTY billionaire Donald Trump has announced he will run for the White House in the 2016 election.

Mr Trump, a Republican, has never formally run for president before, but has often talked about it.

“I am officially running for president of the United States and we are going to make our country great again,” he told supporters at New York’s Trump Towers on Fifth Avenue.

He said his fortune would allow him to be an effective president.

“Our country is in serious trouble.

We don’t have victories anymore,” he said.

Donald Trump is literally running for president. Few people expected it to happen - he’s gone through the motions many times before - and his political rants up until now have been roundly derided as a joke. But this time he actually said the words, and he seems like he means it.

With campaign staff in key early voting states and a net worth he puts at more than $8.5bn, he has the resources to roil the Republican presidential field.

Mr Trump is polling high enough

to get a spot on the stage in the forthcoming Republican debates, and he’s already proven a willingness to take swings at his opponents. Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio “don’t have a clue”, he said in his announcement speech. “How are these people going to lead us?” he asked.

If he says that enough times during a debate - or in a multi-million dollar television advertising spree - a lot of people are going to stop laughing and take notice. And that’s probably just what Mr Trump wants.

• Donald

EU nations divided over plan to take in migrants

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UROPEAN Union nations failed to bridge differences yesterday over an emergency plan to share the burden of the thousands of refugees crossing the Mediterranean, while on the French-Italian border, police in riot gear forcibly removed dozens of migrants.

Around 100,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year, with some 2,000 dead or missing in the dangerous trip across the Mediterranean Sea. Italy and Greece have borne the brunt of the surge, with many more migrants expected to arrive from June through to September.

At talks in Luxembourg, EU interior ministers disagreed over how 40,000 new refugees arriving

in Italy and Greece should be split up equitably among the 28-nation bloc to ease the load on the two southern nations.”We are working to avoid the political bankruptcy of Europe,” Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano told reporters.The emergency plan was drawn up after 800 migrants were feared to have drowned trying to reach Italy in April.

EU leaders will now discuss it when they meet in Brussels on June 25-26, and interior ministers will take the issue up again at their next meeting in July.Earlier yesterday, police in Ventimiglia on Italy’s border with France removed a few dozen African migrants who had been camping out for days in hopes of continuing farther north.

Russia to boost nuclear arsenal

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RESIDENT Vladimir Putin has said Russia will put more than 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles into service this year.

It is part of a wide-reaching programme to modernise the country's military.

The move comes after the US proposed increasing its military presence in Nato states in Eastern Europe.

Nato has condemned the Russian announcement, saying the move amounted to "nuclear sabre-rattling" and was "unjustified" and "dangerous".

Tensions are high over Russia's role in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Speaking at an arms fair, Mr Putin said the weapons would be able to overcome even the most technically advanced anti-missile defence systems.

Nato and Western leaders accuse

Russia of sending soldiers and heavy weapons, including tanks and missiles, to the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly denied this, insisting that any Russians fighting there are "volunteers".

Later on Tuesday, Nato SecretaryGeneral Jens Stoltenberg said that the statement from Mr Putin was "confirming the pattern and behaviour of Russia over a period of time; we have seen Russia is investing more in defence in general and in its nuclear capability in particular".

He said: "This nuclear sabre-rattling of Russia is unjustified, it's destabilising and it's dangerous."

He added that "what Nato now does in the eastern part of the alliance is something that is proportionate, that is defensive and that is fully in line with our international commitments."

Taliban warn IS leader not to interfere in Afghanistan

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HE Taliban Tuesday warned the leader of the Islamic State group against waging a parallel insurgency in Afghanistan, after a string of defections and reported clashes with militants loyal to IS. The Middle Eastern group, also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh, has never formally acknowledged having a presence in Afghanistan but fears are growing that the group is making inroads in the country.

In a letter addressed to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Taliban insisted that "jihad (holy war) against the Americans and their allies must be conducted under one flag and one leadership".

"The Islamic Emirate (Taliban) does not consider the multiplicity of jihadi ranks beneficial either for jihad or for Muslims," said the letter signed by the Taliban deputy leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor.

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL.10 NO.3248

TODAY IN THE NATION ‘The Chinese are building a 57-storey building in 19 days. Our 120km Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is under construction in a four years contract. President Buhari must resist the temptation to ignore this vital road, made problematic by the withdrawal of the road from World Bank contractors...

TONY MARINHO

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

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RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari called it “constitutional”, but Barnabas Gemade, the ranking senator from Benue and leader of “Unity Forum”, which was behind Ahmed Lawan’s bid for the leadership of the 8th Senate, said it wasn’t. Whoever was right between the president and the senator, it is now obvious that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) failed to learn the lesson of the debacle of the erstwhile ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which produced Aminu Tambuwal, now governor of Sokoto State, as Speaker of the 7 th House of Representatives in defiance of the decision of the PDP leadership four years ago.

The cloak and dagger drama, which has now produced Dr. Bukola Saraki as Senate President, against APC’s preference for Lawan, followed almost exactly the same plot as that of Tambuwal’s, with the two political parties merely swapping places as culprit and victim and the difference that, unlike his predecessor, the new president did not hesitate in accepting the decision of the legislators, even though he did express some reservations about Saraki’s tactics.

The first time I wrote about this political drama five weeks ago, my choice for Senate president was George Akume, a former Benue State governor and minority leader at the time. At that time the APC National Working Committee had reportedly zoned the job to the NorthCentral and it looked like the race was Saraki’s to lose to Akume, both of them from the same zone; Saraki had, by words and deeds, all this while made no secret of his ambition to head the Senate as a prelude to his bigger ambition of being president of the whole country.

My choice of Akume, as I said then, was essentially because I thought it would go a long way in healing the deep wounds of the decades-long nasty and bloody Christian/Muslim conflicts in the North, which had been a big source of the region’s economic retardation and, by extension, the whole country’s.

Even then I knew my choice was based more on hope than on Akume’s real prospects; long before the March/April elections, it was an open secret that Saraki had built a formidable network of support for the realisation of his ambitions not only within the ranks of the party leadership. He was also widely known to have built an even wider network of support among prospective senators across party lines.

The scales seemed to have turned against Saraki only when, in spite of the then President-elect Buhari’s oft-repeated declaration that he had no preferred candidate for the job, his body language seemed to suggest, at least to some party leaders, if not all, that his preference was for Lawan. For this reason, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for one, shifted his formidable

RIPPLES I BUY HUMAN SKULL FOR N4,000 AND SELL FOR N15,000– Human Parts Seller

Hmm N11,000 PROFIT? I just hope you won’t need to put your HEAD for sale someday

People and Politics By

MOHAMMED H ARUNA ndajika@yahoo.com

Saraki as President of the 8th Senate

•Dr. Saraki

support for Akume to Lawan, having apparently calculated that this was the only way to achieve his goal of installing his protégé, Hon. Gbajabiamila, then House minority leader, as its speaker.

As things have now turned out, it seems everyone opposed to Saraki had underestimated the capacity for political subterfuge of this apparently worthy scion of the late undisputed godfather of Kwara State politics and leader of the Senate during the Second Republic, Dr. Olusola Saraki. For, constitutional or not, the younger Saraki’s successful coup of June 9 against the decision of the party leadership to support Lawan takes the gold in political gamesmanship.

It is a measure of his success that his strategy has left his adversaries fuming in great anger and frustration. “The purported election of Senator Saraki and Dogara as Senate President and Speaker respectively”, fumed Mr. Joe Igbokwe recently, “is a clear transgression of both the tenets of democracy and party politics.” Igbokwe is a spokesman for the Lagos State chapter of the APC and his anger merely echoed that

H

ARDBALL is outraged beyond words! Why is it that the snake would always give off ropy stuff and the witch would often re-enact her gender? Why does everything emanating from the National Assembly (NASS) come off almost always odious? Why do things seem to crawl out of that otherwise noble edifice; why do stuff always happen there?

The other day, we saw pictures of aides of legislators removing even the smallest pieces of furniture and computer accessories from the offices of the exiting members. Yesterday, news was abroad that an initial jumbo pay will soon hit members’ bank accounts with a ‘deafening’ credit alert. It must be a different alert system to announce such hefty sum as N16.5 million for senators and N14.5 million for House members.

This must be the best paying job in the world for a man who was inaugurated into a job one day and who proceeds on a monthlong vacation the following day only to be greeted next with a resounding multi-million credit alert. And this is just the beginning.

It’s a fairy tale of a job not found anywhere else on this planet, one must wager.

of his boss, Tinubu, who had said he would not even recognise Saraki as Senate president, a sentiment re-echoed by Gemade when he told reporters after Saraki’s election that “this process, which remains unconstitutional, cannot confer legitimacy on the elected Senate president.”

As the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the president, Malam Garba Shehu, said on Channels Television during one of its flagship programmes, Sunrise Daily, on June 10, there was no doubt that Saraki employed underhand means to achieve his ambition. In what was clearly a grand conspiracy in cahoots with the PDP Senate caucus, he and his group in the Senate ignored the president’s invitation for a meeting to reconcile the APC federal legislators an hour ahead of its inauguration at 10am on June 9 and got himself nominated unopposed and elected by 57 senators, mostly PDP, while the other group numbering 51 waited for the meeting with the president at a different venue. Apparently he feared, admittedly with some justification, that the meeting would be used to make him submit to the outcome of the party’s straw poll the day before in which Lawal emerged as the party’s choice.

In the face of this political sleight of hand by Saraki, it is understandable that many an APC chieftain have been calling for him to be disciplined. The extremely angry ones have even called for his sack.

Almost all of them have also blamed Buhari’s advertised indifference to the outcome of the election of the leadership of the National Assembly on the altar of noninterference with the other arms of government for Saraki’s successful coup.

Those who now blame Buhari for the APC debacle have, as I’ve said at the beginning of this piece, apparently not learnt from the same debacle that befell PDP four years ago. It also seems they lack an understanding of the workings of party

HARDBALL Warrant of arrest for bench-warmer Reps Well, no grudges from Hardball’s quarters; if that is the way it is, so be it. Hardball is not a grouch. But what often galls one to thrombotic proportions is taking all this money from the treasury (and wherever else) without bothering to put in any work whatsoever. For instance, the primary duty of a legislator is to make laws mainly through Bills. We ask, is it possible for a House of Representatives member or a senator to run through a four-year tenure without even one Bill to his name?

Believe it or not, this is the report emanating from the House of Representatives: 191 lawmakers out of the 360-member house initiated no law whatsoever in all of four years. Yes, this is a fact as contained in the official report: “Status of Bills, Petitions and Other Legislative Measures,” of the out-gone session known as the 7th House of Representatives.

politics in a presidential system when they lament the absence of party discipline in the country.

True in both the parliamentary model of democracy we once practised and the presidential democracy we now practise, all elected office holders hold their offices solely by the grace of political parties. But the notion of party discipline, i.e. the ability of members of parliamentary groups to get members to support party policies and decisions, is much weaker in the presidential system than in the parliamentary one, the simple reason being the lack of clear separation between the executive and legislative arms of government in the parliamentary system as is the case in the presidential.

This means legislators can defy party decisions in the presidential system without bringing down a government, which in turn means party whips don’t have the imperative to constantly crack their whips to get members into line that party whips do in the parliamentary system. In the American type of presidential system we have largely modelled ours after, party disciple is particularly weak because elected office holders feel more loyal to their constituencies, geographical or ideological, than they do to political parties.

At any rate, those who argue that if Buhari had intervened decisively in the choice of the National Assembly leadership, APC, as the new ruling party, would’ve saved itself the embarrassment of having a PDP senator as deputy Senate president, ignore the fact that Saraki might still have won, in which case APC could have suffered an even worse predicament than it is in.

So rather than cry over spilt milk, APC will serve Nigerians and itself better if it fosters the separation of powers among the three arms of government even as it ensures that the arms cooperate with each other in making policies and programmes that in the overall interest of the society rather than in the interests of only a few.

On his part, Saraki should know that there is widespread public perception that as governor of Kwara State and subsequently as one of its three senators, he seemed to have served himself more than he had served society, as is apparent from how little his state has made any progress under him. Much of the public’s concern about his emergence as Senate president stems from this perception. He should know that the public will be on the watch out to see if he will cooperate with the new president in enacting laws and making pro-people policies or as was the case under PDP they’ll watch to see whether he will preside over a Senate that is anti-people.

•For comments, send SMS to 08059100107

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above It is bad enough that some of these men virtually stripped our national treasury and got away in the manner even armed bandits would never have gotten away.

Some of them are back at their ‘duty’ post, even at a higher position.

Hon, Yusuf Lasun (Osun), who has just been elected Deputy Speaker of the House did not move one Bill for four years (2011 to 2015). Other notable ‘honourables’ as they like to be addressed, who slept through the period include a certain Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto), Pally Iriase (Edo), Farouk Lawan, Eziuche Ubani (Abia), Olumide Osoba (Ogun), Omegara Mathew (Imo), Ayodeji Jakande (Lagos) and Debo Ologunagba (Ondo). Of the entire team from Gombe, not one could muster a Bill; same for most of the horde from Lagos, Kano, Katsina, Bauchi, Niger, Ondo and Sokoto.

Before Hardball moves for the arrest of these ‘Honourables’ in order to make them refund four years of unearned allowances, I confess that our man of the pen of Hardball intensity, Hon. Eziuche Ubani, is also a culprit. What a let down!

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