The Nation June 20, 2012

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

News Anxiety as Mubarak is declared clinically dead Sports Chelsea in failed £4m bid for Eagles star Moses Business NSE to reconstitute council as Dangote returns

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VOL. 7, NO. 2162 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

N150.00

Rep Jagaba: I don’t have $620,000 bribe From Yusuf Alli and Dele Anofi, Abuja

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HERE is the $620,000 bribe businessman Femi Otedola gave the suspended Chairman of the House Ad Hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy Management, Mallam Farouk Lawan ?

The question remained as knotty as ever yesterday, with the Chairman of the House Committee on Narcotics, Drugs and Financial Crimes, Mr. Adam Jagaba, denying having the cash. Lawan has refused to surrendered the money, saying it is his proof that Otedola bribed him against his wish.

Otedola said Lawan mounted pressure on him to part with the “marked” cash.

The mystery may be resolved in court, going by legal advice given Lawan. He is believed to have been advised against surrendering the cash to the police to avoid it being tampered with.

It was learnt that lawyers prefer Lawan Continued on page 4

Lawyer disowns anti-Salami suit From Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

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HERE was drama at the Federal High Court, Abuja yesterday in a suit seeking to stop President Goodluck Jonathan from reinstating the suspended President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Isa Ayo Salami.

A lawyer, Wilfred Okoli, denied knowledge of the suit filed in his name by an Abuja lawyer, Amobi Nzelu.

The National Judicial Council (NJC) on May 10 recommended the reinstatement of Justice Salami.

Nzelu, in the suit filed on behalf of OkoContinued on page 6

•Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Jinjiri Abubakar (left), displaying Improvised Explosive Devices recovered from suspects after the weekend PHOTO: NAN triple church bomb explosions in Kaduna State…yesterday. SEE ALSO PAGES 2, 3, 4 & 6

House invites Jonathan as 34 die in Yobe violence Police: Foreigners behind mayhem CPC, ACN fault President’s trip Senate meets over insecurity 24-hr curfew in Kaduna, Damaturu

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•Dr. Jonathan

AWMAKERS resolved yesterday to invite President Goodluck Jonathan to tell them what he is doing to rein in the violence in the land.

Also yesterday, Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, which was the scene of a gun battle on Monday, began counting its loss.

The Nigeria Red Cross, according to its official Andronicus Adeyemo, said

From Duku Joel, Damaturu

25 people, among them five security operatives, died in the attacks.

But a doctor said the figure of the dead is higher.

“So far, 34 bodies have been taken to the mortuary, but we expect the death toll to rise,” said the doctor, who pleaded not to be named.

A source at the hospital mortuary said: “I counted over 32 bodies, as at noon. It is over three hours now and I am sure the number may increase to 40 or even 50 because I saw police still bringing in bodies in batches.

“I also counted five dead policemen in uniform.”

In Kaduna, there was tension as clashes were reported in some areas.

The government reimposed a 24-hour curfew, which it had earlier to 12 hours.

Damaturu remained deserted all yesterday. Many families have been displaced.

Commissioner of Police Patrick Egbuniwe said: “Our men are still mopping up the town. So, we cannot, at the moment, tell you exactly how many of Continued on page 4

•MONEY P17 •SPORTS P23 •LIFE P29 •POLITICS P45 •INVESTORS P47

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

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NEWS BLOODY SUNDAY

Bombings man’s inhumanity to man, says Obi From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

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•Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi (left) and Minsiter of State for Finance, Alhaji Yerima Ngana, during the minister’s visit to the Agodi Government House, Ibadan... yesterday PHOTO: FEMI ILESANMI

NAMBRA State Governor Peter Obi has described the multiple bombings of churches in Zaria and Kaduna on Sunday as the worst form of man’s inhumanity to man and the society.

Obi spoke yesterday at the Government Lodge in Amawbia, near Awka.

He wondered why anybody should result to attacking innocent individuals, especially in the sacred placesof the society at a time the country is enjoying religious peace.

The governor said it was regrettable that while President Goodluck Jonathan is striving hard to transform the country, some people are bent on ruining it for no just reason.

He, however, reminded the perpetrators of the dastardly act that they are hurting the society where their children are living.

The governor called on those responsible for the bombings to have a rethink, failing which he warned nemesis would soon catch up with them.

Obi condoled with Governor Patrick Yakowa, encouraging him not to relent in seeking peace in his domain, irrespective of provocations.

Clerics proffer solutions to bombings

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• Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State (right), Minister of Education Prof. Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa'i, Minister of State for Education Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, during the launching of the National Campaign on Back-To-School, in Enugu...yesterday

HRISTIAN leaders in Lagos State yesterday ascribed the unresolved security challenge rocking the nation to poor leadership, stressing that political and religious leaders are culpable.

They also expressed dismay at the decision of President Goodluck Jonathan to travel to Brazil, when his country is boiling, adding that he has not demonstrated sensitivity to the grave security situation.

The Director of the Institute for National Transformation, Rev. Juliet Binitie, who decried the bombings in the north, called for a “sit at home” protest among Christians, who are mostly affected by the violence.

The initiator of ‘Partnership for a New Nigeria (PFANN), Evangelist Elishama Ideh, lamented that both the church and government had failed in their duties and responsibilities to the poor, needy and destitute, pointing out that security broke down because God allowed it.

Another PFANN official, Pastor Emmanuel Enya, aligned with the agitators for a national conference to discuss the fundamental questions.

He said: “Nigeria is boiling and the President is going to Brazil. It is an act of irresponsibility. The

By Emmanuel Oladesu Deputy Political Editor

only problem we have in Nigeria is leadership. I believe in national talk.

When you make peaceful change difficult, you make violent change inevitable.”

The clerics reflected on the state of the nation at a special briefing by PFANN, a non-government organisation, preparatory to its proposed “Prayer session to end bombing”.

Rev. Ideh maintained that the church contributed to the current national tribulation because it failed in its assignments to God. She emphasised that every household is going through serious economic hardship.

She said: “We hide our faces like ostrich, but our body is out, exposed.

We have all failed God and we should accept this responsibility. each time the church fails in any location, it is the church that will suffer before others. the church has failed in its responsibility to the needy, poor and destitute. The political leaders have failed in their duties to the nation.”

Rev. Ideh, who recalled that PFANN had alerted the country to the looming wrath of God in 2009, lamented the spate of bloodletting, which had left the country in pains.

JNI condemns violence in the North From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

T • From left: Former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman, Alhaji Nuhu Ribadu, Chairman, INCAR, Alhaji Umaru Mutallab and Executive Director, INCAR, Mr. Banji Adebola during the formal presentation of INCAR Plaza at the Ya'adua Centre, Abuja... yesterday.

PHOTO AKIN OLADOKUN.

HE Muslim umbrella body in the North, the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), yesterday said those behind bombings were bent on dragging Muslims into a religious war with Christians.

In a statement by its Secretary-General, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, the body said the government must not leave any stone unturned in unmasking the perpetrators of the heinous crime.

The statement reads: “JNI under the leadership of His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto and the President-General notes with pain the sporadic bombing of some churches in Sabon Gari and Wusasa all of Zaria, Nasarawa and Trikania, close to the Labour House, Kaduna, Kaduna State and regrettably, the immediate reprisals that were carried out by some irate Christian youths on the Muslim community leading to loss of lives and properties in Sabon Tasha, Romi, Kakuri GRA, Gonin Gora-Abuja junction all within Kaduna state which looks like a pre-planned acts of unleashing terror on the Muslims.

“The reprisal that ensued signals a hidden agenda to black paint the Muslims and the way things are unfolding, Muslims have been put at the receiving end. This is so because previous perpetrators of same acts have gone unpunished.

“We condemn strongly in unequivocal terms series of attacks on places of worship which Islam abhors and calls on Nigerians to be steadfast, prayerful and remain law abiding in all circumstances they found themselves.”

Tambuwal: I was misinterpreted

H •Former Speaker, House of Representatives, Alhaji Ghali Umar Na'abba (left), publisher of Leadership newspapers, Mr. Sam Nda-Isiaah, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Alhaji Mahmud Yayale Ahmed and Captain Yaya Abubakar during a conference organised by Northern Reawakening Forum, in Abuja... yesterday PHOTO ABAYOMI FAYESE

OUSE of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal said his reaction to the Sunday terrorists’ attacks was deliberately misinterpreted.

Tambuwal said he has never and will never shy away from taking position on any national issue.

While reacting to the interpretation given to his comment on the reprisal attack in Zaria, Tambuwal said: “ I have never shied away from taking a position on any matter, no matter now serious it is.

“I have spoken against the perpe-

From Dele Anofi, Abuja

trators of this act and always condemn their actions as inhuman and those that must never be supported by any man or woman.

“I crave the indulgence of those desperate looking for what to use to smear my name to please leave alone the issue of religion and look for something else “My statement was very clear, I have condemned the act in its entirety and urged for restraint on reprisal. I don’t only talked about it but also condemned those attacks.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

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NEWS BLOODY SUNDAY

Pastor: we had information Boko Haram would strike HRISTIAN leaders in Zaria, Kaduna State said yesterday they had a premonition of the bomb attacks on their churches before it happened last Sunday.

They spoke just as Kaduna Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa was overwhelmed by emotions when he visited the scene of the explosions at the Second ECWA and Christ the King Catholic Church, both in Zaria.

Secretary of the Second ECWA DCC which was affected by the multiple attacks, Rev. Chris Dariya, told the governor and his entourage that they actually got information that the Boko Haram Islamic sect was planning to attack churches.

According to him, they got the information few days before the attack that members of the sect were in Zaria and that they met last Friday to perfect the co-ordinated attcks, adding that the chairmen and secretaries of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) were invited for a meeting on the issue.

He noted that they were surprised when the following day, the military personnel drafted to maintain peace around the church were allegedly withdrawn.

He said: “We were conscious of the fact that Boko Haram members were already in Zaria. We heard vividly there was a meeting on Friday and the chairmen and secretaries of CAN (Zone I), were actually invited for a meeting. We were told that Boko Haram members were already in Zaria and that they were going to strike this (last) Sunday.

“Some of us were very concerned and were thinking of what could be done to avert such happenings. I came back on Saturday from the meeting and drove into my office which is just behind (the Church), that is the District Office.

“There were soldiers that were actually patrolling and guarding the

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Army denies withdrawing soldiers from church

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UTHORITIES of the Depot Nigeria Army, Zaria, Kaduna State, yesterday refuted claims that they withdrew soldiers at a checkpoint close to the Second ECWA Church, Wusasa, which was affected by explosion in Zaria on Sunday.

Commandant of the Depot, Brig-Gen. Hussaini Salihu, said there was no time a military post was stationed near the church or at a particular place of worship.

He also denied allegations that the leaders of the church applied for soldiers to guard it.

Speaking in a telephone interview, Gen. Salihu said there was no such application, adding that as part of security routine, soldiers from the depot embark on regular patrol of areas within Zaria and its environs.

He said as in other places, soldiers patrol areas, where there are churches, especially on days of worship, pointing out that it was impossible for them to station soldiers at a particular worship place when there were many other places to patrol.

The Gen. noted that even though Zaria and Sabon Gari are the only Local Government Areas of the seven From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

area. I saw them parking their things and I drove there and asked two of them what was happening and what we heard. ‘You are parking your things and it does not mean well for the community and for me as a religious leader.’

“I was told that the community was disturbing them and that is why they have to move. I told them that it was not the community that sent you here, but the government. But they told me they were ordered. But I don’t know where the others came from.”

The cleric said he did not want to be confrontational with the soldiers and so had to let them be only for the bomb blasts to occur on Sunday, adding that they were baffled why the soldiers were pulled out on Saturday only for the Church to be hit the following day.

He noted that as Christians, they

From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

under the Depot command, they were not expected to concentrate surveillance on those areas only and leave out the rest.

He said: “What we do is that, when it is Sunday, we withdraw soldiers from checkpoints to go on patrol. In Sabon Gari alone, there are about 215 churches and there are more than 30 around Wusasa. So, we cannot station soldiers in a particular church.”

Gen. Salihu said that because of the Eid-el-Maulud celebration at that weekend, it became necessary for more soldiers to be put on patrol rather than station them in a particular place.

He said: “There was no such application before him.

When churches or any other religious body wants to have any function, they apply and we send our boys there. But there is no such application from ECWA Church.”

He noted that if the church had approached themhim for soldiers, the command would have urgently responded, adding that the army has special interest in the fight against terrorism.

have forgiven the perpetrators of the dastardly act and will leave vengeance to God, stressing that about two hundred children who were in the Sunday School section escaped as none of them lost their lives.

Yakowa expressed surprise about the explosion in the Church and the violence that followed, stressing that if the state is peaceful, the nation would have peace because whatever happens in Kaduna has adverse effect nationwide.

The governor, who was full of emotion, expressed sadness at the level of destruction and called on residents not to resort to reprisals.

He said: “If Kaduna State has peace, Nigeria would be at peace.

We have been told times without number that anything that happens in Kaduna will have consequence throughout this country.”

He assured that his administration would do everything possible to ensure the safety and security of lives and property, as well as cushion the effect on those affected.

The governor called on aggrieved persons to utilise the dialogue channels to seek redress without resorting to violence.

He also said that the government will do everything within its power to ensure that the efforts being made to make the state a model for peace and harmony is not truncated.

At the Christ the King Catholic Church in Sabon Gari, the governor could not control his emotion when he visited the Church and heard how young Muslims and Christians died at the scene.

The Bishop of the Zaria Catholic Diocese, Rev. George Dodo told the governor how the suicide bomber tried to force his way through the

barricaded metal gate while the second service was going on and how three young cadets were killed.

He also told the governor how the remains of some young men, with explosives tied around their waists, were found after the explosion.

The cleric noted that the victims were not just the worshipers, but Muslims resident around the church.

Dodo said that despite what happened Christians would not stop praying for hardened criminals to repent from their ways. He decried the high level of unemployment among the youth which he said, makes them easy prey in the hands of those who want to destabilise the society.

He noted that since the incident, he has received several calls from outside the country on what possible assistance they could render, saying his response has been that they should assist the government at the various levels to curtail the situation.

Speaking in an emotional-laden voice, the governor said he was not unaware of the efforts by traditional rulers and others to ensure security, peace and harmony.

He said: “If there was any place in the whole of this state that I thought this kind of thing would ever happen, I thought the last place is a place like Zaria. That is why we were so shocked.”

The governor, who later visited the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Shika, where some of the victims are receiving treatment, was accompanied by his deputy, Mukthar Ramalan Yero, the state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Jinjiri Abubakar, Director State Security Services (SSS) Mr. Abayomi Zamba among others.

Iwuanyanwu faults Fed Govt on Boko Haram

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HE publisher of the Champion newspapers and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, has faulted the deployment of soldiers by the Federal Government against the Boko Haram sect.

Iwuanyanwu, said the solution to the insurgence lies on the political and religious leaders as well as the traditional rulers.

According to him, bullets from soldiers will continue to escalate the problem as innocent Nigerians may be killed during military operations.

This is even as the Borno State government yesterday begged the group to embrace dialogue and give peace a chance.

The Deputy Governor, Zhanna Mustapha lamented that the state has lost a fortune in the various attacks carried out by the unknown group.

Dispelling belief that none muslims were the target of the attacks, Zhanna said: “We have arrested a lot of people in connection with Boko Haram. Some of them are Johns and other names.

They (Boko Haram) are not all Muslims; they also belong to other faiths.

They have burnt more than 100 mosques and many Muslims too.

The duo spoke at the presentation of a book entitled: “Tit–Bits of Advo-

•We don’t know them, says Borno Govt From Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

cacy” in honour of the outgoing Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Dahiru Musdapher, in Abuja.

A justice of the Supreme Court, Olufunlola Adekeye described Musdapher as a highly intelligent man with a fantastic sense of humour.

Yusuf Alli (SAN) said he is a detribalised patriot, religious without being bigoted, warm, friendly and a jurist of distinction.

Lamenting the destruction of life and property by the Boko Haram members, Iwuanyanwu advised the Federal Government to pursue dialogue.

He also appealed to leaders of conscience to prevail on the group to drop their arms and give peace a chance.

“The massive killings must stop.

Nigerians must feel free to travel to various parts of the country without fear. Nigerians must worship their God according to their faith without fear of Bering killed or bombed in their places of worship.

Boko Haram problem cannot be solved by killing or shooting people.

It can only be solved by the leaders in the areas where they operate. The leaders must call them to order. The

problem of Boko Haram cannot be solved by Federal Government alone. It can only be solved by the leaders from the areas where they reside.

“The leaders must emphasize to them the benefit we gain by living together as brothers and sisters. They must emphasize the need of every Nigerian to worship his God according to his belief and faith. They must emphasize to them that in a multiethnic and multi-cultural society, there is need for tolerance. These leaders after holding discussions with them, extracting a cease fire from them, can now bring their problems to the Federal Govetnment so that areas where the Local Governments or the State Government cannot handle will now be handled by the Federal Go ernment.

“I do not agree with some people who justify the killings innocent people because people are unemployed or poor. All over the world, including the rich advanced countries, there re poor people, there are unemployed people.

“I sincerely appeal to the Boko Haram for a cease fire while allowing the leaders and elders from the

•Iwuanyanwu

various states and zones where they operate to have dialogue with them.

I also appeal to the Federal Government as a reciprocal gesture to this

to stop the use of the military in handling this matter because of the great risk of the military killing innocent citizens in the process.”

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

NEWS Senate: moves to plunge Nigeria into religious war ‘ll fail

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•Chief of Defence Staff Air Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin (in front), followed by Chief of Army Staff Lt. General Azubiuke Ihejirika; Director General State Security Service (SSS), Mr. Ita Ekpenyong; Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim and Chief of Air Staff Air Vice Marshal Mohammed Umar, after a security meeting with Vice President Namadi Sambo at the State House, Abuja...yesterday.

PHOTO AKIN OLADOKUN

HE Senate yesterday held a three-hour closed session on the security situation in the country.

It declared after the session that far-reaching decisions on how to address insecurity in the country had been taken.

But its spokesman Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe did not disclose the decision when he spoke to reporters after the session.

He also said the Senate had not received any request for the declaration of state of emergency in Kaduna and Yobe States.

Abaribe said the tensed meeting was dominated by discussion on the increasing state of insecurity in the country especially the Sunday suicide attacks on three churches in Kaduna and Zaria and the subsequent reprisal attack.

As the meeting lasted, it was speculated that the Sen-

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Abuja

ate might be considering the option of imposition of a state of emergency on Kaduna and Yobe States as a means to contain increasing violent activities.

But Abaribe said the Senate could only consider imposition of a state of emergency if it was requested by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Senate President David Mark, before adjourning plenary session, reported that the Senate in closed session, discussed issues of national interest and took “very robust decisions to ensure that increasing insecurity in the country is halted.”

Abaribe said: “You are all aware of what happened over the weekend and the fact that effort is being made to plunge this country into a religious war.

“But we know that such Continued on page 6

House Committee chair Jagaba: I don’t have $620,000 bribe Continued from page 1

producing the dollar bills only at the discretion of a court.

Although Lawan is expected to report to the police today, he may not produce the bribe sum.

A defence team source, who spoke in confidence, said: “We are actually preparing for the court battle.

Whoever is in custody of the alleged bribe cash can only produce it based on the order of a competent court.

“The way the police are desperate to retrieve the money suggests a suspicious motive and it will be proper

for Lawan to be protected by a court rather than by any security agency.

“In fact, we have other issues surrounding the investigation by the police, which ought to be addressed in court.

“But we decided not to take any precipitate action that will suggest that Lawan has something to hide or to give room for any excuse that he is trying to cover up his track. We are set for the worst case scenario.”

Jagaba, in a document obtained by The Nation, affirmed that he was not in possession of the cash.

Jagaba wrote: “I wish to

categorically and unequivocally state that there was never a time I was in possession of the sum of $620,000 or any other exhibit (in my personal capacity or official capacity as Chairman House Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes) relating to the subject matter of the above investigation.

“I hope this explanation lays to rest once and for all the claims that I or my Committee is in possession of the sum of $620,000 purportedly given as bribe to the ad hoc Committee on Monitoring of fuel subsidy regime.”

It was gathered that the letter was sent to Speaker

Aminu Tambuwal by Commissioner of Police Ali Amodu who is leading the investigation.

On receiving the Police request, the Speaker forwarded it to Jagaba who, Lawan alleged, he gave the money to keep.

The letter forwarded to Jagaba on June 19 urged him to cooperate and act urgently.

It was signed by the Speaker’s Special Adviser (Legal and Legislative), Chille Igbawua.

The Police letter, dated June 15, signed by CP Ali Amodu is entitled: Re: Investigation activities: Re-

quest for handling over exhibits in connection with a case of criminal conspiracy and taking gratification to pervert the cause of justice reads: “ In furtherance of investigation into the above case involving Hon. Farouk Lawan and his Ad Hoc Committee on Monitoring of the URL subsidy regime, the Hon. Speaker is kindly requested to avail this office with the following exhibits: “ The sum of $620,000 which Hon. Farouk Lawan admitted to have collected from a marketer and handed over to the House ComContinued on page 6

•Lawan

Jonathan to tell House of Representatives how he’s tackling insecurity 34 die in Yobe violence, says doctor T HE President is to brief lawmakers on how he is addressing the growing insecurity in the country, it was resolved yesterday.

This is the first time since the return of democratic governance in 1999 that a President has been invited by lawmakers to address them.

The President visits the legislature only when he is inaugurating a new Assembly or presenting the budget.

The House of Representatives adopted a resolution that President Goodluck Jonathan should address it in a closed session on the steps he has taken so far and how he is addressing the insecurity in the land.

The resolution followed a motion by Yakubu Barde (PDP Kaduna) supported by Minority Leader Femi Gbajabiamila (ACN Lagos).

It was in response to the weekend suicide bombings in Kaduna and Monday’s terrorist attacks on Damaturu, the Yobe State capital.

More than 50 people were killed in the attacks on churches in Kaduna and Zaria. The death toll in the attacks on Damaturu is believed to be over 30. Many are displaced.

In adopting the motion, the legislators rejected the proposal to have the President address a joint session of the National Assembly.

They also rejected the proposal compelling the Inspec-

Continued from page 1

the sect members were killed but many of them were killed.

“We lost three policemen, four hospitalised with gunshot wounds. They were not able to get the Area Command Office and the Police Headquarters. They were repelled.

“Their attack was mainly on security agents and government property. A UBE primary school in Sabon Pegi was bombed by the attackers,” Egbuniwe said.

The police chief said 32 arrests were made, adding that his men were on patrol and that the situation was under control.

Residents of Pompomari, a Damaturu suburb, have all left their homes.

Those who have relatives in the estates which seem to be relatively peaceful for now, have relocated to such places. Scores of others, mostly women and children, were seen at Waziri Ibrahim Estate Primary School and the Junior Day Secondary School Susuma. They were in deplorable conditions.

From Dele Anofi, Abuja

tor-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, to transfer police officers from the rank of Inspector and above to their states of origin.

Barde described as unfortunate, the loss of lives and destruction of property that followed the Sunday attacks in Zaria and Kaduna, and the subsequent reprisal attack.

Barde said: “Kaduna has always been known to be

Some of the children were crying for water and food.

Our correspondent gathered that most of the families abruptly left their homes without any contigency plan.

Aisha, 34, a mother of five at the Susuma Secondary School, told our correspondent that the only thing she could think of was her children and not food.

“We only had to get out of that war zone for our safety. It is only today that we are thinking about food. Though my last child cried throughout the night for food, it’s better that we are alive,” Aisha said.

The problems of the displaced women and children, The Nation learnt is further complicated by the 24-hour curfew imposed on Damaturu as nobody could go out to search for food or water.

Governor Ibrahim Gaidam imposed a 24-hour curfew within Damaturu metropolis.

A statement by Abdullahi Bego, his Special Assistant on Presss Affairs and Information, reads: “Residents are hereby directed to remain in their homes

peaceful but these unfortunate attacks have driven fear into the minds of the people.

Now, people will say attacks are not religious, but people are now afraid of going to their places of worship.

“Not only that, businesses are now badly affected in the region. Which investor would want to go to that area to invest? In other words, poverty is being perpetrated in that region.

while officers and men of the Joint Task force (JTF) and other security agencies continue with their effort to ensure peace and security and the protection of lives and property.

“The 24-hour curfew directive is for Damaturu metropolis only. Restriction of movement for other parts of the State, except Potiskum Town, still remains 10pm to 6am daily. Restriction of movement in Potiskum Town remains 6.00pm to 6.00am daily.

“Governor Gaidam calls on members of the general public to continue to give maximum cooperation to the JTF and other security agencies in their effort to ensure the safety of life and property.

“The Governor also calls on people not to relent in their prayers for the Almighty Allah (SWT) to restore peace in our state and the nation in general”.

Also yesterday, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) lashed out at the President for going to Brazil when Nigeria is not at peace.

“To me, the question is no longer when would the next bomb blast go off or when would the next attack be launched and where, but of how long are we going to live with this?”

Benjamin Aboho (PDP, Benue) expressed regret that President Jonathan has been unable to tackle the security issues thrown up by the Boko Haram since it assumed a more dangerous dimension

about two years ago.

He alluded to the President’s trip to Brazil and the bribery scandal rocking the

House.”Does that mean that the climate change conference is more important to the President than the lives and property of Nigerians? It seems that the Presidency is more interested in damaging the credibility of the lawmakers instead of addressing the security situations of this country,” he said.

Contributing to another motion on insecurity in Zamfara State, Jumoke OkoyaThomas blasted President Jonathan for his insensitivity by traveling out at a time when the country is boiling.

“I think the time has come for the House to summon the President and give him a marching order on steps to take in addressing the question of insecurity in this country. To whom much is given, much is expected,” she said.

“Toby Okechukwu (PDP, Enugu) cited the negative fallouts of the Civil War and kidnapping on the socio-economic life of the people where it started from before spreading to other parts of the country.

Continued on page 6

CORRECTION We inadvertently quoted the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi on our yesterday’s business page as saying “If I lend some money and it is paid back with interest, is that spending? ” This error, which was due to production hitches, is regretted. The quote ought to have been “If I lend some money and it is paid back with interest, is that spending? Is this celebration of corruption or criminality?” It is celebration of confessed corruption and not criminality.

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

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

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NEWS ‘Fed Govt must tame Boko Haram’

• Governor Adams Oshiomhole addressing pupils of Eresoyen Primary School, Benin City after inaugurating the school’s refurbished structures..yesterday.

With him is Anambra State Governor Peter Obi

Italian fraud suspect ‘commits suicide in EFCC custody’ T HE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday said a 52-year old Italian suspect, Mr. Mauro Zanin, committed suicide in a bathroom of the apartment where he was detained.

Before the suicide, the commission said the Italian was being investigated for alleged $111,000 fraud.

According to a statement by the acting Head of Media and Publicity of the commission, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, the Italian used his bedsheet to hang himself at about 4.50am.

The EFCC said: “The EFCC regrets to announce the passing of 52 years old Italian, Mr. Mauro Zanin, a suspected fraudster two days before he was scheduled to appear in court.

“He was found motionless in the bathroom of the Commission’s detention facility in Abuja at about 4.50 am on June 19, 2012.

“He had apparently committed suicide using his bedsheet. All efforts by the duty officers and a team of EFCC medical personnel led by Dr. Gideon Osi of the Commission’s Medical Unit to revive him with car-

From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

diopulmonary resuscitation proved futile. He was subsequently certified dead at about 5.45 am.

“Though all clues point to suicide, the incident has been reported to the Nigeria Police Station, Maitama for investigation.”

The commission gave insight into how he became its suspect.

The statement added: “The deceased was arrested by Officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service following a complaint by one Ahamefula Chibuzor Ewuzie that he fraudulently obtained the sum of $111,000 from Gladwaters Nigeria Limited, and transferred to the Commission on 30th May, 2012 for further investigation.

“The Commission had filed a fivecount charge against him in court and got a Wednesday, June 20, 2012 as hearing date. He was served the court papers to prepare his defence

yesterday.

“His arrest was officially communicated to the Italian Embassy on 31st May, 2012. The same day, the suspect was granted provisional bail, but he could not get a surety to take him on bail.

“While in detention, Mr. Zanin was visited on May 30, 2012, by Mr. Nicola Bazzani, First Secretary and Deputy Head of Mission at the Italian Embassy; and everyday by his lawyer, Mr.Ugochukwu Onyejiuto.

Onyejiuto said: “It is important to say that I took this matter pro bono, with the hope that he will pay my fees when he is free. I was spending my money feeding him… to my amazement; he refused to let his family know what was going on. He has a 30-year-old son who is a lawyer in Italy but he was always telling them all was well.

“Zanin took his own life a day to his scheduled arraignment. He was supposed to be arraigned before the Federal High Court (5) in Abuja on

Wednesday, June 20, 2012.

Dr. Mma Wokocha, the complainant, expressed shock at the news of the death of the suspect, wondering how she would recover the money obtained from her by the deceased.

However, she absolved the commission of any blame in the death of the suspect.

Wokocha added: ”Nobody should blame the EFCC. The commission has done what it has to do, you cannot blame the EFCC...there was total human care for this guy.”

The EFCC added: “The deceased, a confirmed fraudster, allegedly obtained the money from Wokocha under the guise of selling used Dredger Italgraghe SGT 200 to them, to execute some dredging contract in the Niger Delta. The suspect sent them a Bill of Laden but their long wait for the ship, MSC Trinidad to berth was futile. Unknown to the complainant the Bill of Laden was forged as the ship indicated had ceased to exist long before they ever met the deceased three years ago.”

The remains of the suspect have been deposited at the mortuary awaiting an autopsy.”

ACN: Jonathan should have cancelled Brazil trip

T

HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has criticised President Goodluck Jonathan for embarking on a trip to Brazil for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development at a time the country is facing ‘a national emergency’.

The party said the president must end a situation where citizens die from gun and bomb attacks.

In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the decision by the President to travel two days after dozens of innocent Nigerians were killed by suicide bombers is a sign of ‘insensitive and confused leadership.’

It said the fact that the trip was announced by the presidency as the Yobe State capital, Damaturu, was being terrorised by attackers raised

serious concerns about the Jonathan Administration’s commitment to the security and welfare of the citizenry.

ACN said the President should have cancelled the trip as a symbolic act of a caring leadership and out of respect for the dead.

The party said: “Again, we are constrained to ask whether this President is getting quality advice from the myriad of aides surrounding him, or whether, like his benefactor, Olusegun Obasanjo, he has decided he may not even take any advice from his advisers.

“In other climes, the usual thing is for leaders to cancel foreign trips or rush home from such trips when their countries suffer tragedies.

“In April 2010, Chinese President Hu Jintao cut short his Latin American tour and returned home after a strong earthquake hit the west of

China. This year, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir returned home early from his visit to China, due to the rising tension along the border of his country with Sudan, and even a phone-hacking scandal was enough for British Prime Minister David Cameron to cut short an African trade tour and return home in 2011.

“Since our own President has not even left Nigeria when these latest tragedies broke, it is inexplicable that he will still hop into a plane with a huge entourage and fly out. He should realise that he is attending the conference because he is the President of Nigeria, not because he is Dr. Jonathan.

“Therefore, Nigeria’s paramount interest dictates that he stays at home and oversees efforts to prevent the precarious situation in Kaduna from degenerating into an all-out reli-

gious war.’’

The party expressed concern over the worsening terrorist attacks.

The party said it is time security agencies looked beyond Boko Haram for the solution to the bombings.

It said: ‘’Are there elements within and outside the Jonathan Administration who may be benefitting from this mindless killings? Is the recent escalation linked to the huge sum of money (almost a quarter of the budget) allocated to security in the current budget? Are there fifth columnists within the Jonathan Administration who are fuelling this crisis, considering that the President himself has said his government has been infiltrated by Boko Haram? These and other questions must be answered by security agencies as part of efforts to end this festering crisis.’’

Court urged to revoke Lagos-Ibadan road concession over non-performance

T

HE Federal High Court in Lagos has been urged to revoke the concession agreement between a firm, Bi-Courtney Highway Services Limited and the Federal Government over the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The request forms part of prayers in a suit filed yesterday by two individuals and a group, marked: FHC/ L/CS/675/12.

The plaintiffs argued that the since Bi-Courtney has allegedly failed to execute the contract awarded to it by the government in 2009, the court

By Eric Ikhilae

reserves the powers to revoke the contract on ground of non-performance.

The plaintiffs, including two rights activists – Olawale Fapohunda and Richard Akinola and Legal Resources Consortium, set five questions for the court’s determination and prayed the court for five declarative reliefs in an originating summons filed by their lawyer, Norrison Quakers (SAN).

Named as defendants are the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FGN), the Minister of Works, Attorney Gen-

eral of the Federation (AGF), the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and Bi-Courtney.

The plaintiffs seek an order revoking the agreement between the government and Bi-Courtney “for nonperformance, occasioning traffic gridlock and incessant destruction of lives and properties along the LagosIbadan Expressway.”

They also seek an order of mandatory injunction, compelling the government, Minister of Works and FERMA to “immediately repair and maintain the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway sequel to their obligations, le-

gal and statutory duties so as to stem or curb the incessant traffic gridlock and destruction of lives and properties on the expressway.”

The plaintiffs want the court to declare that the Bi-Courtney’s failure to execute the contract for the reconstruction of the road amounts to abandonment and ought to be revoked.

The plaintiffs said it was in the interest of justice and a move aimed at preventing the incessant traffic crisis and destruction of lives and properties on the road, for the court to grant their prayers.

THE Community Defence Law Foundation (CDLF), a civil society organisation, yesterday urged the Federal Government to tame Boko Haram.

The group, in a statement, condemned the suicide bombings in Zaria and Kaduna, saying if unchecked it could consume teh country.

The statement reads: “This group of murderers appears to have an agenda, that is, to provoke the Christians and other ethnic nationalities in Nigeria.

This unstoppable quest for bloodletting, destruction, and possibly igniting the country on political and religious instability must be checked if Nigeria must remain one. The recent killings in Kaduna have sent an important message to the Federal Government, Security agencies and, indeed all concerned Nigerians that we are in for tougher times. The media have reported that immediately the bombs exploded in the Churches, there were reprisal attacks from other religious bodies which actually increased the number of casualties.

“This posits dangerous trend for the country and Nigerian President and ex-Presidents in conjunction with religious, ethnic, political leaders, security authorities must act fast to arrest the situation. It was killings and counter killings of the 1966 that led to the eventual pogrom of 1967 – 1970. Nigeria cannot afford to go into another war as that might just be too catastrophic for the country, Nigeria to bear. “ The group calls on the security agencies to discover every hideout of the sect and level it.

The group added: “Education and enlightenment of ordinary Nigerians of the evils of terrorism and religious intolerance must begin massively and, it is a good idea that Nigerians are mobilised to be others keeper. A case where Islamic faithful will provide security for their Christian counter pact during programmes and vice-versa is a welcome development that, need to be encouraged as this will go a long way in building religious tolerance. “

Bill to legalise office of First Ladies A GROUP, First Ladies Advocacy Group (FLAG), is planning a Bill to legalise the office of First Lady.

The group, at a news conference in Abuja, said the office was overdue for legal backing.

Its Executive Director, Mr. Adetunji Dolapo, urged all” well meaning Nigerians to join the call for the legislature at both federal and state levels to commence the process of enacting a legislation that will give legal backing to support the activities of the office of the First Ladies in the country since the practice has come to stay as part of our democracy.”

He added that “a legislation to strengthen the office is long overdue and it will without doubt be in the overall interest of the country’s national development. The office of the First Ladies at the Federal and State levels without the appropriate legislation is already doing so much in terms of helping the under privilege, mobilisation of women for development, youth empowerment, peace initiatives, creation of awareness on health and other development related issues.”

6

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

NEWS

Police: Foreigners behind mayhem

K

ADUNA State Police Commissioner, Mohammed Jinjiri Abubakar yesterday alleged that foreign nationals especially from three African countries were involved in the acts of terrorism currently ravaging parts of the north.

The Commissioner told reporters in his office that citizens of Niger Republic, Chad and Cameroon were among those involved in the terror activities and warned foreigners coming to cause disharmony in the country to desist from such acts.

In what looks like a riot act, Abubakar said the police will no longer care about the Africa Charter on the free movement of citizens and will treat foreigners arrested with iron hand, adding that the nation’s

From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

hospitality should not be taken for granted.

The police boss showed newsmen 15 Improvised Explosive Divices (EIDS) and their accessories recovered by the police, adding that each each of the explosives was capable of causing massive harm to structure and humans.

The police commissioner however refused to give casualty figures from the reprisal killings in Kaduna, following suicide attacks in Zaria and Kaduna on Sunday The Police Commissioner said “we want to warn all foreigners entering Nigeria to breach the peace and cause disharmony among us to desist from doing so.

“We have arrested many

nationales of Niger, Chad and Cameroon, who are among those engaged in mass killings and bombings in Nigeria.

We want to warn that we had enough of this. We will no longer care about the West Africa Charter of Freedom of Movement for its citizens if we arrest anyone from now.

Our hospitality must not be taken for granted”.

The police chief said that the bomb maker was a well known mechanic living in Kaduna.

According to him, when the police raided his compound, they uncovered a shocking arsenal of IEDS, arms and ammunition, saying “when we raided the compound, he ran into the ceiling of his house.

By the time we pursued him up the ceiling, he had escaped

through a hole. This was last Friday.

“The idea was to start the bombings on Friday. But we were quick to stop that. If not, last Sunday bombings could have been worse.

“Exhibits recovered include, 15 high calibre EIDS that could have caused serious catasphy in the state in un-intercepted.

“Others are A Honda Accord (EOD) with registration number Kano BE 520 BE KMC.; One AK 47 rifle, two revolvers pistols, one FNC rifle, three FNC rifle magazines, three AK 47 rifle Magazines and 110 rounds of live ammunitions”.

He put the death toll from the two explosions in Zaria at 18 including the suicide bombers, while 32 were injured.

Lawyer disowns anti-Salami suit

•Justice Salami Continued from page 1

li, is asking the court to stop Dr. Jonathan from acting on the recommendation sent to him by the NJC. The defendants are the

NJC, Justice Salami, the Attorney General of the Federation and Dr. Jonathan.

When the case was called yesterday, Okoli, who is listed as the sole plaintiff, promptly denied the suit.

He said: “My lord, I am not aware of this suit. My consent was never sought before it was brought before you. I have no knowledge of it, my lord.’’

Amazed by the development, Justice Abdul Kafarati asked the purported plaintiff and his lawyer to go and sort out their disagreement. He adjourned the matter till September 25.

The court also asked Amobi to serve the second defendant (Justice Salami) before the next sitting.

The plaintiff is asking the court to hold that NJC can not deliberate on an issue which is a subject of litigation, among others.

Rep Jagaba: I don’t have $620,000 bribe Continued from page 4

•Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun (middle), with top civil servants, during the Keep-fit Walk in commemoration of the 2012 Civil Service Day in Abeokuta…yesterday

Senate: moves to plunge Nigeria into religious war ‘ll fail Continued from page 4

will not happen. The Senate agreed that it (Kaduna , Zaria mayhem) was an effort to pitch Nigerians against one another and the Senate urges Nigerians not to fall for this odious attempt.

“Secondly, the Senate supports all the actions being taken now by the Federal Government.”

The Senate, he said, is taking very seriously, the issue of national security “because we know that one cannot have development without peace.”

“You cannot have any amount of infrastructure without having those who

will enjoy that infrastructure.

“You cannot in any way say you can open your economic indices without people there and we understand that if you want to have development in the country, you have to first deal with your internal security and therefore, that is why we are doing that in our retreat.

“We will look at every side and if there is anything we are going to do, be it an amendment of the constitution, we will go ahead and do it to make sure that Nigeria remains one, indivisible country.

“The Senate also noted that there may be some foreign dimensions to this but

the Senate acknowledges that we must put our house in order.

“The Senate is in full agreement that all hands must be on deck and that every Nigerian, no matter the level, has a duty to continue to preserve the unity and the structure of Nigeria as it is today.”

On House of Reps members Farouk Lawan’s bribery scandal, he said, “The Senate does not think it has to protect its own image because it does not think that the image of the National Assembly is in any way affected by the action of an individual within the National Assembly.”

The Senate, he said, “be-

lieves that the institution of National Assembly is intact and any member who has infringed on the law of the land will answer for it.”

He said the Senate is “very worried about the state of the nation, if not, we would not have spent a whole day today in a closed section.”

He said the reason for closed session was so that “we can speak frankly; the reason for closed session is that when they have camera on them, they will play to the gallery. So, we are so worried that we have to spend three to four hours in a closed session just to get to what is going on and it was productive.”

mittee on Financial Crimes and Anti-corruption.

“Any other material evidence that may be of use to this investigation”.

But a source said: “You will recall that Lawan admitted that he allegedly reported the matter to Jagaba alongside the bribe sum for onward transmission to the anti-graft agency.

“But the money was later retrieved from Jagaba by some people. So, it will be right for Jagaba to say that the bribe sum is no longer with him.”

It was learnt that Speaker Tambuwal has not received a letter from the police inviting any member of the House in connection with the bribery.

A high-ranking member of the House said: “The Speaker has not received any letter from the Special Task Force of the Police inviting members of the Ad Hoc Committee for interaction. If he gets it, he will read it on the floor of the House.

“What I know is that the Ad Hoc Committee is trying to conclude its work within two weeks. The House is determined to put the oil subsidy probe behind it.”

A police source, however,

added: “We are still going ahead with our investigation.

It is too hasty for anyone to conclude that Lawan will not honour the undertaking he signed with the police.

“We all know the consequence of entering into an undertaking without honouring it. He assured us that he will facilitate the appearance of Jagaba before us.”

On the fate of two policemen, who smuggled Lawan out from detention cell on Friday night to go home to take his bath, the source said: “They are still in detention because they have violated the service rules. The offence is considered grievous, such that none of their relations is allowed to see them.

“I think they might soon face Orderly Room Trial, which is like being Court Martial in the Nigerian Army.”

It was gathered that a Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Peter Gana, was on Monday at the Force CID in Area 10, where Lawan was detained, for a “wake up” call visit.

The source said: “The DIG read the Riot Act to officers and men. He asked them to sit up or face the consequence.”

Jonathan to tell House of Representatives how he’s tackling insecurity Continued from page 4

He warned that steps must be taken urgently before bombing takes a business dimension. “We should not see the problem as restricted to the Northeast. Now it has spread to the Northwest and, if care is not taken, the rest of the country risks being engulfed by the phenomenon.”

Gbajabiamila said the President had abandoned the last line of the oath of office he took - to protect the lives and property of Nigerians.

“Rather, the President felt that travelling overseas for some climate change, not minding that the insecurity situation in this country right now is infringing on the rights of Nigerians to religion and peaceful assembly.

“The current situation has also infringed on the rights of Nigerians to free movement

and rights to life. How do we relate with a situation whereby for five hours, state security agencies could not contain this attack.

“This can be pardoned if element of surprise was there like a bomb going off without warning, but for five hours, that is absurd. Does that mean that we have to look elsewhere for solution to this problem?”

Besides, he posited that the legislature must take the initiative out of the hands of the Executive through a bill that would ensure the reformation of the security system.

The Minority Leader stressed that the House must not shy away from its oversight functions over the Presidency, the President inclusive, to make him adhere to the oath he swore.

He said the President needed to appear before the Rep-

resentatives in a closed session where ideas would be exchanged on way out of the security challenges.

Lanre Odubote (ACN, Lagos) said a constitutional amendment was necessary to address insecurity.

He said regional autonomy, decentralisation of fiscal authorities as well as decentralisation of security apparatus must be in place, to address the issue.

Nkiruka Onyejeocha (PDP, Abia) blamed her colleagues for shying away from discussing Boko Haram when it first reared its head. “When a member raised the issue, it was taken to executive session and I remember that it was said that we should not discuss it because of the effect it might have on us.”

She went on: “I also remember that someone said if we

failed to address it then, that the problem might get to consume us. What I will say is that as leaders in whatever capacity, we should look within ourselves and seek the face of God. “We should go to our constituencies and educate our people on security issues and do whatever is necessary to assist in bringing this problem to an end.”

Jerry Mnwe (PDP, Taraba) wanted to know what security agencies were doing with the “huge” funds allocated to them yearly. “Is it to buy AK47 only or is it to buy bomb detectors for Aso Villa or the National Assembly alone and leave the rest of Nigerians to their fate?”

Manwe felt that President Jonathan and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Owoeye Azazi, appeared to be afraid of apprehending the

perpetrators of the violence.

“Is Jonathan, Azazi and the IGP, Abubakar Mohammed afraid that they can’t arrest the people they said they know? I think Nigerians should mobilise to arrest whoever comes out tomorrow to tell us that they know those behind the attacks and cannot arrest them.”

Opeyemi Bamidele (ACN, Ekiti), Mohammed Monguno (ANPP, Borno) James Faleke (ACN, Lagos) and Oluchi Ibeji (PDP, Abia) among others added their voices to the need for the President to explain the situation.

The lawmakers condemned the attacks in Zaria, Kaduna and Damauru and in other parts of the country. They also commiserated with the victims.

They urged the National Emergency Management

Agency (NEMA) to provide the victims with relief materials.

On the modalities for inviting he President, House Committee Chairman on Media and Public Affairs, Zakari Mohammed said the House would formally write to the President.

“We will not say just by the resolution of the House we have invited him, we will formally write to him, inviting him to come along with his Security Chiefs to explain what steps have been taken so far.

“From there, we will know where we are to come in and offer assistance; from there too, we will be able to know what we are going to tell our constituents on what the government is doing about the security situation in the country.

“When we are inviting him, the public will know about it”.

7

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

CITYBEATS

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

•The recovered vehicles...yesterday

PHOTO: JUDE ISIGUZO

‘We operated because the policeman on duty slept A

ROBBERY suspect yesterday confessed that his gang stole five exotic vehicles from a car dealership because the policeman on duty was asleep.

The suspect, Jerry Amgbeye (29),

By Jude Isiguzo and Ebele Boniface

a security man attached to Kunech car dealership, Ajiran Road, Agungi, Lekki, Lagos, and eight others were arrested by police operatives

from the Area ‘J’ Command, Ajah and Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja. The robbery incident occurred on Saturday, May 17.

Amgbeye told The Nation at the Lagos State Police Command

Headquarters, Ikeja, that the policeman, who was his accomplice, locked himself in a room and slept off when his gang came to steal the vehicles.

He said: “I was the person who opened the gate for the other suspects to come in around 5am on that Saturday. The policeman was fast asleep so he did not know when the five vehicles were removed from the parking lot.”

According to the suspect, the buyer of the vehicles promised to pay them N10million if the vehicles were delivered to him in Akwa Ibom State.

But, the next day, the company management informed the Area Commander of Area ‘J’, Mr Felix Vwamhi, who reported the theft to the Commander, SARS, Mr Abba Kyari.

Kyari mobilised his men in search of the suspects.

Four of them were arrested in Ibadan, another four in Lagos and one in Akwa Ibom.

The gang leader, Ugochukwu Justin Onyejemeni, a logistic officer with the company, is in a hospital with gunshot wounds sustained while the police tried to arrest him.

The Group General Manager of the car dealership, Mr Bidani Deepak, hailed the Police. He noted that the operatives were efficient and well trained, but were hampered by logistics, which if provided would have improved their operation.

15 injured, vehicles damaged as hoodlums attack politician

F

IFTEEN people were injured in Satellite Town, a Lagos suburb, when armed hoodlums, attacked a politician.

The politician, Mustafa Ojora, a supervisory councillor for Health in Oriade Local Council Development Area (LCDA), was attacked at his home around Trade Fair bus stop, on the Badagry Expressway, Lagos.

Eyewitnesses said about 20 youths, carrying dangerous weapons, attacked the politician, leaving 15 people injured and the politician’s vehicles damaged.

There was confusion as traders around the International Trade Fair Complex, residents and the politician’s family ran for safety. The hoodlums shot into the air sporadically and vandalised the politician’s building.

Narrating his ordeal to The Nation, Ojora alleged that the hoodlums were sent by one of his political foes, to attack him over a twoacre piece of land.

“He has been on my neck since I bought this piece of land from the royal family. He has been a controversial person in the community, even with the royal family. He claimed that he is a traditional ruler of new Oguntade village in Satellite town. I have evidence of the purchase of the land from the royal family,” Ojora said According to the councillor, the hoodlums’ attack was the second in a series of attacks. He stated that they had earlier been sent to destroy his livestock business on the land.

“When they came around 10 pm last night (Monday night), they shot sporadically and blocked the roads. I was perplexed as they vandalised my car, threw stones in my compound. All the traders in front

Lagos CJ recalls NBA Ikeja leadership crisis case file

By Adebisi Onanuga

THE Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Ayotunde Phillips, has recalled the case file of the suit filed by Mr. Yinka Farounbi, who is contesting the outcome of the May 9 election of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja branch.

The suit, which was adjourned for trial yesterday, failed to hold as Justice Opeyemi Oke disqualified herself from the trial.

The registrar told the parties yesterday that the suit had been sent to the Chief Judge.

Justice Oke is the second judge that has withdrawn from the case since the trial began about a month ago. The first judge, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo, had earlier withdrawn from the suit after complaints from some interested parties.

Sources told The Nation that one of the parties complained to the Chief Judge that Justice Oke was allegedly “too hostile” in the way she handled the matter. The Chief Judge then ordered that the file be sent to her office.

The party, it was learnt, had complained that they were not sure of getting a fair trial if Justice Oke was allowed to try the matter.

They argued that Justice Oke extended the injunctions granted the claimants at the commencement of the suit by another seven days.

Justice Taiwo, who started the trial, had granted Farounbi’s prayer and restrained the electoral committee and the NBA Ikeja chairman from swearing in the newly elected officers.

He also said the order of the court would subsist, pending the hearing and determination of a motion on notice for an interlocutory injunction filed by Farounbi.

The judge had also ordered the elected officers to stop parading themselves as officers- elect of the NBA, Ikeja branch, pending the hearing and determination of a motion on notice for the interlocutory injunction.

Union protests vehicles’ seizure

by LASTMA

By Miriam Ndikanwu

•Ojora with his damaged car

By Paul Oluwakoya

of my house ran for safety without locking their shops.”

The Badagry Expressway, according to Ojora, was blocked for more than one hour. “Look at the roof of my House; everything is perforated with stones, because they kept throwing stones. Till this morning (Tuesday), no vehicle could ply the road. My brother, you can see for yourself, nobody could open their shops. The busy road is deserted,” he said.

He alleged: “The thugs are from

PHOTO: PAUL OLUWAKOYA

the man who claimed to be a chief in Satellite Town. I know them.

They told me they were the ones who came to destroy my livestock business at old Ojo road, Satellite Town, which I had reported to the Police and now, they are here again.

“When they invaded my land I informed the Area Commander through my lawyer, but yesterday the man I suspect came to my farm land with coverage gadgets, that was in the morning and in the evening they launched the attack.

It was God who saved my life and

that of my family.

“I called the DPO of Agboju Police Station as they tried to force their way into my premises. The police quickly responded and as soon as they noticed policemen they ran away and left a double barrel gun at my gate, which was later taken away by the police.”

Policemen were yesterday patrolling Ojora’s neighbourhood to restore peace and order. Commercial activities were still paralysed.

None of robbery gang: nobody among the residents was ready to speak with reporters.

LAGOS EMERGENCY LINES STATE AGENCIES 1. Fire and Safety Services Control Room Phone Nos: 01-7944929; 080-33235892; 4. KAI Brigade Phone Nos: 080-33235890; 080-23321770; 080-56374036.

080-23036632; 0805-5284914 Head office Phone Nos: 3. LASTMA Emergency Numbers: 2. Federal Road Safety Corps 01-4703325; 01-7743026 080-75005411; 080-60152462 (FRSC) 5.

Rapid Response Squad (RRS) 080-23111742; 080-29728371 Lagos Zonal Command Phone Phone Nos: 070-55350249; 080-23909364; 080-77551000 No:080-33706639; 01-7742771 070-35068242 01-7904983 Sector Commander Phone No: 080-79279349; 080-63299264

070-55462708; 080-65154338 767 or email: rapidresponsesquad@yahoo.com 6. Health Services – LASAMBUS Ambulance Services Phone Nos: 01-4979844; 01-4979866; 01-4979899; 01-4979888; 01-2637853-4; 080-33057916; 080-33051918-9; 080-29000003-5.

MEMBERS of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) disrupted traffic yesterday morning in Ikorodu, a Lagos suburb, by mounting a road block to protest the seizure of nine of their vehicles.

The vehicles were impounded by a joint team of the state TaskForce on Environmental and Special Offences and the Lagos State Transport Management Authority, (LASTMA). It was aimed at discouraging commercial bus operators from picking and dropping commuters indiscriminately on the Ikorodu roundabout.

The joint team impounded seven vehicles during the operation, but were resisted a few metres away from the roundabout, as members of the NURTW mounted a road block with two vehicles to stop the team from towing their vehicles.

They were, however, dislodged by the team and the two vehicles used to obstruct traffic impounded. A member of the union, who assaulted one of the officers of the TaskForce, was also arrested.

The TaskForce Chairman, Bayo Sulaimon, a Police Superintendent, who confirmed the raid said: “We embarked on the enforcement following the complaints from residents of the state that activities of the commercial vehicles and traders on the road were the causes of traffic snarl on Ikorodu road.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

8

NEWS THE DANA AIR PLANE CRASH

•ALL FOR THE VICTIMS: General Manager, Training, FAAN, Hajia Salamat Umar-Eluma and two other women in tears during the service...yesterday PHOTOS: ISAAC AYODELE JIMOH

They prayed, they cried for crash victims

I

T was a time to pray. It was also a time to cry. Scores of aviation workers, under the aegis of Women in Aviation, yesterday held a prayer session for victims of the June 3 plane crash in Iju-Ishaga, on the outskirts of Lagos.

They urged God to rescue the sector from the throes of agony, grief and sorrow. And they cried for

By Kelvin Osa- Okunbor

the victims, some of whom were not unknown to them.

The special prayer session, which had in attendance Christians and Muslims, held at the open ground of the toll gate plaza near the Murtala Muhammed International

• Oduah (left) and the Director-General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Harold Demuren at the hearing... yesterday

Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

Members of staff of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Air Force, the Police and DANA Air and other airlines wore black T-shirts to bid farewell to the

victims.

The session, which had as theme: “ Call for prayer : No More loss”, also served as a platform for the workers, who were mainly women pray for wisdom for the managers of the nation’s airspace to always uphold the truth and do what is right to save the country the avoidable experience of

sorrow, which the DANA Air crash has caused.

The president of Women in Aviation, Mrs Rejoice Ndudinachi, said the session was important because the aviation sector needed divine intervention.

She said the managers of the nation’s airspace need prayers.

-

• Mark (right), Speaker Aminu Tambuwal and Onyejeocha... yesterday PHOTOS ABAYOMI FAYESE

National Assembly, minister disagree over probe of crash

T

HE National Assembly and the Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, yesterday disagreed over the desirability of the investigative public hearing on the Dana Air plane crash.

Oduah requested the Joint Committee on Aviation of the Senate and House of Representatives investigating the crash of Dana Air plane and Allied Airlines Aircraft to postpone the probe.

The Joint committee said the probe would go on despite the minister’s appeal.

Odua premised her request on the ground that the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB)is probing the crash.

The minister noted that postponement of the investigation would also allow families of affected victims to complete “the painful process of DNA matching identification and the burial of their loved ones.”

She said: “This is a painful period for our country and continued public speculation in the form of a public hearing before the official accident investigation is concluded is capable of inflaming emotions, distracting the on-going accident investigation process and further eroding the confidence

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor

of the Nigerian flying public in the safety of the country’s aviation industry.”

But Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Hope Uzodinma, said that the public hearing could not be postponed because the exercise was the resolution of the two chambers of the National Assembly.

Uzodinma added that the fear that the National Assembly probe would compromise investigation

by AIB is not tenable.

He said the Joint committee would ensure that the public hearing would not impinge on the investigation by AIB. Oduah told the committee that the AIB commenced official investigation of the crash immediately after the accident.

She said: “ As required by International Civil Aviation Organisation Annex 13, representatives of the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the manu-

facturers of the aircraft (The Boeing Company, USA), and the engines (Pratt and Whitney USA) have all joined the AIB team investigating the accident.

“The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) of the ill-fated flight have been taken to the NTSB laboratory in Washington DC , USA for readout and analysis.

“This capacity, which can improve the time it takes to conclude an accident investigation by the AIB, would have been achieved this year, if not for budget constraints.”

Senate President David Mark, while inaugurating the committee said the joint public hearing is at the instance of the executive.

He said the National Assembly also believed that the joint sitting would save time as “we would not invite the same people because of emotion involved in this particular public hearing.”

He urged those who wanted to appear before the committee to do so totally devoid of emotions and sentiments “because it is facts we want to get.”

He said: “I know it would be extremely difficult for people to speak

without being emotional but we implore you to please, try and avoid that.

May I also advise that you avoid speculations and hear says, if you don’t have the fact, there would be no need for you to make presentations.

“There are lots of hearsay and people making statements they are not sure of. Clearly, some aspects of the investigations are technical and this committee is not in the position to address those aspects.

“The committee is for instance, not in a position to investigate issues relating the black box or any technical details. Those who expressed fears that the actions of the committee would take distant time, it is simply not correct.

“There are clear administrative issues and standing administrative procedures and the essence of all these is to make sure that our air space is safe.

“The technical aspect is done by AIB and other professionals. There are areas where we believe that this joint committee can look into.

“For instance, what was the response time, what is the channel of

communication if the aircraft is down, what are the standing operational procedures if there are accidents, what is the rescue procedure?

“If you watch the television, all kind of characters were at the scene.

So, these are the areas this committee can look into and the essence is to see if there is anything that needs to be done to make sure the procedure is standard and in an event that this occur any other time, things would be done properly.”

Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejiocha, decried the situation where too many lives have been lost in the country through air crashes.

Onyejiocha described the Dana Airline crash as “tragedy too many.”

The lawmaker said blames would be apportioned where necessary.

She believed the investigation would help them to locate air safety regulations that might have been compromised.

According to her the lives of Nigerians should no longer be wasted “because accident don’t just occur sometimes they are caused.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

9

NEWS SERVICE OF SONGS FOR NGOZI AGBO

•The late Ngozi Agbo’s mum Madam Nwozor and the widower Agbo Agbo

•From left: Bishop Erumaka, Pastor Okonwo, Rev Ilo, and Rev Mike Ohiorenoyan

•Some of the Campus Life journalists

•Rev Okonkwo and the late Ngozi’s baby

•Mr Ekeh (middle), Mr Emeka Anolefo(left) and Mr Kayode Owolabi

•Mr Elumoye (left), Babatunde and Ariyo

PHOTOS:NIYI ADENIRAN

‘The Ngozi Agbo we knew’

W

ITH a Service of Songs, the final home journey of the Coordinator of The Nation’s Campus Life, Mrs Ngozi Agbo began yesterday at the Chapel of Christ Our Light, University of Lagos, Akoka.

She died on May 28 due to child birth complications. The baby boy survived. She was 36.

At the solemn service were the widower, Mr Agbo Agbo, Ngozi’s mother, Madam Nwozor, The Campus Life journalists she mentored, members of the Students for Liberty Club, who dressed in black T-shirts, her friends, members of her family and professional colleagues.

The late Mrs Agbo’s spiritual mother, Pastor Iphy Okonkwo; Bishop Humphrey Erumaka; Pastors Uzo Isreal, Blessing Oshiegbu, Paula Iwenjiorah; Rev Moses Iloh; Rev Mike Ohioren; Rev Lawrence Etuk; Rev Juliet Binitie; Chief Executive Of-

•Service of songs for The Nation’s Campus Life girl

By Nneka Nwaneri

ficer of Synthesis Communications, Mr Desmond Ekeh were there.

There were also members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos State Council Executive, led by its Chairman Deji Elumoye, his deputy Mr Jimoh Babatunde and an ex-officio Akinola Ariyo.

Hymns such as Amazing Grace and Oh Lord my God were sung.

Bible readings were taken from the books of Job 14:1-12: John 11:17-27 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

Editor of The Nation’Mr. Gbenga Omotoso said of the deceased: “ She was always the first to come to the office. Never got a query, verbal or written. Ngozi put her eight-page Campus Life section together without giving me trouble. Her work was always spick and span. When she came to

me with the idea of Campus Life, it was a great idea and we are all witnesses to it. I take consolation in the words of a lecturer in this university (Prof Ralph Akinfeleye) who said: ‘In heaven, builders will not be needed because no one will need to build a house. Surveyors will not be needed as there will be no land to fight over; neither will bankers or engineers be needed but a journalist will be needed because everybody will want information. Those in the north will want to know what is happening in the East and vice versa.’

“And when Ngozi gets there, they will surely know a star has arrived.”

Online Editor, The Nation Mr Lekan Otufodurin said: “ I met her years ago at the defunct New Age. She lived a life worthy of emulation. She

found her role in the Body of Christ and built a generation of young people because she didn’t wait to be number one to make an impact”.

Rev Benitie: “she lived in bliss and did everything in excellence. She was a great administrator and lifegiver. Glory in the House Church will miss her. We celebrate her life, though short.

Janice Nkoli-Ifeme of The Nation’s Shopping Desk said: “We were coursemates at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and we studied English. She lived a purposeful life and got many undergraduates to write. Thus, Ngozi fulfilled her purpose.

Hannah Ojo, the late Ngozi’s mentee spoke with passion: “ Greatness starts from a deprived generation. She ignited something in me and that dream will never

•The late Mrs Agbo

die”.

To Mrs Irene Uba, who retired from Cocacola Nigeria last year, “Ngozi was a young, passionate woman, passionate about everything. Even at her age, she found her purpose in life. Its normal that we grieve as humans, but she lived a meaningful life”.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

10

NEWS

Five-year-old cancer patient T gets lifeline

HE Ekiti State Government yesterday spent N55 million on the procurement of medical equipment and the medical bills of indigent patients.

One of such patients is a five-year-old boy, Usman Odunayo, who was diagnosed of cancer of the eye.

When Governor Kayode Fayemi presented a cheque to Usman’s mother for his treatment, she burst into tears. Usman, unmindful of what was going on, held on to the cheque as they returned to their seat.

Usman was diagnosed of cancer of the eye some months ago.

The governor, in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, presented

•Ekiti spends N55m on medical aid, equipment cheques of N20.6 million to 31 indigent patients suffering from various ailments requiring specialised surgeries.

He said the gesture is to demonstrate his administration’s commitment to assisting vulnerable persons or groups.

Fayemi said he is aware of the challenges in the health sector and would ensure that residents live a healthy life.

He said: “These conditions are further exacerbated by the weak financial strength of

these people, whose conditions are fast deteriorating.

The government is practically demonstrating its concern for them by paying their high medical bills, which were occasioned by their critical medical conditions. We hereby break the financial barriers to their good health.”

Fayemi inaugurated medical equipment worth N35 million to be distributed to health centres and used for free health missions.

They included hospital

beds and mattresses, 10KVA Elipak Generating set, delivery beds, binocular microscopes, hematocrit centrifuge and mobile ultrasound machines, among others.

Fayemi said four ambulances with radio communication equipment have been provided for the State Ambulance Service.

He said the government has started upgrading six general hospitals and equipping the new Accident and Emergency Ward of the State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH).

One of the beneficiaries, Caroline Olofin, thanked the governor on behalf of the others.

.Fayemi inaugurating the equipment. With him are officials of the state government...yesterday.

T

Controversy trails sale of property to Alao-Akala

HE sale of an N8 million property to former Oyo State Governor Adebayo AlaoAkala in Ogbomoso is causing ripples the Ministry of Justice, after a controversy arose in the transaction.

The 100-year-old property is situated at Ile Abese, Sekoni, Ogbomoso.

It was gathered that the property allegedly belonged to the late Alhaja Hunmoani Alari and her brother, the late Pa Buraimoh Aremu.

After the sale to AlaoAkala, one of the alleged heirs, Moses Akinkunmi, said he was not satisfied with the process of the trans-

From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

action and lodged his complaints at the Ministry of Justice.

Akinkunmi claims that the family was shortchanged and the sale did not follow due process.

He said the agent that represented the family does not have the locus standi to do so.

The surveyor, who participated in the sale of the property, Mr. Tunji Oyewole, said Akinkunmi is not

serious.

Oyewole said the property belonged to the late Aremu, whose children, Khadijat Buraimoh and Shehu Buraimoh, inherited the property and sold it.

He said: “Akinkunmi’s great grandmother is the late Aremu’s sister. The late Aremu entrusted the property to her care when he was travelling and she built a boys’ quarters behind the building. When the late Aremu returned, she apologised and the matter was settled.

“So Akinkunmi should be ashamed of himself for laying claim to what does not belong to his lineage.

When the property was sold, Akinkunmi and his cousin, Alhaja Bose, were given N500,000 each for their side, but he was not satisfied.

“The payment of N8 million to the heirs was documented. As a licensed surveyor, it is my legitimate and professional duty to facilitate property sales and charge 10 per cent as commission for the transactions.

It is ridiculous for Akinkunmi to cry wolf because I collected my dues.”

Ondo ACN alleges violence plan

T

HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ondo State yesterday alleged that the Labour Party (LP) is planning to cause mayhem immediately ACN announces its standard bearer for the October 20 governorship election.

The party alleged that the LP has procured vests bearing ACN logo, which it said would be distributed to ur-

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

chins.

ACN alleged that the urchins would be paid to protest the party’s leadership, while pretending to be ACN members.

In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Rotimi Agbede, ACN said: “We have uncovered a plan to cause mayhem immediately

our party leadership announces its standard bearer.

Their plan is to make it look as if our party members are against the decision of its national leadership.

“Already, they have printed a large number of vests bearing the logo of our party, which they plan to distribute to their thugs with the aim of causing crisis.

NDLEA, touts clash in Ado-Ekiti

O

FFICIALS of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday clashed with motor park touts in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

The NDLEA officials allegedly shot one of the touts, when they stormed the Ado-Ikere motor park in search of Indian hemp users.

The park is under the control of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN).

It was learnt that the tout was injured when the NDLEA operatives shot into the air to prevent the hoodlums from attacking them.

NURTW State Chairman Julius Jegede said

From Sulaiman Salaawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

the drivers resisted the NDLEA officials because they were uncivil in their approach.

Jegede urged the drivers to allow peace reign and go about their normal business.

The incident caused a gridlock on the AdoEkiti/Akure Road for about three hours, forcing road users to explore alternative routes.

Police spokesman Victor Babayemi confirmed the incident.

He said the injured person had been taken to the hospital.

Babayemi said: “Yes, we learnt that an intending passenger was shot at the park during the raid by the NDLEA, but nobody died.”

“While the party ordinarily would have preferred to ignore this satanic plan by the ruling party, we are constrained to alert the public because of its security implications on the livf and property of the people we desire to govern after the expiration of the rudderless government of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko in February, 2013.

“The ACN is particularly concerned about this latest plan by the LP, as the Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade, had in the past accused ACN of planning similar actions.

His allegations were aimed at diverting the attention of the public from their sinister plan, so that they can have ample time to plan and execute this ungodly act.

“We urge security agencies to be above board in discharging their duties and ensure adequate protection of life and property before, during and after the October election.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

11

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

DPR clamps down on illegal jetty in Lagos

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

T

HE Department of Pe troleum Resources (DPR) yesterday rounded up the operators of the illegal jetty in Marina area of Lagos, where they discharge adulterated petroleum products.

A few months ago, DPR had also clamped down on illegal jetty operators in Waziri in the Apapa, Lagos.

Found at the site of the illegal jetty were two barges laden with Automated Gas Oil (diesel) of about two million litres, as well as three abandoned ships allegedly used by the accused operators to transport the products.

According to a statement, the DPR monitoring team led by the Assistant Director, Products Distribution, Depots and Jetties, Francis Buraimoh, said the alleged adulterated product might have been stolen from the Niger Delta creeks, where oil theft business is booming.

Buraimoh said the DPR has been monitoring that area over time following hints that illegal activities were going on at the Defence Jetty, Marina, which is barely opposite the busy Apapa jetty. One of the barges used for the operation was christened BC6215, while the three ships were named MTA Amolese, Cape European and Rock Barge. Also found there were two tankers and other scattered materials.

The DPR team arrested two of the suspected operators, who claimed to be working for Millennium Shipping Company, and handed them over to the Zone 2 Police Headquarters in Lagos, for further investigation.

DATA STREAM COMMODITY PRICES Oil - $123.6/barrel Cocoa - $2,686.35/metric ton Coffee - ¢132.70/pound Cotton - ¢95.17pound Gold - $1,800/troy ounce Rubber - ¢159.21pound MARKET CAPITALISATIONS NSE JSE NYSE LSE

-N6.503 trillion -Z5.112trillion -$10.84 trillion -£61.67 trillion

RATES Inflation -12.6% Treasury Bills -7.08% Maximum lending22.42% Prime lending -15.87% Savings rate -2% 91-day NTB -14.18% Time Deposit -5.49% MPR -12% Foreign Reserve $34.6b CFA EUR £ $ ¥ SDR RIYAL

FOREX -

0.2958 206.9 245 156.4 1.9179 241 40.472

The crises in Greece and Spain had begun to impact on the global economy as we have noticed some downward slide in oil prices in recent weeks, so we must ensure proper management of available resources to prepare Nigeria in case there is any recession - Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Minister of Finance

NSE to reconstitute council as Dangote returns T HE Nigerian Stock Ex change (NSE) has started the disengagement of directors appointed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to its council, paving the way for its much-awaited reconstitution.

The decision was the highpoint of a meeting of the NSE Council yesterday chaired by Alhaji Aliko Dangote following his reinstatement as president by the Court of Appeal.

The council consists of 21 members. They include 13 ordinary members, one institutional member and seven dealing members.

The SEC board, last week,

By Taofik Salako

consented to the removal of the eight members it appointed into the council of the Exchange. SEC’s appointees included the former interim director-general, Mallam Ballama Manu; Mr. Emmanuel Ikazoboh, Mrs. Yemisi Ayeni, Mr Abimbola Ogunbanjo, Mr Bismarck Rewane, and Mrs. Dorothy Ufot (SAN).

The NSE council considered the disengagement and decided that Dangote should consult with stakeholders to

assist it.

This was in line with SEC’s directive that the disengagement must be done to enhance market confidence and ensure stability of the Exchange and the capital market.

The SEC board had directed the NSE council to ensure that legal issues affecting the council are addressed. It also directed the management of the Commission to fashion out modalities for the disengagement.

The NSE council assured

stakeholders that it would protect the interests of the Exchange and the capital market.

The disengagement would assuage stockbrokers, who had criticised SEC’s arrangement, describing it as “micro-management of NSE”.

NSE is a self-regulatory organisation (SRO) and a private company limited by guarantee. It is owned by several individual and institutional members, especially stockbrokers who form the majority of its members.

Observers say the removal

of SEC’s appointees would lead to a restructuring at the NSE, especially its committees.

Mrs Ayeni chairs the demutualisation committee, which reviews and exams the structure of the NSE. Ogunbanjo is a member of the demutualisation and the disciplinary committees.

Ikazoboh chairs the finance and general purpose committee. The committee, which also has Bismarck Rewane as a member, also acts as a court of last resort for staff disciplinary matters.

Mrs.Ufot (SAN) chairs the rules and adjudication committee.

• From left: Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr Oscar Onyema; President, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; former President, Mr Oba Otudeko; and outgoing Interim President, Mallam Balama Manu at the NSE Council meeting in Lagos ..on Tuesday.

MTN, Airtel, Glo pay NCC fine for poor service

T

HERE were strong in dications yesterday that telecoms giants MTN, Globacom and Airtelmay have paid the fines imposed on them by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for not meeting the quality of service Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set for the industry.

A source confirmed to The Nation yesterday that payment was made by three of the penalised operators, except Etisalat.

The source said NCC received confirmation of payment from the trio on Monday evening. He said for the operators and the commission, “it was a win-win situation.”.

When contacted, NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Mr Tony Ojobo, could not confirm the payments as he was attending a meeting in Lagos.

He said: “I am not in Abuja and cannot confirm if the operators have paid or not.”

But MTN’s Corporate Services Executive, Mr Wale Goodluck, confirmed his company had paid the fine, at the Sixth Business Law Conference of the Nigerian

• SIM card registration on course, says Juwah From Yomi Odunuga, Abuja Bureau Chief and Adline Atili

Bar Association (NBA) in Lagos.

Meanwhile, efforts to get confirmation from Globacom and Airtel proved abortive.

Last week at a meeting with NCC, the operators promised to pay the fine this week after reaching an agreement with the commission on review of the KPIs. On May 10, the four GSM operators were fined N1.17billion for poor services to subscribers.

While MTN and Etisalat were fined N360million each, Airtel and Globacom were fined N270million and N180million.

They were given up till May 25 to pay the fine or get additional N2.5million daily as contravention charges.

It could not, however, be confirmed if the extra surcharges were also paid by the operators.

Meanwhile, the Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, said the

regulatory agency’s SIM card registration is on de spite the ongoing probe of the project by the House of Representatives.

Juwah, who gave the assurance at media parley with reporters in his office, said the outcry over the N6.1 billion budgeted for the project was unfortunate. He said the database to be generated would be of immense benefit to the country.

Though he acknowledged the right of the House of Representatives to beam its searchlight on any government agency, the telecoms expert explained that a comparative cost analysis of SIM card registration with other countries showed that Nigeria would be spending less.

He also spoke on the N1.17 billion fine the NCC imposed on service providers, insisting that the affected firms would soon pay the fine despite their initial resistance.

“I don’t think there is anything wrong with the regis-

tration and very soon, we will ask for permission from the House if we can start before they conclude the probe so that we can finish everything on time. There is no centralised database in Nigeria as I am talking to you and if we finish it, it will be the first centralised database in Nigeria. If it is that easy, why has it not been done before? So, it is a job we are taking very seriously and who says we don’t have capacity?

“I think we didn’t do enough job of explaining and by the time we started explaining to the public, it had become too late. There is this public bias also when people hear of billions. India is also carrying out SIM card registration and it is being carried out by the regulator in conjunction with a special body appointed by the government. Registration of a subscriber in India is about $2, which is about N340, but the highest cost of registration in Nigeria is about N120, which is less than what India is using and India is

known to be a very low-cost country.

“We are a government agency and once they (the House of Representatives) summon us, we go. The probe is going on. So, everybody will see what will come out of it. We are not afraid of anything because we have not done anything wrong. At times, people who have issues with NCC will go and publish whatever they like, but I can tell you that there is nothing wrong in SIM card registration. Nobody has gained one kobo out of it. The process and the money are wellmanaged,” he stressed.

Justifying the fine on service providers for low quality, Juwah explained that it was within the mandate of the NCC and that it was done after a consideration of the issues.

Meanwhile, to ascertain the adverse effect of ICT equipment on consumers NCC has slated a conference on EMF Exposure and Health in Lagos State.

This was contained in a statement in yesterday by the Public Affairs Department of the commission.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

12

BUSINESS NEWS Flight Schedule

Air Nigeria flays FIRS’ invasion

MONDAY - FRIDAY LAGOS – ABUJA Departure Arrival 1. Aero 06.50 08.10 2. Associated 07.00 09.30 3. Air Nigeria 07.00 08.20 4. IRS 07.00 08.20 5. Dana 07.02 08.22 6. Arik 07.15 08.15 7. Chanchangi 07.15 8. Air Nigeria 08.15 09.35 9. Dana 08.10 09.20 10. Aero 08.45 10.05 11. Arik 09.15 10.15 12. Chanchangi 10.00 11.00 13. IRS 11.15 12.35 14. Dana 12.06 12.26 15. Aero 12.20 13.30 16. Air Nigeria 13.25 14.45 17. Chanchangi 13.30 14.30 18. Arik 13.45 14.45 19. IRS 14.00 15.20 20. Aero 14.10 15.30 21. Air Nigeria 14.50 16.10 22. Dana 15.30 16.50 23. Chanchangi 15.30 16.30 24. Arik 15.50 16.50 25. Aero 16.00 17.20 26. IRS 16.30 17.50 27. Arik 16.50 17.50 28. Dana 17.10 18.30 29. Chanchangi 17.30 18.30 30. Air Nigeria 17.35 18.55 31. Air Nigeria (T/TH) 18.30 19.50 32. Arik 18.45 19.45 33. Aero 19.20 20.40 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

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

1.

2.

3.

4.

Arik Aero Arik Aero

1. Arik 2. Aero 1.

2.

3.

4.

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

LAGOS – KADUNA Aero 08.00 Chanchangi 10.00 Arik 10.00 Arik 15.10

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

LAGOS – PORT HARCOURT (CIVIL) 1. Aero 07.15 08.35 2. Arik 07.15 08.35 3. Arik 09.00 10.20 4. Dana 09.27 10.40 5. Aero 10.50 12.30 6. Arik 11.40 13.00 7. Air Nigeria 12.00 13.10 8. IRS 13.30 15.00 9. Arik 14.00 15.20 10. Dana 15.03 16.20 11. Air Nigeria 16.00 17.10 12. Arik 16.10 17.30 13. Aero 16.15 17.30 14. Arik 17.10 18.30 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

LAGOS – OWERRI Aero 07.30 Arik 07.30 Air Nigeria 13.40 Arik 14.00 Arik 16.30

08.40 08.40 14.55 15.10 17.40

1.

2.

3.

4.

Arik Aero Arik Aero

LAGOS – WARRI 08.15 11.50 11.55 14.55

09.1 12.50 12.55 15.55

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

LAGOS – KANO Air Nigeria 07.10 IRS 08.00 Dana 08.10 Arik 12.20 IRS 14.00 IRS 18.15

08.50 09.45 09.40 14.00 15.45 19.55

LAGOS – OWERRI 07.20 14.00 16.30

08.30 15.10 17.40

LAGOS – UYO 10.35

11.35

1. Arik 2. Arik 3. Arik 1. Dana

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

08.00 18.00

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

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

A

• From left: Associate Vice-President, Operations Control Centre (OCC), Arik Air, Mr Ralph Henschen; Snr. Vice President, Operations, Mr Rob Thomas and Director, Flight Operations, Capt. Ado Sanusi, explaining to reporters during a tour of Arik Air facilities, at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos ... on Monday.

PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE

Inflation eases to 12.7% in May

N

IGERIA’s consumer inflation ease to 12.7 per cent year-on-year in May, from 12.9 per cent in the preceding month.

The report of the Composite Price Index, (CPI), which measures inflation, released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) yesterday, revealed that food items contributed more with Composite Food Index increasing by 12.9 per cent over the corresponding level a year ago.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) wants consumer inflation in single-digits but has accepted that the headline figure is likely to peak at around 14 per cent later this year.

The regulator last month kept its benchmark interest rate on hold at 12 per cent for the fourth meeting running, citing the need to balance inflationary concerns with slowing economic growth.

“Given the slowdown in real GDP growth, and the weakness in monetary aggregates, Nige-

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

rian interest rates are likely comfortably on hold for the rest of the year,” Razia Khan, Head of Africa Research at Standard Chartered, said in reaction to the inflation figures.

When analysed on month-bymonth basis, the composite CPI was higher by 0.75 per cent in the month under review when compared with April this year, while urban and rural inflation rates stood at 14.1 per cent and 11.7 percent year-on-year.

The urban All Items index increased by 0.8 per cent on a month-on-month basis, while the rural index rose by 0.7 per cent, when compared with April 2012.

The report stated: “The Composite Consumer Price Index (CPI) which measures inflation rose to 12.7 per cent year-on-year in May 2012.The high year-onyear change could be partly attributable to persistent increase

in the prices some farm produce due to the farming season, for example vegetables which are typically in short supply at this time of the year.

“Other notable increases were in catering services as well as the cost of some miscellaneous services, such as appliances, articles and products for personal care.

However, while these items were responsible for the largest price rises, their contribution to the overall index is minimal given their relatively smaller weights in the index.

“On a monthly basis, the composite CPI was higher by 0.75 per cent in May 2012when compared with April 2012. The urban inflation rate was recorded at 14.1 percent year-on-year while the rural inflation rate was 11.7 per cent for May 2012. The urban All Items index increased by 0.8 per cent on a month-on-month basis, while the rural index increased by 0.7 per cent, when compared with the preceding month”, it added.

Fed Govt plans N841b treasury bill issues in Q3

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HE Federal Government plans to raise N841.56 billion ($5.20 billion) worth in treasury bills ranging from three months to one year in the third quarter of the year, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said.

The apex bank, according to Reuters said, it would auction N235.19 billion worth in 91-, 182and 364-day paper in the last two

weeks of June, N250.44 billion worth in July, N212.70 billion in August and N142.97 billion worth of the same tenor in first week of September.

The quantity of short-dated paper on offer in the third quarter was lower than the N917.76 billion offered at the previous quarter.

Dealers said the drop reflected lacklustre demand from foreign

investors to roll over maturing treasury T-bills, leading to an exit of foreign capital that had invested heavily in the paper in the first and earlier part of the second quarter.

Nigeria, Africa’s second biggest economy after South Africa, issues treasury bills regularly as part of monetary control measures to help lenders manage their liquidity.

Govt’s allocation can’t develop Nigeria, ORMER Head of Interim Na world that can develop infrational Government (ING), says Shonekan structure, using the normal gov-

F

Chief Ernest Shonekan, said Nigeria’s quest to be among the top 20 economies by 2020, can only be achieved by the private sector playing a major role in the development of the economy.

He said no country can develop using normal government budgetary funds alone.

He spoke yesterday in Abuja, at the opening ceremony of the National Public, Private-Partnership seminar.

Shonekan, who is also the Chairman, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), said the Commission exist to “provide an objective regulatory environment within which agencies of government can enter into partnership with the private sector in financing construction, operation and maintenance of infrastructure and the provision of public services for the attainment of the socio-

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

economic development.”

In implementing the mandate, he said the ICRC is working with other government agencies, international development partners and private establishments in ensuring that, “our financial services sector are enabled to provide long term funds to our private sectors for the development of infrastructure.”

He said: “Our desire to become a top 20 economies in 2020 can only be achieved with a quantum leap in the availability of quality of good economy and social infrastructure. And considering the huge investment that would be required to fill the infrastructure gap, the private sector must play the most viable alternative towards attaining the objective.

“There is no country in this

ernment budgetary process, it has to be through other means, in most cases through the private sector. The revenue would not be enough to sustain the efforts. The national policy on Public-Private Partnership (PPP), the document that was prepared by the commission outlined the guidelines for the implementation of the PPP project.

“These guidelines formed the core framework from which the commission had been working very closely with the public and private sector partners to ensure adherence to these guidelines,” he said, adding that the country can achieve its infrastructure development goals and thereby give the country the opportunity to develop its economy and meet its target objective of becoming one of the 20 most development economies by 2020.”

IR Nigeria yesterday alleged that the invasion of its of fice by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) was “one of the plots of an unnamed entity or individual to pull down the airline since it commenced international operations on the Lagos-London route.”

According to a statement, its Media Relations Manager, Samuel Ogbogoro, said to frustrate the airline from business, the local staff embarked on an industrial action in May caused by external influence.

He said: “It should be noted that since the commencement of international operations on the Lagos - London route, Air Nigeria has become the object of an orchestrated attacks that show clearly that this is a case of the voice of Jacob and the hand of Esau. In following the external influence, local staff of the airline went on strike in May for May salary, which the management has resolved amicably.”

He added that as the airline was coming out of that, the news of its being grounded by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) infiltrated town.

Ogbogoro explained that “as the airline was coming out of this with a clean bill of health, barely two days after, the airline is yet invaded in a military manner.

“We suspect that one other line of action will be coming in the coming week to further attempt to damage us in the public eye; but we assure the instigator of such uncivilised approach that Air Nigeria will not compromise its corporate values and development strategy.”

The Director, Communication & Liaison Department Emmanuel Obeta FIRS had on Monday said the service’s enforcement team arrested the Managing Director of the airline, Mr Kinfe Kayssay for failure to pay the company’s N4.868, 496,152 billion taxes.

According to the FIRS, Kayssay agreed that the company actually had tax liabilities to pay but pleaded for more time to settle the liabilities and comply with the necessary legislations as regards filing of tax returns.

Fed Govt denies importing 490,000 PCs

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HE Federal Government has denied importing 490,000 computers to boost Personal Computers (PC) in the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) had yesterday reported that the Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, had said the Federal Government acquired 490,000 PCs, representing 70 per cent of the 700,000 computers the ministry had so far bought for sale to interested Nigerians at subsidised rate.

In a statement, the minister’s media aide, Mrs Efem Nkang, said the report “is false and a figment of the imagination of the reporter.”

She added: “At no time on Monday did the minister speak with any reporter on such issue.”

She said one of the primary goals of the ministry is to create an enabling environment that will ensure development of local content in the sector for Nigerians.

“To ensure local value is added to the sector, the ministry is in the process of finalising local content guidelines and policy interventions that will create a level playing-field for local Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and stimulate demand for indigenous products,” she said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

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News

With just N120 per subscriber, SIM card registration is relatively cheap in Nigeria —Dr. Eugene Juwah Dr. Eugene Ikemefuna Juwah, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Communications Commission is always at home when discussing issues bordering on mobile telephony and Information Technology Communication. In an interactive session with newsmen in his office, the 1981 PhD holder in Systems Engineering from the University Of Manchester, England, speaks on the NCC’s role in engendering quality telecommunication services despite the infrastructural challenges. He insists that the regulatory body’s N6.1bn budget for SIM card registration is not only cost effective but also cheap.

Our Abuja Bureau Chief, YOMI ODUNUGA, was there. Excerpts:

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hy has the process of SIM card registration generated so much controversy?

How is double or multiple registrations detected? These are some of the fallacies that appear in the newspapers. Normally, what you do is register. You can never stop double registration. We are in Nigeria, not America. There would be double registration, but it would be minimal because we have been advertising that if you have registered once either with the operator or with NCC, you don’t need to register again. It happens sometimes maybe because some operators made it a lottery that when you register, you win a car and people will register again if they didn’t win in order to try their luck. Double registration will be there but it was taken care of in the design of the SIM card registration in that we will put software that will check all the fingerprint registered and eliminate a doubly registered fingerprints. That is why we are doing cleaning, harmonisation and verification.

Your guess is as good as mine. I believe there are a group of people that are not quite disposed to having their mobile subscriber numbers recorded or put in a database. Although the N6.1billion approved for it looks a lot, but it is far smaller compared to other registrations we have done in Nigeria.

Was the controversy as a result of mismanagement of information?

I think we didn’t do enough job of explaining and by the time we started explaining to the public, it had become too late. There is this public bias also when people hear billion. India is also carrying out SIM card registration and it is being carried out by the regulator in conjunction with a special body appointed by government. Registration of a subscriber in India is about $2 which is about N340 but the highest cost of registration in Nigeria is about N120 which is less than what India is using and India is known to be a very low-cost country.

The operators handle some of the registration which means you are not going to pay because they are paying.

How much has been spent on the exercise so far?

We pay as they register; when they say they register one person and we verify that it is not double registration, we pay you N120. So far, we have not finished verifying all the data given to us, but the data we have verified so far, we have paid about N1.7billion naira which includes the money of building the backend here.

You talked about National Identity Management Commission (NIMC); that they are going to do registration, but part of what we were told is that this database will be the national data background managed by NIMC so that they don’t reregister again; Is NIMC going ahead to do another registration?

NIMC is doing a total identity registration but what we are doing is SIM card registration. Our own is directed towards mobile phones, but NIMC is doing a

Why is the House of Reps probing the registration exercise?

Dr. Eugene Juwah

“The registration is still ongoing, you never close your book until it is finished. We are keeping account of what we are spending. There are government laws that decide how balances are treated and we obey such laws.” registration that everybody can use, so when NIMC finishes, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) doesn’t have to do any registration, but part of what we have registered would be used by NIMC to form their database. We were not interested in taking people’s addresses, eye colour and so on, but NIMC is interested in all these. What we were more interested in are your mobile

number, your finger print and your photograph; these are the key things we were interested in. So, the data that NIMC will be asking for will be far more than what we asked for.

People alleged that this organization does not have the capacity to detect double or multiple registrations; what do you have to say to this?

We are a government agency and once they summon us, we go. The probe is going on now, so everybody will see what will come out of it. We are not afraid of anything because we have not done anything wrong. At times people that have issues with NCC will go and publish whatever they like, but I can tell you that there is nothing wrong in SIM card registration. Nobody has gained one penny out of it. The process and the money are well managed. It is a difficult process; people think it will take few weeks for the operators to upload what they have registered to us. They were supposed to have sent what they have registered to us since September last year, but I can tell you that the last data they sent to us came at the end of February. So, if we don’t have all the data, we can’t start the harmonisation. If we were to buy machines like the INEC, we would have spent several billions but we gave them the opportunity to go and hire their machines from anywhere and that is why it is economical.

What will happen to the balance of the money you have paid?

The registration is still ongoing, you never close your book until it is finished. We are

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News keeping account of what we are spending.

There are government laws that decide how balances are treated and we obey such laws.

because, over time, they have been meeting our minimum standard, but when they started promotion, they didn’t meet it and we warned and sanctioned them. Now, the style NCC has adopted is that, let the networks decide if they want to do promotion or not, but if we measure and you are not meeting the quality of service, you are liable to pay a fine.

When and how soon should we be expecting result?

We should have been seeing that by now.

But, of course, the House probe came and it has to be delayed and we are not doing anything now. The probe just wants to look at the process and whether money is well spent. I came from a private sector and I have a name to protect. So, we are careful because of the controversy surrounding the registration exercise. If you talk to our registration contractors, they want to take me to court because I want to verify the data they are giving me and it is when I am satisfied with that that I pay them.

What is the status of broadband now?

Now, this is an issue that, if it is done well, it will be as big as mobile telephony.

So, it is not something you conceive today and you start; there are many approvals that you go through and NCC is bent on doing this. Some of the approvals that we need for it are in the ministry; some of them will go to the Federal Executive Council and it is only when we get these approvals that we will be able to start, but I can tell you we are pushing these approvals. We didn’t just start like that.

First of all, we had to advertise, select consultants; select people that will help us do it, travel to jurisdictions where it has been done before because this thing has not been done here before and you just don’t wake up and know how to do it. We are about starting now.

For how long has this process been suspended and when do you think you will resume?

I don’t think there is anything wrong with the registration and very soon, we will ask for permission from the House if we can start before they conclude the probe so that we can finish everything on time.

There is no centralised database in Nigeria as I am talking to you now and if we finish it, it will be the first centralised database in Nigeria. If it is that easy, why has it not been done before? So, it is a job we are taking very seriously and who says we don’t have capacity? We have good capacity to supervise them.

There is this impression that NCC has not been able to stamp its authority on the providers and that is why you have network failure?

NCC is not a service provider. Regulators make laws. When the service providers came newly, nobody cared about laws because Nigeria was hungry for telecommunications service but as the market started growing, it comes with consequences. There was a huge demand and the operators didn’t plan well, so the infrastructure they had was smaller than the demand. There was a regulation for quality before I came; the quality standard that they must meet was low and they were meeting it and so by the law, they were correct, so you can’t do them anything. So, when we came, we had to raise the threshold and made a new law and the process of doing this takes time. I can tell you that it was only this January that we were able to make a law and get it approved. So, before, we didn’t have an instrument to force them or to fine them so it was only through persuasion and threat before now which would have been difficult to carry out.

We have seen your action like asking them to pay some money, about N1.17bn, which they haven’t paid?

They will pay. A regulator does not issue an order and forget about it. We would always take an action if they don’t follow our directives. But I can tell you that they will pay; may be by next week.

I am aware that you met some days back and they made presentation on network

You said you are going to focus on telephony and issue new licences: how far have you gone?

Dr. Eugene Juwah

“First of all, we had to advertise, select consultants; select people that will help us do it, travel to jurisdictions where it has been done before because this thing has not been done here before and you just don’t wake up and know how to do it. We are about starting now.”

You must also understand that fixed telephony depend on broadband. Nobody does the old fixed telephony with copper wire again like NITEL. You cannot have fixed telephony without having broadband. So, first, we have to tackle the issue of broadband, get the infrastructure, and get the fibres there and then you license. If our approvals come out, we are going to create an infrastructure subsector of the telecommunication industry.

There were two broadband initiatives.

How far have you gone with the programmes?

It is also under those programmes that we are pursuing our broadband initiative, but it has been restructured to what we call ‘open access model’ which I have talked a lot about. By the end of July, there is going to be international public forum about broadband where we are going to explain to the world what we are going to do and listen also because we cannot do it without listening to what stakeholder want us to do.

Now where is the dream for number portability?

improvement, are you satisfied with the network improvement plan?

A mistake a lot of people make is that they think NCC is there to close down the operators and bring someone else, which is really not our function. Our function is to make laws for them and see that they obey them and also see that consumers get value for their money. So, we are between the operator and the consumers to see that each of them is satisfied. Now, we sanctioned them and dialogued. So we are looking forward to their paying by next week.

They keep doing lottery which degrades

the quality of the networks?

You will know that there is a lottery commission like NCC. They are the one to decide what is lottery or not and what they decide is the final. The only place where NCC comes in is where it is deteriorating the quality of service of a particular network. Once we see that the promotion is causing quality issues, we would advise service providers to stop and if they don’t stop, then we have this regulation on quality of service. There are networks that have been very good but when they started promotions, we warned them and they are among the networks sanctioned now. They won’t like it

It is going well, a stakeholder forum has just met to talk about business rules like ‘how do someone who wants to change his number start?’ These rules have to be discussed and put in a document. There was a stakeholders meeting last week on it. These are telecommunication service processes which nobody has done before in Nigeria and which most of the times we get consultancies even from abroad to help us. So it has to be done painstakingly so that it works. As I am talking now, the database service provider has imported all its equipment and I don’t see any delay again but you can never tell.

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MONEY

Banks refund N4.3b to depositors for F breaches, says CBN

OR breaching transactional agreements, banks refunded N4.3 billion to customers between March 1, 2010 to March 31, this year, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said.

CBN said it received 3,306 petitions from depositors complaining about breaches by their banks.

The complaints, it said, were lodged at its Consumer and Financial Protection Division, adding that $201,375.40 was also refunded by banks to customers during the same period.

CBN said its examiners were investigating banks’ level of compliance with consumer protection guidelines. The examiners are expected to note deviations for corrective measures, The Nation learnt.

Stories by Collins Nweze CBN’s Director of Consumer and Financial Protection Umar Shehu said the examiners were looking into the compliance level of each bank, to ensure that it is in consonance with CBN’s commitment to protect customers’ rights.

Shehu, represented by Ifeanyi Nwoha of the Consumer Protection Unit, said building confidence in the banking sector through consumer protection and other regulatory efforts was important because of the apex bank’s resolve to protect banks’ customers and

support initiatives that would enhance bank-customer relationships.

He said: “Our aim is to ensure that consumers receive appropriate protection with the CBN acting the consumers’ advocate, setting standards of customer service for the industry and ensuring that customers are treated fairly in all their dealings with the industry.”

The unit is mandated to educate consumers, defend their interest, detect money laundering, combat financial terrorism and enhance awareness on these issues.

CBN, Shehu said, was reviewing the framework on consumer protection to ensure that consumers’ complaints are promptly addressed.

Such complaints arising from poor customer service, high bank tariffs, frauds, forgeries and bank distress could threaten confidence in the banking system, he said.

According to him, where any of the cases is proved, the affected bank will be required to make necessary amends. The measures are aimed at encouraging good banking habits, promoting efficiency in the delivery of financial services and boosting public confidence in the system.

Achieving key protection meas-

ures such as, financial literacy, disclosures, regulation and curtailing unfair practice by banks are challenging but not impossible, he said.

The regulations, he said, seek to achieve the broadest feasible coverage, create, a level playing field for different banks offering the same or similar products and services. It will also measure consumer satisfaction to ensure that the set objectives are achieved.

“The evolving competitive banking industry requires that banks employ or train personnel that are highly skilled in the area of consumer protection to effectively contribute to value creation within the banks,” he said.

According to him, strategic change in consumer protection can only take place with a competent and committed workforce that is constantly exposed to training and development.

Banks’ ethics for review

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• From left: Executive Director, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, Mr Hewett Benson and CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, at the House of Representatives Committee on Banking and Currency Public Hearing in Abuja.

‘Shun calls for Naira’s devaluation’

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HE size of Nigerian banks is not important in resolving the country’s economic challenges, an analyst has said.

Regional Head of Research, Africa Global Research, Standard Chartered Bank Ms Razia Khan, said what is needed to boost the economy is well structured banks that have areas of focus and finance projects in such sectors.

She said there were still possibilities for banking consolidation to take place.

Khan said there were several categories of banks operating in the country, adding that they should have a focus, and target key areas that would enable them contribute to the economy’s growth.

She said the restrictive monetary policy and other measures adopted by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showed the commitment of the banking sector regulator to price stability. The call for the devaluation of the naira, she said was unnecessary.

Khan said a lot has been done to get regulation of the financial system right, but much more needed to be done. She said open and transparent regulation is important, adding that there is the need to draw a line between financial regulation and long-term plan of sustaining the economy.

• Ms Khan

Besides, Khan said there is need for more partnering on financial inclusion, to tap from

the massive population to grow the economy. This, she said, can only be achieved, when increased patronage of financial services sector translates to more credit, especially to Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) and the agricultural sector to empower grassroots into increased productivity.

Khan noted that it is encouraging that the right regulatory platform needed for sustainable growth is in place.

She, however, advised that for the level of development sought to be achieved, there is the need to diversify the economy from oil and have a better understanding of what really contributes to the growth of the economy.

HE Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) is reviewing the standard of ethics and professionalism of bankers.

CIBN President and Chairman of Council Segun Aina said the institute would undertake an international benchmarking of standards of ethics and corporate governance with the support of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Department for International Development (DFID), among others.

To enhance its professional efficiency, the CIBN has reviewed the Code of Conduct for bankers.

The draft Code of Conduct has been sent to the Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) and the 24 deposit money banks for their input before the final copy will be endorsed by the relevant bodies. The disciplinary organs of the institute, the Investigating Panel and Tribunal, have also been activated to ensure enforcement of

MfBs to adopt IFRS

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PERATORS of microfinance banks (MfBs) are striving to adopt the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) as ordered by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Its adoption is to integrate the microfinance banking system into global best practices in financial reporting and disclosure.

The Chairman of Lagos Chapter of National Association of Micro Finance Banks (NAMBs), Olufemi Babajide said members were preparing their financial statements in line with international standards.

He said: “We have agreed to adopt IFRS. We have told our members to use the old financial

FIRS, WAUTI move to improve tax

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HE Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) is discussing with the West African Union of Tax Institutes (WAUTI) on ways of ensuring that taxation is given prime position in Africa.

During a visit by WAUTI officials to FIRS, the bodies agreed to work together to enhance tax education and awareness on the continent.

WAUTI said it had also decided to enlist the support of critical stakeholders to its activities and programmes aimed at ensuring that taxation was given a principal place in West Africa.

The visit, which coincided with the 14th Annual Tax Conference of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), created a platform for the body to highlight to the leadership of the FIRS achievements WAUTI has made in recent times towards achieving set goals and objectives.

FIRS Acting Chairman Kabir Muhammed Mashi said the agency would continue to support WAUTI to achieve its objectives.

He also noted the significant progress made by the union within the short period of its ex-

the subsisting code.

Aina said the institute was also working on processes that would engender quality and skilled manpower in the banking sector.

The body expressed its commitment to producing adequate human capital with the requisite professional skills and competency to drive the industry.

A statement from CIBN said bankers need to fully understand some critical issues such as strategic management in the financial services industry, law, ethics and corporate governance, bank lending and credit administration and international finance, among others.

The institute also spoke of its plan to introduce a draft on financial inclusion aimed at deepening financial services penetration and mobilising credit for the real sector. It said that public policy makers around the world are moving towards financial inclusion because of its immense benefits. It said that the policy will lower cost of credit and achieve a more inclusive financial system.

istence. He promised to support the union in the promotion of the taxation profession in \West Africa.

WAUTI President Rasaq ‘Kunle Quadri, who was accompanied on the visit by the Vice President, Felix Ahima-Adonteng from Ghana; Mr. Ronald MacDonald Garnett from Liberia; Honorary Treasurer Mr. Adesina Adedayo; chairman, Tax Conference Committee, Ms. G.O. Simplice and CITN President Mr. John Femi Sunday Jegede, congratulated Mashi on his appointment.

By Akinola Ajibade

reporting this year. As from next year, they can now fully adopt the internationally financial reporting standards.”

Babajide said the motive was to enhance market discipline and preparation of accounting statements.

He said the apex bank had given microfinance banks up till March 2013 to fully comply with the standard and that the association would begin to sensitise operators from April.

The chairman said that many operators initially thought that the adoption of IFRS was meant for only quoted companies.

“But now, microfinance banks have been directed to comply by 2013 as no sector will be exempted,” he said.

He said that IFRS would be a major change for the banks because it would lead to major changes in internal systems, business processes, performance management, and external communications.

“Until recently, that common accounting language has been a missing link. Even the traders with international partners, lawmakers and regulators are working to provide a single set of high quality and global accounting principles,” he said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

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MONEY

CBN orders banks to tackle e-payment fraud T

HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has mandated its anti-fraud committee to meet monthly to check electronic payment fraud.

The committee was recently upgraded to an electronic payment forum to serve as an avenue for resolving e-payment malpractices and allied matters.

An official, Shared Services Office, Governor’s Department, CBN, Mr Chidi Umeano, told The Nation that the forum has been directed to meet and proffer solutions to issues that can hinder e-payment.

Umeano said the forum would also meet during emergencies to take proactive measures on e-payment issues.

He said the forum comprises members of banks, officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and CBN. The purpose of the meeting, he said was to detect e-payment and related problems early enough,

By Akinola Ajibade

and subsequently nip them in the bud.

He said: “Now, we have a National e-payment fraud forum in place. What the forum does is to discuss issues inhibiting the success of e-payment programmes to avoid systemic problems. For instance, if there is a fraud in bank X, the bank will table the issue before a committee for discussion and subsequent solution. The aim is to put other banks on guard, and further make them careful.”

According to him, all hands are on deck to minimise the risk level of electronic payment system operators, and further foster the growth of the industry.

Banks, he said, had been advised to publicise their e-payment contact desks, adding that CBN has informed the public to contact its own desk when there are deviations from the guidelines and de-

lay in resolving their issues.

Umeano said CBN created the Nigerian Electronic Fraud Forum (NeFF) to educate and inform banks on various electronic fraud issues and trends; ensure proactive sharing of fraud data/information among stakeholders to guarantee prompt responses; limit fraud losses, and formulate cohesive and effective fraud risk management strategies.

He said lack of understanding of the cashless policy; lack of clarity in communicating content of policy, distrust in the banking system, poor dispute resolutions, lax consumer regime, and exorbitant charges among e-payment operators are affecting smooth operations of the e-payment system.

Others, he said, are resistance due to prevailing cash culture, need for standardised pricing to encourage usage and adoption and independent online real-time monitoring of electronic channels.

‘Bond market is promising’ GROUP Managing Director, Union Bank Plc Mrs Funke Osibodu has said the bond market holds a lot of promises for investors. She made this known during the 16th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Consolidated Discount Houses in Lagos recently.

She said short and long term opportunities abound in the bond market, in view of the growth it recorded in recent times. She, however, predicted a decline in government patronage of the bond market soon.

Mrs Osibodu, who doubles as the Chairman of the company, said the decision of the Federal Government to pursue fiscal consolidation may affect its patronage of the market.

On banking reforms, she said the reforms will expand the market and further increase efficiency, adding that it may not attract liquidity in the short term.

“The inflation of the naira is not expected to decline in the short to medium term. The depeciation of the naira may erode the benefits of the fall in import prices. The dry season and end of year festivities may put additional pressure on food prices,” she said.

ICAN charges govt on aviation THE Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) has called on the Federal Government to take avaition issues with much seriousness.

ICAN, in a statement, said the government must ensure that all aspects of air transportation are given the desired attention to ensure the safety of Nigerians.

It said the recent ill-fated Dana Airline crash is a sad development. It expressed disappointment in the way in which aviation issues among others are being handled. It said the standards of the facilities at the aiports and other designated agencies must be guanranteed to ensure safety of the travellers.

The body said six of its members were lost in the crash, advising the government to see to the air-worthiness of aircraft flying into and outside the country. According to the institute, members that lost their lives were working in institutions such as the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) where they brought their years of experience to bear on their jobs.

Standard Bank targets Africa’s SMEs

• From left: Partner, Cardinal Stone Limited, Mohammed Garuba and CBN Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability, Kingsley Moghalu during the Nigeria Development Finance Conference held in London.

Economy under threat over declining oil prices, says firm

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ITH the continued decline in oil prices, the country’s economy may be under threat, an investment and research firm, Renaissance Capital (RenCap) has said.

Oil price has dropped by over 20 per cent since it peaked at $127 per barrel in mid-March. This has implications for the country since it is an important oil exporter, but they are not as significant as some may think.

“Our estimates suggest that the risk to the economy becomes significant if the average oil price for 2012 drops below $75 per barrel.

As we are expecting the oil price to average $110 per barrel in 2012, thereby minimising the risks,” RenCap said.

RenCap said oil import bill would begin to pick up from the second quarter of 2012, after dropping in the first quarter of 2012. This implies a moderating trade surplus from the second quarter, which is expected to undermine the recovery of the current account surplus, which improved to 7.6 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2011, from 2.4 per cent in 2010, on its estimates.

It hinted that the decline in oil price will indirectly affect monetary policy through inflation. The

By Collins Nweze

fall in the oil price will translate into a smaller current account surplus, which implies a slowdown in foreign exchange (forex) reserves and weakening of the naira. A depreciating naira will raise inflationary pressures, particularly as imported inflation rises.

“We think an increase in inflation expectations will increase the risk of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) upper forecast band of 14.5 per cent being breached. We are of the view that the CBN will be compelled to raise the policy rate, from 12 per cent by about 100 basis points before year end as an inflation-fighting measure and also to increase the attractiveness of the yields on local debt, in an effort to shore up reserves and support the naira,” it said.

The experts said a weak naira may force the CBN’s hand on interest rate review. “Moreover, the increase in financial outflows over the past couple of weeks, as foreign investors sold off debt and equity holdings due to heightened global risk aversion, is likely to be compounded by a slowdown of inflows. This will undermine the accretion of forex reserves following the $5.3 billion improvement year to date to $37.7 billion,” RenCap said.

The 2012 revised budget of N4.649 trillion balances at an oil price of $151 per barrel, according to estimates. RenCap said of the total fiscal revenue projection of N3.463 trillion for 2012, the Federal Government plans to raise 55 per cent from oil revenue and the remainder with non-oil revenue.

Local and foreign debt will finance the government’s projected budget deficit of 2.97 per cent of GDP. “The most pertinent concern is whether the government will be able to meet its oil revenue target. On our estimates, the government would not be able to meet this target if the oil price were to fall below $61 per barrel. We think there is a very low risk of this scenario playing out. Our base case is that the oil price will recover from current levels of $100 per barrel and average $110 per barrel in 2012,” it said.

Under this scenario, the government should be able to meet its oil revenue and budget deficit targets.

However, this all assumes that the government’s non-oil revenue target is on track.

“This scenario, which we believe has a very small risk of playing out, would trigger a balance of payments crisis, erode forex reserves and spur significant naira weakness,” it said.

STANDARD Bank Group is financing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), tapping into a lucrative segment that was previously ignored by mainstream lenders.

There is a $140 to $170 billion financing gap for SMEs on the continent, according to research by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and McKinsey.

According to Reuters report, with some 40 million SMEs in the 17 countries that it operates in, Standard is aiming to extend more loans to SMEs by the end of the year.

The financing product known as Ouick Loan lends between $300 and $30,000, which it expects to be repaid within three, six or 12 months, said Amrei Botha, head of SME banking for Standard.

Interest rates range between 1.2 to six per cent per month, which Botha says is a third or half of what competitors charge.

“The future in Africa definitely lies in the small and medium enterprise sector,” she told Reuters. “What we had underestimated is the huge demand.” Standard has rolled the product in four countries – Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and Tanzania, and charges on average between 1.2 to six per cent interest per month.

The majority of Africans are not employees and earn their income from small businesses or farming. Many do not keep proper records or have collateral, which causes obstacles when they need loans.

CBN advised on insurers’ deposit STAKEHOLDERS have called on the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) to allow insurance companies access part of their statutory deposit for operations. They said the money is lying idle with the CBN, adding that insurers operators must be allow to accessthe fund to beef up thier operations. By regulation, over 60 insurance and re-insurance companies are required to deposit 10 per cent of their capital base as reserves with the CBN. The fund which serves as a buffer for insurance companies which swinming in liquidation waters, has come under criticisms in recent times. So far, an estimated N10 billion statustory deposit has been kept with the CBN. Out of the amount, Law Union & Rock Plc has N315 million; Crystalife Assurance Plc N200 million; Goldlink Insurance Plc N500 million and Consolidated Hallmark Insurance Plc N300 million A cross-section of stakeholders, who spoke with The Nation, said the insurance statutory deposits are lying fallow in the vaults of CBN and must be released to help the companies cushion the effects of the harsh economic environment.

President, Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN) Sunny Nwosu, called for a law that would enable operators to access the statutory deposits for their businesses. Nwosu said the full weight of the financial crisis has come to bear on insurance operators, adding that the firms need the funds for growth.

He said the decision to leave the money with CBN at an insignificant interest of 3.5 per cent, is inimical to the growth of the insurance industry, adding that insurers need to align with the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) on how to review the law.

Commissioner for Insurance Fola Daniel said the Insurance Act has stipulated how insurance firms should operate and there is no way the fund can be released to the operators. Daniel wondered why operators are asking for the release of their statutory deposits when they are not liquidating.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

19

EDITORIAL/OPINION EDITORIAL FROM OTHER LAND

COMMENT

Otedola versus Lawan •The conduct of the SSS raises questions about the sting operation.

AROUK LAWAN , erstwhile Chairman of the House of Representatives’ ad hoc committee on fuel subsidy management, has been removed from the position, even as he is already telling the police all he knows about the $3million bribe scandal involving him and Chairman of Zenon Oil and Gas, Mr. Femi Otedola. But the sordid matter is nowhere near resolution as it is still unfolding. Even at that, what is so far in the public domain has thrown up many questions, one of which is the procedural integrity of the ‘sting operation’ that Otedola claimed he did in concert with the State Security Service (SSS).

In law, a ‘sting operation’ is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical ‘sting’ will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect’s actions to gather evidence of his wrongdoing.

Perhaps in the Lawan /Otedola case under reference, the starting point is to ask how SSS got involved in the operation, and not the Nigeria Police Force.

Even if the SSS orchestrated the ‘sting operation’, it appears the way it went about it was procedurally wrong.

Otedola, in an interview with a newsmedium, claimed that Lawan demanded for bribe from him so as to

F

exclude the name of his companies from the list of those that obtained foreign exchange, but did not import Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) In his response, Lawan claimed that he too played along to prove that Otedola was the one inducing him to take the bribe so as to remove the names of his companies from those fingered to have been fraudulent about subsidy claims.

In an operation of this nature, the security operatives ought to have moved swiftly to arrest Lawan when he was collecting the alleged marked money. What else could they have been waiting for? They claimed a man collected bribe; and had the illegal transaction recorded on video. So, why wait for about 40 long days when Otedola for-

‘We need to get to the root of this matter and be able to secure convictions where necessary. And to do this, we have to be told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

That is the only way Nigerians can be satisfied that this saga would not end the way of previous ones like it’

mally brought the matter to the public forum to move into action?

Was the SSS waiting for green light from appropriate quarters before doing the needful? Why should Otedola take the lead in unveiling the act? Otedola was supposed to subordinate himself to the law officers and not the other way round.

This implies that this was Otetola’s script and the SSS was just tagging along.

The conduct of the SSS in the Otedola /Lawan saga tends to give the impression that the matter goes beyond uncovering the bribe Lawan allegedly collected.

The matter gets the more intriguing by the day. Yet, so far, mute has been the word from the SSS. We do not think this is the appropriate response from the security service, given its involvement in the ‘operation’.

In a democracy, the people’s right to know is unassailable. Since the SSS has made it its responsibility to provide the bribe money and also record Lawan taking the bribe, it should make the alleged video available to the public and also tell Nigerians all it knows about the scandal.

We need to get to the root of this matter so as to be able to secure convictions where necessary. And to do this, we have to be told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. That is the only way Nigerians can be satisfied that this saga would not end the way of previous ones like it.

Diplomatic bounty •Again it is payday for party stalwarts and hangers-on as 93 get diplomatic postings

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ND the beat goes on, so to speak, as President Goodluck Jonathan last week deployed nearly 93 Nigerians across the globe as ambassadors, high commissioners and head of missions in various countries. A glance at the long list of the appointees immediately reveals that government had taken the same old route in picking the diplomats. No new thinking, no new vision or direction seemed to have been at play.

The overriding principle in making these all-important appointments appeared to have been to hand out

‘Beyond undermining the Foreign Service, 93 ambassadors with 86 posted out are too many for an impoverished country like Nigeria. Pray, what is the meaning and purpose of those designated as ambassadors insitu ? What does it profit Nigeria to have missions in such places as Vietnam, North Korea, Sri-Lanka and Czech Republic? There is even a fullfledged ambassador to the Vatican, which is a city state in Rome, Italy and an ambassador in Italy as well’

favours to party stalwarts and cronies of people in power.

Unfortunately, this has been the pattern, especially in the last 13 years of Nigeria’s civil rule, as key public appointments are handed out, not based on merit or any strategic consideration, but more on party affiliations. We acknowledge that a ruling party everywhere would take care of its own but here, it is now the rule rather than the exception it was meant to be. This practice, of course, comes with grave consequences.

Going by the published list of new diplomats, not only that majority of them are political associates and cronies, they are posted to the countries that hold immense strategic significance to the country. In so doing, the career diplomats get short-changed as only a few of them get to the apogee of their high calling. They are overlooked, sidelined or given inconsequential postings when they are lucky to be so favoured. Ironically, career diplomats are the cream of the crop among any country’s public servants often given long-stretched trainings in the sublime art of diplomacy and international relations. To have this calibre of diplomats superseded by undistinguished political jobbers surely does damage to the country’s image.

Beyond undermining the Foreign Service, 93 ambassadors with 86 posted

out are too many for an impoverished country like Nigeria. Pray, what is the meaning and purpose of those designated as ambassadors in-situ ? What does it profit Nigeria to have missions in such places as Vietnam, North Korea, Sri-Lanka and Czech Republic?

There is even a full-fledged ambassador to the Vatican, which is a city state in Rome, Italy and an ambassador in Italy as well. It is clear that Nigeria can ill-afford this number of missions in all corners of the world. One pointer to this fact is that we are often assailed with news of poor funding of our embassies and high commissions abroad to the point of not being able to pay rents and salaries sometimes. No serious country allows her image to be so tainted, especially when it is avoidable.

The culture of profligacy and fiscal indiscipline has led the country to now commit more than three quarters of her annual budget to recurrent expenditure to the detriment of growth and infrastructural development.

There is a need to review the number of Nigeria’s foreign missions and her ambassadorial postings. Nigeria has no direct interest in or benefit from opening offices in many of the countries on this list. We urge the government to take another look at its method and motive for key political appointments to ensure that merit and national interest are the chief reasons for anyone to occupy high office.

Congress’ war on leaks

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AWMAKERS understandably are concerned about secret government information being published by the media, but the use of that information by journalists serves the public interest.

An angry Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is calling for a special prosecutor to investigate leaks he says are designed to portray President Obama as a strong leader on national security issues. Without going that far, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, says that recent leaks “endanger American lives and undermine America’s national security.”

She is proposing, among other things, that Congress provide “additional authorities and resources … to identify and prosecute those who violate various federal laws and nondisclosure agreements by revealing highly classified information.” Although she did not advocate prosecuting journalists, the senator probably spoke for many of her colleagues when she told CNN that part of the problem was that “we have an enormously smart constituency of journalists … who piece things together.”

So far most of the outcry has been directed at the administration, not the media, but in similar controversies in the past, critics have not been so discerning. So we would urge Congress — and the administration — not to criminalize the reporting of information that may have come into the possession of the media because a government official was indiscreet.

It’s understandable that McCain, Feinstein, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and other members of Congress are disturbed by a New York Times story in which unnamed officials described how Obama directed cyber-attacks on Iran’s nuclear program. That the United States and Israel had been targeting computers in Iran was widely suspected, but confirmation of the operation creates a diplomatic problem for the U.S. (It seems less plausible that this and other recent disclosures — for example, that Obama was personally involved in ordering U.S. drone attacks — threaten American lives.)

But it’s also clear why the New York Times, having obtained information about the administration’s actions, chose to publish it: to foster debate about what one of the paper’s editors called “two significant, historymaking programs … the rise of cyberwarfare and the rise of drones.”

There has evolved in this country an effective if sometimes untidy division of labor: Government may strive to keep information secret, but once the media have information about matters of public concern, they may share that information with readers without fear of prosecution. It may sound like special pleading for a newspaper to urge that the campaign against leaks stop at the reporter’s door. But society as a whole benefits from public-spirited journalism that, in some cases, depends on the willingness of a government official to scale a wall of secrecy.

– Los Angeles Times

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh • Editor Gbenga Omotoso •Chairman, Editorial Board Sam Omatseye •General Editor Kunle Fagbemi •Editor, Online Lekan Otufodunrin •Managing Editor Northern Operation Yusuf Alli •Managing Editor Waheed Odusile

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

20

EDITORIAL/OPINION

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IR: “Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws” ———Plato (427-347 B.C) When former President Olusegun Obasanjo said that our National Assembly was a den of robbers, some cynics lampooned him as a drowning man clinging to the last straw to launch himself back to relevance after his failed third term agenda.

Like a potent and trusted oracle, the dust raised by OBJ comment had not settled down when a scandal of higher magnitude hit the petroleum subsidy probe panel chaired by Honourable Farouk Lawan.This is not the first time and I’m very sure it will not be last scandal because the issue of setting up probe panels with objective of extorting money from alleged deviants are legendary and established fact in Nigeria.

EDITOR’S MAIL BAG SEND TYPEWRITTEN, DOUBLE SPACED AND SIGNED CONTRIBUTIONS, LETTERS AND REJOINDERS OF NOT MORE THAN 1000 WORDS TO THE EDITOR, THE NATION, 27B, FATAI ATERE ROAD, MATORI, LAGOS. E-mail: views@thenationonlineng.com

A nation’s many fruitless probes Just some few months back, this country was paralyzed by the fuel subsidy removal protests.

Avoidable deaths of citizens were recorded across the federation. But

by Providence, our dear country was rescued from complete state of anarchy and a probe panel was constituted to review the activities of all stakeholders in the industry and recommend sanction(s) where necessary. But, like other probes we had in the past, the overriding and hidden objective of almost all probes panel are to exchange warm banters,clink glasses of wine or

champagne and grease the phantom probe panel members with some percentage of the loot.

Our nation is entangled in this vicious circus of endless probes without sanction because the concept of selfless service to community has been compromised by wanton greed for materialism to the extent that villains are celebrated and promoted to highest office with national honour.Those we elected or selected to hold fort, protect and to safeguard our commonwealth are before our very eyes using it to mortgage our

future. While many countries of the world cannot remember the last time they mourned fellow citizens dying in national tragedies, we in Nigeria mourn every week, month and throughout the year. Ours is not like Japanese, Indonesia or SriLanka tsunami or Italian earthquake but of human carnage from fellow citizens. But I take solace in one solemn fact that those who created horror will ultimately be the victim, casualty and janitors to the illegitimate wealth they accumulated at the expense of the grieving and suffering masses .It’s

Is Lawan guilty as charged?

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IR: Until the recent incident, Farouk Lawan, the former chairman of the House Ad Hoc Committee which probed the fuel subsidy scandal, was held in high esteem by very many Nigerians. It is possible some Nigerians still trust him. I derided his integrity when he tried to defend the jumbo pay which Sanusi Lamido Sanusi told us the legislators were awarding themselves about two years ago or so.

That notwithstanding, I regard as sacred until proven incorrect, Lawan’s claim that he collected the $620,000 bribe from Femi Otedola to prove that oil magnates that were implicated in the fuel subsidy scandal were pursuing him with bribe.

I know it is foolish, but is it not possible Lawan behaved foolishly?

He might also be ignorant that it is offensive to give or take bribe. Ignorance of the law is not an acceptable excuse, but there can be genuine cases of ignorance.

What has complicated the matter is that Otedola also claims he marked the money given to Lawan to prove that he insisted on getting bribe, and that many of our legislators are greedy and untrustworthy.

What is more, this is not the first time bribery allegations are made against our legislators. And this type of phenomenological evidence

and demonstration could help to settle doubting Thomases. But did Otedola also remember that giving a bribe under any guise is an offence?

Why did he not simply record the scene and the voices of Lawan and his agents, such as the Clerk of the Ad Hoc Committee, Boniface Emenalo, at the point the bribe was demanded? That would have given sufficient evidence to expose the lawmakers.

I think Otedola marked the money because he was conscious the matter might backfire. If he were not very clever in life, he

would not have achieved so much success in business. Who knows if marking such monies is his normal business practice?

Conversely, Lawan and his group were also dubious. They too could have captured both the scene and the voices in a handset and/or pocket-set. Are they not making after-thought claims to exonerate themselves? If, indeed, Otedola captured both the scene and the voice(s) of the bribe demanders, then he should be left off the hook, and we overlook his giving the money, because some investigators also do what he had done to prove

their findings beyond reasonable doubts.

I would not give any benefit of doubt to someone who collected a bribe to prove that someone gives bribe. I don’t see any holy man, such as Chief Gani Fawehinmi (of blessed memory) touching a bribe.

Recording the scene and voice makes sense, not collection of bribe.

Supposing the person denies that he gave the bribe, and that he doesn’t know where you got the money that you are carrying about?

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

natural law of nature.

If probes were to be a sport, Nigeria will be successive world champion any time the competition is held. Probes serve no purpose if it doesn’t deter alleged deviants by sanction via the judiciary.When you see a flying coffin in our sky crashing, kidnapping, bombing, massive looting of public and private sector funds, public disorderliness and reckless culture of impunity, it is not because we we are cursed but the result of deliberate and premeditated efforts of our elites and leaders and to a larger extent we the citizens too.

There is nothing honourable about a man who betrayed public trust, sold his conscience for pecuniary gains; ditto the businessman who willingly gives bribe in marked dollars. By the way, for what purpose, in what capacity is he doing that and what is at stake to warrant giving out a whooping $600,000 as bribe at a go?

If his business dealings are clean as claimed, why the desperation to invite Farouk Lawan privately only to induce him with bribe? Why should he give bribe when the gun is not pointed on his head?

In a saner society, action, attitudes, intention, inaction, criminal negligence or conspiracy attract severe penalties within the context of this phantom probe.The dramatis personae are very lucky to find themselves in a clime that is very tolerant and accommodating for reckless behaviour.

And when is Dana plane crash probe panel coming up?That will be another drama.Isn’t?

• Akinola M.A. Verona-Italy

Living in Nigeria is a miracle

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IR: Nigerians living in Nigeria are probably the luckiest people on earth. They should stop bothering God for miracles for our gracious father has been consistent enough in giving us a horde of it. Come to think of it, living and surviving in Nigeria is the greatest miracle that can ever happen.

Check it out.

The air they breathe is heavily polluted with toxicants, yet they live for more few years on earth. Imagine if that were to happen in the US. Most assuredly, the Americans wont survive it. It is a big miracle that Nige-

rians survive various respiratory ailments.

The water majority of them drink everyday are not safe. They bring typhoid, cholera and other waterborne diseases. Yet, they manage to make it even up to 60 years of age i.e if death is benevolent enough. Is not that a big miracle?

How Nigerians living in Nigeria manage to read and write is still a big mystery considering the dysfunctional state of the educational system. It is miraculous. And some, if life smiles at them, go on to compete with the very best and still

emerge as the best in a foreign land.

Wole Soyinka, Achebe, Ben Okri and a lot more that one can’t easily remember even up till now are global icons in academics. But this is a big miracle too and it happens daily that one has lost count of.

God must be praised that all Nigerians living in Nigeria now are not dead. The highways are death traps, airspace, a sure way to walk into death wholeheartedly, the water bodies, a safe haven for pirates. The food they eat is substandard, most drugs are fake and even the vehicles majority drive are not road worthy;

yet they survive. What about the clothes majority wear? Third hand items! If all these are not miracles, then a miracle must have another definition.

And the greatest of these miracles is how Nigerians survive the afflictions, insults and assaults bad governance hurls at them everyday. Yet, they live everyday as if theirs is the best government in the world. No wonder, each successive government takes them for a ride. Seeking miracles, you need not go far. Ours is the biggest depot of miracles.

• Akinboyo Temidayo, Igbotako,Ondo state.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

EDITORIAL/OPINION

NASSty NASS; Aguda: Judicial Panels of Inquiry VS NASS Panels; ‘An IT Judicial System – Now’

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NOUGH is enough! Do all the N a t i o n a l Assembly (NASS) membership know what Distinguished and Honourable actually Tony mean to Nigerians if not Marinho to them? Nigerians are devastated but not surprised by NASS members! Nigerians must identify distinguished and honourable persons in Nigeria. Those appellations are not the deserved preserve of Nigerian politicians and should be withdrawn.

Who is Honourable and Distinguished? All this bowing na wayo O! NASS should apologise to the nation and be become ‘simply’ Senator and Representative. Even as Nigerians clean the $620,000, N480m, cesspool, remember rumours of money to get bills passed or stopped since 1999. Add the rumour of money involved in ‘oversight function’ visits ‘or else’ the ‘oversighted’ will get a bad report and be denied a ‘second term’ or upward budgetary review! The rumour is that the louder the oversight rhetoric, the less has been paid in ‘settlement’ and ‘returns’. Can these allegations be true? They are not far-fetched in the light of the gathering darkness for democracy in the NASS. Lawan’s role in education oversight needs investigation!

What manner of NASS panel of inquiry is this? The NASS events around the ‘phantom fuel subsidy panel sting operation’ can be called ‘Sting me, I sting you’ or, after one email in the mold of Dabo and Tarka, ‘You Otedollar me, I Farcrook you’. NASS and state assemblies should adopt Justice Aguda’s advice and stop these panels of enquiry as the legislators exceed their legal authority and abuse the public trust by being inquisitor, judge and jury in investigating the numerous ‘transgressions’ they encounter during oversight.

Aguda suggests that they have usurped the constitutional duty of the judiciary by not immediately, on sufficient prima facie evidence, set up ‘Judicial Panels of Inquiry’.

NASS has no legal or constitutional right to insult, abuse, denigrate, shout at, intimidate, cast a slur, or otherwise malign or judge and sentence or ‘execute’ anyone ‘invited’

before its panels. The recent display of political indiscretions and vitriol against fellow Nigerians in panels was nauseating, demonstrating two-faced and perhaps criminal involvement of the NASS members some of whom are now rightly In court. Apart from the hype and holier-than-thou attitude of the NASS panelists, the whole atmosphere is reminiscent of the discredited Senator McCarthy’s Inquisition into Communism in the 1950s. If the Panel victims must swear ‘ToTellTheTruth’ - TTTT, then so too should the NASS panelists also be sworn in TTTT and act responsibly.

Such NASS and state assembly Investigation panels rarely provide publishable results or guilty parties, are often used for witch-hunting and political grandstanding, are often misused and misdirected and set up for a completely different reason than the one advertised –‘The Infamous Hidden Agenda’ such as self-enrichment. NASS members are known for their high consumptive capacity with egos needing constant massage, in spite of being the best paid in the world. In spite of this, rumours of illegal enrichment, blackmail of all ‘stakeholders’ invited before the panels, and demands for bribes are rampant even if unbelievable.

These NASS ‘oversight’ and enquiry panels are hugely expensive, costing hundreds of millions of naira each to run –even honestly. Such panels are overflowing with quick profits for the chosen NASS committee members and all facilitating PAs and administrative officials with perks like sitting, out-of-station, special, cellphone and travel allowances and others too strange to think up. Are there ‘Writing-the-Report’ and ‘Releasing-The-Report’ allowances?

The recent revelations of the multimillion naira excesses, N486,000,000, or N4 per fellow Nigerian, of the NASS members charged with running these panels clearly reveals the general rot. The excesses are worse because some accused NASS members parade with progressive and anticorruption movements and all eight members of that panel agreed to remove names from the report –collusion or ignorance? But only the chairman is ‘caught’ and suspended. Strange! Whose hands are clean?

Justice Aguda argues for the ‘Rule of Constitutional Law’ Section 88 and a routine transfer of all serious cases for panels of enquiry to the judiciary for ‘Judicial Panels of Enquiry’.

This presupposes the tall order that only honest judges with a nonpartisan stance towards the panel specifics will be chosen by the judicial commission or the CJN for these panels. Hopefully the chosen justices will not be forever writing in longhand as in court?

We have been clamouring for our legal system to leap into the 21st Century’s electronic age. What is good for Nigeria’s roadside internet cafes and computer training centres is better for our courts! Shamefully, it has taken the visit of a distinguished Australian jurist to repeat our 20 years demand to go IT and confirm the poor showing of Nigeria’s Supreme Court judgments at the international level as a result of ‘absent IT’. Disgracefully, our judges and magistrates record cases longhand! E-justice would be a nuclear welcome change for quicker justice dispensation and dissemination and employment of stenographers and computer literate staff. Is it true that most towns where magistrates and judges sit have IT ‘experts’ who would be honoured to be part of ‘The Judicial E-Revolution’? Each court only requires a small generator, two small laptops, a stenograph set and interconnectivity so that the stenographer’s reporting is projected immediately to the judge’s laptop screen. The cost per court may be N3-500,000 each –peanuts for Nigeria but a revolution for justice delivery! If books can get N6.1b and NHIS can get federal budgets to go electronic, then the justice system has no excuse!

‘What is good for Nigeria’s roadside internet cafes and computer training centres is better for our courts!

Shamefully, it has taken the visit of a distinguished Australian jurist to repeat our 20 years demand to go IT and confirm the poor showing of Nigeria’s Supreme Court judgments at the international level as a result of ‘absent IT’’

‘Coming from Manama’

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HIS year’s Global Leadership Conference, GLC, a yearly event organised by the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation, EO, took place in Manama, in the Kingdom of Bahrain from Thursday, May 24, to Saturday, May 26. EO was founded in 1987, with the aim of helping entrepreneurs achieve professional and personal success through crossfertilisation of ideas by learning and experience sharing. With a little over 8,000 members scattered in 121 chapters in 40 countries across the globe, EO is, unarguably, one of the most powerful and influential entrepreneurial networks in the world.

Entrepreneurs are one of the main arteries of every economy. Entrepreneurial goals represent the age-old struggles of risk versus rewards; the intuitive ability to screen opportunities, analyse the worth of an idea in tandem with its risk, and ultimately, integrate action with analysis towards value creation. In this process, mistakes are inevitably made and lessons quickly learnt.

Thus, the EO was founded by some young, visionary and perpetually dynamic entrepreneurs to offer support and guidance through this cycle.

The main aim is to simplify the arduous task of entrepreneurship through peer to peer learning, experience sharing and other value-added services. Over the years, the organization has grown from strength to strength, remaining true to the needs and aspirations of entrepreneurs around the world.

Regrettably, though this strong

organisation is well represented in almost all the continents of the world, out of the 121 chapters (Istanbul Chapter in Turkey is the newest), Africa has only two chapters located in Johannesburg and Cape Town, both in South Africa. The Nigerian chapter, which is still in its embryonic form, is being spearheaded by a Nigerian-born South African, Vincent Brown Molokwu, who is assisted by ItumelengKgaboesele, a South African and one of the EO regional directors for Europe, Middle East and Africa, EMEA. Brown, a graduate of Banking and Finance, ‘migrated’ to South Africa about 15 years ago. At first, he was faced with the challenges that usually confronted Nigerians all over the world as a result of a negative stigma which has refused to go away.

But with resilience and Spartan determination, he has recorded a number of achievements in the oil and gas sector of the South African economy.

When he joined EO, some three years back, Brown started travelling everywhere as it is customary with the organisation, meeting entrepreneurs. At a point, he kept on wondering why Nigeria has been conspicuously excluded from the noble organisation that is driving business across the globe. His insatiable urge to get Nigeria into the EO’s exclusive family brought him to Nigeria in October last year. One thing led to another and he discovered AbdlrasaqShittu, a telecommunication engineer and founder of Intertel

‘Entrepreneurs are one of the main arteries of every economy. Entrepreneurial goals represent the age-old struggles of risk versus rewards; the intuitive ability to screen opportunities, analyse the worth of an idea in tandem with its risk, and ultimately, integrate action with analysis towards value creation’

Nigeria Limited. Shittu bought the idea and became the first registered EO member in Nigeria, having successfully gone through the rigorous registration rituals of the organization.

Nine months down the line, the EO now has five seed members, namely: AbdlrasaqShittu, Anthony Okoye, Dele Agekameh, Funmi BabintonAshaye and Ayo Stuffman, in that order. Together, they form the board of directors of the EO, Nigeria chapter, which is due for launch in Lagos on October 1, this year.

On Tuesday, May 22, three of us – Shittu, Ayo and my humble self - flew to Manama, capital of Bahrain for the GLC. In Manama, the airport reception was smooth. The immigration officers, in their sparkling white uniforms, more like the uniforms worn by the officer cadre of the Nigerian Navy, were polite and business-like.

Since we all had electronic copies of our entry visas, all it took was for us to hand over our passports to the immigration officer who punched the laptop and confirmed the issuance.

Later, we boarded one of the taxicabs outside the airport lobby to Kempinski Grand &Ixir Hotel, located at the City Centre. Driving through the cold, windy night, one could observe a bustling, fashionable metropolis where the rich histories of the past allow wonders and adventures to flourish.

In Manama, the roads are strewn with trees and green grasses at the median and on the sidewalks. At Kempinski Hotel, genuine Arabic hospitality and European flair meet in uncompromising harmony. The 460-room hotel is an opulent masterpiece adjoined to the island’s biggest shopping paradise, ushering the visitor into a new era of timeless elegance, right in the heart of Manama.

All through the three days the conference lasted, we had a fill of Arabian cuisine. As we drove out of the hotel every day to the media centre on the outskirts of the city, off the

road to Saudi Arabia, the sight of the beautiful houses, the orderliness in the streets and the hospitality of the people were sweet memories to cherish for a long time to come. Saudi Arabia, host country to the Muslims’ holiest city, is just about three-hour drive from Manama.

GLC is reserved only for chapter leaders. This year’s edition was attended by 310 delegates from 31 countries. Yet, we could not fill more than 10 per cent of the entire space in the media centre. The centre had several large, medium and small conference rooms, meeting rooms, backup office rooms and other facilities. Situated in a quiet neighborhood, the media centre can conveniently host 2,500 people or more, with modern facilities, including functional toilets. Of the country’s 1.6 million people, half are foreigners mostly Indians, Pakistanis, Americans, Britons, Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos and migrants from African countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Tanzania, Ghana and others.

On the last day of the conference, we were treated to a banquet by the country’s ministries of commerce, culture and tourism at the National Museum with the ministers in attendance. Occupying an expanse of land with spaced-out sculptural designs and beautiful lightings, the National Museum is many a tourist’s delight.

There are spaces for exhibitions, and the rich cultural heritage of the tiny island was on display right from the entrance and throughout the whole space devoted to showcase Bahrain’s rich history and culture. One striking thing, however, is that the Bahraini Dinar (BD) is higher in value than the American dollar. It is about $3.5 to one BD. An incident that occurred on arrival at Manama International Airport is worth recounting here. The taxi-cab that took us to Kempinski Hotel was at a cost of 6.5BD. That was a little less than $20. When we alighted, I paid the driver, who was

Dele Agekameh robed in Ijab, the long, white, Arabian dress with Teribus, white veil and black ribbon on his head to match. You could mistake him for a truly ‘holy man’. But that was not to be. When he collected the $100 note, he looked at it properly, opened his wallet and brought out 4BD as change. I was confused, so I didn’t allow him to go. I quickly beckoned to one of the valet men in the hotel, who moved nearer. I told him the story and showed him how much the driver gave me in exchange. He simply retorted: “This is too much.”

Apparently, the driver had attempted to con us.

Now aware that the game was up, the driver murmured some inaudible words, stretched his hand to collect the 4BD back, angrily opened his wallet and brought out the $100 note. He said: “I don’t even want dollar, give me BD.” I grabbed the money from him, went into the lobby, changed it to Bahraini Dinar and paid him 6.5BD as indicated on its meter when we arrived at the hotel. In the end, I was left with more than 27 BD which I could have been fleeced by the driver. That was simply: “like Nigeria, like Bahrain.”

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

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EDITORIAL/OPINION ‘Congratulations UNILAG community on being the blessed womb. The law that sets up UNILAG was enacted in Lagos, the then Federal capital. The champion of Nigerian democracy Chief M. K. O. Abiola has been immortalised around the university

by President Goodluck Jonathan for posterity. This is truly a great moment for Nigeria. Cheers to this monument at UNILAG, the citadel of acadamics in Nigeria. - Ita Ekpott, an alumnus (l963- 66 set of UNILAG), Uyo, Akwa Ibom State’

•Farouk Lawan

For Olatunji Dare Congratulations UNILAG community on being the blessed womb. The law that sets up UNILAG was enacted in Lagos, the then Federal capital. The champion of Nigerian democracy Chief M. K. O. Abiola has been immortalised around the university by President Goodluck Jonathan for posterity.

This is truly a great moment for Nigeria.

Cheers to this monument at UNILAG, the citadel of acadamics in Nigeria. - Ita Ekpott, an alumnus (l963- 66 set of UNILAG), Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

I commend your piece on June 12: days of intrigues and suspense(1). I am young and a student of a college of education. Please help me with the book so that I can read on June 12 election. Kindly reply. - Oluseun, Ile-Ife I like The Nation because of you and a few others. Your article was refreshing. When the June 12 debacle runs its full cycle, you won’t be forgotten. - Rotimi Ayoku, Owolawi When we celebrate June 12, we always forget the man who conducted the only free and fair election in the country, Prof Humphrey Nwosu. He was detained for this.

We forgot him and threw him away like his option A4. That’s why we cannot have another free and fair election again.

There are a lot of things I don’t understand and I hope someone will clarify them for me. Was this same Abiola not the one who embraced Abacha when he overthrew Shonekan in the understanding that Abacha would transfer power to him? Was it true that he was privy to every coup in Nigeria since Babangida? How about ITT and corruption? Did he not found Concord Newspapers just to put down Awo that his people held in high esteem? Did he know something about the contraption that was 12 2/3?

How about the small matter of his many wives and concubines? Surely, if he knew he would die, my guess is he would have softpedalled with the United Nations. With these antecedents, no doubt, Fela would have waxed lyrics. My take? Not worth the hassle.

I doubt if his presidency wouldn’t have been full of nepotism, cronyism and kleptomania. Unfortunately, we would never know. Anonymous Prof. H. Nwosu, who despite the threat and temptation of becoming a billionaire, risked his life and declared Abiola the winner of June 12 election, was abandoned. I think now is the time to remember him because he took the greatest risk even at a gun point.

Secondly, if he had chosen to declare Alhaji Tofa, the winner of that election, heavens wouldn’t have fallen. The highest thing would have been for Chief MKO Abiola and his party to go to the tribunal. After all, today, people steal our votes, yet nothing happens. - Sunny Igiri, Port Harcourt Thanks for refreshing our minds and enlightening the young ones on June 12. I think it’s high time we told ourselves the truth on how to occupy the seat of power without the letting of blood. - Fidelis Obi, Minna.

Its amazing how you saw through their chicanery.

They read you today and realised that they fooled some of the people - especially them-

selves - but certainly not all the people.

Yet, the man then at the helm of affairs is today pretending to be a statesman.

Thank you, Uncle Dare. Dr Martins, Jos. That story has become history, sore and sour to remember! Was it the planning that began like a dream and a play? Was it the joke of going to court and the stopping of results declaration? Was it the chasing of the late MKO Abiola and freedom fighters? And the forced exile of freedom/human rights fighters. Then the detention and death of Abiola, the winner. It was, indeed, a great intrigue and moment of suspense. An era. Lanre Oseni, Lagos.

Had MKO Abiola been president, he would have gone to Aso Rock with 36 wives, one from every state. Morality and leadership must be twins. Anonymous For Gbenga Omotoso The problem between Otedola and Lawan is a national issue because the government that organised the subsidy probe panel may decide to stop those who are working on the scandal list and close the matter. What can we do? Anonymous This, indeed, must be a season of Nollywood. I want to buy all the series for the coming generation to watch. It’s a dance of shame. Anonymous I believe both are playing a game. They want to shift the goal post in the middle of the game? Time will tell. Anonymous I read the report about Lawan vs Otedola’s case ... It’s a pity that our leaders truly don’t fear God anymore ... No more conscience.

People behave anyhow. But our leaders shouldn’t forget that God is in heaven and ‘He’ is watching to give to everyman according to his reward. Kingsley, Port Harcourt Lawan vs Otedola... Over-take don overtake overtake! (apologies Abami Eda) .

Dirty business. Who was involved in the African Petroleum saga? Uche Lawson, Aba. Farouk Lawan should return the money if found guilty and he should be tried.

Our leaders should learn how to respect the rule of law and fear God. Anonymous Who is fooling who? They are robbers.

Former president Olusegun Obasanjo said it. We should pray for Nigeria. - Hakeem Bello It’s disturbing that Femi Otedola will be talking about giving bribe. Nigerians knew how he graduated from being a fuel marketer to a supposed oil baron in less than 14 years and becoming one of the financiers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while Farouk Lawan, the ever-restless, casually walk himself to a self-dug pit, thereby comfirming what the grand master of evil said about their National Assembly. Woe to them. - Sanmi Oke, Ilesa.

According to an adage, if you keep too long in the toilet, different flies will petch on you. If Farouk Lawan had not contested for the fourth time, he would not have been involved in this mess.

Femi Otedola should remember that one day, he would be called to give account of his deeds. Because I know it was a set up. Funsho Sulayman, Lokoja.

Honestly, the set up actually worked. It is very sad for the highly respected ‘Mr Integrity’ to descend so low. Anonymous Lawan was talking out of sense because he never knew that his ugly deal would blow out to expose him. Nobody is a saint when it comes to money and opportunity to get it.

The Federal Government should carry the people along while making a monetary policy and to ensure the recovery of the money from Lawan. No wonder that former

President Olusegun Obasanjo told the world that our state and National Assemblies are full of rogues. God save Nigeria. Seinde Obisesan, Oregun Lagos.

To say that Lawan is a disappointment, is an understatement.These political leaders are a bundle of cheats. - From E. P. Ibeh Makurdi, Benue State.

Otedola Vs Lawan is an award winning movie every Nigerian must watch. Lawan has disapointed Nigerians despite his courage and trust in the past. Otedola and those who have hands in the scandal should be investigated. They should stop deceiving Nigerians. Anonymous It’s sad and disheartening that Lawan, an apostle of righteousnes, is soiled with corruption. For years, he had smartly put on a deceptive garment of a saint, yet inwardly he was like a stinking sepulcre! Oh! Nigeria my beloved country, where does thy salvation lie? From J. A. Solo-mon, Kaduna.

Thank you Gbenga. Otedola should be arrested for giving the dollars to Lawan. From Hamza Ozi Momoh.

Since Farouk has succeeded in persuading his colleagues to remove Otedola’s name from the report, he should have paid him his balance. Case closed. They are both guilty as charged. It is Farouk’s greed that found him out. If only he had democratised the loot, he would have kept his ‘integrity ‘intact! Olumide, Kaduna This is no doubt a season of anomie in the political arena in the nation’s contemporary history. Is there no law in Nigeria on the giver and taker of bribe?

What is this country turning into? Otedola with all sense of shame admitted offering bribe and yet, he is walking freely on the streets. I don’t want to pre-empt the ongoing investigation, but judging from recent available facts, it is unfortunate that the committee which started on the people’s high expectations is being hunted. It is not out of place to see the hand of the Presidency in the saga with a bid to rubbish the probe on subsidy removal. Let’s wait and see. From Njoku Lawrence, Okigwe.

There is a deficit in the integrity and compassion of our leaders. Politicians are morally bankrupt and self-serving. Attitudinal change and a paradigm shift needed. From Laide Owadusi.

In Otedola vs Farouk Lawan saga, the law is clear. Both the giver and taker of bribes are guilty. So, whatever reasons they have to fool Nigerians should be kept aside. Appropriate sections of the law should apply.

Anonymous I am a young reader of The Nation. Sam Omotseye, Segun Ayobolu, Femi Adesina and Akintola’s articles are the best I’ve read on UNILAG. There are better ways to honour Abiola, not the Greek gift from President Goodluck Jonathan.

Can I get the Abiola Manifesto and the book they wrote on Asiwaju? I sell books in Abuja. - Saliu Kolawole Andrew.

When Baba OBJ, said there are rogues in the National Assembly, EFCC & ICPC men thought he was talking about past regimes.

Unknown to them, the House Committee on Fuel Subsidy probe was the one, derailing the effort.

For Tunji Adegboyega Tunji, your article on “A fight back foretold?’ of June 17 refers. This PDP government may be thinking that the oil scandal report will go the way of previous reports.

• Otedola What a wishful thinking? N240billion was appropriated for subsidy for 2011 and our government spent N1.7 trillion. Where did it get the authority for the excess money spent? Until our National Assembly begins to apply the law of impeachment on constitutional infractions, there will be no end to such indiscipline in our nation. From Seyi Oluwaseyin.

The shilly-shallying of the government over corruption, an international embarrassment to this country, betrays the level of compromise on the part of the incumbent government on the urgent need to confront the malaise with all human and material cleansing agents at our disposal. Why must we all, Christians, Muslims and even the socalled politicians wallow in this mesmeric stench? Do we all not have code of ethics?

God save Nigeria! From Chris Igebu, Agenebode, Edo State.

Tunji, it is unimaginable that Farouk who acted and boasted that with all the pressure and intimidation, he is satisfied with what Allah has endowed him with! Who else in Nigeria do we trust? Farouk has damaged the respect millions and I who believed in him as a breed different from rest; if he has honour, he should resign from the House to help us consign him into history. A day of reckoning is near. From Oludare Fadiji, Ibadan.

I always appreciate your article, may God increase you brilliantly (Amen). Anonymous.

Dear Mr Adegboyega, I am amazed at you!

If this were an examination, you would have failed woefully. The video evidence posted on Youtube … which Nigerians and I have seen on Facebook/Twitter … Rather than blaming Lawan for allowing his greed to rubbish the subsidy probe report, you have produced a patently unintelligent tissue of lies and distortions in your article. Please you are entitled to your warped opinions but mind what they do to your IQ before readers of The Nation. For God’s sake, watch the video.

Anonymous.

I have just read your piece. Otedola has always been in it all, from Transcorp mess and his membership of Corporate Nigerians, who funded the tenure elongation of Chief Obasanjo; African Petroleum palaver, and now the subsidy saga. From Bisi, Ilorin.

Actually, the aim of the scandal was to demonise the widely accepted fuel subsidy report. But people like Femi Otedola have been advised of other adversities of the sham. In fact, this self-propelled missile from him would hugely affect him and his businesses. From Prince Oloyede Adeoye.

It will be very difficult for the president to wash his hands clean from the subsidy scandal. The people involved in the fraud are PDP members and very close to the corridors of power. Their target is the subsidy probe report. The ‘sting operation’; by Otedola is false; the security agents would have stationed themselves in the vicinity and arrested Farouk immediately he collected the money.They could not have taken the risk of allowing him to go with the marked money because it is spendable. From Alhaji Adeboye Lawal.

PROGRAMME

PROJECT

SERVICE

Ahmed votes N750m for agric

Corps member kits pupils

Free cervical screening for 10,000

Kwara

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Lagos

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

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Lagos

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Page 25

Email: news_extra@yahoo.com

NGO inspires less-privileged kids LAGOS-BASED non-governmental organisation, Mobility Aid and Appliances Research and Development Centre (MAARDEC) has made children with disability feel loved again.

The NGO organised a befitting party for children living with various disabilities, giving them enough to eat and drink but the best part was what the organisers told them and the larger society.

President of MAARDEC, Mr Cosmas Okoli, himself physi-

A

•Amanda

By Adejo David

cally challenged, told the children they have everything to lead a successful life.

Okoli assured them that in spite of physical disability, they can make a difference in life. The children who trooped in from different schools in Lagos, looked happy and encouraged.

The party was held on this year’s Children’s Day in Ijeshatedo, Itire-Ikate Local Council Development Area of Lagos. It is held every year.

Okoli lost the use of his legs as a result of polio and has been confined to a wheelchair, but he is not one to seek pity from anyone.

He lives what he preaches and runs the NGO quite well.

He also knows exactly what people with disability need, and what the society should do to help them lead normal lives.

Okoli said children with disability need love and support, not pity, discrimination or exclusion.

The children turned up with their parents, guardians and teachers. But not all the kids had physical challenges; many were

able-bodied. All played and danced together, sharing food and drinks and jokes.

Corporate organisations were also there, as were representatives of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

In his opening speech, Okoli said there was need to bring children with disability together with their able-bodied counterparts in order to eliminate discrimination exclusion suffered by those living with challenges.

Mr Okoli said parents are also guilty of setting the stage for discrimination when they discourage their physically fit •Continued on Page 26

N

O fewer than 4,000 farmers and their families have benefitted from the Goronyo dam project in Sokoto State even as the project is not quite completed.

The scheme has improved irrigation on their farms, boosting the cultivation of a wide range of crops including rice, water melon.

A community leader in Gidan ‘Yar Fara, Mallam Muhammadu Mai Wundi said the dam has helped their farming activities and shored up food supplies in the state.

The dam is a Federal Government project which has enhanced the quality of life in villages surrounding Goronyo.

The community leader was speaking during the visit of the Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe to Goronyo community which hosts the dam.

“We have been making good use of the dam facility and have been producing more water melons, rice and other vegetable crops during dry season,” the community leader said.

The Minister said the federal government is committed to the transformation of the nation’s agriculture sector for sustainable development.

“President Jonathan is committed to the development of irrigation farming as an important aspect that sustains all-year agricultural activities,” Ochekpe said.

She was speaking while inspecting the N3.8 billion Goronyo Dam Falalia Phase II project awarded to construction firm Gilmor.

She said government was concerned about the maintenance of the dam which will greatly boost flood control efforts.

Ochekpe said the Federal Government was concerned about the early completion and commissioning of the stage one of the project, advising that the dam be maintained in order to avail the state and the entire country of its projected benefits and save host communities possible dangers.

“You have to think of ways and

•Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe on inspection visit to Goronyo Dam in Sokoto State

Sokoto agric scheme boosts rural life 4,000 farmers benefit from dam Fed Govt hails project From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

measures to overcome avoidable problems associated with the dam in rainy and dry seasons by making use of the facilities and infrastruc-

ture in order to protect farming communities around the dam.

“You should maintain and utilize the dam facility maximally,” she emphasised.

The Minister was impressed by

the progress of work at the dam irrigation site, and assured of government’s support towards mass production of food in commercial quantity as well ensuring food security.

She said dry season farming was •Continued on Page 26

•Mallam Mai Wundi

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

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NGO inspires less-privileged kids •Continued from Page 25

kids from playing with their less privileged counterparts.

Okoli said that this state of affairs is made worse by the lack of a platform for non-disabled children and disabled children to interact and socialise together.

“Children know each other, love each other, and play with each other,” he said...Last year children who attended the MAARDEC’s Children’s Day celebration have doubled this year,” he said.

Without these children, “we have no future,” he said, advocating that the society will do well to give disabled children a sense of belonging.

He said over the years his organisation has identified with people living with disability.

He asked: “Why is it that the society is not doing the right thing to maintain people with disability? For example, when we build roads, walkways, public buildings, why are they not asccesible to persons with disabilities? The main problem is education, a culture that is not established in taking good care of people with disabilities, culture that say you put people with disabilities at home and take care of them.”

He said persons with disabilities are supposed to live fulfilling lives, move around do their thing like every other person.

He cited countries like Uganda

•Okoli (seated, middle), with the kids, members of the organisation and guests at the event

and other developing countries all over the world which reserve a certain percentage of jobs, even in legislative parliaments, to people with disability.

Okoli thanked participants at this year’s MAARDEC’s Children’s Day celebration. He also appreciated the support of corporate organisations for their support.

An electrifying moment was the introiduction of Amanda Odoh, a staff of the organisation, who

spoke at the event.

Amanda, a graduate of University of Ibadan, is visually challenged. In her speech, she said that she began to lose her sight when she was in primary school.

At some point, she was unable to see what the teachers wrote on the blackboard.

“But I managed to pass through my primary school, though my secondary school was very difficult as people helped me write down what I asked them to write.

“But I passed all my papers with good grades and also sat once for JAMB and got admitted to the University of Ibadan. I graduated with the best result in my department.”

Amanda advised the children not to give up no matter their circumstances and try to live normal lives in spite of their disabilities.

The sector commander Lagos State FRSC, Mr. Nseobong Akpabio who was represented by

Abayomi Adegbesan, said the command is committed to the education and enlightenment of the public, training drivers as well as providing reflective jackets and hand-bands to children in primary and secondary schools throughout the country.

He re-affirmed the Corps’ commitment in providing adequate training and manpower to prevent accidents among children which may lead to death or disability.

Sokoto agric scheme boosts rural life

•Project Manager, Dubi Hatz

•Continued from Page 25 important because it sustains food production, creates employment and poverty reduction among Nigerians.

The Phase II project comprises five sectors: Takakume, Mai Iyali, Gidan Salihu, Tsitse and Tuluski irrigation sectors.

Mrs. Ochekpe urged the three tiers of governments to collaborate in transforming the agriculture sector by utilising the dam facility particularly at the rural levels.

“Local governments should be alive to their responsibilities in that direction,” Ochekpe also noted that there were high expectations from all quarters, explaining that government was fasttracking policies and programmes

that would launch the even spread of development across all sectors of the economy.

Explaining to the Minister, Gilmor Project Manager Mr. Dubi Hatz said the dam embankment and the Takakume irrigation works had reached 98% completion, adding that when completed, about 20,000 farming families will benefit.

The Project Manager explained that stage one of the project which comprises Rima Main Headworks, concrete conduit (0.70km), Rima Main Canal (7.00km), Rima Branch Canal (1.85km), as well as Sector 1 covering Takakume have been completed.

Hatz told the Minister: “In actual fact, the entire stage 1 with about 700ha (net) was virtually completed

and ready for commissioning by August 2010 before the unprecedented flood incidence of September 2010 that caused the damages that was repaired under the remedial measures.”

Leaving Goronyo, Ocekpe also visited neighbouring Gidan ‘Yar Fara community to sample the residents’ position on the project.

Gidan ‘Yar Fara community leader, Mallam Muhammadu Mai Wundi expressed joy at the measures taken by government to avert the recurrence of flood.

The leader equally applauded the upgrade of the dam, which he said brought enormous benefits to their community and others.

But he also brought the pressing

challenge of the community to the attention of the Minister: lack of good link road.

He said it has been difficult for their farmers to get their produce to markets outside their community. Such a road will come in handy.

Still, the joy of the dam is almost overwhelming. ”We have been making good use of the dam facility by producing water melon, rice and other vegetable crops during dry season,” he said.

According to Gilmor Project Manager, “about 4000 farming families are currently enjoying from the dam facilities especially during dry season irrigation farming which has a capacity production of 5000 tonnes of rice annually.”

There were high expectation from all quarters which Ochekpe explained that government was fast tracking responsive policies and programmes that would launch even spread of development across all sectors of the economy

•Choristers singing at the Presbyterian Church in Nigeria during Father’s Day celebration in Abuja

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

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Promo win thrills widow

“S

INCE my husband died four years ago, my life has not been the same. I have been left alone in a world of my own. But now, I am very happy for this remarkable thing that has happened to me.

In fact I never thought I could ever be a winner in this promo, as this is the first time in my life of winning something in any promo.”

The widow, 48-year-old Mrs. Evelyn Okolo, could not hide her joy at the luck which fate has just placed at her doorstep with the Legend Real Deal Promo. She won herself a blackberry phone.

“I never had a blackberry phone, even though some of my friends and neighbours have it. I have always been saying that God will provide for all my needs. And this he has done in a wonderful way,” she said.

Mrs. Okolo, a nurse at the male surgical ward of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos State, recounts vividly how she won herself the Blackberry phone in the first week of the Real Deal Promo.

“I had just finished my shift, and I decided to take a bottle of my drink which is Legend Extra Stout. I always take just one bottle whenever I feel like reliving the day’s stress. After taking the bottle, I was about walking out of the bar when I remembered about the promo. I went back to my table to pick the crown cork. It was not until the next day that I remembered. I told my daughter to check what was under the cork. I was so surprised to see a BlackBerry phone. And I called my brother inlaw to inform him of the development.”

After receiving her prize, Mrs. Okolo, the Anambra State indigene has been “preaching the gospel” of Legend. She has succeeded in converting some of her friends and neigh-

R

ESIDENTS of Onyewuenyi Street, Akwakuma, in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State have called on Governor Rochas Okorocha and the transition committee chairman of the council to prevail on the contractor handling the construction of the street to speed up the work to save them from further hassles on it.

Onyewuenyi Street is one of the roads being constructed in the area in line with Governor Okorocha’s directive that every local government area in the state must build 15kilometres of roads as a way of opening up the grassroots for development.

A source, who is a member of the executive of the Landlords-Tenants Association who spoke with Newsextra in confidence, disclosed that the terrible state of the street has

By Victor Akande

bours. “Since I won my BlackBerry, people have been asking me how real it is. I just smile and tell them it can’t be any better. Some of them have started taking Legend, while others are still mixing Legend with other brands because they don’t want to be left out of winning with Legend.” She said with an affirmative tone.

One of her brothers-in-law has also been hooked to the Real Deal because of her prize. “Even my brother-inlaw who does not drink Legend has now changed his brand to Legend Extra Stout because he also wants to win in the Real Deal Promo,” she added.

Mrs. Okolo, mother of a fifteenyear old girl also affirmed that some of her daughter’s friends have now given her the appellation ‘Mama Legend’. “At first I tried stopping

them from calling that name, but it seems the more I try to stop them, the stronger they become in their resolve to call me such. Even my daughter has now started calling me that name which I just have to answer.”

Mrs. Evelyn Okolo admitted that even though she has won for herself a Blackberry phone, she would not stop taking the premium beer because she hopes to win other prizes before the promo comes to a close.

“I still have high hopes of winning a TV or the generator. I am now called Mama Legend, so I should win more prizes to live up to the name that has been forcefully given to me. In fact I think I should increase the number of bottles to two, so that I can have more chances of winning more prizes before the Legend Promo comes to an end.” She said with an air of confidence.

The Real Deal promo which started on May 1 will be brought to an end on June 30th, 2012.

•Mrs Evelyn Okolo receives her BlackBerry phone prize from Mr. Shina Okubamu, Sales Office Manager of Nigerian Breweries Plc

Rainstorm victims disappointed with relief materials

M

ONTHS after rainstorm destroyed properties at Low Cost Housing Estate, OkeAfa, Isolo, Lagos, relief has come but the residents are disappointed at the quality of materials given.

The residents said all they got from the state Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) were small-sized mattresses and pillows.

At the landlords association meeting ground, where Sanwo and Winco brands of mattresses and pillows were shared, affected residents left disappointed, as what they expected was not what they got. They also accused LASEMA officials of distributing the relief materials based on political party affiliation.

“Some of us thought we would

By Medinat Kanabe

get roofing sheets and other roofing materials, but we got here only to be given mattresses and pillows meant for people affected by flood,” a resident said.

They claimed that some of them spent over N700,000 to repair their roofs, while others were yet to effect any repairs on their houses.

“If they want to give us something they should either refund some of the money we spent or provide us with roofing materials to repair our roofs,” another resident said.

A resident, who gave his name as Mr Gbenga, said the all the student

mattresses and pillows were not worth more than N6,000. He wondered what could be done with such materials.

He said: “They collected the materials nonetheless, because they may not get anything from the government again.”

Another resident who gave his name as Seyi said: “This morning, the landlord association’s president, Mr Abdul Ganiu Abiodun, told us that the bedding materials were just the first phase. He said that they would soon bring roofing materials.”

Meanwhile, a text message was said to have been sent to affected residents and anyone who could not show any proof of receiving such were not given.

A resident who did not get the materials said: “It is a pity they are sharing these things to people they knew, my house was affected, but I didn’t get a text message or any material.

See that woman, (pointing to a woman), because she is a politician, she got the mattress and her house was not affected.”

One of the councillors from Ejigbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Mr Niyi Abayomi, was also seen with a list of victims of the windstorm.

Not up to half of the people present, according to the residents, got the mattresses. Some, they said, got only mattress while some others got only pillows to be shared with their neighbours.

Imo community seeks help over bad road

By Chinaka Okoro

cut them off from their neighbouring communities as the road is impassable.

He explained that right from the second gate of Akwakuma Girls’ Secondary School, gaining entrance to the street becomes a problem as the road has become marshy due to heaps of red sand which the contractor stacked along it.

The source added that “residents of the street were happy when, in November last year, the contractor moved to site. First he got rid of the sand dune that was a prominent fea-

ture of the road. This, he said, made movement easier. The contractor later constructed the drainage system which he followed by tipping of the red sand.

“Unfortunately, after tipping the sand, the contractor disappeared into thin air. Nobody finds it easy to pass through the road. Those who own cars have abandoned them since there is no thoroughfare.

“Now that the heavy rains are here, residents of the street trek long distances in order to access the major road before they go where they want to. That we are shut-in is an underestimation of the situation in which we find ourselves.

“Our children suffer most. When-

ever they are going to school, their shoes and uniforms get soiled before they reach their schools. Some, in several occasions had slipped and fell into the muddy water.”

Another resident of the area Mrs Nkiru Chikwere told Newsextra that the situation of the road has had adverse effect on the socio-economic life of the people.

Mrs Chikwere, who teaches in one of the private schools in the area said: “Since the area contractor abandoned work on the road, life has not been the same again for residents of Onyewuenyi Street. The once bubbly area has become dull and uneventful. The situation has affected the social and economic lives of the people. Those who are into buying and selling are experiencing lull due

to lack of patronage.”

Continuing, she pleaded with both local and state governments to come to the rescue of the residents who she said are experiencing the worst of times. She also urged the authorities to do something fast before their lives become more endangered.

“Unfortunately, we don’t know who the contractor is. He just came and worsened the condition of the already-bad road. That road is in a worse situation than it was.

“We implore on the Transition Committee Chairman of Owerri North Local Government Area and the task force on infrastructural development to look into the issue with a view of re-awarding the road to a competent contractor. If they don’t, the consequences would be so grave,” she said.

Now that the heavy rains are here, residents of the street trek long distances in order to access the major road before they go where they want to go. That we are shut in is an underestimation of the situation in which we find ourselves

•Onyewuenyi Street

THE NATION WEDNESDAY JUNE 20, 2012

28

Kwara votes N750m for agric

K

•Govenor Ahmed

WARA State government has voteS the sum of N750m for its micro-credit scheme.

Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, who disclosed this during the inauguration of the Federal Government Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) and the E-wallet Schemes at Oke-oyi, the headquarters of Ilorin-East Local Government Area, said the initiative was part of government’s efforts to ensure food security and job creation for the people in the agro-allied sub-sector.

He said: “The administration would also strengthen agriculture value chain through the establishment of agriculture malls in the three senatorial districts to serve as one stop shop for farm inputs, equipment, financial and

NEMA trains 3, 700 on emergency management T HE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is to train 3, 700 stakeholders across the country on emergency management.

A breakdown indicates that 100 people would be trained in each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

South-South Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Mr. Emenike Umesi, in Calabar during an evacuation drilling exercise for public servants in Cross River State recently, said that the Federal Government has given the approval to the exercise.

He said the training is to teach stakeholders on how to attend to emergencies in their areas of profession.

He said the agency, in collaboration with

Cross River

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

the State Emergency Management Agency and other sister agencies had agreed to work together in sensitising the public on how to comport themselves during crisis situations.

He said: “The exercise aims at educating our people on the basic skills of emergency management at which they can respond and render the basic service they are supposed to render before the helps could come.”

Firm, dentists parley on oral health

A

S part of fulfilling her purpose of promoting oral health in Nigeria, Oral-B and the Nigerian Dental Association (NDA) had a 3-day conference in Lagos. The theme and sub-theme of the event which took place between Wednesday June 13 and Friday June 15, 2012 were “Non communicable diseases and the dentist” and “Dentinal Hypersensitivity.”

Launched in Nigeria in 2011, Oral-B toothpaste is a leading oral care product. It is present in several key countries of the world. Its new toothpaste- Oral B Pro-Health All- Round protection has become the toast of many consumers and dental professionals.

It is the first and only toothpaste that combines two powerful ingredients, stannous fluoride and polychelation technology for healthier, stronger teeth in one week.

Speaking at the conference, Brand Manager of Oral-B and Pampers for P and G Nigeria, Mr. Cletus Onyebuoha, said that “P&G will continue to support NDA in the quest for optimal oral health in Nigeria because that vision is in line with P&G’s purpose of touching and improving lives.

He added that “this buoyed P&G to provide dental professionals with helpful education tools such as dentalcare.com, provide all classes of Nigerians free access to routine dental checkup and consultancy through the Oral B Mobile Dental Clinic.

“It has also introduced in Nigeria the most advanced toothpaste and manual tooth brush

Nasarawa, agency partner on development

Kwara extension services for farmers across the state.”

While commending the E-wallet initiative of the Federal Government, the governor said the scheme would provide agricultural inputs such as fertiliser and improved seedlings for farmers in the state. He re-assured the people that the State Agriculture Master Plan (KAMP) which was launched in New York would reposition the state as agriculture hub in the sub-region and ensure food security for the people.

Governor Ahmed, who was represented by the deputy governor, Elder Peter Kisra, pledged his administration’s commitment to the success of the Federal Government Agricultural Transformation Agenda and the EWallet schemes, adding that his administration has put in place enabling environment for farmers to profitably engage in improved agriculture practice that transcends subsistent farming.

In his address, the special guest of honour on the event, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, who was represented by the Regional Director North Central Zone of the ministry, Sunday Edibo, stressed that the focus of government was to make the country major food exporter.

Dr. Adesina maintained that the country has advantage to be major producer of food in the world, adding that the present administration would continue to lay emphasis on food security and job creation for the youth through agriculture.

Contributing, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Alhaji Isa Babakpan said the state government has put in place machinery to maximise the benefits of the scheme.

N

ASARAWA State government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI). The partnership would enable it to build a solid foundation for industrial and technological development, even as it will enable it to improve on its power situation.

During the signing ceremony which took place at the Government House along Shendam Road in Lafia, the Director-General of the agency, Professor Olusegun Adewoye said it was the first of its kind between the organisation and any state government in Nigeria.

Professor Adewoye further disclosed that the partnership between the Nasarawa State government and NASENI would help the government in harnessing the solid

•Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Adamu (left), and the Madakin Hausawan Abuja, Alhaji Mohammed Saidu who paid him a visit

Shema warns against sale of farm inputs K

ATSINA State government has warned that it would punish any farmer caught selling tractors and fertilisers supplied to them by government.

Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema gave the warning during the launch of this year’s fertiliser sales at Danja in Danja Local Government Area of the state recently.

Lagos technology in Oral B Pro-Health All-Round protection toothpaste and Oral B Pro-expert toothbrush.’’

President of the Nigeria Dental Association, Dr Femi Orebanjo said that “Oral B Pro-Health with Stannous fluoride is a product everyone believes in.”

He said that there has been wide acceptance of the product since it was launched in Nigeria in 2011.

On the partnership with the NDA, Head of External Relations, P&G Nigeria, Mrs. Temitope Iluyemi, said that P&G’s intention is to touch and improve the lives of more consumers in more parts of the world.

“This partnership was a reflection of P&G’s commitment to the oral health of Nigerians as a means of helping to touch and improve their lives,” she said.

She disclosed that P&G invests billions of dollars in research and development annually in a bid to produce world-class products that meet the needs of the consumers worldwide.

She pledged that P&G is committed to ensure consumers’ satisfaction.

The company has strong portfolios of trusted, quality brands which include Pampers, Tide, Ariel, Always, Whisper, Pantene, Mach3, Bounty, Dawn, Gain, Pringles, Charmin, Downy, Lenor, Iams, Crest, Oral-B, Duracell, Olay, Head & Shoulders, Wella, Gillette, Braun and Fusion.

•Chairman Lagos Island Local Government, Prince Wasiu Eshilokun presenting trophy to a student of Girl’s Academy Secondary School, Lagos after the choral competition for secondary schools in Lagos Island held at the Glover Hall, Lagos

•From left: Barrister Taiwo Adeoluwa, Secretary to Ogun State Government, Managing Director, Best Bargain Nigeria Limited, Folake Jamiu and Mojeed Jamiu, Deputy Chief of Staff to Ekiti State Governor during the official inauguration of Best Bargain in Lagos

Jonathan praised on renaming UNILAG

P

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has been praised for renaming the former University of Lagos Akoka to Moshood Abiola University Lagos.

Former Travel Manager of Daily Times of Nigeria Mr Sunday Ekong made the commendation while reacting to the President’s pronouncement on Tuesday, May 29, 2012 during his nation-wide broadcast to commemorate his one year in office.

Mr Ekong noted that the President had shown that he is not among benders of truth, even as he condemned, in strong terms, the remonstration of students who poured into the streets of Lagos in protest of the renaming.

He said: “In apparent recognition of the prominent role Abiola played in reshaping our democratic landscape, Mr President, in his address to the country in commemoration of Democracy Day, made a pronouncement to the effect that, among other issues, UNILAG had been renamed Moshood Abiola University Lagos (MAUL) in honour of MKO Abiola, the winner of the 1993 presidential election which former Military President Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida annulled.”

Continuing, Mr. Ekong said: “I am thankful and shall ever remain so to President Goodluck Jonathan for the great courage dis-

37

played on a colossus and legend, Chief MKO Abiola.”

Noting that Jonathan is the most honest of all the leaders Nigeria had had, Mr. Ekong said. “Jonathan will remain the most honest and sincere servant Nigeria ever produced.

This is so because he has enforced June 12 as historical reality and in portmanteau manner, summarised the just cause, noble ideals and very strong views on a number of national issues that MKO Abiola believed in, stood and fought for.

“MKO means so many things to so many people. Former UNILAG was a beneficiary of N11m donation by MKO with which it expanded her programmes.

“There is something in a name. MKO was the martyr of our democratic revolution in the most elaborate political arrangement for free and fair election; with Option A4 or Open Ballot System for fool proof credible election in Nigeria which he won, but was denied his right.

“That was a dent on our political history.

MKO is the president to be declared for the completion of the presidential cycle. Why the dust in renaming a Federal Government’s institution after the man that watered our democratic soil?”

Katsina From Isah Idris, Katsina

He said over 340 new tractors had been procured and sold to farmers at subsidised rate of 50 per cent to be repaid in five years, even as he regretted that no tractor can be found working on any farm in any part of the state.

He therefore warned those who engage in the act to desist from it as, he said, it constitutes sabotage on the state’s efforts to ensure food sufficiency. Governor Shema, who hailed the people of Danja for increased farming activities, said 40,000 bags of fertiliser supplied to the area will be sold to each farmer at the rate of N1, 780 per bag, promising that the product would be made available at every local government, wards and household.

While warning the committee on sales of fertiliser to display high sense of honesty, Governor Shema urged the farmers to intercept any vehicle conveying fertilisers out of Katsina State.

Contributing, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon. Musa Adamu Funtua advised the farmers to make effective use of the products to improve their farm yields, urging them not to sell them to merchants.

The transition committee chairman of Danja, Hon. Tijani Lawal Danja thanked the governor for his love for farmers. He, however, appealed to government to construct some roads in the area which will be of economic importance to the farmers.

Don urges action on security

By Musa Odoshimokhe

W

ORRIED by the increasing insecurity in the country, a Professor of Sociology at the University of Lagos, Omololu Soyombo has urged government to show serious commitment towards solving the security problem in Nigeria. This, he said, will prevent its sociopolitical and economic disintegration.

Soyombo, who was the guest lecturer at the 19th commemoration of June 12 organised by the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) in Lagos, noted that insecurity in the country was a reflection of a failed government in terms of its responsibilities to the people.

He said: “National insecurity is, perhaps, the biggest challenge of contemporary Nigerian society. It has been widely acknowledged to be one problem that poses grave danger to democratic government, socioeconomic and political survival of the country.”

The university teacher, who called for good governance, explained that there was need to fight corruption in high places.

“Curb corruption in the high places to reduce disaffection and make resources available to meet the needs and expectations of the citizens,” he said.

He stressed the need for true federalism as it “will help in solving some of the problems that are inherent in our society and provide an opportunity for more power, control, and self-determination by various units and segments.”

In the same manner, the National Coordinator of OPC, Chief Gani Adams stated that the country had been drawn back in terms of progress for lack of security.

“I therefore call on all democratic forces to reflect deeply on the huge sacrifice that the late M.K.O Abiola paid to give this country democracy.”

Nasarawa mineral potential of the state. It will also generate employment opportunities and create wealth for its citizens.

NASENI, according to him, specialises in the manufacturing and production of products of international standard, adding that it would utilise the rich solid mineral potential in the state and produce what he called advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) for sale.

He said some of these products include science kits for secondary schools, solar plants, hydro-power turbine, pole-mounted transformer, and wind turbine blades, among others.

In his remarks, Governor Umaru Tanko Almakura said it was in realisation of the decay and lack of infrastructural and technological developments as well as science education in the state that his administration decided to engage the services of NASENI to harness the

state’s solid mineral potential for industrial growth.

“The partnership became necessary considering the over-stretching of facilities due to increasing influx of people.

Party alleges threat to peace

T

HE Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has petitioned the State Security Service (SSS) and the police authorities over alleged threat to peace in the state.

In the petitions sent to the Director-General of the SSS, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Zone 2 and the State Director of SSS and the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, the party alleged that some of its estranged members, in collusion with some officials of the State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) were heating up the polity.

This, the party said, they were trying to do by “willfully disobeying valid court orders and judgments” in respect of the State Executive Committee (Exco) and the local council election.

The petitions, which were signed by the Counsel to the State PDP, Mr. Ajibola Oluyede, gave the names of the estranged party members as Ireti Oniyide, Tunde Oladunjoye and Fasiu Bakenne.

They party urged the security agencies to call the accused to order to prevent breakdown of law and order.

• From left: Miss Coker Christiana Olajumoke, Chief Monitoring Officer National Broadcasting Commission, Mr John Ugbe, Managing Director Multichoice, Mr Mayo Okunola General Manager Govtv, and Biola Alabi, Managing Director Mnet Africa, during the media launch of Gotv at Planet One, Maryland Lagos PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS

‘Give priority to traditional medicine’

T

•From left: Matron, the Light Bearers Wesley Cathedral Olowogbowo, Mrs Adesola Sulola, in a chat with the society’s Vice-President, Bro Olufemi Caulcrick (right) and the society’s president Bro Aramide Tola Noibi at the Methodist Church Nigeria

•Governor Al-makura

HE National Association of Nigerian Traditional Medicine Practitioners (NANTMP) has urged governments at all levels to give traditional medicine the priority attention it deserves so that it could contribute to the growth of primary healthcare system in the country.

The association made the call at the end of its Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting held in Ibadan on Tuesday, June 12, 2012. It said the call became necessary because of the popularity of herbal treatments and its lucrative nature.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, members of the BOT said that “traditional medicine practitioners in Nigeria need to gear up in the production of quality products so as to be part of the present global multibillion dollar revenue accruable from herbal supplements.”

The communiqué, which was signed by the BOT Secretary Chief (Dr) Obi D.C, Alhaji Shehu Garba Dangi PRO, Dr (Mrs) Peace Uzonze National President Executive Caretaker Committee, Alhaji Shaba Maikudi National SecretaryGeneral, Dr Bello Isa Hashim (PRO), Prof. Dayo Oyekole (Treasurer) and National Vice-President South-West Alhaji Zakariyau Oyedeji noted that “Nigeria has very good comparative advantage particularly in the area of hu-

man and material resources, hence the practitioners can no longer afford to continue to lag behind in the scheme of things.”

The communiqué which also confirmed the appointment of the National Executive Caretaker Committee further emphasised that “in view of the present circumstances of the association, there is the urgent need for purposeful and selfless leadership that will put the association on the path of unity, progress and development.”

It directed all chairmen of states caretaker committees to consult widely with members of the association and choose people of high integrity to serve on the state’s committee with a view of taking the association to an enviable height.

More importantly, it urged members to be steadfast, ready to contribute towards the development, production, promotion and commercialisation of quality herbal products that will take Nigeria to greater levels in the global traditional medicine practice.

The communique further urged government at all levels should give traditional medicine the priority it deserves so that it would contribute to the growth of primary healthcare system so as to increase access to it by Nigerians.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

Life

29

The Midweek Magazine E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

Text only: 08023058761

Deploying art to save wildlife – Page 31

Fela's home to become museum – Page 32

Foundation lifts creative minds – Page 33

‘‘II wept when I watched Fela on Broadway’ Broadway’ •Femi

- SEE PAGE 31

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

30

The Midweek Magazine E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

He is a splitting image of his father, the late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. In everything he does, there is the Fela touch. A musician like his father, Femi Anikulapo-Kuti turned 50 last Saturday and his friends, family and associates gathered at the Afrika Shrine in Ikeja, Lagos to celebrate him. The three-time Grammy Awards nominee, Kora Award winner and former United Nations ambassador, in this interview with Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME, says the Shrine, which was founded by his father, is his temple and source of inspiration.

‘I wept when I watched Fela on Broadway’

H

OW do you feel at 50?

Nigerians are making me feel great at 50. In the last three weeks, they have shown me care and love.

You did not expect this from Nigerians?

I can say so. I know I have a solid fan base but left to me, I am non-charllant about all that. I could not sleep at night because of the barrage of calls and messages from friends and fans. Left to me, my birthday, June 16, will be like any other day in my life.

Everybody is making me to worry and think about the celebration and I appreciate it.

At 50, how will you describe your career growth?

I am fulfilled and all I think I should do is to get better. In fact, nobody gave me a chance to get to where I am today, and I have excelled beyond reasonable doubt.

Was your father among those who never gave you chance to succeed?

As for my dad, he didn’t want me to leave him. I don’t think he had any doubt if I will succeed. His problem was that he wanted me to spend more time learning under him. But I wanted to leave immediately because I thought I was learning too much and not doing enough on my own. Every father wants his son to succeed. Unfortunately, his fans and the Nigerian media wrote me off from day one.

So, was that the root of the conflict between you and Fela?

And any link to your first album Mind Your Own Business?

Yes. At that time I had this conflict with my father and many fans were making it their business. So, I decided to release Mind Your Own Business, which was one of my father’s favourite tracks. He really loved the arrangement.

How impactful is your music and its messages on your foreign fans?

It is a never ending campaign because you have to continue to enlighten them about Africa and its problems. Again, Europe is having its own crisis now. Each time I take Africa’s problems to the world stage, something greater in importance would always upstage them. One of such periods was when the terrorists attacked the Twin Towers at the World Trade Centre in New York on September 11, which changed the face of the world. However, I will continue to push the message across. I was United Nations’ ambassador and one of the four ambassadors campaigning for amnesty in Niger Delta and Africa has always been in the centre of my concerts all my life.

Are you frustrated by the system?

I will not be tired of it, though I never had faith in the country. It is sad that there is so much poverty in the land. And 13 years into democratic rule, there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. Militancy in Niger Delta and suicide bombing in the North were never imagined in the 70s. But today, these are realities.

Unfortunately, many leaders are getting away with corrupt charges. Nigeria has the wealth to be the envy of the world and can help Africa develop as a great continent, if the resources were used in the right direction- education, health, electricity, transportation etc. How can we still be talking about electricity after these years? Now look at the fuel subsidy probe. Each time we think there will be justice and hope, all will vanish.

What will give Nigerians solace?

I hope it will not be war or a revolution as we are witnessing in the Arab Spring. If these problems are not tackled now, the consequences may be unpleasant.

Many disciples of Afrobeat music emerged after the death of Fela. Have they added value to the genre?

I can’t criticise what they are doing. At the beginning, everybody criticised me, but now see what I am doing. It is difficult to criticise the work of art. That you don’t like a work of art does not mean others don’t. However, I am very happy that many people are playing Afrobeat music. The genre has become a global attraction. There are more foreign musicians playing Afrobeat music than Nigerians.

Who is who between Fela and Femi?

There is no basis for comparison. Fela’s was my father and he created Afrobeat, which is everything in life. In fact, I can’t compare, except probably in technique or the way we play the saxophone. I actually learnt from his mistakes of playing sax in order to appeal to my generation. Beyond that, I can’t compare my life with Fela. Is it his bravery, detentions, police brutality or courage that I can boast of? Where is the comparison? If I run away from my responsibility as the first

•Former manager the late Fela, Mr Benson Idonije (left) and Femi

CELEBRATION ‘I can’t compare my life with Fela. Is it his bravery, detentions, police brutality or courage that I can boast of? Where is the comparison? If I run away from my responsibility as the first son of Fela, then that will be the story. And all I have been able to achieve is to my father’s credit. From day one, I knew I wanted to be like my father.

It was how and when that were my problems. The older I got, the more I was aware the bigger the heritage seems’ son of Fela, then that will be the story. And all I have been able to achieve is to my father’s credit. From day one, I knew I wanted to be like my father. It was how and when that were my problems. The older I got, the more I was aware the bigger the heritage seems.

Was there a time you contemplated doing something else?

Not at all. Instead, I got lots of negative press reviews to the extent that I was scared of opening daily papers in order not to read bad news about myself. But I later developed an new antidote not to surrender. I said I would rather die failing, than die not trying. Or put in another way, I will rather die not trying than surrender. And because of my upbringing, I am always on my toes. The fear of losing is always at the back of my mind. In fact, I am a workaholic.

Fela on Broadway play The performance was fantastic, but I wept the first time I watched the performance in New York. You could see and feel the efforts by the cast to put up a strong show. Interestingly, universities in the US are studying Afrobeat music. This is to show how serious some people outside Nigeria take Fela’s music and his life. Unfortunately, the reverse is the case in Fela’s home country. It is sad for Nigeria that we had to wait for New York to make a play, Fela on Broadway. And when it became a success or ‘Hollywoodish’ you heard some critics

saying Fela on Broadway is too Americanised. Why did they not do their own version? And before the play got on Broadway, it was off Broadway for many years. The play got about 12 nominations and won several awards. As at today, Fela on Broadway is still touring America, and it will move to Japan. While the outside world is celebrating the man Fela, Nigerians ( I don’t mean the ordinary Nigerians), those in authority, except for a few, find it difficult to even acknowledge the contributions of Fela as music icon and activist to modern Nigeria.

Why did you cry?

Fela on Broadway was very emotional for me and it brought up so many issues and memories. In fact, the play was so beautiful and real.

What is your assessment of the lead character Sahr Ngaujah, who acted Fela?

He did a good job but he can never be Fela. However, it will be difficult finding him after all these years. This is because he has played the part so much that he will not be himself again.

Don’t forget that he is from Sierra Leone and so he could handle that role as an African. He is humble, a gentleman and I hope he can only be more successful in his career. He is a great actor.

At 50, what did you miss growing up?

Frankly speaking, I will say nothing, even now. As a teenager, yes, I was rascally but it was not positive. So why will I miss being a rascal? I like being responsible, I like knowing my next step. But if you ask me what I missed generally, I will tell you I miss my late younger Sister Sola. I miss her very much; so also my mother.

In the Afrika Shrine, Yeni and I are handling it. Yeni manages the business while I handle performing. So that gives me the opportunity to focus on performance. But my late sister studied catering and she would have handled that aspect in the Shrine. Among us, we would have done a great job at the Shrine. So, in effect, we miss her contributions in the development of the Shrine. Also, we miss our jokes as kids.

Your son is still studying classical music in England?

Yes, of course. He is in town now. I am not worried about his career prospect. He is on course. But I don’t know if he is going to be as rascally as Fela or me. What I’m sure of is that he will be great. May be he will have more finesse like Quincy Jones in production.

• Continued on page 31

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

31

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

Deploying art to save wildlife For the safety of the environment, South African artist Celeste de Vries has produced drawings and paintings for her forthcoming exhibition at the Watersworth Gallery, Lekki, Lagos. Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports.

H

ER works explore the environment, especially the endangered species. She is among the few artists whose concern for the environment form the central theme in most of their works. Apart from creating a large collection of paintings and drawings that depict wild life and nature, Lagos-based South African artist Celeste de Vries is also using her exhibition to create awareness for the plight of endangered species.

To this end, she is holding a solo art exhibition tagged; Wild About Life on Saturday, June 23 at the newly opened Watersworth Gallery, Lekki, Lagos. According to her, she will donate 20 per cent of the proceeds from the exhibition to Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary in Cross River State, which is home to a number of highly endangered animals.

Among the most endangered are the Cross River Gorilla (less than 250 left in the world), the Drill monkeys (most endangered species of monkey in the world), the Nigerian Chimpanzee (most endangered Chimpanzees in the world), and other endangered flora and fauna.

She will feature a large collection of about 45 colourful paintings that contrast with charcoal sketches framed in stark black and white.

Almost all the works except for works such as Reflection and Serene Woman are on environment, nature and wildlife. From miniature landscapes to bold abstracts, her pas-

sion is clear, depicting wildlife and nature in exquisite detail in every piece and yet capturing movement and light, mood as well as energy.

Despite the complex nature of the environment, Celeste creatively identifies, eulogises and celebrates the diverse elements in it and conveys the visual imageries in simple forms.

The artist’s drawings and sketches which range from fauna to flora and the endangered species in Nigeria, conveys her understanding of the wildlife. Celeste who grew up in a family that loves outdoors draws her inspiration from all that surrounds her.

The sounds, the scenery, the animals, the flowers and the birds all impact on her work.

There is nothing more inspirational to her than a road trip through a Game Reserve or sitting quietly at the water’s edge under the shade of a thorn tree, watching elephants at play.

Some of such experiences are reproduced in detail in works such as Angry elephant at river (acrylic on canvas), Hippopotamus mother and baby (charcoal sketch on textured paper), and Leopard strolling (pencil sketch on paper).

The artist’s love for all that is natural is evident in the details she captures in her works.

Many are too real and natural that they are mistaken for photographs.

Yet, there is a strong link between her inner mind and the paintings or drawings. Her philosophy regarding art is that the viewer should derive as much pleasure from look-

•Bufallo

ing at the piece as what she had producing it.

Her objective is for the viewer to see something different each time the piece is viewed.

“Art is my passion, though I am a General Manager at an electronic communication firm in Lagos. I love animals and I like painting about what makes one happy. In fact, I paint for the love of it. I visit wildlife and the zoos to see the animals in their natural habitat,” she said at a preview session.

In a foreword to the brochure of the exhibition, visiting art scholar, Dr. Moyo Okediji notes: “The wildlife drawings and paintings of Celeste are both facts and fictions. They look quite convincingly alive, yet they are drawings. They are not real animals, birds or plants: they are pictorial references with factual details and verifiable features. They refer to instinctive parts of the human mind, indicating moments when the redeeming desires to soar to the

highest summits of experience intersect the basic instincts of the bestial yearnings for fecundity to freely fertilise and boundlessly reproduce.”

Other works for the exhibition include African skies series, Sparrow hawk, Koi, Harmattan moon, Drakensburg valley, Serval, Buffalo male, Wild dog, and Karoo scene. The exhibition, which is expected to be attended by the South Africa’s Consul-General to Nigeria, Mr. Mokgethi Monaisa as guest of honour, will run for a week and is being curated by Chinaza Orji.

According to Orji, the new gallary will not be wholy a visual art promotion centre as it will also serve as venue for other genres of the art such as literature and performance arts.

“We are looking beyond visual art to accomodate roundtable discussion sessions, performance of poetry and drama sketches”, she added.

Young musician eyes stardom

U

•Classiq

PCOMING Nigerian singer, Classiq (Buba Barnabas), a graduate of Computer Science from Bayero University, Kano has released his singles; Sunana and Tinini Tanana– upbeat tunes fusing hip-hop and afro-pop into the Nigerian music industry. The works are currently enjoying airplay across Nigerian radio station networks across country.

Twenty-one-year old Classiq started singing at the age of six while at the elementary school at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Staff Primary School Bauchi State. Until his recent releases, he has performed alongside renowned acts such as MI, Eldee, Wande Coal, Shank, Davido, Duncan Mighty and many more. He credits Asa, Naeto C, Don Jazzy, Fela, Kahli Abdu, J.Cole, Kanye West, Talib Kweli, Common, Wyclef,

Dido and HHP who are his biggest music influences.

Classiq’s aspiration as an artiste is to deliver feel good music that people can dance to or sit back and relax to. He also has a conscious side, which is to be a voice for the people. He is convinced there is a lot to be told.

Classiq intends, through his music, to give Hip-hop the standard it deserves and most importantly convince his fans that he can deliver the brand of good music they deserve. He plans to dominate Nigeria music scene saying: “Music chose me, I didn’t choose it”. Apart from singing, he is a brilliant producer with budding skills that could rank him amongst heavyweights like ID Cabasa, Dokta Frabz, Don Jazzy and Jesse Jagz.

Among his notable appearances on stage are NOKIA ASHA launch contest

at the UNILAG, Comedy night at Koko Lounge, Etisalat Fashion show at Eko Hotel and Dynamix Awards ceremony held in Lagos.

Classiq has joined other notable industry heads at a charity event organised by Lamborghini events for the inmates of the Ikoyi prison – a plea to the government to look into the cases of innocent men jailed without trial.

On his goals, Classiq who signed on with Finesse Entertainment alongside TRex, Blaqshyne and Femi Knight said: “I believe in music, and I was born to play this game and play it well. I have skills and I have seen potential in myself that allows me strive for greatness. Growing up and being secretly mentored by industry giants home and abroad, I believe I can and will be the next best thing to come out of Nigeria.”

‘I wept when I watched Fela on Broadway’ • Continued from page 30 Education in music has changed across the globe. May be the way he is being groomed as a musician is so sophisticated. In fact, when he played for my band on Thursday, I realised he is a better musician than I am.

I am more street-oriented, while he is well trained. I have no respect for many things we do in music but he has more flexibilities.

All these are positive indices for him.

Talk of any legacy?

I am not bothered about that because my legacies are intact. I am fulfilled, given all that I have done so far. I am the first Nigerian musician to win the Kora Award, to win the World Music Award. There is no Nigerian music group that can equal the number of concerts I have held across the world. Also, no Nigerian musician has been nominated thrice for the Grammy Awards, which I have achieved.

When I won the Kora Award in 2001, thou-

sands of Nigerians came to receive me at the airport. It was like I won the World Cup, and I can never forget that day.

Again, there is no Nigerian band that has consistently managed a place like Afrika Shrine for 12 years, and playing week in week out. And in these past 12 years, the place has hosted different status of fans from across the globe. Some of my foreign friends who came here recently described the Shrine as red wine, which gets sweeter with age. They said the vibration they get at the Shrine cannot be got anywhere else.

Who planted that feeling?

My ancestors did. I have to give credit to my late father and mother as well as my sister.

At the inception of the Shrine, were you sure of its success?

Sure, I never doubted its success. It was my goal. I built it stone by stone, sand by sand. There was a time I bought 1,000 bags of cement, which I kept at the site. Before I

came back the next day, all the bags were gone. The Shrine project took all my money, that of my dad and mother as a result, I became dead broke.

Faith in Nigeria I don’t believe the world would have celebrated this way if I had relocated outside Nigeria. Even if my fans from across the globe sent me messages, it can never be like being in the Shrine.

What does Afrika Shrine means to you?

After building the Shrine, nothing more meant much to me than to see it succeed. It is my temple, and my place of worship. It is where I worship my creator and ancestor through music. And I give inspiration and motivation to my fans.

How do you commune when you are outside the country?

The Shrine never leaves my thought and I can never wait to get back. I always make calls to check on the Shrine each time I am outside Nigeria. The Shrine is to me as

churches and mosques are to Christians and Muslims. In fact, it is my life.

Your reaction to the state of the nation Our politicians and leaders are all corrupt and they have bastardised our lives. Even if there is one or two that are good, the majority are just bad. If we don’t end up in a state of anarchy or revolution, then we will be a lucky people.

Do you believe in the Save Nigeria Group?

I think what they are doing is good and we need more people to do that. But I will not say I agree with them 100 per cent because I am not 100 per cent with them. When they organise event that I am in support I will be there, for instance the Ojota demonstration against fuel subsidy removal. But if they support the campaign for the late MKO Abiola and they call me, I will not go.

Abiola was not a fighter like Fela, Kwame Nkwrumah and Patrice Lumumba.

32

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2012

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

POETRY

Igbale Aye: Village of artefacts It used to be a village that was dreaded by visitors, but it is being developed into a major tourist attraction with its arts and artefacts preserved, writes ADEOLA OREDOLA

D

ISCOVERED some years ago by a curious adventurer Olofin II:Olofindiji Akande, an indigene of French-speaking Benin Republic, the Ajile- Aye (Place of Heaven) Village covering about 400 kilometres is located in the southern part of Benin Republic close to Imeko near Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Before its discovery, the village was dreaded as a dead end and regarded as a ‘place of no return’ by the host Akpotoku community. Records have it that every attempt to reach the village failed as sojourners never came back alive from the mysterious place. It was believed that a spirit creature existed in the village that kills anyone who dared to visit it.

The once abandoned village is now attracting tourists from different parts of the world. The mystery and natural monuments are what tourists would love to see and explore. Famous among them is the tunnel with two entrances, one containing what looks like a palace with aesthetic beautification of imagery on its walls, a shrine, as well as chairs and palace equipment.

The other entrance is said to be the escape route anytime there is an insurgent, leading to four exit points located in different places surrounding the village covering a distance of 200 metres. There is also the Orunmila compound.

Olofindiji Akande, the General Secretary of the Council of Traditional Rulers in Benin Republic, said he had a vision in his dream long ago to re-write the history of Africa through Pan-Africa renaissance and promote worldwide brotherhood. Thus, he has made several attempts to build a centre for the project but all efforts have proved abortive until when his kinsmen agreed to support his dream with a piece of land in his home town.

Initially, he faced all sorts of challenges with people on where best to locate the PanAfrican Centre but after discussing with his people they agreed to give him the Ajile Orun.

Venturing into the land where no one ever came back alive was tasking, but because of his passion he sojourned and located the venue with the use of tractors.

The decision he took led to the unravelling of what is known today as Igbale-Aye. He was

•Visitors in front of Orunmila building housing the artefacts

Some parts of the village are earmarked for the planting of trees by inducted members for the immortalisation of their names. About 100 trees have been planted. Igbale Aye, according to Olofindiji, is meant to be the headquarters of humanity, the city of African excellence and renaissance.

In May 2012, the government of Benin Republic signed a memorandum of understanding with the founder for the facelift of the centre into a full-fledged tourist centre. Hotel, recreation centre, worship place, airstrip and other infrastructural facilities are to be provided to attract foreigners and tourists. In the agreement, the centre is to be a freezone which allows international members a stay without visa. It will accommodate diverse African ethnic and cultural nationalities, an

effort towards making Igbale-Aye a typical African setting.

Since inception, some dignitaries have visited the village and they have been inducted as members. Each of them had a tree planted and named after them as a means of immortalising them. In the last few years, some African dignitaries who had registered their presence include Nobel Laureate, Prof.

Wole Soyinka, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Chairman, Z-Mirage; Alhaja Teju Kareem, Nigeria/Benin Republic Interpreter, Mr. Bonny Botoku, Benin Republic Foreign Affairs Minister ; Max Barthelemu Ahoueke and the Ghanaian Ambassador to Benin Republic.

By Ozolua Uhakheme, Assistant Editor (Arts) items-bordering on fine and folk arts for

reputable firm of architects and builders of numerous projects notably the conversion of the first colonial prison in central Lagos to The Freedom Park, which is now a fast rising historic and tourist spot in the city. The Museum is supported by the Lagos State Government and scheduled for opening in October in time for FELABRATIONS- the annual musical festival celebrating FELA's life and his birthday on October 15.

MONUMENT shocked by what he saw with the discovery of various structures and artifacts.

According to Akande, archaeologists claim that the underground village was founded about 450,000 years ago and was one of the places where the first inhabitants of the world lived.

Apart from the discoveries made, many new structures have been put up towards realising the Pan-African mission. Some of the face-lift efforts include the reconstruction of Orunmila compound surrounded with different artifacts, burial ground for dead slaves and repatriated souls where they are finally laid to rest on African soil after befitting burial rites in 2010.

•Oredola wrote in from Lagos

Fela's home to become museum H

OUSE 18 on Gbemisola Street, Ikeja, Lagos was where the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti held court during his lifetime. But the house may soon give way to a befitting Kalakuta Museum. The project is coming on the heels of a successful worldwide Broadway production of his life story - FELA! According to a statement by Inspiro Productions Limited, a media and entertainment management consultants to the project, the Lagos State Government has approved the ultra-modern project. It added that when completed, the museum would have an exhibition area, a coffee shop, a five-room boutique hotel, a rooftop restaurant, a bar and stage, a souvenir shop, a passenger lift, tomb area and car park.

"When established, the Museum will achieve the following: the preservation of the history of an illustrious son of Africa,

•Artist’s impression of Kalakuta Museum.

MONUMENT promotion of tourism in line with the Lagos State's Mega City initiative, acquisitions, display and preservation of the artifacts, documents and records of the man referenced as well as those of his contemporaries of African ancestry, custodian of collectors' and historical

scholars and public enjoyment.

"These will assist in researches, ready accessibility of authentic materials and relics on the man referenced, serve as an educational, historical and cultural institution of music and musicality of African origin and entertainment of visitors to the museum," it said.

The Kalakuta Museum is conceived and managed by Total Consult - a

32

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

POETRY

Igbale Aye: Village of artefacts It used to be a village that was dreaded by visitors, but it is being developed into a major tourist attraction with its arts and artefacts preserved, writes ADEOLA OREDOLA

D

ISCOVERED some years ago by a curious adventurer Olofin II:Olofindiji Akande, an indigene of French-speaking Benin Republic, the Ajile- Aye (Place of Heaven) Village covering about 400 kilometres is located in the southern part of Benin Republic close to Imeko near Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Before its discovery, the village was dreaded as a dead end and regarded as a ‘place of no return’ by the host Akpotoku community. Records have it that every attempt to reach the village failed as sojourners never came back alive from the mysterious place. It was believed that a spirit creature existed in the village that kills anyone who dared to visit it.

The once abandoned village is now attracting tourists from different parts of the world. The mystery and natural monuments are what tourists would love to see and explore. Famous among them is the tunnel with two entrances, one containing what looks like a palace with aesthetic beautification of imagery on its walls, a shrine, as well as chairs and palace equipment.

The other entrance is said to be the escape route anytime there is an insurgent, leading to four exit points located in different places surrounding the village covering a distance of 200 metres. There is also the Orunmila compound.

Olofindiji Akande, the General Secretary of the Council of Traditional Rulers in Benin Republic, said he had a vision in his dream long ago to re-write the history of Africa through Pan-Africa renaissance and promote worldwide brotherhood. Thus, he has made several attempts to build a centre for the project but all efforts have proved abortive until when his kinsmen agreed to support his dream with a piece of land in his home town.

Initially, he faced all sorts of challenges with people on where best to locate the PanAfrican Centre but after discussing with his people they agreed to give him the Ajile Orun.

Venturing into the land where no one ever came back alive was tasking, but because of his passion he sojourned and located the venue with the use of tractors.

The decision he took led to the unravelling of what is known today as Igbale-Aye. He was

•Visitors in front of Orunmila building housing the artefacts

Some parts of the village are earmarked for the planting of trees by inducted members for the immortalisation of their names. About 100 trees have been planted. Igbale Aye, according to Olofindiji, is meant to be the headquarters of humanity, the city of African excellence and renaissance.

In May 2012, the government of Benin Republic signed a memorandum of understanding with the founder for the facelift of the centre into a full-fledged tourist centre. Hotel, recreation centre, worship place, airstrip and other infrastructural facilities are to be provided to attract foreigners and tourists. In the agreement, the centre is to be a freezone which allows international members a stay without visa. It will accommodate diverse African ethnic and cultural nationalities, an

effort towards making Igbale-Aye a typical African setting.

Since inception, some dignitaries have visited the village and they have been inducted as members. Each of them had a tree planted and named after them as a means of immortalising them. In the last few years, some African dignitaries who had registered their presence include Nobel Laureate, Prof.

Wole Soyinka, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Chairman, Z-Mirage; Alhaja Teju Kareem, Nigeria/Benin Republic Interpreter, Mr. Bonny Botoku, Benin Republic Foreign Affairs Minister ; Max Barthelemu Ahoueke and the Ghanaian Ambassador to Benin Republic.

By Ozolua Uhakheme, Assistant Editor (Arts) items-bordering on fine and folk arts for

reputable firm of architects and builders of numerous projects notably the conversion of the first colonial prison in central Lagos to The Freedom Park, which is now a fast rising historic and tourist spot in the city. The Museum is supported by the Lagos State Government and scheduled for opening in October in time for FELABRATIONS- the annual musical festival celebrating FELA's life and his birthday on October 15.

MONUMENT shocked by what he saw with the discovery of various structures and artifacts.

According to Akande, archaeologists claim that the underground village was founded about 450,000 years ago and was one of the places where the first inhabitants of the world lived.

Apart from the discoveries made, many new structures have been put up towards realising the Pan-African mission. Some of the face-lift efforts include the reconstruction of Orunmila compound surrounded with different artifacts, burial ground for dead slaves and repatriated souls where they are finally laid to rest on African soil after befitting burial rites in 2010.

•Oredola wrote in from Lagos

Fela's home to become museum H

OUSE 18 on Gbemisola Street, Ikeja, Lagos was where the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti held court during his lifetime. But the house may soon give way to a befitting Kalakuta Museum. The project is coming on the heels of a successful worldwide Broadway production of his life story - FELA! According to a statement by Inspiro Productions Limited, a media and entertainment management consultants to the project, the Lagos State Government has approved the ultra-modern project. It added that when completed, the museum would have an exhibition area, a coffee shop, a five-room boutique hotel, a rooftop restaurant, a bar and stage, a souvenir shop, a passenger lift, tomb area and car park.

"When established, the Museum will achieve the following: the preservation of the history of an illustrious son of Africa,

•Artist’s impression of Kalakuta Museum.

MONUMENT promotion of tourism in line with the Lagos State's Mega City initiative, acquisitions, display and preservation of the artifacts, documents and records of the man referenced as well as those of his contemporaries of African ancestry, custodian of collectors' and historical

scholars and public enjoyment.

"These will assist in researches, ready accessibility of authentic materials and relics on the man referenced, serve as an educational, historical and cultural institution of music and musicality of African origin and entertainment of visitors to the museum," it said.

The Kalakuta Museum is conceived and managed by Total Consult - a

, 2012

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

33

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

LITERATURE

Children get reading academy

By Joseph Jibueze

T

•From left: Hellman, Shyllon and Rice

Foundation lifts creative minds O

MOOBA Yemisi Shyllon, founder, Omooba Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon Art Foundation (OYASAF) has said art workshops are essential ingredients for promoting creativity.

He said a forum such as the annual Art Entrepreneur Workshop are veritable platforms for making meaningful contributions to the growth of art in the country.

He spoke at this year’s Art Entrepreneur Workshop organised by the Department of Creative Arts, University of Lagos and sponsored by his foundation. The foundation he said, chose to develop human capacity as against buying of equipment and sharing the nation’s inheritance with the rest of the world through arts activities.

According to him, apart from sponsoring events like the workshop and residency programmes, the foundation is also involve in photo documentary of the nation’s cultural landscape.

Renowned art scholar, Prof. Bruce Onobrakpeya said the renamed University of Lagos workshop is an excellent opportunity to bring the town and the gown together under one umbrella for the sustenance of the art.

Uche Nzebiro won the best participant in the wire works category, while Ighoroje Splendor got the watercolour category award. Miss Temilola Marindoti won the beads category award while Ojetunde Sherif emerged the winner of the ceramic category award. Last year, water-colour painting was the thrust of the workshop.

This year is on bead works, water colour and painting as

By Ozolua Uhakheme, Assistant Editor (Arts)

WORKSHOP well as a round table on entrepreneur featuring participants from across the nation. Facilitators at the workshop included Dr. Pejyu Layiwola, Sam Ovraiti and Ator Arinze.

One of the participants said the art workshop was an eye opener to him. “I have never painted before. But today, am proud to be an artist. Also, the programme reminded me that it is never too late for anything. The programame turned my life around and it is the beginning,” he added.

Meanwhile, OYASAF has hosted two of its fellowship recipients, Amanda Hellman and Erin Rice who are researching on Museum development in Nigeria; and The architecture of Identity: Textile and impermanence in the construction of art and space in Nigeria respectively.

Hellman, who left last Saturday, said she was very impressed of what he saw of Lagos as against the earlier information about the city and Nigeria as whole. “Before coming to Nigeria, I was given some places I must visit to enhance my stay. In fact, I find Lagos very exciting a city building in momentum,” she added.

Rice is still exploring all avenues to enrich her project which examines how textiles function in everyday life and in contemporary art on a local level.

National Troupe holds World Music Day

T

OMORROW, veteran musician and Chairman of the Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria (MSCN) Oritz Wiliki will chair this year’s lecture and musical performance marking World Music Day celebration being organised by the National Troupe of Nigeria.

The MSCN will handle the interactive session that will follow a lecture entitled; Music as social calendar to be delivered by the wind instrumentalist and music teacher Biodun Adebiyi aka Biodun Batik of the Music Department of the Lagos State University (LASU). A musical performance by kid sax sensation TJ Sax and the Paceli School for the physically challenged band will be part of the activities of the event holding at the Cinema Hall 2 of the National Theatre beginning from 10am.

Artistic Director/Chief Executive Officer of National Troupe, Mr Martin Adaji, explained that the troupe joined in the commemoration as part of the efforts at making music accessible to the public. He noted that the decision to join other music lovers all over the world to mark the day was in line with his earlier expressed vision of reinvigorating the music department of the troupe.

He recalled that ‘we did this last year and we think this is a day to continuously identify with, since it is within our mandate as a cultural institution responsible for promoting Nigerian culture in dance, music and drama’. The troupe boss also stated the Paceli School for the Blind musical band has been invited to supply music at the event outside other side attractions. ‘We consider their invitation a way of encouraging them and as a way of exposing the talents that abound there.

So it is going to be music and talk as we mark the world

HE Ministry of Culture and National Orientation has endorsed the second edition of the Reading House Academy and Reality TV show for children.

The minister, Chief Edem Duke, said the ministry would donate 50 story books to the winners and 150 to his school. The second runner-up and his school will also get book donations.

Duke, represented by the General Manger of the National Theatre, Mr Kabir Yusuf, decried the dwindling culture of reading among children, attributing it to the advent of Digital Satellite Television (DSTV).

“The advent of DSTV discourages children from reading. Parents should encourage children to read more by imposing restrictions on television viewing,” he said.

The producer, Mr Kelvin Otung, said in addition to the ministry’s book donations, the winner will get a star prize of N5million worth of scholarship.

The second prize is N2 million worth of scholarship, while the third prize is worth N1million.

On the criteria for choosing the participants, Chief Executive Officer, Reading House Academy, Mrs Mariastella Victor Mkpong said only children aged six to 12 will participate: “We believe in catching them young and producing readers who will also be leaders tomorrow.”

She said auditioning will take place in Abuja, while forms are on sale in all GT Bank branches. Last year, there were 20 contestants. Fifteen competed, while five were ceremonial reader (learners). Successful applicants will stay a month in the house, she said.

On the essence of the show, Otung said: “Reading is power! Reading maketh a man! Teach a child to read, and you have made a King! Reading, therefore, is essential to full participation in modern society. It adds quality to life, provides access to culture and cultural heritage, empowers and emancipates citizens as well as brings people together; reading is one of the fundamental building blocks of learning.

“Becoming a skilled and adaptable reader enhances the chances of success at school and beyond. Reading is not just for the schools, it is for life.

“Reading in all its variety is vital to being better informed, have a better understanding of us and others. It makes a person to be a more thoughtful and constructive contributor to a democratic and cohesive society.

“Leading world nations pride themselves in promotion of reading; they see a high level of literacy as a major source of their competitiveness and social maturity.

“The absence of a widespread culture of reading as in the case of Nigeria, acts as an effective barrier to our development and international competitiveness.

“The economic, social and political health of our nation today depends on building literate citizens that are able to read widely and apply it practically for the development of our country.

“It is, therefore, a necessity to make the present generation more aware of the benefits and importance of reading and ensuring that they have the literacy skills required in this modern society. It is against this backdrop that we introduced The Reading House Reality TV project.”

•Adaji

MUSIC music day.’

Also called Fete de la Musique and held on June 21 yearly, the World Music Day commemoration began formally in France as a music festival in the early 80s and it has since then spread to many countries of the world including Nigeria where it is marked by several institutions including the French Cultural Centre.

•From left: Otung, Reader of the Year, Master Gideon Ekon; Yusuf and Mrs Mkpong

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

34

The Midweek Magazine E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

Landscape of NEPAtitis

“T

HE man died in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny,” Wole Soyinka wrote in his prison notes, “The Man Died,” in 1972.

But the joke was on Soyinka, it has now turned out, even after he published “The Season of Anomie” in 1973. He lacked the antennae to decipher that he was indeed surrounded by a landscape of Nigeria at her season of plenitude. The reportedly dead Nigerian wo/man, we now know, was merely in convulsion, or, at the worst, in a complicated comatose condition in the 70s. The man has now truly expired, together with his woman.

Soyinka went on to describe his peers as the “wasted generation.” And we chuckle, those of us in the clueless generation that follows his, when we contemplate the fate of the fetus of the aborted generation that follows us.

The Nobel laureate was reading Nigeria under the dying twilight of the ECN (Electrical Corporation of Nigeria), before Nigeria caught the virus of full-blown NEPAtitis. Today, artists paint the landscape of Nigeria in total darkness as we try to stare through the fog of a dark democracy, under the bowler hat of a clownish presidency whose vision is occluded by the rim of his jester’s head dressing.

As we remain historically sandwiched in the present limbo between Boko Haram bombardments and the trails of the Biafran war, the landscape of Nigeria is shrouded by NEPAtitis. Only poetry can define our dioritic disorientation. And not even philosophy is capable of determining the logic in the locus of this landscape of NEPAtitis that defies any highlight.

Hence this galant resort to what Tola Wewe refers to as “Parable and Metaphors of Life” in his large and colorful painting, to glimpse a ray of hope as Nigeria narrows down into a tunnel vision.

Ours is a dense blackout complicated by a throat-clutching thirst. The agony induced on the citizenry by the systemic lack of electric power supply in most parts of the country is infinitely triangulated by the lack of pipe-borne water and tremors of insecurity in every corner of the federation.

The harder we try to forget Nigeria’s troubled past, the more difficult it seems to live our life in our own time. Our past is so imperfect, that our present is too tense, and the future, who knows what the future will bring?

Femi, the older of Fela’s singing sons, “As your today come be like dis, what will tomorrow bring Nigeria?” In his song, “Tomorrow,” Femi leaves the question hanging.

Yet the French modernist, Marcel Duchamp, insisted, in his 1915 statement titled, “Art and Decoration,” that “We must try to forget the past and live our own life in our own time.”

Duchamp felt a need to carve a decent existence for his generation from a rough rock of historical heritage mired in unspeakable disaster designed by the generation before him. At the turn of the twentieth century, the appetite for war in Europe was almost unprecedented in European history, and many artists, including friends and acquaintances of Duchamp had just lost their lives to the carnage of World War I. With an innovative creative attitude, Duchamp was trying to elude the limitation of the violence that framed his history as an individual contemplating a way out of the collective trap.

Bleak beyond his wit was Europe in1915, just one year after Britain amalgamated northern and southern Nigeria.

Duchamp, writing as a European exile in New York, was tormented by the nightmarish experience of his native continent as Europe stumbled into the carnage of wars.

•Tola Wewe’s Metaphors

•Alatise’s That thing within

By Moyo Okediji

FINE ART New York felt to him like the heaven that it was for many European artists escaping from the anguish and destruction of the first world war. American artists resident in Europe returned to the United States. New York became the capital of the art world, just as the political and technological center shifted from France, Germany, and Britain to the United States.

What New York meant to the world in 1915, Lagos means to Nigeria today, one century later. Lagos bears the standard of

a potentially great country that promises to lead West Africa into the twenty-first century.

It is true that Accra, in Ghana, is a better organized city than Lagos. Accra has all the amenities and properties that makes it one of the most attractive places in Africa at the moment. Many visitors to West Africa visit Accra in preference over Lagos. Some enterprising universities in the United States already have colleges and annexes in Accra, and are cultivating exchange programs with local universities in the Ghana metropolis. Their choice of Accra rather than Lagos as their destination is largely because it is a progressive

African cities, where foreign visitors feel secure, where electricity is constant, and pipe-borne water is guaranteed.

Lagos, nevertheless, is positioned to overshadow Accra in the near future. All the cultural tools and paraphernalia are already in place in Lagos. Since it became the capital of amalgamated Nigeria in 1914, Lagos has been the hub of the economic and artistic activities in Nigeria, and, as the Federal capital territory, it belonged to all the hundreds of ethnicities in the nation. But when the civil war broke out in 1966, most of those from the eastern part of Nigeria left Lagos, to become a part of Biafra, the failed secessionist dreamland led by General Odumegwu Ojukwu.

Since the end of the Nigerian civil war in 1970, Lagos has received a large influx of residents from all over Nigeria. Although it is predominantly a Yoruba city, Lagos now hosts millions of immigrants from every part of the federation, with a large number of traders and manufacturers from the the east mingling with colossal numbers of northerners who have found the southwestern city suitable for their businesses and ways of life.

In the mid-eighties, an artificial city, named Abuja, was built and declared the capital of Nigeria. Lagos lost its status as the political capital of the nation, and at first it appeared that Abuja would overshadow Lagos, and that the former capital city would become a ghost of its former self. The opposite, however, proves to be true. Lagos has continued to be the commercial and artistic city in Nigeria, and Abuja functions merely as an administrative location, far from the economic and cultural affluence that Lagos enjoys.

The greatest artists in Nigeria either live in Lagos, or bring their works to Lagos for sale. Peju Alatise, Abiodun Olaku, Kolade Oshinowo, Ndidi Dike, Olu Amoda, and a host of prominent Nigerian artists live in Lagos. Tola Wewe recently relocated there.

Many cultural institutions in Lagos facilitate the increasingly flourishing artistic ferment in Lagos. The National Theater, completed on time to host the Second African and Black Festival of the Arts in 1977, has not really operated at its maximum capacity, a result of myriads of bureaucratic strangleholds that frustrate its functional efficiency. The National Museum in Lagos has hardly performed better. The facilities for collecting, displaying, and conserving works in the museum are grossly below standard. The staff are not trained in museum practices, and are drawn from amateurs who hope to grow on the job, but are not exposed to international standards.

Private galleries have sprung up over the years to facilitate the needs of artists, collectors, and other art aficionados. The most prominent private gallery is Nike Gallery, run by Nike Davies Okundaye, who was married to the legendary artist, Twin Seven Seven. Other galleries include Omenka, run by Oliver Enwonwu, son of the great Nigerian artist, Ben Enwonwu; the Center for Contemporary Art, founded

by Bisi Silva; and most recently, Chichi Orji’s Watersworth Gallery, which plans an impressive line up of intellectual and artistic activities for the first year of its existence. The Nwagbogu brothers, Chike and Azu, have also played prominent roles in facilitating contemporary art exhibitions in Nigeria.

But like the rest of Nigeria, Lagos does not enjoy a steady supply of electricity or pipe-borne water. It is a city best described in the Soyinka’s analogy of a capital of anomie, where the common man needlessly daily dies, a victim of an unaccountable system that seems stuck in its past as the Slave Coast.

All, however, is not lost. Tomorrow seems bright and filled with infinite possibilities. Peju Alatise’s futuristic modeling of Nigeria, in her work entitled, “That Thing Within,” looks grim, emaciated, and disillusioned. Yet her figures are pregnant with hope for a technological fecundity, even in this forlorn landscape of NEPAtitis.

•Okediji is of the University of Texas in Austin, United States.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

35

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

Ten years after, Adamu Ajunam, an engineer, has published his poetry book, Red Earth and other Poems. In this interview with Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME, he speaks on his love for Nigeria, the challenges before the church and the government to keep Nigeria united.

LIFELINE

EL Anatsui heads AAF's panel of judges

‘We should be able to balance justice, fairness’ R

H

OW do you crisscross engineering and poetry?

I have written a couple of books, which are basically tourist guides. My interest and all that I do centre on Nigeria. I am an engineer, but I have a great passion for arts and writing. At my work place as an engineer I always try to see that I protect and promote the Nigerian interest. So, my activities and thoughts dwell around Nigeria and that is why I have through poetry, try to put down my observations.

Is there any underpinning meaning to the title of your book?

The title Red Earth has some spiritual contents. It is said that man is made from earth and when we are no more, we would return to earth. The earth that surrounds us here in Nigeria is red earth and that is how I came about the title, Red Earth. But the content of the book goes beyond just the physical nature of red earth.

We have over 250 ethnic groups in Nigeria and we are still struggling to unite as a country, which is really worrisome. After almost a hundred years we were brought together by the British and after 40 years of nationhood, we are still not finding the right cords. So, I try to bring my thoughts of what I feel being a Nigerian – what makes one a Nigerian. This is what I feel when I am anywhere. … It is not the language that I speak that makes me a Nigerian; it is the affinity that I feel, it is brotherhood and security that I feel; when I am here, the smell of my native food makes me feel that Nigerianness but unfortunately, we have not galvanize that brotherhood that is necessary to build a nation. So I hope that when people read Red Earth, they will feel the same way I feel or they shall find a language to express the feelings that maybe they have that they did not know how to crystallise in words. I am sending it out as a message that people may also feel the same.

Our greatest obstacle is being able to balance justice and fairness. It is not an easy thing to balance, because even in your homes, balancing the family is not easy. So balancing the North and South even with a local government is not easy much less the nation as a whole.

These are issues that affect us and so in that I try to write a poem about what it means to balance and I call it, “Justice”, which depicts that fact that we are constantly faced by injustices wherever we are, whether it is in election or anything other issue in the society. So, in all that we are faced with, it is how we balance fairness, so if we can find a way to be fair, I think we would be able to surmount whatever challenge that we are faced with as a nation.

The title you said has something to do with spiritual and you also said that the nature of earth that surrounds Nigeria is red, is that from research or an assumption?

Red Earth is found anywhere you go in Ni-

•Adamu

LITERATURE geria and the Holy Bible says we were made from earth; so with that at the background of the thinking, you know it cannot be any other thing other than the red earth.

How can we connect this book to other issues in the environment?

Poetry is an art form and art is appreciation.

You don’t always see arts from the perspective of the artist; you react and expand the content and interpretation. I don’t want to think about the degradation but the enhancement of nature, I think that is something that I try to use the ‘Garden’ to portray our beautiful country.

Is this poetry book as a continuity of your past project or another guide into the nation’s soul?

As I said, everything of my thought dwells around Nigeria; so that I try to expand what I had already known and also what I come

‘Nigeria is a project that we are all involved in. Some people may say that they do not have the instrument of power but that government does.

But there are two big institutions that should help us but unfortunately they are not doing enough at the moment.

These institutions are the government and the religious institution’

across,I try to see if can use it to expand or connect to what I know. My first book is on Lagos, where I have lived for a considerable time. So, poetry, I think, is a continuation of my photography, photo speaks and language of poetry is also very colourful.

The visuals are more explanatory, but poetry is somehow coded. Are you not disturbed that your image may be removed from a large number of people out there?

I don’t think so because I have chosen to write in free verse so as not to be too rigid and I also speak in a common language and that was very important to me that I am able to speak the language that even the secondary school’s student will understand.

What informed the cover picture and the choice of the publisher?

I am an engineer, I work with Julius Berger and I am a publisher as well. Over the years, I have try to expand my works and AMVPS gave me the opportunity to be on Amazon and they are also helping me to expand my market, while it is published by my company, Ant Hill Publishers.

As for the cover picture, I like to use what could be identified with Nigeria. So, the National Theatre complex as the cover picture is to make readers conscious of the structure. I consciously use Nigerian words for effect as well as the pictorial. That is why when I wrote this book I consciously put the National Assembly and the National Theatre complex which are landmarks in Nigeria.

Given all this strong belief in ‘Nigerianness’, are you disturbed by the latest happenings in the country as far as security is concerned?

Nigeria is a project that we are all involved in. Some people may say that they do not have the instrument of power but that government does. But there are two big institutions that should help us but unfortunately they are not doing enough at the moment. These institutions are the government and the religious institution.

The government has instruments of power to the extent that if you are caught on the wrong side of the law, you go to jail. But the churches have a much more powerful tool because they are always hammering on your conscience.

Even if EFCC does not catch you, your consciousness continues to worry you for life. That is why I am saying that our clergies are not doing enough to make us rethink and purge ourselves as well as police ourselves in everything we do.

So, we have a conscience that tells us that driving on the wrong side of the road is bad. Our clergies have a greater role to play in making us live upright lives. Our clergies, whether Muslim or Christian, have a greater role to let us know that we would answer for our wrongs even when we are not caught here on earth. We have a conscience, which we pretend does not exist but which hunts us when we are alone.

UNESCO to consider 36 sites for World Heritage List

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HE World Heritage Committee will consider the inclusion of 36 sites on the World Heritage List during its next meeting from 24 June to July 6, in Saint Petersburg,

Russia.

The forthcoming 36th session of the Committee, an independent body of 21 States Parties to the 1972 World Heritage Convention, will be chaired by Eleonora Mitrofanova, Ambassador Permanent Delegate of the Russian Federation to UNESCO. For the first time in its 40-year history, the public and media will be able to follow the debates of the Committee through live streaming on the Internet.

Five natural sites are to be considered for inscription: Chad, Lakes of Ounianga; China, Chengjian Fossil Site; Congo, Cameroon and Central African Republic, Sangha Trinational; India, Western Ghats; Russian Federation, Lena Pillars Nature Park.

Three “mixed sites” are to be considered for inscription for their natural and cultural values: Israel, Sites of Human Evolution at Mount Carmel: The Nahal Me’arot / Wadi el-Mughara caves; Palau, Rock islands Southern Lagoon; Spain Plasencia-Monfrague-

MONUMENT Trujillo: Mediterranean Landscape.

Twenty-eight cultural sites are to be considered. They include Bahrain, Pearling, testimony of an island economy; Belgium, Major Mining Sites of Wallonia; Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea; Canada, Landscape of Grand Pré; China, Site of Xanadu; Côte d’Ivoire, Historic Town of Grand-Bassam; Croatia, Sacral Complex on the remains of the Roman Forum in Zadar; France, Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin; France, the Chauvet – Pont d’Arc decorated cave; Germany, Margravial Opera House Bayreuth; Germany, Schwetzingen: A Prince Elector’s Summer Residence; India, Hill Forts of Rajasthan; Indonesia, Cultural Landscape of Bali Province: The Subak System as a Manifestation of the Tri Hita Karana Philosophy; Islamic Republic of Iran, Masjed-e Jâmé of Isfahan; Islamic Republic of Iran, Gonbad-e Qâbus; Italy, Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato; Malaysia, Archaeological

Heritage of the Lenggong Valley; Morocco, Rabat, modern capital and historic city: a shared heritage; Palestine, Birthplace of Jesus: Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem; Portugal, Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications; and Qatar, Al Zubarah Archaeological Site.

Others are Russian Federation, Russian Kremlins; Senegal, Bassari Country: Bassari, Fula and Bedik Cultural Landscapes; Slovenia and Spain; Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija; Sweden, Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland; The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Archaeo-Astronomical Site – Kokino; Turkey, Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük; Ukraine, Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral with related Monastic Buildings, St. Cyril’s and St. Andrew’s Churches (extension).

Both The Chauvet – Pont d’Arc decorated cave (France) and the Church of the Nativity and pilgrimage route, Bethlehem (Palestine) will be processed on an emergency basis and the documents that concern them are not yet available. Chad, Congo, Palau, Palestine and Qatar stand to enter the World Heritage List with their first inscriptions.

ENOWNED sculptor, Prof. EL Anatsui of the University of Nigeria, Nnsuka, will lead the team of judges for this year's Fifth Annual African Artists Foundation national art competition in Lagos.

With emphasis on promoting new art forms alongside traditional, the organisers of the competition has called on interested artists to send in their proposals expatiating their creative approach to interpreting the theme, Consequences. Deadline for submission of entries is July 10.

The panel will assess the entries and shortlist a total of 12 finalists who will be part of a one week workshop at a resort in Lagos. It is at this workshop that the proposed works will be created and such products will be exhibited and judged at the grand finale.

The competition was initiated in 2008 and last year the winning artists were rewarded with 30, 000 dollars in cash prizes made through the support of Nigerian Breweries Plc. In the same year, the organisers made a change in structure of the competition by shifting from process to product.

Nigerian Breweries Plc representative at a media parley at the AAF's headquarters in Lagos, Mr Edem Vinda said the breweries is more concerned with talent development than physical project sponsor, adding that 'we are supporting art and we are proud of it. A fiveyear event cannot add more value to the breweries than what it has been able to achieve over the years.'

Poetry as tool for HIV/ AIDS campaign

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HE annual Nego Poetry Corner has hosted the fourth season of its annual poetry contest for students of Nigerian universities at the University of Benin, Ugbowo Campus. The event, which is initiated to enhance reading culture among students, focused on HIV/AIDS not a death sentence, as a way to addressing the dangers of stigmatisation.

The contest attracted entries from poets from different universities, which were submitted online to the poetry corner website, www.negopoetrycorner.com. The entries were then screened by a select group of judges out of which 10 finalists emerged. The judges included Prof. R.A. Imasagbor of Benson Idahosa University, Dr M.E. Awodiya of the Theatre Arts Department, University Of Benin, Mr Tony Abolo and Mr Iloube.

The contest was a keenly contested competition, which featured a Red Carpet reception for the dignitaries, poetry and songs performances and recitations from the selected contestants as well as an evocative narration cum dramatization of the history of the Nego Poetry Corner. There was also lots of music and dance.

Miss Anona Kenechukwu of the University Of Ibadan (student of Medicine and Surgery) emerged as first place winner, with her poem Worse Than A Monster. She went home with a $500 scholarship, a Nego branded shirt and other prizes. Nwanne Austus Ofmat, a 300 level student of English and Literary studies, Delta State University, Abraka Campus came second with his poem I Don’t Need Your Pity.

He got a $300 scholarship. Third place winner was Obogrow Paul Okeremute who got a $200 scholarship with his short story.

Organiser of the Nego Poetry Corner, Nwakaego Aghedo who was filled with joy at the close of the event, thanked all those who made the contest a success, especially the judges. Among the guests at the event were Hon. Justice Pat Elumeze, Barrister Jude Nosaige, Major General Gana and representatives of the sponsors, Airtel Nigeria, Precious Palm Royal Hotel, Felamo Clinic, Divine Support Initiative, Bishop Maxwell Outreach Of Reward and Conshence Creations.

Owner of Precious Palm Royal Hotel, Benin City, Jude Nosaige noted that the contest has really shown that there is a lot more to poetry than he had earlier imagined. “I never knew it could be so relaxing. I salute the organizers of the Nego Poetry Corner Contest,” he said.

Hon. Justice Pat Elumeze said that the Nego Poetry was a step in the right direction especially as its main objective was to encourage young people to embrace Poetry and enjoy the art in a friendly and entertaining atmosphere.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

36

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

Home-made furniture show in Lagos

By Ozolua Uhakheme Assistant Editor (Arts)

T

HE Managing Director of Colours In Africa Limited, Dr. Soji Akinkugbe, has identified dearth of infrastructure as major constraint militating against upward growth of Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (SME) in the country.

He spoke at a preview of a four-day furniture exhibition being organised by Colours In Africa Limited in Lagos. He said there are too many obstacles confronting business operators in the country, and that there is need for the real sector to be revived as it would take most of the youths off the streets.

“The real sector is it because of the multiplier effect it has on the economy,” he said.Akinkugbe stated that the volumes of products will enable the company to charge relatively affordable prices, though the company has always produced local products for global market. “We are competing with imported goods, but the company has ensured quality at all time. We are not afraid of competition despite the constraints from inadequate infrastructure,” he added.

The event, which will also mark the formal opening of the company’s showroom in Lagos, will open on June 27 by 4pm at the corporate headquarters in Victoria Is-

•Some of the furniture works for the exhibition

land, Lagos. It will be declared open by the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry in Lagos State, Mrs. Sola Oworu. Among the activities lined up for the day of the opening, is a talk on ‘The Nigerian Standard’

by Mrs. Ifeoma Idigbe, the Executive Director of the Benin-Owena River Basin Development Authority and a board member of the Women In Management & Business (WIMBIZ).

The exhibition, which will run between the June 27 and the 30 is in two parts: the first two days will open to industry players such as property developers, estate managers, architects, interior designers, industrial designers and companies with similar interests while the last two days are open to the public and prospective clients. The

event is aimed at informing the public about the new focus of Colours in Africa Limited as a foremost furniture design destination and concern. On display will be a wide array of different products range designed and produced in the company factory at Ibadan.

The product range comprises of outdoor and patio furniture produced by persons with special needs: deaf and dumb, indoor furniture (contemporary, classic and Afrochic), hotel furniture like beds and bars, construction furniture (cabinetry, doors, wardrobes, kitchens) and office furniture and other accessories like lamps. The furniture exhibition is a proof of a strong and undying belief in our country Nigeria, a land of rich human and material resources and creative poten-

tial. Colours In Africa was established in 1994.

The company started with production and retailing of ethnic shirts and decorative items and arts and crafts sourced from Nigeria and from Cape to Cairo and country in between.

About nine years ago, the company started its full manufacturing operations with the intention of empowering the youth through employment and skills acquisition and training with over 150 staff members in its employ spanning different deparments like weaving, carving, welding, upholstery, carving and spraying. Over the years, the company has embarked on and successfully completed several projects like the supply of furniture and furnishing of hotels, residential apartments, resorts, restaurants, homes and offices.

Brief Jazz workshop with ‘Hyperactive Kid’ GOETHE-INSTITUT Nigeria in co-operation with MUSON Centre organises a one-day workshop for Jazz students with the German Jazz band ‘Hyperactive Kid’. The event will take place today at MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos Island by 10:00 am. The jazz workshop showcases to student various techniques in writing and production of jazz music. The Berlin-based trio plays in a rather unconventional constellation. The Bassless setup allows saxophone, guitar and drums to go on other musical paths. Since 2003, ‘Hyperactive kid’ fuses different styles in Music-jazz with rock, hiphop, free music, drum and bass and modern/ contemporary music.

World Music Day

•Guests at Femi’s 50th Birthday reception at the Afrika Shrine, Ikeja, Lagos ... last Saturday

PHOTO: OZOLUA UHAKHEMI

Jonathan’s wife backs expo

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IRST Lady Dame Patience Jonathan is excited about the transformation of the economy through culture and tourism. Speaking at the opening of the Fifth edition of the African Arts and Crafts Expo (AFAC) in Abuja, Mrs Jonathan represented by the Special Adviser to the President on Gender Issues, Dr. Asma’u Abdulkadir, said the expo was initiated to promote arts and crafts in which women play the major roles.

She noted that the arts and crafts sector if appropriately tapped could offer the nation a limitless opportunities and potential of turning Nigerians into job creators. It will aslo increase the contribution of the non-oil sector to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), she said.

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

She urged the society to maximise the comparative advantage of the sector by participating in growing the gains the present and future generations can derive from the Expo.

The Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, said AFAC brings together craftsmen from across the nation as well as from all over the world in a platform on which they can expand and grow of the arts and crafts industry.

He explained that the culture industry is making effort towards ensuring that they contribute optimally to the growth of the nation’s economy.

Duke’s words: “We are particularly reengineering and re-focusing our activities towards contributing to government efforts at increasing the GDP and foreign exchange earning through the non-oil sector and through this we could significantly assist in combating the rural-urban migration, youth restiveness and realisation of the MDGs and indeed the nation’s achievement target of Vision 20:2020.

Director-General of National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) Mr Malgwui Maidugu said the event is aimed at promoting cultural tourism in Nigeria and Africa adding that the programme provide a channel through which Nigeria and participating countries will share ideas.

TOMORROW by 5:00 pm at New Afrika Shrine, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos Goethe-Institut Nigeria, together with Alliance Française, Lagos and British Council, Lagos invite the public to the World Music Day concert. The highlight of the musical event is a performance by the German Jazz band ‘Hyperactive Kid’. Musicians from Europe and Nigeria will render melodious jazz, pop and indigenous music at the concert. Registered guests will also have the opportunity to perform during the open Mic session. Towards the end of the concert, there will be a jam session between all musicians.

Artspace Journeys ARTSPACE Roundup is a series of events on artistic practice and space in which it happens.

It is coordinated by the Dream Arts and Design Agency for the Goethe-institut Nigeria.

IOn Saturday, by 3:00pm at Goethe-Institut, the photographer Adolphus Opara and the poet Jumoke Verissimo will collaborate on a presentation of their work which generated as sign-posts along personal journeys documented, the social and the mundane aspects of daily living. The artists will examine the sense of dislocation that comes from changes in location, changes in personality and other manifest effects of continuous displacement. The works presented for ‘journey’ will be serve as backdrop to a roundtable discussion on time, spatial/social displacement and artistic/art architectural practice.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

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Corps member kits pupils in Lagos

A

MEMBER of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has provided educational and other instructional materials to school pupils in the Makoko community in Yaba, Lagos State.

Otto Orondo currently undertaking the compulsory one-year national service in the community handed out school uniforms, exercise books, biro pens and other writing materials to pupils in the area.

The gesture, according to the corps member, was part of his community development project, tagged: “Slum2school Project,” aimed at encouraging students’ enrolment in schools.

The event, which took place at Makoko Anglican Primary School, had in attendance children from four public primary schools in the area.

In his welcome address, a motivational speaker, Mr. Taiwo Akinlami encouraged the children to believe in the power of education.

Akinlami also recalled the numerous challenges he faced as a child from a low income family, imploring the children to believe in “better future achievable.”

The legal practitioner advocated the need for parents to shun child labour, a situation in which children of school age are used as street hawkers, among other activities.

“Parents should embrace the government’s free education programme in the interest of their wards. In addition, the Federal Government must declare a state of emerABORATORY scientists at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) have regretted the fact that lack of working tools is undermining their output.

They said in spite of abundant manpower, the unavailability of hitech equipment undercuts qualitative laboratory services at the hospital.

They therefore appealed to the management of the hospital to provide the tools so they can do their work without further hindrance.

They made the appeal under the auspices of the JUTH chapter of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN).

Speaking at the association’s annual scientific week and general meeting at the JUTH permanent site, Lamingo, the Chairman, Mr. Oluwadele Obisesan reiterated the theme of the week, which was “The role of medical laboratory research

L

•Orondo (third left), staff and the pupils

By Adeola Oredola

gency in the education sector.

“This is the only way the decline in the quality of education in the country could be addressed. However, Governor Babatunde Fashola

must be commended for efforts aimed at revamping education in the state.

“Most importantly, there is the need to prioritise human capacity building and complete overhaul of the educational system by the gov-

ernment,” Akinlami noted.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr. Wale Ahmed, in his remarks urged those present at the gathering to support Orondo’s initiative.

Represented by one Mrs.

Okechukwu, the commissioner said the state government has evolved a massive turnaround in education in the state, stressing that its attention would soon be drawn towards the Makoko community.

Lab scientists crave tools at Jos teaching hospital From Marie-Therese Nanlong, Jos

in the 21st century healthcare”. A sub-theme was “Developing good attitude towards research and development: the way forward”.

Obisesan said there is no way the theme could be achieved if there is no proper structuring of a laboratory science department. Without this department, no scientist can develop and grow without sound research and proper diagnosis, he said.

He said: “We have observed that the nation is today embattled in the search for local standard reference ranges in our hospital laboratories for effective patient management which is necessary for our local applications.

“For research to aid development,

a right environment and attitude must be imbibed and certain factors like lack of team work, lack of clear understanding of the concept of team work and team leader by members of the health professions, respect for the rule of law as well as improper structuring of laboratory service department could militate against development in this part of the world.

“We want to point out that the current administrative structure of laboratories in Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) leaves no room for unification of laboratory services especially as our Assistant Directors of Laboratory Service are not empowered to properly play their roles.

“The absence of this structure has resulted in the underutilisation of the skills of medical laboratory scien-

•Pupils assisted by chairman, Lagos Island Local Government, Hon Wasiu Eshilokun (fourth left), Director, National Council of Arts and Culture (NCAC), Mr Dotun Osunsanya, Deputy Director NCAC, Mrs Chinwe Abara (middle) and the wife of the chairman Lagos Island East LCDA, Kafilat Salau-Bashua to cut the cake during courtesy visit to the council boss at Glover Hall, Lagos Island.

tists in JUTH, absence of quality assurance and assessment programme and standards, inadequate safety processes, lack of formulation, execution and review of medical laboratory policies and programmes, lack of research initiative as well as absence of hi-tech equipment for qualitative work despite the availability of competent manpower”.

The medical scientists were optimistic that with the relevant structure and facilities in place as well as implementing favourable policies will boost confidence, enhance performance and reduce bureaucracy in laboratory services in the hospital.

The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Ishaya Pam represented by the hospital’s Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), Prof. Edmund Banwat promised to look into the complaints of the lab scientists.

Meanwhile, the Plateau State Specialist Hospital chapter of the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) has called on residents of the state to cultivate the habit of donating blood so as to have readily screened and safe blood useful to those in need.

The organisation said this was imperative considering the fact that the state is prone to crises which often leaves victims in need of blood transfusion.

Speaking with newsmen in Jos at a media parley to mark the World’s Blood Donors’ Day, the event which equally aimed at sensitizing the public on the need for blood dona-

tion, the North Central Zonal Director of NBTS, Dr. Sunday Bolorunduro decried the public lack of interest in blood donation, saying it is a risky venture for people to donate blood in emergency situations as the blood may not go through adequate screening and may not be safe for infusion.

To forestall transfusion of unsafe blood, Bolorunduro urged Nigerians especially residents of Plateau to develop the habit of free blood donation so that there would be enough thoroughly screened and safe blood in the blood banks to use in case of emergency.

Speaking on the benefit of blood donation, a guest speaker, Dr. Damulak reiterated that Plateau State with the challenges it has been going through needs enough screened and safe blood in its banks across the state, hence the urgent need for people to come for voluntary blood donation.

He said: “The state has been going through many challenges like bomb-blasts, accidents, childbirth and many circumstances which require blood transfusion, people most times donate blood in emergency situations which is not too good.

“Donating blood in a relaxed atmosphere is the best as it gives time for the blood to be properly screened and it frees the system of excessive blood as well as increase the production of red blood cells to strengthen the white blood cells and other vital body cells, thereby prolonging life”.

There is no way the theme could be achieved if there is no proper structuring of a laboratory science department and this is detrimental to the institution, as no scientist can develop and grow without sound research and proper diagnosis

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

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O fewer than 10,000 will be screened for cervical cancer free in a partnership programme organised by the presiding Bishop of the Redeemed Evangelical Mission, Lagos, Mrs Peace Okonkwo, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as the Association of Volunteers in International Service (AVIS).

According to Okonkwo, over 3,000 women have already been screened and some referred to secondary and tertiary facilities for comprehensive treatment in the Concept PEACE– Providing Early Attention to Cervical Cancer Awareness, an innovation of Women of Global Impact.

Okonkwo, who spoke to Newsextra at TREM headquarters in Lagos, venue of the free cervical screening for women to mark her 60th birthday, said the disease is preventable and should not be allowed to kill women. “This disease can be prevented by simple injection in young girls below 12 years. Also, women should present early to stop avoidable death from the disease.

“If you go to the statistics you will see that it kills women and it could be treated. Having read the statistics of how much it kills the women,” she added.

Okonkwo, whose passion was to help women and children stay healthy, urged more awareness, stressing that the government needs to do something to create awareness.

“If you take a look at the developed countries, you will see that what kills people in developing countries is already a forgone thing over there,” she noted.

Cervical cancer, she said, doesn’t kill once a patient seeks care in a good hospital where attention is paid on him. “Women, in those advanced countries, have cancers, particularly breast cancers and very bad one at that, they would remove the breast and remolds another breast for the person and woman will marry and have children,” she added.

She said providing qualitative health care, especially on maternal health needs to improve in Nigeria.

“So, why can’t we get to this level? I am praying and trusting God that the government should look into these areas,” she said.

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HE Chairman of Oto-Awori Local Development Area, Mr Kayode Robert has honoured youths who participated in a job and self-development scheme.

The programme, run in 120 countries, aims to train young people in self-development activities and skills geared towards preparing them for economic independence and leadership roles in adulthood.

Selected pupils of secondary

•The screening in progress

Free cervical screening for 10,000 in Lagos

By Wale Adepoju

Okonkwo said the peogramme will be extended to rural women in the village. She said had been organised in Enugu and Akure, where no less than 2,000 women were screened free, stressing that a total of 10, 000 women will be screened through the programme.

The medical team, she said, are mapping out places to go such as villages not towns where women need help. We are just kicking off from here because this is our base, she said.

She said the programme is capital intensive as about N1000 is required

to screen a woman in addition to the medical team fees.

On funding, she said, quite a lot has gone into making the programme a reality, saying for every woman screened, N1000 is paid for logistics apart from doctors’ consultation fees.

She said: Women are in addition to cervical cancer screened for blood pressure (BP), blood sugar, cholesterol and eye test.”

A public health consultant at LUTH, whose specialisation in primary health care (PHC), Mrs Anthonia Onyewenyin, said six patients visit LUTH cervical cancer weekly according to hospital-based record.

She said this was why AVSI among other groups decided to collaborate to fight the disease.

AVSI, she said, is the group providing the cervical cancer screening programme. “The experts are going to be looking at women comprehensively beginning with their breast, teach them to carry out self-breast examination, check their blood pressure (BP) and look at their cervix.

“They will screen for cervical cancer using a low cost method called visual inspection with asceptic acid and logos iodine. This is a simple screening method that can address many women at the same time at the community level. So, this is re-

ally a community outreach being carried out,” she added She said the programme is a form of preventive strategy to curb the disease before it progress beyond what can be stopped.

Late presentation, she said, often affects treatment because nothing concretely can be done at that stage.

“We are saying we do not want women to come at a late stage because the outcome may be bad,” she added “We are screening women to look for changes that if we don’t address today could result in cervical cancer tomorrow. This method is affordable and simple. “

Council chief honours youths

By Emmanuel Udodinma

schools as well as other categories of youths are camped at a location where they are trained on job skills and also guided through various fitness exercises.

This year the youths were camped at the sFrench Village, Badagry, Lagos were some of them learned hair-dressing, craft and decoration, cooking, graphic design, photography, web-design, among others.

Oto-Awori council presented the

•Hon. Bolaji Robert presents an award certificate to Ayomi Hasesnclever, a student beneficiary of the Nigerian National Youth Award

participants with different awards to inspire and encourage them to contribute to the development of the society.

The programme was co-sponsored

by Oto-Awori LCDA and the Nigerian National Youth Award.

Robert himself also picked up an award for his efforts in inspiring growth in the council.

The Nigerian National Youth Award honoured Robert for his contributions to peace and security in the council.

The awards were presented at the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education auditorium (ADEOED), Ijanikin, Lagos.

Receiving the award, Robert promised that his administration would continue to fulfill his electoral promises and uplift the standard of education in the council.

The council chief was praised for the infrastructural growth in the Oto-Awori.

His administration has constructed three modern nursery and primary schools in different communities in the council where such facilities never existed.

“We have also renovated existing primary schools within the council, procured yearly General Certificate Education Forms (GCE), Joint Matriculation Board Forms (JAMB) and organised coaching classes for students. In addition, we give bursary awards to student at the tertiary institutions, educational materials to primary and junior secondary schools within the council, while the head teachers and principals are also given monthly imprest.

“The administration has also recorded siginnficant achievements in the health sector, upgraded the abandoned Era Primary Health Centre into a mini-general hospital with a laboratory and a morgue.

“Other achievements include the construction of drainages with culvert, provision of six security patrol vehicles to the Nigerian police and para-military agencies to aid them in combating crimes.

Robert also talked about welfare and poverty alleviation schemes initiated and implemented by his administration, including his efforts in uplifting rural dwellers in the council.

He emphasised the vision of his adminsitration in helping council residents to acquire skills and become self-reliant.

The Council Supervisor for Education and Library, Prince Waliu Ashafa, in his welcome address, said the council has become a model. He hailed the Robert administration for honouring the youths and helping to train them.

Ashafa praised the council chief for approving the overseas training of some youths in the council.

The National Director of the organisation, Dr Jophia Gupar hailed the exemplary efforts of the OtoAwori leadership.

Ambassador Segun Olusola, who was represented by Dr Remi Aroyemu, saw a sense of responsibility in Robert’s action.

“It takes a man of action to bring himself to the level youths,” Aroyemu said.

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

Many youths have benefitted from the state government’s support programmes, especially in agriculture, education and talent exploration

E

KITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi inspired it all. A local government councilor executed it. Elderly women, widows and school pupils were the happy beneficiaries.

In Oye Local Government Area of the state, senior citizens and widows have broken into new songs as Mr. Ogunleye Olakunle, Supervisory Councilor for Community and Environment in the local government, gave them food items and stoves to cook them. In the council schools, pupils praised Olakunle who provided them with books, pens and pencils.

The event, which was held at the Ilupeju Civic Centre, actually lit up the entire community with scores of enthusiastic beneficiaries in attendance.

Olakunle, an engineer, organised the event to mark his 100 days in office.

The event drew many dignitaries including officials of the state government, students, and community leaders across the local government.

But Olakunle minced no words when he admitted that he was inspired by the vibrant programmes of the Fayemi administration. The governor’s poverty alleviation programme is well known. Under it, the elderly in the state, widows, youths and school pupils have received support from the state government. The supervisor also said his gesture was in support of the governor’s developmental agenda.

The pupils selected in teams of five from each of the primary and secondary schools in the local government, all totaling 200, appeared in their uniforms and accompanied by their teachers.

The women and mothers intermittently broke into praise songs in rich dialectal songs which centred on the bravery and kindness of someone they commonly regarded as ‘our child’ in reference to his young age, Olakunle being just about 30 years.

In his speech at the event, Olakunle noted the need for political office holders to use their positions to better people’s lives across the communities, noting the primacy of poverty alleviation programmes of Governor Fayemi’s 8-Point Agenda.

He said the only way to prepare the youth for future leadership is to empower them, without which they

•Olakunle with teachers and the benefitting pupils

Ekiti senior citizens, widows relish new deal

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

would be exposed to a life of criminality, adding “it does not take millions of naira to do that”.

Olakunle observed that there is need also to complement ongoing efforts by Governor Kayode Fayemi in alleviating the deplorable living conditions among the citizenry which remains cardinal on the list of the government’s popular eightpoint agenda.

The benefactor equally told the youths that the current administration in the state is ready to support promising youths in any area to attain laudable target goals set for themselves.

He added that so many youths have benefitted from the state government’s support programmes, especially in agriculture, education and talent exploration.

The councilor said: “Apart from the database of women and children being compiled by the wife of the state governor, our own local administration has also compiled same to enable us reach out our mothers at critical need periods of their lives.”

Evangelist Ayo Kolawole and Pa Israel Ajayi, two of the community and religious elders at the event, spoke glowingly with Newsextra about the event.

To Kolawole, the benefactor does not allow the position he occupies to go to his head and still takes advice from people.

Pa Ajayi said the gesture was the first of its kind in the whole of Oye and Ilupeju axis, advising the beneficiaries to seize the opportunity to recommit themselves to their studies.

Dignitaries at the event included the representative of the Commissioner for Integration and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Mrs. Bunmi DipoSalami, Mrs. Oluwafunmilayo Akinrinmade; Secretary, Oye Local Government, Hon. Funso Ojo and A host others.

•Dr Fayemi

Imoke stresses youth mentoring

C

ROSS RIVER Governor Liyel Imoke has urged more people to take up mentoring young people in order to get the best out of them as they grow.

The governor was speaking at the signing of the book titled ‘Born to Serve’ (his biography).

The event was held in calabar, the state capital.

“I have the privilege of interacting with young people,” he said. “They are not exactly the same as we were when growing up. Therefore, a lot of mentoring needs to be done; they are sharper, more intelligent and sometimes more exposed. However, there are some issues that relate to values which make us still have an edge over them.”

He has also promised to invest the money realised from the sale of his book into the Bridge Leadership Foundation, a foundation he founded for the purpose of mentoring the youths of Cross River State.

In his speech, he expressed gratitude to those who have signed up as mentors to the foundation and appealed to more people to sign up.

“I was very excited that the founda-

By Tonia ‘Diyan

tion was beginning to take shape and help impact the youths, providing them with opportunities and an appreciation of what leadership is all about and a lot of mentoring.”

“It is important that we mentor these young men and women so that we can provide them with an opportunity to do better than we are doing. It is important to me that the foundation achieves its objectives and that is why the proceeds from the sale of the book will go to support the work of the foundation,” Imoke said He added that it is one thing to be successful in your profession and another to make a difference in the lives of others.

“There is no greater privilege in this world than that of service. It is not so much about what people say about you, but what legacy and impact you can have on the rest of society.”

The event attracted people from all walks of life including past and serving members of the National Assembly. It was chaired by Senate leader; Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba who de-

•Duke (left) and Imoke signing the book scribed the book in his brief review as an anecdote of those who knew Governor Imoke.

In his own review, Senator Anietie Okon described the biography as “a book written from the middle”. He noted that “the book celebrates the man not because of who he is, not because

of his service to his people. But it must be seen as an important contribution to political biography in Nigeria.

Also, the Emir of Borgu Kingdom, Senator Haliru Dantoro, represented by the Galadima of Borgu, noted that Governor Imoke has the capacity to make and keep loyal friendships.

Among those who graced the occasion were former governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke and his wife, Onari, the state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), amongst others.

The book was written by Enuma Chigbo and Ejiro Barret.

OTHER SPORT...OTHER SPORT...OTHER SPORT...OTHER SPORT...OTHER SPORT...

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

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44

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

45

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

EDO 2012

• From left: Alhaji Lai Mohammed, National Publicity Secretary, ACN; Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State; Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State; Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, ACN National Leader and Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State at a rally of the ACN in Benin City.

Last week, leaders of the three major political parties jostling for votes in Edo State in the July 14 governorship election stormed the state for campaigns. Correspondent OSAGIE OTABOR reports the events.

Day Tinubu, Fayemi, Amosun, Anenih, Onu stormed Edo

E

DO State is now the cynosure of all eyes as the July 14, gov ernorship election date approaches. Already, political parties and candidates have stepped up campaigns to woo voters.

Top contenders for Edo State seat of power are Governor Adams Oshiomhole of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Major-General Charles Airhiavbere of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Chief Solomon Edebiri of the All Nigeria Peoples Party(ANPP).

Political analysts have however maintained that the main contest is between the ACN and the PDP. For 10 years PDP had bestrode the political landscape of the state before it was snatched by the ACN via a Court of Appeal judgment.

Edo State is the only state in the South South zone under the leadership of the ACN. Infrastructure development in the state in the past three years under Governor Oshiomhole has given the PDP a difficult task of campaigning.

It was a beehive of activities in different parts of the state last week Saturday when political heavyweights from across the country stormed the state to campaign for their parties candidates.

Former governor of Lagos State and National Leader of ACN, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, led the governors of Ogun and Ekiti states, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Chief Tom Ikimi and other ACN leaders to campaign for the re-election of Governor Oshiomhole.

Leading the PDP campaign train to Edo North and Edo Central senatorial districts were former Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, Minister of Works Mike

Onolemhemen, Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Political Matters Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, Chief of Staff to the President, Mike Ogiadomhe, among others.

The ANPP led by its National Chairman, Dr. Onu Ogbonnaya was at a rally in Benin City to tell the people why they should vote for Chief Solomon Edebiri.

It was Chief Anenih’s first public appearance to campaign for the PDP in the state.

At Uwelu Motor Spare Parts Market, National Leader of the ACN Asiwaju Bola Tinubu told the crowd to defend their votes during the elections and urged them to be watchful and protect their votes.

According to Tinubu, “we will fight to defend our mandate for the progressive liberation of Edo people. We have come to remind you of your responsibility because you are a marching army of freedom.

“They have been holding meetings on how to rig the elections and they are planning to use Youth Corps members who have already passed out. It is your responsibility to ask for the proper identification of the National Youth Service Corps deployed for the election. The worst and dangerous part of the election is at the polling booth where you must be vigilant. From there, you

must follow the results to the collation centre, and the more you congregate at the collation centre the more you put pressure on them not to rig,” he noted.

Ogun State Governor Amosun said, “let us get involved for the good works of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to continue. When we entered Benin City we saw the roads, street lights and the people are happy.”

Governor Fayemi said the ACN manufactured the concept of rig and roast when the opposition political party attempted to rig the elections in Ekiti State.

At the rally, former Special Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Policy and Strategy Prof. Julius Ihonvbere defected to the ACN, saying the PDP in the state represents “oppression, intimidation, repression and decay.”

Former Governor of Kogi State Prince Abubarkar Audu who was also in the state to attend a fund raising ceremony for the re-election of Governor Oshiomhole said residents of the state should be vigilant against what he described as rigging antics of the PDP. Prince Audu disclosed that the Federal Government and the PDP are in a hurry to stop Governor Oshiomhole’s re-election on July 14.

According to him, “In Kogi, we

have seen it. You allow people to queue up after accreditation, they will vote, results are collated, announced, entered in a result sheet but they are waiting with a different result at the collation centre where they substitute them by buying everybody there. They should not allow that to happen here. ‘’In Kogi State during my time, I was crowned as the best of all governors in Nigeria. They brought somebody who stayed there for nine years without commissioning one single project. I think Comrade Adams Aliu Oshiomhole has done extremely well and he needs the support of all and sundry.

“All the voters should unanimously get themselves together and vote this man back. Within four years he has taken the state from total underdevelopment, total neglect to Eldorado of modern infrastructural haven’’, Audu said.

In his address to PDP supporters at Igarra and Uromi, Chief Anenih warned youths in the state to steer clear of any forms of electoral malpractice and thuggery.

Anenih announced that President Goodluck Jonathan, National Chairman of the party, Bamanga Tukur, PDP governors, including senators will attend a grand rally in the state for campaign.

He said high powered security

‘Top contenders for Edo State seat of power are Governor Adams Oshiomhole of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Major-General Charles Airhiavbere of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Chief Solomon Edebiri of the All Nigeria Peoples Party(ANPP). Political analysts have however maintained that the main contest is between the ACN and the PDP’

operatives would be on ground to suppress any move to disrupt the election.

According to him, “I’ll want to appeal to the youths, because I have children in my house. Parents who are here should inform the ones that are not here that the youths should not be used or allowed to create violence in Edo State. Don’t allow your youths and the youths that are here for politicians to use on election day.

“I want to assure you that on election day, there would be adequate security. The security agents will do their work.

“We are not here to abuse anybody, we’re disciplined. We are from good homes. We don’t abuse elders. Whoever abuses elder will not come to the age of an elder,”he said.

Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, urged the crowd to vote for PDP candidate to enjoy the transformation agenda of the president.

Chief of Staff to President Jonathan, Chief Mike Ogiadomhe dispelled rumours of division in Edo PDP adding that the party is capable of clinching the state governorship seat come July 14.

In Benin City, ANPP National Chairman, Ogbonnaya Onu called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct credible elections in the July 14 election.

The three major parties appear prepared for the election. There are however worries among the common people about the possibility of violence during and after the election. A lot depends on the security agencies, party leaders and the electoral commission to ensure that the voters perform their civil obligations in an atmosphere of peace.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

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POLITICS

‘We should return to party discipline’

Celebrating a Moremi at 52 T HERE is a time for everything, as the holy book says. A time to plant and a time to reap. A time to labour and a time to celebrate. For Her Excellency, Funmilayo Adunni Olayinka, the first democratically elected female deputy governor in Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria, this is indeed, a season for stock taking and thanksgiving.

There is no gain saying the fact that Mrs Olayinka has more than enough reason to thank her creator for affording her the opportunity to look back at the golden age of 52, and marvel at what God has enabled her to achieve within the very short, but highly eventful period of her life.

For this enigmatic professional banker-turned politician, life actually begins at 52. With a carriage that depicts that she had worked very hard as both a technocrat and successful money merchant, who is now bent on proving a point that politics is actually about making life better for the people, she is like a chameleon adapting with ease to whatever situation, and making the best out of it all the time.

Her God-given gifts are more than enough to be thankful for.

The Ekiti deputy governor enjoys robust health, prosperity, intelligence, beauty and candour packaged into one personality.

Her benevolent Maker has caused her to find success in whatever she puts her heart to. It probably explains why she, like the proverbial elephant meaning different things to its beholder depending on where it is being viewed from, makes varying meaning to people that come her way.

Whether you are her admirer or detractor, one thing you cannot but give to her that she is never a push over in the pursuit of deepening the course of humanity. To some of us who have had the rare privilege of passing through her anvil, she is a highly benevolent mentor, trainer and a no nonsense individual who, in her quest for perfection, could be highly demanding and persistently assertive. Some people will describe her as being high handed, tough and in some cases heady.

Though highly ambitious to the extent that she wants the best for her people at all time, Funmi will never place her personal interest above the fate of the generality of the people. A workaholic and dependable wife to her husband, Architect Lanre Olayinka; and loyal to a fault deputy to her boss and political leader, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi, she radiates confidence wherever she is found.

It is this sense of self-worth and dedication to duty that has seen her discharge her constitutional duties as a deputy governor most satisfactorily, in all the assignments given to her, without being puffed with the kind of arrogance that has seen others before her arouse the anger of their bosses. Her carriage as a dependable ally, who is quick to understand the body language of her co-travelers in the train of Ekiti’s progress, has seen her transform the perception of

By Emmanuel Oladesu, Deputy Political Editor

P

• Mrs Olayinka

By Lekan Fadeyi

deputy governors as spare tires confined to history.

Born on June 20, 1960 to the family of Chief and Deaconess Famuagun in Ado Ekiti, she grew up within a family background that could be described as average by whatever standard; the dad was one of the few civil servants who could afford an automobile and still ensure that his family lived well, while the mum was a successful textile dealer.

A proven technocrat and professional banker, Funmi attended Holy Trinity Grammar School, Ibadan where she obtained her secondary school certificate with distinction. She subsequently proceeded to Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo, Oyo State where she obtained her Higher School Certificate (HSC).

She holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Business Administration (Marketing) from Central State University, Edmond, Oklahoma, United States in 1983 and 1981 respectively. She was three times winner of the Dean’s Honour roll during her stay in the school.

A marketing analyst and strategist who started her career in banking with First Bank of Nigeria Plc in 1986, she later worked as Relationship Manager for Corporate Accounts in Access Bank, the now defunct Merchant Banking Corporation (MBC), and United Bank for Africa Plc. She made a detour from core banking into Corporate Communications in August 2002, and proceeded to head the Corporate Affairs Division at the United Bank for Africa. She later became Head, Brand Management and Corporate Affairs of the bank,

A woman with a man’s heart, the Moremi of Ekiti, as she is fondly called by her people, held firm to a shared conviction in the rule of law and stood her ground to fight along with Dr. Kayode Fayemi in challenging the highly flawed electoral processes. The liberation war heralded the restoration of the stolen mandate.

thereby leading the team responsible for delivering a compelling brand proposition and re-branding of the institution and helping to drive the bank’s business strategy while adding value to the total image of the brand.

She was also the second Vice President of the Association of Corporate Managers of Banks between 2002 and 2004.

She played notable strategic roles during the Merger process of the erstwhile United Bank for Africa & Standard Trust Bank, where she co-chaired the Branding Sub-Committee. She also served as a key member of the Media Relations Sub-Committee.

Until her election as the deputy governor of Ekiti State, she was Head of Corporate Services, Ecobank Transatlantic Inc, where she was responsible for communicating the bank’s activities to the public, relationship management and providing feedback to management as it relates to the total image of the Bank. In addition, she also oversaw the General Internal Services Unit with responsibility for overall co-ordination of administrative services for the entire bank.

A woman with a man’s heart, the Moremi of Ekiti, as she is fondly called by her people, held firm to a shared conviction in the rule of law and stood her ground to fight along with Dr. Kayode Fayemi in challenging the highly flawed electoral processes. The liberation war heralded the restoration of the stolen mandate.

The duo of Fayemi and Olayinka went to court to challenge what has been recognised as the day light political robbery and on the 14th of October 2010, after a three and a half year prolonged re-election process and court battle, an Elections Appeal Tribunal sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State declared them as true winners of the peoples’ mandate.

Funmilayo Olayinka, a strong believer in God and humanity is a lay reader of the Anglican Communion who holds tenaciously to the belief that whatever position you occupy is ephemeral to your service to God and the people around you. She is happily married with three lovely children.

• Lekan Fadeyi is Special Assistant (Media and Communications) to the Deputy Governor of Ekiti State

ARTY indiscipline and disrespect for leadership is growing and efforts should be made to ensure party supremacy, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) chieftain Alhaji Akanni SerikiBamu has said.

Seriki, the vice chairman of the party in Lagos State expressed concern about the generation of young party stalwarts who lack the understanding of the party creed, ethos, ethics and direction, urging party leaders to embrace the duty of re-orientating the ambitious youths locked in a hot race for power at the three tiers of government.

The politician complained that, across board, impatient new members of political parties have imbibed the wrong method of scheming to displace old party founders, who laboured for the growth and development of the parties.

He hailed the leadership qualities of the ACN National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, who he said, is yet to be emulated by young turfs in the party. Seriki noted that the former Lagos State governor has decentralised the management and leadership of the party in the state, stressing that he is accountable for the success of the party at the grassroots.

Seriki said the unity of purpose and understanding between him and other party leaders gave victory to him at a critical period in 2003, when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) moved against the progressive governors in the Southwest geo-political zone.

The party chieftain added: “When I wake up in the morning, I pray for myself and family. Then, I pray for Asiwaju Tinubu and Governor Fashola, who has performed like Asiwaju. The two are showing good examples worthy of emulation. The party and government are at peace and battle ready for any electoral battle. This is commendable”.

He warned that tension between the party and government that midwife it in any state could affect both, urging party leaders to ensure that such relationship does not characterise party/government affairs, especially in Ogun State where Governor Ibikunle Amosu is the head of government and Aremo Olusegun Osoba is the party leader.

Seriki maintained that any semblance of strained relationship between the party and government should not be allowed, especially at this period when the PDP is reactivating its rigging machinery ahead of future elections.

The vice chairman said efforts would be made to whip into line any elected ACN member of ACN in Lagos State trying to go astray.

Justifying the need for party mentoring, he said party members should toe party lines and imbibe party principles in an atmosphere of party supremacy.

Seriki stressed: “Indiscipline should not be condoned at any level and party leadership should rise to the occasion at all times. We should begin this crusade for discipline at the grassroots. For example, there is a local council chairman around Somolu-Bariga area who sees himself as a thin god. Many of the young politicians profess love for national leadership while disrespecting state and local leaders.

“In some instances, elected representatives at council, state and national levels do not have respect for us. Why can’t they emulate Asiwaju Tinubu who still have regard for party leaders and elders at the grassroots?This should not continue”.

The politician noted that, in presidential system, the governor is at liberty to appoint non-politicians as commissioners, special advisers and aides. However, he said there should be a process of orientation that would make them realise that the government is a product of the party’s electoral battles.

He said: “Some of them do not even know whether the party exists or not. Some of them are pompous. Yet, you still find some who are ready to learn political relationship and accord respect to party elders. In my area, Epe, apart from the Speaker of House of Assembly and few others, some legislators have no knowledge of party doctrine of giving respect to elders who have toiled for the party at the beginning.”

Seriki called for support for Tinubu, who he said, “has a big chest and ready for challenges at difficult periods”. He lamented that people still hide under some circumstances to flout the national leader’s directive without rational explanations.

He said: “In an accommodating state like Lagos where we have Igbos as commissioner, Hausa as supervisory councillors and advisers at council level and members of the state executive council from other neighbouring Yoruba states, it is distressing to me that my son’s local council chairmanship ambition was scuttled by co-leaders in the vineyard of politics in Agboyi Ketu LCDA. “Even, when our national leader, Asiwaju Tinubu, advised that the young man should be accomodated into the council’s political structure, the counsel was ignored. They turned it into joke, saying that Seriki’s son should go to Epe to contest, although I have lived in the council for nearly forty years and raised all my children there”.

• Seriki

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

47

THE NATION

INVESTORS Firms groan under high cost of funds H

IGH costs of funds and lack of access to capital are affecting earnings and returns of several companies, reports have shown.

Reports by boards of directors of some companies indicate that firms were constrained by their inability to source new equity capital due to the meltdown at the capital market. But recourse to high-interest bank loans has depressed expected returns to shareholders.

Two reports scheduled to be presented to shareholders next week, which were obtained by The Nation, highlighted the twinproblem of high cost of funds and liquidity squeeze on corporate earnings.

The Board of RT Briscoe (Nigeria) Plc said the company’s performance was affected by what it described as “an unfortunate but unavoidable reality” of “high level of bank borrowings and short term loans as well as interest expenses.”

Chairman, RT Briscoe (Nigeria) Plc, Mr Clement Olowokande, noted that despite the appreciable growths of 30 per cent in turnover and 42 per cent in profit after tax, the company operated under unfavourable financing structure as interest expenses soared to N776.4 million as against profit after tax of about N216 million.

RT Briscoe’s third party borrowings doubled from N4.1 billion in 2010 to N8.1 billion in 2011.

He attributed the huge debt outlay and the pressing financing expenses to the inability of the company to source equity capital since the meltdown despite the company’s growing business.

According to him, investors’ apathy to new equity invest-

F

EDERAL Government’s bonds have attracted N1.14 trillion in this quarter as investors readjust portfolios to get more secured and less risky securities.

Activities at the Over-theCounter (OTC) bond market, where sovereign debt issues by the Federal Government are traded, showed keen interests in government bonds with average weekly stake of about N104 billion.

Total turnover stood at 1.27 billion bond units worth N1.14 trillion in 8,297 deals. Average weekly turnover stood at about 115.5 million units valued at N104 million in 754 deals.

Most analysts attributed the keen interests in sovereign bonds to the relatively higher yield, the security of the instrument and the slow-

Stories by Taofik Salako

ments and anxieties over several banks’ shares worsened the new capital market as local fund managers opted for more secure and predictable bond market, thereby depriving real and productive sector opportunity to raise the much-needed equity capital.

“The sorry picture is that our company operates largely on borrowed funds ... We do hope that you will support your company when the investment cli-

mate is conducive and the board decides to have a public offer,”he said. Olowokande hinted of new capital raising.

He noted that the state of high cost of funds weighed in on the possible payouts to shareholders as the company opted to conserve net earnings to mitigate financing pressure.

According to him, when considering the dividends to be recommended to shareholders, the board had to be mindful of the escalating costs of funds and fi-

nancing needs of a capital intensive business such as RT Briscoe and decided to balance the need to retain cash in the business and compensating shareholders.

In another report, the board of Tantalizers Plc said credit squeeze caused by high interest rate and banks’ reluctance to lend has not encouraged investment and expansion.

Chairman, Tantalizers Plc, Dr Jaiye Oyedotun, in a report reviewing the operations of the company, noted that the firm could not maximise the potential

of its franchise package due to inability of investors to access required capital.

Accoridng to him, the five new outlets opened by the company last year were short of plan, which underlined the difficulty in funds sourcing from the banks in 2011 and also constrained the company’s ability to achieve its revenue target.

He said the marketing programmes and refurbishment plan of the company were constrained by paucity of funds.

•From right: President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Azubike Okwor; Managing Director, May & Baker Nigeria, Mr Nnamdi Okafor and Chairman, Award Committee, Regina Ezenwa, after the inauguration of firm’s Professional Service Award in Pharmacy Committee in Lagos.

Fed Govt bonds attract N1.14tr down at the equity market.

The equity market opened the week with a return of 2.19 per cent, more than 10 percentage points below inflation rate of 12.9 per cent.

President, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Alhaji Ariyo Olushekun, noted that the high interest rates regime encouraged stronger inflow into bonds.

He noted that high interest rates drive fund away from active entrepreneurship to passive investment in risk free government securities as gilt-edge and tax-free government bonds can yield in excess of 15 per cent in an economy with 12 per cent inflation rate, making risk-averse investment

practice the order of the day.

Managing director, Cowry Asset Management Limited, Mr. Johnson Chukwu, also attributed the shift to sovereign bonds to the high interest rate environment, which makes investment in fixed income instruments more attractive than equity investments.

He pointed out that given an average yield of 16 per cent on some fixed-income securities as against the most optimistic projected average return of 13 per cent on equities, investors would prefer to lock in more funds into fixed income instruments.

He noted that some of the corporate earnings reports unnerved investors and fell below expecta-

tions, which triggered a caution on the part of investors.

He added that the attractive double-digit interest rate in the fixed-income segment would continue to moderate the performance of the equity segment, although some equities might record exceedingly better return than debt instruments.

Economist and investment adviser, Sterling Capital Markets, Sewa Wusu, said sovereign bonds have become attractive as hedging instruments against the downtrend at the stock market and also because of the attractive yields on the bonds.

According to him, in an environment where inflation runs in

double digit and it’s still rising, bonds would thrive better as investors sought for protection of fixed-incomes and security of capital.

He noted that the only alternative investment outlets during rapid selling pressure in the stock market are the fixed income instruments.

Wusu confirmed that the upward push in turnover was caused by increasing foreign appetite for government’s bonds.

He added that fund managers were rebalancing their portfolios in favour of bonds to preserve their capital while ensuring continuous scheduled flow of incomes to manage the downtrend at the equity market.

Forecasts Q3 Sept 2012 Livestock Feeds Turnover N1.379b Profit after tax N51.654m IEI Gross Premium N4.250b Profit after tax N533.898m Cornerstone Ins Premium Revenue N919.418m Profit after tax N41.002m Skye Bank Gross earnings N99.710b Profit after tax N13.933b CCNN Turnover N3.683b Profit after Tax N402.165m Custodian & Allied

Gross Premium N8.540b Profit after tax N1.345b UPDC Turnover N10.274b Profit after tax N1.002b Nestle Nig Turnover N28.850b Profit after tax N4.014b UACN Turnover N48.313b Profit after tax N4.611b Julius Berger Turnover N125.541b Profit after tax N3.993b Diamond Bank Gross earnings N27.315b

Profit after tax N3.107b Total Nigeria Turnover N54.466b Profit after tax N1.804b Red Star Express Turnover N2.888b Profit after tax N200.557m Cadbury Nig Turnover N9.873b Profit after tax N735m Okomu Oil Turnover N2.176b Profit after tax N667.068m Continental Re Turnover N10.028b Profit after tax N1.207b

Oando Turnover N123.207b Profit after tax N2.967b Presco Turnover N2.400b Profit after tax N613.760m Berger Paints Turnover N976.303m Profit after tax N88.258m Oasis Ins Turnover N450m Profit after tax N63.894m Access Bank Gross earnings N54.782b Profit after tax N11.907b Resort Savings & Loans

Gross earnings N960.736m Profit after tax N165.540m Trans-Nationwide Exp Gross earnings N170.342m Profit after tax N40.568m GT Assure Gross premium N9.525b Profit after tax N1.241b Pharma-Deko Turnover N454m Profit before tax N10m Eterna Turnover N56.413b Profit after tax N859.734m Consolidated Hallmark Ins Gross premium N4.110b

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

48

THE NATION INVESTORS

‘Equities still hold long-term prospects’

T

HE equity market is still undervalued and holds prospects for long-term returns, Financial Derivatives Company (FDC) Limited has stated.

In its latest economic report, the Managing Director, FDC, Bismarck Rewane, noted that though there were indications to be cautious, the market remains attractive to long-term investors.

According to the June 15, 2012 report, “just because investors are waiting for signs of a bottom forming does not mean they should sit

By Taofik Salako

on their hands as the market always provides opportunities to profit, regardless of whether it goes up, down or sideways. Investment opportunities remain in the banking and consumer goods sector.”

It noted that aside from the fact that the market is undervalued at current levels, investors should bear in mind that stocks are poised to keep going higher in the long term because the market is still in a bull market and is still fuelled by

measurable growth from key economic indicators.

“Sitting the summer out and letting the dust settle before wading back in is also a strategy that has worked well in the past in similar market condition. Just don’t stay out of the pool too long. Any further downside is apt to be limited, and we should start to see more long-term upside by September or October at the latest. The biggerpicture data still looks too encouraging to discourage long-term investors,” FDC stated

The benchmark index at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE)- the All Share Index (ASI) had edged up by 0.09 per cent to close at 22,066 points in May, amid increased activity with market turnover at N69.76 billion. The dollar return was, however, -1.43 per cent, due to the weakening in the value of the naira. The banking sector remained the most active sector, accounting for 69.57 per cent of the total market turnover.

Top traded equities in the banking sector included Guaranty Trust

Bank, with N15.0 billion or 21.5 per cent of turnover; Zenith Bank, with N10.3 billion or 14.8 per cent of turnover; Firstbank of Nigeria, with N9.4 billion or 13.4 per cent of turnover and United Bank for Africa, with N7.6 billion or 5.3 per cent of turnover.

Transcorp emerged with the highest gain of 96 per cent in May as the conglomerate released first quarter results and forecasts that raised the possibility of a dividend payment at the end of the current financial year.

C & I Leasing acquires 87% stake in Ghanaian firm

C

& I Leasing Plc has signed an agreement with Auroes West Africa Fund to buy additional 28 per cent of the ordinary shares in Leasafric Ghana, thereby increasing its equity stake to 87 per cent.

The agreement is, however, subject to approval.

The significant equity stake, which effectively makes Leasafric, a subsidiary of C & I Leasing, gives C & I Leasing a platform to exploit emerging opportunities in the rap-

idly growing Ghanaian economy.

The firm noted that Leasafric has witnessed some impressive growth in turnover and profit in the last few years, especially in 2010 and 2011.

According to the statement, profitability has grown by 137 per cent and 311 per cent in 2010 and 2011 while the portfolio quality of the company has been enhanced, making Leasafric one of the best leasing companies in Ghana in terms of profitability and assets quality.

FMBN, Enugu partner on N2b mass housing loan

T

•Governor Chime welcoming Mr Ya’u Kumo, to his office.

P

Poly Products to delist from NSE

OLY Products Nigeria Plc will delist its shares from the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), according to official filing by the packaging company.

The notice of plan to delist has raised anxieties about the streak of delisting, which has seen more than three firms delisting their shares from the NSE. Official notice cited Poly Products’ stockbroker – Signet Investments & Securities Limited - as attributing the decision to delist on the inclement operating environment and the difficulty in meeting NSE’s obligations.

According to the notice, the firm has been going through harsh economic conditions, which

makes it difficult for it to fulfill its obligations to the NSE promptly.

The delisting will reduce market capitalisation of NSE by about N263 million.

Audited report and accounts of Poly Products for the year ended March 31, 2011 had showed turnover of N2.24 billion in 2011 as against N2.42 billion in 2010.

Profit before tax dropped from N83.36 million to N61.52 million while profit after tax declined to N50.73 million as against N60.67 million in 2010.

Shareholders’ funds, however, increased from N350.33 million in 2010 to N423.86 million in 2011.

The company hass distributed a bonus issue of one share for 24

shares for the 2011 business year.

Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), one of the biggest food and beverages companies, had delisted its shares from the NSE in 2011, in one of the high-profile delisting during the year. Other companies that have delisted their shares included Nampak Plc and United Nigeria Textiles Plc. The past year had seen the highest concentration of voluntary delisting in recent years.

Analysts said the trend of voluntary delisting by several companies, which ordinarily should have used the market for their proposed turnaround and financial restructurings, highlighted the failures of the capital market as a repository of capital and lack of incentives for quoted companies.

Nahco to raise capital for expansion

N

IGERIAN Aviation Handling Company (Nahco) Plc is making moves to source additional capital for its expansion.

Rising from the success of its recent N2 billion bond issue, Nahco has secured two major nods to lay the groundwork for new capital issue.

The firm has increased its authorised share capital to create room for new equity issue and secured shareholders’ resolution empowering the board of directors to raise funds through all means at its discretion.

Nahco has also secured approval to double its authorised share capital from N1.5 billion, creating new three billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each.

The board of directors has also secured a resolution authorising it to raise funds through any means from the domestic and interna-

tional markets.

According to the resolution, its directors are to raise new capital via the issue of debt instruments, preference shares or ordinary shares or a combination of any of these options whether by private placement, rights to shareholders, offer for subscription or in any manner which the directors deemed appropriate, locally or internationally, upon such terms and conditions to be determined at the discretion of the directors subject to any requisite regulatory approvals.

The company has indicated that it intends to use any capital to pursue its diversification and business development programmes including investments in other African countries and non-aviation businesses.

Nahco had raised N2 billion as first tranche of a N5 billion bond

issuance programme.

Managing Director, Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (Nahco) Plc, Mr Kayode Oluwasegun-Ojo, said the company used the net proceeds of the bond issue to finance its transformation programmes, which included expansion and modernisation of its warehouse, acquisition of state of the art equipment, expansion of services to some African countries, development of human resources and upgrading of information and communication technology infrastructure.

He said the net proceeds of the N2 billion first tranche were expended on acquisition of ground handling equipment to augment its operations.

According to him, the first tranche of N2 billion was specifically for acquisition of equipment; that is about $13 million.

HE Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) has offered a N2billion loan to the Enugu State government for mass housing development.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, FMBN, Mr Gimba Ya’u Kumo, disclosed this during a courtesy call on Governor Sullivan Chime in Enugu, the state capital.

Kumo, according to a statement, said the developers nominated by the state government, could avail themselves of the offer, provided they meet its conditions.

Earlier, the FMBN had approved N5.2 billion to various estate developers for the construction of 2,027 housing units in the state. The bank is processing additional N3.7 billion estate development loan applications for the development of 760 housing units in the state.

The bank has mobilised the National Housing Fund (NHF) of N888 million from workers in the state.

The FMBN chief enjoined the state government to provide the requisite infrastructure in the estates funded by the bank to reduce

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie Asst. Editor

the cost of housing delivery and make such houses affordable to the citizens of the state.

He urged Governor Chime to order agencies of his government to ensure the timely issuance of title documents and subsidised cost of perfecting property transactions on housing estates funded by FMBN. Governor Chime promised to provide land for estates funded by FMBN provided the housing units to be built will follow the housing models preferred by the state government.

The state prefers building estates in a block of flats of not more than four floors to construction of bungalows. Already, the state government has built some houses using the above housing.

He appealed to FMBN to make more funds available to the state for housing delivery.

Kumo assured the governor that the bank could arrange a mortgage for civil servants to buy up the block of flats constructed by the state government.

Firm to honour pharmacists

M

AY & Baker Nigeria Plc has planned to honour excellent and outstanding pharmacists.

The Chairman, Committee for the Eighth Edition of the May & Baker Professional Service Awards in Pharmacy, Mrs. Regina Ezenwa, who announced this, said entries would close on August 31.

The event is being organised in collaboration with the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN). It carries a prize tag of N250, 000.

Chairman of the committee, Mrs.

Regina Ezenwa, who made the announcement after the maiden meeting of the committee in Lagos recently, said entries would close

by August 31, 2012.

President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Mr Azubike Okwor, who inaugurated the award committee, said pharmacists looked forward to the award yearly because winners in the past were notable professionals who made outstanding contributions to pharmacy.

Julius Berger wins award

J

ULIUS Berger has received the International Quality Summit Award in the Gold Category for its commitment to quality, leadership, technology and innovation.

According to a statement, it was given at the Business Initiative Directions (BID) International Quality Summit Convention where companies from 76 countries were honoured for their achievements in quality and excellence.

According to the organiser of the

convention, Julius Berger Nigeria was honoured for its commitment to continuous improvement of processes, which serves as a model for others in the sector and reinforces quality and excellence in the Nigerian construction industry.

BID’s founding team was formed by engineers, physicists, mathematicians, economists, sociologists and journalists, who have continued to contribute ideas and improvements to the QC100 model.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

49

50

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

NEWS Ekiti, South African parliament partner on development

T

HE Ekiti State Government and the Gauteng Provincial Parliament of South Africa have begun bilateral relations to revive PanAfricanism and share best practices to deepen democracy.

Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi spoke in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, when he hosted the Speaker of the Gauteng Parliament, Madam Lindwe Mazeko, and a delegation of the parliament.

The governor said his administration is passionate about developing the state to international standards.

According to him, Ekiti State is bigger than some African countries, including Lesotho and Cape Verde, hence the state government’s “global rather than local” aspiration.

Fayemi said the state is interested in extending its business relations with South Africa to political relations, adding that Mantis Collection Group, a South African investment and facility management company, has taken over the management of Ikogosi Resort.

The governor noted that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which the state signed with South Africa, is to deepen democratic experiment through sharing of best practices.

He said Nigerians cannot take the freedom that democracy offers for granted, hence the need to strengthen it.

Fayemi reiterated the com-

mitment of his administration to making poverty history and improve the lives of the masses.

The governor added that this necessitated the social security scheme for the elderly, which is a first in Nigeria.

He said Ekiti State and Gauteng Province have a lot of ideas to share in becoming models in a partnership between Nigeria and South Africa.

Mazeko said the parliament cherished the partnership between the two parties and promised to consolidate the relationship as the parliament began work on the issues raised by the governor during his last visit to South Africa.

AGF elected President of Asian-African legal group

T

HE Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN) was yesterday elected as the new President of Asian-African Legal Consultative Organisation.

Adoke’s election took place at the 51st session of the ongoing forum in Abuja. He will occupy the office for one year.

The Asian–African Legal Consultative Organisation (AALCO) is an international governmental organisation formed in 1956 to serve as an advisory board to member-states on matters of international law.

But since 2001, it has been known by its current name, the AALCO, reflecting the growth of its international status.

NEMA, police, others partner on disaster management

T

HE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is working with the Federal Fire Service, the Nigerian Red Cross, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigeria Police on disaster management.

The agency yesterday launched a campaign to reduce the loss of life and property during fire outbreaks and ensure security during emergencies.

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

It conducted an evacuation drilling among its workers in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, at the Federal Government secretariat complex.

NEMA Zonal Coordinator for Abuja Operations Office, Mr. Ishaya Isah, told reporters that the exercise was a part of the agency’s mandate of curtailing disasters.

He noted that the Act that established NEMA empowers it

to monitor the state of preparedness among organisations and agencies in disaster management.

Isah said: “It is in furtherance of this mandate and in response to the current security situation in the country that the management of NEMA directed all its zonal offices to prepare emergency evacuation plan for Federal Government secretariats and demonstrate a drill for them.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

51

INSURANCE

DANA: NAICOM, NIA seek prompt claims payment

W

ITH Lloyds of London promising prompt settlement of insurance claims of those killed in the June 3 DANA plane crash, its local counterparts have been asked to take a cue from that.

Lloyds insured 70 per cent of the ill-fated aircraft, the local insurers hold 30 per cent, which is N16.48billion of the N54.95billion total insured sum.

The local insurers are being prevailed upon to fulfil their obligation promptly to protect the industry’s image The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) and Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA), it was learnt, are determined to ensure that the seven firms that underwrote the policy live up to expectation.

The firms are: Prestige Assurance, Leadway Assurance, NEM Insurance, Sterling Assurance, Aiico Insurance, Standard Alliance and Continental Reinsurance.

NAICOM and NIA are jittery that failure to honour the claims

By Chuks Udo Okonta

promptly would affect the industry.

It was learnt that NAICOM and NIA, believe that prompt claims’ settlement would sustain public confidence in the industry.

Commissioner for Insurance Fola Daniel said the last recapitalisation has enhanced the financial capacity of operators and positioned them to honour genuine claims.

He said: “The recapitalisation has enhanced financial capacity and has manifested in the industry been able to meet up with claims which occurred. The robust financial capacity was put to test two years ago, when some companies paid the biggest claims ever in the industry, which was that of Nigerian Bottling Company that cost about N10 billion.”

He maintained that the commission considers prompt claims’ settlement as the best awareness campaign tool.

“For us at NAICOM, the greatest awareness campaign an in-

surance company can embark upon is prompt settlement of claims. When an insurance company pays claims promptly, then a lot of Nigerians would begin to have more confidence and people would buy more insurance products.

“Right now, most insurance products are not bought. People refrain from these products owing to the attitude of most insurers. But as we increase the confidence level of Nigerians, insurance would become a product that Nigerians would buy just as we buy newspapers and clothing materials. This is our dream.

We expect that once we increase insurance awareness,people would want to buy insurance,” he added.

Daniel said NAICOM has adopted measures to ensure that insurers meet their claims responsibilities as specified in the industry’s regulatory guidelines.

“The issue of non-payment of claims, I think it has to do with perception. I would say that the Federal Government and

NAICOM have done a lot to cleanse the industry. You will recollect that four years ago, we had over 130 insurance players, which had been reduced to 51.

These 51 companies are strong and vibrant and the issue of unsettled claims has become a thing of the past.

He said people still have that perception, explainng that perception is not a thing you can kill at a go, but I can tell you that the issue of unsettled claims or delayed claims by the insurers in the industry has gone with the past. This is because now we have companies saying that reported claims are settled in 48 hour.

“As a regulator, we are very interested in prompt claims settlement, because the public must not be misled. So, we are actually watching to see that these companies are able to deliver on the promises they are making. I am happy to say that most of these are doing very well and the number of claims reported to us are receding and very negligible.

And where we have cases of unsettled claims reported to us, we move very swiftly and give the insurance companies the number of days to settle the claims, otherwise, they are sanctioned.”

“In the industry, we do not advertise when we pay our claims, because we believe that settlement of claims is normal in the course of business, but I think we are now going to adopt some strategy where high profile claims are settled, I think we should begin to let Nigerians know that the insurance companies are paying claims. We are also carrying out an acid test on any claim settlement that is publicised by companies. Again, insurance is about utmost good faith, hence we are not allowed to make claims that are not true.

“The operators are really paying claims and we are proud of that for that is the direction we are going. The best way to advertise insurance product is through payment of claims and settlement of claims means prompt settlement,” he noted.

Firm eyes one million policy holders

T

•Governor Babatunde Fashola (right); Group Managing Director, Mutual Benefits Group Mr Akin Ogunbiyi and Managing Director, LAGBUS Mr Babatunde Disu; at the presentation of Franchise Certificate to Mutual Model Transport Limited in Lagos.

‘Oil, gas insurance too capital intensive’

T

HE Chairman, Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) Olusola Ladipo-Ajayi, has said underwriters are still financially incapacitated in the oil and gas sector.

He told The Nation that since oil and gas businesses are denominated in dollars, the operators are still battling to acquire the financial muscle required to meet expectations in the sector.

According to him, insurers should be the one to share the risks in the international communities and not the international communities coming to share it to the exclusion of local insurers.

Ladipo-Ajayi, who is also the Managing Director, Lasaco Assurance PLC, said: “Oil and gas is capital intensive. It is denominated in dollars; therefore, we still have capacity problems in terms of finance. But in terms of

technical know-how, we are coping and gradually coming of age, because our exposure is aiding our understanding to technical know-how on risks in the industry.

“Right now, we have some claims that have arisen that would further expose us. The major challenge we have, is getting the right type of security as reinsurance back-up. The capacity out there in the international community itself is limited, so on the balance of probability, I think we are doing what we ought to do.

“It is our prayers that more indigenous companies should have confidence in the local insurance industry and encourage us to grow together. By and large, it is better than nothing, and I think it has paid up.”

He observed that local insur-

ers’ participation is still below expectation, adding that it is the standard insurance practice for those who take the larger proportion of a risk to dictate the terms of any business.

He said: “Our members are bound to follow the lead of those who bear the greater proportion of risk,” explaining that the pricing of insurance cover is greatly determined by several factors which relate to the level of risk undertaken by the provider of the cover.

Among the factors to be considered in pricing, he stated, are the probability of a loss, the total amount of liability that may arise in the event of a loss, the level of safety mechanism in place and reaction of the global insurance market to a particular risk in a givenperiod,”Ladipi-Ajayi, added.

HE Managing Director, CrystaLife Assurance Plc, Mrs Oluseyi Ifaturoti, said the company has set a target of at least one million in the life cover this year.

She told The Nation that the company has adopted measures to achieve the target, adding that different products have been designed to provide customised policies for the public.

“We have continued to innovate with the aim of attaining at least one million cover in the individual Life portfolio. We have come up with various products which we keep refining to ensure that we get it right with the public,” she said, adding that Nigeria is yet to cultivate the insurance culture. She said the industry is using every avenue to create awareness and educate the public that life assurance is needed, especially in times of adversity.

She said: “At the time of adversity insurance comes handy, helping the insured to recover his or her losses. Through our agency department, which is targeted at individual business and the retail unit, which focuses on

ways of getting people from different fields of endeavours, we have been working hard to ensure that people mitigate risks through insurance.”

She noted that the 2007 recapitalisation has enhanced the company’s capital inflow and made it a bigger institution.

She said the company has capital in excess of N3billion and that has put it in a position to attract value and enlarge its shareholders’base.

Mrs. Ifaturoti said the enhanced capital base has also put the company in a position to compete with others for large risks in the oil and gas.

“Enlarged capital has given us visibility and we have expanded in terms of branch network, staff strength technology and human capital development. We give our human capital a lot of exposure,” she stated, adding that with inadequate capital, it would have been difficult for us to achieve these feats.

“The enhanced capital has put us in a position to deliver our promises, research more into the needs of the public to meet their taste in terms of life insurance,” she said.

Insurance College begins in October

T

HE College of Insurance and Financial Management will start in October, the President, Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN), Dr Wole Adetimehin, has said.

Adetimehin, who disclosed this at a briefing in Lagos, said the construction at the institution has reached an advanced stage.

He said the institute’s International Educational Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM) will hold next month in Abuja, adding that Nigeria’s former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr Christopher Kolade, will lead other eminent speakers in the conference.

He said the future of all pro-

fessions would depend on the quality of knowledge and skills possessed by the practitioners, adding that efforts would be made to improve the knowledge of insurers.

He said:“The main pivots which this will be achieved include: Concerted efforts towards the development and completion of the Institute’s College of Insurance and Financial Management and its effective take-off, aimed at mobilising entrants into the profession, donation of insurance books to schools, establishment of a functional research department at the institute to pursue studies in the technical areas of insurance and initiation of a national insurance debate among tertiary institutions.”

52

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

• Mrs Odutola

-Adebola Orolugbagbe

How to make money from herbal medicine I

F you’re interested in developing a business that will grow, then you may try herbal medicine.

Herbal business is growing. This is because many people have resorted to taking natural medicine.

With hard work and some smart decisions, one could be on his way to making it in this subsector of the economy.

Dr Godwin Ihesie, Managing/ Health Director, Elikaf Health Services Limited, Lagos, has over 15 years experience in herbal medicine.

He trained under the late Dr Elizabeth Kafaru from 1994 to 1996.

Today, Ihesie, a medical laboratory scientist, is promoting herbal medicine as one of most financially rewarding businesses that has changed his life.

According to him, herbal business is fast growing. This is be-

Stories by Daniel Essiet

cause Nigerians are demanding safe and natural alternatives for healing.

One of the ways of making big profits is specialising. According to him, it is possible for an apprentice to start making money before completing his training if he chooses a good area that is less exploited.

Trainees can learn how to make their herbal medicine, for example, healing balms, lotions, teas, syrups, oils, and tinctures.

During the programme, a trainee is taught how to prepare products for treating third degree burns.The products will heal the patients without leaving scars, things which orthodox medicine cannot do, he claimed.

He, however, explained that to use herbs successfully requires techniques that are indigenous to the sick.

Investing in yarn plant

Y

ARN is any spun thread (wool, flax, silk, cotton, etc) prepared for weaving or knitting on human hair for style and beauty.

The beauty of a woman’s hair is enhanced by various options, which it offers in terms of styling. Those who have their natural hair braided spend less than those who go the extra mile adding hair extension.

Complete plant/machinery for yarn production is the multi-filament yarn extrusion.Break-down of the multi-filament Yarn Extrusion Plant are as follows: 80mm per yarn extruders with four winders, two mixing machines, trend gathering equipment, style Mould Plate (2pcs, Y&O Type), PVC Bobbin (1,000 pcs), digital scale (50kg), and air compressor. Total cost of a medium scale yarn extrusion plant is N15 million.

Raw materials for yarn production are spinning oil (KDR-1000), softener agent (AD-10), anti static agent (K-103), softener (AS-100c), spinning oil (S.O.) and master batches.

The production process of yarn is very simple. Specifically, measured quantities of different raw materials are mixed and poured into a heating and melting unit of the multi-filament yarn extruding plant.This is heated, melted and converted to a liquid substance, which is blown out under pressure through a passage (extrusion) and simultaneously cooled in the process by air generating apparatus.

What we see after the material passes through the cooling chamber is the yarn being directed by a series of rollers-con-

By Edwin Agbaike (Projects, Financial and Management Consultant)

verting it into bales in the output unit.

From the extruder, the output (bales of yarns) is taken to the finishing unit, to cut and sow to sizes. Each sized unit is packed in a polythene sheet and scaled.

This is the last stage of production process. The product are, thereafter, counted to the desired units and parked in cartons kept in ware house, ready for distribution.

The total raw material input used, determines the output levels. Installed capacity of the plant is capable of utilising raw material input of N35.18 million that will produce 12,664 cartons per annum.

The open market price averages about N5,500 per carton. At 50 per cent first year capacity utilisation, turnover is expected at N34.82 million and a gross profit of N17.41million.

This project stands a good chance of attracting finance from the banks. A well-packaged feasibility report is a prerequisite to secure finance for the project. For details on how to implement this project or any other, please contact us.

We are willing to assist potential investors on any aspect of the project. Prospective investors may get in touch with us at the address stated hereunder.

Kris-Ed Brilliant Limited [Brilliant Consulting]. 395, Borno Way, Harbert Macualy Road, Sabo-Yaba, Lagos State.

Tel. Nos. 08098525122; 08023381900.

E-mail: krisedbrilliant@ yahoo.com

• Herbal product preparation.

He prepares Nigerians, who want to go into the business, to become botanic physicians or herbal therapists.

A member of the Lagos State Board of Traditional Medicine, he provides a short training.

A good herbalist, he noted, must have anin-depthknowledgeofherbsandhow to prepare and administer them properly.

He keeps good personal relationships with customers.

Chief Akin Ajayi, the Chairman/ Chief Executive, Foremost Independent Loss Adjusters Limited, said herb business requires learning how to help people feel well with herbs.

Ajayi is enrolled in an herbalist train-

ing programme. Prior to this, he was surprised with the way many people approach their health problems. He decided to devote his time to studying the natural healing process.

He said modern herbal business practice requires understanding of the chemical constituents of medicinal plants, their effects on the body and how to produce and dispense herbal medicine safely and hygienically.

He said the business requires diagnostic skills to assess illness accurately.

He said a herbal specialist must be trained in herb identification, harvesting, preparing herbal remedies, dispensing and combining herbal formulations.

• Ihesie

•From left: Seun Igbalode, Ikenna Osuahayi, winner of a DVD player in the on-going Real Deal promo, receiving his prize from Sales Executive, Nigerian Breweries Plc Wisdom Anudike and Yemisi Henry at the Real Reward night.

‘Why women entrepreneurs are not many’

F

• Evbota

EMALE entrepreneurs are not achieving as much as they should because many of them have not been taught wealth creation strategies.

The Founder, Ladies Networking, Mrs Pamela Evbota, said many women have ideas for business, but do not know where to start from. She said: ‘’I work with women who are at a crossroads in their lives - either in their workplaces or businesses.

These women want to get it clear on what their purpose and passion.”

She said she helps women to

become successful in business.

Her organisation is teaching women entrepreneurial skills needed to build and grow businesses in any economy. Her target is women with business ideas.

According to her, some women face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. But if they have a dream and pursue it with a passion, she said it is possible to turn those ideas into successful projects.

Mrs Evbota, a former human resources employee of Motorola Nigeria, said her organisation

has coached many people to achieve their dreams, saying most of the people who attend their seminars are women.

She has coached people on how to increase their wealth, boost their profits through useful strategies.

She stressed the need for women entrepreneurs to have mentors who could help them build their businesses.

She noted that having the right balance of a career or a business with family is important to women.

She has built a loyal following

of Nigerians who keep coming back for in-service training.

She believes people should do things differently to everyone else in their industry. She said women, who are going to succeed, must start businesses in areas/fields they have in-depth knowledge and experience. To lay the groundwork, she made sure they develop realistic business plans.

She said her firm strives to promote entrepreneurship among women to achieve self-reliance and socio-economic independence.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

53

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

54

EQUITIES

New SEC chief promises to restore investor confidence

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 19-6-12

•Market recovers N17b

T

HE newly appointed acting Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, (SEC), Ibrahim Bello, has assured stakeholders that the Commission would implement various initiatives aimed at restoring investor confidence and sustain the recovery of the Nigerian capital market.

Bello, who resumed this week, said the entire management and staff of the Commission would work together to restore investor confidence in the Nigerian Capital Market.

He is scheduled to meet later in the week with various operators in the market, including the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), stockbrokers, the Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS), executive officers of the Chartered Institutes of Stockbrokers and Association of Stockbroking Houses (ASHON) among others.

Addressing staff of the Commission yesterday, Bello said his desire is to move the market forward, restore investor confidence and leave a positive legacy in the market.

He said a quick win strategy would be implemented to jumpstart the process of ensuring a stable market recovery.

“We will immediately engage on inspection, investigation and enforcement, investor education and restore reg-

By Taofik Salako and Tonia Osundolire

istration activities and meet with various stakeholders in the market to have early positive impact,” Bello said.

He urged the staff to work harmoniously assuring that all outstanding staff issues would be handled with urgency.

“We expect commitment, cooperation, dedication and discipline. We want to leave behind a SEC that everybody will be proud of and the one that the coming generations would commend us for. We have been given an opportunity, let’s work together to leave a legacy,” Bello urged the staff.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian stock market recovered yesterday as highly capitalised stocks rallied the overall market position to positive. Aggregate market value of all quoted equities rose by N17 billion to N6.730 trillion, compared with its opening value of N6.713 trillion. The All Share Index (ASI), which tracks share prices of all equities on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), also inched upward to 21,082.11 points from its opening index of 21,028.39 points.

With 23 advancers to 25 decliners, the preponderance of highly capitalised stocks within the gainers’ side propped up the overall mar-

ket situation.

Nigerian Breweries led the advancers with a gain of N1.89 to close at N99.89. PZ Cussons Nigeria followed with addition of N1.29 to close at N27.14. GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria gained 50 kobo to close at N21.50, while Guaranty Trust Bank and First Bank of Nigeria added 5.0 kobo and 2.0 kobo to close at N15.05 and N10.65 respectively.

However, Lafarge Wapco Cement Nigeria topped the losers’ list with a loss of 99 kobo to close at N41.01.

Conoil followed with a loss of 97 kobo to close at N19.61.

Cadbury Nigeria lost 50 kobo to close at N14.50, while Ecobank Transnational Incorporated declined by 20 kobo to N10.60.

Total turnover stood at 232.61 million shares worth N1.45 billion in 3,863 deals.

Banking subsector was the most active with a turnover of 98.41 million shares worth N796.6 million in 2,201 deals.

Insurance subgroup recorded a turnover of 87.49 million shares valued at N55.85 million in 97 deals.

Also yesterday, President of Zenon Petroleum, Femi Otedola, described the reinstatement of Alhaji Aliko Dangote as President of the NSE as a timely catalyst for the recovery of the market.

He said at a time like this, the Nigerian stock market needs big players like Dangote with the right contacts to draw the interests of worthy stakeholders and lift the market.

He called on Dangote to bring his wealth of experience to bear so as to ensure the turnaround of the NSE.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 19-6-12

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

55

MONEY LINK

CBN strengthens NIRSAL with N75b incentive

T

HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has renewed its commitment to agricultural lending with N75 billion allocated to the Nigeria IncentiveBased Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL).

The NIRSAL will enable the regulator share lending risks with banks for losses incurred while lending to the agric sector.

The NIRSAL managers have also adopted financial inclusion strategy by partnering with other institutions and the private sector to organise agricultural value chain actors into viable cooperatives and informal groups.

The CBN Director Banking Supervision, Mrs. Tokunbo Martins,

By Collins Nweze

who confirmed this development, said the funds will be driven by five pillars, in which N45 billion will be channeled into risk sharing facility.

There is equally a N4.5 billion insurance facility that links insurance products to loans provided by banks to borrowers.

Martins, who spoke at the CBN interactive conference with Labour leaders, said NIRSAL’s target is to de-risk agriculture finance value chain, build long term capacity and institutionalise incentives for agricultural lending.

According to her, additional

ICAN advocates improved financial accountability

T

HE Registrar and Chief Executive, Institute of Chartered Accountants Nigeria (ICAN), Olutoyin Adepate has emphasised the need for improved skills among accounting experts to tackle money laundering and financial crimes in the country.

Addressing the induction ceremony of new members of the Association of Accounting Technicans in Lagos ,yesterday, Adepate noted that the promulgation of the money laundering 2011 and anti-terrorism acts demanded for specialised professional expertise to deal with emerging issues in the banking and economic environment.

He said accounting technicians need to develop skills to assist the government in the crusade to

technical assistance facility of N9 billion, will be used in building capacity of banks, microfinance institutions, agricultural value chain actors and expanding financial inclusion.

Speaking on the theme: Financial Inclusion: The Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending, she said the apex bank also mapped out N1.5 billion for agricultural bank rating scheme that will enable the regulator rate banks according to their effectiveness of lending to agriculture.

A bank incentive mechanism of N15 billion was also allocated to target incentives that will move banks to long term, strategic position and increase their commitment to agricultural lending.

NIRSAL, she said will encourage counterparties to brand products and raise the number of banked and previously unbanked

By Daniel Essiet

curtail the growth of the practice. With the government making legislations to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, Adepate urged accounting officers to ensure the soundness, integrity and stability of the financial system is not compromised.

He stressed the need for officers to acquaint themselves with international accounting standards to institutionalise greater transparency in financial reporting .

The registrar said the world is moving to a single set of high quality accounting standards, ones that would make financial statements comparable around the world.

He urged the young practitioners to get them selves equipped to respond to the changes.

Nigerians. “The body is equally working with mobile solution providers to deliver shared weather information, distribute farm inputs, pay and recover loans as well as disseminate market information to farmers nationwide.

It has equally placed emphasis on timelines, simplified lending procedures, competition and flexible conditions for account opening, service delivery and other financial transactions,” she said.

Already, managers of NIRSAL have brokered deals with 26 state governments, to structure investment advisers to improve access of farmers, input providers, agro dealers, agro-processors and marketers to short procedures of accessing finance.

Besides, to expand the share of microcredit as per centage of total credit to the economy from 0.9 per cent to 20 per cent by 2020,

O

PERATORS in the financial market have condemned plans by members of the House of Representatives to amend some sections of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) Act. The operators in separate telephone interviews explained that the move might dampen confidence, especially in foreign investors and correspondent banks, which were built by the reform process.

The Clerk, House Committee on Banking and Currency, Mr Yilji Yakubu, had last Monday invited the management of AMCON to an investigative hearing at the National Assembly Complex.

It also requested that the corporation should produce a memorandum on

any area or section of its Act that need to be amended to further “to bring in conformity with the provision of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria as amended.”

But considering the issues surrounding the activities of some committees of the House of Representatives, the Registrar/Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Chartered Economists of Nigeria (ICEN), Mr Peter Ikpamejo, advised the lawmakers not take any hasty decision on the AMCON Act. He said: “I think what the House should do is to engage professionals to properly look at the AMCON Act and advise them on what should be done.

The AMCON Act should not just be a political issue.”

Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year 5-Year

35m 35m 35m

11.039 12.23 13.19

19-05-2014 18-05-2016 19-05-2016

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM Amount Amount Offered ($) Demanded ($) 150m 150m 138m 138m 113m 113m

MANAGED FUNDS Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

7.9-10% 10-11%

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Tenor 91-Day 182-Day 1-Year

Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2011 “ 14-04-2011

GAINERS AS AT 19-6-12 SYMBOL

BERGER CCNN PZ ETERNAOIL UBN GTASSURE DANGFLOUR WAPIC EVANSMED HONYFLOUR

O/PRICE

9.00 5.40 25.85 2.62 3.64 1.22 4.90 0.75 0.53 1.93

C/PRICE

9.45 5.67 27.14 2.75 3.82 1.28 5.14 0.78 0.55 2.00

NGN USD NGN GBP NGN EUR NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N) (S/N) Bureau de Change (S/N) Parallel Market

Current Before

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

147.6000 239.4810 212.4997

149.7100 244.0123 207.9023

150.7100 245.6422 209.2910

-2.11 -2.57 -1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

153.0000

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

C/PRICE 3.43 2.53 1.57 1.77 19.61 0.81 0.62 1.29 0.88 1.11

CHANGE 0.18 0.13 0.08 0.09 0.97 0.04 0.03 0.06 0.04 0.05

DISCOUNT WINDOW Feb. ’11

July ’11

Dec ’11

MPR

6.50%

6.50%

12%

Standing Lending Rate ,, Deposit Rate ,, Liquidity Ratio Cash Return Rate Inflation Rate

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00% 12.10%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00% 12.10%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00% 12.6%

NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

NSE CAP Index

27-10-11 N6.5236tr 20,607.37

Date 29-2-12 27-2-12 22-2-12

Rate (Previous) 4 Mar, 2012 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917 12.1250

Rate (Currency) 6, Mar, 2012 10.17% 11.46% 11.96% 12.54%

28-10-11 N6.617tr 20,903.16

% Change -1.44% -1.44%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

LOSERS AS AT 19-6-12

SYMBOL O/PRICE AWONCROWN 3.61 TRIPPLEG 2.66 CUSTONYINS 1.65 MAYBAKER 1.86 CONOIL 20.58 NEIMETH 0.85 JAPAULOIL 0.65 TRANSCORP 1.35 AGLEVENT 0.92 IKEJAHOTEL 1.16

Exchange Rate (N) 155.8 155.8 155.7

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Year Start Offer

CHANGE

0.45 0.27 1.29 0.13 0.18 0.06 0.24 0.03 0.02 0.07

Amount Sold ($) 150m 138m 113m

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 Currency

INTERBANK RATES OBB Rate Call Rate

On his part, an analyst at Profund Securities Limited, Mr Chijioke Obiagwu, advised the lawmakers not to destroy the gains that had been recorded in the banking industry, as a result of the corporation’s intervention.

Obiagwu added: “This should not be coming up at a time when there are strong indications that the banking crisis is over and when we are expecting that the gains of banking reform will have a positive effect on the stock market.

“We all saw the positive earnings announced by banks in first quarter 2012 and all these were as a result of AMCON’s intervention. Today, nonperforming loan (NPL) in the industry is below five per cent.”

DATA BANK

Tenor

NIDF NESF

NIRSAL encourages downscaling by deposit money banks by providing wholesale of funds to microfinance banks, thereby increasing the flow of funds and raise number of banked population.

Operators flay plans to amend AMCON Act

FGN BONDS

Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33 N1000.00 N552.20

•CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido

Offer Price

Bid Price

ARM AGGRESSIVE 9.17 KAKAWA GUARANTEED 1.00 STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE 124.28 AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND 105.00 THE LOTUS CAPITAL HALAL 0.75 BGL SAPPHIRE FUND 1.08 BGL NUBIAN FUND 0.95 NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL DEB. 1,710.94 PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND 8.95 CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST 1.39 CENTRE-POINT UNIT TRUST 1.87 STANBIC IBTC NIG EQUITY 7,446.88 THE DISCOVERY FUND 193.00 FIDELITY NIGFUND 1.67 • ARM AGGRESSIVE • KAKAWA GUARANTEED • STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE • AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND

9.08 1.00 124.16 104.34 0.73 1.08 0.93 1,703.76 8.51 1.33 1.80 7,250.53 191.08 1.62

Movement

OPEN BUY BACK

Bank P/Court

Previous 04 July, 2011

Current 07, Aug, 2011

8.5000 8.0833

8.5000 8.0833

Movement

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

56

NEWS Amaechi: we’ll create more jobs

R

IVERS State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has restated his administration’s commitment to continue to create more jobs.

Amaechi spoke when the Chairman and members of the Ogbu-na-bali Community Council visited him yesterday at the Government House, Port Harcourt.

Amaechi said: “There are different ways we are trying to improve on employment and create more jobs. One is in the area of agriculture.

“You should ensure that your children are prepared to participate when we advertise for people to be engaged in farming and other agricultural activities.

“We are rehabilitating Risonpalm, we are about to establish 2,000 hectares of banana farm in Ogoni land, there is supposed to be about 3,000 hectares of cocoa and other crop farms in Etche and several fish farms here and there. So your children should be ready to participate in these agricultural activities.”

Amaechi said there would be great improvement in power supply in the state before the end of the year.

INEC rewards two Corps members From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

T

WO National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, who served in Cross River State, have been rewarded for their honesty by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Ogunmokun Adeleke Solomon (29) from Osun State and Nkiru Chikwuo Okpalaukeje (29) from Anambra State were part of the just concluded 2011/2012 Batch B. Resident Electoral Commissioner Mike Igini said they were celebrated because of their role in the February 25 governorship election.

According to him, the duo, who were presiding officers, were offered bribes which they refused.

Igini said Nigerians are looking for role models and people they can trust. He said a society that lacks role models and celebrates the wrong people has a bleak future.

The Corps members were given plaques. Igini also gave them recommendation letters and N50, 000 each.

The state coordinator of the NYSC, Nkereke Ibanga, said the duo had brought honour not only to the NYSC but the country.

Don’t sell oil facilities, group warns

T

HE Niger Delta Youth Movement (NDYM) yesterday warned against the sale of Utorogu Gas Plant in Otu-Jeremi and Erhioke Oil Field in Kokoro/ Erhoike in Ethiope East and Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.

In a statement by its National President, Godspower

From Polycarp Orosevwotu, Warri

Odenema, the group said any company or individual who intends to buy or sell either the firms should desist.

He said the two facilities are unique. “The Utorogu Gas Plant is the largest in West Africa and the seventh largest in the world.”

Bayelsa to boost rice production From Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa

B

AYELSA State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources Thomas Commander has said the federal and state government would boost rice production in the state.

He said farmers are to register with the ministry for the take-off of the new agricultural policy, the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme.

His words: “The Federal Government will support farmers with 25 per cent of the cost of farming input and fertiliser.

“If a farmer is to go into rice production, the Federal Government will support the farmer with 25 per cent of the cost of fertiliser, then the state will also pay 25 per cent of the cost.

“The remaining 50 per cent will be paid by the farmer. The gesture will reduce the financial burden on farmers.”

15 trucks seized in Rivers

S

ECTOR Two of the Joint Task Force (JTF) yesterday seized 15 trucks carrying products suspected to be diesel and kerosene at Eriebe in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The command’s spokesman, Capt. Sunny Samuel, said this was made possible

because the JTF team requested to verify the genuineness of the products.

“The driver resisted while other tanker drivers in solidarity blocked Port Harcourt/Aba road with their trucks causing heavy traffic,” he said.

The drivers later abandoned their trucks and fled.

Cults clash in Cross River From Nicholas kalu, Calabar

R

IVAL cult groups have taken to the streets in CalabarSouth in Cross River State.

The boys, armed with guns and cutlasses, moved through the streets, destroying property.

At the Watt Market, many shops were hurriedly closed.

Nelson Mandela, Bassey Duke, Goldie, Harcourt, Bedwell streets were deserted.

In the last few days, the city has been tense as there have been speculations of a reprisal attack.

Two weeks ago, there was a cult clash leading to the death of a student of the State University of Technology.

At the time of filing this report, no death had been reported.

Efforts to reach the police for comments proved abortive.

•Amaechi presenting a souvenir to Chairman of Ogbum-na-bali Community Prince Theophilus Owhondah, at the Government House...yesterday.

Oshiomhole’ll make Edo investors’ haven, says campaign group •Governor: Obi and I are alike •PDP candidate leaves workshop tain, Roland Owie, to speak DO STATE Governor •’Jonathan will not rig for PDP’ on Airhiavbere’s behalf, Adams Oshiomhole

E

will make the state an investors’ haven, his campaign group said yesterday.

In a statement, the Adams Oshiomhole Campaign Organisation (ADOCO) said the governor would open up the system for the “overall development of the state”.

The statement, signed by the Director of Media and Publicity, Kassim Afegbua, said: “Those championing ethnic politics are promoting sectional politics, which is not good for the state.

“The PDP is desperate to heat up the polity by invoking ethnic sentiments in its campaigns.

“In a pluralist society like ours, what we should be preaching is politics of ideas and programmes, politics of issues.

“The governor is disposed to opening up the system and making Edo an investor’s haven.

“That is why he is being endorsed by all.

“Having developed the state in less than four years, one can imagine what he will do in another term.

“Oshiomhole is not tribalistic like the PDP candidate. Those who are preaching sectional agenda are only ruining democracy and the rule of law.

“No group can do it alone.

In a democracy, the people should be given the opportunity to decide who governs them.”

Oshiomhole yesterday hailed his Anambra State counterpart, Peter Obi, saying they share the same passion and commitment for their job.

The governor spoke when Obi inaugurated six class-

‘Corps members will be neutral’

T

HE Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig-Gen Nnamdi Okorie-Affiah, yesterday said Corps members would be neutral in the July 14 governorship election in Edo State.

He was reacting to allegation by a governorship candidate, who claimed that Governor Adams Oshiomhole has paid allowances to corps members to rig the poll.

He spoke when he visited the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Headquarters in Abuja.

The DG described the allegation as spurious. According to him, Corps members would not indulge in any act that would undermine the integrity of the poll.

Brig-Gen Okorie-Affiah said corps members in Edo State were recently paid their entitlements just like other Corps members in other states.

The corps members, he said, would participate in the poll and live up to expectations.

He said: “These Corps members are not indigenes of Edo State, they have no stake on who wins and who loses.

“Our main concern is to ensure a free and fair electoral process that would be credible. The Corps members have not been compromised by anybody in respect of this election.”

INEC Chairman Prof Attahiru Jega hailed the role being played

by Corps members during elections.

Jega said there would be improved security and additional welfare incentives for Corps members who would be engaged during elections.

He said a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed between INEC and NYSC. From Osagie Otabor, Benin and Emeka Odogwu, Awka

room blocks and the dualised Akpakpava Road.

His words: “I invited the governor to inauguratethe projects because of his passion for education.

“We are both committed to prudent management of resources and believe that the future of the country should be anchored on quality human capital.

“Governor Obi inspired me to stand up against godfatherism because of the success he recorded in dispers-

ing godfathers in his state.”

Obi said his colleague has transformed the state and demonstrated commitment in building quality human resources.

He said the governor has remained vocal on national issues and remained in the forefront in the struggle against abuse and waste.

In a related development, the PDP governorship candidate, Charles Airhiavbere, left the venue of a sensitisation workshop on peaceful election for parties when Oshiomhole arrived.

An attempt by a PDP chief-

when the seven governorship candidates were called, was turned down by the organisers.

Other governorship candidates who attended were Solomon Iyobosa Edebiri of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Andrew Ayemere Igwemoh Labour Party (LP), Roland Izevbuwa Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Paul I. Orumuense National Conscience Party (NCP), Frank O. Ukonga of the Social Democratic Mega Party (SDMP).

Leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF) Asari Dokubo has said it would not be in the interest of President Goodluck Jonathan to be involved in rigging the election.

The NDPVF leader, who spoke to reporters yesterday in Benin, said rigging would cause problems for the President’s support base.

Dokubo said Jonathan won’t represent the collective interest of the people, if he supports those who want to steal the people’s mandate.

According to him, “the Goodluck I know cannot do such a thing.

“However, people change when they get into office. But it is not to his advantage to rig the election for PDP because it will cause a serious problem in his support base.

“For the first time after June 12, we are confronting arrogance that we are born to rule.

“Jonathan is a symbol of our freedom. If after the people made this sacrifice, he changes, then some of us will say no, you are no longer representing the interest of the Southsouth.”

Lebanese, others arrested for alleged tax evasion

T

HE Delta State Board of Internal Revenue (DBIR) has arrested a Lebanese businessman, a bank official and several others for alleged non-remittance of income taxes collected on behalf of the government.

It was gathered that the Managing Directors of Laila Mechanical Engineering Serv-

From Shola O’Neil, Port Harcourt

ices and Contracting Company (LAMESCO), Warri, Carlos Elias, a member of staff of Vincelo Nigeria Limited were quizzed by the police and DBIR officials over the allegation.

The legal aide to the DBIR Chairman, Clark Ekpebe, said the arrests were part of

the board’s decision to enforce the recovery of the debt owed it by companies and banks.

He said: “We have arrested them and we are taking them to the police headquarters in Asaba.”

But, Elias said he was not arrested but “invited following a misunderstanding with DBIR, which we are clarify-

ing.”

Ekpebe said the Petroleum Training institute (PTI) owes the board about N3.59Billion in unremitted taxes.

But PTI’s legal consultant O.J Oghenejakpo said the case is in court.

He said:”I’m not aware the PTI owes but I’m aware that there is an allegation of debt and the matter is in court.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

57

NEWS Ogun PDP crisis: Court favours Kashamu’s faction

Guest lecturer, Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola (left) and Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan (UI), Prof Isaac Adewole, at the maiden Sustainable Development Policy Dialogue of the university with the theme: Regional Integration and Nigeria’s Development Prospects, at the Trenchard Hall, UI...yesterday

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

T was victory for the Prince Buruji Kashamu faction of the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday.

A State High Court, sitting in Ilaro, declared that the Adebayo Dayo-led Executive Committee remains the official organ to function in the state on behalf of PDP national secretariat.

This ends the fierce political and legal contest between the Kashamu group and another faction loyal to former President Olusegun Obasanjo on who should submit the list of candidates to Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) on the July 21 local government election in the state.

The Dayo-led Executive had sued OGSIEC before Justice Abiodun Akinyemi of Abeokuta High Court.

The faction secured an interim order directing the electoral body to recognise and accept only its candidates for the forthcoming council poll in the state.

But the interim order was vacated by the same judge.

In its place, the court directed OGSIEC to receive nominations from all factions of the PDP in the state.

The application of the party’s national body, requesting to be joined as defendant in the suit, was also granted.

But about two weeks ago, a group, believed to be loyal to Obasanjo, referred to as members of the State Caretaker Committee of the PDP, led by Chief Ireti Oniyide, sued Dayo and others at the Ilaro Court. It prayed the court to declare that only the PDP national secretariat has the mandate to nominate candidates for OGSIEC in the July 21 council poll.

But yesterday, Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu of the Ilaro High Court, in Yewa South Local Government Area, ruled that the Dayoled faction of the party has the authority to nominate and submit the list of candidates for the forthcoming council poll.

Justice Dipeolu held that Section 60 Sub-section 10 of the PDP constitution confers the authority to run the affairs of the state branch of the party on the Dayo-led Executive Committee.

The judge ruled that the party’s constitution established its organs with various functions without conflict of functions.

I

Aregbesola to modernise Osun courts SUN State Governor Rauf Aregbesola yesterday said his administration would equip all the courts in the state with modern facilities to enable them record proceedings without using longhand.

The governor broke the news in Osogbo, the state capital, when he delivered an address at a stakeholders’ forum on Judicial Reforms at the state High Court.

He said his administration would strengthen and make the judiciary totally independent and attractive so that it would be a reference point for integrity and intellectualism in Nigeria.

Aregbesola noted that revamping the judiciary through reforms does not stop at equipping the libraries with the most recent textbooks or Law reports.

According to him, it transcends buying the state-ofthe-art cars for judges and other judicial officers to enable them operate in a conducive environment for enhanced output.

He said: “Judicial reform, in our view, transcends the law officers and judicial officers. The sector is unique.

All workers engaged in the judicial sector needs constant training and retraining.

Henceforth, capacity-building, seminar and workshops will be organised from time to time for all categories of workers.

“We discovered, on assumption of office, that our court buildings all over the state are in utter state of disrepair. It is a pity that succes-

O

Fed Govt hails governor for massive food production plan

T

HE Federal Government yesterday hailed Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola for aggressively promoting massive food production and agriculture.

This is coming as the governor urged the Federal Government to accelerate the process of giving the state the concession to use the railway for the transportation of its farm produce.

The Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Adesina Akinwunmi, spoke in Ede, Osun State, at the launch of the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme on fertiliser and seeds.

He noted that Osun State has been in the vanguard of increased food production since the Aregbesola administration assumed office with its programme on food production and the support for local farmers to boost agriculture and food sufficiency.

The minister said the Federal Government would work with the state to make agriculture a veritable tool for employment generaBy Olamilekan Andu

sive administrations totally ignored the judicial sector where, ironically, any government the world over draws its strength.”

The governor noted that the rule of law requires transparent legislation, fair laws, predictable enforcement and responsible government to maintain order, fight poverty and have legitimacy.

Aregbesola said: “Legal and judicial reform projects are continually evolving as more countries and different jurisdictions embrace a more holistic approach for longer-term legal and institutional reform, emphasising empowerment, opportunity and security, especially as each affects the poor. This has deepened the

tion.

He said a silo the Federal Government constructed in Ilesa, Osun State, has been completed and ready for inauguration.

Dr Adesina hailed the governor for planning to use the railway to convey farm produce from Osun State to Lagos and other parts of the Southwest.

The minister said Aregbesola deserves to be praised for identifying the Lagos market to sell the farm produce from Osun State.

Congratulating the governor for his passion, focus and commitment to agriculture, the minister noted that Aregbesola’s love for agriculture has begun to yield good fruits through some programmes, such as Osun Rural Enterprises and Agricultural Programme (O-REAP), among others.

He urged the governor to encourage the production of rice among the farmers in the state.

understanding of ways in which legal and judicial programmes can distribute more equitably the benefit of growth.”

The governor said individuals must have legal rights that are enforceable and protected.

He added that this requires transparency and accountability in government, public participation and legal institutions that are not only effective and efficient but also provide equitable remedies for the society.

The governor decried the use of what he described as obsolete equipment in most public offices, saying it is only few offices that have functioning computer sets.

According to him, four to five different secretaries share a printer, in most cases.

Group faults bail for OSOPADEC’s chair

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GROUP, Ilaje Democratic Forum (IDF) in Ondo State, yesterday faulted the alleged secret arraignment and N2million bail granted the embattled chairman of the state Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), Mr Debo Ajimuda.

Ajimuda and five other directors of the commission were arraigned last Thursday for alleged misappropriation of funds in the interventionist agency by the Economic and Financial

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

Crimes Commission (EFCC).

But Justice Gloria Okeke of the Federal High Court, sitting in Akure, the state capital, granted Ajimuda and the others a bail for N2million and sureties who must be a Level 16 officer in the Federal Civil Service.

A statement in Akure by the group’s Chairman and Secretary, Nimber Tawose and Oluyide Mekuleyi, said OSOPADEC has been

grounded since the inception of the Olusegun Mimiko administration.

It noted that housing, health, road, education, electrification, water and infrastructural projects have been terminated by the Labour Party (LP) government in Ilaje, the coastal area of the state.

The statement reads: “It is so unfortunate that the acruable funds to OSOPADEC are lying fallow. The devil has to provide work for an idle hand for the OSOPADEC

chairman and his mentor to divert the fund to private use, which allegedly amounted to N61.3billion.”

The group had threatened to sue the state government and the commission for failing to give a convincing explaination on the fraud allegation.

It asked: “Why was the court premises militarised? Why were reporters prevented from entering the court and its premises? Why were they arraigned before justice Okeke, who is billed for retirement the subsequent day?”

The Commissioner for Regional Integration and Special Duties, Ajibola Bashiru, said the governor is committed to the reform of the Judiciary because he is a beneficiary of an effective justice dispensation.

The commissioner listed some of the objectives of the reform as accessibility to justice; maintaining timeliness in case disposal; increasing confidence in court processes; ease of access to information, among others.

Don to examine Nigeria’s education system THE Nigerian education system will tomorrow come under expert scrutiny as Prof Lasun Gbadamosi, a World Bank consultant and Dean of the Faculty of Education, Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, delivers his inaugural lecture.

Gbadamosi, a renowned educationist of nearly four decades, will speak on: Nigerian education: failing to plan, planning to fail.

The lecture is expected to dissect the Nigerian education system, identify the weaknesses in the system and proffer solutions to reinvigorate it for globally competitive education.

A professor of Education Planning and Policy, Gbadamosi has taught at all levels of education, including primary, secondary and tertiary levels. He is expected to bring his wealth of experience and academic excellence to bear on the topic.

The academic is a former Head of Department of Educational Management and Business Education and has 71 publications to his credit.

‘Give Akoko ACN ticket’ From Leke Akeredolu, Akure

AHEAD of the October 20 governorship election in Ondo State, a group, Akoko Renewal Group (ARG), yesterday urged the national leadership of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to pick its governorship candidate from Akokoland.

The group noted that Akoko has the highest number of aspirants jostling for the ticket of the party.

In a statement by its state Coordinator, Akin Falusi Mabolosirin in Akure, the state capital, the group explained why the party leadership must consider Akoko for the ticket.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

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NEWS Aliu, Ahmed, others for INL, Etcetera magazine award

A

S part of activities to celebrate its 10th year anniversary, Independent Newspapers Limited is collaborating with Living Etcetera Magazine to organise an award on environment and social housing.

The award, which the organisers said supports the current global efforts at promoting green economy, will hold tomorrow at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), behind MKO Abiola Gardens, Ikeja, Lagos, at noon.

It is also for the promotion of habitat for humanity and healthy lifestyle to ensure sustainable quality living standards in different communities.

According to a statement by Victor Ogwezzy, the Project Coordinator for the award, Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed will be the Chairman of the day and his Niger State counterpart, Dr Babangida Aliu, will be the guest speaker.

Royal, French Naval warships in Nigeria

By Precious Igbonwelundu

T

HE Royal and French Naval warships yesterday arrived in Nigeria for a joint maritime training and operations with the Nigerian Navy to enhance the security of the West African Coast.

While the Royal Navy came to port with a destroyer warship, christened His Royal Majesty (HMS) Dauntless, under the command of Captain Will Warrender, its French counterpart, Commander Bourhis Gwenegan, was onboard a frigate, L’Herminier.

A statement signed by the Western Naval Command Information Officer, Lt. Commander Jerry Omodara, said the Commanding Officers were accompanied by their Defence Advisers, Colonel James Hugh and Col. Marcelo Oliveira, to the Headquarters of Western Naval Command, Apapa, Lagos.

Abia criticises APGA candidate

By Emmanuel Oladesu

BIA State Government has described the outburst of Regan Ufomba, the deafeated All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate in the last year’s poll, as his attempt to seek relevance.

Ufomba, in a report, hinted that there was no need for Governor Theodore Orji to build a new international conference centre since the Damgrate Hotel, which is close to the Government House, has a conference hall and Michael Okpara Auditorium, which he claimed was built by the Orji Uzor Kalu administration, is still there.

But Ugochukwu Emezue, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said it is a pity that Ufomba has a poor knowledge of the state he wanted to rule.

Emezue, who described Ufomba as Kalu’s apologist, said it is laughable that the former governorship candidate could make such claims.

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INEC’s use of transparent boxes in 2011 elections illegal, says court A Federal High Court in Abuja has declared that it was illegal for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to have used transparent ballot boxes and electronic collapsible transparent ballot boxes for last year’s general election.

It also declared as illegal their continued use without the consent and authority of the patent and design rights owner, Bedding Holdings Limited.

The court’s decision implied that it was unlawful and a violation of the constitution for INEC to have used the transparent and collapsible boxes without the consent and permission of Bedding Holdings, which has a subsisting patent and design rights on them.

This development may have implication on the validity of the elections with which the transparent and collapsible boxes were conducted.

In a judgment on June 5, Justice A. Bello held that having decided that Bedding Holdings’ Certificate of Registration of Patent Rights Number RP12994 and Registration of Industrial Designs Rights Number RD5946 over the inventions were valid and subsisting, any use to which the boxes were put by INEC and other defendants in the case

‘Court verdict has no effect on 2011 polls’

By Eric Ikhilae

was illegal.

Justice Bello said: “By virtue of reliefs 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and Sections 1, 2, 3 and 6 (2) of the Patents and Designs Act, any action or actions whatsoever and howsoever taken or purported to have been taken by the defendants relating to the said products without the prior and express licence, consent, authority and/or ap-

proval of the plaintiff is unconstitutional, illegal, unlawful, and is, therefore, null and void.”

The judge’s decision was based on a suit filed by Bedding Holdings. The defendants were the Registrar of Patents of the Federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Emchai Limited, Tambco United Nigeria Limited, Anowat Project and Resourc-

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

P

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday said the June 5 judgment of a Federal High Court, Abuja, on the transparent ballot boxes has nothing to do with the type of ballot boxes used for last year’s general elections and other elections that followed.

The judgment had asserted the right of the patent by the plaintiff, Bedding Holdings Limited, to plastic transparent ballot boxes with steel frames.

But in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr Kayode Idowu, the electoral commission said the type of transparent ballot box the court ruled on was last used in the 2003 general elections.

According to him, polythene, collapsible transparent ballot boxes were used for last year’s general elections and all other elections the commission has conducted since.

The same type of ballot box, he said, would be used in the forthcoming Edo State governorship election.

The statement reads: “The attention of INEC has been drawn to reports that a recent judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja has invalidated the 2011 general elections and threatens the imminent Edo State governorship elections.

“The judgment is in the suit by Bedding Holdings Limited over the patent on transparent ballot boxes used in the past elections by the commission, which the court issued on June 5.”

Ondo community to ACN: give us deputy governor slot

•A transparent ballot box

es Limited, The AttorneyGeneral of the Federation, the INEC and its Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega.

The court granted an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Registrar of Patents and his agents from registering or re-issuing the licence of the plaintiff’s subsisting and valid patents and designs or any obvious derivative or imitation of the designs over the transparent ballot boxes and electronic collapsible transparent ballot boxes to the second, third and fourth defendants (Emchai, Tambco and Anowat Project) except with the plaintiff’s authority or permission.

OLITICAL stakeholders in Ilaje, a coastal area of Ondo State, yesterday urged the leadership of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to zone the deputy governorship seat for the October 20 election to their local government.

In a communique issued after an emergency meeting of leaders of political parties in the area, the stakeholders said the demand came on the heels of historical political activities, particularly on the rotation of deputy governorship seat since the creation of the state in 1976.

The communique by Oluyide Mekuleyi and Atikase Thompson reads: “For the avoidance of doubt and misrepresentation of fact, Ilaje Local Government Area is the only one that is sandwiched between fresh water and the sea in the state.

“Ilaje is the only local government in the Ondo South Senatorial District with intimidating voting strength, coupled with economic resources that the state relies on for survival today. The goose that lays the golden egg has been subjected to environmental hazard and underdevelopment, where social infrastructure is nonexistent.”

Court frees man after seven years in detention

By Joseph Jibueze

Lagos State High Court, Igbosere, has freed a 30-year-old man, Tunde Ayodele, who was detained for seven years without trial.

He was alleged to have robbed a man of N400 in 2005 and was locked up in the Maximum Security Prison.

The Lagos Office of the Public Defender (OPD) on Monday asked the court, presided over by Justice Ebenezer Adebajo, to release Ayodele.

It was after the prosecution had repeatedly said there were no witnesses against Ayodele.

The defendant’s lawyer, Ronke Adekoje of the OPD, prayed that Ayodele be freed since his rights have been violated.

Justice Adebajo released Ayodele on bail without condition.

Recounting his arrest, Ayodele said: “I was just coming from work at Iyana-Ora. I was a mechanic. I wanted to board a motorcycle home from First Gate Bus Stop. I didn’t know what was happening. Then, the police arrested me.

“They took me to a police station and said I should get someone to come and bail me. I stayed for three months indetention before they took me to Panti, Yaba.

“I was in Panti for almost nine months before they took to me to Ikoyi Prisons.

I was later transferred to the Maximum Security Prisons.

“I was in prison when my mother died. My sister came back again and told me that my father had died. I’m from Ogun State.”

A

•From left: Author of the book, Tit Bits of Advocacy, Chief Chukwuma Ekomam; Chairman of the Occasion, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu; Representative of Are Afe Babalola (SAN), Gbenga Awomolo (SAN); Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Dahiru Musdapher and Borno State Deputy Governor Sama Mustapher at the presentation of the book in honour of the CJN at the Yar’Adua Center, Abuja.

PHOTO:AKIN OLADOKUN.

Hembe still has case to answer, say Reps

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HE House of Representatives Committee on Ethics and Privileges, which the House mandated to investigate allegations of bribery against the former Chairman of the Committee on Capital Market, Herman Hembe, yesterday said it would still carry out its mandate.

The Acting Chairman of the Committee and Minority Whip, Samson Osagie, said legal proceedings by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Hembe and his deputy, Chris Azubogu, among other reasons, were responsible for the delay in the commencement of the committee’s work.

Osagie said the matter has not been swept under the carpet, adding that the House would investigate the allegations.

From Dele Anofi, Abuja

Besides, he said the House would not want the major actors in the matter to suffer double jeopardy.

The lawmaker noted that this was the reason the committee had to wait for the outcome of the legal action.

Osagie explained that his committee would only take the second leg of its mandate on estacode for an overseas training that was not refunded.

He said: “Just about the time we were going to start, it was first thought that since the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) was going to be involved in the day-to-day probe of the new ad hoc committee, we should give a little time so that we do not subject those from the commission to what looks

like a double jeopardy; that there was no need to call them from one committee room to another.

“We also felt that the commission should not be moving from one committee room to another.

Unfortunately, we could not commence hearing on the allegations because before the Ad Hoc Committee on Capital Market could finish its assignment of probing the capital market, the EFCC had taken the chairman and his deputy to court on the same allegation.

It is a standing rule of law that when a matter is before a court of law, all other organs of government charged with the same responsibility must exercise patience till they know the outcome.

“The responsibility of the

Ethics and Privileges committee, since it has to do with the conduct of its own members, we also felt that we cannot also subject them to double jeopardy. Today the chairman and deputy are facing trial before a federal High Court in Abuja and we thought it wise for us to begin to subject them to trial within the House.

“So, for now, we are awaiting the final judgement. We hope that by the time they are through, the other leg of the assignment, which has to do with the request for money by the committee chairman and his deputy, will be looked at by the committee of the House.

Essentially, this has been the reason for the delay. It is very technical and we do not intend to sweep the issues under the carpet.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

59

NEWS

Two inmates ‘tortured to death’ in Nasarawa prison

T •All Saints' Church (Anglican Communion), Montgomery Road, Yaba, Lagos, celebrated its 80th anniversary, yesterday.

The oldest member of the church, Prof. C.O. Taiwo, is flanked by the vicar, Venerable 'Feyi Ojelabi (left), the Bishop of Lagos Mainland, The Rt. Revd. (Prof.) Adebayo Akinde and the Bishop of Ife, The Rt. Revd. 'Ranti Odubogun, who delivered the sermon.

NDLEA arrests 157 drug suspects in Kebbi

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HE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Kebbi State has arrested 157 people and convicted 79. It also seized 114 kilogrammes of drugs made up of 99.48 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa and 15.31 kilogrammes of psychotropic substances.

From Khadijat Saidu, Birnin Kebbi

The Commander of the agency, Ulo Okon Okon, made this known yesterday when he spoke to reporters as part of the activities to commemorate this year’s International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Traf-

ficking, scheduled for June 26.

He said it was unfortunate that the abuse of non-conventional drugs was on the rise and called for an enlightenment on the dangers of drug abuse.

The commander said they arrested 51 suspects, convicted 51 of them and seized 157.380 kilogrammes of drugs made

of 59.253 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa and 98.130 kilogrammes of psychotropic substances.

Okon, who said the theme of this year’s event is: “Global action for healthy communities without drugs”, added that part of the activities included mosque and church anti-drug sermons.

‘Land Reform Committee not intended to usurp power of governors’

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HE Presidential Technical Committee on Land Reform is set for the implementation of its pilot scheme, which involves systematic identification and registration of land title rights.

Among others, the objective of the pilot scheme is to develop as well as test a systematic approach to registration, with the ultimate goal of developing a nationally acceptable procedure for land titling and registration, the Chairman of the committee, Professor Peter O. Adeniyi, has said.

Addressing a news conference in Kano yesterday, he said the land reform process is essentially about identifying and removing bottlenecks in the current land titling and registration procedures and processes within the existing land delivery system.

According to Adeniyi, the land reform programme of the Federal Government is not intended to repeal the Land Use Act, usurp the powers of governors and local government chairmen over land administra-

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

tion or deny individuals or communities the right to their land.

While noting that land reform is critical to the attainment of national transformation, he said the committee’s mission in Kano is to finalise arrangements to ensure the success of the pilot scheme in Kano and Ondo states, which are the two states selected for the pilot scheme.

In order to ensure the success of the systematic registration, the committee, Adeniyi said, has not only planned but is implementing activities, which include the installation of Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) and Public Perception Study to determine people’s knowledge and appreciation of Land Valuation Mechanisms, State-level

T

Gunmen kill Gombe State House worker

WO gunmen have killed Adamu Yunusa, a senior worker with the Gombe State Government House.

It was learnt that Yunusa was trailed to his home at Kumbiya Kumbiya Quarters, Gombe about 7pm on Monday.

According to the police spokesman, Fwaje B. Atajiri,

From Vincent Ekhoragbon, Gombe

the gunmen killed the deceased in front of his house while he was relaxing.

He said investigation was on to arrest the culprits, adding that the reason for the murder was yet to be ascertained as the victim was not a politician.

Niger to deal with preachers inciting people

Kerosene for Kogi women

From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

From Mohammed Bashir Lokoja

W

IFE of Kogi State Governor Hajiya Halima Wada will today distribute 20 litres of kerosene to 50 women drawn from the wards in Lokoja, the capital.

The First Lady, who decided to subsidise the product at the cost of N50 per litre, as against the N150 it is being sold in the market, said in a statement signed by her media assistant, Adams Aikoye, that the gesture is to thank the women for voting for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in last year’s governorship election.

She said 10,000 litres of kerosene would be distributed in Lokoja, while there are plans to extend the kind gesture to women in other areas of the state.

Land Governance Assessment Studies and Sustained Public Sensitisation.

He, however, regretted that the lack of sensitisation of the importance of Land Reforms in the country made a lot of people in the rural areas not to benefit from the gains such as certificates of documentation that can be used as collateral to obtain loans from banks.

The chairman urged the media to pull their resources together in the enlightenment of the people, especially those in the rural areas, saying the committee would embark on enlightenment campaign in the country to create awareness of the scheme.

Earlier, Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso assured the committee of the support and cooperation of the government to ensure the success of its mission in Kano.

•Aliyu

G

OVERNOR Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State has said tough time awaits religious leaders or preachers who incite people.

Speaking yesterday in Minna, the state capital, during the opening of a training session on “Coaching and Mentoring for Performance Enhancement”, organised for civil servants in the directorate cadre, the governor said the state would deal with any preacher whose messages are

inciting or provocative.

Apparently referring to Sunday’s suicide bombings and reprisals in Kaduna that led to the killing of people and destruction of property, Aliyu said anybody who incites others will be isolated. He added: “There is no home in this state for such religious leaders.”

According to the governor, “in Niger, anybody, be he a pastor or imam, whose preaching incites or provokes others to use arms on one another will be dealt with. Any religious leader who causes disunity between Christians and Muslims will be isolated.”

He said the law guiding public preaching in the state was still in force and that government would not tolerate any religious leader who wanted to foment trouble.

Aliyu described Sunday’s

‘In Niger, anybody, be he a pastor or imam, whose preaching incites or provokes others to use arms on one another will be dealt with.

Any religious leader who causes disunity between Christians and Muslims will be isolated’ suicide bombings and reprisals in Kaduna State as an act of terrorism.

He said: “The terrorists want to cause mayhem in the nation and the reprisal is an indication that they have succeeded.”

He urged the Federal Government to stop the activities of the extremists and restore peace.

WO inmates of the Lafia Prison in Nasarawa State have been allegedly tortured to death by prison officials, following an attempted jail break last month, which led to the death of one person, a source has told The Nation.

A 33-year-old retired soldier, Musa Aliyu and Godwin Francis were said to have died from the torture by prison officials who were trying to get information from them.

A 26-year-old man, Monday Sati, was shot in the leg and is receiving treatment at the prison clinic.

Though the prison authorities in Lafia have refused to speak on the matter, counsel to Aliyu, Usman Elegu, confirmed the death of his client

From Johnny Danjuma, Lafia

when he came to the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital in Lafia in company of the deceased’s relations.

Elegu of Elegu Chambers, said he knew of Aliyu’s death after a week, as he was earlier denied entry into the prison. He said it was then he discovered that Francis had also died.

Efforts to get the reaction of the prison authorities proved abortive. Reporters were yesterday denied access to the Comptroller, Kunle Sanusi, though he was reportedly in the office.

The Deputy Comptroller (Administration), U.B. Oti, told our reporter to obtain information from their headquarters in Abuja.

Kogi police nab fake pastor From Mohammed Bashir, Lokoja

T

HE Kogi State Police Command has arrested a suspected fake pastor, Chuks Ingalis and a young woman, Miss Anthonia Nnenaya, who posed as a water spirit (mammy water).

They were apprehended for attempting to defraud unsuspecting worshippers during a church programme in Lokoja.

The “fake” cleric and the woman described by the police as fraudsters, were said to have been invited to Lokoja from Port Harcourt by the founder of the Eagles Kingdom Ministry, Pastor Bamidele Abraham, who organised a book launch in his church last weekend.

Ingalis said he was invited to the event to help raise money and that he was doing what he knew how to do best before the policemen arrested him.

Police Commissioner Mohammed Musa Katsina while parading the suspects at the command headquarters, said Pastor Abraham, who wrote a book and decided to launch it to raise money, invited Ingalis and Nnenaya from Port Harcourt.

He said they came with the intention to defraud the public.

The fake mammy water, Nnenaya, during interrogation, said she is based in Port Harcourt and was contracted to come to Lokoja to act as a water spirit.

She said she had been given N1,000 out of the N15,000 she was promised.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

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NEWS My impeachment illegal, says Ebonyi APGA chair From Ogbonnaya Obinna, Abakaliki

T

HE embattled Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Ebonyi State, Mr. Jerry Obasi, yesterday said his “purported” impeachment by factional members of the party is illegal.

Obasi told reporters in Abakaliki, the state capital, that those behind the plot are dissidents and non-members of the party.

He said their plan is to destabilise APGA, so that the party would fail in the council polls.

At the weekend, some factional members of the party announced Obasi’s impeachment and declared Mr. Chinedum Nwali Acting Chairman.

They alleged that Obasi was removed for allegedly violating the party’s constitution and failure to render proper financial accounts.

Obasi said APGA’s governorship candidate in the 2011 election, Ambassador Frank Ogbuewu, is responsible for his ordeal.

He said: “We will continue to fight on as a political party and support Umeh and the National Secretary, Alhaji Sani Shikarfi, notwithstanding the disgruntled elements’ attempts to destabilise the party ahead of the council polls and the 2015 general elections.”

When contacted on the telephone, Ogbuewu said he would not react to gossip.

He said: “You want me to react to gossip? Did Obasi say I was at the meeting? That gossip should remain with you people there.”

LOSS OF DOCUMENTS THE LETTERS OF ALLOCATION OF STATE LANDS AT MILLENNIUM RESIDENTIAL SCHEME I, IGBOGBO G.R.A. DATED 18TH DAY OF APRIL, 2009 WITH REFERENCE NO LU/09/ MRIS/BLK/PLT ALLOCATED TO FASHOLA AHMED ADEKUNLE AND ANOTHER ALLOCATED TO FASHOLA ABDU AZEEZ AJIBOLA WITH THE ABOVE REFERENCE NO AND DATE GOT LOST IN TRANSIT & ALL EFFORTS TO TRACE THEM PROVED ABORTIVE. LAGOS STATE LANDS BUREAU & GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD TAKE NOTE.

•A coalition of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that promote women’s health protesting the incessant rape of elderly women in Opi, Enugu State...yesterday.

Umeh slams Chime over comments on APGA

T

HE National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh, yesterday condemned Enugu State Governor Sullivan Chime’s comments that APGA is dead.

Speaking with reporters at his Enugu country home, Umeh said: “How can some-

From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

body I call my friend arrive at such a conclusion?”

He said Chime must have been “day-dreaming”.

Umeh said: “People who insinuate that APGA is dead will be swallowed by their words, because APGA will be the party to beat in

the next general elections.”

He said APGA would not only consolidate on its victory in Anambra and Imo, but would make a foray into Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi.

Umeh said a national coalition of the party with other prominent regional parties is going on to

improve its chances in future polls.

He said the “seeming crisis” in the party would soon be resolved, adding that a crisis-free organisation does not exist.

The national chairman said the party has started looking for a credible and formidable candidate to be

its standard bearer in the 2014 governorship poll in Anambra State.

He said: “We will go for somebody who has the capacity, by every ramification, to win that election for our party. He can come from any zone of the state; the important thing is victory for APGA.”

We’ll not discard subsidy probe report, says Rep

T

HE House of Representatives will continue to demand the prosecution of persons indicted in the fuel subsidy probe, the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) Committee, Mr. James Faleke, has said.

He said the bribery allegation will not lead to the neglect of the report of the House ad-hoc Committee on the fuel subsidy scam.

Faleke said the Farouk Lawan-led committee did a

By Emmanuel Oladesu

good job and the report is accurate. He said it is the responsibility of anti-graft bodies to prosecute those indicted by the panel’s report.

The legislator, who is a member of the ad-hoc committee, said not all members are involved in the bribery saga.

Faleke, who represents Ikeja Constituency, spoke at a town hall meeting held with his constituents at the Excellent Hotel, Ogba, Lagos.

He said the lower chamber cannot be aloof to government’s spending outside

the budget, adding that it is an impeachable offence.

Faleke said the fuel subsidy scam probe has revealed that all is not well with Nigeria.

He said President Goodluck Jonathan has not shown great leadership qualities.

Faleke said: “When the fuel subsidy scam probe started in the House, the ministry came up with a figure of N1.4 trillion. The Central Bank came up with N1.7 trillion and the Accountant-General said it was about N1.6 trillion. We discovered that the Federal Government has continued to spend beyond what is ap-

propriated in the budget.

That is why we want to separate the Accountant-General of the Government and the Accountant-General of the Federation.

“Much of the atrocities were committed in 2011. We submitted the report and they said it was mere investigation. The House will ensure that all the indicted persons are prosecuted.”

Lamenting the spate of corruption in government, he said the pension fund scandal is another eye opener.

He alleged that when the fuel subsidy probe kicked off, the Federal Government televi-

sion stations from covering it live.

Praising Channels Television for resisting government’s pressure and contributing to reforms in the country, he said while the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) and other stations were cowed, Channels Television acted in public interest.

Faleke said a situation where an individual had 500 bank accounts shows that those in charge of the pension fund had milked the country dry.

He said the House would continue to work towards curbing corruption.

Agunloye’s supporters pray for wise choice

O

OVERNORSHIP aspirants of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ondo State are waiting eagerly for the party to name its standard bearer.

The aspirants, who met with the party leadership recently, have continued to woo new members into the party.

In a statement, supporters

By Emmanuel Oladesu

of Dr. Olu Agunloye, under the “Omoluabi platform”, urged ACN members intensify the mobilisation of new members.

The group said: “Our efforts towards integrating Ondo State into the mainstream of Yoruba politics, through ‘the change we can trust’, will come to fruition.

“We appreciate the effort

of our numerous, hardworking and committed supporters across the 18 local governments areas. We appreciate the anxiety of our people as they await the naming of the party’s standard bearer and implore our supporters to keep calm and continue working, as all our scheduled programmes are still in place.

“The receipt of new members into the ACN in Ile Olu-

ji, Owo, Idanre, Okitipupa, Ondo, Ikare, Ago Panu, Idoani and Akure will go on as scheduled.

“Our usual meetings in units, wards and councils should continue. Members are enjoined to continue praying to God to give our leaders the wisdom to choose aright, because choosing a wrong candidate portends danger for the party.”

Ondo PDP to name consensus candidate soon

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HERE is anxiety among governorship aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Ondo State as the party prepares to name its standard bearer for the October 20 election.

The aspirants include former House of Assembly speaker Victor Olabimtan, Dr. Dare Bada, former Head of Service Gboyega Isijola, Mr. Olu Adeleye, former PDP National Legal Adviser

By Emmanuel Oladesu

Olusola Oke, former Military Administrator Capt.

Ade Adeusi and Mr. Moyosore Niran-Oladunni.

Sources said the party may adopt a consensus candidate.

They said the Ebenezer Alabi-led State Executive Committee has been meeting with aspirants and persuading them to step down in the party’s interest.

There are speculations that former Governor Oluse-

gun Agagu is disposed to an alliance with the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

It was learnt that some party leaders are rooting for Oke, while others are demanding that the candidate comes from Ondo North Senatorial District. Oke is from Ondo South District.

A source said the Labour Party (LP) has been trying to woo prominent PDP members to its side with little success.

The source added: “The PDP national leadership is not keen about the October election, but the state leaders are not giving up. PDP still has the challenge of low morale, the hangover of defeat fever, polarisation and disunity.

“The structures at the wards, council and state levels appear intact, but there is no motivation. The PDP in Ondo lacks good leadership.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

61

NEWS Assange applies for asylum in Ecuador

Man charged with killing Nigerian W in Dublin A

TWENTY-FIVE year old man has been charged with the manslaughter of a Nigerian taxi-driver in Dublin last year.

Moses Ayanwole (41), who had been living in Ireland for 15 years, had been working in the city-centre when he sustained head injuries during a row at Pearse Street, on November 21 last year.

Ayanwole, who had lived with his wife Olusola at Rusheeny Grove, Hartstown, West Dublin, was the father of a 12-yearold boy.

He went into a coma and after being taken to St James’s Hospital, it was decided not to transfer him to

the specialist unit at Beaumont Hospital due to the seriousness of his injuries. He died two days later.

Today unemployed William Keegan, of Pearse House, in Dublin 2, was charged with unlawfully killing Ayanwole.

Det-Sergeant John Doyle told Judge Cormac Dunne at Dublin District Court that Keegan was arrested and charged yesterday at Pearse Street Garda station.

“He made no reply to the charge after caution,” DetSgt Doyle told Judge Dunne, adding that he had no objection to bail.

He agreed with the judge that he did not consider Keegan to be a flight risk, but asked for him to surrender his passport as a condition of bail.

Defence solicitor Shalom Binchy told Judge Dunne that the passport was in court and could be handed over.

She also said Keegan’s brother would act as an independent surety.

Det-Sgt Doyle agreed to Gerard Keegan acting as a bail person and added that the defendant’s brother was reliable and responsible.

Olusola Ayanwole, the widow, was present for the

briefing, which was also attended by members of Mr Keegan’s family.

Dressed in a grey jacket, white shirt, striped blue tie, and black trousers, Keegan did not address the court and has not yet indicated how he intends to plead to the charge.

Legal aid was granted and he was remanded on bail in his own bond of •500 along with an independent surety in the sum of •1,000, to appear again at Cloverhill District Court on June 26.

Judge Dunne also directed that as a condition of bail, Keegan could not apply for a new passport and he has to sign on twice a week at Pearse Street garda station.

Court disqualifies Pakistani PM AKISTAN’s top court has disqualified Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani from holding office, two months after convicting him of contempt of court.

The Supreme Court ruled he had “ceased to be the prime minister of Pakistan”.

In April, the Supreme Court convicted Gilani of failing to pursue corruption charges against President Asif Ali Zardari.

The legal case is part of a bitter feud between Pakistan’s civilian government and the judiciary.

In April, Gilani was given

P

only a token sentence and spared a jail term.

Yesterday’s court ruling disqualified him from office and from parliament.

“Since no appeal was filed [against the 26 April conviction]... therefore Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani stands disqualified as a member of the Majlis-e-Shoora [parliament],” Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry told a packed courtroom.

He added: “He has also ceased to be the prime minister of Pakistan... the office of the prime minister stands vacant.”

The court backdated the dis-

qualification to April 26 , raising questions over decisions Gilani has made in office since then - including the budget.

Within hours of the order, the country’s electoral commission announced that Gilani had been disqualified from the National Assembly, with effect from April 26 .

Amid the uncertainty, Pakistan’s main stock market fell slightly by close of business yesterday.

The ruling effectively dismisses Gilani’s cabinet as well. It is not clear what next steps Gilani may take - or whether his removal means the government will fall.

•Gilani

The party and its allies should have the necessary majority in parliament to elect a successor to Gilani.

Senior leaders of the governing Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and coalition partners spent much of Tuesday locked in emergency talks with Gilani and President Zardari.

I K I L E A K S founder Julian Assange is seeking political asylum at Ecuador’s London embassy, the country’s foreign minister has said.

“Ecuador is studying and analysing the request,” Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino told reporters in Quito.

On June 14, Britain’s Supreme Court dismissed Assange’s bid to reopen his appeal against extradition to Sweden over alleged sex crimes.

He has denied the allegations, saying they are politically motivated.

The Supreme Court has given him until 28 June before extradition proceedings can start.

Swedish prosecutors want to question him over allega-

tions of rape and sexual assault made by two female former Wikileaks volunteers in mid-2010 but have not filed any charges.

Assange, whose Wikileaks website has published a mass of leaked diplomatic cables that embarrassed several governments and international businesses, claims the sex was consensual.

In a statement, Ecuador’s embassy said he had arrived there yesterday afternoon to seek asylum.

“As a signatory to the United Nations Universal Declaration for Human Rights, with an obligation to review all applications for asylum, we have immediately passed his application on to the relevant department in Quito,” it said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

62

SPORT EXTRA

Okagbare wins a fourth Nigerian sprint title B

LESSING Okagbare yesterday successfully defended the 100m title of the All Nigeria/CRS Athletics Championships, winning it for the fourth consecutive time in 11.12 secs. Just like last year Okagbare, also dipped to beat Gloria Asumnu to the gold medal.

Asumnu (11.13) was second while Lawretta Ozo was third.

All three and Isoken Wisdom (11.22) who competed in the ECOWAS Games in Accra, Ghana on Monday evening has become the fourth Nigerian girl to meet the A’ Standard of the Olympic.

Oludamola Osayomi (11.38) who placed fourth is not likely to run the sprint at the London Games.

Okagbare expressed her happiness emerging the first Nigerian lady to win the title four times. “ I am really happy defending the title here in Calabar. It was not an easy race considering those who were in the line up. It is something that I need to celebrate,” observed Okagbare at the mixed zone shortly after the race.

Although she admitted that the 11.12 seconds she clocked was not what she expected. “ But when you look at the weather condition today and the lack of time to loosen up, you will agree that the time is not altogether a bad one.”

•Okagbare

•Osayomi ruled out of London Olympic Sprint She, however, promised to improve on the time as the summer Games approaches. “ First, I will go to the Senior African Championships in Port Novo, Benin Republic to see if I can improve on it and also defend successfully the title I won in Kenya two years ago.”

On why she has not been doing the Long Jump event where she won a bronze at Beijing 2008 Olympics and even now have more potentials to reach the podium in London, Okagbare insisted the surgery she had sometime ago slowed her progression in the event. “ I am going to do the Long jump on Thursday. I need the speed of the sprint to help me in the jump. Now that I am getting real good in the sprint, I think it is time I go full blast into the long jump. Let’s see how I fare in it here on Thursday,” stressed the Sapele born sprinter.

In some of the other events concluded yesterday, Kenechukwu Ezeofor of the Prisons Service easily pocketed both the Shot Put

and Javelin event titles. He heaved 68.44m to win the Javelin, leaving the second and third positions to Friday Osayande (64.00m) and John Mike Eze (62.56m) both of the Police.

In the Shot Put, Ezeofor had no match as his 64.53m quarrantteed him the gold while Osi Denis Sunday (14.58m) of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and Adeyemi Ola Oluwatunde (14.48m) of Oyo State settled for the silver and bronze medals respectively.

The men and women 20km Walk Race was a one way police affair as Queensley Asedo and Adeyemi Kazeem claimed the gold medals. Another police athlete, Queen Henshaw (1hr.49. mins 49.13secs) was second while Bolanle Kareem (1 hr. 59.22.40) of the Sunday Bada Athletics Club settled for the bronze medal. In the men’s version, Kazeem (1.hr.44.09.70secs) was chased to the finish line by both Osi Denis Sunday (1hr.45.04.36) of the NSCDC and Lawal Oluseyi (1.hr.50.27.67secs).

Chukwudi hails Falcons' AWC qualification

U

MEA IK of Sweden attacking midfielder Ogonna Chukwudi and has congratulated the Super Falcons for booking a ticket to the African Women’s Championship (AWC) slated for Equatorial Guinea in November this year.

Chukwudi an integral member of the Falcons before the hiring of new chief coach, Kadiri Ikhana told NationSport from Sweden recently that she was happy that the country would be in the party for another shot at a record 7th title after defeating the Mighty Warriors of Zimbabwe 60 on aggregate to get the ticket.

“I am happy for Falcons for booking another ticket to the AWC. We are the undisputable champions of Africa and we are going to prove that again in Equatorial Guinea. The way the ticket was got is another good

From Tunde Liadi,Owerri talking point after we have taught Zimbabwe another lesson of how football should be played. I am not yet in the team but the positive news i got from the coach has given me assurance that I will be given a chance to prove my mettle very soon,” an optimistic Chukwudi told NationSport.

The teammate of Falcons’ player, Rita Chikwelu has been in impressive form this season with 4 goals in 8 matches for her modest club. She got her 4th goal of the season in her club’s 2-1 win against highflyers, AIK Stockholm.

The Enugu-born player who featured at the last World Cup in Germany has vowed to take her good form to their Sunday’s home clash with IFK Gotenborg in the latest round of the Swedish Women’s League.

England 1-0 Ukraine: Rooney’s header seals controversial top spot

T

HREE Lions topped Group D with important victory over cohosts, but Ukraine saw a Marko Devic strike controversially not given despite the ball looking to have crossed the line.

The co-hosts dominated much of the opening half and England were happy to get into the break level despite having the best chance through Rooney, however Roy Hodgson’s side came out with a much more positive attitude in the second half and the Manchester United striker scored the 29th goal of his international career to keep England’s unbeaten record in this competition intact.

England’s goal continued to lead a charmed life throughout the second half though and they were indebted to John Terry for a fantastic goal line clearance in the 62nd minute following Joe Hart's save from Marko Devic.

After missing the first two group games through suspension Wayne Rooney returned to the England starting line-

up for their the final game in Group D. The Manchester United striker was the only change to the side who beat Sweden so James Milner continued on the right hand of midfield despite the impact made by Theo Walcott in England’s 3-2 victory.

Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin was dealt a huge blow before kick off as captain Andriy Shevchenko was not passed fit to start the game with a knee injury. Devic replaced the influential striker and there were three other changes to the cohosts’ side as Artem Milevskiy, Denys Garmash and Yaroslav Rakitskiy replaced Andriy Voronin, Serhiy Nazarenko and Taras Mikhalik.

Cheered on by a vociferous home support Ukraine began the game on the front foot but Joe Hart’s goal was never really under threat as the England defence restricted them to shots from outside the area.

Andriy Yarmolenko had the first real sight of goal in the ninth minute when he received

the ball on the edge of the penalty area, however the Dynamo Kiev midfielder had the ball taken off his toe as John Terry executed a perfectly timed challenge.

Midway through the half the co-hosts continued to dominate the game and a mistake by Ashley Young as he attempted to deal with a cross field pass nearly gifted them the opening goal. Oleg Gusev was able to steal the ball away from the Manchester United winger, he cut in from the right wing and fired a dangerous shot towards Hart’s goal but there was too much on the shot and it flew just over the crossbar.

England’s only chance of the first half came in the 28th minute and it fell to Rooney but the striker was unable to do what everyone expected him to do on his return.

EURO 2012

GROUP

D

Sweden 2 - 0 France England 1 - 0 Ukraine

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

63

NEWS Mubarak clinically dead, says doctor

O

USTED Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who ruled his country for three decades until overthrown by a revolution in the “Arab Spring” last year, was declared clinically dead by his doctors yesterday.

Egypt’s state news agency MENA said in a report confirmed by a hospital source.

Mubarak, 84, was sentenced to life in prison earlier this month.

“Former president Hosni Mubarak has clinically died following his arrival at Maadi military hospital on Tuesday evening,” MENA said, quoting medical sources.

“Mubarak’s heart stopped beating and was subjected to a defibrillator several times but did not respond.”

But Gen. Mamdouh Shahin, a member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, told CNN, “He is not clinically dead as reported, but his health is deteriorating and he is in critical condition.”

Adel Saeed, the official spokesman of the Egyptian prosecutor, had said earlier, “We were informed by prison authority that Mubarak’s heart has stopped and they used electric shocks and CPR to resurrect him. He is now on an artificial respirator and doctors from the armed forces and International Medical Center will inspect him.”

Nile TV reported that Mubarak had suffered a stroke.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN’s senior medical correspondent, said that “clinically dead” usually refers to someone who is brain-dead. In such a case, an electroencephalogram would indicate no real brain activity, she said.

Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison June 2 for the killing of pro-democracy demonstrators last year. He already was suffering from health problems and attended court on a gurney.

His health has been reported to be in decline since he was ousted as president of Egypt in February 2011. On June 11, a prosecutor’s spokesman said Mubrak’s health deteriorated after the verdict, and that defibrillators had been used several times to revive him “due to heart complications.”

Tombs of Muhammed, Azikwe, Balewa to become National Heritage sites

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HE tombs of the late Head of State Gen. Murtala Muhammed, Dr Nnamdi Azikwe, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and the historical site of Oloibiri oil well will soon be declared as National Heritage Sites.

Mrs Adama Muhammed, the Head of the Department of Monuments Heritage and Sites at the National Commission for Museum and Monument (NCMM) disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

NAN recalls that Muhammed, a former Head of state was buried in Kano, former Prime Minister Balewa was interred in Bauchi while former President Azikwe has his final resting place in Onitsha.

F

Azazi condemns reprisals

OR National Security Adviser (NSA), Lt. Gen. Andrew Owoye Azazi (rtd), the reprisals that greeted the bombings of three churches in Zaria and Kaduna, Kaduna State last Sunday, are criminal.

The NSA would prefer the people to be proactive and support the security agencies in fishing out criminals before they carry-out their evil acts.

Besides, he assured Nigerians that the security agencies are doing everything possible to curb the activities of the fundamentalist group, Boko Haram.

The group had owned up to series of bomb blasts that had recently rocked some states in the Northeast.

Azazi spoke at the parley of service chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

At the meeting were: Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petirin, Chief of Naval Staff (NNS) Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Vice Admiral Ola Saheed Ibrahim, Air Vice Marshal Mohammed

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

Umar and Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), Ita Ekpenyong.

The NSA was fielding questions from State House reporters at the end of the emergency security meeting chaired by Vice President Namadi Sambo to assess the security situation in the country.

President Goodluck Jonathan left the country yesterday for Rio De Janeiro, Brazil for the United Nations’ Earth Summit, RIO+20. The meeting starts today.

The service chiefs who were first to come out of the meeting, declined comments.

According to the NSA, leaders of thought, religious leaders and community leaders have been drafted in to talk to the people against taken to violence.

He said: “Talking can never be late. Whatever is the situation, you have to end up talking. We want leaders to be proactive. We want church leaders to be proactive. We want youth leaders to be proactive to make sure that what

you call reprisal doesn’t make sense to anybody. “What we need to do is to be mindful that somebody is killing in Zaria and you are retaliating somewhere in Zonkwa. That is criminality.

“Things happen but as a nation, as a people we must address the situation not necessarily by killing each other.”

On the additional measures, he said: “If you study countries where you have had this kind of terrorism, we wish that the situation could come under control and security services are working.

“We try to understand and like the media in several countries, you find that the media know the society, they are part of the solution. So, all of us must come together to provide information to the security services so that we can prevent them.

“In many cases you find security services are able to prevent these bombs from going off. But because we are a big society and the society is somehow liberal, you can’t always prevent them you don’t find the number of po-

licemen that you think should be available.”

Citing Kano as an example where the security agencies have received tremendous support from the people, NSA called for proactive measures from the people to discover where these are coming from.

His words: “In certain parts of the country today and I will give an example like Kano, they are more proactive. So, you find that you are able to arrest the situation before it get to this level.

“But that notwithstanding, even a small country like Israel where you have terrorism in spite of all the walls once in a while, they still succeed in detonating bombs. So, we will like to arrest the situation as soon as possible. But we need everybody’s help to discover where these are coming from”.

On the escalating security situation, he said: “Not right now. It escalated but the security forces have moved in so the place is stabilized. You find out that the governor and religious leaders are also talking.

•Gen. Azazi

“What we are talking about is how do we extend this discussion beyond just the state that it can go down church leaders can talk to the leaders in the mosques to see how they can tell the adherents to please be mindful that we need to address the security situation in the country peacefully.”

On the possibility of declaring state of emergency in the troubled states, he asked, “Who is supposed to declare?

“I don’t know about that,” he said.

Tukur urges review of PDP manifesto

P

•Amuka (left), Okoli and Senator Olajumoke...yesterday.

Olajumoke, Amuka urge Jonathan to sign Disabilities Bill

E

MINENT Nigerians have urged President Goodluck Jonathan to sign the Persons with Disabilities Bill pending on his table since 2010.

Senator Bode Olajumoke and Vanguard publisher Sam Amuka made the request yesterday at a media round table in Lagos.

It was organised by the Mobility Aid and Appliances Research and Development Centre (MAARDEC) Amuka, Chairman of the event said the head of the centre, Mr. Cosmos Okoli, is a national figure who has proved that his life and physical disabilities are not a handicap.

Amuka said Okoli’s activities are “ a great credit to this country.”

He said Vanguard would partner with the centre to enable it realise its objectives. He invited Okoli to become a Vanguard columnist.

Chairman of the centre’s board of directors, Senator Olajumoke, extol Okoli as an inspiration to many. Olajumoke said the campaign should not be a one-man affair and that the Disabilities Bill, which he sponsored, was harmonised by the National As-

•Okoli, others to ride across Nigeria sembly in 2010 and sent to the President. It has been awaiting presidential assent since then. “The media should put pressure on the President to assent it,” he said.

Okoli said the group wanted Nigeria to domesticate the United Nation (UN) version of the bill. “The schools, public buildings should be made accessible to us. The buildings and roads are not constructed to our advantage. The walkways of the roads do not have ramps. So, we are forced to use the same roads with the vehicles. The Senate’s bill was sponsored by Olajumoke and the House of Representatives’ by Abike Dabiri. The bill has been sent to the President for assent. We urge him to assent it,” he explained.

As part of the campaign, Okoli said three physically-challenged persons, including himself, would embark on a monthlong ride from Lagos to Abuja with manual tricycles covering a distance of 1, 349 km.

Fed Govt orders FAAN to chase out clearing agents HE Federal Governtheir officials, Mr Sefrom MMIA cargo wing through ment yesterday ordered gun Musa and Mr Dada Livi-

T

clearing agents and freight forwarders out the cargo axis of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. This is to pave the way for the construction of a new cargo terminal at the airport.

The government said the operations of the clearing agents and freight forwarders at the proposed site could hamper construction works in the area.

The government directive, the Head of Public Affairs of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) at the

By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor

MMIA, Mr Victor Arisa said, is part of the new airport security strategy unveiled by the government to regulate the operations of workers at the nation’s airports.

He explained that the directive, which takes immediate effect, was conveyed to the leadership of the affected unions at a meeting.

These include the Association of Licensed Customs Agents (ANCLA), the National Association of Government Approved Freight

Forwarders (NAGAF) and the National Association of Consolidators and Freight Forwarders (NACFAC). The unions have communicated the directive to their members.

Arisa said the directive would lead to the evacuation of hundreds of cargo agents from their makeshift tents at the cargo terminal and pave the way for the construction of a new cargo terminal.

He said the agents and freight forwarders were not given an alternative location.

The unions, which spoke

nus Agubuzo, described the relocation order as insensitive.

They said it would affect over 5,000 persons who do business around the cargo terminal and threaten their business.

The unionists said they were only summoned to a meeting with MMIA Regional Manager, who conveyed the directive to them.

They described it as undemocratic because it did not allow them to adjust their operations.

EOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has called for the review of the party’s manifesto to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Tukur made the call on Monday in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital while delivering a keynote address at the National Working Committee/ Induction Policy Retreat.

He also called for the amendment of the party’s constitution to provide for sanctions of erring members and to reduce indiscipline in the party.

“All those responsible for policy formulation should make transparency and adherence to rule of law their watchword,” Tukur emphasised.

He said the retreat was an avenue to tell party members the truth, stressing that as the ruling party, the PDP must do things right.

The national chairman urged the retreat to explore ways of promoting the rights of youth and women, through good governance, peace and stability.

Tukur said the PDP was in position to provide good leadership that would be development-oriented based on justice, fairness, transparency and equity.

He promised that organisation and mobilisation of party faithful would be a continuous exercise and not just during primaries.

In his goodwill message, the Akwa Ibom Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, urged PDP to hand over the party to God for divine guidance.

“Part of what will make PDP thick is to take the party to God, in everything we do, we must put God first. I think that is what is lacking in Nigeria, we must allow God to be with us.

“This is a very serious retreat for self-cleansing, for retrospection in a serious period like this,” Akpabio said.

He noted that PDP was in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom capital to renew its covenant with God”, adding “God will shine His face to Nigeria. “

www.thenationonlineng.net

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

TODAY IN THE NATION

VOL. 7 NO.2162

’‘What is good for Nigeria’s roadside internet cafes and computer training centres is better for our courts! Shamefully, it has taken the visit of a distinguished Australian jurist to repeat our 20 years demand to go IT and confirm the poor showing of Nigeria’s Supreme Court judgments at the international level as a result of ‘absent IT’’’

C OMMENT & D EB ATE EBA

I

T is with absolute respect to your esteemed office and full recognition of your position as the President of our great nation that I write to express my deep feelings about the subject-matter of this open letter. May I then, with all respect and loyalty to your high office, state:- The office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a creation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The President on May 29, last year, swore to the oath of allegiance contained in the Seventh Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, that he will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Nigeria and above all, will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.

In the oath of office, which the president swore to, it is clearly stated that he will do right to all manners of people, according to law, without fear or favour, affection or illwill and that he will devote himself to the service and well-being of the people of Nigeria. The legal interpretation of the salient provisions/requirements of oath of office of the president has been interpreted by serious legal minds to necessarily include that the president will not take unconstitutional steps either against the nation as a whole or any individual who is a citizen of Nigeria. This by extension means that the president will not assume either political of Constitutional Powers which is not expressly donated to him by the Constitution.

I, the Alaafin of Oyo and indeed the majority of Yoruba monarchs of like minds, are at a complete loss as to what exactly is the position of the president in the Justice Ayo Salami’s suspension saga. I have requested for legal opinions of well informed people of good standing in the legal profession on my understanding of the constitutional provisions in relation to the appointment, removal and discipline of judicial officers, especially, a President of the Court of Appeal. I have been informed that my opinion on the correct interpretation of the relevant section of the Constitution on the appointment, removal and discipline of a judicial officer, particularly the President of the Court of Appeal is the true and correct position of the law. I must therefore call the attention of His Excellency to the provisions of Section 238 (4) and (5) of the Constitution and paragraphs 21 (a) and (b) of the third schedule of the same constitution.

Section 238(4)(4) states that if the office of President of the Court of Appeal is vacant, or if the person holding the office is for any reason unable to perform the functions of the office, then until a person has been appointed to and has assumed the functions of that office, or until the person holding the office has resumed those functions, the president shall appoint the most senior justice of the Court of Appeal to perform those

OPEN FORUM

By OBA LAMIDI ADEYEMI III

Memo to Jonathan on Salami

•Justice Salami

functions.

Section 238 (5)(5): Except on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council,an appointment pursuant to the provisions of subsection(4)of this section shall cease to have effect after the expiration of three months from the date of such appointment, and the President shall not re-appoint a person whose appointment has lapsed. And under Paragraph 21 (a)and(b)of the third schedule of the 1999 Constitution, it is provided thus:- 21.The National Judicial Council shall have power to:-(a) recommend to the President from among the list of persons submitted to it by:- (i) the Federal Judicial Service Commission, persons for appointment to the offices of the Chief Justices of Nigeria, the justices of the Supreme Court, the President and Justices of the Court of Appeal, the Chief Judge and Judges of the Federal High Court and(ii)the Judicial Service Commission of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, persons for appointment to the offices of the Chief Judge and Judges of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the Grand Khadi and Khadis of the Sharia Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory,Abuja and the President and Judges

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of the Customary Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.(b)recommend to the President the removal from office of the judicial officers specified in subparagraph(a)of this paragraph and to exercise disciplinary control over such officers.

From the above provisions of the law, the following are not in doubt. That; (1)The National Judicial Council is the statutory body saddled with the responsibility of recommending for the approval of the President, persons for appointment as Federal Judicial Officers. (2) The National Judicial Council can also recommend to the President persons to be removed as National Judicial Officers. (3) The discipline of such Judicial Officer, that fall short of removal is vested on the National Judicial Council. (4) The President has no constitutional powers to exercise in the discipline of a Judicial Officer where the complete removal from office of the officer is not recommended by the NJC.(5) Where a President of the Court of Appeal is disciplined by the National Judicial Council (NJC) by way of suspension from office (which is not removal from office) the President shall have the power to appoint the next most senior judge of the court in Acting Capacity for only three months (6) The Appointment of such a person in acting capacity shall not be extended by the President unless on the advice or recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC). Applying the above provision, of the constitution to the peculiar facts and circumstances of Justice Ayo Salami’s case; it will be noted, that; (1)The suspension of Hon. Justice Ayo Salami as the President of the Court of Appeal was on the recommendation of the NJC. (2) The reference of the suspension/decision to Mr. President ought not to be as the 1999 Constitution does not provide that the President should play any role in the discipline of a Judicial Officer, except in cases where the recommendation of the National Judicial Council is for the removal of the Judicial Officer. (3) The National Judicial Council which is clothed with the powers to discipline Justice Ayo Salami has now seen the need to rescind its suspension order and has informed the President.(4)By the provision of the Constitution, the letter of the National Judicial Council to the President on

HARDBALL

W

E may never know the exact number of people who died in the Boko Haram bombing of three churches in Kaduna and Zaria, and in subsequent attacks in Yobe. Different reports suggest that the toll could be anywhere from 60 to well over 100.

Not all the victims died from the blasts.

Many were killed in reprisal attacks that followed. Yesterday, the Kaduna State Government was forced to re-impose a 24-hour curfew when revenge attacks flared up again.

The tension in large parts of the North is palpable as security forces battle to contain the violence. The fear of reprisal attacks has spread to certain cities in the South. Add this to the fact that the nation is barely out of mourning over the tragic loss of 153 lives in the Dana Airline crash, and it all makes for a very dark mood across the land.

Against this backdrop it becomes hard to fathom what President Goodluck Jonathan is doing at the United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. What is the compelling reason for this trip when your house is on fire?

Many world leaders are attending the event which is discussing environmental and de-

Jonathan goes to Rio velopmental issues, but they don’t have Jonathan’s problems. For all of the summit’s supposed importance many others who have other priorities are not attending. United States President Barack Obama is unlikely to show up. British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the entire European Parliament have indicated that they would not be there.

Why is it so important for Jonathan to be in Rio at this point in time when things are threatening to spiral out of control at home?

Why could he not have delegated his Vice President or some senior minister to stand in for him?

His staying at home may not automatically extinguish the Boko Haram fire, but it would be symbolic and send out a message of a leader who understands he has a major headache to tackle, and is willing to meet the challenge head-on.

Trips such as the president’s Rio junket only

TONY MARINHO

that issue is to all intent and purpose to inform the President that there will be no need to extend the tenure of the person who is acting as the President of the Court of Appeal.

(5)The President consent for the return of Justice Ayo Salami to his position as the President of the Court of Appeal is not necessary as the Constitution has not given him such power of consenting authority in such a situation. (6) The decision of the National Judicial Council to lift the suspension on Justice Ayo Salami, automatically restores him as the President of the Court of Appeal and removes whoever is occupying the office in acting capacity. (7) In the absence of a written recommendation by the National Judicial Council, the President will have no power to re-appoint a person who is in office in acting capacity. I stand to be corrected, that apart from the letter written to the President intimating him on the desire to reinstate Justice Ayo Salami as the President of the Court of Appeal, there is no other letter written to the President thereafter where the National Judicial Council recommended the extention of the period of the acting capacity of Justice Adamu Bello.

The nation is therefore asking for where the President derived the power to extend or reappoint Justice Adamu Bello as the acting President of the Court of Appeal in view of the provisions of Section 238 (5) of the 1999 Constitution? As a foremost Yoruba monarch and the custodian of traditional rights and obligations of the Yoruba people, I think that charity must necessarily begins at home and that a father should not stand akimbo while his son is being unjustly treated. I have never met Justice Ayo Salami either in his personal or official capacity before, but something in me tells me that he is not being fairly treated.

If the President could suspend him at the time he did when his case against the relevant persons or bodies were pending, I cannot now fathom why the pendency of certain cases in court will now form the basis of not reinstating him when the body (i.e. NJC) which recommended him for suspension has rescinded that decision.

I urge His Excellency to rise above political bickering and influence and take a firm stand as a statesman, which I have no doubt, he is, to see that Justice Ayo Salami is reinstated as the President of the Court of Appeal, forthwith. This will go a long way to endear him in the minds of the people as a man who will always rise above political or personal relationship in taking necessary or desirable decisions on matters of National interest.

Please, accept the assurances of my warmest esteem and loyalty. Iku Baba Yeye. Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, JP., CFR, LLD The Alaafin of Oyo and Permanent Chairman, Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs •Oba Adeyemi is the Alaafin of Oyo •Mohammed Haruna returns next week

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above underline the insensitivity of Nigerian leaders and their misplaced priorities. In times of serious crisis national leaders don’t take off on some foreign trip – no matter how important. And if they are already overseas, they cut short their visit and hurry home to deal with the problem.

In August last year, as the worst social upheavals Britain had experienced in decades escalated into a third night of rioting, Prime Minister David Cameron cut short his Italian holiday to return to London to handle the crisis. Even at that, he faced a storm of media criticism for being away during the riots.

Clearly, all is not well with the nation. Nigeria is dicing dangerously with uncontrollable sectarian warfare. Anyone with a sense of history knows how volatile Kaduna can be.

No one knows at what point the additional straw that will break the camel’s back will be delivered.

Jonathan’s presence in Rio at this time is the clearest evidence that he does not appreciate the gravity of our national crisis. His continued stay in Brazil suggests a cavalier approach to our troubles that is unacceptable. He must return home immediately to deal with the crisis.

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