Mar 13, 2014 by The Nation

NEWS

Govt okays forensic audit of NNPC’s account

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•THE SCENE OF HORR OR: Emergency workers moving a body on the scene...yesterday HORROR: •SEE PAGES 4&5

Woman, two kids, three brothers among victims of Lagos boat disaster

O fewer than 13 persons, including two children, were yesterday confirmed dead - four others were presumed missing - following a boat mishap at a canal located between Fourth and Sixth avenues, FESTAC Town on the outskirts of Lagos. Six persons, including Samuel Ochina, Joseph Essien, Mane Temisan, Etukofot Goddery and Daniel Peters, were rescued by local divers and emergency agencies officials. They were taken to the Lagos University Teahing Hospital (LASUTH) for treatment.

By Precious Igbonwelundu

The canal is reportedly a haven oil vandals. The Nation reported last year the activities of the vandals whose illegal bunkering the residents have decried as a result of the gross environmental pollution and health hazards they are exposed to. Eyewitnesses blamed the mishap on overloading, noting that the boat had about 24 passengers against its capacity of 10 to 17 people. Continued on page 4

•A woman being consoled on the scene...yesterday

PHOTOS: PRECIOUS IGBONWELUNDU

Jonathan steps in to stop Gusau’s resignation Presidency: he’s still in the cabinet Row over Security Agencies Act

•Gen. Gusau

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan moved fast yesterday to prevent what could have been a major blow to his cabinet. He prevailed on Minister of Defence Lt.-Gen. Aliyu Gusau not to resign, barely one week after assuming office. The President met with Gen. Gusau

From Yusuf Alli and Augustine Ehikioya Abuja

at the Villa where he agreed to shelve his resignation plan over what was described as “issues” with the Service Chiefs. Senate President David Mark and some eminent Nigerians also inter-

vened in the matter, it was learnt. Gen. Gusau is said to be unhappy with the alleged insubordination of the Service Chiefs and the fact that he is unaware of military campaign plans against Boko Haram in the Northeast. According to a source, who pleaded not to be named because it is a

security matter, when the President got wind of Gen. Gusau’s plan to resign, he stepped into the matter. The source said: “Apart from preliminary rapprochement on Tuesday night, the President had audience with Gen. Gusau at the Presidential Villa Continued on page 2

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THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

NEWS Tambuwal, Jega: N45b inadequate for INEC

•Minister of Agriculture Minister, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina speaking during a visit to wheat farm of a farmer Yusuf Abdullahi in Kadawa, Kano State…on Tuesday. With him (from left) are: Minister of State for Agriculture Mrs. Asabe Asmau Ahmed, Farmers’ group leader in Kano State, Yusuf Nadabo, Chairman of House Committee of Agriculture, Mohammed Tahir Monguno and host farmer Abdullahi. STORY ON PAGE 11

Jonathan steps in to stop Gusau’s resignation Continued from page 1

early yesterday to prevail on him not to quit the cabinet. He also promised to address some of the issues between him and the service chiefs. “Based on the assurance from the President, Gusau shelved his plan to resign from the Federal Executive Council (FEC). “As I am talking to you, the President of the Senate and some eminent Nigerians have also prevailed on Gen. Gusau to remain in the cabinet.” Asked why Gen. Gusau was not at the FEC meeting yesterday, the source said: “The Minister was actually indisposed; he took ill. He only managed to meet with the President earlier in the day and took permission not to be at the meeting.” Presidential spokesman Reuben Abati also denied that Gen. Gusau had resigned. Abati told reporters yesterday: “About two hours or so ago, there was a report by an online medium, alleging that the Minister of Defence Lt.-Gen. Aliyu Gusau resigned his appointment. “This is to let you know that that story is untrue. Gen. Gusau remains in office as Minister of

Defence. He was absent from today’s FEC meeting and this particular online medium cited this in support of its allegation that he had resigned. “Well, he was absent from today’s meeting with the permission of President Jonathan. So, the story is not true; he remains in office and he himself has already dismissed the story as untrue. “But I think this further clarification is necessary before we are confronted with a situation where all kinds of wild speculations begin to come up and the story begins to develop and grow various branches,” he said. The Senior Special Assistant on Media to Gen. Gusau, Mr. Adebisi Adekunle, also said the minister had not resigned. It was immediately clear last night how the President plans to manage the crisis of confidence between Gen. Gusau and the service chiefs. The service chiefs were said to be opposed to Gen. Gusau being the Coordinating Minister of Defence, with supervisory role on the Armed Forces, including strategic military commandants. It was learnt that Gen. Gusau had invited the service chiefs to

a meeting, but only the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, turned up. Marshal Badeh was accused of being “rude” to Gen. Gusau and Minister of State for Defence, Mr. Musiliu Obanikoro. Gen. Gusau was said to have contemplated leaving after meeting with the CDS, if he cannot operate freely with service chiefs. It was gathered that Gen. Gusau felt frustrated because it seemed his terms for accepting the job were not being followed. The terms are: •Serving as coordinating Minister of Defence; •free hands to operate; •a waiver to do whatever he can to salvage the security challenges facing the nation and; •the opportunity to resign anytime from the cabinet if he is displeased with the situation or if he feels that he has fulfilled his mission in the Federal Executive Council (FEC). A source said: “Gen. Gusau and Obanikoro invited the CDS, the service chiefs and strategic commandants for a meeting but only the CDS came. He said the service chiefs were coordinating operation in the Northeast.

“The CDS also promised to convene the decisions of the meeting to the service chiefs. Gusau saw the absence of the service chiefs as disrespectful. “I think the challenge at hand borders on the fact that the service chiefs do not want to subjugate themselves to civilian control because it is against the National Security Agencies Act. “They also claim that since the ongoing operation in the Northeast is tactical, they cannot sit down with the minister of defence to discuss their strategies and intelligence issues. “I think this position was misinterpreted to mean that the CDS called Obanikoro a bloody civilian.” But another source added: “There was no way the CDS could be rude to Gen. Gusau because in and out of the military, an officer must be respected. Gen. Gusau is a product of NDA Regular Course 1 and the CDS a graduate of Regular Course 22. “Marshal Badeh also said he did not call Obanikoro a ‘bloody civilian at all.’ Maybe Obanikoro misread the CDS’ mood at the session.” The military chiefs and secuContinued on page 69

EXT year’s general elections may run into trouble — no thanks to poor funding. The government has budgeted N45billion for INEC in this year’s financial plan, but the agency said it sought N102billion. Although the elections are fixed for February next year, all the preparations will be done this year. House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal decried the slashing of the INEC budget. INEC Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega also said the N45billion is not enough to procure its material needs, let alone run the elections. They spoke in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, yesterday during a public lecture organized by the Mustapha Akanbi Foundation (MAF). Justice Mustapha Akanbi, a retired President of the Court of Appeal and pioneer Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), is the promoter of the foundation. Yesterday’s lecture is entitled: “Challenges of fraud-free elections under a democratic dispensation.” Tambuwal said: “Now the 2014 appropriation Bill is before the National Assembly and talking about a truly independent INEC, you need to fund the electoral body to be able to carry out its all-important assignment of conducting elections. “However, what we have before us as the total sum required by INEC according to the budget office is N45bn whereas INEC itself is requesting about N63.8bn for the proper conduct of that election. “This is what INEC is seeking to conduct a free, fair and credible election. We have before us the proposal of N45bn instead of N63.8bn. Therefore, there is a deficit of about N19bn. Unless and until we are able to meet up and give INEC as a government what is required, then we are about preparing...don’t read my body language. “ Prof Jega said: “On the question of the budget, I must say it is a serious challenge. What the budget office presented is an envelope. We had a prior discussion before that envelope was

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

brought to the National Assembly. “As Mr. Speaker rightly said, that budget was actually a fraction of what we need to conduct that election. If we have to keep on improving the integrity of the election, we also have to incur necessary expenditures in that process. “We have to engage ad-hoc staff, we have to pay them allowances, we have to transport them or give them transport allowance, we have to provide what we call lunch allowance to security agencies, we have to procure ballot papers with security detail and we also have to procure result sheet in addition to ballot papers and ballot boxes and all those non-sensitive materials that are required to hold elections. “And our requirements are far, in excess of what is in the law. What keeps us optimistic is that in 2011, both the National Assembly and the Executive have seen the need to provide appropriate funding in order to do a good election and we are hopeful that this recognition now will be made and funding requirements would be provided. “Anytime we mention figures about how much it will cost for election, we are put on the defensive. But since the Honourable Speaker has mentioned the figure, I am duty-bound to mention our figure. “In our engagement with the relevant authorities, we said, “Look N45bn is not even sufficient for us to do necessary procurement between now and say November, and to pay salaries and other entitlements of staff because all those are part of this N45bn. “The procurement for purely electoral materials and electoral activities alone outside of payment of allowances is more than N45bn. So how can you get N45bn for the entire exercise? Like I said to you, when we had discussion with the budget office, we submitted the budget of N102bn and yet N45bn is what is submitted for us. “We hope our engagement with government and the National Assembly will provide more funding for us to be able Continued on page 69

Govt approves forensic audit of NNPC account

FORENSIC audit of the account of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has been approved by President Goodluck Jonathan. This is to enable it to establish the amount of money the oil giant has failed to remit to the Federation Account. The indication of the audit was given by Minister of Finance Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala when she appeared at the National Assembly while defending the allocation of missing $20billion - raised by the suspended Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. Yesterday, while requesting Sanusi to defend the allegation against him by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), Presidential spokesman Reuben Abati said: “Furthermore, in keeping with its avowed commitment to full transparency, openness and accountability in governmental affairs, the Federal Government has authorized the engagement of reputable international firms for the recommended forensic audit of NNPC accounts. The Presidency challenged Sanusi to defend himself against the allegations raised against him. It insisted that Sanusi’s suspension had nothing to do with his allegation of unmerited money to the Federation Account by the

Judge’s absence stalls hearing of suspended CBN boss’ suit

HE absence of Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja, stalled yesterday the scheduled hearing in the suit by suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. Justice Kolawole on February 24 refused an ex-parte application by Sanusi, but ordered that the defendants be put on notice. He adjourned till yesterday. Yesterday, lawyers in the suit were told by an official of the court that Justice Kolawole was attending a seminar. Parties later agreed to return on March 19. Sanusi had, by the ex-parte application, sought to reverse his suspension by President Goodluck Jonathan, pending the determination of an interlocutory motion he filed along with the substantive suit he initiated, challenging the suspension. From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Abati said Sanusi is spreading false allegations because he has an axe to grind with the government. He said: “We have noted with disappointment, the unrelenting attempt by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, to falsely portray his recent suspension from office as an attempt by the

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

He accompanied the ex-parte application with documents, including a letter dated February 19, 2014 addressed to the plaintiff by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, titled:”Suspension from office.” Justice Kolawole, while refusing the application, held that he felt hesitant and constrained to grant the reliefs sought. On Sanusi’s apprehension that a delay would occasion harm to his interest, the judge noted that the court possesses the powers to declare the suspension unlawful and order his return to office, if at the end of trial, it finds that the suspension was wrong. He added that even where the tenure had lapsed, the court could order the defendants to pay the plaintiff such remunera-

Presidency to bury his allegation that huge sums of money due to the Federation Account are unaccounted for by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). “The Presidency wishes to reaffirm that Mallam Sanusi’s suspension has absolutely nothing to do with his unproven and inconsistent claim that $49.8 Billion, $12 Billion or $20 Billion is missing from the national treasury. “As was clearly stated in the

tions and allowances, if his remuneration and allowances were also suspended while his suspension lasted. The judge held that it was unsafe, at the current preliminary stage of the case, for the court to embark on granting far-reaching interim orders which have all the attributes of a mandatory injunction without hearing from the defendants Justice Kolawole noted that when defendants are served with all necessary processes, he intends to inquire whether, in the light of the Third Alteration Act, No: 20 of the Constitution, the Federal High Court has the jurisdiction to hear the case, irrespective of the questions for determination contained in the originating summons. Named as defendants in the suit are President Jonathan, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Inspector General of Police.

letter suspending him from office and confirmed by President Goodluck Jonathan in his last Presidential Media Chat, Mallam Sanusi’s suspension was wholly based on the need for him to step aside while the weighty charges of financial recklessness, gross misconduct and persistent disregard for laid down rules and regulations in the management of the Central Bank made against him by the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria and others are proper-

ly investigated. “It is most unfortunate that instead of trying to provide some reasonable response to the clear and unambiguous query of his official conduct as Governor of the Central Bank, Mallam Sanusi has cynically chosen to whip up public sympathy for himself and anger against the Federal Government by deliberately misleading unwary Nigerians and the international community into believing the falsehood that he is be-

•Sanusi

ing punished for exposing corruption. “In recent days, the suspended CBN governor has, following in the footsteps of others who have an axe to grind with the government, taken to spreading his false claims and allegations through gullible foreign media correspondents, telling them among other thing that his threat to force commerContinued on page 69

ADVERT HOTLINES: 08023006969, 08052592524 NEWSROOM: LAGOS – 08099365644, ABUJA – 07028105302 COMPLAINTS: 01-8930678

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

NEWS LAGOS BOAT MISHAP

Mentally ill •Continued from page 1

T • From right: Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs, Dr Precious Gbeneol, South African Minister for Women, Ms Lulama Xingwana, Gambian Vice President and Minister for Women Affairs Dr. Aja Isatou Njie-Saidy and Minister for Women Affairs, Hajia Zainab Maina at the Nigeria/UNMC side event during the 58th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York... yesterday.

•From left: Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema, Chief Olusegun Osunkeye, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs Odein Ajumogbia at the Society for Cooperate Governance in Nigeria’s breakfast session in Lagos ...yesterday. PHOTO: ABIODUN WILIAMS

•Former Managing Director, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) George Uriesi (left) handing over to his successor, Saleh Dunoma at the agency’s headquater in Lagos...yesterday.

•From left: Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr Bassey Dan-Abia; Board Chairman, Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw and Executive Director, Projects, Mr Tuoyo Omatsuli at the commission's board and management retreat in Uyo...yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

HE incident occurred at about 7:30pm on Tuesday while most of the occupants were rushing to Fourth Avenue to watch the Arsenal and Bayern Munich match. According to a local diver, David Mark, who said he was on queue to join the next canoe before the incident, “a little girl warned the passengers and boat owner that the canoe will capsize due to overload”. “She told them that the weight was too much and that some of them should go down to avoid capsize, but they did not listen to her. “I heard her shouting ‘this canoe will tumble and I will swim my way out. I doubt if most of you can swim. It appears you do not want to do the right thing. The weight is too much’, yet they refused to yield her advice because most of them were running to watch football. “Less than three minutes after the boat took off, it started staggering and the passengers were just shouting that the dirty water was touching them. “By the time it got to the middle, it eventually tumbled and I watched the little girl swim out and went away. I may not be able to recognise her but I think she stays on the other side (pointing to 6th avenue). “The boat operator also died. That boat was supposed to carry a maximum of 17 passengers. “Immediately, I pulled my clothes and dived into the water along with others who know how to swim, but we could only save seven lives after several hours because the carnal is swampy. “The others we recovered Tuesday night (11) were dead and we were told that one of the seven victims also died in the hospital.” Mark said officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), led by the General Manager, Dr. Femi Osayintolu, were on the scene. Other divers, Anthony Ogbabon, Yusuf Yaya and Tony Priye, corroborated Mark’s story. Ogbabon, who said he lost his younger brother, Ebuka, in the mishap, did not know that he was a victim until he saw his body. “I got here around 10pm after I was called that a boat had capsized and people were trapped underwater. Because I know how to swim, I quickly rushed down to help save lives. I did not know my brother was among the victims. “We recovered about 11 men and a woman (all dead). I was shocked when I saw my brother’s body. Ebuka left the house to watch a match but it did not occur to me he could be among. “At that point (5am), I followed others to take his body to the mortuary and I went home from there. So, I just came back this morning to continue searching for others because they said four or five more people were missing.” Yaya said he saw five people come out of the boat at about 7:40pm while local divers were struggling to save lives. “Immediately the boat capsized, five people came out. That was before I entered the water. Then, I joined others for the operation and I left around 12:30am. “As we were still here, the Local Government Chairman (Ayodele Adewale) came in. He was crying,” said Yaya. Osayintolu said 19 persons had been recovered. He said: “Although we did not get the information early enough, we

•Festac boat mishap

joined forces with the Local Emergency Management Agency (LEMA) to save some lives. “Seven persons were rescued alive, one of them, a lady, unfortunately, died in the process of evacuation before we got to LASUTH. Then, another victim was given first aid at the scene and discharged. Five others were taken to the hospital for observation. “They have also been treated and discharged today (Wednesday). But, unfortunately, 13 lives were lost,” said Osayintolu. Sympathising with families of the deceased, Osayintolu warned that the state government would no longer tolerate lawlessness on its waterways, noting that “a lot has been put in place to ensure safety, yet people keep flaunting the laws”. “We have appealed to our people to ensure they use life jackets whenever they are using water transportation. They are basic things needed for sea transportation and for safety.” One crash too many... Relatives of the deceased and missing persons wandered the place in search of their loved ones or their remains. While some onlookers lamented the loss of three sons by one family, others that a destitute woman with two of her children (a boy and girl) who boarded the boat were yet to be found. People, especially women, were wailing and mentioning names of those they presumed were yet to be recovered from the canal. An old woman, whose identity was not immediately known wept and asked to be allowed to go and see the canal, but she was persuaded out of the premises by sympathisers who said she lost her child. A man, Osaro Okungbo, who told The Nation that he was called to identify his younger brother Uyi’s body on Tuesday night. He said: “I do not know what to do or say. I do not even know what to tell my parents who are still alive and in Edo State. Uyi is a student and I was surprised when I got a call to come to the canal that an accident has occurred. “Getting here, I was shown my younger brother’s lifeless body. I could not take it and so I stepped

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

LAGOS BOAT MISHAP

woman, brothers among victims

•Ogbabon

•Okungbo, elder brother to the late Uyi

•Mark

‘They lived, played and died together’ •Council mourns boat mishap victims T

IMOTHY, Paul and Joshua had no inkling that death was near. Born of the same parents, the three brothers lived, played and did so many things together. Unfortunately, they also died together on Tuesday evening in a boat mishap in FESTAC, Lagos mainland. They were among those who died in the illfated wooden passenger boat that capsized on Tuesday night. Timothy, 13, was in JSS 1 at the Junior Grammar School, near Akara junction. Joshua and Paul were in primary school. The late Timothy’s headteacher, who refused to mention his name, confirmed his death, adding that he did not have details of the incident. According to him, yesterday was the school’s inter-house sports and he wanted to finish with the event before visiting the scene. The school is located at 41 Road, near Akara junction where the incident occurred. It was gathered that there used to be a wooden bridge on the less than 100 meters distance which collapsed, forcing passengers to aside. Then, much later, we were told to come back this morning to claim our relatives. That is why I came here. “Though I have not seen my brother this morning, I was told that the government people have taken all the bodies to the mortuary in Yaba and that we should go there to claim our relatives,” Okungbo said. Government seals off route... Amuwo Odofin Chairman Adewale said the route would be permanently sealed, since all efforts to stop the people from commuting through it yielded no positive results.

By Jude Isiguzo

now resort to the use of boat to cross the carnal. A senior police officers at the FESTAC division, who was part of the rescue team, confirmed that the boat was over loaded. The officers said police gathered that the boat is supposed to carry 12 passengers but had 24 persons on it when it capsized. It was also gathered that the paddler was underage and was not supposed to be the one paddling the boat but had to because he was instructed to by the operators since it was the last trip for the night. He also died. The Amuwo Odofin Local Government yesterday declared a three-day mourning. The council, in a statement by its Chief Press Secretary, Evang. Rapheal Egunjobi, said: “We share in the pain of the bereaved families and pray to God to grant them the fortitude to bear the loss. While we sympathize with the bereaved, we equally louden again our stand in

He said there was no plan by the government to build a bridge across the canal, given that the Festac link bridge is less tham 10 minutes walk from the disaster site. Adewale disclosed that the local government had in the last two years, temporarily closed the route with chains, but the people always found a way to cut off the chains. “I think the nearest bridge, which is just about 2000 metres away, is enough to take care of the needs of the people. The problem is that the people do not want to move away from their old trend of commuting through this route. The bridge that was here before was a makeshift

discouraging people against the usage of such means of (transportation) and that the people should use the bridge provided at the end of 1st avenue, linking 6th avenue, Festac Phase 11. “It is noteworthy to state here that the Local Government had on several occasions sensitised the Festac Resident Association, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Residents of 6th Avenue on the inherent danger of using canoe across the canal as means of transportation. We had also erected a signage educating people about the looming danger, while shanties were demolished in that locality, as well as relocating the tricycle operators to that area, all in a bid to make people in that environs see reasons of not using the canoe as an access to 6th Avenue. “We also want to use this medium to appreciate the efforts of our Local Divers, LASEMA, OP MESA and other security personnel that joined hand with the local government in bringing the situation to near normalcy.”

bridge and it collapsed over 12 years ago. “We have gone ahead to provide tricycle parks at both ends of the Avenues to make it easier for the people, yet they choose to go the other way. A lot of effort was put in place to discourage them from plying this route. We even put signs indicating the danger. “But since those efforts did not work, the next option for us is to permanently block the road. We had been reluctant in doing so because of emergency situations so that this canal can serve as escape route or for security operations, but we do not have another option now than to

block the gates permanently to forestall a re-occurrence,” Adewale said. Residents who thronged the scene to sympathise with relatives of the deceased vented their anger on the government and journalists present at the scene. Some of them, shouting at the top of their voices, accused the media of “bad journalism” for interviewing government officials who visited the site. The residents blamed the mishap on the government’s non provision of a pedestrian bridge, which has made the people to take their fate in their hands.

PHOTOS: PRECIOUS IGBONWELUNDU

“Imagine these journalists, is that what you people are taught to do? How can you be interviewing government officials who will only tell lies. “We have for over four years now appealed that a bridge be constructed here to link Fourth and Sixth Avenues but no one listened. “Now that more than 13 people have died, they have come here to start saying what they like on television. We will seize your cameras if you do not know what you are here for,” screamed some of the angry youths. For Mark (the diver), there is need for a link bridge for easy movement of residents of both Avenues. “The last bridge that was here collapsed some years ago and, since then, government has refused to construct another one. “Private individuals and even churches here have made moves to build a bridge but the tools of the workers they brought were seized by the government on grounds that it is the government’s responsibility. “A similar incident had occurred here last year but people did not die because that boat capsized at the shore and so, they quickly jumped out, but this one is really unfortunate. “I do not know why the government would not build a pedestrian bridge here for us to be free. This is a shortcut and it saves us time and money. Because of the high cost of motorcycle and tricycle transportation on the route (N300), people coming to Fourth Avenue will rather join the boat which is just N10. “What we are demanding is a walkway and not a bridge for cars. They can use iron to construct, it like it was done in Ajagunle. That is our demand and it is not too much for the government to meet,” Mark said.

The boat mishap was a horrible experience, says survivor

NE of the survivors of the FESTAC boat mishap, Daniel Peters, last night relived his experience to The Nation, describing it as a horrible experience. He narrated how he battled for his life underwater, amidst the terrible smell and trampling on him by other victims. He said in a phone interview: “I just thank God for my life, the situation was not funny.

At first it was like a joke but before we knew what was happening, the boat capsized. That We were more than 24 on the boat. The load was how we all fell under the water. was just excessive. It was the last boat for the “It was battle for survival. I know how to day and everyone rushed in. swim but other people were pressing me “I was returning from work when it under water. So, I was gradually losing happened. I work Swiss Bar and Lounge at strength. But when it occurred to me that I was Raji Rasak, FESTAC. As I was in the boat, going to die if I did not act fast, I mustered suddenly, water started entering into the boat. energy and swam with my last strength. That By Precious Igbonwelundu

was how the divers saw me and they came to my rescue. “We were seven in all that were rescued alive. Five men and two women, although the two women were not brought to the hospital with us. I do not know where they are or what happened to them. It was five of us, men, that were discharged from the hospital yesterday.”

THE NATION THURSDAY MARCH 13, 2014

NEWS FRSC urges car owners to embrace Vehicle Identification From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

THE Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has advised car owners to embrace the National Vehicle Identification system, saying it was designed to tackle criminality and insecurity in the country. The Head, Policy, Research and Statistics Department of the FRSC, Dr. Kayode Olagunju, an Assistant Corps Marshal, in Osogbo, Osun State capital during the sensitisation programme of the commission on the National Vehicle Identification system said the registration of vehicles would help the government monitor all the vehicles and the activities of their owners. Olagunju said: “Government wants to tackle criminality and thereby wants to have proper and credible information on the identities of vehicles and drivers plying the Nigerian roads. And if vehicles are registered and are properly identified, it would give useful information in resolving any crime that involves the use of such vehicles in the country. “The vehicle registration processes would also help FRSC have information and identification of all vehicles in Nigeria and that through information sharing; the commission would equally provide information to security agencies in their bid to solve crimes. The registration system will help protect vehicle owners also as the identify of stolen vehicles will be known once the real owner had already registered his vehicle and thieves are trying to re-register such vehicles.”

Ekiti: Govt, police parley on peaceful election THE peaceful conduct of the June 21 governorship election, maintenance of peace and the safety of lives and properties were the highlights of discussions between the Ekiti State government and the police yesterday. Deputy Governor Prof Modupe Adelabu expressed government’s readiness to collaborate with the police and other relevant stakeholders to ensure a peaceful electioneering campaign and polls. She spoke in her office in Ado-Ekiti, when the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Felix Uyanna, visited her . Mrs. Adelabu said: “The government of Governor Kayode Fayemi loves peace, is pursuing peace, will support peace and will continue to ensure that peace reign in the state before, during and after the governorship election.” Uyanna described his courtesy on the deputy governor as another step to deepen the collaboration between the government and the police to provide security, adding that politicians and the electorate should conduct themselves peacefully and report any suspicious movement or gathering to the police on time.

‘Kidnappers confused over K Jonathan’s cousin’ IDNAPPERS of President Goodluck Jonathan’s cousin, Inengite Nitabai, are reportedly confused over what to do with their victim. It was gathered that the 10 gunmen are in dilemma, following the arrest of some suspects in connection to the incident. Nitabai was abducted 19 days ago in Otuoke, the hometown of President Jonathan in Ogbia Local Government Area, Bayelsa State. It was learnt that the police arrested suspects directly linked to the incident, including some persons said to be related to the victim. A source from the family said suspects arrested by the police had “weakened the kidnappers”. The source, who pleaded for anonymity, said the police rounded up persons who facilitated the kidnapping, including individuals who reportedly gave the hoodlums

•Family of commissioner’s abducted sister begs

information about Nitabai’s movements. He said one of the suspects had confessed to having a link with the assailants. “The person who confessed had also called the ringleader of the gang to release the man since the police were aware of their identities. But the leader did not understand how they would release the man without money. So, they are in a dilemma,” he said. He said the kidnappers had told the family of their victim that they would release Nitabai, if the police set the suspects in their custody free. He dispelled rumours that the kidnappers might have killed Nitabai. “They cannot kill him because the police know all of them. Besides, the father of the

ringleader is in police custody. “Killing him will have many far-reaching implications, especially in view of death penalty for kidnappers in the state. We believe that they will soon release him”, he said. When asked whether the family had paid some ransom to the kidnappers, the source said: “We are no longer talking about ransom because the identities of the kidnappers have been known. “I am not aware that anybody has paid ransom to the kidnappers. The hoodlums are simply looking for a soft-landing”. The kidnappers had earlier rejected N30million offered them by the family after demanding N500million

ransom. The family of 60-year old Priscilla Ebua, the abducted sister of the Commissioner for Sports, Maitama Obodor, has pleaded with her abductors to release her on health ground. Ebue was kidnapped at Oloibiri, Ogbia Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, by five gunmen on Monday night. Obodor appealed to the kidnappers to have a change of heart and release her unhurt. The statement said: “We appeal to the kidnappers to have the fear of God and change of heart to urgently return the generous and kind woman, who has lived her life to the admiration of the entire Oloibiri community and beyond.”

Rights group seeks refund of $30m to Govt on UN House bombing From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

UNITED States-based rights organisation, the Washington Working Group on Nigeria (WON), has urged the United Nations (UN) to refund the $30 million paid it by the Federal Government for the reconstruction of its building bombed by the Boko Haram. The group described the payment as ‘insensitive, unfair to Nigeria,’ and its people who have been paying their dues to the international body. A member of the group, Emmanuel Ogeben who spoke with reporters after a meeting with some of the victims and relief organisations in Abuja, also criticised the UN for failure to designate Boko Haram as International Terrorist Organisation despite the atrocities being committed in the Northern Nigeria by the sect. Ogben said the crisis has affected about six million people between 2009 and 2014. Already, the US, United Kingdom and Canada have designated Boko Haram as Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO). He said: “We are asking that the UN should refund the N4b because we believe that an international organisation of that class should have the resources to fix the building..”

Bamidele to U.S. Consular-General: peaceful election my priority’ From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi (second left); Deputy Governor Prof Modupe Adelabu (middle); Ekiti State Head of Service Mr Bunmi Famosaya (left); Keynote Speaker Prof Dipo Adamolekun; and Ogun State Head of Service Mrs Modupe Adekunle. Back now: Director-General, Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission Mr Dipo Famakinwa (right) and Southwest Coordinator, Department for International Development (DFID) Mr Sina Fagbuaro at the fifth Summit of Heads of Service from Southwest Geo-political Zone in Ado-Ekiti...yesterday.

Police promote 1296 in Zone 12

HE Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar yesterday promoted 1296 Police officers at the Police Zone 12 headquarters, Bauchi. Abubakar warned them to steer clear of corruption. He said the promotion was in appreciation of their dedication to duty, hard work and enjoined the newly promoted officers and men to remain loyal and committed to the Force. Represented by the Zone 12 Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIGP) Mohammed Jiya Gana, at the decoration ceremony held at Bauchi Police Command Officers’ Mess, Jos Road, Bauchi, the IGP also asked the policemen to consider their promotion as a new challenge for them to do more for their fatherland. The Police Zone 12 with headquarters in Bauchi is made up of Bauchi, Borno and Yobe states of the Northeast. A breakdown of the promotion shows that, 902 Constables have been promoted to Corporals, 77 were promoted to Sergeants, 46 promoted to Inspectors, three to Senior Inspector and 224 to Assistant Superintendent of Police.

Others are ASP to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) to 20, DSP to Superintendent of Police (SP) 11, SP to Chief Superintendent (CSP) to Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) 1. According to AIG Gana, Bauchi Police Command has 382 constables promoted to corporals,8 promoted to sergeants.7 sergeants moved to inspectors.83 Inspectors moved up to ASPs,5 ASPs to

Sps 2 SPs to CSPs and CSP to ACP bringing to 207. Borno State had 382 constables promoted to corporals, 34 corporals to sergeants, 28 sergeants to Inspectors,3 Inspectors to ispectors, 89inspectors ASPs, 4 DSPs to3 DSPs to Sps and $ SPs to CSPs. total 547. While Yobe topped with 407 constables to corporals, 34 CPLS to 8 sergeants 50 Inspectors to ASPs,8 ASPs to DSPs,3 DSPs to Sps and 5 SPs to CSps to add up to 515.

Zone 12 headquarters was not left out as 17 constables were promoted, a corporal moved to sergeant, 3 sergeants to inspector rank. 2 Inspectors also moved to ASP, 3 ASPs promoted to DSP and one DSP moved up to sp. Addressing his officers and men shortly after the ceremony, Bauchi State Police Commissioner Ladan Mohammed warned his men not to engage in illegal duties, remain disciplined and dedicated as their efforts will be rewarded.

Fed Govt to attract 750,000 youths into agriculture

HE Federal Government plans to attract 750,000 youths into agriculture to create jobs and ensure food security, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has said. The government also named hip hop star Dapo Oyebanjo, popularly known as D’banj an ambassador of Nigeria Agricultural Entrepreneur (NAGROPRENEUR). The minister, who spoke in Abuja when D’banj visited him at the ministry’s head-

From Frank Ikpefan, Abuja

quarters, lamented the decline in farming. He said: “Most of our farmers are old, the average age of 60 years, which means that in the next 10 years, who will feed Nigeria. Therefore we need to get the young ones into agriculture as a business.” The programme, which will start this year, will encompass young school leavers and graduates. The minister also revealed that the government would provide access to land, mech-

anised equipment and access to finance for the youths. Speaking on private sector involvement in agriculture, Dr. Adesina said in the last 18 months, the Federal Government had attracted $4 billion private sector investment in agriculture. D’banj thanked the minster for the appointment. He urged youths to embrace agriculture as a business. He assured the minister that he would use his platform to carry the Agriculture as a Business campaign to the grass roots.

MEMBER of the House of Representatives and governorship aspirant in Ekiti State,Opeyemi Bamidele, has said his wish is that the 21 June governorship election will be devoid violence. Bamidele, a Labour Party governorship aspirant, who represents Ado/Irepodun/ Ifelodun Federal Constituency, said the party woud leave no stone unturned in the quest for transparent, issues-based, free and fair poll. He said the refusal of the Governor Kayode Fayemi-led administration to meet the expectations of the people is responsible for his ambition. Bamidele spoke at his IyinEkiti country home on Tuesday, while hosting the US Consul-General to Nigeria, Mr Jeffrey Hawkins. Bamidele said: “I am not saying the people in government now have not done their best. They have tried. But the best anyone can give is his best. That was why I went into coalition with some PDP and APC members under Ekiti Bibire Coalition and took it to Labour Party to move the state forward.” Hawkins reiterated the importance of the Ekiti election to the success of next year’s generl elections, disclosing “this has caused the US to send the delegation to meet with all stakeholders in the election. He said: “Free, fair and acceptable election in Ekiti is achievable if the stakeholders can abide by the rules.”

THE NATION THURSDAY MARCH 13, 2014

NEWS

Senate warns against poor funding of MDAs

IPPIS not meant to hijack varsities’ autonomy, says AGF

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

HE Senate yesterday decried what it described as zero or part release of funds meant for capital projects in the budget. Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation Hope Uzodinma spoke when the Ministry of Aviation and its agencies appeared before the committee to defend their 2014 budget. Uzodinma said the Senate would not condone such acts from the executive. He said the development had led to partial execution or abandoned projects. The heads of the aviation agencies had complained that they were being starved of funds for projects captured in their yearly budgets. The Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIPB) for instance, said N35 million was budgeted for the Flight Equipment Laboratory, but the money was not accessed in 2013, leading to its roll over to 2014. A Commissioner of AIPB, Felix Abali, told the committee that only N4.5 million was released last year, adding that in the 2014 budget, N45 million was proposed. He said when completed, accident investigation would be faster than what is in place in the country.

Mark urges Nigerians to resist terrorists’ plot From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

ENATE President David Mark yesterday bemoaned the activities of terrorists and urged Nigerians to rise up against the plot to destabilise the country. Mark, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Paul Mumeh, spoke in Abuja when he decorated police officers attached to his office with new ranks. He was quoted to have said that “if the perpetrators of these crimes will not come to the negotiating table and dialogue with the authorities to address their grievances, the government will deploy its might to deal with the situation.” The Senate President said the government could no longer tolerate a situation where insurgents and terrorists continued to hold it and the citizens hostage. “No matter how disgruntled or angry they may be, they cannot continue to kill citizens and destroy property at will. It is high time wise counsel prevailed among these insurgents to drop their arms and embrace peace. “Nigeria is passing through difficult times and does not need these wars and destructions. We need to live and work together as free people. We need a country where all citizens have equal opportunities, where no one is oppressed or molested.”

•From left: Member, Senate Committee on Lands, Housing & Urban Development, Senator Kabiru Gaya; Vice Chairman, Senator ‘Gbenga Ashafa; Minister for Lands & Housing, Mrs. Akon Etim Eyakenyi; member, Senator Simeon Ajibola and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Lands, Housing & Urban Development, Dr. Ezekiel Oyemomi, after the 2014 Budget Defence Session at the National Assembly... yesterday.

Lawmakers to ex-British envoy: Nigeria under siege O

PPOSITION lawmakers in the Senate and House of Representatives yesterday told a former British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, that Nigeria is under siege. The legislators, at a forum with Straw in Abuja, said: “Life has become brutish, nasty and short in this country.” Senate Minority Leader, Senator George Akume, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, noted that the former Foreign secretary came to the country at a time of difficult circumstances. The Minority leader in the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, led opposition members in the House to the forum. Akume said although those in authority were telling the citizens that progress was being made in the fight against insecurity, the progress was too slow. He said besides Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states being insecure, Benue was equally unsafe. Akume told the ex-British Foreign secretary that the security challenges facing the country needed to be addressed. According to him, it was obvious that the government had failed in its responsibility to protect the people. He said: “You are visiting our country at a time there are many problems. “First on the positive side, you are coming at a time this country has just celebrated its 100 years of

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

existence. Every country has its own history. You happen to be part of that history. “You are visiting at a time of difficult circumstances. “The primary purpose of every government is the protection of lives and property of its citizens. “You are coming at a time when life has become brutish, nasty and short. “Many things have gone wrong, as we can no longer guarantee protection for our people. “This is a serious security challenge we need to address. “We don’t want it swept under the carpet. In our country today, the northeastern part is under siege. “We understand we are making progress, but the progress is too slow. Other parts of the country, especially Benue State, are also under siege. “We have a dangerous situation in our hands. We have kidnappers, we have robbers. Things have gone wrong for the people of this country.” Lamenting that Nigerians have “seen war at a time of peace”, Akume said: “We in the opposition are worried and rightly so.” He added that something needed to be done to save

the country. The Senate Minority leader listed lack of transparency in governance and bad governance as the causes of some of the problems. Said he: “This is important because when you look at the problems we have, you see bad governance as one of the reasons for some of the problems, which have afflicted this nation. “We are preparing for elections and in a democracy it is good for us to do what is right. “The verdict of the people is always right. As we approach the 2015 poll, the right thing is for us to prepare for a free, fair and credible election. “There are many other issues we are going to discuss in the course of our interface with you. “We are the opposition and we know you come from the opposition. We want you to share your experience with us.” Straw said he was not in Nigeria to take side in the country’s politics. On corruption, he said: “You have anti-corruption laws, you have great laws, you jail people on corruption and you ensure proper transparency. Then it is safe to say that people will stop being corrupt. “You’ve got to change the quality of your public administration.” The ex-Foreign secretary

acknowledged that there was corruption everywhere. On the strength of the opposition in the country, he noted that “one of the encouraging signs about Nigeria is the fact that you have effective and viable opposition because democracy requires that there is change and in democracy, there are alternatives. “What message can I give you about opposition? First of all, you can change the weather in opposition. Although you’ve not got the votes, you’ve got the voice as you make better use of the voice, you get public support, then you start to unnerve the government. “The second thing is that you cannot just wait for the government to be unpopular; you have to fight crime, tackle health problems, deal with immigration and ensure transparency in government.” Straw said leadership is about character, adding: “But if you don’t have the right leaders, who have the right characters, the right backbone, then, it won’t work. He won’t have the qualities to bring out the best in people, who would work with him.” He noted that “although elections are fought through the prisms of leaders, don’t mistake quantity of policies for quality of policies.”

Police quiz Mainstreet Bank chair Bello

HE Chairman of Mainstreet Bank, Alhaji Falalu Bello, was yesterday given an administrative bail by the police after being quizzed over allegations of fraud. Police spokesman Frank Mba told our correspondence on the phone last night that Bello was “invited but released on administrative bail.” But the MBS Merchants debunked reports that former Managing Director Bello was arrested yesterday. The MBS Merchants, a company in which Bello has an interest, admitted that Bello was invited to the office of the Inspector-General

From Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

of Police (IGP) Mohammed Abubakar. A statement by Bello’s aide, Ahmed Shekarau, said Bello was invited to clarify issues in connection with a petition by Unity Bank Plc to the Central Bank (CBN) and the IGP. Bello was managing director of Unity Bank. According to Shekarau, the petition was based on three deferred letters of credit issued by the bank on behalf of MBS Merchants. The statement said: “In this regard, as a responsible corporate body, MBS has answered to CBN enquiries

on the matter. Malam Falalu Bello was invited by the IGP to discuss the issues involved, being a recipient of the same petition. “Based on his position as chairman of MBS, Bello answered the invitation of the IGP just as he did to that of the CBN-so that such high level discussions between the parties will bring closure to a matter, which is basically a financial transaction between two parties that have been business partners for over seven years.” The statement added that there was no order from any court of law requesting Bello’s arrest on any

ground. Mallam Bello retired as the group managing director of Unity Bank Plc on June 30, 2011. He was appointed chairman of Mainstreet Bank, one of the three banks nationalised by the CBN under Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. He joined Habib Bank in 1984 as a company secretary and head of the Legal Unit. Ten years later, he became the managing director and chief executive officer of the bank. Bello later joined others to establish Unity Bank through a merger of three legacy banks, after which he was made its pioneer group chief executive.

THE Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Johas Otunla, said yesterday in Kano that the plan to introduce the Integrated Pay Roll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) in federal universities is not intended to hijack the autonomy of the institutions. Otunla, represented by the Director of Finance and Accounts, Mrs. Fatima Nana-Mede, at a one-day sensitisation workshop on IPPIS, organised by the Office of the AccountantGeneral for federal universities in the Northwest in Kano, said the project was aimed at ensuring prompt payment of salaries, in addition to checking corruption, among others. “The project is not aimed at usurping your responsibilities or the autonomy of the universities. “We shall engage stakeholders to ensure that it succeeds, because we want to sustain the system. “Besides, the project will provide personnel records to support monitoring of staff emolument payments against the budget,” he said. According to him, the Office of the AGF is determined to address grey areas and other peculiarities, which may likely affect the programme in the universities. He said the workshop was intended to ascertain the fears of the universities, hear their views and peculiarities, with a view to sensitising them on the importance of the project.

Immigration keeps applicants in the dark From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

PROTEST has trailed the proposed aptitude test on Saturday by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS). NIS Comptroller-General David Parradang, on March 6, said the test for applicants, who applied for the immigration job would take place on Saturday. He said arrangement for the test would be made public, adding that it would take place across the country. Parradang was quoted to have said: “The service is collaborating with the board and we have reached an advanced stage that recruitment will take place between this month and next month. Everybody will be given an aptitude test and those who applied will sit for the test in their states. After recruitment they will be sent to the training school. “The Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, has assured that the test will be written on March 15. We are working to make sure that this is done with the stakeholders in the recruitment process.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

NEWS

’Osun education policy yielding fruits’ •Don urges journalists on balanced reporting

HE Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Lead City University, Ibadan, Prof. Ayo Olukotun, has urged journalists to stay away from propaganda, exaggerations and falsehood, which could mislead the public. As elections draw near, he urged them to be balanced in their reports and not allow themselves to be used by politicians. Olukotun spoke yesterday in Osogbo at a symposium, tagged: “Osun education policy in perspective: Issues, challenges and imperatives”, organised by the Osun Movement for Peace (OMP), a non-governmental organisation. Speaking on “Media social responsibility and the non partisan communication of government policies (with reference to the Osun State educational policy)”, he said journalists need to be wary

•Mrs. Laoye-Tomori displaying the education policy document...yesterday. With her are Chairman, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Osun State chapter, Dr. Anthony Onipede (left); Coordinator, Osun Movement for Peace, Comrade Temidayo Bankole and Olukotun...yesterday.

of politicians, who might want to use them to cause disaffection. Olukotun said: “Newspapers and the electronic media are free to take positions; what is crucial is that in doing so, they should be scrupulously fair and ensure that whatever position they take is based on verifi-

able facts.” Osun State Deputy Governor Mrs Titilayo LaoyeTomori said the aim of the education policy was to make pupils useful to the society. Mrs. Laoye-Tomori, who is the commissioner for Education, said the policy had

been yielding fruits, adding that the West African Examination Council’s (WAEC’s) record showed that 43 per cent of pupils were “matriculable”, as against the three per cent recorded before the Governor Rauf Aregbesola administration. She said the policy ar-

Civil service crucial to good governance, says Fayemi

could not provide public goods to the people, not only because it lacks the capacity to do so, but also because most of the national developmental objectives fall within the purview of states and not the Federal Government. He said the “hybrid unitaryfederalism” had condemned the grassroots to permanently anticipate the “charitable largesse of a distant central government”, hence the inability of most Nigerians to feel the impact of democracy since its return 15 years ago. Fayemi said it was easy for citizens to hold their government responsible where they feel its work was not commensurate with their investments. He recalled the benefits reaped by citizens under the regional government of the Western Region, led by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Blaming the country’s woes on the military’s dismantling of the First Republic’s federal structure and the oil boom, the governor said history showed that

•Ward congresses for April 2

Nigeria was better off in under the First Republic’s federal model than the “unitarism of the military regimes and their civilian successors.” He justified his stance with the country’s per capita income of about $1,000 in 1966 and about $1,400 in 1973, which is presently about $1,200; “meaning that an average Nigerian earns less than half of the income in 1966 and has less access to a functional educational system.” Ekiti State Head of Service Bunmi Famosaya said the summit was a platform to implement the integration agenda of the Southwest and engage a peer review mechanism to facilitate a cross fertilisation of ideas among the heads of Service to identify the strength of each state. Famosaya said the civil service emerged the most crucial institution of government for the delivery of public values, adding that the government relies on it for the implementation of its programmes. He hailed the Fayemi administration for the premium

•Fayemi

it places on the workforce, noting that the governor has “reinvigorated” the service through the Civil Service Transformation Strategy and repositioned it to perform. Ogun State Head of Service Mrs. Modupe Adekunle said Ekiti State had changed positively from what it was when she visited in 1997. She hailed Fayemi for boosting the morale of workers. Also at the opening ceremony were Ekiti State Deputy Governor Prof. Modupe Adelabu; commissioners; World Bank consultant Prof. Ladipo Adamolekun; Southwest Coordinator of the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) Sina Fagbenro-Byron; retired heads of service and serving permanent secretaries, among others.

Civil Defence impounds 15,000 litres of petrol

EN of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Oyo State have impounded a truck with 15,000 litres of petrol from vandals in Ibadan. NSCDC State Commandant Shem Obafaiye said hoodlums vandalised a pipeline about 2am on Monday at Pere/Aroje in Ogo Oluwa Local Government Area. Obafaiye said the hoodlums loaded the truck with stolen fuel and were intercepted by his men as they were about leaving the crime scene. He said the truck was impounded but the suspects escaped. Obafaiye said: “The interception of this truck is as a result of our intelligence gathering method. We got information that some

disinterested in education. The statistics tells it all.” Special Adviser to the Governor on Lands, Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Isiaka Owoade said: “The new education policy was designed to be functional by deploying it to meet societal needs.”

Crisis rocks Osun PDP over secretary’s suspension

•Southwest Heads of Service hold summit KITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi has emphasised the need to rediscover the civil service as the creative hub of policymaking and implementation. He said the country would not work, if the civil service did not work. The governor spoke yesterday in Ado-Ekiti at the opening of the Fifth Summit of Heads of Service in Southwest states. He said the country needs dedicated bureaucrats to achieve policy objectives and keep governance focused on development. Stating that the civil service must be de-politicised and run as a meritocracy, Fayemi said people should not see the public service as “an irrelevant organisation filled with the slothful errand boys and girls of politicians” because it is the engine of governance and the fulcrum of policy implementation. He said: “It is imperative for us to recover the meaning of the civil service as the matrix of policy design and execution. It is the custodian of institutional memory and the engine of governance. By design, it is the technocratic hub of the state. This notion of the public service has been lost for decades and needs to be restored. Public servants, regardless of how high or low their station, are the preservers of good.” Fayemi said the effectiveness of politicians and public servants could only be measured by the increase in access to public goods, which he described as a barometer by which the health of the community is ascertained. On the benefits of regional integration, the governor said a remote central authority

rested the rot in the sector, adding: “Before the inception of our administration, the education sector was left to suffer. There was no infrastructure in public schools; teachers’ morale was at its lowest ebb; pupils were not only running away from schools, they were also

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

vandals were about to take off after loading the truck with PMS. When they saw us, they disappeared into a herd of cattle. “It looks as if the vandals are using Fulani herdsmen. The herdsmen take their cattle about at night and this is unusual. Their purpose is to go round and see if our men are monitoring the pipelines. When they see our men, they tell the vandals to run away. We will take the truck to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Vandalism has become a daily thing. We have been apprehending vandals in Ogo Oluwa, Ogbomoso, Ibadan and other surrounding towns.”

RISIS is brewing in the Osun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), following the suspension of the Secretary, Maj. Raphael Towobola (rtd), by the Chairman, Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa. Party elders condemned the suspension and urged the National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, to intervene and visit the troubled chapter, ahead of its governorship primaries on April 5. There are fears that the crisis may affect preparations for the ward congresses for the selection of three delegates from each local government. The division at the party secretariat may affect other processes, including the setting up of a committee to screen aspirants. The aspirants are expected to obtain their nomination forms for N11 million in Abuja, on Friday. Rising from a meeting in Osogbo, the concerned elders said Towobola was suspended because he insisted on a free and fair primary. At the meeting, chaired by Senator Oluwole Alabi, the elders resolved to resolve the “crisis of confidence” between the chairman and secretary. A source said the national leadership has told Olaoluwa to explain the circumstances surrounding the suspension and reinstate Towobola within 24 hours. The source said: “The problem is between two kinsmen Senator Iyiola Omisore and Towobola. Both are from IleIfe. Olaoluwa is an ally of Omisore and Towobola has not been supporting Omisore’s governorship ambition. That was the genesis of the crisis of confidence between the chairman and secretary.” Yesterday, the PDP chairmen in the local governments held a meeting with the Olaoluwa, urging him to re-

By Emmanuel Oladesu Group Political Editor

verse the suspension. A member of the PDP Local Government Chairmen Forum, who pleaded for anonymity, said if Towobola was not reinstated this week, the forum might pass a vote-of-no-confidence in the chairman. A governorship aspirant, Senator Akinlabi Olasunkanmi, condemned the suspension, describing it as “unconstitutional and illegal.” He said the act should not be allowed to stand, if other aspirants must have confidence in the process leading to the emergence of the party’s flag bearer. Besides Olasunkanmi, other aspirants include Omisore and Mr. Oluwole Oke. Two weeks ago, an aspirant, Mr. Fatai Akinbade, left for the Labour Party (LP). Former Governor Isiaka Adeleke is said to be eyeing the party’s ticket, but has not declared interest. Olasunkanmi, a former minister of Youth Development, said the timing of the suspension was suspect, adding: “The allegation of antiparty activities against him has not been proven.” In a petition to Muazu on February 27, the secretary alleged that the chairman was “functioning as a sole administrator.” He said: “He has alienated other functionaries in the State Working Committee to the detriment of the party and runs the administration alone. He collects correspondences from the national secretariat and keeps them to himself, the latest being the guidelines for the governorship primary, which he has refused to release.” Olaoluwa denied the allegation, saying he was a committed party leader and a democrat.

THE NATION THURDAY MARCH 13, 2014

NEWS

‘Delegates list does not represent Yoruba’s best’

OME Yoruba groups have decried the Southwest’s delegates’ list to the national conference, saying it’s not the best the region can offer. In a statement, representatives of each of the eight groups said the list departed from stakeholders recommendation that the region must send its “First 11” to the conference. The groups and their representatives are: Afenifere Renewal Group (Mr. Olawale Oshun); Oodua Foundation (Prof. Banji Akintoye); Oodua Nationalist Coalition (Grp. Capt Adesoji Aderemi (rtd)); Agbekoya Reformed Society (Chief Kunle Oshodi); Oodua Peoples’ Congress (Edward Olusola Ajayi); Atayese (Chief Adekunle Olaiya); Covenant Group (Dr. Kola Afolabi) and Afenifere Youth Forum (Dotun Atilade). The statement, titled: “Southwest’s Confab Delegates List: Is this our ‘First 11’?”, described the list published by the Federal Gov-

‘

While we cannot speak on how delegates from other ethnic nationalities and interest groups emerged, we owe the people a duty to provide some insight about the delegates from the Southwest. Not doing so, in our view, may be misinterpreted as an endorsement of the process.

ernment as a “gathering of the good, the bad and the ugly.” It said the controversies trailing the list “suggests that some delegates were forced in against the wish of the people.” The statement reads: “While we cannot speak on how delegates from other ethnic nationalities and interest groups emerged, we owe the people a duty to provide some insight about the delegates from the Southwest. Not doing so, in our view, may be misinterpreted as an endorsement of the process. “We could have sent our list to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of

the Federation, but we did not. We put the region’s interest above any other consideration to create a united platform that will best serve the aspirations of Yoruba people. “This decision seemed right, considering the advocacy from every quarter that the region must send its “First 11” to the conference. This informed our decision to participate at the Ishara unity meeting and the Grand Yoruba Summit in Ibadan. “However, it is difficult for those that masterminded the final list or anyone for that matter to prove that the list truly represents the Yoruba’s ‘First 11.’ The selection process got so convoluted that

’

people who did not expressly endorse the harmonised Yoruba Agenda for 2014 National Conference made the delegates list! “This is a worrisome development that gives some credence to the rumour that the delegates might have been selected for other reasons at variance with the plan to restructure the country and find solutions to our problems. “Should this conference fail to meet the expectations of our people - which is to attain true federalism - let every Yoruba son and daughter know where the betrayal emerged form. We are still asking ourselves if there is truly an unspoken agenda that the President wants to

Be upright, Ekiti police chief tells officers

KITI State Commissioner of Police Felix Uyanna has advised his men to maintain their integrity at the June 21 governorship election. The commissioner spoke yesterday in Ado-Ekiti while decorating 46 promoted officers. He said anyone found guilty of misconduct would be punished. Uyanna said: “You must show a high level of integrity at the election period. If anybody asks you to compromise, tell him you cannot. “Those that will be in-

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

volved in the electoral exercise will be given guidelines on the conduct of policemen at elections and any breach will not be tolerated.” He advised policemen to be abreast of developments in the country by reading newspapers and listening to the news, adding that they should know little about everything. The commissioner said: “In this respect, I want you to keep abreast of events and upgrade yourselves educationally, especially in Information and Communications Technol-

ogy (ICT). Some courses may take you a few weeks and the knowledge will be useful to you for life.” On allegations of “misapplied force” on suspects by officers, Uyanna said: “Force could be applied to the extent of suspected wrong and the resistance of the suspect. The use of force is permitted by law. But do not go and bring a man, who only had a disagreement with his wife, in handcuffs.” He urged the promoted officers to see their promotion as “a call to duty and more commitment to the country.”

$1.69m fraud: Court to hear Ajudua’s bail application March 20

LAGOS State High Court, sitting in Ikeja, has adjourned hearing in the bail application by Lagos socialite Fred Ajudua to March 20. Justice Kudirat Jose fixed the date for the hearing of the bail application of Ajudua and co-defendant Charles Orie yesterday after submissions by the prosecution and defence counsel. Ajudua and Orie were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly defrauding two Dutch busi-

By Adebisi Onanuga

nessmen – Remy Cina and Pierre Vijgen, of $1.69 million. They were re-arrraigned before Justice Kudirat Jose on February 5, following the transfer of the case from Justice Joseph Oyewole. Justice Jose had allowed Orie to enjoy the bail granted him by Oyewole on July 27, 2004. At the resumed hearing, counsel to the defendants, Chief Charles Edosomwan (SAN) told the court that there was evidence that

Ajudua was critically ill. Edosomwan denied EFCC’s claims that Ajudua absconded after being granted bail on medical reasons in 2005, adding that his client was ready to face trial. Edosomwan tendered a report issued by the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and photographs showing Ajudua urinating blood at the hospital. He urged the court to grant Ajudua bail on liberal terms to enable him treat himself. Justice Jose adjourned the matter till March 20.

Homeowners’ Charter: Ogun begins group inspection of property

HE Ogun State government has issued guidelines for property inspections under its Homeowners’ Charter. Under the guidelines, the government will work through Community Development Associations (CDAs), Residents Associations and other groups. According to a statement yesterday by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Yusuph Olaniyonu, the government would use its network of over 6,740 registered CDAs, which represent over 600,000 people, to schedule the inspection of property.

It said: “The system will work by appointment and representatives of the CDAs will support the process by providing directions to property and other information. “As a result of this strategy, applicants may not need to be excused from their places of employment or business to await the inspection. Using the CDAs in this manner is expected to accelerate the process of approving applications under the Homeowners’ Charter by processing property in groups, rather than individually.” The government advised homeowners, who are CDA

members, to notify their CDAs of their application forms and reference numbers, adding that the CDAs will schedule appointments in groups. The inspection teams will work from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. six days a week. Inspection staff will be uniformed and do not need to inspect the interior of any property. The government urged those who have purchased forms but are yet to submit them to do so before March 31. The Homeowners’ Charter is an initiative that allows property owners to obtain building approvals and certificates of occupancy at discounted rates.

•Mr. Uyanna

achieve by convoking this conference and we would wish the answer was negative. But the myriad of controversies trailing the Federal Government’s list suggests that some delegates were forced in against the wish of the people. “Certainly, there are some delegates, whose credibility and loyalty to the Yoruba agenda and the pursuit to restructure Nigeria is unwavering. There are also those who are perceived, largely due to their antecedents, as reactionary elements, who would rather want the retention of the status quo. We hope those in the latter category can prove their worth at this conference and put national interest above any parochial interest. “However, we would like to remind delegates of Yoruba extraction that the people have set an agenda for the outcome of this conference and it would be in the interest of all that the agenda is pursued and realised. “Finally, as a group that is committed to freedom and development of the Yoruba, we shall focus on the opportunities that the conference presents and continue to work and press for the interest of our people at the national conference, believing that delegates, no matter their platform, would see reason to use this opportunity to change the misfortune of the country and put it on a path of development and purposeful governance.”

Woman, 62, ‘stabbed’ to death by sibling From Damisi Ojo, Akure

62-year-old woman, Ms. Yemi Olasehinde, has been allegedly stabbed to death by her younger sister, Iyanu Olasehinde, in Ondo State. The incident occurred at the victim’s home in Okedasa, Ondo town. It was learnt that the victim and her sister, a local government official, had an argument over the inheritance of their late father, and Iyanu allegedly picked up a kitchen knife and stabbed Yemi. The victim’s cries attracted the neighbours, who took her to a private hospital, where she was confirmed dead. When The Nation visited the house where the incident occurred, there were blood stains everywhere. Relations gathered outside the house, discussing in hushed tones. The Divisional Police Officer of Enuowa, Ebenezer Adegalu, was not available for comments. A senior police officer, who did not want to be named, said the deceased’s body was deposited at the State Specialist Hospital morgue in Ondo town. The officer said Iyanu and five others were arrested and are at the command’s headquarters in Akure. Police spokesman Wole Ogodo said he was yet to get a report of the incident.

THE NATION THUESDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

CITYBEATS T

RADERS at the popular Iponri Shopping Complex in the Surulere area of Lagos State had gone home after Tuesday’s sales in anticipation of another prosperous market day. However, they had barely gone to bed when they were jolted with a shocker: The goods they left in their shops were up in flames. Seventeen shops filled with goods were consumed by the fire, which reportedly started around 11.18pm, destroying goods worth millions of naira before officials of the Lagos State Fire Service (LSFS) arrived to put it out. The LSFS’ Director, Mr Rasak Fadipe, who said the tragedy was caused by an electrical surge, added that the losses could have been more but for the intervention his men. “We battled the inferno when it was still raging. Officers at the Sari-Iganmu Fire Service Station were quickly mobilised and they came with their service tanker containing 10,000 litres of water to quell the raging inferno,” he said. He said the intensity of the fire prompted him to mobilise more men from Ilupeju and Onikan service stations, who promptly came with 10,000 litres of water each, for the rescue efforts. Most of the items burnt in the affected shops, he added, included power-generating sets, different types of textile materials and plastic materials, among others. Fadipe noted that some of the electric cables in the market were ruptured, adding that he had warned the traders to get a good technician to adjust them. The General Manager, Lagos State Management Authority (LASEMA), Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, said no life was lost in the incident. It was a moving tale of agonies when The Nation visited the scene yesterday. Most of the victims were

CITYBEATS LINE: 08023247888

Stakeholders move against building collapse By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie

• Part of the razed market ... yesterday

PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS

Midnight fire razes Lagos market •Destroys goods worth millions of naira too embittered to talk on the incident. Shell-shocked, many simply beheld the charred remains of their wares in hopelessness. A trader, who was identified as

By Jude Isiguzo and Basirat Braimah

Mama Sikira, living a stone’s throw to the market, said: “I heard people shouting fire …fire ... and running towards the market in utter confusion. And because of various interventions, the fire was put out around

‘I sell foreign household/gift items; I just took delivery of some goods as did many other traders in this complex. Now, everything is gone. Over 17 shops were damaged, while stationery items, kitchen utensils, fabrics worth millions of naira went with this disaster’

9am this morning (yesterday). Mrs Mary Ulo, a victim, said sobbing: “I sell foreign household/gift items; I just took delivery of some goods as did many other traders in this complex. Now, everything is gone. Over 17 shops were damaged, while stationery items, kitchen utensils, fabrics worth millions of naira went with this disaster.” The Iyaloja General of the state, Chief (Mrs) Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, was visibly moved by the victims’ ill-fate. She said she would ensure that a good policy insurance is put in place and also talk to the government to look into the situation. “Only God knows how it happened; so, no human should be held responsible. This shouldn’t restrict daily activities in the market,” she added.

O stem the tide building collapse in Lagos State, government agencies and other stakeholders have met. The parley held at the Ikorodu Town Hall. In attendance were officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA); Chairman of Ikorodu Local Government, Mr Sheriff Anipole, and his colleagues at the Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs); leaders of various artisans’ groups, and the leaders of Community Development Associations (CDAs), among others. The General Manager of LASBCA, Dr. Kafilat Abimbola AnimashaunOdunayo, said the rate at which buildings collapse in Lagos had been of grave concern to government, particularly those that are caused by the use of sub-standard building materials, non-qualified artisans and the pseudo-professionals in the building industry. Animashaun-Odunayo said: “This meeting is imperative because the rainy season is around and we normally witness collapse of buildings during this period. We need to sensitise our people on what to do and what not to do.” “To build a house, the agency must be aware right from foundation to the finishing. It must ensure that the foundation is laid according to specification up to other stages. Every construction stage must be certified. Registered plumber, electrician and other certified professionals must be involved. The contractor must provide insurance for the building and also the workers who may in the course of doing their jobs, sustain injuries,” she added.

NEWS (SHOWBIZ)

Lupita gets MTV Movie Awards nomination

ENYAN actress, Lupita Nyong’o, who became the first black African to win an Oscar, has been nominated for another international laurel - the 2014 MTV Movie Awards. The 31-year-old thespian, who won the Best Supporting Actress award for her role in 12 Years a Slave, the Academy’s Best Picture of 2013, will be engaged in an epic showdown, with cast of critically-acclaimed films, such as The Wolf of Wall Street, American Hustle, We’re the Millers, This Is The End, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and more. Lupita, whose win at the Oscars also made her the second black actor who came tops in a debut performance, was first featured as a professional screen actor, on the MTV Base HIV & AIDS awareness drama, Shuga. The actress, by this new nomination, will be going up against A-listers and Hollywood veterans such as Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Sandra Bullock and Jennifer Anniston in the MTV’s Best Female Performance diadem. Organisers said fans can partake by casting votes for their favorite nominees, at www.MovieAwards.MTV.com.

•Lupita By Victor Akande

The site which was opened for voting last Thursday, has up till April 12, before closing. Interestingly, some of the unusual categories in the awards show include Best Comedic Performance, Best Villain, Best Kiss, Best ScaredAs-S**t Performance, Best Musical Moment, #WTF Moment, Best On-Screen Duo, Best Fight, Best Shirtless Performance and more. This year, the “MTV Movie Awards” has the distinction of being the only awards show to nominate cinematic legend Robert De Niro, Kanye West and Joan Rivers in the same category (Best Cameo). The show will also

see Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto take on Ice Cube and Kevin Hart (Best On-Screen Duo), and pitch Jennifer Aniston against some of the hottest men on the planet (Zac Efron, Chris Hemsworth, Leonardo DiCaprio and Sam Claflin) for the coveted Best Shirtless Performance category. Hosted by Emmy Awardwinning comedian, Conan O’Brien, the show will take place on Sunday April, 13 at the Nokia Theatre LA Live in Los Angeles, California. Live broadcast of the 2014 MTV Movie Awards is expected to air on MTV (DStv Channel 130) at 03:00 CAT on Monday April 14, while the primetime premiere on the same day airs at 21:15 CAT.

BUSINESS

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

At the moment, there is an average of about 18 hours per day of constant power supply to different parts of the country. This feat was brought about by the implementation of the integrated power sector reform programme anchored on the power roadmap. - Minister of Information, Labaran Maku

Power: Govt reduces target, sets 4,500Mw for June • Agencies’ debts to be deducted at source T HE Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commis sion (NERC) yesterday set a target of 4,500Mega Watts (MW) by June for the Generation and Distribution companies and 6,000Mw by December this year. The new target is a reversal of the 10,000Mw earlier set for December, this year. Its Chairman, Dr. Sam Amadi, who spoke with the Chief Executive Officers of the Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOS and the Generation Companies (GENCOs) in Abuja, said for Nigeria to accomplish the target, the sector needs to unlock more gas to power sector. He explained that the essence of his meeting was to ensure that the government’s objective to have 4,500MW by June and a mini-

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

mum of 6,000MW by December, is accomplished. Asked whether the earlier target of 10,000MW for this year was no longer realisable, Amadi said: “The targets could be political, could be technical,” adding that when the Multy Year Tariff Order (MYTO) benchmarks a target, it is based on the feedback received from generation. The chairman also revealed that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, had issued a circular to every government agency to pay its bills as provided for in their budgets. He said there are debts

owed by government agencies to the DISCOS that have lasted for years. “In 2012, the SGF issue a circular informing these agencies to pay, because the Accountant-General of the Federation has been mandated to make deductions from their allocations if they don’t pay within three months. It is already a circular issue,” added. He noted that the commission wrote a letter to inform President Goodluck Jonathan that the market has changed and that the private owners would not give government agencies the same privileges they enjoyed during public ownership. Amadi added that the circular also mandated the Ac-

• From left: Nigerian Ambassador to the United States (US), Adebowale Adefuye; US Trade Representative, Florizelle Liser; and Nigerian Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, at the 8 th Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Meeting, in Washington, DC.

Govt expects N42b from wheat production

HE Federal Govern ment’s drive to in crease wheat production will translate to about N42billion by farmers, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr.

DATA STREAM COMMODITY PRICES Oil -$117.4/barrel Cocoa -$2,686.35/metric ton Coffee - ¢132.70/pound Cotton - ¢95.17pound Gold -$1,396.9/troy Sugar -$163/lb MARKET CAPITALISATIONS NSE -N11.4 trillion JSE -Z5.112trillion NYSE -$10.84 trillion LSE -£61.67 trillion RATES Inflation -8% Treasury Bills -10.58%(91d) Maximum lending -30% Prime lending -15.87% Savings rate -1% 91-day NTB -15% Time Deposit -5.49% MPR -12% Foreign Reserve $45b FOREX CFA -0.2958 EUR -206.9 £ -242.1 $ -156 ¥ -1.9179 SDR -238 RIYAL -40.472

From Frank Ikpefan, Abuja

Akinwumi Adesina, has said. He said the measure would rersult in the creation of an estimated one million jobs, especially in the northern part of the country. Speaking at the 2014 Wheat Farmers’ Field Day in Kadawa, Kano State, Adesina said the Federal Government is also planning to raise wheat production from 300,000 metric tons (MT) to 1.5 million MT by 2017. The Minister frowned at the level of wheat importation in the country, describing it as ‘unacceptable.’ He said: “Today, Nigeria’s wheat import is about four million MT per year and it is estimated to grow by five per cent per year. “By 2030, Nigeria will be importing 10 million MT of wheat every year. That means Nigeria will be spending $10 billion every year on wheat importation. “This is not a mirage and that is why we are here. A silent revolution is happening on farms across northern Nigeria. “We have started massive distribution of hybrid wheat

seeds which gives between five and six tons per hectare to our farmers through the Growth Enhancement Support and the E-wallet system.” He said 9,143 farmers benefited from wheat dry season in 2013/2014 in the northern part of the country. He listed Kano, Jigawa, Kebbi, Borno, Yobe, Gombe and Sokoto as the states that benefited from the gesture. “A total of 2,500 hectares of wheat field was cultivated in 2013; by 2014/2015, we expect to cultivate 95, 000 hectares by 75,000 farmers,” he assured. In his remarks, the Executive Director, Lake Chad Research Institute, Dr. Olusina Olabanji, expressed happiness over the inclusion of wheat in the Agricultural Transformation Agenda this year. He said the institute has produced varieties of wheat ranging from semi dwarf (6393 cm) resistant, to lodging and early maturity rate and potential yield of 3.0-3.5 per hectare. He also said four varieties (Seri M8, Cettia, Linfen and Atilla Gan Atilla) with potential yield of 3.5 -4.5 per hectare were developed and released to farmers.

countant-General of the Federation to deduct bills owed by government agencies from source. On whether the distribution firms could disconnect defaulting agencies, Amadi, said: ”We are in a new market regime and every cus-

tomer that does not pay his or her bill, will be cut off. “If after some time they don’t pay, the regulation provides some processes for disconnecting who defaults in payments. Now if the Discos go through that process, they will be at liberty to cut off that customer. And NERC will sanction that consumer so disconnected, “ he said.

On the highlights of the meeting, he said that the meeting was to get a report on the operations of the electricity companies, especially the challenges they faced. The chairman noted that at the meeting, some companies reported the projects they were executing to improve power supply.

OPEC crude price rises in February on weather, others

HE Organisation of Pe troleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has said the different grades of crude from its members rose by an average of 70 cents in February, to settle slightly above $105 per barrel. It said cold weather, supply disruptions and geopolitical factors helped to push oil markets higher. The group in its monthly oil market report (MOMR) for March, said that Nymex WTI futures gained $5.82 to average $100.68 per barrel while ICE Brent rose by $1.72 to $108.84 per barrel and the Brent-WTI gained $8.15 per barrel. The report also predicted the world economic growth for

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

2013 and 2014 to remain at 2.9 per cent and 3.5 per cent respectively. It said the 2014 forecast for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is unchanged at 2.0 per cent, compared to 1.3 per cent in 2013. But in contrast, China’s growth for 2014 has been revised down slightly to 7.6 per cent, just below estimated 2013 growth of 7.7 per cent while India’s forecast remains at 5.6 per cent for 2014 and 4.7 per cent for 2013, it said, adding that the ongoing trend of accelerating economic growth in

the OECD amid a slowdown in emerging economies has been confirmed by the latest data. It said that world oil demand growth for 2013 was revised up by 70,000 barrels per day to stand at 1.05 million barrels per day adding that upward revisions were seen in OECD Americas and Europe, reflecting strongerthan expected seasonal demand for last quarter of last year. Africa was also higher due to baseline effects. For 2014, global oil demand is seen rising by 1.14 million barrels per day, following an upward revision of 50,000 barrels per day.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

BUSINESS NEWS

• From left: Director, Communication and Information Policy, US Department of State, Ambassador Daniel Sepulveda; Juwah and Director/Secretary, Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), Mr. Abdullahi Maikano, after a meeting with Juwah during the just-concluded Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

How to transform Nigeria into knowledge economy, by NCC

HE successful auction ing of the 2.3gigahertz (GHz) spectrum and licensing of infrastructure service providers (Infracos) in the country, will speed up the transformation of the nation’s economy into a knowledge economy, the Executive Vice Chairman, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Euegen Juwah, has said. Juwah, who spoke during the Ministerial Programme organised at the just concluded Mobile World Congress (MWC) held in Barcelona, Spain, said Nigeria has enormous potential to drive economic growth through the information communi-

cation technology (ICT), and lift the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country. Making a presentation at a session dedicated to Nigeria, Juwah said the country is at the threshold of unleashing a broadband revolution that would impact the nation and the continent. “We are going to fasttrack the transformation of the nation into a knowledge economy and the contributions of broadband to GDP’s growth will increase considerably. “We have successfully completed the auction of

the 2.3GHz spectrum and we have outlined a number of programmes under the broadband infrastructure framework, while licensing of infrastructure providers (Infracos) will begin soon,” he said in a statement. He also unveiled special offering for investors in the Nigerian broadband infrastructure deployment programme using the Open Access Broadband strategy with the planned licensing of InfraCos that will provide a national broadband network on a non-discriminatory, open access and price regulated basis to all service providers.

t after tax similarly reduced to N562 million in 2011/2012 to N414 million in 2012/ 2013. He said despite the challenges, Makanjuola was optimistic that the company’s business will continue to show resilience with a promise to offer growth and higher returns to shareholders. “Our expansion goals are tailored to position your company to take advantage of the emerging opportunities. The main thrust is to di-

crative and less vulnerable to extraneous factors while reinforcing our position in the industry through innovation,” he said. He disclosed that Vitafoam will continue to strengthen its soft furnishing subsidiary Vitablom Nigeria ltd, for greater returns, with operations in Sierra Leone expected to commence in the first quarter of 2014, he stressed that identifi ed opportunities will be well explored in Sierra Leone and other neighbouring countries.

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

Regional Sales Manager of the company, Adesina Adeeko, said NUTRICIMA was delighted to present the prizes in fulfilment of its promises to its customers. He said: “Earlier this year, we launched a reward initiative to keep our customers happy throughout the year. It is clear that many people will win millions of naira in an easy manner once they consume any of our range of products. There is a raffle draw

which will produce 10 millionaires across the country.” Adeeko added that apart from the promo, the company engaged in social responsibility with grassroot sport, healthy living programmes, partnership with the Lagos State Government and schools to bring smiles to the faces of children with special needs. One of the winners, Aremu, who is a driver, told our correspondent that he never doubted his ability to win big.

specially designed for all classes of internet users in the country. He is also expected to underscore the fact theat the firm is at the forefront of harnessing technologies to create innovative solutions that enable the cost-effective deployment of advanced communication services.

The firm is a subsidiary of Smile Telecoms Holdings which has operations in Tanzania, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Its parent company pioneered Africa’s first 4G LTE broadband internet service in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania two years ago.

By Lucas Ajanaku

Vitafoam plans expansion, records N15b ITAFOAM Nigeria Plc operations into other turnover versify has continued to areas that are potentially lu-

maintain a profitability streak through its expansionist strategy despite complains of operating in a restrictive business environment. It’s Chairman, Dr. Bamidele Makanjuola, who stated this at the 2013 Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos, said turn-over increased from N14.1 billion in 2011/ 2012 to N15.6 billion in 2013, while operating profit experienced a decline from N1.35 billion in 2011/2012 to N1.30 billion in 2012/2013 and profi

Nutricima promo winners emerge

INNERS have started emerged in the ongoing Nutricima promo. For Ibadan Zone, participants, who won cash prizes totalling over N1 million were presented their cheques in Ibadan yesterday amid joy. While OyelekeAbiola and Oyedele Aremu received cheque of N500,000 each, other lucky winners went home with lower sums in the first phase of the company’s Mega Cash Promo prize presentation.

Firm launches broadband service

MILE Communications Nigeria Limited has an nounced the formal launch of its services in Lagos. A statement from the company indicated that the Group Chief Operating Officer, Tom Allen will speak on the exciting data packages

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS LABOUR

Women lack access to protection measures, says ILO

LARGE majority of women lack access to quality maternal and infant health care and other maternity protection measures, Director-General, International Labour Organisation (ILO), Guy Ryder, has said. Ryder who stated this in a statement marking this year’s International Women’s Day, added that this challenge effectively penalises women fromtheir reproductive role, stressing that risks and opportunities for women often vary depending on their colour, religion, social origin, or skills levels. However, he said the situation is not all gloom as countries across the world continue to adopt policies that reduce discrimination against women. ”There has been notable progress in the area of national legislation with most countries having incorporated the principles of equality and non-discrimination. “Many governments have adopted active labour market policies to tackle discrimination against

Stories by Toba Agboola

women and a growing number of employers’ and workers’ organisations are implementing initiatives on equal opportunity and treatment. A number of individual women have managed to advance and to break through the glass ceiling,” Ryder said. “Stubborn and often profound gaps persist. Progress in increasing women’s labour market participation has been uneven according to our 2014 Global Employment Trends Report. “He said occupational sex-segregation and gender pay gaps persist, adding women are over-represented in the informal economy, precarious work, and in low-paid jobs.” He listed South-East Asia and the Pacific, as areas were vulnerability in women unemployment was highest in 2013, climbing to as high as (63.1 per cent as compared to 56 per cent for men). In the formal economy, share of

• Ryder

decision-making posts remains low notwithstanding the pool of talent. He said services to assist women and men in balancing work and family responsibilities – particularly state-funded and quality childcare

are unavailable or inaccessible for many, adding that such care still largely falls on the shoulders of girls and women. Meanwhile, members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Women Commission, have called on the Federal Government to immediately end the killings in the northeast and the fuel scarcity in the country. The women activists who joined the rest of the world last Saturday to commemorate the 2014 International Women’s Day at the Labour House in Abuja, said women were the worst hit in times of social or economic crisis, adding that women will make representation to the Ministry of Women Affairs on the need to rise up against injustices against women. Chairperson of the NLC Women Commission, Lucy Offiong, said women are adversely affected by the killings because they are not only killed, but also abducted and turned to sex slaves.

”We are saddened by the spate of killings in our dear country, Nigeria, especially the recent dimension of targeting young people in schools and colleges. ”The recent killing of students in Yobe and the abduction of girls by the Boko Haram sect; as mothers, we are greatly disturbed and condemn in strong terms, such cruel, inhuman and senseless killings. We therefore call on the President to take immediate steps and put a final stop to these unwarranted killings,” Offiong said. The NLC President, Abdulwahed Omar, in his remarks, noted that the Federal Government may be plotting to privatise the downstream sector of the oil industry, hence the inexplicable fuel scarcity currently rocking the nation. However, he said the NLC will lead Nigerians against any such plot, considering the fact that Nigeria is a major producer of oil and does not have any business importing oil.

TUC seeks health insurance scheme • Less than 6% benefit from scheme

HE Secretary-General of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Comrade Musa Lawal, has called on the Federal Government to adhere to the policy of International Best Practices (IBP) as the only workable option to the implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in the country. He said less than six per cent of the nation’s population is benefiting from the Scheme. Musa, who made the call while presenting a paper on ‘Financial Risk Protection: Option for the Private Sector – A Political Economy Approach or Working Class Approach’ during the Presidential Summit on Universal Health Coverage in Abuja, said the lesson learnt from the implementation of NHIS is that the scheme has respond to crisis in the health sector, but has not succeeded due mainly to its limitation to the formal sector and does not cover most terminal ailments. He said: “The way forward for a workable option to the implementation of NHIS, is adopting the IBP that would embrace the most popular of private/public financial protection for health scheme that would be implemented through contributions from both employers and employees on monthly basis as a percentage of income in the country. He said the Value Added Tax

Funding System (VATFS), as the most effective concept of determinant of health data, should be effectively used as there is pressure on health facilities in most urban centers where the value added tax product is mostly consumed. He said VAT that covers financial protection, could give wide spread coverage to health cases as the most effective covering both for the informal and formal sector, adding that health systems require direct, out-of-pocket, payments from people at the time they need care. His words: “In Nigeria the challenges associated with direct, outof-pocket expenses have prevented hundreds of millions from accessing services and as result, falls into financial hardship, even impoverishment, for millions more. “Here in Nigeria, the impact of reducing the reliance on direct, outof-pocket payments will to some extent, lower the financial barriers to access and reduce the impoverishing impact of health payments. “The workable option therefore is for the government to introduce policies that would reduce fragmentation and increase the redistribution capacity of the pooled funds to cover the healthcare costs for those in need, as key element of the broad strategy that we need to rely on in order to move towards national health service delivery coverage,” he said.

SGF staff raise alarm over unpaid arrears

OME aggrieved members of staff in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) have said that arrears arising from their promotions have not been paid despite budgetary provision for same. It was reveal that over 30 members of staff who were promoted between 2009 and 2013 who are in the third batch, have not received payment of their arrears, while the 1st and 2nd batches have since been paid. Some of the affected staff said in 2012, the OSGF set up a task force to verify genuine claims and commenced payment in 2013 but ran into problems from the cash office with 10-digit NUBAN numbers of some claimants. The affected staff, who spoke on

condition of anonymity, wondered why their claims, amounting to about N4 million could not be paid till now, when N23 million was provided for and set aside in a servicewide-account. The staff said the sum, raised vide a voucher by the Central Pay Office, was warehoused in a certain bank towards the end of 2013 such that it could not be returned to government as unspent funds. They however said the only response to any enquiry by them since January 2014, is that “nobody knows.” Attempts to hear from the spokesperson of the OSGF, Sam Nwaobasi were not successful as he did not pick phone calls and also did not reply the text and e-mail messages on the matter.

• From left: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) , Zonal Chairman, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Comrade Tokunbo Korodo , Managing Director, NIPCO Plc Mr. Venkataraman Venkatapathy and the Commissioner for Transportation, Lagos, Mr. Kayode Opeifa during the official commissioning of the ultra modern Lagos Zonal Secretariat of the NUPENG in Lagos.

Pensioners decry omission from National Conference

HE Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has written a letter to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim decrying their non inclusion amongst delegates for the National Conference . The President of the NUP, DR. Abel Afolayan, in a letter to the SGF written on March 7, 2014, which he said he wrote on behalf of over one million pensioners in Nigeria, noted that an unauthorised group has usurped the spots reserved for his members. He said as the only union registered and approved by the Ministry of Labour and Productivity for Nigerian civil pensioners/retirees, it was expected that NUP, rather than

• To organise mass protest the association of retired federal permanent secretaries should nominate delegates to the conference. “But to our greatest dismay, we discovered that the union was sidelined by Council of Retired Permanent Secretaries (CORFEPS), which nominated the six delegates to represent the entire retirees across the nation. It is our conviction that our union should have been consulted over this matter because we are the major stakeholders representing the interest of the entire Civil Service retirees/pensioners. “Ironically, other related retirees’ associations, such as the military, the

police, State Security Service, were all given slots to represent the interests of their members with the exception of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners,” he said. Afolayan regretted that his presence at the Office of SGF on the 5th of March, 2014 to protest the development was rebuffed by the Permanent Secretary (Special Duties), saying that pensioners would organise mass protest all over Nigeria if their grouse is not addressed. The letter was copied to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Goni Aji and the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Abdulwahed Omar.

Wogu commissions NDE, SURE-P joint-skills training centre

HE Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, has commissioned the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SUREP) joint skills acquisition and training centre, in Aba, Abia State. The centre, which initially belong to the NDE, was rehabilitated, upgraded and sponsored under the SURE-P Technical Vocational Education and Training Project (TVET) While commissioning the centre, Chief Wogu said the project is part

of the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan, to provide jobs for the less privilege. He said the genesis of the project was the determination of the federal government to reinvest the savings recovered from the partial removal of subsidy on oil products to infrastructure development and people -oriented projects and programmes. He pointed out that the Community Service, Women and Youths Employment (CSWYE)) of the SURE-P is one of the channels for the delivery of this promise to Ni-

gerians. Former President of Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Nigeria and convener of TVET, Comrade Peter Esele, explained that N180 billion comes to SURE-P as annual budget, promising that the money would be judiciously used for the benefit of the generality of Nigerians. Esele, who was one of the prominent labour leaders who fought for the removal of oil subsidy during the January 2010 nation-wide mass protest against the removal, revealed that the SURE-P programme is good for the country.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

COMMENTARY FROM OTHER LANDS

EDITORIALS

Jonathan’s subtle threat

•The president should differentiate between abuse and criticism

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan betrayed his lack of proper understanding of federalism while receiving a delegation of Anambra State indigenes. The delegation went to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to thank him for the support he purportedly gave out-going Governor Peter Obi. The governor will hand over to Chief Willie Obiano, the governor-elect in last year’s highly contentious election, on March 17. The president, in an un-presidential statement declared: “Peter Obi worked very hard as a governor and very friendly to the government. A number of politicians feel that the best thing to do is to be abusing Mr. President, abusing the Federal Government and so on. You are elected to develop your state, I think the best thing is to have good relationship with the centre, whether you have a pin or you don’t have, but one day it will come. Wearing boxing gloves, jumping into the boxing ring to face Mr. President does not help the development of any state.” We abhor any abuse targeted at the president or even any principal officer of state. This is absolutely not right as such is unfair to those concerned. However, there should be a clear distinction between an abuse and criticism. Perhaps what the president sees as abuses were critical questions and scrutiny that arose out of his or government’s actions and utterances, by some governors.

For instance, should the president feel abused by queries raised by some governors over delays and outright illegal deductions from their states’ monthly allocations? Is it an abuse for governors to criticise the president’s un-dignifying silence over the criminality by some centre-supported politicians that nearly consumed Rivers State? Is it an insult for governors to critique the inept approach of the Federal Government in its handling of the invidious Boko Haram? Is it an abuse to ask the president to compel an audit into the $20billion oil money that is yet to be remitted into the federation account by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)? We can go on reeling out other shortcomings of the president. While we deprecate abuse under whatever guise, we state without equivocation that constructive criticisms as depicted above are necessary ingredients for guaranteeing progress, especially in any democratic country. Notwithstanding President Jonathan’s grandstanding through haughty arrogation to himself of unnecessary power to develop states, we make bold to submit that the laws are very clear over the powers of the Federal Government and those of the component states. If indeed, the president truly believes in the rule of law, he should freely give what the law says belong to the compo-

nent units rather than be playing imperial politics with the growth and development of those constitutional creations. For example, the law creates ecological fund to be administered by the centre government, but, should the president wait for the governor of any state where disaster happens to come and grovel before him before releasing such funds? We can only enjoin the president, in the interest of constitutionalism, to always endeavour to deal with the governors in official and lawful, not personal, capacity.

‘Perhaps what the president sees as abuses were critical questions and scrutiny that arose out of his or government’s actions and utterances, by some governors ... While we deprecate abuse under whatever guise, we state without equivocation that constructive criticisms ... are necessary ingredients for guaranteeing progress, especially in any democratic country’

Let Ukraine be

•Foreign interests must allow the people’s will to prevail

ISTORY is replete with extant lessons, but only if anyone cares to give heed. The crisis now playing out in the east European country of Ukraine may end up like the current calamity in Syria if the contending parties do not back-track and rethink their interest. Although Ukraine and Syria’s fundamentals are different, the crises are almost sure to track the same trajectory if Ukraine is allowed to fester. The turmoil which started three months ago when demonstrators took over the Independence Square in Kiev, capital of Ukraine, was sustained by the people until President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted. The protesters are not only aggrieved that the Yanukovych regime was corrupt, the fallen president, in alliance with

‘Although there is an interim government in place and election has been slated for May 27, minds are set and the environment is soiled already. The election may change nothing if it does not suit one bloc or the other. We urge that only the people’s will prevail. The powers at play will only do well to allow an electoral process that would be free, fair and representative of the will of the generality of the people of Ukraine’

Moscow (Russia) was blocking the people’s wish for a free trade with the European Union. However, Ukraine, which is one of the splinter nations of the old Soviet Union remains a Russian outpost. Sharing a wide expanse of border with Russia, and sharing a historical relationship that spans over a thousand years, it can be said that Ukraine is to Russia what Canada is to the United States of America. This explains why Russia has waded into the crisis, almost annexing the southern Ukrainian region of Crimea, threatening a shooting war. Russia, which has a large naval base in Crimea rides on the pretext that she is protecting the predominantly Russian-speaking population on the expansive peninsula that is largely contiguous with her boundaries. By last Sunday, Russian soldiers had forcibly seized 11 border posts in Crimea, meeting very feeble resistance from the Ukrainian army but pro and anti-Russian protests have broken out in the Crimean capital of Sevastopol, further increasing tension in the country that is increasingly caught between two divides. The situation in Ukraine is not unlike a replay of the cold war era between the superpowers of the West and East and their allies. While Russia under President Vladimir Putin contemplates the agglomeration of East European countries into a loose economic bloc to counter the EU, it is obviously uncomfortable with the increasing incursion of the European Union and a total western domination of its sphere of influence. Russia is Ukraine’s major protégé and handmaiden. To lose

her grip on Ukraine is to lose her essence in the current international power equilibrium. Russia has also played the big brother role to Ukraine, granting huge cash aids as well as cheaper gas, not to mention the cover of its naval might in Crimea. The Western world – US and the European Union - have stoutly come to the defence of Ukraine, suggesting that Russia is provocative, if not sabre-rattling by mobilising soldiers to Crimea. The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary has warned that Russia has made a “big miscalculation” by entering Crimea, hinting that Western countries could impose far-reaching economic sanctions if no diplomatic solution was reached between Russia and Ukraine. The US, through her National Security Adviser Susan Rice also warned that it “would be a grave mistake” for Russia to intervene militarily in Ukraine. Die-hard Russians insist the protesters are sponsored by the West and fear a civil war as rages in Syria today. Although there is an interim government in place and election has been slated for May 27, minds are set and the environment is soiled already. The election may change nothing if it does not suit one bloc or the other. We urge that only the people’s will prevail. The powers at play will only do well to allow an electoral process that would be free, fair and representative of the will of the generality of the people of Ukraine. This is the noble solution that will avert another Syria situation in Ukraine. Russia and the West owe the world this sacred duty.

The U.S. must continue to take tough steps against Russia’s aggression

AKEN BY surprise by the Russian occupation of Crimea, President Obama has rebounded strongly. He has led Western nations in condemning Russian President Vladi-mir Putin’s move as a violation of international law. Mr. Obama signed an order clearing the way for U.S. financial sanctions against Russian individuals and businesses before the European Union met to consider its response — a step that strengthened the position of Europeans calling for tough E.U. steps. The president has been on the phone not just to Mr. Putin and customary counterparts including German Chancellor Angela Merkel but also to the leaders of China, Spain, Kazakhstan and the Baltic states. On Wednesday he will meet interim Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk at the White House, a step that is particularly significant because Mr. Yatsenyuk’s government has not been recognized by Moscow. In short, no one can fairly accuse Mr. Obama of “leading from behind” on Crimea. Thanks to the president’s efforts and Mr. Putin’s intransigence — he has refused multiple offers of mediation — the United States appears poised to join with Europe in imposing significant economic sanctions on Russia if it continues to move toward annexing the region or invades other parts of Ukraine. If they are sufficiently robust, those sanctions have the potential to do serious damage to Mr. Putin’s regime. Oligarchs close to the Russian ruler have billions stashed in banks and invested in real estate in the West. The Russian navy is awaiting delivery of French-built ships. Crimea, meanwhile, gets almost all of its water, energy and food from within Ukraine. If the border were closed, Russia, which lacks a land bridge to Crimea, would find it hard to prevent an economic collapse there. It is simply not true, as some defeatists suggest, that the West does not have the potential to force a Russian change of course. The real question is whether Western leaders are prepared to accept the damage to their own citizens and economies that would be the side effect. Russia would probably freeze Western investments on its territory; it might cut off gas exports to Ukraine, through which supplies to several E.U. countries flow. Seventy percent of Russian exports are oil and gas, most of which go to Europe. With elections approaching in both the European Union and the United States, it will be easy to shrink from measures that would command Mr. Putin’s attention. Clearly he is counting on such a reaction. But the price of failing to take robust steps now will, in the end, be higher. If Mr. Putin is not stopped in Crimea, he will set his sights on other parts of Ukraine and maybe other former Soviet bloc states with Russian minorities. That could lead not just to economic disruption but also to war. – Washington Post

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THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

CARTOON & LETTERS

IR: It was emotional devastation galore for the people of Ogbomoso when Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company [IBEDC], the new owner of PHCN Oyo Business Unit, stepped out with their wrong foot. Their subtle prevarication notwithstanding, IBEDC came out with what electricity consumers on their network should be expecting as slash and burn billing system. Before the conclusion of privatization exercise, PHCN was known for slapdash and inept service delivery with crazy and reprehensible bills. So many times, they forced their spurious bills on the laps of hapless customers with little or no resistance. When government finally handed over PHCN to the distribution companies (Discos), the masses heaved a sigh of relief, hoping that the era of paying outrageous bills are over, and that there will be efficiency in service delivery. But to our chagrin, it’s

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Ibadan Disco’s poor services and outrageous bills like moving from frying pan to fire within their short time in operation, as if government sold us out into total blackout and slavery under IBEDC. Of particular mention are some notable incidences in Ogbomoso area, where for some months there was power outage. In December 2013, and January 2014 notably, power supply was almost nil. When their marketers brought the bill for January, my previous balance was N3,149.98; while current charges was N538.73 plus VAT N26.94 totaling N3,715.65

But to my utmost embarrassment, in their February bill, my previous bill that stood at N3,715.65 in January had jumped to N4,935.64 while the current estimated bill for February stood at N4,373.00 when I was billed N538.73 for January 2014 current charges. It is amusing how the billing could astronomically increase by 900% within an interval of one month, without regular power supply. I was estimated to use 75 units monthly, though my actual consumption was below 25 units using pre-paid. In January I was

billed for three units, while February was jerked up to 300 units, when I’m not a ‘welder or rewire’. In spite of this, N500 fixed charges is still being added to my bill monthly for meter maintenance, when I’m yet to be metered. This is not in tandem with Electric Power Reform Act Section 1[4.1] which states that “every Disco shall issue bills for electricity used at each consumer’s address at regular intervals”. It is dubious and counterproductive for IBEDC to be insensitive to people’s grievances. Now the question is what param-

Section 99(1) of the 2010 Electoral Act as amended avers that “the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day.” Why would our politicians deceptively circumvent the law? The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must wake up to its mandates and start checking the activities of political parties in the country. It is not enough for INEC to watch alone as the commission claimed it is watching the situation. It must invoke the relevant sections of the law to enforce and sanction erring political parties and politicians doing any form of public campaign in whatever guise. The presumption that it is difficult to enforce the rule on election campaign is untenable as there is a very clear distinction between holding unadvertised political strategy meetings and pre-emptively soliciting the public for electoral advan-

tage towards fulfilling political ambitions. To be sure, within the context of Nigerian electoral democracy, an aspirant or hopeful is different from a party flag-bearer: the former focuses his/her campaign messages largely on party members/delegates to secure the party’s ticket as candidate during the election, while the latter en-

gage the electorates directly in soliciting for their votes during the general elections. INEC should not be frustrated; rather it must ensure politicians and their political parties play according to the rules of the game.

Early campaign by political parties

IR: Despite the fact the our extant electoral laws frown at early electioneering campaigns, our political leaders both from the ruling and opposition alike, have embarked on indirect campaigns capable of heating up the polity. This is more worrisome as some parts of the country are at the moment engulfed in carnage that can be described as a war. Our ruling political elites are more interested in welcoming decamped politicians from one party to another, conduct insensitive political rallies, and calculated visits to key traditional and religious leaders across the country. Unfortunately, none of these politicians have visited the various centres of carnage in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. Or have they not heard of the massacre in Maiduguri, Konduga, Mafa, Bama, Buni Yadi, Kawuri, Idzge, and other places in the North-east of the country? What does the law say about early campaign?

• Tunde Salman, Kuje Abuja

eter did they use in arriving at the obnoxious bill of N4,373.00 for February current charges, when January was the period of blackout in the area? What happened to my bill for January 2014 which the total was N3,715.65, but brought forward to reflect N4,935.64 in February 2014 as previous balance? They can only get away with this kind of treatment to customers in Nigeria, where the government has no penchant for addressing injustice done to the poor masses, unlike developed countries of the world where they can not try such exploitation and go scot free. IBEDC should not take people for granted like the notorious PHCN. They should be honest and alive to their responsibility to the customers on their network as this is the only way to douse the distrust and cynicism of Nigerians about the credibility of privatization exercise. I will like to call on Minister of Power, Prof Professor Chinedu Osita Nebo; the House Committee on Power; National Council on Privatization {NCP}, and National Electricity Regulation Commission [NERC] to please check this atrocity being perpetrated by Discos, and give hope to the frustrated electricity consumers. • Pastor Mark Debo Taiwo [JP] Takie/Idi-Abebe, Ogbomoso.

PDP/Labour Party can’t take over Ogun in 2015

IR: Recent statements churned out too frequently by jesters in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and together with its replica the Labour Party to take over Ogun or any state in the South-west come 2015 has constantly provoked hilarious laughter amongst our people and ceased not to amuse them going by the heavy burden PDP governors left behind when ousted from power. In Ogun State, the eight years of Otunba Gbenga Daniel as

governor was a waste because it left so much work undone that could have brought happiness to our people Today in Ogun State, not only has governance improved in infrastructural transformation so also health services opportunities made available in towns, hamlets and villages. The all-important separation of medical waste, an important idea of the Amosun/ Adesegun government is on course and it would help to prolong health

longevity amongst the populace. We now wonder how the masses of our people would leave successes of the duo for the embrace of failed leaders. In 2015, those clamouring to take any state in the South-west from All Progressive Congress (APC) must have to contend with the present happiness of the people. •Akin Malaolu Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum Abeokuta

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

COMMENTS

A rewarding visit to Afe Babalola University

N Thursday February 6, I paid an unscheduled visit to Afe Babalola University in Ado-Ekiti. My primary mission was to visit the founder, Chief Afe Babalola, somebody that I have tremendous respect for because of his exemplary life of determination and success. He is a man who built himself up by his boot strap. His formal education did not go beyond primary schooling at the Emmanuel School, Ado-Ekiti. Even though he passed the examination to the world famous Christ School Ado-Ekiti, he could not take up the opportunity because his parents were too poor to afford his fees. He was determined not to spend the rest of his life in the drudgery of farm life which was the only option open to him. He therefore embarked on self tutelage and correspondence courses through which he passed not only the ordinary level but also the Advance Level of the London University General Certificate of Examination. He then sat for the B.Sc Honours Economics of London at home and the LLB Honours of London before travelling abroad for the required numbers of dinners at the Inns of Court before being called into the English Bar. He returned to the country in the early sixties and registered as a pupil lawyer under the distinguished Olu Ayoola, one of the most brilliant lawyers in Nigeria in the early 1960s. Ayoola eventually ended his career as a high court judge after his illustrious life as a practicing attorney. My nephew incidentally is married to one of Ayoola’s daughters. Chief Afe Babalola then set up his own practice in a modest way but his hard work and determination made his success predictable. I first heard of Babalola sometimes in 1966 when he defended my oldest brother Chief Oduola Osuntokun after being charged to court along with the entire Chief S.L. Akintola’s cabinet after the coup d’etat of 1966. He more than justified the confidence my family had in him when he successfully defended my brother. Since then I have always been impressed by his phenomenal success. He has gained all kinds of laurels in his legal profession including the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and several awards and prizes in England, Canada and USA. His chamber in Ibadan is reputed to have produced more Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) than any other chamber in the country. He has been honoured both in Ekiti and outside Ekiti and his latest honour as Are Amofin of Yorubaland was conferred on him by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III. Chief Afe Babalola first got involved in higher education when he was made Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the University of Lagos a position which he held for almost eight years during which time he was adjudged to be the best Pro-Chancellor in Nigeria. He donated an auditorium as a parting gift to the University of Lagos. His stint at the university brought him into the awareness of the sorry state of higher education in Nigeria and he was determined to do something about it.

AST month was the month of our centenary as a nation and the government rolled out the drums in celebration. The celebrations have not ended mind you. In case you missed out in the revelry in Abuja some two weeks ago, do not worry, you can still get on the gravy train. For those of us who were not lucky to get an award during the February 28 ceremony where the deserving and the not deserving were honoured, we have a chance to get our own share of the cake in the three-month lottery programme, which was launched in Abuja on Monday. The star prize is N100million, while 90 Hyundai cars will be won daily for 90 days. Talk of empowerment, I think this is one way the government thinks it can empower many Nigerians, who live under the poverty level. Other consolation prizes are tricycles, generators, smart phones, television sets and freezers. Did I hear you say how I wish everyday is our centenary? Those, who from the outset, said that the centenary is nothing but a jamboree may be right after all. Until now, Nigeria had never celebrated the amalgamation of its northern and southern protectorates, which gave birth to its name. The amalgamation was an accident of history and we treated it as such for all of 99 years until those in power today decided to mark the 100th anniversary with pomp and

These preambular statements are meant to introduce the founder of Afe Babalola University. Babalola had a vision of excellence in higher education and he is now running with this vision in his own university in Ado-Ekiti. The university runs a collegiate system namely of the College of Engineering, College of Sciences, College of Social and Management Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, College of Law, and College of Pre-degree and Degree foundation programmes, totalling six colleges in all. The only thing that is missing in the University and apparently deliberately so is the College of Humanities because the emphasis of the university is physical and economic development without provision for humanistic and literary studies. Chief Babalola is obviously following directives of government which erroneously make no room for humanistic and philosophical groundings without which there can be no development. Development is not synonymous with physical building and infrastructure, it involves the fine arts of human behaviour without which there is no civilisation and this can only be gotten from liberal arts studies. This is an argument that I probably should not go into and this is not the place for such a debate. What is important for me to say is that he has built perhaps the most excellent private university in Nigeria. Course offerings go beyond the traditional disciplines found in many universities in Nigeria. I believe that the programmes of ABUAD are heavily influenced by American university tradition. For example, in the Department of Mathematics and Physical Sciences, students can graduate with degrees of Bachelor of Science in Biometrics, as well as Bachelor of Science in Medical Physics apart from the traditional areas of Computer Science and Information Technology, and other areas like Mathematics, Statistics, and Physics with Electronics. His College of Medicine and Health Sciences offers degree courses in Anatomy, Physiology, Nutrition and Dietetics, Sports and Health Science, Nursing, Medical Laboratory Technology as well as Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery. This college must be one of the most comprehensive colleges in the country. If ABUAD can find staff to teach all these courses, the university would be one of the best in the world. There is also a Bachelors degree in Tourism and Events Management in his College of Social and Management Sciences which obviously is tailored to meet specific needs in Nigeria today. In his College of Sciences, I noticed that he has special degrees in human biology as well as another degree in zoology and I am happy to note that unlike most private universities where zoology and botany are no longer offered these degrees are offered at ABUAD. For a country in the tropics and whose economy is partially based on tree crops, knowledge of botany ought to be a prerequisite for development. ABUAD’s 4,000 students are housed in exquisite hostels and fed in excellent refectories and are taught in well endowed

laboratories, libraries and engineering workshops. The university is building a massive talents centre on three floors to provide facilities for all kinds of games including basketball, badminton, swimming, squash and dancing floors for students. The university is also building a massive hotel/guest house at the gate of the university which the founder believes will be the best hotel in Ado-Ekiti when completed. The

Jide Osuntokun

institution is founded on the basis of NOT FOR PROFIT because whatever accrues to it is ploughed back into development and upgrade of facilities. To support this massive development, Chief Babalola has established a university farm that specializes in aquaculture that at its maximum level of development will not only be able to feed the students with fish but the entire city of Ado-Ekiti and its environs with fresh fish as well as smoked fish. That’s not all. The farm is also developing mass production of guinea fowls and quail birds, there is also a piggery but there is no poultry, obviously because Chief Babalola does not want to join the Nigerian crowd in the poultry business. There is a massive mango farm with close to 300,000 mango trees already planted. There is also a moringa farm and a laboratory attached to it producing moringa capsules, tea bags, cream etcetera. All these ventures would eventually serve as centres for entrepreneurial studies for the students so that they will not only be theoreticians but practitioners in the various fields of their academic endeavours. These ventures are also designed to sustain the university in future. Hundreds of young people are also gainfully employed in all these ventures. I did not ask for how much it will cost to educate a child there but obviously as they say in Yoruba land that whatever is good must have a price. A child could have a first class education here in Nigeria in this university and perhaps at a fifth of the price to send the child abroad with all the psychological problems involved. ABUAD reminds me of what the University of Ibadan used to be like when I entered it in 1963. It was like a piece of western architecture in the tropics of Africa. This is what ABUAD is like today. ABUAD is service at its best and I pray that many Nigerians of means like Chief Afe Babalola would follow his example instead of spiriting our money abroad for the development of other lands.

Honour and the looter ceremony. Does it mean that we will, henceforth, celebrate the amalgamation anniversary on its due date as we do that of our Independence on October 1 of every year? The centenary celebrations were nothing but a waste of scarce resources. What is there to celebrate about a nation where the per capita income is nothing to write home about? What is there to celebrate about a nation where the gap between the rich and the poor keeps widening by the day? What is there to celebrate about a nation, which is the ninth producer of oil in the world, but cannot meet its people's domestic need for petroleum products? What is there to celebrate about our 100th year when all the industries, which used to be our pride in the 70s and 80s are dead? Those that did not die have since relocated to smaller countries like Ghana and Togo. What is there to celebrate about a nation that does not care about its people? The people only matter to our leaders in times of elections. The celebrations were just to make those in power feel good, no more, no less. There is no justification for it at all. We thank God for our unity; we thank Him for keeping us one. We thank Him for those

‘The evils the late Abacha committed are more than the good he purportedly did for which the government honoured him. The honour does not fit him. It is like putting a necklace on a pig. How will it look like? Ugly, of course. This is how the garland looks on him’

that fought to keep the country together till today, especially the unsung heroes, who died in the civil war. But did they spare a thought for these people during the centenary celebrations? No, these people were not remembered. They chose to honour some of those who put us in the bind we are in today. It is good to honour a former head of state, but such honour must be earned, not given on a platter. Elsewhere, former leaders are not honoured because they once held office, they are honoured for the legacies they left behind. This is why many find the honour given to the late Gen Sani Abacha during the Centenary Awards Ceremony rankling. Honour for the late Abacha? It is unbelievable, but it happened in Abuja on February 28 before a host of dignitaries. To show us how unserious we are as a nation, five days later the United States (US) seized a $458million Abacha loot in what was described as the "largest civil forfeiture action ever". What an encore to the honour for a looter. More implausible is the government's reason for honouring the late Abacha. Hear the government : "He took over power when the nation was on the brink of the precipice. He mobilised the nation's most prominent political class into his cabinet and succeeded in ensuring the continued unity of the nation. He also raised Nigeria's international standing for his peace keeping military interventions in Sierra Leone and Liberia. He oversaw an increase in the foreign reserve from $494million to $9.6billion by the middle of 1997 and reduced the external debt from $36billion in 1993 to $27billion in 1997".

What about the evils he committed. Those evils are more than the good he purportedly did for which the government honoured him. If only the late Abacha had maintained the course, he would have ended well. He ended badly because he was evil personified. There was no peace in the country in his time. Assassinations were the order of the day. Alfred Rewane, Kudirat Abiola, Suliat Adedeji, Lai Balogun, Tunde Elegbede and Omosehinwa, among others, were killed by gunmen either on the road or in their homes. The late Abacha was also instrumental to the judicial assassination of Ken Saro-Wiwa. Yet, the government found him worthy of honour. HE late Abacha honour was not deserved. And we do not need to look any further on why he did not deserve this award than the seizure of his $458million loot in the US. This loot is just a tip of the iceberg. The other day, we were told by Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Dr Ngozi OkonjoIweala that the government had recovered a $500million Abacha loot. Since the government is aware of the atrocities the late Abacha committed, the question is why did it still deem it fit to honour him? Did it take the action out of fear of being accused of unfairness? Unfair to who? To a looter? Was Abacha fair to Nigeria? The late Abacha does not deserve the award and it is not too late for the government to withdraw it and apologise to Nigerians for its error of judgement. The prayer of many Nigerians is that the likes of Abacha shall not come this way again, not for him to be honoured by the government.

Lawal Ogienagbon

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The honour does not fit him. It is like putting a necklace on a pig. How will it look like? Ugly, of course. This is exactly how the garland looks on the late Abacha. Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka spoke the minds of many in his statement titled: Canonisation of terror, in which he rejected his own award because he could not share the same pedestal with the late Abacha. Soyinka said : "What the government of Goodluck Jonathan has done is to scoop up a century's accumulated degeneracy in one preeminent symbol, then place it on a podium for the nation to admire, emulate and worship". Soyinka spoke before the US released its scathing indictment of Abacha over the $458million loot. The US Department of Justice noted: "This is the largest civil forfeiture action to recover the proceeds of foreign official corruption ever brought by the department. General Abacha was one of the most notorious kleptocrats in memory, who embezzled billions from the people of Nigeria, while millions lived in poverty". It is sad that this is the man my country is given an award. Cry, beloved country.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

COMMENTS

HIS administration seems to put the wrong foot forward all the time. If the pomp and pageantry that accompanied the wasteful centenary celebration a few days after the gruesome murder of about 50 school children and the abduction of 20 others was beyond government, because it was an event designed to round up what some saw as our year-long celebration of an absurdity, the junketing around the country with about three presidential aircrafts at public expense by the president, vice president and senate president to mobilize PDP members for the president’s 2015 ambition while the siege by insurgents that has claimed over 300 lives in three weeks lingers, is indefensible. There is undoubtedly a sense of revulsion all over the country against our bungling politicians who are divided over Boko Haram’s unending mindless killings of innocent Nigerians but united when it comes to confiscating disproportionate share of our resources by the ruling elite. Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, former minister of education, as keynote speaker at the recent presentation of APC manifesto captured the mood of frustrated Nigerians when she pointedly told her hosts which included many repentant former PDP members that politicians of all hue who don’t often talk of ethnic group when sharing our national patrimony but haggle only over sharing formula are the problem of the nation. For an administration that sees going to church to mobilize Christians for more prayers each time fresh tragedy befalls us, the sickening events of last week was the height of insensitivity. It was ill-timed and ill-conceived and couldn’t have come at more inauspicious of times for the nation. It came at a time the nation was still mourning, at a time when thousands of Nigerians motorists and those who depend on gasoline to power their small generators were marooned for hours on long queues at filling stations due to what the minister of petroleum attributed to ‘diversion by major oil marketers’, and at a time of an on-going probe of an illegal daily

‘In other climes, soldiers are treated as heroes. Their heroic exploits are celebrated in life as in death. In Britain, France and US, appreciative compatriots line the streets to herald the arrival of their caskets and their burial command national attention’

How not to motivate our soldiers

expenditure of US$8 million on kerosene subsidy, a product used more by the lowest class to which 80 percent of the military belong. The obscene scenes of the president’s campaign team of who-is-who in PDP and all its elected governors round the country for 2015 is not how best to mobilise Nigerians in the face of the tragedy that has befallen our nation, or motivate our embattled armed forces that the politicians have, through acts of omission or commission, put in the harm’s way. A few weeks back, a tearful Governor Kashim Shettima on account of the relative ease with which Kauri, Idzge and Konduga villages in Borno State were sacked by Boko Haram, had pointed out that “what we are being confronted with is that we are in a state of war and that the sooner we stop playing the ostrich and rise up to the challenges of the day and marshal all resources towards stopping the antics of a better armed and a better motivated Boko Haram that is withstanding the fire power of our security apparatus”. He was accused of undermining the fighting spirit of our soldiers by Doyin Okupe, the president publicly paid crisis manager. And from the president came a scornful threat about, “if I should withdraw the military from Borno, we will see what will happen. He won’t be able to stay in his government house”. The governor has since become the issue. On television and social media, government apologists insist the governor’s continuous stay in a state under emergency does not give enough motivation to our fighting forces. Instead of taking a critical look at the reasons behind our soldiers’ inability to respond to five hours insurgents’ attack on their targets, or why there was no immediate help from the commander of the Tank Battalion in Bama whom Alhaji Kyari Ibn E, l Kanemi, the Emir of Bama claimed to have contacted before escaping from a palace under a siege by in-

“O, ye daughters of Africa, awake! Awake! Arise! No longer slumber, but distinguish yourselves. Show forth to the world that ye are endowed with noble and exalted faculties.” Maria W. Stewart

S we celebrated the International Women’s Day on Saturday March 8, we Nigerians (especially our women) have major issues we need to focus on, discuss and find lasting solutions to. In less than one month, 20 of our daughters were abducted by Boko Haram and about 59 more of our children weremurdered in their sleep in cold blood by the same Boko Harm sect! Our children in Federal Government College in Yobe State were killed by Boko Haram! And several more of our children in that school were injured from the attacks! Our children are being maimed! Our children are being murdered! Our children are being killed by terrorists! Our children are being killed in plane crashes! Our children are being killed in car crashes! Our children are being killed by preventable sicknesses and diseases! Our children are being killed – PERIOD! And where have we been? What have we done? And where are our VOICES? Where are the voices of the daughters of Nigeria? Where are the voices of Nigerian ladies? Where are the voices of Nigerian mothers? Where are the voices of Nigerian grandmothers? Where are the voices of Nigerian women? Where are our voices? How come our nation cannot hear our voices? Is Boko Haram drowning out our voices? Why can’t our voices be heard? Why? This is not the first or second secondary school to be attacked. Twice last year in Yobe State, gunmen believed to be Boko Haram attacked our children. On July 6, 2013, a secondary school was attacked and 42 people died many of whom were children. About another 40 students were killed on September 29, 2013 when gunmen opened fire on them while they were sleeping in their hostels. About two weeks ago 20 school girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram. We still haven’t heard what happened to them. How many schools must be attacked before our voices are heard? How many of our children must die in these violent attacks before our voices are heard? How many body bags of our youth must we count before our voices are heard? How many pictures of our dead children must we see before our voices are heard? How much more blood must flow from the veins of our children before

surgents who ended up killing over 70 residents of the town, all government apologists who are probably benefitting from our collective tragedy want is the head of the governor. They forget that even Afghanistan with its on-going 13 years war against insurgency has an elected president and state governors. Besides the lack of training in guerrilla warfare recently raised by a retired senior air force officer and inadequate equipment, (Okupe recently told Channel TV’s Sunrise crew that the N30 billion Nigerian satellite only captures vehicular movements and not objects below four feet), massive corruption and politicians’ obscene display of waste at a period of war, this administration has done far more damage to the fighting spirit of our soldiers. I don’t think just because one chooses to be a soldier is enough motivation to die for one’s country if we continue to treat those who have made the supreme sacrifice as ‘unknown soldiers’ or are treated as mere numbers. It has for instance been claimed by families of those who lost loved ones during the suicide attack in St. Andrews Anglican Church inside Jaji army barracks that many senior officers who ran into the church to help victims after the first bomb blast died along with many of the congregation following the detonation of the second bomb. Nigerians were never told the names and ranks of these national heroes who deserve the highest honour that our nation can bestow .The recent attack on Maiduguiri airport left about 20 military officers dead according to some credible local newspaper. Many more according to foreign media died in other various ambushes by Boko Haram insurgents on many of the undefined battle fronts. They all remain anonymous or unknown soldiers. There is equally a web of secrecy surrounding hundreds of policemen and other members of the security forces that have paid the

supreme sacrifice. Only last week, Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) Comptroller General, David Parradang revealed to Nigerians for the first time that there were “about 37 officers in the immigration service that died in the course of Boko Haram attacks with many who sustained serious injuries located in various hospitals across the country”. But like many others, they remain anonymous entities. Unlike other societies where victims of national tragedies are documented for posterity, where ordinary foot soldiers who died in the service of their nations are celebrated, here, not even senior officers that received advanced training from all over the world are mentioned when they fall in the service of our nation. Three weeks after the brutal murder of about 50 secondary pupils, the victims just like our fallen soldiers remain just numbers. Even if the claim by some surviving victims of Boko Haram assault that some of our soldiers often disappeared from their posts shortly before each attack is launched is untrue, even if government is right that our soldiers are well trained, adequately equipped, indifferent to the obscene scenes of wastefulness daily on display by politicians and are well motivated to want to die for Nigeria, it must not be lost on us that they are also rational beings who, in the first place, joined the military either because they were poor and propelled by a dream of climbing the social ladder or of cultivating heroism. For many a soldier, the greatest impetus is dream of heroism and when they pay the supreme price, even for a cause they don’t understand or believe in, they want to be remembered for their heroic exploits. This is why in other climes, soldiers are treated as heroes. Their heroic exploits are celebrated in life as in death. In Britain, France and US, appreciative compatriots line the streets to herald the arrival of their caskets and their burial command national attention. The media focus on their parents, siblings, wives and the children they left behind. Even where they die young and unmarried, there will be focus on their girl-friends, the schools they attended, and their dreams which studies have shown is in most cases about dying as heroes. For many of our fallen heroes like their counterparts elsewhere in the world, heroism is the motivation. Tragically, this is what our nation has consistently denied her fallen heroes. One would have expected the names of the likes of Okigbo, Isaac Boro, Nzeogwu, Adekunle Fajuyi and a host of others that died during the civil war in President Jonathan centenary award list. But as it was in the past, so it is today.

Nigerian women arise By Olaboludele Simoyan we make our voices heard? How much more…? Nigerian women were is our outrage? Where is our anger? Where is our fury? Where are our collective outrage, anger and fury? Where? The blood of our daughters has spilled to the ground! The blood of our children has poured to mother earth once again (and this has become one too many times). Their blood is crying out! Their blood is crying out for justice! Their blood is crying out saying “avenge our death” and make sure we did not die in vain! Their blood is crying and screaming out “avenge our death” and make sure it doesn’t happen again to any other Nigerian child! Can’t we hear the cry? Can’t we hear their petition? Can’t we take off time from our busy schedule to hear the cry? Is it so hard for us to hear the cry? Are we hard of hearing? Can’t we hear the cry of the parents of these young ones? Is their cry seemingly so far away up North that we feel it is none of our business? Is it that we are so far removed emotionally, financially, socially etc. that we can’t hear their cry? We definitely cannot go on like this! When are we going to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH? When are we going to say NO MORE KILLINGS? When are we going to say NEVER AGAIN? When our children are being killed, it is time for us to awaken from our slumber! When the lives of our children are cut short, it is time for us to step up to the plate of RESPONSIBILITY! When our children are attacked in their sleep, it is time for us to arise and stop the killings! When the life of the future generation of Nigerians is being threaten it is time for us to STAND UP AND SAY NO MORE! There is so much madness flying around in our country. There is the madness of killings by Boko Haram, the madness of corruption – billions of dollars unaccounted for, the madness of politics etc. We must show our own madness! We must show a woman’s madness and undying love for her children! We need to display a mother’s madness of protecting her children just like the madness of a hen when she is

protecting her chicks from harm! We need to exhibit a mother’s madness of defending her brood so that they can mature into adulthood as responsible citizens of Nigeria! And we must have a method to our own madness of preserving the next generation of Nigerian children. O ye daughters of Nigeria, now is the time to show our madness for our children, family and our nation! Arise Nigerian women! Arise QUICKLY! Arise with a SENSE of URGENCY! Arise NOW! SPEAK UP! STAND UP! SPEAK OUT! CHANGE THE STATUS QUO FOR THE GOOD OF NIGERIA AND OUR CHILDREN!!! Desmond Tutu once said “Women, we need you to give us back our faith in humanity.” And NOW Nigerians are saying “We need you our women to give us back our faith in NIGERIA and HUMANITY!” • Ms Simoyan writes from Lagos

‘About two weeks ago 20 school girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram. We still haven’t heard what happened to them. How many schools must be attacked before our voices are heard? How many of our children must die in these violent attacks before our voices are heard? How many body bags of our youth must we count before our voices are heard? How many pictures of our dead children must we see before our voices are heard? How much more blood must flow from the veins of our children before we make our voices heard? How much more…?’

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

COMMENTS

HE virulent disease that is killing Nigeria is the belief by those who control the powers and resources of the federal government that it is their right and prerogative to control all things and all choices in all corners of Nigeria. Whoever is President lives in the deluded belief that he simply determines and does all things in Nigeria – takes all decisions, authorizes, countermands, or stops, the smallest pieces of infrastructure, decides who will hold all public positions, and dictates who will win elections anywhere in Nigeria. The symptoms of this destructive delusion showed up immediately at independence in 1960. At independence, an alliance of the NPC (the party ruling the Northern Region) and the NCNC (the party ruling the Eastern Region) controlled the federal government. A third party, the Action Group (the party ruling the Western Region), formed the official opposition in the federal parliament. In the perverted thinking of the NPC-NCNC allies, it was utterly unacceptable to them that they were not controlling the Western Region too. They were not prepared to wait until the next western regional election to try and win the Western Region; they were obsessed with using federal power to grab the Western Region immediately. And so they embarked upon plotting to disrupt the Western Region in order to destroy its government and appoint their own nominee as ruler there. From 1962, they achieved their purposes over the Western Region – shut down the elected regional government, enthroned a sole administrator, and blatantly rigged the elections. In those insane actions, the Federal Government of Nigeria at independence established the pattern for the political future of Nigeria and the path to Nigeria’s ultimate destruction.

‘Let the notice be sounded therefore that there are quite formidable forces in the wider world now that will rise and fight any attempt to rig any more elections in the homeland of the Yoruba in Nigeria’ ‘Central bankers read election returns, not balance sheets’ - Robert Z. Aliber

IVEN that the suspension of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria has become a subject of litigation, this intervention is purely academic. With mixed reactions in torrent and scores of hate/love arguments for and against the sudden removal of the governor of the CBN, we are undoubtedly all losers as Nigerians. For an increasingly divisive nation, Sanusi’s removal has proved another polarising factor too frequent. Coming on the heel of partisan posturing for 2015, it is not surprising that the suspension has also become a handy partisan issue with objectivity in deficit and subjectivity in huge surplus. Predictably the ruling party (PDP)’s national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh backed the suspension, claiming “the issues leading to the suspension bordered strictly on the management of the nation’s economy”. Expectedly, the All Progressives Congress (APC) accused the presidency of “seeking to use the suspension of ex-Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Malam Lamido Sanusi Lamido, to divert attention from the allegation of the missing 20 billion dollars oil funds”. With these serial partisan diatribe, discussing Sanusi’s suspension tasks objectivity and even imagination. It is obviously academic and even a luxury at this interesting times to be concerned about the bigger picture of the far-reaching implications of the suspension for the banking industry in particular and the economy as a whole. Historic facts might however prove useful in the search for objectivity. President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua nominated Sanusi as the Governor of the bank on June 1, 2009. His appointment was confirmed by the Senate on June 3, 2009 in a record time. President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan on Thursday, February 20, suspended him from office few months to the end of an eventful, albeit controversial single five-year term he had preferred. Of course the point cannot be overstated that the first and notable loser is Sanusi himself. As a labour market student, it’s of profound academic interest of how a process

Warning against election rigging in the South-west Every Federal Government of Nigeria has trodden that path since then. The military dictators of 1966 to 1999 did it very atrociously. Since 1999, every presidency has done it. The Jonathan presidency is doing it totally mindlessly now. Officials of the federal government have always commanded unlimited financial resources, have always enjoyed unrestrained freedom to use such resources without accountability, and have always blatantly used the money to “settle”, subvert and emasculate enough influential citizens in any part of Nigeria. Consequently, they never lack enough eminent citizens to assist them in their crimes against our country, and against our people. State elections are due in Osun and Ekiti states of the South-west soon – before the end of this year, probably hidden under the shadow of the National Conference which is expected to commence soon. Already, the cry is up that the federal agency responsible for elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is already manipulating the registration of voters for these two elections. We heard this kind of distress cry in Anambra State recently, when a gubernatorial election was on there. The Anambra election was rigged – so badly rigged that the international community had to take notice and even raise voices. The elections in Osun and Ekiti states will be rigged too – unless enough resistance is mounted by those who want democracy in Nigeria and the world. The resistance starts now. But, first, a note about identities. Gbogun Gboro does not belong to, support, oppose, or represent, any Nigerian political party. That has always been obvious in this column. Gbogun Gboro springs from the accumulated, and by now enormous, Yoruba Diaspora, with great and rising influences in all parts of the world. Because many of the most educated Nigerians have had to flee the Nigerian mess in recent decades and seek opportunities in other lands, almost every Nigerian national-

ity now has a very substantial Diaspora across the world, each dedicated to the well-being of its own people in Nigeria, and to an orderly and stable Nigeria in which every citizen, and every nationality, can thrive. From intensive researches by an intellectual section of the Yoruba Diaspora, we are confident that the Yoruba nation owns great cultural assets that can give the Yoruba nation a decent, progressive and prosperous society in the modern world. We have no doubt that being part of a chaotic country like Nigeria is seriously hurting the well-being of our Yoruba nation (and of other Nigerian nationalities). We are resolved to resist the destructive effects of Nigeria on our Yoruba nation, and to contribute dedicatedly to the making of an orderly, stably democratic, and prosperous Nigeria (in which our Yoruba nation and the other nations can prosper together). Above all, and urgently, we are committed to reviving and re-energizing our Yoruba nation – in the context of Nigeria if possible, out of Nigeria if Nigeria’s resistance to change and improvement should make that necessary. This is why we are focused now, among other things, on the issue of elections. For about 1000 years, we Yoruba have operated a monarchical political system in which selection of rulers (kings, chiefs and other leaders) by the people have been the rule and the practice. We attach great importance to fairness and integrity in the selection of our rulers. We know that, when selections are handled without integrity, the usual result is conflicts and troubles in the community. In our history, there were instances when whole towns broke up because of these kinds of conflicts and troubles. As a nation, we do not play games with the selection of our rulers. And when, in the 1950s, the British introduced ballot-box elections to Nigeria, we Yoruba in the South-west brought our traditional integrity into the new system. No Yoruba leader or party tried to rig elections. Even our most powerful political leaders had serious opponents who gave them good fights at elections.

Gbogun gboro In the federal election of 1954, the opposition party in our region beat the party in power in the region. We heard stories of tampering with elections in some other parts of Nigeria, or of the power of government being used there to harass and frustrate candidates, but we never had such things in our region. We were a confidently growing democracy. When the controllers of the federal government launched the attack on our Western Region in 1962-5, they immediately struck down our democracy and introduced truculent practices of election manipulation. At last in late 1965, we could no longer tolerate it. We exploded in a big and stubborn revolt which went on until some elements of the military had to step in and destroy the civilian government. However, even after this, the rigging of elections did not go away. But, each time elections have been rigged in the Yoruba South-west, it has provoked our people into serious reactions – often leading to the violent deaths of many of our youths. Let the notice be sounded therefore that there are quite formidable forces in the wider world now that will rise and fight any attempt to rig any more elections in the homeland of the Yoruba in Nigeria. And the most powerful forces in the international community will be roused too. And let it be repeated that this is not about any party or politician. It is about preserving the qualitative cultural assets of the Yoruba nation for the benefit of the Yoruba nation in the world.

CBN: We are all losers By Issa Aremu driven easy entry (with appointment and senate confirmation) of a chief central banker was inversely related to his suspension/ exit without recourse to the same process that brought him to office. So much for the provision of the CBN Act! Sanusi’s ordeal brings to memory the predicament of Bernard Longe, former Managing Director of the First Bank of Nigeria Plc (FBN) who was summarily terminated by the board of directors for allegedly negligently granting an unauthorized facility to Investors International (London) Limited for the acquisition of shares in NITEL, which resulted in losses for FBN in April 22, 2002. In March 2010, the Supreme Court of Nigeria issued a landmark judgment in favour of Longe upturning his suspension. Is history repeating itself? Certainly Longe got a judgment but it is debatable that he got the justice since he did not return to his job. Will Sanusi get justice or judgment in the court of law is one question begging for an answer. One thing is however clear; we are in the final analysis workers who are deserving of decent work, well paid for, secured with easy entry and exit. International Labour Organization (ILO) has shown over the years that millions of workers worldwide live on precarious works that are poorly remunerated. They get fired and hired at the behest of employers. The recent casualization of the CBN’s governor has certainly made another case for decent protected work for the driver, a messenger no less for a CBN governor or even a President. An injury to one is an injury to all. President Goodluck Jonathan may very not be a visible loser in this avoidable labour market crisis, but certainly he is not a celebrated winner either. The President legitimately claimed absolute power to hire and fire. That in itself begs the question. Absolutism needs no interrogation, no less an explanation. In a democracy, everything is relative, the President’s enormous powers inclusive. Watching the President almost agoniz-

ing on Sanusi during the sixth edition of the presidential media chat shows the suspension was far from being an easy presidential option. Indeed it was refreshing that the President left a window of reconciliation when the he said Sanusi still remained governor pending investigation of the alleged abuse of office. If we must all be winners we must return to the big picture of institution building, the economy and nation building. Countries preoccupied with the issues in development use their central banks to keep the economy on course through activist macro economics with respect to pricing, (inflation), exchange rates, interest rates, capacity utilization, employment, debt management, development financing etc. Whatever the hidden issues against Sanusi are, his tenure witnessed open activist central banking. Indeed with respect to the core mandate of the CBN, both the suspended governor and President Jonathan are winners. CBN bailed out “ Afribank, Intercontinental Bank, Union Bank, Oceanic Bank and Finbank averting their collapse. Much credit obviously go to the Yar’Adua/ Jonathan presidency for maintaining institutional autonomy of the CBN which made Sanusi to deliver on his primary mandate as a central banker. Both President Jonathan and Sanusi must be credited with stable inflation and exchange rate figures in recent years. Of course double digit interest rate remains unacceptably high, (no value adding manufacturer can borrow at the scandalous interest rate of 23 per cent!). The relative autonomy of the central bank has made the stability of the monetary policies possible. The major loss to Nigeria in this crisis is therefore institution building. The emerging picture is that of two strong men, namely President Jonathan and suspended Governor Sanusi. But what happens to institution and nation building? Central banking worldwide has been likened to a good (economic) driver, which must keep an eye on the road and maintain steady

hands on the wheel for a good (economic) ride. Towards the end of his tenure, Sanusi was eager to read more balance sheets with all the controversies trailing the missing billions from NNPC’s unremitted sums. Devil is in the details. But it is instructive that, Sanusi has come to agree that the better is to read less of balance sheet. In a pre-suspension interview with Metropole magazine, he accepts as much that; ‘…in a sense, in terms of managing communications that’s what our problem was and the way to have done that would have been maybe use channels other than public lectures, public statements, and public interviews to make some of the points that I have made. If there is anything I think I could have done better, it is really in the area of communication. Also, I think not being politically sensitive was a problem. I am not saying the CBN governor should be a politician. But just understanding the politics of communication in Abuja was something maybe I could have done better.” •Aremu mni is vice president, Nigeria Labour Congress

‘President Goodluck Jonathan may very not be a visible loser in this avoidable labour market crisis, but certainly he is not a celebrated winner either. The President legitimately claimed absolute power to hire and fire. That in itself begs the question. Absolutism needs no interrogation, no less an explanation’

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

THE NATION

EDUCATION

THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

Every parent wants his child to be educated. But where the school becomes a killing field, what would parents do? This is the dilemma in which parents in Yobe State schools now find themselves. Many are withdrawing their children from school because of Boko Haram attacks in which hundreds of pupils have been killed. JOEL DUKU (Damaturu) reports

Boko Haram: Parents withdraw children from Yobe schools • One of the classes at Central Primary School now rebuilt by the government. Inset: Dilapidated dormitory of GSS, Damaturu, attacked by Boko Haram.

VEN before the Federal Government shut some Unity Schools in Yobe and other Northeastern s tates, parents had been withdrawing their children from those schools for safety reasons. Many pupils have become targets of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram. No fewer than 136 are feared to have been killed so far. On February 25, the sect killed no fewer than 59 pupils when it attacked the Federal Government College (FGC) at Buni Yadi. Scores are still missing. Hunters have been hired to comb the bushes near the school for them. Schools in Borno State have also suffered similar attacks, with scores of pupils also killed.

The Yobe State government and the Joint Task Force (JTF) had assured parents of their children’s safety before the Buni Yadi attack. Some parents took solace in the government’s assurance and left their children in school. Some withdrew theirs following the fate of other children in other

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schools. Many top government officials are said to have relocated their children to Kano, Abuja, Kaduna and big cities to continue their education. Children of low income earners are said to be at the mercy of the because of lack of funds.

-Page 27

Adamu (not real name), the father of one of the surviving pupils of the FGC, Buni Yadi attack appears worried. He told our reporter that as long as there is no end to "these senseless killings”, he will never compromise his son's future. "I must tell you that Allah is our

Take it or leave it, the quality of education in Yobe has become poorer because of these attacks. Student enrolment has dropped and the apathy for learning is on the increase. The government of Yobe State may be doing its best but if you are reconstructing schools that are burnt by the insurgents and there are no pupils in the schools, then what are you achieving? INSIDE

UI, Asian Varsity on students exchange

PHOTOS: J OEL DUKU

My score card, by UNN VC -Page 48

CAMPUS LIFE

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only hope for these senseless killings. I am confused and devastated but I cannot compromise the future of my son for fear. He must go to school," Adamu assured. Parents, who moved their children, said they acted on instinct. Hauwa, a single mother, said she withdrew her two daughters from FGC, Buni Yadi after the College of Agriculture in the same area was hit by Boko Haram in December. "As if I knew, I was uncomfortable since the attack on the College of Agriculture, Gujba because my two daughters were in FGC, Buni Yadi which is very close to that place. I had to borrow money to transfer them to another school • Continued on Page 26

•A 10-page section on campus news, people etc

A law student’s mysterious death -Page 29

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

EDUCATION

Boko Haram: Parents withdraw children from Yobe schools • Continued from Page 25

in Jigawa State. Look at what has happened now. May Allah save us from this problem," Hauwa said. Idris Abubakar, a civil servant, relived the pains of living without his children whom he relocated to Abuja. "I had to relocate my children to Masaka close to Abuja for them to get better education. But it has not been easy managing a family away from my location. I travel often to see them. My only consolation is that I will soon retire from the Yobe State Civil Service. So, I will move and connect permanently with my family," he said. Since the Boko Haram attacks started, Government Secondary School (GSS), Damaturu, Government Secondary School, Mamudo in Potiskum, College of Agriculture Gujba and FGC, Buni Yadi have been hit. The attacks are impeding government’s efforts to turn things round in the educationally disadvantaged state. Aishatu and her husband are civil servants in the state; but she is against parents withdrawing their children from school. According to her, any reasonable parents must ensure that his or her child gets education regardless of the circumstances. "For those of us that work and live in this place, we have no choice but to put our children in school. My problem is not even Boko Haram but there are no good schools around for the children to get good and qualitative education. "I feel sorry for the state government because they are trying a lot but the crisis keeps dragging them backward. I am aware that many schools were burnt and government has to spend more money to rebuild these schools. "One area that is lacking on the part of government is to sustain an awareness campaign among the citizenry on the need for parents not to give up on education. Without proper education, there will be more crises in future," Aishatu said. The FGC Buni Yadi attack made a woman popularly known as Mama Comfort to almost change her mind about her only daughter’s education. It took the school authority to convince her not to take the girl home. Mama Comfort told our reporter that she and other parents took the same decision that fateful day. "Many of us went there to re-

move our children, from that school. The principal of the a school assured us that nothing will happen to our children, but for me, I had made up my mind that I was not leaving without my only daughter. Other people left but I refused to. After several pleas from the principal and my refusal to shift ground, he had to go and call soldiers who came and chase me out of the school", Mama Comfort told our reporter. The woman noted that the school has no fence; hence her fears on the security of the school. “I was surprised that the back of the school is empty without fence, you only see fence by the main road but the back of the school is empty, not even a wire to restrict movement.” “It is better for me to keep her (daughter) safe and alive than to die. Let her stay with me here. When I get money, I will find another school for her outside Yobe,” Mama Comfort said. Msheliza (not real name) is a lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic in Damaturu. He has relocated his three children to another school in Jos, the Plateau State capital. "Since 2012, the attacks on Damaturu by Boko Haram insurgents have had a serious effect on student enrollment. "Whenever there was an attack in those days, children would stay out of schools for days, sometimes weeks so I decided to take my children to Jos where education and the environment are better." "Take it or leave it, the quality of education in Yobe has become poorer because of these attacks. Student enrollment has dropped and the apathy for learning is on the increase. The government of Yobe State may be doing its best but if you are reconstructing schools that are burnt by the insurgents and there are no pupils in the schools then what are you achieving? Msheliza asked. To keep Boko Haram at bay, many private schools in Yobe are using private guards. A head teacher in a private school said the measures became necessary to forestall attacks. "Though we cannot stop these attacks but we need to put up measure that can reduce the impact in case we have to contend with one", he said. Most private school owners were reluctant to divulge their security arrangements.” "It will amount to no sense if I tell you the security measures we have in this school. That would

Yobe State Commissioner for Education Alhaji Mohammed Alamin, in this interview with DUKU JOEL speaks on the fortune the government is spending on infrastructure and security in public schools. He is calling on parents not to withdraw their children to schools outside the state.

‘Don’t withdraw your children from school’

NTIL the insurgents redirected attacks on schools in the state, the education sector was on the priority list of government. What is government doing to improve security in schools? Initially, we thought their (Boko Haram) attacks will not be carried to this magnitude; but as soon as they started showing interest that they wanted to destroy some of our schools, we made efforts in collaboration with security agencies to provide security round our schools. That was after the Damaturu and Mamudo attacks. Even the Defence Headquarters sent senior officers to assess the situation, we told them that we needed soldiers to be around our schools. They said they didn't have such manpower for all schools. They only promised that their men would patrol the schools. To be fair to them, they have been providing the security and by the grace of God, we stayed for a few months without any attack on our schools after the College of Agriculture attack in Gujba. All of a sudden, the unfortunate incident at FGC Buni Yadi happened again. This one too is very devastating, pathetic, callous and in fact inhuman because it is the same manner and way they killed these students in the previous attacks that they still did; gathering them and killing about 29 of them. Tell us about efforts geared towards the schools’ reconstruction Since the Damaturu, Mamudo and the College of Agric incidents, the Yobe State government has been trying to rebuild these schools. Despite our challenges, you will realise that education still tops our priority as a state. We have rebuilt and reconstructed the entire schools. If you go to these schools, you will realise that in addition to those structures provided, we have also fenced the schools round. Now we have provided some form of security to the students and we have assured parents that the students would be secured in these schools. All these are efforts being made by the Yobe State Government that in spite of the challenges, we will not relent in our efforts to providing an enabling environment for our teachers and students to learn. Have you received assistance or an intervention fund from the Federal Government for the rebuilding of these schools? In terms of schools, we have not received any intervention from anybody. I was made to understand that the Federal Government granted about N150million or so to the state government. But even that amount is nothing compared to the destruction made by these mindless insurgents and the repairs we have undertaken. How much did it cost you to rebuild the schools? The GDSS Damaturu alone cost us overN339million, GSSS Mamudo cost us about N160million, and just the fencing of College of Agric is about N120million. What I have told you is excluding all the primary schools being destroyed in the state and the equipment by the insurgents across the state. As far as relief or assistance is concerned, we have not received anything from anybody for the reconstruction or rebuilding of these schools. Not that I know of. To what extent have you been able to rebuild confidence in parents with respect to security? further weaken our strategies. I am sorry", a head teacher in a private school told our reporter. Another teacher, who pleaded anonymity said: "Let me tell you, the security situation in this region has made everybody alert

•Pupils of Central Primary School, Damaturu still learning despite attacks on school in the state.

Yes, fencing is one of the confidence we are providing both for the parents and t h e students.Before, GDSS Damaturu was very porous and you can come in from any direction. But now, we have fenced the school and very soon we will provide security wires on top of the fence to give the students and even parents some confidence that the govern- •Alhaji Alamin ment is providing security. At least, there is only one entrance to the school because the land mass, which was before free, has been fenced. By the time we provide the security wire, nobody can climb the wall. We have done the same thing at Mamudo and the College of Agric and, eventually, all the schools in the state would be provided with this security measure for the pupils to, at least, have some level of security in all schools across the state. There is panic among parents as many are withdrawing their children from schools across the state after the Buni Yadi attack. What is your advice to them? I would like to assure them that our children would be safe in all our schools. The Buni Yadi incident is unfortunate. According to the information reaching us, it occurred when they withdrew security agents posted to the school. I learnt they (government) withdrew security in certain places and took them where they would be needed them most. By so doing, they weakened the security around the school. If the re-enforcement were at Buni Yadi, I am sure this unfortunate killing wouldn't have occurred because the soldiers' base is less that 2km from the school. The entire Federal Government College was burnt. No structure - a classroom, dormitory, laboratory, staff quarters, library - was left. One needs to see the extent of the destruction to appreciate what has been done in that school by the insurgents. No structure is standing. There are over 40 houses for the staff alone, not to talk of the classrooms - all were burnt. On the final note, there is no sense for parents to withdraw their kids from schools. What is the state approach to education now in view of the development? Education still remains a priority for Yobe State government. Despite the challenges, we will continue to provide education to our citizens. If we dare say we cannot provide, that is what the insurgents want. You know they say, Boko Haram traslates to 'education is sin'. So, we will not do that. Rather, we will continue to rebuild, reconstruct, and provide all that is needed for our children to be educated. That knowledge we must not fail to give to our children.

and security conscious. Most of our school children are aware that things are not the same in this area. Some of the parents are seriously doing the orientation at home. But as a school, we always remind our students during assembly to be vigilant and careful. "As for the little ones, we normally tell them not to collect gifts or talk to any stranger but to report to their teacher anybody that insists on something from them, or better still run away", the teacher said. Our reporter, who went round Damaturu, the state capital, noticed that almost all the private schools now have fortified gates. Governor Ibrahim Gaidam has condemned the killing of pupils. He said his administration would not be deterred from providing quality education to all. "I must say that the act of these insurgents is unfortunate, devastating and highly barbaric; but their attitude will not stop us from fulfilling our campaign promises to the people of Yobe State, Insha Allah. We will continue to provide quality education to our children, free medical treatment to pregnant women

and children under five years, poverty alleviation, good water, and infrastructural transformation of the state. "I am sad that the resources we would have used to provide other infrastructure are now being channelled to the reconstruction of the schools. But we have to do it for the sake of the future of our children," Gaidam said. As at June, statistics from Yobe State Ministry of Education indicated that over 209 schools were destroyed by the insurgents. The state requires over N2.5 billion to rebuild them. The figures may have increased by now, with the insurgents recurring attacks. To win back parents’ confidence and restore hope in the education sector, the government has rebuilt over 300 burnt classrooms. The government has also begun the construction of perimeter fencing around the schools. A visit to GSS, Damaturu, showed an overhaul of dilapidated infrastructure. The school has also been fenced round. The fencing of the College of Agriculture, Gujba, is ongoing, while that of GSS, Mamudo, has been completed.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

EDUCATION

UI, Asian Varsity exchange students

EKSU FILE

Don for confab A PROFESSOR of Sociology, a visiting professor to the Ekiti State University (EKSU) and Director, Department of Gender and Development Studies Mrs. Olabisi Aina, is among those to represent the state in the forthcoming national conference. Aina's nomination by the Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has been applauded by the university community. Leading the state delegation is Chief Deji Fasuan. Other members are Bishop Felix Ajakaye of Ekiti Catholic Diocese, Prof. Akin Oyebode; former ViceChancellor, University of Ado Ekiti (now EKSU) Dr. Kunle Olajide, and Oba Adamo Babalola, the Onitaji of Itaji Ekiti

HE University of Ibadan's Centre for Sustainable Development (CESDEV) has partnered with some Asian universities on a student exchange programme. The Director of UI's CESDEV, Prof Labode Popoola, made this known at a briefing in Bodija, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. He said Nigeria, and indeed Africa's thirst for real development, was hinged on a programme that breaks disciplinary and continental boundaries the same manner the centre was doing with the global field exercise, which started in Japan. The programme, he said, was aimed at creating "complete" leaders that can apply diverse methods to developmental and governmental issues. Popoola said: "Asia may be a continent of developed countries or a few emerging economies but, in truth, there are some things that we lost in the course of all that development. Coming to Nigeria, I saw those things and I wished we had it. "It's important for students to employ multi-disciplinary approach to development studies. If we do that, we'll begin to see sustainable development. That is the beauty of the programmes we have in CESDEV. "These students, in the past 11 days, have been exploring multi-disciplinary subjects that affect development. They've been dealing with environ-

•Some of the students from the University of Tokyo. From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

mental protection, agriculture, food security issues and many more." Popoola said prior to the students of the University of Tokyo visit to Nigeria, UI students had, between November and December, last year, spent more than two weeks in Japan, learning and sharing ideas with their counterparts. "Our students were in the University of Tokyo between November and December, last year, learning and sharing with students in Tokyo. Now, students from that university are here too to learn and share. That is the global nature and concept of development studies," he said. Popoola described lack of electricity, poor awareness of the programme's relevance, as well as disinterest from states in sponsoring students, as part of challenges con-

fronting the programme. CESDEV is a postgraduate programme of UI, which according to the director, offers postgraduate diplomas, professional and academic masters as well as PhDs’. Prof. Masafumi Nagao, who led the University of Tokyo students to Nigeria, said the need to learn and share experience worldwide necessitated the deal. Nagao said: "Africa and Asia have a lot in common, yet each continent knows very little about each other. The idea is for students from both continents to collaborate to learn from one another's point of view and build areas of social relevance." According to him, the programme is similar to programmes run at the University of Tokyo, but he wished there was more money available to execute more of such trips to Nigeria

No plan to relocate OKOPOLY, says management

HE management of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko (OKOPOLY), Anamabra State has debunked rumours making the rounds that it is planning to relocate the institution. It was reacting to a protest by some placard-carrying women with in-

By Adegunle Olugbamila

scriptions, insinuating that it was planning to relocate the institution to Ezira town, which is about 10 minutes drive from Oko. The polytechnic’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Obini Onuchukwu, said

the protest was orchestrated to destroy the achievements of the administration led by Prof. Godwin Onu. Onuchukwu wondered why some women could allow themselves to be used by certain interests bent on denting the rector's image. In a statement, Onuchukwu claimed

• The lecturers during the protest.

and Africa. A 23-year-old undergraduate of the University of Tokyo, Tina Yamada said in the midst of Japan's technological advancement, spectacular transport system and social organisation, the country still needs to borrow a leaf from the Third World. Her Nigerian counterpart, Tolu Adegbite, said: "I was in Tokyo, Japan in December for the exchange programme. In terms of development, Japan has more advanced technology and better transport system unlike Nigeria. But here, their is flexibility unlike Japan where life is rigid and more individualistic. But one similarity is that the two countries have the same education culture where people believe that young people can only excel and lead the future if they acquire education."

EACHERS under the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Federal Colleges of Education (Technical), Akoka, Lagos are asking the Federal Government to implement their demands in full. The union staged a peaceful protest at the campus last week. Members displayed placards with inscriptions, such as: 'Harmonise the condition of service', 'Release the White Paper on visitation panel', "Education in Nigeria deserve a great future, do not toy with it,' ' FG, be sensitive to the plight of the masses, "On migration we stand,’ "COEASU says no to Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information Sys-

that the protesting women allegedly blamed the rector for masterminding the ongoing Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP) strike. The protesters also accused Onu of admitting a representative from another community, rather than the host community, as a member of the Governing Council, as well as engaging some widows from the community in the polytechnic without paying them for several months. He said: "The rector does not have the powers to relocate an institution established by an Act without proper legislation. Therefore, there is no iota of truth in what they are saying and there is no plan whatsoever to relocate the institution to Ezira," he said. "On the ASUP strike and sending students to other institutions, we all know it is a nationwide issue, which has lingered for over five months and we don't have any other institution apart from Oko, Ufuma and Atani campuses of the polytechnic and an affiliation with Covenant Polytechnic in Aba and no other institution". Onuchukwu continued: "The appointment of council members is not the responsibility of any rector or polytechnic, but that of the Federal ministry of Education and we are waiting for further directive. So, I wonder why we should be castigated for a responsibility that is not ours.”

FCE (Technical) teachers to govt: strike continues By Medinat Kanabe

tem (IPPIS),' among others. Chairman of the chapter, Mr Olayanju Taiwo, said until their demands were met, they would not go back to the classroom. He said:"Government please listen to us and consider the plight of the students and the education sector. You cannot pay lip service to education or turn deaf ears to the demands of the union. You cannot trample on the right of the union. Say no to IPPIS (Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System), it has

never worked. We want our primary and secondary school staff to be paid by the government." Taiwo assured the Federal Government that their members would be happier if their demands were met. He further said the students were not left out as their hostels are in a bad shape. “Go take a look at the student's hostels, it is nothing to write about. The laboratories and equipment are no better. “Our offices, too, are in a bad shape. In my office, there are three lecturers. Some offices have five lec-

turers staying there," Olayanju added. The college Students Union President, Olusola Ogunowo, urged the government and COEASU to find a meeting point as the students were already weary of the strike. "We want the government to come to our rescue. The government and COEASU should come to an agreement. The government should be sensitive to the demands of COEASU. We want to write our exams soon. Students that should have spent three years in school are now spending four years," he said.

College of Medicine for seminar THE Vice-Chancellor EKSU Prof Aina has said the university's College of Medicine will excel during the forthcoming accreditation. Aina based his confidence on the provision of human and infrastructural resources for the college, citing several structures, with intellectuals and state government's support. The vice-chancellor, while declaring the workshop, organised by the College of Medicine on the accreditation open, said the medical library, which had been adjudged the best in the country was funded from the university's Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). He urged participants to hold discussions that would enlighten stakeholders on the accreditation by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).

Ekiti Police commissioner visits THE Commissioner of Police in Ekiti State Mr. Felix Uyanna, has pledged to cooperate with the authorities of EKSU in minimising crimes on campus. He made the promise during a courtesy visit to the VC. Mr. Uyanna, who was deployed to the state, noted that security was everyone’s business, stressing that he would rely on the cooperation of all in combating crimes. The Vice-Chancellor Aina told Uyanna that miscreants or illicit associations on campus have been minimal, soliciting the cooperation of the new police boss with the university's security outfit to sustain the peace on campus. Aina said the university was known for peace as cultism has gone down.

EKSU matriculates fresh students NEW students of the university have taken their oaths of matriculation, pledging to be of good character during their stay. Welcoming the fresher into EKSU, the VC told the students that the university would equip them to live in a dynamic global community. He urged them to buckle up and be ready to align with the university’s vision to transform to a world-class institution. He assured parents and guardians of the students that their wards were in safe hands as the university was determined to groom the freshers to be men and women of impeccable character.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

EDUCATION AOCOED FILE

Alumni inaugurate secretariat HISTORY was made last Thursday when the AOCOED Alumni Association led by Comrade Adeyemi Adesanya held the ground breaking of its proposed one-storey building. Personalities at the event, who pledged, were: former Lagos State deputy governor Prince Abiodun Ogunleye, former Commissioner for Health Lagos Dr. Leke Pitan; the Provost AOCOED, Mr. Bashorun Olalekan Wasiu and his management team; and Provost, Michael Otedola College of Primary Education Prof Olu Akeusola. Others were: Mrs Peregrino,V. M., a member of the college, Governimng Council and Chairman & CEO, Marrot Construction Company Ltd A.O Runsewe.

NCE regular exam begins THE 2013/2014 first semester exams for Regular NCE Students of the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Otto/Ijanikin, Lagos State has started.

Librarian heads Convocation Committee THE Head of the college’s Library Unit Mrs Omotayo Oluwole, has been appointed as the Acting Chairman of the institution's Convocation Committee. Mrs Oluwole and her team were charged with facilitating and organising the college 32nd, 33rd and 34th joint convocations scheduled for April 24.

Excitement at Wellspring Sports meet By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

OODNESS House may have won only seven gold medals compared to the 12 won by Grace and Praise houses each, and the 11 by Favour House at the Eighth Inter-House Sports Competition of Wellspring College, Omole, Phase 2, Lagos. However, the house still impressed in some the events, particularly the Tug of War. The pupils, who participated in the event, lived up to their weight by ensuring that they pulled the other teams down during the competition held at the Agege Stadium. It was one gold medal among the seven that members of Goodness House would really treasure. On the whole, the inter-house competition provided a lot of excitement for the pupils and their teachers as well as parents and guests despite a chilly weather and downpour towards the end of the event. At the end of stiff contest in football, high jump, hurdles, badminton, javelin, short put, sprint races, and other track and field events, Grace House stood taller than others with 12 Gold, nine Silver and 14 Bronze medals. Praise House followed closely in the second position with the same number of gold and silver medals but only eight bronze medals. Favour House came third with 11 gold, 10 silver, and nine bronze medals, while Goodness House was fourth with seven gold, 14 silver and 11 bronze medals. Praising the efforts of the houses, Principal of Wellspring College, Mrs Oluyemisi Oloriade said integrity in participation was more im-

Corona School to recruit 50 for its I-Teach programme

HE Corona School Trust Council (CSTC) is set to up its ante by engaging 50 young graduates into the teaching profession through itsTeach programme. This is in contrast with the 25 that underwent the pilot exercise in 2011 and another set of 25 trainees the following year. CSTC Executive Director Mrs Olufunto Igun announced this at a briefing held at school’s head office in Ikoyi. She said the first two editions were highly successful, increasing the applicants’ base, thereby necessitating the need for CSTC to give room for more trainees. The CSTC, Igun explained, believes teachers, like their counterparts in the bank, oil and gas, telecommunications among others, should also be accorded their right of place. Teaching is one area that should attract young but highly knowledgeable minds which the ITech programme is all about, Igun further explained. Mrs Igun said the 21-Century teaching required ‘digitalised teachers’ which she argued, is the bane in many schools today. “A significant area that has and continued to pose a serious challenge to schools is the dearth of technically qualified teachers. Our experience

• Mrs Igun (middle) and Irene (fourth left) and the CSTC Corporate Affairs Manager Mrs Omowunmi Onafokan with other past graduates of the programme. By Adegunle Olugbamila

shows that the best talent is not in the teaching profession where they should belong. We feel strongly that it is critical we change this and enthuse these talents with the right bright prospect of teaching as a viable, profitable and noble career. On the requirement, Igun said an applicant must have a second class upper from recognised institution, must be a graduate who has just finished his or her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) not more than two years, be within 21 and 26 years, be determined to embrace teaching, does not require prior teaching experience, and must have good communication in addition to ICT skills. The CSTC Education Administrator, Mrs Maureen Irene said the pro-

cess for sorting out the best is applicants ‘rigorous and strictly on merit’ as there are already various criteria to determined those to be shortlisted. She said the challenge of looking for job for the trainees on completion of their programme is completely ruled out. According to her, the certificate issued by CSTC to endears the holder to any high flying school within the country and beyond. She said the lst year’s edition of ITeach which is the corporate social responsibility arm of the CSTC, was rested to allow for re-strategising. The choice of the young mind, Irene stressed, was anchored on the basis that ‘the future of any nation is in the next generation-youth’ On why CSTC does not lay emphasis on prior teaching experience, Di-

Teacher to present Physics books

O further demystify Physics in the West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) and make the subject easier for pupils, Mr Augustine Okeke-Agbaga, an educationist/author has written three textbooks on the subject for each of the three levels in the senior school cadre. Titled: 'Fundamentals of Physics for West Africa 1, 2, and 3, Okeke-Agbada believes some of the challenges students experience in Physics is because of English a borrowed language in which the textbooks are written, as well as non-tropicalisation of illustration and experiments in such books. Okeke-Agbaga said: "When I was in the college, I did sciences - Maths, Physics, and Chemistry almost alone. That was not easy at that stage and that is still the problem with our students till now. With my books, I want

to make life easier in subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics by using simple expressions and local examples to repeat the story so as to make it more understandable." Okeke-Agbada, who resides in Munich, Germany, said the SS1 book with 252 pages mainly consists of introductory aspects to Physics expressed in a layman language. "In the book, you have the general definition of all the areas of physics but mentioned without much details because they are reserved for the next class," he added. Explaining the SS2 version, he said he made efforts to break concepts into details according to the syllabus. "This explains why it is the most voluminous with 637 pages, while the SS3 edition is a recap with just 264 pages, including all new topics," he said.

Okeke-Agbada, who studied Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry between 1993 and 1997 at University of Munich, Germany, said he wants Nigerian students to appreciate life in sciences, especially physics to enable them to understand that if they choose Physics as ther favourite, they won't have any cause to regret their action. "Physics is life and my books try to make students understand this branch of life better. Using several calculations I try to bring the story home than in foreign books we use and local ones that are almost empty," he added. The textbooks, according to him, have a problem-solving feature. "We spent time solving problems as seen in the examples to aid understanding and to add more flesh to theories,” he added.

ous today and are ready to do whatever it takes to accomplish that. But remember this: any victory achieved here that lacks the blessing of honour is no victory, indeed, and is capable of ruining whatever

moral standard we have achieved over the years. So, in your dealings, let fair play be the guiding principle and honour, the goal. In fact, it is better to lose honourably than to win dishonourably."

By Medinat Kanabe

• Goodness House march past

portant than victory and aligned with the school's philosophy of doing things right. She said: "I am aware that you have put in your best in your various house trainings to be victori-

rector Corona Teachers College, Mrs Ifueko Omowunmi said: “At CSTC, we believe whatever you acquired in university is a platform. but the ITeach programmes exposes our trainees to a four month intensive grooming aims at discovering the innate their talent and sharpening samefor better output.” A past graduate of the programme Jebutu Olawale, who teaches at Corona School, Apapa shares his experience with The Nation. “During the training,” Olawale recalled: “we were made to learn from those who had gone ahead of us. Each of us was also given a mentor who also made us understand that regardless of what we had as our first degree, it is never difficult to settle down in a classroom environment.”

Fashola’s wife urges pupils on morals

By Ibrahim Yusuff

AGOS State First Lady, Mrs Dame Abimbola Fashola has urged the pupils of Dansol High School, Ikeja Lagos to imbibe moral values and be God-fearing. This, according to her, would not only make them greater in life, but also make Nigeria a better country. Mrs Fashola gave the charge while delivering a lecture titled: "Restoration of our value system" during the school's press day/yearly leadership leecture. She attributed the corruption and moral decadence in the society to lack of moral values. "We must never abandon our own moral values and culture, otherwise our society will fall apart. Looking inwards, you will realise that the ills in our society can mainly be traced to loss of values. If a person steals, lies, cheats or even fails to lead followers on the right path, it is because such a person has lost or does not have the moral values that are important to perform their obligations successfully," she said. Mrs Fashola, who urged the pupils to be respectful and law-abiding, added that that the only way they can excel in their studies is through hardwork. Her words: "Show respect to your elders. Honour your father and mother; this includes your teachers, school prefects, class and school mates. You must always obey rules and regulations of your school, the state and the country. "The only way to success in life is through hardwork. Read your books, practice those subjects you do not know to avoid cheating and examination malpractices. There is no shortcut to achieving your dreams.” The Proprietress, Mrs Adun Akinyemiju, said: “We support the state government through our immediate community, Agidingbi. In 2008 we supported the pupils in their annual charity project to complete a block of toilets which was donated to the Agidigbi Grammar School.”

Murder in the hostel

Preparing them for the future

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*CAMPUSES *NEWS *PEOPLE *KUDOS& KNOCKS *GRANTS

CAMPUS LIFE

THE NATION

0805-450-3104 email: campusbeat@yahoo.com THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

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

email:- campuslife@thenationonlineng.net

Mystery over law student’s death How did Oladipupo Maranantha Ige die? This is the puzzle students of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State, could not unravel last week when news of the rumoured suicide of the 400Level Law student broke. OLUWAFEMI OGUNJOBI (400-Level Language Arts) reports.

“B

Y the time you read this, I would have been dead.” That was the text the late Oladipupo Ige allegedly sent to his mother’s mobile phone on that fateful day. His mother, it was learnt, did not get the text in time because her phone was off. Several minutes later, Oladipupo was found dead in his room. He allegedly committed suicide. The incident happened last week in Asherifa Hostel, opposite the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State. The late Oladipupo was a 400-Level Law student. But the police disagreed with the suicide theory. The Osun State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Folashade Odoro, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), said the student died of “stomach ache”. Students besieged the hostel, following the news of Oladipupo’s death. The late student reportedly left a written statement detailing how his properties should be shared. His books should be buried with him, he was said to have written. The late Oladipupo, who was in his early 20s, reportedly left for his hostel on Friday without telling his neighbours where he was going. He returned in the evening of the following day, after which he composed the text he sent to his parents. CAMPUSLIFE learnt that when his mother got the text around 10pm, she called Bola Okiji, the late Oladipupo’s close friend and classmate. Okiji was said not to have been around at the time. Mrs Ige then sent a woman living around the school to check on her son. On getting to the late Oladipupo’s hostel, the door was found locked from behind. When the woman peeped through the door, she reportedly saw the late Ige’s body dangling. She alerted other occupants and they broke into the deceased’s room. When our correspondent visited the house, the neighbours declined to speak. One of them, who did not want her name in print, said: “Lately, Oladipupo had been doing weird things; at times, he would wake up in the midnight and start washing the toilet. Sometimes, he would be banging his door at midnight.”

Emmanuella Odum, the deceased’s friend, described his death as unimaginable. “We still played together on Friday after lectures, before he left the campus. Why he contemplated suicide is what I cannot explain,” she said. Okiji described the late Oladipupo as a brilliant student, who could have graduated with a Second Class (Upper Division). Okiji said his friend could not have committed suicide for academic reason. Last Sunday, the late Oladipupo’s parents conveyed his remains to their Iree, Osun State hometown. When our correspondent visited the Law Faculty, his classmates were seen discussing in hushed tones. “He was a recluse and kept to himself; he never talked to anyone. When I go to read at the faculty, he would be seen at dark spots, staring into space. At times, he would question the existence of God. I think he had a weird personality,” a classmate said. Ayotola Tehingbola, in an article published on the faculty’s notice board, described Oladipupo’s death as shocking. She wondered why the deceased would contemplate suicide, noting: “Oladipupo, I don’t know what went through your head in the last few hours of your life, but I am sorry that you saw life as not being worth it. I cannot begin to imagine the fear and hopelessness you felt in the last hour of your life. “I met Oladipupo on my matriculation day. His dad and my dad worked in the same company at that time; so it was sensible for us to meet. I vividly remember the last time I spoke to him, just before the Nigeria University Games (NUGA) began. We stood, laughed, argued and scribbled in front of Auditorium II.” The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Bamitale Omole, has condoled with the bereaved family, saying the institution shared in its grief. There are insinuations that the late Oladipupo may have died of bipolar disorder - acute depression. But the police said the deceased called a friend, identified as Olajuwon, moments before his death. He was said to have complained of stomach ache. According to the police, Oladipupo died before Olajuwon reached him.

•The late Oladipupo

PHOTO: SIKIRU AKINOLA

•Fire at OAU union building -P32• Students, staff bid lecturer farewell-P41

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

CAMPUS LIFE

Has the NYSC run its course?

N 22nd May, 1973, the regime of former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon promulgated decree 24 of 1973 which subsequently set up the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to involve the country’s graduates in the development of the country. Since we are not in a state of war and there is no military conscription in Nigeria, the NYSC- which I see as one of the most strategic moves to foster national unity - somewhat filled the gap. At the initial stage, it only involved only 3,000 universities graduates, but later polytechnics and colleges of education graduates were later included in the national service which runs into hundreds of thousands annually. As most are aware, what stands the scheme out was that corps members are posted to states other than their states of origin. The ideology was simple: They are expected to mix with people of other tribes, social and family backgrounds, to learn the culture of the indigenes in the place they are posted to. This action is aimed to bring about unity in the country and to help youths appreciate other ethnic groups and the complex cultural dynamics of Nigeria. The ideologues of the program also envision that beyond unity, it would also help in creating entry-level jobs for many Nigerian youth. An NYSC forum dedicated to members was set up to bridge the gap amongst members serving across the country which also serves as an avenue for corpers to share job information and career resources as well as getting loans from the erstwhile National Directorate of Employment (NDE). Just like most things Nigerian - like we oftentimes say - the programme started running into murky waters years later. Members started complaining of being underpaid, paid late or not paid at all, there were also issues of welfare of corps members. But

Pushing Out Agbo Agbo 08116759750

•aagboa@gmail.com the most serious of these challenges that rocked the scheme to its foundation is that several members have been killed in the states they were sent to due to religious, ethnic or political violence. The first major blow came during the postelection violence in April 2011 when 11 corps members were killed in Bauchi State. Prior to the election, several other corps members employed as ad hoc staff by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), were also killed in Suleja, Niger State, as well as in Jos, Plateau State. That of Jos was quite pathetic as the father of one of the victims was called by one of the assailants and told point blank that they are about to kill his son, which they eventually did while the phone was still on! As a result of this development, the NYSC Directorate was forced to redeploy prospective corps members previously posted to “volatile states” in the North. This followed a media campaign mounted by parents and several stakeholders against posting corps members to states that have been prone to serious security threats. By that directive, prospective members, who were earlier posted to Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau, Kano and Kaduna States, were directed to report to the NYSC headquarters in Abuja for redeployment. Those posted to Yobe and Borno States also carried out their orientation exercise at the NYSC camps in Nasarawa and Benue States respectively. As compensation for the attacks, President Goodluck Jonathan presented N5 million to families of those who lost their lives in these states. He also promised to give jobs to the other affected corps members immediately after the mandatory one-year service to the

ESSAY CONTEST FOR UNDERGRADS

THE Nation CAMPUSLIFE, in collaboration with AfricanLiberty.org and Network for a Free Society, is calling for entries into an essay competition. Details are as follows: Question: Freedom creates prosperity. It unleashes human talent, invention and innovation, creating wealth where none existed before. Discuss. Eligibility: All African Students in any tertiary institutions (university, polytechnic, college of education and technical schools) in Africa. The format of the text should be in Microsoft word and not more than 1,500 words. Interested students can visit www.africanliberty.org for background materials. Note that plagiarism is not allowed; any text or sentences copied from other people works must be indicated in quotation marks and credit must be given at the bottom of the paper to the author. Any entry that contains plagiarised work will be disqualified. On the first page of the completed essay, please write your full names, department, level of study and name of institution. Also include your email address and mobile phone number. Send your entries to adedayo.thomas@gmail.com Entries will be received between March 6 and June 6, 2014. Late entries will not be accepted. Winners will be announced on July 3 , 2014. All entries will get a free book titled Why Liberty by Tom G. Palmer OR Foundation of a Free Society by Eamonn Butler. Please be sure you include your postal address if different from your school address. Prizes: 1st - George Ayittey (Platinum Prize): $1,000 and scholarship to 2014 Students and Young Professional African Liberty Academy (SYPALA)/ASFL at the University of Cape Town Business School, South Africa, from August 14-17, 2014 2nd - Anthony Fisher (Gold Prize): $700 and scholarship to 2014 Students and Young Professional African Liberty Academy (SYPALA)/ASFL at the University of Cape Town Business School, South Africa, from August 14- 17, 2014 3rd - Derenle Edun (Silver Prize): $500 and scholarship to 2014 Students and Young Professional African Liberty Academy (SYPALA)/ASFL at University of Cape Town Business School. South Africa, from August 14- 17, 2014 4th – The Nation CAMPUSLIFE Media Prize (Bronze): $300 and scholarship to 2014 Students and Young Professional African Liberty Academy (SYPALA)/ASFL at the University of Cape Town Business School, South Africa, from August 14- 17, 2014. We also have eight consolation prizes of $50 each.

nation. But years later, the promised jobs are still in a shelf somewhere and most of the affected graduates still roam the streets looking for elusive jobs. The attacks and the rapidly changing dynamics in the country have ignited a very passionate debate on whether the scheme is still relevant. At the forefront of the scrapping of the programme are understandably those who lost loved ones in the senseless killings. These calls were further spurred by unguided statements made by some government functionaries who appear to spit on the graves of those killed. Some public analysts and commentators also joined the call for the scrapping of the programme because they felt it has lost its relevance due to intolerance and lack of understanding of why it was set up in the first place. This, I believe, was what compelled the NYSC in 2010 to come up with a policy not to post corps members to “volatile states” with weighted indicators to categorise states into red, yellow and green zones. The indicators used were incidents of bomb explosions and targeted attacks on corps members, etc. From a personal point of view however, I believe the programme is still relevant and can still achieve some of the reasons why it was set up in the first place. There is clear consensus that NYSC is an ideal worth preserving. What is at issue in making the scheme continue to serve the nation is the security situation that now calls for a total overhaul and minimise the probability of corps members being physically harmed wherever they may be posted to in the country. If we allow the NYSC to go, I’m afraid that will be the beginning of the disintegration of the country. Agreed, there have been enormous challenges, but these challenges are definitely man-made and can be corrected if there is the political will. Two weeks ago, the new Director-General, Brigadier-General Johnson Olawumi, at a forum, unfolded a four-point agenda to directors, deputy directors, state coordinators and camp directors of the 36 states of the federation. It includes: improving the service content of NYSC for national development; enhancing the welfare and safety of corps members and staff; expanding partnership for

greater impact, funding and support; and increasing the visibility and relevance of the scheme. Olawumi wondered why the structures and methods of 1973 are still being used “to drive a 21st century organisation that manages the most vibrant and dynamic segment of the Nigerian society.” Some of the questions he posed at the session were: “What can the NYSC do better to recapture the goodwill of the critical stakeholders? How fast can its staff and management work to regain the trust of both the Nigerian parents and the young men and women that are annually enlisted in the programme? Should the scheme wait for changes to be imposed upon it from outside, with attendant consequences?” I was made to understand that barely two months in office, the new DG has already met with the Managing Director of the Bank of Industry with a view to building a partnership for the empowerment of corps members, he has visited the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in the bid to ensure health insurance coverage for corps members and he wants to meet the INEC chairman on a broad range of issues concerning the security of corps members when they are deployed for election management. These - I was also told - are besides several other initiatives he is already working on and planning to announce in soon. With these plans in the kitty, there is no doubt in my mind that the DG is effectively armed with an ambitious vision to revamp the scheme and make it relevant to our national development in this rapidly changing and technologically driven 21st century. But I do not believe that he would be naïve enough not to recognise that he needs the buy-in of the entire NYSC leadership. These are the guys on the ground, they know all the tricks in the books and they have the capacity to mar any well intended plan. I believe by seeking their buy-in he has put his right foot forward. I am convinced that if Olawumi can pull this through he will help to reposition the NYSC as a vital tool for national cohesion and development. This is why I am throwing my weight behind him, and will urge well-meaning Nigerians who truly love this country to support him because of the critical nature of the scheme to our unity and cohesion.

‘We want to rid campus of crime’ Joseph Adetan, a 400-Level Philosophy student of the Adekunle Ajasin University in Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State is the commanding officer of the Cadet Corps. He told SEGUN ODUNAYO (100-Level Political Science) on the operation of the organisation under his watch.

HERE is a feeling among students that members of your organisation are cultists, how true is this? I can tell you that I am shocked by this statement. How can a duly registered organisation give room for cultists? Even though we encourage brawny people to join us in curbing crime, we never extended invitation to cultists. The fact that we have tough members does not mean they are cultists. In this organisation, we don’t take nonsense at all. We don’t have cultists among us and if we discover that any of our members is a cultist, we will not hesitate to expose him. There is also a belief that your members use charm. Is that true? I am a Christian and I attend church regularly. The only thing I have is the anointing oil my pastor gave me and that is all. We have religious people in the organisation and we don’t engage in fetish things. Just as we have Christians, we also have Muslim members and they are good people. We all live in the same place and we can easily identify those who use charm. But there are instances when

your members go about, harassing students? Maybe this happened in the past, but under my watch, nothing of such has happened. We follow the right procedure and protocols and we report erring students to the management for punishment. We believe in equality before the law and we don’t go about preaching what we don’t practise. We want to get rid of crime from our campus, so we cannot afford to be criminals. We are friends of students and there is no need for harassing them. When a student commits crime, we ensure that such person is dealt with. What has been the challenge facing the organisation? Our challenge has been the community in which we operate. Many of the indigenes have been recruited by cult members to carry out their nefarious acts. Many of these cult guys, who are students, now operate from the background. They use the indigenes, which is making it very hard for us to identify them. Another problem is finance. Although, the management gives us some funds, but the organisation needs to be

•Joseph

funded adequately to combat crime on the campus and its environs. What has the organisation achieved so far? We have exposed some cult members, who harassed students unnecessarily. In fact, we caught three students from the University of Benin, who came down here to commit crime. We also arrested a student of Ekiti State University for robbery. On the matriculation day, we were able to maintain peace on the campus. We provide security for events organised in school, and we ensured that nobody was hurt while attending such events. Students being disturbed by cultist run to us for help and we try our best to keep them safe. We sensitise students on how to be security-conscious and we can assure the university community that we are up to the task in securing the campus.

THE NATION THURSDAY,MARCH 13, 2014

CAMPUS LIFE A graduating student of the Delta State University (DELSU), Obiaka Megwai, has been stabbed to death by an admission seeker, Victor Chukwudi Osodi, following an argument over N50 to buy fuel. PHILIP OKORODUDU (Graduating student of Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering) and ESE OKODUWA (300-Level Home Economics) report.

Murder in the hostel

T looked like a movie scene; but it was real. A graduating student of Guidance and Counselling at the Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, Obraka Megwai, was stabbed to death with a knife by Victor Chukwudi Osodi, an admission seeker. Obiaka was killed for failing to contribute N50 to buy fuel. The incident happened in City Wise Hostel, an offcampus hall in Ekrejeta area of the university’s host community. There was pandemonium in the hostel last Tuesday when the news spread. CAMPUSLIFE gathered that an argument ensued when the late Obiaka was asked to contribute N50 by the hostel’s caretaker to buy fuel to power the pumping machine. It was gathered that the slain student refused. It was learnt that other occupants contributed the sum to the caretaker, who went to buy the fuel. He was said to have got despite last week’s biting fuel scarcity. Trouble, however, started when the pipe connecting the deceased’s apartment to the water tank was disconnected by the caretaker. The late Obiaka was said to have re-connected the tap without the caretaker’s consent. In anger, the caretaker challenged the deceased and a row ensued between them. Their argument attracted other occupants, who reportedly condemned the late Obiaka’s action. In the ensuing melee, Victor, who

•The late Obiaka

•City Wise Hostel

came to write the post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) but was not offered admission, took it upon himself to “deal decisively” with the late Obiaka. Victor was said to be living with his younger brother. An occupant, who craved anonymity, said: “The first thing we heard was ‘you no fit try am’ and this

was followed by a loud shout for help.” CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the deceased was stabbed on the head and neck. Seeing what happened, other occupants fled while the victim was taken to the hospital where he was confirmed dead. The body was deposited at the Ufuoma Mor-

tuary in Abraka. The assailant reportedly escaped after the crime. He was said to be staying in the room of his younger brother, a 200-Level student, who had travelled before the incident. When CAMPUSLIFE visited the hostel, the building was shut. The police reportedly fired several gun-

shots before locking the lodge. An officer, who pleaded for anonymity because he was not authorised to speak, confirmed the incident when our correspondent visited Abraka Police Station. He said the police were on the trail of the assailant, who, CAMPUSLIFE gathered, may have fled to his village.

It was all fun at the Imo State University (IMSU) during the Students’ Union Week, sponsored by Etisalat Nigeria and Solo Phones, a telephone firm. AHANEKU EKENE (300-Level Optometry) reports.

•

•Members of executive team jubilating after trophy presentation

HE Imo State University (IMSU) in Owerri was agog last week as students gathered for their union week. Etisalat Nigeria, a mobile telephone service provider, in collaboration with Solo Phones, hosted the soccer tournament to mark the Week. For many students, the soccer fiesta was the biggest sporting event ever held on the campus. Students trooped to the pitch for the game. Activities marking the week started with a health awareness programme, anchored by Hardy Mbadugha, a 400-Level Optometry student and the union’s Director of Health. This culminated in a raffle draw organised by the union and Etisalat. Students won prizes, such as books, shirts, Android phones, laptops and the grand prize of a Kia Picanto.

•The third place match between the school and parliament teams

Festival of fun, fury

Students were thrilled by the soccer event and music show, which brought popular hip-hop artistes, such as Phyno and Terry G to the campus. The local artistes, including Golden Okafor (X-busta), the union’s Director of Socials, also thrilled the students with their music during the football match. Four teams – SUG Executive, Union Parliament, Judicial Council and School – participated in the football tournament. The matches, which had male and female teams, were officiated by the school’s sport officials. Before the opening match between the SUG Executive Team

and the Union Parliament Team, gifts were given to students who participated in the ball-raising exercise. The opening match was entertaining. The Executive Team, with SUG President Christian Ogbu as skipper, beat the Parliament Team 2-1. This qualified the winning team for the next round of the tournament. The union Speaker, Odinaka Ezeji, led the Parliament Team. The second match was played by the School Team and the Judicial Team. As the match was going on, branded items, such as exercise books and shirts, were given to students. The Judicial Team won 1-0. The final match was played be-

tween the two winning teams; the losers slugged it out in the third place contest. The Nigerian Red Cross Society officials were on hand to treat the injured. The Executive Team scored the opening goal a few minutes into the game. The Judicial Team equalised 70 seconds into the injury time. In the penalty shootout, the Executive Team won 4-3. Speaking to CAMPUSLIFE, Hardy, who played in the Executive Team, said: “This is my first time of playing on a standard field. It was really a nice experience for me. The cheers from the crowd made the game memorable.”

For the union’s Sport Director, Chijioke Obilaso, a 300-Level Philosophy student, the soccer event was fulfilling. He said: “I am grateful because this tournament marks a great achievement for me as the Sport Director. I thank the union president and others who helped me achieve this landmark in IMSU’s sport history.” After the trophy was presented to the winners, X-busta and other school artistes thrilled the crowd of students on the field. Chiamaka Onyedeke, 300-Level Law, said: “It was a wonderful day. I am happy because I enjoyed myself throughout the event. I commend the union president and his team for this feat. We appreciate Etisalat and Solo Phones, which have proven, by the sponsorship of the game, that they are friends of all Imo State University students.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

CAMPUS LIFE

TAKEHOLDERS in the oil and gas sector have been urged to fund research in finding solutions to the perennial challenges of environmental pollution. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources in Effurun (FUPRE), Prof Olatunde Damisa, made the call last Tuesday at a lecture titled: Environmental Biotechnology: A Novel and Effective Tool for Crude Oil Contamination Monitoring and Bioremediation, which was organised by the university in collaboration with Lancaster University in United Kingdom. The guest lecturer, Dr Dayi Zhang, spoke on effect of pollution on the environment and how researches could help to stop degradation in oil communities. He noted that researchers were focusing on biotechnology, saying some countries, including Nigeria, Malawi and South-Africa, had been selected for researches seeking to put an end to environmental

•Firemen at the scene

•Students watched as fire fighters battled to put out the fire

Fire at OAU union building

HE Students’ Union Building of the Obafemi Awolowo University, (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State almost went up in flames last Thursday as electric surge from the Computer Room in the building sparked fire. The quick intervention of the institution’s fire men saved the day. Passers-by, who noticed emission of smoke from the building, called emergency number of the fire service. The head of OAU Fire Service, Mr Ibrahim Muideen, led the firefighting operation, climbing and axing the affected section to pre-

From Sikiru Akinola OAU vent re-ignition. The building was renovated about three years ago after a violent, following the introduction of a new acceptance fee. Students’ unionism was proscribed after the protest and since then, access to the building has been restricted. Speaking after the fire was put out, Muideen said he mobilised firemen immediately his office got a distress call from students. He said: “We got a call on our emergency number at 12:17pm, informing us that the Students’ Union Building was on fire. We

immediately rushed to the scene. On getting there, we saw smoke coming out of the computer room but since all entrances had been sealed, we could not move into the building. We had to use ladder to access the affected room and removed all burning materials.” Muideen said his men discovered that all cables in the building were not affected by the fire but added that the inferno may have been caused by “spontaneous combustion” which may occur as result of heat. He said the fire unit was planning to establish a fire-fighters’ club in the university to teach students how to fight fire.

Academy trains peace ambassadors

O fewer than 40 students gathered at the National Youth Development Centre in Odeomu, Osun State to chart a course for peaceful development in Nigeria. The event, in its third stage, was organised by Tolerance Academy, a mobile peace-building organisation. Curator of the Academy, Ayodele Obajeun, said the event was meant to promote socio-cultural and ethnic integration among Nigerian youths. He noted that the training would equip participants with leadership skills, adding that tolerance was the price to pay for peace. “Leadership is not a position but a function of how much we influence the people around us. It requires passion, persistence and courage. We need to overcome our limits, network with the right people and face the giants that confront us as a people. We must always be committed to solving problems,” Obajeun said. The event featured exciting sessions on relational leadership, cultural integration, forgiveness, reli-

Don advocates funding of research

From Gilbert Alasa OSUN gious tolerance and how to use creativity to enhance personal development. These were followed by interactive sessions, during which participants were taken through life and times of Nelson Mandela, Thomas Jefferson and Mahatma Ghandi taken as models for religious tolerance and intercultural dialogue. They also participated in aerobics, cultural display, presentations and debates. A participant, Meimuna Ahmad from Bayero University Kano (BUK) Kano State, said the event exposed her to the rich cultural diversity of the Nigerian people. She said: “I learnt diverse cultures. There are many participants who cannot speak my language but we all interacted freely and shared a lot of views on a number of issues. Prejudices that I have towards certain cultures and religion were cleared and I discovered myself in a new way.” Participants visited the Ode-Omu

Central Mosque, The African Church and the palace of the traditional ruler of Ode-Omu, Oba Lamidi Oke. The Chief Imam of Ode-Omu, Alhaji Abdulhamid Olodo, said Islam is a religion of peace. The visit ended with a tour of ErinIjesa Water-falls. Adebola Precious, a student of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) said: “The trainings were great and we were developed both mentally and physically.” The event ended with a dinner and award ceremony for winners of the brain blogger contest. A 400Level student of Law at the Obafemi Awolowo University, IleIfe (OAU), Olaoluwa Abagun clinched the first prize while Ajobiewe Tolulope from Federal University of Technology (FUTMinna) and Asanike Sekinat Adeola from OAU, emerged as first and second runners-up. Speaking on behalf of other winners, Abagun said: “I entered the contest to vent my opinion on challenges facing the women in leadership, especially at the corridors of power.”

Talk the Talk excites OAU students

HE Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (OAU) has launched its new radio show tagged: ‘Talk the Talk’. The radio programme is the newest of the many talk shows hosted on the university’s radio station, Great FM 94.5. The station, which began operations in 2008, has hosted many educational programmes. Director of the station Prof Lade Adeyanju, a lecturer in the Faculty of Education, said the radio station was meant to educate members of the academic community. A co-host, Caleb Adebayo, 400Level Law, said: “Talk the Talk is an informative talk show aimed at engaging students in lively and healthy conversations for the purpose of development and improvement.” The first broadcast of the talk

How to build integrity, by don

By Wale Ajetunmobi

pollution. Dr Zhang said the European Council would support the research effort in Nigeria, in which the university would be collaborating with the University of Lancaster to achieve the goal. Prof Damisa said the effect of pollution and contamination coming from oil exploration activities had created hazardous condition for the environment and communities, adding that any effort at resolving the problems should be supported by the explorers. The don enjoined the oil firms to join hands with professionals in solving the environmental challenges, especially through researches which Dr Zhang articulated. The DVC said the lecture would improve knowledge in finding a remedy to contaminations of environment.

LECTURER at the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Prof Nurudeen Adedipe, has identified effective quality assurance and human capital development as the key for building integrity in postgraduate studies in Nigeria. Prof Adedipe stated this at the 12th public lecture of the institution held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Multipurpose Hall. In his address, the ViceChancellor, Prof Femi Mimko, said the lecture was organised to st agenda for policymakers and government. Prof Mimiko said the numerous challenges posed by technology, funding, declining quality of work and ethics and low-quality graduates produced by Nigerian universities, necessitated the need to reposition postgraduate studies in the country. “‘Undertaking reforms of postgraduate programmes at this level of our higher education history will serve as a coordinated and regulated attempt at further deepening the quality of programmes, strengthening the institutions, regulating contents, opening up alternative funding formula, boosting the volume and quality of research, achieving uniform and

From Caleb Adebayo OAU show held in January on “Feminism in Nigeria.” Emmanuella Odum and Ajayi Adebiyi, students of the Faculty of Law were the guests at the show. The discussion was lively as both guests discussed feminism from various viewpoints. Students, who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE, said the show was engaging. Badmus Yetunde, a 300Level student of Social Studies Education, said it was a programme that showed that students could do a lot with little. Another student, Bolaji Oyekanmi said: “The topics are discussed in an easy manner and the presenters are fluid. That’s what makes it interesting and fun.” The show is aired every Monday at 12 noon. From Richard Adura-Ilesanmi AAUA global standard, guaranteeing quality assurance and building capacity in the universities in the education sector, and indeed, economy-wide”, he said. Participants at the event described the lecture as timely in view of the numerous challenges facing the education system. In a lecture titled: Postgraduate studies reform for capacity building, institutional strengthening and quality assurance in the Nigerian universities system, Prof Adedipe said the numerous policies and guidelines laid down by the National University Commission (NUC) to promote quality research, especially at the postgraduate level, have not been implemented. He said universities and research institutes had not lived up to expectations in conducting sustainable research as a result of low level of funding. Prof Adedipe called for best practices in financial management to ensure that research does not suffer, saying there was the need for effective supervision of postgraduate schools with a view to fast-tracking the effective implementation of the guidelines. Making a case for the extension of tenure office for Deans of Postgraduate Schools from the two terms of two years to four years, Prof Adedipe said postgraduate students must be made to carry out research work with strong handson bench, studio or archival skill with ICT competency.

Newspaper of the Year

AN 8-PAGE PULLOUT ON SOUTHEAST STATES THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

Oguta Wonder Lake: A treasure abandoned?

Colloquium for Ohaeto •PAGE 34

•PAGE 36

Reactions trail Imo community government council polls

PAGE 33

•PAGE 38

The Umuoji community in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State is famous for its rich culture and traditions. The Uzoiyi Festival, one of the key items on its calendar, has just taken place. ODOGWU EMEKA ODOGWU reports

Cultural splendour in Anambra community

HE festival arena was large and sandy. Despite the hot weather, people gathered there in large number. For this year’s annual Uzoiyi Festival, Chiefs and titled men looked resplendent in their chieftaincy attires as they arrived at the village square. Non-chiefs and non-titled men were not left out at the event which ushers in the rainy and farming seasons. According to the traditional ruler, Igwe Cyril Enweze, Umuoji people revere the festival. Because of this, sons and daughters of the community at home and abroad return home every year to celebrate the Uzoiyi Festival. It is the second most important event in the community after Christmas. Highlight of the festival is the appearance of different masqueraders, one of which is Ezenmuo Umuoji adjudged as Africa’s most superior masquerader. Ezenmou Umuoji Masquerader marked its 100 years last year as it was installed in 1913. It made its first appearance at Enugu during the official celebration of January 14 amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates. The Ezenmuo Umuoji Masquerader is great in valour and magnificence that even the most revered king of Umuoji respects it. For instance, during this year’s festival, the Ezenmuo Masquerader interrupted Igwe Enweze while he was delivering his speech. The masquerader made its way into the cultural arena, danced and left amid encomiums from the spectators. Nobody could stop the great masquerader. The monarch’s entreaties did not sway the masquerader. It was allowed to have its way and it added colour to the event. Igwe Enweze rated this year’s Uzoiyi Festival high, describing it as an ancient annual event which celebration ushers in the rainy and farming seasons. Igwe Enweze praised Governor Peter Obi for providing the people with skill acquisition centre, health centre, and a road linking the town with Eke-Abatete. He also praised Governor Obi for the revival of some ailing cultures of the state. He pleaded with the state Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Chief Joe-Martins

Uzodike who represented Governor Obi at the occasion to tell him that the Umuoji community appreciated him and his good works, pledging the community’s unflinching support to the administration of the incumbent chairman of Idemili-North Local Government Area, Hon. Obi Ikem Obi for his commitment to improve the well-being of the people. Chairman of the occasion, Chief Celestine Aniuno (Ochudo-Umuoji), who incidentally was the sole financier Uzoiyi Festival for last year and this year respectively, announced a N1.5 billion launch of what he termed “Umuoji Economic Development and Rural Trust Fund.” The trust fund, according to him, aims at industrialisation and empowerment of his people in areas of wealth creation, self-sufficiency and employment. •Continued on page 34

•Aguiyi masquerade

•One of the masquarede on parade at Uzoiyi 2014

The celebration was a showcase of Africa’s rich cultural heritage and tradition. Umuoji is a home of hospitality, accomplished and it also has much tourist attractions and natural endowments. There should be collaborative efforts among wealthy individuals in the land to help in the social and economic development of the town

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•Crocodile Masquareder displaying at Uzoiyi 2014 festival

Cultural splendour in Anambra community

•A cross section of title holders at the festival venue

•Continued from page 33 Chief Aniuno, who stressed that “the celebration was a showcase for Africa’s rich cultural heritage and tradition, noted that Umuoji is a home of hospitality, accomplished and is also has much tourist’s attractions and natural endowments. There should be collaborative efforts among wealthy individuals in the land to help in the social and economic development of the town.” President-General of Umuoji Town Union, Hon. Basil Okonkwo praised Ochudo Umuoji, describing him as peace-loving whose wealth of experience and philanthropy have wiped tears from eyes of countless Nigerians. On his part, Chairman of Idemili-North Local Government Area, Hon. Ikem Ike Obi, said his administration was determined to make Uzoiyi gain an international recognition. He also revealed the council’s resolve to provide all communities in the council with social necessary amenities. Highlight of the occasion was parade of masquerades from the 23 villages that make up the community. They are Akum, Afuekwe, Ebubeagu, Great Igada, Aguiyi Umuoma, Inyinya Umuazu, Zebra, Enyi Abidi, Anogu Egbenuoba and Akwunechenyi, among others.

•The President-General of Umuoji Improvement Union Chief Bazil Okonkwo (middle), his wife Queen and the Chairman of 2014 Uzoiyi Festival Chief Aniumo

•Igwe Enweze addressing the crowd

Colloquium for Ohaeto M

R Odia Ofeimum, Rev. Prof. Josephat ObiOguejiofor and Rev Prof. Ikenga Oraegbunam, among others, converged on the Prof. Ezenwa Ohaeto Resource Centre on Oganiru Estate, Ahocol Phase III in Awka, Anambra State with a purpose. The gathering of the academic giants was to celebrate one of their own the late Prof. Ohaeto. They held the audience spell-bound with their oratory. The annual event was to keep the legacy of the renowned creative writer, critic, essayist and community leader alive. Before Prof. Ohaeto died in 2005 at the age of 47, he had won the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Prize for Literature which is the most prestigious literary prize in Nigeria, even as he was the leading light on African Literature and Aesthetics. To honour the late literary giant, his wife, Dr. Ngozi Ezenwa – Ohaeto built and inaugurated the resource centre on March 31, 2011. Penultimate week, some literary icons across the country including Prof. Odia Ofeimum, who is the chairman of the board of the resource centre, stormed Anambra State to give honour to who it is due. Presenting a paper entitled “Gender Relations: Character and Nation-building” Rev. Prof. Obi-

From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

Oguejiofor, gave the audience some philosophical foundations about gender studies. He also drew people’s attention to the phenomenon of power that include individual power, spiritual power, philosophical power and kingly power among others. These, according to him, are at the centre of all rights. For Rev Prof. Ikenga Oraegbunam of the Department of Law, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, the Nigeria Constitution is flawed on all issues of male chauvinism, noting that in order to maintain gender balance, women need to fight as “there must be gender equity.” Describing the theme of the colloquium as apt, he said: “Many of our laws are very irrelevant. I do not know what our state and National Assemblies are doing. The same thing applies to the issue of citizenship in Nigeria which has to be tinkered.” In his brief remark, Prof. Ofeimum asked rhetorically what kind of society do people need or have in Nigeria. He further said the topic chosen for the day was indeed, better than what would be discussed at the National Conference, “gender, char-

‘The Nigeria Constitution is flawed on all issues of male chauvinism, noting that in order to maintain gender balance, women need to fight as “there must be gender equity’ acter and nation-building.” In a chat with our correspondent, wife of the late Prof. and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the centre, Dr. Ngozi Ezenwa-Ohaeto said the centre would host literary convocation next year. The theme of the 2015 colloquium, according to her, would be “Nigerian Youths and Character

•Prof Ohaeto Resource Centre

Building,” adding that the board chaired by Prof. Odia Ofeimum had tried in putting things together at the centre. “When my husband died, he left a small library and I thought of what to do with it. This idea came to mind to put up an institution in his honour so that people will benefit from it, especially the children “Some of his books are the ones you cannot find around. So, we want to use them to rehabilitate the

reading culture of our people, create awareness and for creative writing. “We invite secondary schools that compete through writing poems. Last year, it was all literary activities. This year, we decided to hold a colloquium.” National President, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Chibuzor Asomugha, who is the project co-ordinator, told our correspondent that the board intends

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N Igbo custom and tradition, the sound of ‘Ikoro’ (talking drum) is usually heard at great events or when such event are about to happen in a particular community. It can also be a means through which the people are summoned to the village square when the Eze, Igwe or the traditional ruler wants to address them or when important decisions which require contributions from other members of the community are to be taken. Despite the down pour that Saturday, the people of Umuoba community and residents of Isiala Ngwa South, friends and well-wishers gathered to know why the ‘Ikoro’ sounded. It was a call to them to come out to honour one of the community’s leaders. Senator Nkechi Justina Nwaogu who is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Oil and Gas Resources. It was a day all the traditional rulers in Isiala Ngwa South honoured Senator Nwaogu with the chieftaincy title of Akaraka Nwanyi Ndi Ngwa which literally means ‘Ngwa woman of destiny.’ The honour was in recognition of her contributions to the growth and development of her constituency, the state and country. Speakers eulogised her for her quality representation and selfless service to the community. They urged her to consider serving the people of Abia State in 2015 so that she can use her wealth of experience to bring more development to the state. They maintained that Chief (Mrs.) Nkechi Nwaogu has the prerequisite knowledge and experience to turn the economic fortunes of the state around. Responding, Senator Nwaogu thanked the people for the honour, stating that she was delighted her people acknowledged her contributions. According to her, it would take a Senator as exposed, experienced and connected as she is to attract the type of developmental projects which dot Abia Central Senatorial District in the last 11 years she has been at the National Assembly.

•Senator Nwaogu shaking hands with members of Isiala Ngwa South Traditional Rulers' Council

Honour for Senator

Senator Nkechi Nwaogu has been honoured by the Isiala-Ngwa South Traditional Rulers’ Council and a social group, Liberty Organisation. SUNNY NWANKWO reports She revealed that her 11 years at the National Assembly have been characterised by rendering services to her people, stressing that the welfare of her constituents remains her concern at the Senate. Nwaogu enumerated some of the projects she had attracted to the local government in the past six months to include an ICT centre at Nkwoudara, Umuapu, installation of 300KVA transformers in Umuduru and Umuikaa and the ongoing reconstruction of a 15km old DFFRI Road from Isieketa Junction to Umuaro. “Attracting these projects in the past six months alone is not easy. We are 109 Senators, 360 members in the House of Representatives and

• Prof. Obi Oguejiofor delivering a lecture

to incorporate other states in the Southeast soon. He said it had been limited to Anambra State alone because of logistics and funding, adding that soon, states like Ebonyi and Enugu would be part of it. Asomugha said: “One of the objectives is to provide the platform for inter- disciplinary, intellectual discourse. The colloquium is a regular biannual programme in which we course an interface between a

•Chief Nwaogu

‘Attracting these projects in the past six months alone is not easy. We are 109 Senators, 360 members in the House of Representatives and about 40 ministers and other Federal Government functionaries… Everybody wants to take projects to his or her own people. So, you can understand the high level politics and negotiations that go into attracting one single project’ about 40 ministers and other Federal Government functionaries. “Everybody wants to take projects to his or her own people. So, you can understand the high

level politics and negotiations that go into attracting one single project. But to the glory of God, I have succeeded in attracting these much to my constituency because

•Mr Odia Ofeimum at the event

•Dr Mrs Ngozi Ezenwa- Ohaeto, CEO of the Centre

•ASUP President, Chibuzor Asomugha at the lecture

want gender equity, they must insist on doing the same thing men do and not to stick to the areas that favour them, adding that gender issues were too dialectical in nature. However, in response to the gender issues raised, a renowned female lawyer in the state, Ifeoma Katchy, said the marriage certificate had given women right to challenge any action against them anywhere. She said the women had continued to suffer in the society because of ignorance, which, according to her, was not an excuse in law. Katchy referred to one of the celebrated cases in Nnewi between Mojekwu and Mojekwu where it was ruled that females had right to vie for their father’s property with their male counterparts.

•Prof Ike Odimegwu during the lecture

‘The centre has a close link with youth development and that is why biannually, the centre organises a literary convocation which targets the youth. The aim is to inspire and motivate the youth to the literary vocation through mentoring, performance, workshops and direct interaction with renowned literary figures’ renowned scholar and the academic community. “The centre has a close link with youth development and that is why biannually, the centre organises a literary convocation which targets the youth. The aim is to inspire and

of my experience, exposure, contacts and goodwill which I have built over the years,” she said. While promising to push their request for a solar-powered borehole, electricity cables and classroom blocks at their school in the 2014 budget, she said she was going to use her personal money for scholarship assistance to 150 undergraduates from the state and also provide equipment for entrepreneurial skill acquisition for youths in the area. Chairman on the occasion, Prof E.J Otagburuagu extolled the virtues of Senator Nwaogu who he described as one of the few Senators that have made Nigeria proud. He urged her to consider serving the state in a different capacity come 2015.

motivate the youth to the literary vocation through mentoring, performance, workshops and direct interaction with renowned literary figures,” he said. While responding to the lead paper, Prof. Alex Asigbo said if women

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Oguta Wonder Lake: A treasure abandoned? O

GUTA Blue Lake or the Oguta Wonder Lake in Imo State is one of the wonders of nature which potential appear to be under-utilised. Deriving its name from the unique bluish colour of the water, the lake combines the ambience of heaven and beauty with an uncommon confluence where two rivers with different colours meet. Located in Oguta Council Area of the state, the lake transverses the two oil producing local government areas of Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta and provides aquatic splendour and bliss. Before it over flowed its banks years ago, the blue lake was an awe-inspiring spectacle to behold as tourists from far and near visited Oguta in their droves for relaxation and to behold the awesome work of nature. Oguta and other satellite communities around the lake ought to benefit immensely from the fame brought by the publicity that was given to the lake. Such is the allure of the Blue Lake that the Oguta community, apparently engulfed in the beauty of its scenery and the huge oil deposits within its shores, composed a community anthem sang in the Igbo dialect, Oguta obodo oma, Oguta obodo oma, obodo oma, Oguta bu Obodo anyi maramma, meaning, “Oguta the beautiful city, Oguta the beautiful city, Oguta our beautiful city.” Aside from this, Oguta Blue Lake can best be described as beauty unsung and treasure abandoned. With the potential of significantly boosting the economy of the state through tourism, the Lake has been left untapped, without any visible plan of converting its rich prospects to the benefit of the people. Although Governor Rochas Okorocha made feeble attempts to reposition the tourist site by laying the foundation stone for the Oguta Lake Tourist Centre, with the intention of harnessing its huge tourist potential, much is needed to be done to transform Oguta Lake into an international tourist centre that will not only benefit the state but also the entire country. It was during the administration of former Governor of the state, Chief Ikedi Ohakim that government made some remarkable efforts to upgrade the facilities within the centre to an international standard. To achieve this objective, the government raised N18 billion bonds from the Stock Exchange Market to develop the area so that the state could become a tourist state. However, the project was abandoned, even though the former Governor allegedly claimed he left N13 billion in the coffers of the state government for the completion of the project. Ex-governor Ohakim, who fielded questions about the Oguta Wonder Lake project, which is under probe by the current administration, said he conceived the Oguta project to harness the potential of the area and create job opportunities for Imo citizens. He said: “We embarked on the project to develop that area so that Imo will become a tourist state. We were able to raise N18 billion from the Nigeria Stock Exchange. We were one of the first states in Nigeria to go to the Stock Exchange and raise that kind of money. “After renovating the Oguta Motel, we left N13.3 billion so that the

The Ogunta Wonder Lake has been described as source of revenue for government and employment opportunities for Imo citizens if its potential are well harnessed. OKODILI NDIDI reports

•Oguta blue lake

•Oguta Lake Water Front

•The lake

•Oguta Lake

project can go on. It is sad that I went there few days ago and notice that the whole place has been covered by weed. The N13.3 billion I left behind, I do not know what has happened to it.” As the controversy surrounding the Oguta Wonder Lake project continues, the fact that a natural treasure that could provide great opportunities for the people of the state, especially the host communities, is still allowed to lie fallow cannot be overlooked. Despite the claim by the former Governor and the huge resources purportedly deployed into the project, it has remained a mere ruse as the Oguta Lake remained neglected several years after. Before the conception of the

‘The worst is that the claimed Oguta Wonder Lake project is only in the internet and pages of newspaper. Nothing was done except the convention centre that was built by Governor Rochas Okorocha, which is also abandoned and now houses reptiles and other dangerous animals’ project, Oguta Lake witnessed a sizeable number of tourists because of the Golf Course that

was by the bank of the lake. This attracted Golf lovers within and outside the country who

patronised the Oguta Golf Club because of the serenity of the lake. But the Ohakim’s administration allegedly took over the Golf Course for the failed Oguta Wonder Lake project to the chagrin of the residents who attributed the decline of commercial activities in the area to the unsolicited closure of the Golf Club. Speaking with our correspondent, a speed boat driver, Nwasah Ugozue, who ferried the reporter across the lake to the site of the controversial project, regretted that economic activities have dropped in the coastal communities following the failed attempt by the state government to harness the tourism prospects of the lake. He said: ”Before former Gover-

‘We had expected that by now the dredging of the lake would have been completed. But nothing has been done in that direction and we are worried that the lake may overflow its banks during the rainy season. The water level is already rising and we are not sure what will happen next’ nor Ohakim came up with the Oguta Wonder Lake project, the Golf Club was booming and people were coming from within and outside

the country to visit the club. Then, the people were doing well. But today, the story is different. We can hardly survive; our businesses

have collapsed because tourists no longer visit the lake. “The worst is that the claimed Oguta Wonder Lake project is only in the internet and pages of newspaper. Nothing was done except the convention centre that was built by Governor Rochas Okorocha, which is also abandoned and now houses reptiles and other dangerous animals.” Another group of rough-looking youths, who clustered around the waterside, smoking and drinking locally-brewed gin, lamented that ”when the tourists were still coming, we were making enough money to take care of our families and not worried about unemployment. But today, we can hardly feed ourselves. Our God-given resources are wasting away while we are languishing in poverty.” Chief Gabriel Okafor described the lake as precious gift of nature that has not been appreciated. “You can see the beauty of the lake, especially its blue colour which changes with the time of the day. It is one of the wonders of nature. All the government should do is open up the sand beaches, build embankments and create environment conducive enough to tourism and the place will bounce back to life. “We are depending sorely on oil in this country and that has adversely affected other sectors. If not, the Oguta Blue Lake is one of the tourists’ sites that should be harnessed as source of revenue for the state and employment opportunities for the youth.” Continuing, he said: ”We learnt that the previous administration borrowed N18 billion to execute the Oguta Wonder Lake project. There should be investigation into how the money was spent. This is because there is nothing on ground at the site at all. The former Governor came to the lake one day and just flagged off the phony project and the next we saw was completed Oguta Wonder Lake on internet and newspaper pages. It was a huge fraud.” This nature’s masterpiece which was adored by the surrounding communities has become a huge threat and source of worry to coastal villages on the possibility of the lake overflowing its banks. During the flood disaster that swept across most states two years ago, the lake, like a rampaging monstrous beast, overflowed its banks, submerging over 200 buildings and washing away hundreds of acres of farmland with over 5,000 people, including women and children, displaced. Although the state government, in the wake of the flood disaster, promised to take proactive measures to ensure the lake does not overflow its banks again. Nothing has been done to check possible re-occurrence, especially as the rains are coming. A community leader from Oguta, who spoke in confidence, said: ”We had expected that by now the dredging of the lake would have been completed. But nothing has been done in that direction and we are worried that the lake may overflow its banks during the rainy season. The water level is already rising and we are not sure what will happen next. We are just hoping and praying that government will do something to avert any disaster.”

‘North should solve Boko-Haram problem’

From Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia

ORTHERN political leaders have been urged to find a lasting solution to the Boko Haram insurgency . The Spiritual Head of the Eternal Order of Cherubim and Seraphim [C&S] Church worldwide, and the Prelate of the Church, His Most Eminence,Baba Aladura Lazarus Anuba Onyeleonu gave the advice in Umuahia. Speaking in Umuahia, Dr Onyeleonu said that Boko-Haram came into being as a result of bad leadership and selfish interests of politicians and advised the insurgents to lay down their arms and embrace peace. The cleric warned that bloodletting can only aggravate the situation instead of solving it, quoting the Biblical injunction that: “he who lives by the sword, will die by the sword”. The man of God claimed that there are enemies within sponsoring or supporting the bloodletting. “The problem of bloodletting by the BokoHaram insurgency is being sponsored by politicians in our midst. I suggest that the North should rally round and solve the problem, more so when the president has promised them amnesty “,he said. The cleric said that politicians should be made accountable to the masses and use the resources at their disposal judiciously for the development of their communities. Onyeleonu urged politicians to wage a relentless war against ills that have been pulling the society back, saying : “They should desist from stealing, political and economic sabotage, godfatherism, etc, because posterity and God will judge them”. He extolled the virtues of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan whom he said has done better than most past rulers in Nigeria, adding that given the opportunity, he will do more for the people and the country. The spiritual leader said: “The fact that he is not a lion, but came in a lowly guise and allowed people to criticise his government, even unconstructively without them being harassed or assassinated is one of the greatest gifts any leader can give to Africans”. He advised Jonathan to remain focused on his developmental efforts, but that he should step up the fight against corruption, stressing that by so doing, the people will have confidence in the government. Dr Onyeleonu warned ahead of 2015 elections, that Nigerians should be careful so that selfish politicians do not divide the country because of parochial interests, adding that people should be vigilant to avoid mistakes of the past. He said: “ The solution Nigerians should look for is how to drive away hunger, illiteracy, tribalism, corruption, and other ills from our polity. We should embrace peace and unity rather than dwell on where a ruler comes from because it is only God that anoints a leader.”

Community leader petitions Orji on Arochukwu road

COMMUNITY leader in Ohafia in Imo State, Chief

Onwuka Ukwa has reacted to government’s attacks on him on the stae of Arochukwu/Ohafia Road. The government had said Ukwa was not competent to comment on the road which he described as the “worst” in Nigeria. But Ukwa said the attack did not bother him, adding “if that will make them fix the road, let them continue abusing me. The issue of that road goes beyond party politics. As a native of the area, I am entitled to my opinion because my people have suffered untold hardship because of that road,” Onwuka insisted. He said no amount of intimidation would make him prevent him from commenting on the road until the Federal Government thinks it right to fix it by awarding the contract to a reputable construction company. While saying that he would not join issues with the government of Abia State, he, nonetheless, wrote to Governor Theodore Orji complaining that the attacks on him were unnecessary and uncalled for. The letter which was made available to our correspondent reads: “Your Excellency, my governor, you know me very well, but consistently addressed me during your press conference as one Onwuka Ukwa of APGA. In my usual character, I will not display such disrespect to your person and office. Your Excellency, Governor T. A. Orji, your persistent vicious attacks on my person suggests there are really more the public and the two communities need to know about Ohafia-Arochukwu federal road. “Your Excellency, Governor T. A. Orji, I pleaded with you pri-

•Orji

‘If that will make them fix the road, let them continue abusing me. The issue of that road goes beyond party politics. As a native of the area, I am entitled to my opinion because my people have suffered untold hardship because of that road’ From Chris Orji, Enugu and Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia

vately that I elected not to respond publicly to the unwarranted assault and attack on my person and •Continued from page 40

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N assumption of office, the Rochas Okorocha administration, in its bid to bring governance closer to Imo State people, especially at the grassroots, conceived the Community Government Council (CGC), also known as the Fourth Tier of Government. It was aimed at involving the communities in the government’s effort to develop the rural areas through participatory engagement. The creation of the CGC which was backed by enabling legislation by the state House of Assembly, led to the suspension of all existing town unions, which hitherto initiated and managed community-sponsored projects or what has been known as self-help projects. The concept was strongly opposed because many people regarded it as an illegal arm of government that was not backed by the Constitution of the Federation Republic of Nigeria, those against the concept said it was allegedly created by the state government to stifle the third tier of government. However, several communitybased projects have been co-sponsored by the CGC and the government in the past one year to the admiration of the people. At first, the CGC or the forth tier of government was headed by traditional rulers in each autonomous community, with an appointed secretary and a Government Liaison Officer, who must be a civil servant in the state. Last week, elections into the Community Government Council were held across the 637 autonomous communities in the state. The election, which was severally postponed as a result of court injunctions, was conducted to elect President-Generals (P-G), Secretaries, Women and Youth leaders who will partner the state government in running the activities of the communities for the next two years. Although the exercise was generally adjudged free and fair, it was allegedly marred by violence in some autonomous communities where government officials assigned to conduct the elections were beaten up and held hostage by aggrieved villagers who accused them of colluding with traditional rulers to impose unpopular candidates on them. In some of the communities visited by our correspondent, the election was chaotic as there were no modalities for the conduct of the exercise, resulting in brawl among supporters of various candidates. But in most of the communities visited, the election was quite orderly and peaceful as the people filed behind the candidates of their choice, waiting to be counted by the election supervisors appointed from the state civil service. However, at Umuokpoko, a boundary community in Owerri

•Residents waiting to cast their votes during the CGC election

Reactions trail Imo community government council polls From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

West Local Government Area, suspected hoodlums allegedly hired by a popular politician in the community, assaulted security men and government officials who insisted that the guidelines for the election must be strictly followed. In some other communities, the exercise was disrupted by the presence of traditional rulers who were earlier directed to remain in their palaces but allegedly came out to influence the election in favour of their preferred candidates. Addressing reporters after monitoring the exercise at Ngor-Okpala Local Government Area, the state Commissioner for Information Dr Theo Ekechi, described the exercise as successful, urging those that lost the election to join hands with the elected officials to develop their communities. Highlighting the benefits of the Community Government Council,

‘CGC will bring government closer to the grassroots. It is a concept of taking government and governance to the grassroots. This government has been vindicated on both the popularity and the timing of the concept of the CGC. We have been vindicated in the sense that the turn out and the massive participation by residents of the various communities has really shown that there is a craving for participatory government at the lowest level’ the commissioner noted that “CGC will bring government closer to the grassroots. It is a concept of taking government and governance to the grassroots. This government has been vindicated on both the popu-

larity and the timing of the concept of the CGC. We have been vindicated in the sense that the turn out and the massive participation by residents of the various communities has really shown that there is a

craving for participatory government at the lowest level. “If you compare the emotional attachment in the participation with that of normal election, you will see the difference. Because there is a total commitment on the part of the people to ensure that their choice of candidates are elected unlike in secular elections.” However, the acting Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Enyinna Onuegbu described the exercise as illegal and a violation of court orders which, he said, restrained the conduct of the election. He said: ”The PDP cannot participate in an illegal exercise. There were subsisting court orders restraining the election from holding but the state government went ahead with the illegality which we cannot be part of. We have consistently maintained that the current administration does not have regard for the rule of law.”

Imo Police spokesperson, others decorated

OME officers of the Imo State Police Command have been decorated with their new ranks by the Commissioner of Police, Abdulmajid Ali. They include the Police Public Relations Officer, Joy Elemoko and 16 others Speaking during the ceremony at the Command Headquarters in Owerri, the state capital, Ali charged the promoted officers to work harder to justify the confidence reposed in them by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar and the Police Service Commission. According to Ali, the promotion was in line with the vision of the IG to ensure that officers are promoted as and when due to encourage and motivate them to put in their best in the service. He charged them to work harder to combat crime, adding that, “let me congratulate you on behalf of the IG for your new ranks. I charge you to go back to your various duty posts and motivate the men under you to do more because you will be held responsible for any lapses in your respective areas of command”.

From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

Speaking on behalf of the promoted officers, the Command spokesman, who was promoted to the rank of a Superintendent of Police (SP), assured the Police authority that the promotion will spur the officers to do more, “we are grateful to the IGP and the PSC for the confidence reposed in us. To me it is a call for higher dedication to duty. I dedicate the rank to the IGP, my colleagues for their cooperation and team spirit and to my family for their ceaseless prayers”. In his remarks, the Commander of the 18 Squadron of the Police Mobile Force, who was also decorated with a new rank, Samuel Jephtah, assured that the promoted officers will put in their best to get further promotions, “the only way to say thank you for the promotion is to work harder. What we got today is an appreciation for our diligent service and we will work even harder to justify it”.

•The Imo CP decorating the state PPRO, Joy Elemoko

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THE SOUTHEAST REPORT

NBL takes campaign on cleanliness to host community

S part of the company’s commitment to promote a clean and hygienic brewing environment, staff and management of Nigerian Breweries, (NB) PLC Aba, Abia State have embarked on a one day hygienic sensitisation exercise in its host community. The brewery manager, Mr. Ukeje Udah said that the exercise, with the theme: “Care/Respect for the Environment” is in line with one of the cardinal values of the brewery which ensures that staff and management of the company personally participated in ensuring a clean, greener and friendly environment within the community where their factory was situated. Udah, who expressed the willingness and the desire of the company to sustain the campaign however pointed out that it would further take the cooperation of their host community to make the programme a success. The Commissioner for Environment Chinwe Nwanganga, who was represented by a permanent secretary in the ministry, Elder Okechukwu Aguwa described the state governor, Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji as an environmental conscious governor thanked NB PLC for thinking about the hygiene of its workforce and the cleanliness of the host community where it brews its products. According to Aguwa, Abia State government and the Ministry of Environment was going to partner with NB PLC to make sure that the aim of the project was not defeated and therefore called for the sustainability of the programme. The permanent secretary while urging other private organisations in the state to emulate the positive steps taken by NB, expressed hope that impact of programme will have a trickledown effect on the entire commercial city. The General Manager, Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, attributed the programme to the outcome of a familiarisation tour to private and corporate organizations embarked by his agency. According to the ASEPA GM, the need for a greener and healthier environment cannot be over emphasized, adding that his agency was not going to relent in its effort to make Aba a cleaner commercial city. He described the NB PLC’s action as a wakeup call to individual and corporate organizations operating in Aba and urged them to see

Govt to empower 120,000 farmers From Ogochukwu Anioke, Abakaliki

•Brewery Manager Asepa, General Manager and other goverment officials in a group phoograph with participants

•NB plc staff at work Sunny Nwankwo, Aba

waste management in and within their offices/factories as a collective

responsibility. Ikpeazu said that his agency was working out modalities to improve on waste management system in

Aba, calling Aba residents to always make use of the waste buckets at designated points and avoid dumping refuse on the main road.

HE Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS) programme of the Federal Government is expected to empower 120, 000 farmers in Ebonyi State. This represents a 50 percent increase from last year which reached over 60, 000 farmers in the state. The state director of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Anselm Opara, said this in Abakaliki, the state capital. He said poultry and fishing activities would be included in this year’s programme “This would be a deviation from the normal practice of providing farm inputs such as fertilisers and seedlings to farmers, as it is aimed at boosting agriculture generally in the state. “The farmers who would be involved in this programme have been captured in our data base, as we would ensure that all network problems associated with the Electronic Wallet (GSM) system, are solved”. He said the programme would avail farmers the opportunity of using the ‘offline redemption system’ which will enable them redeem their inputs without the GSM method. The state director noted that farmers who have identity cards which are captured in the database would be allowed to access farm inputs to ensure that the programme achieves its goals. “I commend local government areas in the state that provided warehouses and security for farm inputs”, he said,noting that the programmme was a collaborative one between the Federal and state governments. He noted that 1, 100 farmers in the state who are presently participating in the dry season farming, have been provided with irrigation pumps and farm inputs. The director said that not all the farmers are involved in the practice but only those who have farms along the Ebonyi River which transverse the whole local government areas of the state. Opara advised the people to be genuinely involved in agriculturebecause of its benefits to the people and economy.

‘Ndigbo are not maginalised’ Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia

•Jonathan

BIA State governor, Chief Theodore Orji has said President Goodluck Jonathan has not marginalised the people of the Southeast geo-political zone contrary to some people’s notion.

He said in the recent time some Presidents have ruled the country and that none of them have touched the lives of the people from the Southeast as the current President, even as he urged the people to ignore such views as they do not wish the zone well. Speaking with reporters in Umuahia after his return from the ground breaking ceremony for the commencement of the building of the second Niger Bridge at Onitsha Anambra State, Orji said the people of the zone have never had it so good since the current republic. Orji further said the building of the Second Niger Bridge will open

up the economic potential of the zone which has remained untapped, stressing that the bridge will serve as the link to both the people of the zone and some parts of the SouthSouth zone. He said: “For a zone that has been marginalised, will the President lay the foundation stone for another bridge when there is an existing one, set the money aside and also set a deadline for the delivery of the project.” He said the Second Niger Bridge is very important because the old one is becoming weak and over used, adding that the bridge will help in reducing the pressure the people from Southeast and some parts of South south zones experience during festive periods.

Orji also mentioned other projects the Federal Government has executed for Ndigbo which include the reconstruction of the Enugu-Onitsha express way, the Onitsha-Owerri road, making Enugu Airport an international one and the ongoing reconstruction of Enugu-Port Harcourt express way. On the prospects of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] in the zone, Orji who is the new South East Governor’s forum chairman, said that the party in the zone under his leadership, will be stronger and are going to reclaim the lost states in the forth coming elections. He said: “The PDP is not afraid of any elections in the zone, we lost Anambra State due to internal problems, which we have resolved,

while Imo State which had a similar problem is being handled. The people of Imo State have learnt from their mistakes and they are ready for any elections right now”. On what he intends to do as the new South East governor’s forum Chairman Orji said that he is going to forge a common united front for the zone in the area of economics, “ We want to leave a legacy for the people of the zone”. The governor explained that the people of the zone are noted for their business acumen, stressing that the greatest legacy the present governments in the zone will leave for the people is sound economic background that will stand the test of time.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

THE SOUTHEAST REPORT

Community leader petitions Orji on Arochukwu road •Continued from page 37

APGA for an innocent appeal Chief Onwuka Ukwa made to the Federal Government and President Goodluck Jonathan for urgent rehabilitation of a totally collapsed Federal Road (Ohafia-Arochukwu Road). “Among the reasons I gave was my respect for your person and the office you represent as my governor. I equally pleaded with you that I never in that interview in The Nation Newspaper of Thursday, February 27; 2014. Pages 34 and 35) mentioned Governor T. A. Orji or Abia State Government any where. So, I could not, in any way, have offended you Sir, or your government. “Despite my pleadings, cruel and vicious attacks continued to be unleashed on my person. The attacks were sustained for four days by Abia State government radio and rounded up by falsehood reported on the matter the Vanguard Newspapers publication of Tuesday, March 4, 2014 page 57) and Network news. “Why are you so determined to inject yourself and your state government into the matter is difficult to understand. My call for urgent rehabilitation of a collapsed federal road was to President Goodluck Jonathan and the Federal Government. Nowhere in my appeal was Governor T. A. Orji or Abia State government mentioned. “Under the circumstance, it is only natural that I must correct the lies being heaped on my person. 1. ”In my interview, I asked Mr. President to send his Vice Namadi Sambo to travel by road not by air on Ohafia-Arochukwu federal road and also to return by road to experience the untold hardship the two communities (Ohafia and Arochukwu) have been subjected to for some years. On his return to Abuja, he will then report to the President about the true position of the road. I also described a journey on that federal road as a trip to hell, because I have personally experienced it. Everything I said in the interview was put in quotes. So, it is easily verifiable. Nowhere in my entire comment did I mention the name of Governor Theodore Ahamefula Orji or Abia State Government. “The governor, at a press conference, said I am not competent to

When I saw the state of the road, I told the people of that area openly that though it is federal road that I was going to work on the road to ease their pains speak about the road. My Governor, Chief Onwuka Ukwa is eminently qualified and very competent to speak on OhafiaArochukwu Federal Road. Let me repeat, it is a totally collapsed federal road. Once again, I humbly appeal to President Goodluck Jonathan for his immediate attention, to enable the road to be rehabilitated. 2. ”The governor, in his press conference, also referred to me as a liability to APGA. Chief Onwuka Ukwa is one of the proud founding fathers of APGA, an eminent member of Board of Trustees (BOT) of APGA, and the Deputy National Chairman-South who raised the hand of Governor Theodore Ahamefule Orji at Michael Okpara Auditorium when he sought temporary refuge in APGA from PPA. Temporary occupants of Government Houses must stop using it as a platform for abusing and harassing citizens. 3. ”I am also alleged to have said the governor will not rehabilitate Ohafia- Arochukwu Road because it is a federal road. This is a very unintelligent fabrication. Will I be calling on the Federal Government

•Chief Ukwa

to come and rehabilitate their road, then turn around to blame the state governor when I know he has nothing to do with it? The governor claims he spent four hundred million Naira on that federal road. “He should go and claim it back from the Federal Government like other governors do when they spent money on federal projects. It is not a big deal. The Vanguard Newspaper publication is pure lies. Let me take this opportunity to alert President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Inspector-General of Police, Chief of Army Staff and Director-General State Security Service that some of our governors have their children terrorising innocent civilians with police and soldiers like Mexican Bandidos (Thugs), particularly in Abia State. This is not what democracy is all about. Mr. Governor, if you see Abia as Republic of Abia with you as the imperial ruler, sir, I don’t exactly see it the same way. Abia

remains Abia State under a democratic Republic of Nigeria where people have the freedom to air their views. Abia State will never be turned into a personal family property of anyone. Ohafia-Arochukwu Road is not a political party affair. A bad road cannot tell who is PDP, APGA or APC. We must, as a community, encourage the rehabilitation of the road. If all it will take to rehabilitate the road is the abuse of my person, please abuse me, but rehabilitate the road and other roads. Thank you my governor and good friend.” Reacting on the letter, Governor Orji, through text message to Chief Onwuka Ukwa, said: “I still insist that you are not competent to make comment about the road.” Speaking with our reporter in his office in Umuahia, Orji said he had never said that he would not work on that road as he had

been working on that road since he assumed office despite the road being a federal road. Governor Orji described Chief Ukwa as an inconsequential person and a man who has nothing to show as a member of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) who is out to deceive the people of Arochukwu who have been praising his effort and that of the Federal Government in ensuring that the road is motorable. The governor said: "The statement credited to Ukwa is a mischievous one with the aim of causing trouble between the state government and the Federal Government. However, I am happy the people of Ohafia and Arochukwu know better." Orji said he had been worried over the state of the road when he travelled to Ututu to see their traditional ruler. "When I saw the state of the road, I told the people of that area openly that though it is federal road that I was going to work on the road to ease their pains". He said he immediately mobilised a contractor to start a maintenance work on the road, stressing that it was the maintenance work on that road that made the people to have access to their homes before the Federal Government came into the scene." The governor further said he had so far expended the sum of N400m on that road through a contractor known as New Idea. "You are living in this state and you are free to go and ask the contractor for the papers and how he was given the work and how much he had received." Governor Orji also said with the level of work he did on that federal road before the Federal government started work, "I wonder how Ukwa who hardly comes home to his village in Ohafia will claim that I said I will not work on that road." He said he had been working on several Federal Government roads in the state and an apostle of working on roads in the state whether federal or state, "since I know that my people are the ones who use such roads in the state". The governor maintained that that there is nothing on earth that will stop him from working for the people of the state irrespective of their political leaning, "so long as I have the resources to do such work that will benefit the people of the state." Orji said he had visited the office of the Federal Government contractor handling the Ohafia/ Arochukwu Road to know why progress of work on that road is slow. He therefore said he had been appealing to the contractor to speed up work on that road for the benefit of the people of that area who have suffered neglect for several years.

Old students donate N20m to school

HE members of Old Boys Association of Igbo National College Aba [IgboNaco], now National High School have donated N20m to their Alma Mater to address infrastructural decay. This was disclosed by the president-general of the association, Mr Azubuko Udah after the National Executive Committee [NEC] of the association in Umuahia,saying that members have decided to give back to the school that made them what they are today. Udah said that government should not be left alone to handle school rehabilitation in the state, adding that the governor, Chief Theodore Orji has done well in this area, stressing that what they were doing is to complement governor’s efforts.

Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia The President-General of Igbonaco used the forum to praise the governor for his approval and prompt intervention in renovation of dilapidated structures in the school, saying that the move has helped to improve the standard of education in the state. Udah recalled that sometime in 2003, some hoodlums attacked and vandalised the school’s science laboratories which he said had remained one of the well equipped within the Southeast zone saying that the association intends to replace the items that were vandalised. He enumerated the achievements of the association in their old school

to include the repair of Azikiwe and other dormitories in the school which had cost them about N8 million, while the fencing of the school premises had cost them N5 million, and other projects is costing them N5 million. The President-General said: “I know that the Azikiwe and other school hostels project that is almost completed cost N8 million, the parameter fence of the school has taken us about N5m, while the provision of security in the school and minor repairs of the NYSC Corpers’ Lodge and other repairs has also taken us another N5 million”. Udah reminded other old boy’s associations across the state of their role in the provision of infrastructure,

stressing that people should give back to the society that made them. He said: “Various old boys associations have a great role to play in making sure that our education system is maintained and sustained so that generation next will not be handicapped in having the requisite atmosphere in learning”. Also speaking, the former deputy governor of Abia State who also is an old boy of the School, Chief Eric Acho Nwakanma, described the handing over of schools to their original owners in the state as one of the measures by government to improve the standard of teaching and learning. Nwakanma said, “It is the necessary thing to do, more so as a lot of

people were clamouring for the handover of schools especially the religious institutions.They were clamouring that they need these schools to train children when they are young”. He praised Governor Orji for taking the bold decision when he handed over such schools to their original owners as well as in bringing sanity to the education sector in the state. In the same vein, thes State Commissioner for Housing, an Old boy of the school, Prince Kingsley Mgbeahuru, disclosed that the state government has begun the rehabilitation of some public schools across the state and the building of modern schools across the state.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

CAMPUS LIFE Free CBT portal for Jambites

•The mourners after the procession

Students, staff bid lecturer farewell

TUDENTS and lecturers at the Imo State University (IMSU), Owerri, have held a procession for Mr Cyril Akobundu Ndoh, a senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science, who died during the protracted Academic Staff Union of University, (ASUU) strike. It was a sober moment for the students led by the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof A.U Awuzie and principal officers of the institution. The procession started at 7am with the signing of the condolence register. The students wore black clothes while the lecturers were in their academic gown to pay the last respect to the deceased. They marched from the Administrative Building to front

From Chidiebere Enyia and Nnadozie Thealm IMSU gate and back to the Administrative Block. Brief prayers were said by the VC for the departed lecturer. Prior to the event, students of the department had organised a procession to honour the late Ndoh. Academic activities were on hold as other students joined in the procession. Some of the students who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE described the late Ndoh as the most studentfriendly lecturer. Asiegbu Chinonso, president of Association of Political Science and Public Administration Students (APPAS), described late

Ndoh as an icon, who impacted everyone he met. Prince Oliver, a student, said: “We cannot forget Ndoh and his numerous achievements and contribution to the development of the department. He was loved by every student. He will forever remain in our hearts.” The VC, a former ASUU Chairman at the institution, described the late Ndoh as an erudite scholar, dogged and committed to scholarship. He urged the department to immortalise the ideals of Ndoh. A student, who did not say her name, said: “The late Ndoh was my lecturer and my project supervisor. I don’t know what would become of my fate and project.”

ANAGEMENT of RiseUp College has launched its Computerbased Test (CBT) portal for students preparing for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Nigeria. The Dean of the College, Mr Lawore Olakunle, said the aim of the portal was to equip prospective university candidates with the necessary tools to excel in their examinations. “In the last few years, there had been an increasing rate of mass failure not only in the Senior Secondary School Examinations, but also in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). This, in our view, is unacceptable. As a nation that wants to be one of the strongest econo-

From Gilbert Alasa LAGOS mies in the year 2020, this failure cannot be tolerated. What we have done is to create a platform that gives candidates the opportunity to individually assess their level of preparation. This is because we are committed to raising scholars who can stand on their own anywhere in the world.” He added that the free test portal, called “age of brains” was a feature on the institution’s website, stressing that it also provided students with access to happenings on campuses of various tertiary institutions in the country. “We also want to ensure that candidates are abreast of happenings in their intended campuses.” Lawore urged prospective candidates to take advantage of the free test to improve their performance in the examinations. A candidates who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE said the test would enable him to measure his level of preparedness for the examination.

NANS honours MAUTECH VC

HE National Association of Nigerian Students Union (NANS) has honoured Prof Bashir Haruna Usman, ViceChancellor of Modibbo Adama University of Technology (MAUTECH) in Yola, Adamawa State with leadership award of excellence. The award was presented by National NANS President Yinka Gbadegbo. Dr Bashir Aliyu, Deputy ViceChancellor (Administration), who received the award on behalf of VC, thanked the association for the recognition, dedicating the award to staff and students. He attributed the success of his administration to the visionary leadership of the institution’s Students’ Union Government (SUG) for its sensitisation campaign against examination malpractices and other vices on campus. He commended the union on the recent donation of dustbins to the university, urging them to make good use of the university facilities. Gbadebo said the award was an annual event in which the public and students were allowed to nominate the best performing Vice-Chancellor, Rector and Provost through the social media. Prof Usman emerged first in leadership excellence and judicious utilisation of funds and execution of projects that have direct benefit to students.

From Saad Aliyu MAUTECH In a related development, the parliament of MAUTECH Students’ Union has also honoured the Registrar, Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmadu Ribadu and six others. It also unveiled the constituency projects of its senate members. In his opening remarks, the Speaker, Ibrahim Bello, said the projects included procurement of 10,000 mosquito nets and 50,000 note books for students. He said the selection of the beneficiaries was based on the recognition of their outstanding contribution in their respective areas of specialisation. Responding on behalf of the recipient, Dr Umar Boboi, a representative of Girei Local Government in Adamawa State House of Assembly, thanked the senate members of MAUTECH SUG for acknowledging their performance in various areas of responsibilities, assuring the students of their support and cooperation at all times. Others honoured included Dr Jafaru Ali, Deans Students Affairs; Dr Halilu Hamman, Chairman Adamawa State Universal Education Board; Alhaji Salii Buba Secretary Adamawa Pension Board; Mr Wilson Yerima, Principal Account, Adamawa State University, Mubil; Hajiya Maryam Nyako, Executive Director Adamawa Education Endowment Fund and Helen Daniel.

Biochemistry students discuss unity at maiden convention •The medical students with the traders during urine test

EMBERS of the Lagos State Medical Students Association (LAMSA) in Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) have held their annual Health Week with the theme: Lagos: the myth of a lost heritage. Director-General, Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau, Bolaji Uthman, took participants through the historical and cultural backgrounds of Lagos State. The programme featured a novelty basketball game. Members of team East Coast, representing students of southeastern Nigeria, played against West Coast, students of southwestern Nigeria. The match was won by

Medical students hold week From Tunde Israel LUTH the West coast team. There was also a film show at the New Great Hall, where over a hundred students watched movie titled: Twelve years a slave. Students described the movie as entertaining and educative. During the symposium organised to mark the Week, Mr Ola Oresanya, Managing Director of Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) spoke on Medical waste management: The future. The Week activity was

rounded off with a medical outreach to Adaranijo Market in Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA), where over 300 persons, including children were treated of various ailments. There were free medical services such as Body Mass Index (BMI), Urinalysis, Rapid Blood Glucose Test, Blood Pressure test, Drug Dispensary and free medical consultation. The students later went on excursion to Lekki Conservation Centre. They visited SOS orphange in Isolo, where gift and consumables were donated to the orphans.

HE Nigerian Society of Biochemistry Students (NSBS) has held its first south-west regional convention at the Adekunle Ajasin University in Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo state last week. The conference which took place at the Relaxation Centre of the institution was organised to unite all tertiary institution in the south west region of the country and promote unity among Biochemistry students in the region. In a statement signed by the Regional Coordinator of the society, AyokunmiOyeyemi, a student of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, (FUNAAB) said: “the convention was held to unite all the schools in the south west region, to expand our horizons in bio-chemistry and to interact with other bio-chemistry students

From Ezekiel Adesawe AAUA to contribute positively to the development of our generation”. He said the association hoped to become a veritable tool to expand the frontiers of biochemistry in the country. . Speaking on the choice of AAUA, Ayokunmi said: “I took it upon myself to make it democratic by holding a meeting with the presidents of the society in the south-west. I asked those who are willing to host the convention. And LadokeAkintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, (LAUTECH), Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) and Fountain University, Osogbo, volunteered. Through a ballot process, AAUA got the slot to host the convention.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

CAMPUS LIFE

Preparing them for the future Graduating students of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, were camped for three days at Moremi Estate, Ile-Ife for afterschool orientation tagged “Sort Out”. KEMI BUSARI (400Level Political Science) reports.

HE first phase of the programme for graduating students of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, started with an event tagged: Sort Out in the Valentine’s Day week. The event, which featured entrepreneurship seminar, relationship counselling and excursion, held at Brooks International School, Moremi Estate, Ile-Ife, where participants were camped. At about 3pm that Thursday, the first lecture session titled: Greatness and being established in life was delivered by Dami Olawumi, an associate pastor in Ile-Ife branch of Rhema World. Speaking on what it takes to achieve greatness in life, Olawumi stressed that greatness is an accumulation of divine process, which must be pursued with “spiritual tutelage”. Reading from the Bible, he noted that Abraham would not have achieved greatness if he had dis-

•Mr and Mrs Lawal (carrying babies) with some of the participants

obeyed God’s instruction. Olawumi said: “For us to be great in life, God will give us instruction, commands and roles to play in order to achieve greatness.” The pastor enjoined participants to see possibility in impossibilities, saying they should exude faith and hard work to fulfill God’s plan in their lives. Mrs Ojujesu Orifowomo, an entrepreneur, who spoke on Business Talk, told the students the four levels of cash flow. She advised them not to limit their entrepreneurial ability, admonishing that they should go further to actualise any idea they conceive. “As a young graduate, you can start with being an employee before you have the wherewithal to be self-employed. The third stage is the business ownership, which develops into investment prospect

after wealth accumulation,” she said. Giving them tips on self-reliance after school, Orifowomo, who studied Quantity Surveying in OAU, said students must see the need to achieve long-term financial freedom and engage in networking business, which she described as “most flourishing” in the world today. A couple, Mr and Mrs John Lawal, conducted the relationship counselling session. They emphasised the need to seek God’s directive in every relationship, noting that marriage was not meant for boys and girls, but for men and women. Mr Lawal said there was no word called ‘dating’ in the Bible, but that people date to test-run relationship to see compatibility of partners.

the seminar and it afforded me the opportunity to change my belief about relationship and people.” Esther Awoyemi, a final year student of the Faculty of Education, said the programme changed her orientation about business. The camp commandant, Oluwadamilare Oladotun, a 400Level Soil Science student, said the seminar gave him the opportunity to improve his management skills. The organiser, Olamide Opaleye, a 400-Level Political Science student, said the event was conceived because many students left school without an idea of what to do after school. He said the programme would be improved on in subsequent editions. There was a general cleaning exercise before the event, which saw the emergence of Mr and Miss Valentine from among the participants, ended.

•Staff of the Faculty shaking hands with the players

•Spectator on the field

OR a week, academic activities were suspended at the Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences of the University (UNICAL). Students left the classroom to play football. Abraham Ordia Stadium of the university was agog with the faculty’s maiden soccer fiesta. The tournament was facilitated by the Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Anne Asuquo. Students of Radiography, Nursing, Public Health and Medical Laboratory Science – the four departments that make up the faculty - showed their talents during the fiesta. After a series of matches, two of the four departments made it to the final. At the final match, players were welcomed by an ecstatic crowd of

He said: “There is nothing like dating in the Bible; what we have is courtship. The maximum period for any courtship should be between eight months and two years .Prolonged courtship is prone to create undue emotional attachment, which may lead to sin.” Emphasising that beauty should not be the determinant factor in choosing a partner, Lawal urged participants to always seek purpose, divinity and partnership content, which he described as foundations of finding the right partner. The participants set out for an excursion on the third day. They visited Olumirin Waterfalls in Erin Ijesa in Osun State. Adesola Adeyemi, a 400-Level Philosophy student, described the programme as memorable. She said: “I gained many things from

The Faculty of Allied Medical Science of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) has organised its maiden Dean’s Cup competition. STANLEY UCHEGBU (500-Level Accounting) reports.

A feast of soccer spectators, chanting various songs. Although the pitch was a bit rough the players remained undaunted as they slugged it out. The Red Cross Society team stood at a strategic spot to treat any injured player and technical crew. The Radiography and Medical Laboratory Science teams battled to lift the trophy. The players entertained spectators with their soc-

cer skills. There was a drama when Medical Laboratory Science scored a goal 30 seconds into the match. However, Nsisong Brenda of the Radiography team equalised in the second half. After 90 minutes of play, the match ended in a draw. The match officials decided to end the encounter with penalty shootouts. The penalty kicks gave Radiogra-

phy team the day with five goals to four. A spectator, Sandra Abang, 200Level Nursing student, described the match as thrilling. Prof Saturday Etuk, Provost of College of Medical Sciences, presented the trophy and cash prize to the winners. He said: “I am particularly thrilled by the unity this event has brought to the faculty. Apart from uniting students, the event also helped them to relax. We saw the need to engage students in physical fitness and make them have good mental alertness.”

The captain of Radiography team thanked God for the victory and praised his mates for their effort. Essienobong Umoh, a 400-Level Radiography student, said the event was a nice idea. “Every student who loves sports participated in it. It gave us the opportunity to work and showed that there is unity among students of the faculty,” he stated. The event was witnessed by students, members of staff of the faculty, including the Sub Dean, Dr Olaide Edet, Head Department of Radiography, Dr. Nneonyi Egbe, former Speaker of Students’ Union Government, Emmanuel Olayi and ex-president of the Faculty, Emmanuel Okuta, among others.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

CAMPUS LIFE

Education must be government’s focus

By Ibrahim Adam

HE importance of education cannot be overemphasised. Education is a fundamental right God has given us. This is why all nations of the world and international bodies consider education

FORTNIGHT ago, the Federal Government rolled out the drums to celebrate 100 years of Nigeria’s existence. It was called centenary celebration. The celebration was organised because we, as a people, appreciate everything. Why should Nigeria not celebrate? The nation has gone through 100 years of struggle, during which we battled economic growth, unity of all ethnic groups and democratic development. But, despite the years, democracy is still a mirage. And the government considered it necessary to celebrate. If a man of 100 years still has a stunted growth, and the man goes on a celebration spree to mark his birthday, then something is wrong somewhere. This is Nigeria’s case. Coming from the backdrop of war, many have said the nation won’t stand the test of time; the belief was that Nigeria would unravel after independence. The amalgamation of the Northern and the Southern protectorates by Lord Lugard in 1914 gave birth to what we call Nigeria today. This is, however, an unpopular feat. Reason: the unification of dominant ethnic groups plunged the country into a period characterised by struggle for political and economic power. Later, the influence of religion crept in and we are having a

as a fundamental human right of all. The first and, perhaps, the greatest challenge facing Nigeria in education is inadequate funding of the sector by the federal and state governments. This has been making it difficult for people to get good and qualitative education, capable of bringing about the sustainable development the country craves. For more than 10 years, the national expenditure on education has not been encouraging. In fact, the government has not shown its readiness to comply with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recommendation of 26 per cent of national budget. In a country where it is difficult

to fund education, such country should not dream of development, not to talk of making efforts to develop. Yet, Nigeria is blessed with resources to adequately fund the education of its citizens. Just recently, the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Lamido Sanusi, revealed that more than $20 billion could not be accounted for by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). If the claim by the loquacious banker is to be believed, it means the nation has been robbed of billions of dollars that could have been used to revamp the education sector. This is amazing. Another problem bedeviling education in our country is the inter-

ference from politicians. This has seriously affected the development of the sector. Also, many schools are unqualified established and run in many states on political patronage. Some parents too use of their influence to corrupt the system to favour their wards. Politicians influence recruitment exercise of teachers, not minding their competence. This has been the problem crippling the development of education sector. It is no news that some parents circumvent the examination regulation and engage in malpractice to brighten the chances of their children for admission into the higher institution. However, there is one thing that makes us happy as a people; this is the fact that ignorance lived in the

Ibrahim, ND II Mass Comm., IBADAN POLY

Centenary: If we must celebrate

Ayodeji Adeyemi

nation being controlled by these forces. The Bible says: “Teach us to number our days, so that we can incline our hearts to wisdom.” While we enthusiastically agree to and obey the first phrase, we ignore the second. If only our hearts are inclined to wisdom! Pray, what are we celebrating? One could imagine the foolish pride of a woman celebrating the birthday of his 21 year-old son who still cannot walk, let alone reason logically. The child can only wobble and squirm. Nigeria has gone through many phases to achieve sanity, yet there is little to show for it. A lot of people have been killed in the struggle for freedom, yet their labour seems have gone unappreciated. Nigeria of today is one where priorities are misplaced; money and power management – euphemism for corruption - is the order of the day. This is not to the developed countries are free of corruption and violence, but Nigeria seems to take the lead. It is beset with contradiction: the nation is listed among the most corrupt countries and also among the most religious countries.

‘Let us celebrate but we must never dismiss reality. We all know that we need to work hard in order to put the nation on the path of development’ Just recently, the Boko Haram terrorists attacked the Federal Government Secondary School in Bunu Yadi, Yobe State, leaving over 40 pupils in the pool of their blood. One wonders what the President Goodluck Jonathan and his security chiefs have been doing to curb the menace of this murderous group. Since the announcement of the proposed national conference to discuss salient issues affecting the union of federating states, tongues have not ceased to wag, with many supporting and many others opposing the move. My concern is: will the delegates to the conference just sit and discuss again around the

King Arthur Knights’ Table of Camelot, then leave the table and go back to their looting spree of the natural and unnatural treasure of the country? The people that exposed corruption in high places have been shown the way out. The recent of which is the suspension of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido, for blowing whistle on alleged corrupt practices in the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation. The people are tired of inconsequential top-to-bottom approach of governance as exhibited by the present administration. On the citizens’ lips is the cry for a better tomorrow; one they are not even sure of. With the decay of the societal fabric and the level of moral endemic in the system, one wonders to what extent the nation can boast of a better future. “We are the leaders of tomorrow,” the youths chant, yet we are the destroyers of today and the slaves of our condescending morals and values. I believe the children are really the leaders of tomorrow; not any of today’s youths, for we are already join the spoilers. But what future are we creating for the next generation if we allow Boko Haram terrorists,

A country hobbled by confused leadership

EOPLE of our time are losing the power of celebration. Instead of celebrating we seek to be amused or entertained. Celebration is an active state, an act of expressing reverence or appreciation. To be entertained is a passive state – it is to receive pleasure afforded by an amusing act or a spectacle.... Celebration is a confrontation, giving attention to the transcendent meaning of one’s actions. – Abraham Joshua Herschel. Hurray! My country is now 100 years old. It was amazing how the centenary celebration was held. The elite gathered for the feast; they also gave themselves awards and honours for keeping the country together in spite of fundamental challenges facing the nation. Expectedly, the celebration has generated a lot of comments from the citizens. Opinions were divided whether the centenary celebration was worth the energy and resources expended on it. Some asked: How did it affect the growth of the nation? Why should a select few gather to mark the country’s birthday when the whole population should be carried along? Against whatever anyone may say, Nigeria still exists today as a result of God’s grace. It is not by action or inaction of anybody or a group of people. Even as the news of celebration went round the country, chaos still remains part and parcel of the country. The landscape is yet to be free of the uproar by the citizens whose

past and thank God Nigerians have resolved not to be entrapped in the pit of ignorance dug by those who do not want progress for the nation. It is time government realised that education is Nigeria is in shamble. We need a new thinking, new policy and most importantly, funding. It is said that education fulcrum of development. For us, we have to make efforts to put the education in good shape, so that the coming generations won’t have to remember with scorn. My opinion should not be seen as ranting of a student, but as nudge for the society to do what is right and educate the citizens.

By Desmond Okon lives have not improved since independence. Amidst all these, the elite found it imperative to gather at the State House and mark 100 years of underdevelopment, insecurity, unstable electricity and bad economy. At hundred years, the nation remains in the laboratory, testing its theory and knowledge about democracy. The people still habour mutual distrust towards one another and our leaders tried to tell the world that all is well with the nation. For instance, in the last five years, peace has deserted the country, with the rate of insecurity becoming alarming. Boko Haram insurgents kill innocent people in the North; in the South, the unemployed youths, who hide behind masks, use sophisticated machine guns to forcefully take away people against their wishes. We build our homes and offices with strong burglar-proof materials and even sleep without the two eyes shut. The citizens’ lives are threatened every day and a few people deemed it fit to wine and dine, giving awards to themselves. Today, unemployment still poses a challenge to our nation. Unstable economy is another area to worry about. Our roads have become death traps, while other infrastructure are dilapidated. Our universities have lost their standards; public hospitals turn

to mortuary. The standard of living of the people is poor, yet some people believed we should roll out drums to celebrate the centenary. The Boko Haram insurgents have become Frankenstein monster, devourving humanity habiting this colony called Nigeria. We woke up to receive the shocking news of over 40 pupils mowed down the dreaded sect in Yobe State. Alas, this incident happened during the week the centenary celebration was at its peak. The nation is in a state of unrest, but celebration went on in Abuja. Of what use is the celebration when we are likely to mourn again? Given the tactics of these terrorists, there not be an end to the wanton killing by the sect. But the country is still united. They believed they are responsible for it, hence the pre-humous and posthumous awards to the ‘courageous’ people that fought for the country’s unity. I will not say it is bad to honour those who have made significant impact and contributions to the seeming growth of the nation, but do we really see any change since independence? Lord Lugard and his dame, Lady Lugard, with the Queen of England got award for the creation and independence of the country. But did these people also give us our identity as Nigerians? Pa Michael Akinkunmi, who designed the national flag, never got an award. Is it that the colonial mentality is yet to

take its flight from the country? This brings us to the nagging question: how independent is Nigeria? For us to celebrate a centenary and award the people considered as the root of country’s problems shows that the country is yet to be independent. To further project how thoughtless this government is, world leaders who converged on Abuja to mark the centenary with Nigeria submitted that Africa lose billion of dollars to terrorists’ activities annually. They blamed conflicts in Africa on poverty, bad governance, breach of human rights and lack of rule of law. They also traced terrorism in Africa to corruption, lack of accountability in governance, exclusion and marginalisation of social and ethnic groups as well as lack of programmes for young people. The centenary celebration would have been more meaningful had we been blessed with good leadership. The people in government know that the best honour they could ever give our heroes past is to maintain their legacy, sustain it, and pass it on to the next generation, instead of delving into irrational spending. The provision of basic necessities for the citizens should be their objective. This, I believe, a good father will not deny his children. Desmond, 200-Level Mass Comm., UNN

measles, sickle-cell anemia, poliomyelitis and other man-made killers to deprive us of happiness by killing our children and maiming our future? If we must celebrate, let us do so in the wisdom of a 100-year-old man. The grey hair of the old man is not fashion; it connotes abundance of experience and wisdom. The celebration will not worth it if we view Nigeria from the prism of age and not living; from the labours of the heroes past, from the blood of the people who lost their lives in the ruinous civil and sectarian wars, and from the epileptic power supply that has stunted the development of the country. The late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, has once described Nigeria as “a geographical expression”. When are we going to rise up to the cries of our apparently dead conscience and blow the sirocco of change towards progress and growth? 100 years is no joke. We have come, saw but yet to conquer. Let us celebrate but we must never dismiss reality. We all know that we need to work hard in order to put the nation on the path of development, and in a state where all citizens would be proud to belong to this space. Ayodeji, is a student of English, OAU Ile-Ife

Union visits Kebbi Assembly From Mubarak Ibrahim

UDUS

HE legislative arm of the Students’ Union Government commonly called Students’ Representative Assembly at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS ) has visited the Kebbi State House of Assembly. The visit was aimed at helping the student-leaders understand legislative proceedings. Members witnessed the Assembly’s plenary which featured the confirmation of two nominees to serve in the Kebbi State Government. The team was led by the Speaker, Mustapha Umar. At the end of the plenary, an interactive session was held where the Deputy Speaker, Hon Muhammad Garba Bena spoke with the UDUS team. He spoke on the dynamics of legislative procedures and responded to the students’ questions. Umar appreciated the efforts of the Deputy Speaker for attending to members despite his tight schedule, adding that the knowledge acquired during the visit would help the students discharge its legislative duties in the school.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

CAMPUS LIFE Firm donates N5 million books to varsity

AVILAH Merchants Nigeria Limited has donated books worth over N5m to the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Ekiti State, as part of its corporate social responsibility. The Vice Chancellor, Prof Isaac Asuzu, who was represented by the Dean, Faculty of Engineering, Prof Christian Bolu, commended the firm for contributing to the development of the university. The Managing Director of the company, Ogbeni ‘Lanre Adesuyi, thanked God for making the donation possible. He said the university, since inception, has made steady progress in infrastructural development and academic pursuit. He said the concept of communal growth meant that every little contribution would fill a vacuum in the hierarchy of needs, adding that it is through sincerity of purpose and the determination to succeed that would make the institution to realise its objectives.

New Dean for faculty

NEW Sub-dean has been appointed for the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Calabar (UNICAL). He is Dr James C. Duru. Dr Duru of the Department of Public Administration took over from Dr Edame of the Department of Sociology. He was the Head of the Department of Political Science before the creation of the Department of Public Administration. Dr Duru has written no fewer than 80 academic papers in local and international journals, authored seven books and attended over 25 local and international conferences.

‘Enterpreneurship is key to solving employment’

HE Director of Chike Okoli Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies, Prof Edmund Egbo, has described entrepreneurship as a catalyst for growth, independence and job creation in any society. He said entrepreneurship would help individuals to be self-reliant and create employments. Prof Egbo, who spoke during a chat at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) Awka, urged youths to be productively engaged and learn basic skill to escape the scramble for non-existent jobs. He said the centre was designed “to help people to acquire necessary tools that will make them to bring out the best in them and become valuable members of the society.’’ He said in recent times where job scarcity is alarming, entrepreneurship was important create more jobs, noting that the centre was committed to churning out economically independent indi-

From Chris Ukaegbu

FUOYE He called on stakeholders to rise to the occasion and change the fortunes of the university. The University Librarian, Mr Michael Afolabi, while receiving the books on behalf of the university, thanked the donor for the gesture. He promised that the books would go a long way in improving the university’s book- related needs. He said a well- equipped library was a sine qua non for a good university. Prof Bolu thanked the firm for the donation, saying that a recent world universities ranking had placed FUOYE at 10, 760 in the world, 209 in Africa and 27 in Nigeria, a development which made university number one among the 12 new universities in Nigeria. The event was attended by the Oloye of Oye-Ekiti, Oba Michael Oluwole Ademolaju, principal officers of the university and other dignitaries. From Emmanuel Shebbs UNICAL In a chat with CAMPUSLIFE, Venatius Okor of Public Administration said: “Dr Duru emerged on the basis of merit. He is one of the outstanding lecturers in the faculty and someone who has added much value to many lives, especially his students. We congratulate him and pray that God will continue to promote him.” One of his students, James Omadide, said: “Dr Duru is a professional administrator. I believe he will introduce modern administrative mechanisms for the enhancement and transformation of the Faculty of Social Sciences. I wish him divine wisdom.” Dr Duru is the Coordinator of graduate programmes in the Department of Public Administration. From Oby Okeke UNIZIK viduals. He explained that the centre was running degree, certificate programmes and diploma programmes in entrepreneurship for various categories of persons On the recent approval by the National Universities Commission (NUC) for UNIZIK to run a degree programme in entrepreneurship, he said: ‘’The good thing is that Nnamdi Azikiwe University is the first university in Nigeria that has been given approval by NUC to offer a degree programme in entrepreneurship. So we are glad to have achieved that feat.” Prof Egbo said graduates of the centre could gain direct entry admission into any university in the country, adding that: “the way the degree programme is designed, premium is placed on skills acquisition other than theories. Overall, there is combination of theory and practice so that at the end of one’s stay, he/she leaves the university well equipped theoretically and practically in whatever skills or area one chooses to specialise.” Prof Egbo called on youth to help Nigeria grow by getting themselves productively engaged.

Petroleum varsity begins session

HE Federal University of Petroleum Resources in Effurun (FUPRE) has started the 2013/2014 session on. The campus re-opened last Monday for academic activities. The management, in a release, said screening of fresher would commence immediately and it is

From Balikis Moyosore DELTA expected to end tomorrow. The authorities urged freshers to report to the campus for details of screening and registration as orientation and lectures would commence as soon as the screening exercise is over.

•Chief Elebuibon (in cap) with the students after the event

Law students organise cultural week

T was fun when students of the Faculty of Law at the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ogun State, held their cultural week. It was tagged: “The role of custom in the development of Nigeria legal system.” The event was organised by the law students to showcase the customs and tradition of Africa. The lecture was delivered by Dr Babatunde Isaac Olutoyin. He said the doctrine of separation of powers and checks and balances in governance had been with us in Nigeria during the Old Oyo empire before it was popularised by Baron Montesquieu.

From Sanya Boluwatife OOU He noted that Nigeria had a system of justice administration before the advent of the Europeans, urging government to codify the country’s customary laws like those of the English common laws. Chief Yemi Elebuibon was awarded by the laws students society for his achievement in culture. The event was attended by Chief Yemi Elebuibon, the Araba of Osogbo, a herbalist and actor, Erinwo of Osogbo, Aseda of Osogbo,Ifatunbi of Osogbo were present at the occasion. Cultural missionaries from the

United States of America were also present. Later, the students gathered at the Ago Iwoye Town Hall for their Ankara night. The event was colourful as the students were decked in traditional attire. Dina Omotolani, a 400-Level student was awarded the best male dressed while Anuoluwapo XX, also in 400 Level, was awarded the best dressed female. Speaking to CAMPUSLIFE, Udebhulu omokhodion the Financial Secretary of the association said: “I am really grateful to God for making the cultural week a huge success.”

On and Off Campus By Solomon Izekor 08061522600

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

CAMPUS LIFE

N what would appear yet another first for the Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), the National Instruments (NI) Inc., a Texas, United States firm with a tentacle in South Africa, will soon establish a LabVIEW Academy in ABUAD. On take-off, the academy will be the first and only Centre of Excellence where ABUAD Engineering undergraduates and their peers from other universities in Nigeria would be trained, tested and awarded the industry-recognised Certified LabVIEW Associate Developer (CLAD) certificate, a world-wide recognised industry certification. Speaking at the closing of a twoweek train-the-trainers workshop for 50 workers in the College of Engineering, the Provost of the college, Prof. Israel Owolabi, said the establishment of the academy is an integral part of a Memorandum of Un-

Academy for ABUAD By Adegunle Olugbamila

derstanding (MoU) signed by the university and NI. He said: "The training is unique in a number of ways. One significant aspect is the acquisition of valueadded programmes to enhance the students' Bachelor's degree (B. Eng) certificates after graduation, thus making them employable in the global marketplace." Besides, he said the training is in tandem with the vision and mission of the Founder, Aare Afe Babalola, (SAN), to produce highly skilled, socially and globally relevant graduates capable of applying scientific and engineering knowledge to solve societal problems. "The training has just been under-

taken by our engineering staff to make them effective instructors on the equipment purchased by the university from the NI's train-the-trainers scheme," he added. National Instruments Inc. is a world renowned manufacturer of educational lab virtual instrumentation suite (NI ELVIS),. It integrates a dozen most commonly used test and measurement lab instruments, such as oscilloscope, function generators, spectrum analysers, variable power supplies, and digital multi meters, among others for design and implementation of laboratory experiments in automation, mechatronics, instrumentation and control systems, using the highly intuitive LabVIEW programming environment.

According to Owolabi, with NI ELVIS package and a laptop, a student can easily design and perform various projects and experiments in all areas of engineering, at any place and time without having to be within the physical laboratory environment. ABUAD had earlier signed an MoU with the company for the supply of modern electronic equipment with the purchase agreement involving after-sales training of staff on the effective use of the equipment. The trained staff would in turn train the students on the effective and efficient use of the sophisticated modern electronic equipment. In his remarks, Aare Babalola said the university, which parades an army of highly talented profession-

• Mr Bodede presenting a gift on behalf of the Parents Forum to Mrs Iwaotan. With them are (left) Mr Matthew Adebisi, Mrs Sidikatu Lasisi and a member of the Parents Forum.

Pupils win Spelling Bee contest

WO pupils Bolaji Ayomide and Busari Idris have emerged winners in the Agbado Ijaiye local council Spelling Bee Competition. The event, which held at Meiran Model College Meiran, Lagos, drew competitors from the 19 public schools, (11 junior and eight seniors) in the council. The wife of the council's Chairman, Mrs Janet Arogundade, who chaired the ocassion, said the Spelling Bee competition, a baby of the New Era Foundation, a pet programme of the wife of former

By Ayeni Olalekan

Lagos State Governor, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, is organised yearly in all the 57 councils in the state; winners at the councils’ level will flex muscles with their counterparts at the grand finale. Represented by her Special Assistant, Mrs E.O. Ogunjale, Mrs Arogundade stressed that many talented pupils have emerged through the programme, making the Lagos State Ministry of Education to adopt it as an annual exercise. She added that the programme

‘My joy was undiluted seeing myself as the winner of the 2014 Agbado/Oke-Odo LCDA's spelling Bee competition, despite that this is my first time to partake in such programme’

encourages students' reading habit and healthy academic rivalry. Arogundade, implored contestants to make the council proud by winning the trophy at the grand finale so that the Agbado/Oke-Odo council will produce the next 'One day Governor'. Bolaji, an 11-year-old pupil of Alimosho Primary School, Alaguntan, said "My joy was undiluted seeing myself as the winner of the 2014 Agbado/Oke-Odo LCDA's spelling Bee competition, despite that this is my first time to partake in such programme. Similarly, Busari Idris, of Meiran Community Senior High School, vowed to work harder with his colleague. The council's Supervisor for Education, Felix Lomuwa-Fanegan said he was hopeful of a better performance from the duo.

•Wife of Chairman, Lagos Mainland Local Government, Mrs Anike Adekanye, (in head gear) donating a new trophy to her alma mata, Ansar-ud- Deen Primary School, Odunfa. The trophy is to be competed for by pupils of the school during their annual Inter-house sports’.

•Aare Babalola

als, is moving at a rate than he had contemplated. His words: "We have started well, we have arrived and we are going up and up and up."

Principal bids Lagos farewell 33 years after

T was supposed to be her last day in office when she would be putting finishing touches to files, but for Mrs Elizabeth Moji Iwaotan, t the day turned out to be one for merry making. Her colleagues, friends, pupils and well-wishers held a send off party for Iwaotan, principal, IgboOwu Junior Secondary School, Mushin, Lagos. For her, it was, indeed, double celebration as the day coincided with her 60th birthday. Ihe Olaotan’s company were her amiable husband and children, including Tolulope. Mrs Iwaotan, who began her career as a classroom teacher in 1981 at Aguda Grammar School, retired on February. She has also worked at Atunrase Boys High School, Mushin, AUD Girls High School and Ijeshatedo Senior Grammar School as Vice Principal. The event, which held at the school's uncompleted Assembly Hall, despite its dilapidated nature, was filled. There were Ewi rendition, and prayers for the celebrator. The school's cultural group entertained guests with special songs rendered in Yoruba. Many people also wore uniformed ankara to mark the day. Edna Ogholi's evergreen song; "Uye, I wish you a happy birthday..." blared from the the DJ's table. The school's Parent Forum Chair-

By Joseph Eshanokpe

man, Mr Sunday Bodede, described Mrs Iwaotan as a good administrator and excellent teacher. He said: "She (Iwaotan) is a good mother, who cared about her children. She did not relent in her efforts for her pupils. She does her work diligently and often times worked late. She is never tired. Besides, her records are clean, including the execution of projects. She carried everyone along." The school's Vice Principal (Academics), Mrs Sile Igbikoyi, who said she had worked with Mrs Iwaotan for five years described her former boss as an 'individual with a heart of gold.' "I wish her the best in life; I pray that good things will come her way; that she will continue to be happy always. For Mrs Iwaotan, it was also a day of joy. "I am happy," she said."I want to thank the Lagos State government for everything, including my service." She also praised her husband Pastor Emmanuel Olanrewaju, whom she wedded in 1981, describing him as a pillar of support over the years. Will she still teach or be in the profession at another level? "No," she said, adding: "I want to rest." The high point of the event was the cutting of the birthday cake.

Sterling Bank partners Lagos Volunteer Teacher Scheme

HE Lagos Eko Project Volunteer Teachers Scheme (VTS) has received a hand of fellowship from Sterling Bank Ltd. The scheme was initiated by the Lagos State government to address the short-term shortage of teachers, especially in core subject areas, such as English Language, Mathematics, Sciences and Life Skills. It is structured to bring together dedicated and resourceful professionals from different industries to contribute their quota to education in Lagos State. Already, about 500 of the bank's workforce have signed with the Sterling Volunteers Programme (SVP), with the first batch of 50 volunteers undergoing training and induction for deployment in various public secondary schools across the state. Speaking during the event, Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on the Lagos Eko Project, Ms Ronke Azeez said the project is the first education intervention in Lagos with exclusive focus on 'enhanced learning outcomes'. This, he added, “is achieved through direct grant disbursement to schools teachers professional development, standardised students assessment, public sector col-

By Medinat Kanabe

laboration for technical education and the VTC." The Sterling Bank Head, Strategy & Communications, Mr. Shina Atilola, said the deal was in line with the bank's 'One Sterling Education' initiative aimed at improving standard of education. He explained that the consistent poor results of pupils in the West African Examinations Council WAEC) exams over the years nationwide is a source of concern, necessitating the bank's involvement in "this genuine effort by the Lagos State Government under the Lagos Eko Project Volunteers Teachers Scheme to help improve the performance of students at various internal and external examinations”. Mr. Atilola described the Sterling Volunteers as a collection of dedicated and resourceful professionals who are adequately equipped to contribute their quota to the overall vision of excellence in the education sector. He expressed optimism that the partnership will help address the challenges of inadequate teachers and consequently improve students' performance in the state.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

CAMPUS LIFE SCHOLARSHIPS

AAUA FILE

AAUA wins Inter-tertiary contest

The Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, has emerged overall winner of the 2013 edition of the Annual Youth Debate for Nigerian Tertiary Institutions organised by the Federal Ministry of Education. Adeyemi College of Education, (ACE) Ondo and Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, emerged first and second runners-up in the event that held at the ministry's headquarters in Abuja. AAUA, earlier this year, participated in the southern zonal elimination at the ACE , where it, together with ACE andpolytechnic, and Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, qualified for the finals. Eight tertiary institutions participated in the finals, titled: 'Skills acquisition and self-employment; A panacea for youth employment’.

Varsity inaugurates health centre STUDENTS of the AAUA can now access the health centre in the new university complex on the campus unlike when the facility was located off campus. Its inauguration was preceded by a two-day capacity building workshop, tagged: 'Patient's care: A modern day approach,' organised by the university for its healthcare service providers. The AAUA Vice- Chancellor Prof. Femi Mimiko, noted that a well-functioning healthcare system requires a robust financing mechanism; a well-trained and adequately-paid and motivated force; and reliable as well as well-maintained facilities and logistics to deliver quality medicine and technologies. He promised that the university would continue to maintain and upgrade the centre to meet with the best global practices from time to time. Prof Mimiko thanked the Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko, for financing the project. He also thanked the immediate past Governing Council of the university for approving the project. The Chief Medical Director, Mother and Child Hospital, Ondo, Dr. Lawal Oyeneyin, spoke on 'Effective patient's handling and care: The modern day approach,' while a consultant at the State Specialist Hospital, Dr. Fagbemi Stephen, did justice on: "Ethical issues in health care delivery and keeping the standards."

APPROACHING DEADLINES Call for Application: Graduate Research Program on Climate Change and Agriculture The Graduate Research Program Climate Change and Agriculture, lead by IPR/IFRA of Katibougou, in partnership with the University of Bamako, Mali, is looking for applicants to its 3 1/2-year doctoral training program for the academic year 2014-2015. The program provides a full scholarship to successful candidates from WASCAL member countries (Bénin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sénégal, and Togo). Deadline for Applications is March 31, 2014. 1. Introduction Climate change (CC) constitutes the most striking environmental risk on which the attention of the

whole world is focused because of its global dimension and its negative effects on socioecological systems. It has been established that without adequate response, the effects of CC will increase in the coming years, with the greatest negative impacts on the most vulnerable populations and ecosystems in the world particularly those in the sub-Saharan part of Africa. The training of highly qualified human resources constitutes one of the major adaptation strategies to CC. Actually, highly qualified human resources, having relevant infrastructures and equipments will be able to strengthen scientific knowledge on agriculture and climate interactions. WASCAL is an initiative of the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to help West African countries to tackle the challenges of

CC adaptation through capacity building and scientific research. The activities of the WASCAL Graduate Research Program (GRP) are set up and managed based on a partnership between 10 West African countries and German universities and research institutes. CC and Agriculture (CC&Agric) is one of the six PhD programs initiated within this framework. IPR/IFRA of Katibougou, in partnership with the University of Bamako, will implement this PhD program in CC&Agric. There are also more than 10 cooperating partner universities: Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana); University of Lomé (Togo); University of Bonn - Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (Germany); Michael Okpara University of Agriculture (Nigeria); University of Abomey-Calavi (Benin); University Felix Houphouet-Boigny

(Cote d'Ivoire); University Cheikh Anta Diop (Senegal); Polytechnic University of Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso); University Abdou Moumouni (Niger); Federal University of Technology, Akure (Nigeria). The PhD program in CC&Agric aims: •To train highly qualified human resources for West African countries in anticipating the effects of CC; •To define and to implement strategies towards mitigation and adaptation to the negative effects of CC in agriculture; " To strengthen the synergic relationship between the West African universities; and " To strengthen the partnership between German universities and West African universities. " Objectives of the call: We intend to select candidates for a PhD. Continued on next edition

National library: ‘We have over 11m collections’

HE National Library of Nigeria has claimed that it has over 11 million collections of books, journals, monographs and government documents. It says that the collections avail Nigerians the opportunity to read about the country’s past and present, by making available historical sources of immeasurable value. Chief Executive Officer, National Library of Nigeria, Mal. Habib Jato, stated this in Abuja, at the opening of an exhibition in commemoration of Nigeria’s centenary anniversary. He said the exhibition titled: ‘Nigeria’s historical moments: Precolonial, colonial and post colonial,’ avails Nigerians the opportunity to be informed of where the nation was before the 1914 amalgamation, is after, and where Nigeria currently stands so as to plan where she desires and aspire to be in future. In his words: “The effective utilisation of information resources cannot be achieved without a good reading and research culture. So let me use this opportunity to urge Nigerian’s to imbibe good reading and research culture. “We have stocked about 11 million collections including books, serials, journals, monographs and government documents most of which have been through legal deposits while others are through paid acquisition and donations. “This is to say that for 50 years, by mandate, the organisation has held in trust the recorded knowledge of great men and women that have made it possible for Nigeria to be celebrating her centenary as a nation.” He added: “We encourage Nigerians to establish a reading culture which we do by holding road shows, making jingles and other television. The National Library also canvasses

From Grace Obike, Abuja

recreational books and others which we donate to schools to encourage them to read. We also canvas for cheaper books so that people can be encouraged to read. “The social media should spur more reading into people; I believe that after using the social media, there should be a follow up in the library. One should buy books and subse-

quently follow up; even book publishers and dealers use the social media to publicise their materials. “We have expanded our facilities, we have about 26 branches now, and our collections have been growing for the last five years because we never had it so good in the areas of acquisition of books and equipment. The main headquarters is being built and has attained 65 per cent comple-

tion which when completed, Nigerians will have the pleasure of enjoying the new facility that is meant to carry 80 million items.” Jato added that the National Library of Nigeria has acquired so many materials and improved their legal service so that they can preserve whatever is published in the country and by Nigerians for posterity. •From left: Acting Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher; Winner, Etisalat Prize for Literature, NoViolet Bulawayo; Runners-Up, Etisalat Prize for Literature, Karen Jennings and Yewande Omotoso at the awards of the inaugural Etisalat Pan African Prize for Literature at Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island.

Students exploitation by Aba landlords will soon fade, says Rector

HE Rector, Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, Elder Allwell Onukaogu has assured that the ongoing exploitation of students of the institution by landlords in Aba would soon be a thing of the

• Excited students of Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Otto-Ijanikin part-time studies after their matriculation at the college premises on Saturday.

From Sunny Nwankwo, Aba

past. Onukaogu in an interview with our correspondent, condemned the attitude of some landlords in the commercial city who hiked rents. Onukaogu promised that before the year runs out, the institution would have completed a "municipal hostels with sports facilities." He said the essence of the hostel was to assist the students from exploitation by landlords. "Landlords are just taking undue advantage of students because we don't have hostel accommodation for now. But issues surrounding students being exploited by landlords will soon be a thing of the past as the proposed hostel at Osisioma campus was going to meet the accommodation needs of our students," Onukaogu said. Investigations by The Nation in Aba showed that a self-contained room around Immaculate, a place densely populated by students of the institution costs as much as N10, 000 per month with one year six months or two years advance payment depending on the landlord. While a room along Nkoro, Terrevin and other locations off

Okigwe road goes for as low as N5,000 with two years advance, including a mandatory N10, 000 agent fee. Student, who couldn't afford the exorbitant rent, pool their resources to share rooms where three or four of them can stay together. The rector who attributed the peace and uninterrupted academic activities in the institution as a result of the students' commitment in moving teaching and learning forward in the school, charged students to be good ambassadors of the institution and their homes in their various localities. Onukaogu further used the opportunity to thank the state Governor, Theodore Ahamefule Orji, for increasing the subvention to the school by over 350 per cent. A landlord, who gave his name simply as Echefule, said the alleged exorbitant rent charged by landlords was to help them repair some of the damages students would have done to their buildings after leaving. Echefule said often times, students default in paying electricity bill, evacuation of sewage tanks and damaging of other property without replacement once they pack out.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

EDUCATION

Pupils urged to love Nigeria

HE Eighth ‘We Are The Future of Nigeria’ (WATFON) was a show stopper that boasted of celebrities and professionals who inspired secondary pupils in attendance to renew their love for Nigeria. The event, one of the yearly events from the stable of Edumark, an education consultancy firm, was held at Oregun, Lagos. It featured various activities, including panel discussions, and colourful presentations by schools, speeches and awards. Highpoints of the event were the panel discussions, the first of which required the panellists to talk about "Looking back with wisdom...’things I wish I had known at 16’. Youth Arise Founder, Toyosi Akerele coordinated the session, which had dignitaries, such as Dr Leke Pitan, former Lagos Stste commissioner for health education; Mr Jimi Agbaje, a former Lagos State governorship candidate; Stephanie Okereke (now Linus), delectable Nollywood actress; and notable lawyers, Mrs Adeola Azeez and Mrs Lai Babatunde as panelists. Pitan said he was forced to study Medicine instead of Law, his first love. He counselled the young ones to follow their dreams and learn to discuss such with their parents so they are not pressured in a direction

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

they do not want to go. From seeing the disastrous end of many of his peers who grew up privileged around him, Agbaje urged the pupils not to get carried away by their parents’ wealth but build their own lives. "I never knew children of the rich could turn out to be useless adults. Six or seven out of 10 children of the rich I knew growing up ended up doing drugs or committing suicide. Children of the rich must know that they have got to work and build on what their parents have done," he said. On her part, Akerele warned the teens that they would be responsible for whatever choices they make in their lives and should not give excuses because of their background. She told of how she succeeded despite coming from a poor family. In the second panel discussion, the panellists, Prof Taiwo Osipitan, Mr Lolu Akinwunmi and Mrs Seyi Ifaturoti, all WATFON role models, dealt with the topic: "Loving a country you don’t like." They gave reasons to the pupils why remaining in Nigeria is better than travelling abroad in search of the golden fleece, noting the favourable weather, youthful population and warmth of Nigerians as

• From Left: Some pupils, Mr Agbaje, Mr Tonye Cole, CEO, Sahara Energy, Stephanie Linus, Mrs Ifaturoti, Mrs Ogunde, Mrs Amosun, Mrs Folasade Ade-oluwa, wife of Ogun State SSG, Dr Pitan and Prof Osipitan cutting the WATFON cake at the event

clear advantages. Rather than struggle to travel abroad at all cost and contribute to aging economies, the speakers encouraged the youths to shun corruption and dare to be different in Nigeria. "You need to learn to love Nigeria. Your country is the only place where the sky cannot be your limit; where you can express yourself. Shun corruption; be the change you want to see. Whatever you can do to stop corruption, please do it," Mrs Fatoroti said. In light of the high level of corruption in the country, Mr

Akinwunmi told the pupils to be willing to stand alone doing the right thing. "Do not be discouraged about doing the right thing; even if it seems you are alone. The opportunities are not there abroad. People don't get the kind of jobs they would love to do over there," he said. Convener of WATFON and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Edumark, Mrs Yinka Ogunde, who acted as MC for the event, urged the pupils to challenge themselves to come up with solutions to the country's many problems. "Begin to see problems as oppor-

Lagos council donates sandals to pupils

HE Chairman, Mushin Local Government Area, Lagos, Olatunde Babatunde Adepitan, has donated sandals to pupils of the area. He launched the initiative titled: a-child-a sandal scheme at the Palm Avenue Primary School, Mushin. Adepitan said it was meant to provide pupils in public primary schools with a pair of sandals and socks each. He said: “The wearing of good sandals to school should not be seen as luxury to the pupils; in fact, wearing worn-out sandals or nothing at all is an index of poverty which should be discouraged. This administration is, therefore, poised to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor by providing each pupil in this local government area with good sandals and a pair of socks." He said in the past, the council reconstructed various school structures, provided furniture, trained teachers, built school toilets, distributed exercise books, gave out free JAMB and WASCCE forms, organised free coaching programmes, exposed the children to oral dental care, provided free first aid boxes, and distributed branded

• The pupils during their march past.

By Bode Monogbe

mathematical sets among others. He said the new scheme is to renew the confidence level of pupils in the public primary schools. . "Something tells me that if these children are well taken care of today, by the time they occupy exalted public offices tomorrow, they will remember to serve the people and not themselves,” the chairman said. He added that the council is seeking more partnership with corporate bodies to complememnt the 5000 pair of new sandals of varying sizes available for the take off. He extended appreciation to individuals and corporate bodies that keyed into the vision through their generous contributions. “We would not have been able to buy in large quantity of sandals if the council had bankrolled the entire cost, but some corporate organisations that believed in the vision bought sandals and donated them to us.” He charged pupils in public schools to excel in their studies as they now have enough qualified teachers to handle them. He said recently a teacher from the council,Mr Ganiyu Alawiye, was adjudged the best

tunities. Do not go around with your eyes closed; think of solutions to them," she said. Wife of the Ogun State government, Mrs Olufunso Amosun, who was special guest of honour at the event, counselled the pupils to be passionate about something and follow it up to fulfilment. In an interview, Aina Eniola of CMS Grammar School, Bariga, Lagos said the event re-ignited his hope in Nigeria. "I have learnt about patriotism. Before today, I thought Nigeria could never change. But now, I feel there is hope and light at the end of

• Adepitan replacing the old school sandal of Miss Abibat Adisa with a new one and a pair of socks.

teacher at the primary school category in Lagos State.He implored other teachers to do same by showing more commitment and dedication to duty. Miss Christianah Asagba of Estate Primary School, who gave the vote of thanks on behalf of the beneficiaries, thanked Adepitan for his efforts. She appealed for more like school bags, uniforms and other writing materials.

‘Sport has made youths more responsible’

ARENTS have been urged not to dissuade their wards who express interest in sport. The Proprietor, Solidrock International Model College, Sango, Ogun State, Mr Segun Aiyegbusi, who spoke at Seventh inter-house sports of the school held at Home Science Secondary School sports ground said sport has made youths to be responsible. He noted that the role of sports in the development of the youth cannot be over-emphasised. “Apart from being essential to be physically fit and strong, sport nowadays is very lucrative, attractive and rewarding. It has also been an avenue for social healthy rivalry among the youth in the society,” he said. He said football has reduced wastefulness and unemployment among the youth. The school’s sport fiesta, he explained, is a medium to discover and showcase participants’ talents. “It is not a waste. Peter Rufai, the former Super Eagles goalkeeper, is a graduate of Law, so education is not a bane to sport neither is sport a bane to education," he said. The school's sports director, Mr Aiyegbusi Oluseye, said the compe-

By Medinat Kanabe

tition is important as it keeps pupils fit and mentally alert. He said the saying the school has made it a tradition to take the pupils out every Friday for sporting activities. “Sports improve academic performance. Most of our pupils that do well in sports are the same ones that do well in academics. The importance of sports cannot be over emphasised," he said. He called on the government to encourage competition among schools, saying it will go a long way in preparing them for international competitions. Asked why the school does not have a red house, Mr Oluseye explained that the school used to have one, but when parents complained about its colour, the school changed it to pink. "Majority of the parents who complained were parents of pupils in Red House. I don't see any bad in having red house," he said. At the end, Yellow House, won. with 11 gold, nine silver and five bronze medals. Green House followed with 10 gold, eight silver and six bronze medals, while Blue House also emerged third with six gold, eight silver and 10 bronze medals.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

EDUCATION Uneasy, they say, lies the head that wears the crown The outgoing ViceChancellor, University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Prof Bartho Okolo, in this interview, bares his mind to ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA on the various battles he fought in his determination to sanitise the system. He says his five-year tenure gives him the belief that it is about time the government allowed private participation in public universities if significant progress must be witnessed in the nation’s ivory towers.

•The new computer laboratory unit inside the UNN library. Inset: Water production plant.

My scorecard, by UNN VC • ‘Allegations against me frivolous’

N June 9, the Vice-Chancellor University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) Prof Bartho Okolo will sign off, after completing his five-year tenure in the university. However, the professor of Bioprocesss Physiology has had a rather bumpy ride ever since he mounted the saddle with one allegation or another against his administration. For his critics, some who have taken the war to the media, Prof Okolo would not respond. He told this reporter at his office in UNN last week that he does not engage his critics in a war on the pages of newspaper. His strength, he said, lies in the rule of law. Besides, he believes what keeps a man going is not the amount of criticisms against him, but his ability to follow his conscience. According to him, any discerning mind knows he has given his best to the 52-year-old institution, leaving the rest for posterity. "For any doubting Thomas, what I tell them is to compare the situation of this university before we came in five years ago and what it is now before passing judgment. I have received lots of criticism. People alleged that I stole this and asking the government to sack me. But while the rumour went on, we were focused on what we set out to do; and this is why we don't go to the media; rather, we were busy working, believing that our work can speak for us." Okolo said that his war to obliterate the status quo on accession of office, ran him on a collision course with certain interest in the university. "I have been in this university for over 30 years, so, I am no stranger to the system. When we came on board, we realised that there was so much corruption in the system, and that some people were responsible for swallowing this money; even the ones wearing collar calling themselves reverends, they were all armed robbers. We commenced with the auditing of faculties, department and even the School of Postgraduate Studies, blocking loopholes. Then, we began to catch them one after the other. Those that we caught we just shoved them aside. Unfortunately, because we did not prosecute them some of them still talk. That was how we were able to stop the leakages; and then, we began to engage in a comprehensive rehabilitation of this university. "They made series of threats that we will slump or even die, but we thank God that we haven't died till today," he said. He said when his distracters could no longer have their way, they began peddling rumours that he (Okolo) was helping himself with the government's allocations to the university. "Our monthly allocation as overhead cost is about N18 million every month. But what we spend on public power supply alone is about N30 million monthly. This is not to talk of the countless infrastructure that keep springing up at every corner of the university. At a point, they (distractors) even began to look for money that does not exist," he added. As an accomplished academic, Okolo said he believes university standard is one world-

wide regardless of whether the said university is Oxford or UNN, noting that any university that dreams to be world-class, and also does not wish to be left out in the ongoing globalisation, must not compromise such benchmarks. Okolo said he soon found out that some lecturers indulged in certain 'un-academic acts,' such as sale of handouts, sexual abuse, convertion of a section of their office for business use, and late release of results, among others. "Before we assumed office, there were cases that students after five or seven years that they had finished, were still looking for one missing result or the other at the examination office. When I assumed office, I told my staff that this is a university and we run semester here, so at the end of the semester, every result must be available. Any lecturer that defaults after three weeks of a semester will have his or her salary withheld. "They (lecturers) sell handouts too. They force girls to sleep with them. I have some of the documents here. I believe there are proper way of approaching a girl. You cannot force a young girl to go to bed with you; that, to me, is also ignorance. Eleven Senior lecturers are on suspension for various allegations and one of them is sacked already." Okolo described as frivolous most of the allegations raised against him. He said despite this, his goodwill and reputation got him attracted to lots of donors locally and internationally. ‘’Despite that we are in need of more facilities, yet, we tried as much as we can to have our specification. One key point we held on to is that we did not allow anybody to come and build ramshackle structures for us. We already have our own standard which we present to our intending donors. That is why many of the projects you see around are of quality, which will leave imprints in the sand of time. “Besides, we did not compromise standard or cut corners on any of the projects we carried out through our IGR. We used the best construction outfits we could afford in Nigeria, all because we wanted quality and something we can leave for posterity. We do not go through middlemen and we don't collect 10 per cent. Some even thought we were collect-

•Prof Okolo

ing kickbacks. I'm saying this authoritatively and you can go and find out from our contractors," Okolo said. An apostle of privatisation, Okolo believes the government’s handing of the running of universities to individuals will put workers on their feet and make the university more productive. His experience as the chief executive of UNN, he explained, has further exposed him to lots of the abnormalities in the nation's universities. "Anybody who is earning salary in the public university system is not working for his salary but seeing it as a government's grant. Unfortunately, this problem is general in our universities. I have seen some who claim to be professors in this university, yet they cannot take their professorship beyond the gate of UNN. University standard is one anywhere. If you have a professorial chair and you have not won a grant, you don't have any business staying there. The implication (of a professorial chair) is on research and communication of knowledge." But rather than sack the redundant, Okolo said the university began the recruitment of young but knowledgeable graduates of UNN with either first class or those who emerged as best graduating students. "We do not discriminate in absorbing them (first class). The process is strictly by merit! At present, we have about 300 of them doing their masters or PhDs in institutions abroad. We were able to achieve this via effective international collaborations and exchange programmes."

‘When we came on board, we realised that there was so much corruption in the system, and that some people were responsible for swallowing this money; even the ones wearing collar calling themselves reverends, they were all armed robbers. We commenced with the auditing of faculties, department and even the School of Post Graduate Studies, blocking loopholes. Then, we began to catch them one after the other’

Last year, we won $8 million grant from the World Bank. With this, we were able to buy more infrastructure into our university. We were also able to facilitate scholarships for our young graduates studying abroad via our various international collaborations. I'm happy to tell you that we have just won another $4.6 million which will also go for the same purpose. The Head of Department of Microbiology Prof Moneke Anene, told our reporter that some of achievements of Okolo are part of his (Okolo) roadmap which he presented to a team of interviewers before he eventually emerged. Anene said why none of the administration's projects terminated halfway is simply because money earmarked for a particular project is already kept in an account, and released in tranches to contractors as such project progressed. Anene, who also supervises some of the projects, said Okolo's administration since inception fixed roads that were in total disrepair before he came in, adding more substations which resulted into interrupted power supply in the institution have been addressed. Also, water challenges, rehabilitation of all the hostels, increase in students’ lecture theatre, fixed interactive white boards in all classrooms/ lecture theaters were some of his legacies. "We are building a new School of Post Graduate which is over 60 per cent completed. It will complement the one we already have. That is why the new structure is close to the old one. "The number of our staff sent abroad for conferences have increased; this has not been witnessed in the university’s history. It might also interest you to know that since Prof Okolo came, came, he has cleared all certificates backlog as far back as 1981. There was even a point he broke down while signing certificates. Aside, there is no classroom or laboratory where you will not find an interactive white board. He believes the university is not for lecturers alone, but that both staff and students must be made comfortable to give their best." The Dean of Vetenary Medicine Prof Soyinka Olumuyiwa Sodehinde had this to say of Okolo: "There is no way the history of the UNN can be written without Prof Okolo. It's a pity that some who were peddling rumours were not here five year ago to see the sorry state of this university which was to me, like a war museum. Forty years after the (civil) war, this university was still using prefabricated building made of planks as classrooms and laboratories, it was Okolo that changed all that. "When (former) president Obasanjo visited this university for our convocation two years ago, he said the entire institution looked like a construction site. He then lauded Okolo for not only developing physical infrastructure but also human materials. "Before he came on board, there was no bookshop in the university's history. But now, we have a very big one. It might also interest you to know that our books are a lot cheaper because we signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with publishers so the issue of middlemen was completely ruled out. We also have the university press now. Before, we were spending millions of naira on contracting university materials out; with our press, we now do it internally, thus saving usmillions. The press also generates more money for the university because it prints for outsiders."

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

POLITICS

THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

• Saraki addressing party members at the rally.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) is enlarging its coast in Kwara State. At the recent rally of the party in Ilorin, the state capital, the former governor, Senator Bukola Saraki, reiterated the party’s determination to retain power in the Northcentral state. ADEKUNLE JIMOH reports.

Saraki: APC will retain power in Kwara

T was in unusual home coming for the home boy. A huge crowd of brooms waving women and men, singing and screaming. Senator Bukola Saraki, the former governor of Kwara State, savoured it all that sunny day in Ilorin, the state capital. Saraki was returning from the All Progressives Congress (APC) conference held in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. Few days earlier, President Goodluck Jonathan was in the state to boost the morale of dispirited Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains, who were downcast, following the defection of many members from the party to the APC. Jonathan and other PDP leaders fired salvos at the APC family, predicting doom for it at the next election. However, the crowd that welcomed Saraki replied the missiles. They sang anti-Federal Government songs. They also reiterated their confidence in Saraki’s leadership. The APC faithful had thronged the Ilorin Airport as early as 8am, waiting patiently for their leader, who alighted from the aircraft around 2p.m. Saraki was received by his associates, including the APC chairman, Alhaji Ishola Balogun-Fulani, the secretary, Yemi Afolalyan, former PDP Chairman, Yusuf Ayedun, some commissioners and heads of boards and parastatals. Traditional rulers from the Ilorin Emirate also turned up to receive Saraki, whose illustrious father, the late Dr. Olusola “Oloye” Saraki, was the Waziri of the Emirate. They were led by the Emir

of Ilorin’s spokesman, the Magaji Nda of Ilorin, Alhaji Mohammed Salihu Woru. Woru paid tribute to Saraki, saying that he is a good leader. He also reiterated the support of the royal family and chiefs for his political leadership. It was a carnival-like rally. The party train took off from the airport, rolling into major streets, including the popular Gari Alimi Roundabout and Agaka, before stopping at the palace of the Emir, Alhaji Kolapo Gambari. For almost two hours, traffic crawled on the ever - busy IlorinOgbomoso Expressway. APC members were dancing and waving their brooms. In fact, they swarmed Saraki, who had to abandon his vehicle on the road and joined the faithful in trekking through the long Garin-Alimi road before he entered his car again. Ordinarily, it was a journey of 20 minutes. But, the crowd spent almost two hours from the airport to the palace. Saraki was sweating and smiling, was apparently, overwhelmed by the warm reception. He saluted the resilience of the crowd and their affection for the APC. He said that the development translated into the

eclipse of the PDP in Kwara, adding that the opposition will be too weak to confront the APC in future elections. The party leader said that the huge crowd was a signal that the APC has become a party to beat. He added: ”I think it was a reaction to the PDP rally and the kind of insinuations that were being made after. “People just wanted to show and let Nigerians know that whatever they saw before is nothing; that this is where the structure is. “It was not a challenge, but a message; to say this is where the people of Kwara are, these are the people we associate with; it was really a clear message.” He condemned those he described as “bill board politicians.” He said they were plotting the disintegration of the state, adding that the plot will fail. “Today, Kwarans have shown that we have come too far to be disintegrated by nocturnal politicians, who come at the eve of election to rob us of our mandate; Kwarans have shown that, irrespective of the external aggression and gang-up to disharmonise us, we cannot be broken. ’’In the history of my usual periodic visit

‘APC members were dancing and waving their brooms. In fact, they swarmed Saraki, who had to abandon his vehicle on the road and joined the faithful in trekking through the long Garin-Alimi road before he entered his car again. Ordinarily, it was a journey of 20 minutes. But, the crowd spent almost two hours from the airport to the palace’

to Kwara, apparently today’s arrival was extravagantly welcoming. Kwarans came together en masse at the airport. I’m sincerely humbled, happy and confident of your support. “Importantly, I’m very glad to have walked the roads together on our feet from the airport down to the Emir’s palace. This is the best way I can pass the weekend with my people; truly we are united, because you all turned out voluntarily from your various homes. I’m deeply honoured. “Importantly, I’m very glad to have walked the roads together on our feet from the airport down to the Emir’s palace. This is the best way I can pass the weekend with my people; truly we are united, because you all turned out voluntarily from your various homes.” Saraki dismissed the PDP rally as “insignificant.” He said that the President failed to make any pronouncement on the Federal Government’s projects in the state, which he said, are non-existent. He said that he and his supporters had sought for refuge in the APC in a bid to be liberated from the “ineptitude” of the PDP. Saraki, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment, also assured Kwarans of a better future. He said: ‘The Kwara of our dream is possible”. of his focus towards achieving the Kwara of our dream. Saraki added: ’’Let us continue to support the Kwara State government and sensitise everyone to join the change train, if they are yet to.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

THE NATION

NATURAL HEALTH E-mail:- health@thenationonlineng.net

Exercise, laughter good for heart, says expert H

OW can the heart be maintained at its optimal level? It is by living healthy and doing exercise, says a natural health practitioner and Director, Mister Guarantee Trado-Medical Centre, Lagos, Dr. Segun Fahuwa. He said there were simple noncomplex ways of caring for the heart adding that walking prevents heart attacks “and this has been proven by research.” “Women who walk at least five hours a week may reduce their heart attack risk by 50 per cent. Eating garlic and using olive oil are equally good in the prevention of heart attack. I know garlic smells bad but what great benefits garlic has to our heart. Garlic has a mild cholesterol-lowering effect and also keeps low density lipoprotein (LDL) from building up in the arteries and contributing to plaque. Olive oil is also rich in monounsaturated fats, which can lower LDL when they replace saturated fat in your diet. “In this age, more people are restless and do not find adequate time to relax. People should learn to relax and sleep like a baby as our forefathers used to do in the olden days. The reason behind this is to lower your stress level, because stress is a risk factor that contributes to heart diseases. It is good to eat more vegetables and fruits. Vegetables and fruits are good sources of vitamins and minerals; they are low in calories and rich in dietary fibre. Carrots, oranges, Cayenne chili pepper in moderation and cooked beans are also healthy foods that everyone should consider eating.” He lamented that people have allowed socio-economic problems to rob them of the benefits of laughter. “I stumbled on a study by the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. They found that people who watch comedy have healthier hearts than people who watch drama shows or movies. The study leader, Michael Miller, MD, director of the Centre for Preventive Cardiology recommended at least 15 minutes of daily laughter. So, people should laugh and laugh. One should learn to breath deeper

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1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 12 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 Dr Fahuwa 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 ‘In this age, more 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 people are restless and 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 do not find adequate • Photo: Googgle image 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 time to relax’ 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 By Oyeyemi Gbenga-Mustapha 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 because when you train yourself to 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 breath deeper, you can lower your blood pressure. People normally breath 16 to 19 times/minute but by taking only 10 breathes per minute for 15 minutes a day, over two months, would help lower your blood pressure. Shallow breathing (more beats per minute) may delay your body’s excretion of salt, a highblood-pressure trigger. Fahuwa said fish is rich in Omega3 fatty acid which helps the body and heart, “people who consumed more than three daily servings of milk, yogurt, or cheese had systolic blood pressure almost four points lower than people who ate only half a serving daily. Moderate exercise is good as well. And for those who can engage in meditation, it is good. Meditating through Yoga or tai chi is an effective way to reduce your blood pressure by simple sequences of slow and relaxing movements.”

‘Regular coffee intake can prevent cancer, others’

EGULAR consumption of coffee can prevent cancer and other debilitating diseases, experts have said. They spoke at a stakeholders seminar organised by an advocacy company, Ignite. A Research Fellow at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Dr Bartholomew Brai, said science has shown that coffee is good for health and should be taken regularly. Speaking on the theme “Coffee: a beverage full of goodness,” he said awareness was poor on the benefits of the beverage. This, he added, was why most Nigerians don’t take coffee. He debunked the claim that coffee has caffeine, adding that this is untrue. Caffeine, he said, is not entirely bad because, “doctors allow patients to use drugs that have caffeine.” He said coffee has the highest source of diet anti-oxidants,and should not

By Wale Adepoju

be seen as a stimulant for doping because the International Olympic Committee (IOC), among other sporting bodies, allow its consumption before any competition. A public health physician at the Community Health Department, Lagos University Hospital (LUTH), Dr Kemi Odukoya, said people were yet to understand the benefits of coffee, which is why they lumped or categorised it as a stimulant. “There are other ways of consuming caffeine without knowing, such as taking soft drink, wine and cake, among others,” she added. Dr Odukoya, who presented a paper entitled: “Coffee and health: an update on research findings,” said regular consumption of coffee reduces the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, and colorectal, breast and colon cancers.

Facts on Cardio vascular diseases

EART attacks and strokes are usually acute events and are mainly caused by a blockage that prevents blood from flowing to the heart or brain. The most common reason for this is a build-up of fatty deposits on the inner walls of the blood vessels that supply the heart or brain. Strokes can also be caused by bleeding from a blood vessel in the brain or from blood clots.

Symptoms of heart attacks and strokes Often, there are no symptoms of the underlying disease of the blood vessels. A heart attack or stroke may be the first warning of

underlying disease. Symptoms of a heart attack include: •Pain or discomfort in the centre of the chest; • Pain or discomfort in the arms, the left shoulder, elbows, jaw, or back. In addition the person may experience difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath; feeling sick or vomiting; feeling light-headed or faint; breaking into a cold sweat; and becoming pale. Women are more likely to have shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, and back or jaw pain. The most common symptom of a stroke is sudden weakness of the face, arm, or leg, most often on one

side of the body. Other symptoms include sudden onset of: • Nnumbness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body; • Confusion, difficulty speaking or understanding speech; • Difficulty seeing with one or both eyes; • Difficulty walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; • Severe headache with no known cause; and • Fainting or unconsciousness. People experiencing these symptoms should seek medical care immediately.

•Source: www.who.int 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456 •From left: Olusegun-Joseph; Brai; Dr. Odukoya and Medical Director, Anglo-phone West Africa, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Dr. Bode Adesoji at the event.

She said it also lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s diseases, stroke, Parkinson’s disease and dementia. “Coffee improves mental alertness and prevents short memory,” she added. A consultant cardiologist at LUTH, Dr Akinsanya Olusegun-Joseph, said coffee was one of the controversial beverage drinks across the world. Speaking on “Coffee and Health:

Current scientific findings,” he said statistics have shown it isn’t bad to take the beverage, contradicting the assertions of the past. He said coffee was only bad in people with high risk behaviour, such as smoking and physical inactivity. Coffee, he said, is cardio-protective, stressing that European Cardiology Society and American College

of Cardiology say it is one of good health beverage choices. Excessive intake, he said, can be deleterious, adding that two to five cups daily should be the standard. He said coffee was contraindicated on patients with arrhythmias. “Expectant mothers can take coffee but the caffeine shouldn’t be much. A cup contains about 200 milligrammes”, he added.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS INDUSTRY

industry@thenationaonlineng.net

The traffic gridlock at the Lagos ports has remained a source of headache for the Organised Private Sector (OPS). They are calling for urgent action to address it in the interest of businesses. Asst Editor OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE reports.

HE Federal Government has never hidden its intention to fashion out policies to stimulate the real sector of the economy. From the maritime to the industrial sector, power, oil and gas, among others, the administration has continued to churn out policies, which it believes, would provide the muchneeded tonic to stimulate the real sector. However, the port reforms and the Export Expansion Grant (EEG), a post-shipment export incentive scheme designed to induce non-oil exports, have come under intense criticisms by members of the organised private sector (OPS) and stakeholders in various sectors. They argue that EEG has failed to deliver as promised. For instance, the EEG scheme, targeted at exporters, whose minimum annual export turnover is N5 million, is expected to assist exporters expand their volume and value of non-oil exports, diversify export markets and make them more competitive in international markets. But the grouse of operators is that the way the ports are structured under the reforms does not give much hope, if any, for the success of the EEG. The verdict of members of the OPS is that though the EEG is a welcome policy intervention, the scheme has failed to yield the desired result. The Managing Director, Ocean link Nigeria Limited, Uche Ibechi, captured the frustrations of operators over the state of affairs at the ports in a telephone interview with The Nation. He said although operators welcomed the ports concession, which handed the seaports to private investors, the concession has not worked out well. He regretted that “our ports today are characterised by poor services, poor cargo handling and poor documentation procedures”. Chairman, Export Group of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines & Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr. Oluyenuwo Olabisi, agreed with him, noting that the concessionaires at the ports do not have enough capacity for containers entering the ports, adding that the gridlock experienced by port users in the transportation of their containers has remained a source of concern. He said most of the concessionaires do not have bays for empty trucks. To him, the port reforms seem not to have made any appreciable impact, as congestion and long queues of vehicles are still creating a lot of problems for members of the export group. According to him, containers are sometimes turned back due to long queues, leading to huge losses as products loose their freshness and cannot meet internationally-accepted standards for export. Chief Executive of Harlink Investment Limited Alhaji Inaolaji Liadi Nofiu, is also not finding things easy because of the situation at the ports. ”In the last two weeks, we have not had access to the ports. The traffic congestion in Apapa Port stretched from the port to Alaka. It has caused untold losses for exporters. One wonders what the much-trumpeted reforms are all about. “The truth is that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is not in charge of the ports and for us as exporters we have no confidence in the so- called reforms, as it has not done us any good but untold losses,” he lamented.

•From right: National President, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar; President, Taiwan Africa Industry Development Association, Mike Hung and 2nd Deputy National President of NACCIMA, Iyalode Alaba Lawson at the Nigerian-Taiwanese 3rd Joint Business Meeting in Lagos.

Industrialists: traffic logjam at ports killing businesses Nofiu decried the corruption at the ports, noting that exporters can only get their containers into the ports for export after one form of extortion or the other. He said the EEG would make no impact on members of the OPS, for as long as they (operators) do not have access to the ports, or are forced to struggle to get their loaded containers into the port. He complained that most of the concessionaires do not have enough cargo capacity for export. He called on NPA to also check corruption at the ports, which he said is affecting the export business. Criticising the NPA for not being able to act as watchdog for the concessionaires, a situation which he said is against the objectives of the reforms initiated by government, Nofiu called for a thorough investigation of the terminal operators who do not have the required infrastructure to turn things around at the ports. He drew the attention of government to the fact that most of their members have closed shop due to the poor implementation of the port reforms. However, the NPA said it has taken some steps to address the concerns of NACCIMA members. For instance, the Apapa Ports Manager, Mr. Nasir Mohammed, told The Nation that NPA has engaged an effective task force to decongest the access road so that NACCIMA members who have had to close

shops in Apapa due to the congestion and lack of access to their offices, could return to business. He said henceforth, export and empty containers would maintain different lanes to the ports to ameliorate the sufferings of member of the export group. He also promised to establish an effective technical committee, comprising NACCIMA and other stakeholders to discuss the way forward, stressing the need for the ports to operate smoothly. Calling for collaboration among stakeholders at the ports, Mohammed, however, noted that from NPA’s investigations, it was discovered that the congestion was caused by the failure of shipping companies and terminal operators to provide holding bays for ships. He also decried the disorganisation of truckers that bring in containers even when they are not scheduled to enter the ports. President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Kola Jimodu, at a session with the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the OPS in Lagos, called for the sustainable implementation of the EEG for export trade, the upgrading of Bank of Industry (BOI) to make it more relevant in the sector, especially with the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises

(SMEs), which have the capacity to grow the economy. His words: “The BOI is working below capacity; it has not been able to live up to its bidding by granting long-term finance to the manufacturing sector. It has not delivered on its mandate.” The MAN chief also canvassed the need for government to put its acts together and do its best to lift the manufacturing sector as part of the reforms targeted at the OPS. Specifically, he asked government to reduce interest rate as no business can run profitably on 32 per cent interest rate as obtainable now. He noted that no manufacturer can survive on a loan of between one to three years repayment period. He also made a case for adequate funding of BoI, which, according to him, would fast-track the nation’s industrialisation. Jamodu also called on the government to carry the members of the OPS along when coming out with policies that affect them, as their inputs are necessary for the growth of the economy. He stressed the need for the government to consult OPS in decision making, saying that MAN has 10 sectors and 76 sub-sectors with differing needs that must be taken into account by government in policy formulation.

BoI, others to drive alternative energy

EVERAL banks are in the race to be part of the groups pushing for the delivery of alternative sources of energy in the country to bridge the widening energy gap in the country. The banks are Diamond Bank, United Bank for Africa, Ecobank, and Union Bank among others. This coming on the heels of several attempts by the Federal Government to reform the energy sector which seems not to have achieved the desired outcome. President, ODUA Chamber of Commerce (ODU’ACCIMA), Iyalode Alaba Lawson, told The

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie Nation in Lagos that the Chamber is not unaware of the present national challenge of the poor availability of energy for which has lingered for decades and seems to defile every effort by various levels of the government. She regretted that the perennial power challenge has indeed, grounded the entire economic production process of the country at large and the southwest in particular. According to her, the precarious situation has made it impossible for

the cottage and small scale industries to survive, while the blue chips industries are experiencing epileptic performance occasioned by the high cost of production. This has resulted in cut down of the work force, high cost of consumer goods and services thereby impoverishing and inflicted untold hardship on the people, leading to youth restiveness, terrorism and national insecurity. Lawson said: “It is important for us to be aware that it is absolutely impossible for any economy to experience any significant economic growth or development if it has to

be run or powered by fossil fuels because of their very high cost. Fossil fuels, such as petrol, diesel and the likes, apart from their exorbitant cost are globally becoming unpopular because of their destructive effects on the environment, as they are hazardous to human lives and agriculture, which is the bedrock and mainstay of any true economy.” The Odua chamber boss pointed out that the chamber will collaborate with not only the banks but with agencies such as the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Council for Renewable Energy and the Nigeria

association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture to to deliver on the project. The Director-General of NACCIMA, Mr. John Isemede also harped on why the private sector needs to drive the quest for alternative sources of energy. He regretted that the nation has been long in the cold while countries as small as Ghana celebrated 15 years of uninterrupted energy supply including South Africa, Cameroon, and Belgium, among others. He called for concerted and robust approach that will deliver on expected target.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

I NDUSTRY

Bayelsa, OPS collaborate on N10b SMEs Trust Fund

S part of efforts aimed at building a robust economy that is not crude oil dependent, the Bayelsa State Government, in collaboration with members of the organised private sector (OPS), is raising a N10 billion Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Development Trust Fund. The Bayelsa State Governor, Henry Seriake Dickson, while presenting the economic blueprint of his administration at the pre-event luncheon with business stakeholders ahead of the 20th International Conference on SMEs scheduled to hold in Yenagoa, the state capital, said encouraging small and medium scale entrepreneurs became imperative as “SMEs are the real engines of growth of any economy.” He stressed the need for the promotion of SMEs, noting that the recent economic depression is an eye opener, and that some states are finding it difficult to meet their financial obligations. He said his administration had foreseen the situation hence, it has always harped on diversification of the economy from oil. Dickson said the state government would source for 40 per cent of the fund while members of the OPS would provide the remaining 60 per cent. He, however, allayed fears over the management of the fund, noting that it would be managed by members of the OPS. “I have encouraged the land and property owners in the state to ap-

By Chikodi Okereocha ply for Certificates of Occupancy (C of O). This will enable them to access this fund, which will be managed by the financial institutions. We are not here to raise fund. I am not known for that, rather we are here as government to partner with the private sector on how to raise this amount. ‘’We have our own role to play as government. Out of this amount, we will contribute 40 per cent while the OPS will source for 60 per cent, even more. The beneficiaries, especially the title holders after presentation of the C of O will have the opportunity to access this fund after a thorough screening,” he said. Calling for the active participation of local and foreign investors in the economic development of the state, he urged investors to avail themselves of the opportunities that abound in the state. According to him, Bayelsa State is endowed with human and natural resources that if properly harnessed could turn the economy of the entire country around. “We are doing a lot of urban regeneration. Already, we have surveyed 20,000 hectares of land for the proposed new Yenagoa City, which is a one stop entertainment and residential area, and in the next two months, the Castle hotel will be opened to the public. Also, work is in progress on the Golf Estate and the Airport. When these projects are

Honeywell empowers women

ONEYWELL Flour Mills Plc, makers of Honeywell Noodles, has said its support for entrepreneurship remains unwavering. It has empowered about 40 indigent women with products and equipment as start-up capital. Donating the products to the beneficiaries in Abeokuta, Ogun State, at the weekend, at the just-concluded International Women’s Day celebration, Executive Director, Marketing, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, Mr. Benson Evbuomwan, said women are very key in the family, hence, empowering them meant empowering

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie the whole family. Describing women as good managers, he said they would make good use of the opportunity provided them. Items given to them included sewing machines, generating sets, deep freezers, plastic chairs and tables, jumbo umbrellas and Honeywell products. One of the beneficiaries, a widow, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Adesegun, thanked Honeywell for the gesture, promising to be very prudent in managing the resources.

completed it will open a vista of opportunities for the people in the State,” he said. Dickson identified areas of the state’s economy begging for private sector partnership to include agriculture, aqua-culture, tourism, waste management, housing and the development of a deep seaport at Agge in Ekeremor Local Government Area. He disclosed that his administration, as part of its sensitisation, would organise a special road show

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie digit rate, which is below its cost of 12 per cent, he added. He said: “With current interest rate hovering between 17 and 28 per cent for a growing economy, it will be difficult to achieve the desired economic growth and motivate indigenous entrepreneurs to create businesses since they will not be competitive with their foreign counterparts who obtain fund from their countries at single digit and invest in the Nigerian economy.” On how the nation can move from a mono economy, Abubakar spoke of the need to promote non-oil exports given the global trend of boosting trading relations among nations. He further said given the focus of government to diversify the economy by promoting non-oil exports, with numerous incentives put in place to attract operators in the non-oil sector, the impact so far recorded was below expectation. With the Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP), if government and private sector operators work together to implement both programmes, we believe in a very short period of time, Nigeria will move from a mono economy and diversify into other sectors, including solid minerals, which is yet to be fully exploited, he added.

growing the SME sector in collaboration with the private sector. Speaking on behalf of the OPS, Dr. Ausbeth Ajagu and Denzel Ketebe, presidents, Academy for Entrepreneurial Studies, Nigeria, and Ijaw Professionals Association, endorsed the programme. Ketebe specifically lauded the economic policy of the administration in the state and pledged the support of the OPS in the realisation of its lofty objectives, especially in making the state to become Dubai of Africa.

• From left: Director, EDC, Pan Atlantic University, Dr. Peter Bamkole; Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson; President of Academy for Entrepreneurial Studies, Dr. Ausbeth Ajagu and Senator Nimi Barigha Amange during the 20th International Conference on SMEs.

Entrepreneur calls for co-operation among stakeholders

HE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Netherlands Business School Nigeria (NBSN), Mr Lere Baale, has called for co-operation among the government, private sector and individuals to develop entrepreneurship in Nigeria. Baale made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on the side-

How SMEs can benefit from NEDEP HE National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) designed to create 3.5 million jobs across the country through the development of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector will benefit the organised private sector, the Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines & Agriculture (NACCIMA) has said. NACCIMA President, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who spoke to The Nation in Lagos, said the programme spearheaded by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (MITI), in collaboration with major drivers such as the Bank of Industry (BoI), the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), would harness the vast opportunities in the MSME. According to him, the sector has the capacity to drive inclusive economic growth through skills acquisition, entrepreneurship training, business financing, employment generation as well as wealth creation. He criticised the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) which, he said, is high at 12 per cent that this argued has led to high interest rate, making borrowing expensive. No bank would lend to customers at a single

within and outside the country on the deep seaport project. Mr. Cyril Akika, Special Adviser to the Governor on Investment, observed that there is a change happening in Nigeria, and that Bayelsa is leading that change, geared towards building a robust economy that is not dependent on crude oil. He said because of fluctuations in oil price as well as dwindling allocation from the Federation Account, the state was determined to drive the development of its economy by

The NACCIMA chief cited examples with what is going on with the cement, orange juice and mining activities in Zamfara State by the Chinese, as well as the announcement by government that four foreign companies would soon begin the mining of gold and iron ore in Kebbi, Osun and Kogi. Twenty others from Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy, China, Republic of Niger, India, South Africa and Ukraine had obtained exploration licences for solid minerals’ exploration across the country. He advised government to demonstrate the political will and transparency needed to ensure the realisation of the objectives of the programmes. Speaking on the high rate of mortality of SMEs, he attributed it to the poor enabling environment and dearth of infrastructure. He also frowned at the lack of basic business capacity and non-recruitment of qualified personnel resulting in poor record keeping. Other factors, he listed, are low capacity to invest in research & development, lack of standardisation of products and limited access to markets. Abubakar, however, believe that the mortality rate of SMEs will reduce drastically if the NEDEP and the NIRP are implemented effectively.

line of a roundtable on “Job creation: Pathway to sustainable economic growth”. He said unemployment had become a global concern and should be tackled together by making people to be entrepreneurs rather than depending on the government for jobs. Baale also said one of the factors hindering the growth of entrepreneurs was the attitude of people to jobs. He listed this to include abuse of companies’ resources, lateness to work and lack of foresight in helping their organisations. Baale said another hindrance was government’s policy that forbids professionals in government from getting involved in business. He said there was need to re-orientate young Nigerians and change their perception of entrepreneurs, adding that there was a need to have broader perception of entrepreneurship.

The NBSN boss said there was also the need to introduce entrepreneurial subjects in schools’ curriculum, rather than waiting until retirement age before engaging in entrepreneurship. He also said that experience had shown that most Nigerians had entrepreneurial skills, but lacked how to develop them. “Our educational system should be structured in such a way that every profession should be taught entrepreneurial skills. “Entrepreneurship pays better than the professional career. “The challenge the nation has is to constructively engage the government on what the people need as well as making government to be accountable,’’ Baale said. He said that the misconception that entrepreneurial skills were for the unemployed should be discouraged, saying that employees should also be involved.

Pursue cassava bread initiative with vigour, govt urged

ONEST implementation of the cassava bread initiative by the Federal Government will encourage massive production of cassava, Chairman, Fortunate Buttered Bread, Ilorin, Alhaji Hakeem Adejumo, has said. He said the initiative would improve farmers’ income. Adejumo spoke after receiving a certificate of Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MACAP) from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON). Hr said the cassava bread initiative would provide jobs to millions of “our teeming youths.” Adejumo, however, added: “The government needs to do more to improve power supply. As it is now, the company relies on diesel powered generating set for its production. This is not good enough as it is negatively

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin affecting production cost. Security is also worthy of the government’s serious attention. Indeed, security is the bedrock of economic and political development of any country. A lot should be done to ensure security of lives and property. “The relative stability in the price of baking materials has impacted well on bread making business. This, in turn, has stabilised the prices of bread thus, making bread affordable. We urge the government to do more as bread is the food of the common man.” Presenting the MANCAP certificate, the state Director of SON, Popoola Adesina, said the award was informed by the firm’s compliance with the minimum industry regulations.

THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS e-Business

e-mail: e-business@thenationonlineng.net

Staying connected at minimal cost With the cost of recharge cards not falling and tight liquidity regime taking toll on the economy, Nigerians have turned to free chat platforms to remain connected, writes LUCAS AJANAKU

HEN the social media platform, Blackberry, was launched in the country a few years ago, it was widely received by not only the youth, but also the elite. The services of Blackberry were not free. Although its subscription fee that first was about N5,000 per month, it soon went down to about N1,500 as competition became stiff among the four Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication service providers in the country. But the transition of mobile phones manufacturing from feature to smartphones also opened up another window of opportunity for mobile phone users. With as little as N2,500, it is possible to get a mobile phone capable of mobile internet connectivity. Thus, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), mobile subscription has crossed the 119 million mark while teledensity is nosing 90 per cent. According to Wikipedia, “telephone density or teledensity is the number of telephone connections for every hundred individuals living within an area. It varies widely across nations and also between urban and rural areas within a country. Telephone density has significant correlation with the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of the area. It is also used as an indicator of economic development of the country or specific region.” Despite the huge population of cellphone users in the country, there is poverty in the land. While the report of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), showed that about 112 million Nigerians live below the poverty line, that of the World Bank indicated that the population of Nigerians living in poverty has increased considerably. The NBS figure represents about 67 per cent of the entire population estimated at about 167million. The World Bank, in its “May 2013 Nigeria Economic Report”, said the number of Nigerians living in poverty is increasing too rapidly. “Poverty rates remain high in Nigeria, particularly in rural areas. These rates declined between 2003-2004 and 2009- 2010, although not nearly as fast as would be expected from the pace of economic growth in the country. While the officially reported growth rates of GDP well exceed population growth in the country, the pace of poverty reduction does not; this implies that the number of poor Nigerians living below the poverty line has grown measurably,” the report read in part. With this grim picture, for many phone users in the country, the solution to remaining connected has come in the form of applications (apps) that allow users to chat at rates cheaper than those offered by local service providers. Although cellphone-based instant messaging services, such as Yahoo Messenger, previously dominated the scene, they have made way for more sophisticated communication platforms with selected contacts. One such popular platform is WhatsApp which is giving Facebook a good run for its money in terms of popularity. Facebook is in talks with the WhatApp, putting a whopping $19 billion on the table to acquire the social media platform. WhatsApp was founded in 2009 by Brian Acton and Jan Koun, both veterans of Yahoo! The platform has gained very wide acceptability among the youth, especially students in tertiary institutions who more often are not able to afford the cost of subscribing to

‘WhatsApp instant messaging platform has gained very wide acceptability among the youthful population of Nigeria, especially students in tertiary institutions who more often are not able to afford the cost of subscribing to the services of Blackberry every month. Added to this is the fact that virtually all the service providers now give free megabytes of data to customers for buying ‘recharge cards.’ This opportunity, they explore to stay connected with family and friends at virtually no cost’ Blackberry. Added to this is the fact that virtually all the service providers now give free megabytes of data to customers for buying ‘recharge cards.’ This opportunity, they explore to stay connected with family and friends at virtually no cost. With the apps, users can send images, videos and audio media messages. The client software is available for Android, Symbian and Windows phone. Upon installing the software, it automatically compiles all

phone numbers from the device’s address book with the data base of WhatsApp users. This automatically add contacts to the users on WhatsApp contact list. Subscription fees WhatsApp has made all its revenue from subscription fees from its 450million users globally. People use the app for the first year free; thereafter, they are (in theory) billed $0.99 yearly. Thousands of users in Nigeria however say they have used the application for several years and never paid a kobo,it also has a commitment not to collect users’ data for advertising . Facebook, the world’s famous social network with 1.2 billion users, generates the majority of its revenue by showing advertisements that target users by age, gender and other traits. Other chat messengers Other chat platforms being explored by Nigerians, include Skype, 2go, meebo, ebuddy, yookos, Nimbuzz, CoolM and Googletalk. Googletalk provides both the text and voice communication. Its applications are available for Microsoft Windows, Android, Blackberry Operating System (OS), Linux, Google Chrome OS, Meemo, webOS, Symbian, iOS (third party application) and also Mac X. It is integrated into Gmail thus enabling users to send instant messages to other user’s Gmail account. Another is Instagram photo-sharing service that Facebook acquired about two years ago.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

e-Business

‘Foreign ICT vendors threaten national security’

MTN, Ericsson partner on indoor infrastructure deployment

RICSSON and MTN have partnered on the deployment of Ericsson’s new Radio Dot System in public venues and enterprise buildings. The in-building environment presents a special set of challenges for mobile operators, concerning complexity, scalability and service continuity. Current indoor solutions are built mainly for voice coverage and do not meet the growing capacity demands of apps. The Ericsson Radio Dot System was introduced to the African market at AfricaCom last year. It is a cellular radio that is small enough to fit a person’s hand, but provides quality indoor coverage that previously required complex in building installment. The disk-shaped, breakthrough solution, addresses a broad range of scenarios for providing

high-quality access to mobile broadband indoors. The deployment will first be in South Africa while it will further be extended to other countries where it has its operation and will address indoor coverage and capacity needs of individual and enterprise mobile broadband subscribers. Head, Ericsson sub-Saharan Africa, Fredrik Jejdling, said: “Our research predicts mobile data traffic will grow 17 times over the next five years driven by app culture and video. As such, leading operators like MTN are focused on improving indoor network performance and coverage. The Radio Dot System is a game changer, designed to empower mobile and converged operators to seamlessly deliver integrated cloud and mobile broadband services to their customers.”

HE dominance of foreign information communication technology (ICT) vendors in Nigeria is capable of undermining thenational security, the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NigComSat) Limited has warned. Its board chairman and former Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Turner Isoun, who spoke in Abuja shortly after the board meeting, frowned at the trend, arguing that when foreign equipment vendors propose and supply security solutions to the nation’s security, para-military and critical infrastructure bodies, it portends serious threats to national security. Isoun warned that the practice exposes the nation “to a myriad

Stories by Lucas Ajanaku

of potential security threats from otherwise restricted data being exposed to numerous vendors’’. “This predicament is particularly worrisome not only because of the state of national insecurity but also because NigComSat Limited is the only government agency mandated to act as a clearing house and solution provider for security related ICT solutions to Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and institutions.” According to a statement endorsed by its head, Corporate Communications, Sonny AragbaAkpore, the board chairman said NigComSat Limited currently manages the National Public

Safety Communications Systems (NPSCS), a national safety network, adding that a network upgrade has already commenced on the infrastructure. Isoun said the move is to protect the nation’s territorial borders and other key infrastructure such as oil and gas pipelines. “All government agencies should direct their ICT needs to NigComSat Limited or through the Federal Ministry of Communications Technology within the next four weeks,” he directed, adding state governments “who are interested in providing security solutions for their respective states should liaise with NigComSat Limited for effective planning and integration into the NPSCS”.

SWIFT Networks launches wireless modem

WIFT Networks has launched its portable, nomadic and personal wireless hotspot modem tagged ‘The Nomad’ in continuance of its 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology which has tripled its capacity and speed, the firm said in a statement. Its Chief Operating Officer (COO, Mr. Chuma Okoye, the new portable, nomadic and personal wireless hotspot modem is designed to offer existing and potential SWIFT 4G LTE customers the convenience to take their high speed SWIFT 4G LTE broadband connectivity on the go, as they move around the city because the Nomad fits perfectly in a pocket, briefcase, handbag or in the car. ‘’We have introduced the SWIFT ‘Nomad‘ to enable our teeming esteemed customers in Lagos, in the first instance, to continue access the fast and reliable SWIFT 4G LTE broadband service not only at home or in the office, but also on the go. ‘The Nomad’ will only be

available through our 4G LTE network, being the fastest wireless broadband technology available today, to ensure that only the best broadband speed is provided to our discerning customers’’ he said. Also speaking on the launch of the new modem, the Assistant General Manager, Consumer Sales and Marketing, SWIFT Networks Limited, Mr. Philip Sonibare declared that the new portable, nomadic and personal wireless hotspot modem will be available to both existing and prospective customers on the 4G LTE network. ‘’Our current customers can add it as one of the modems on their current SWIFT 4G LTE account, drawing from the same data allowance on the same bill. New customers will only need to set up a new account and can add it to other SWIFT 4G LTE modems they may have at home or the office on the same monthly data subscription and bill’’ he declared.

Etisalat outsources IT functions to Huawei

TISALAT Nigeria said it has outsourced aspects of its information technology (IT) services to Chinese equipment vendor, Huawei. Its Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Matthew Willsher, said the decision to outsource aspects of the company’s IT function followed the adoption of a new business model which effectively aligns with the corporate vision of creating more value for customers by improving quality, reducing costs, embedding innovation, and increasing the speed of delivery. The agreement reached by Huawei and Etisalat witnesses the first IT outsourcing programme that is going to be implemented in Africa region. Apart from this, the strategic agreement also leads to

By Oluwasheyi Ala

the transformation of the telecommunications industry in Africa. Managing Director, Huawei Nigeria, Mr. Pang Jimin, said service is the future, and thus the IT outsourcing programme deeply matches Huawei’s service strategy. Being the strategic partner with Etisalat, Huawei will contribute to Etisalat’s business success with professional service capabilities. Under the arrangement, Huawei will be responsible for the operational management of Etisalat Nigeria’s IT services across technical infrastructure, application management and user support. However, the Business Planning, Architecture and Governance shall still be retained by Etisalat Nigeria.

Microsoft extends Office 365 benefits

ICROSOFT has introduced new features to Microsoft Office 365 Home Premium allowing one subscription to be used by five people across five different devices, making it costeffective and easy for more family and friends to benefit from the program. Office 365 Home Premium was launched in the first quarter of last year to provide the ideal and affordable way for families to stay up to date with the latest in Office technologies. Speaking on the development, Office Division Group Lead for Microsoft West, East and Central Africa and Indian Ocean Islands, Marc Israel, said: “In the past, it

has been common for families and friends to share a single desktop computer. We know that today this is a declining trend particularly because of the high growth of mobile device adoption in Africa. But this shouldn’t mean abandoning the advantages and cost-savings of shared technology resources completely, especially with the power of the cloud, which enables sharing across different form factors and geographies. “With the new benefits to Office 365 Home Premium, we’re pleased to be able to offer both cost-savings through sharing a single subscription, and the freedom for it to be used across multiple devices.”

•From left: Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson and Chairman, iDEA, Mr Dotun Suleiman during the ‘close out’ ceremony for Techlaunchpad’s first edition and launch of its second edition in Lagos.

Mobile money transactions hit N300m

BOUT three years after it was introduced, the bank-led mobile money model has recorded a major success. Total transactions across the various mobile money (MM) schemes have hit a record N300 million as at the end of January, underscoring a tipping point in the shift towards the cashless society. The value was achieved in more than 12,000 transactions and did not include transactions carried out within individual networks. According to sources at the Nigeria Interbank Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) who craved anonymity, though a marginal increase of N50million over the value for November, last year when value

stood at N250million exchanged in 10,000 deals; it, however, showed the increasing ability to replace cash with digital money transferred via mobile phone. It was gathered that the ability of a mobile money user to send money directly to the wallet of a user on any other service provider was facilitated by connectivity service being provided by National Central Switch (NCS) that is offering the technology handshake. Without interconnectivity the difficult decision of which mobile money service to choose might be influenced by which members of the customer’s peer group are already using a given service, according to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek.

The mobile money scheme has not recorded success in the country as it has in other parts of the world, especially Kenya where the Mpesa has been an outstanding success. While analysts have blamed this on the bank-model chosen by the CBN, arguing that it would have been otherwise if it was driven by the telcos, the lenders say the telcos are asking for too much have cornered more than 120 million customers. Acting Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Mathew Willsher has called on the relevant authorities to evolve a workable mobile money model in the country while his counterpart in Airtel Nigeria has also blamed the slow uptake of the scheme on the model adopted.

Sharp, Dajcom to assemble electronics in Nigeria

APANESE household electronics giants, Sharp and Djacom Limited have sealed an agreement that will ultimately lead to the assembly of Sharp’s range of products in the country. Speaking during the formal presentation of the agreement in Lagos, the firm said the strategic partnership also involved not only assemblage but distribution and retail of Sharp home appliances by Dajcom in the country. According to the two firms, the partnership is a unique development that will add value to the economy of the country. Director, Sharp Middle East and Africa Mr.TagamiYasuharu, said Nigeria’s market is an important market in the continent, adding that the strategic

partnership will allow the firms products to flow into the country while consumers will tap into the two years warranty, genuine spare parts and widespread professional network of service centres, This extensive market coverage will be backed up by Dajcom’s first class after-sales services and distribution network. He said: “For Sharp, Nigeria is an extremely important market and with Dajcom Ltd as our partner, we are committed towards enriching every Nigerian household with our one-ofa-kind technology and products.” Speaking on the development, Managing Director, Dajcom Limited, Mr. David Safa, the partnership will benefit Nigerians as Sharp’s two-year glo-

bal warranty will be available to Nigerians. Safa said: “I am confident about the collaboration, and Sharp products would become popular among Nigerians in the near future.” Sharp Middle East FZE is a whollyowned subsidiary of Sharp Corporation, Japan. Its company in Dubai, UAE is the regional hub for the Middle East, Africa and Caucuses (CIS) regions, covering over 80 countries with sales, marketing and customer service operation in its core business of audiovisual and communication equipment, health and environment equipment, information equipment, as well as crystalline and thin-film solar panels.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

MONEYLINK

Forex demand hits $3.1b

OREIGN exchange (Forex) demand by authorised dealers stood at $3.1 billion in February, an Economic report by Financial Derivatives Company (FDC) Limited has shown. The FDC Managing Director, Bismarck Rewane said increased dollar sales by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and international oil companies (IOCs) moved Retail Dutch Auction (RDAS) sale up 3.76 per cent to $3.1 billion from $2.98 billion in January. The naira lost 1.39 per cent and 1.78 per cent at interbank and parallel markets respectively during the period. He said high demand for forex at the bi-weekly RDAS and continued depletion in foreign reserves prompted the high demand level. The FDC boss attributed the high

Stories by Collins Nweze

demand volume to speculation and fear among dealers and reversal of foreign direct investment to Nigeria and other emerging markets. Rewane explained that the reserves dropped to a 17-month low of $38.7 billion making the naira exchange rate depreciation imperative. He said Excess Crude Account (ECA) is currently down to $2.5 billion while the naira is under a speculative, arbitrage attack and panic buying. Meanwhile, the inter-bank rate rose significantly, by 108 basis points earlier. Currencies Analyst at Ecobank Nigeria said increased inter-bank funding, driven partly by treasury bills, open market operation (OMO) settlement, and by a

Emerging Market Payments gets CEO

lesser extent, the new CBN’s forex regulation of January 31. He said the policy requires banks to pre-fund current accounts with CBN for two working days before RDAS forex auction days of Mondays and Wednesdays continued to impact the market. The call/overnight and seven-day money market rates were at 14.5 per cent and 14.8 per cent respectively while three-month Nigeria Interbank Offered Rate (NIBOR) rose to 15.6 per cent, though less activities are done on the tenor. Ezun said the inter-bank secured lending (Open Buy Back) rose to 14 per cent. Meanwhile, the CBN liquidity management remained active, supported by the change to Cash Reserve Requirement (CRR) on public sector deposits on January 21.

T •Rewane

Also driving the market is the new forex regulation of January 31 and the circular issued on August 1 reviewing its guidelines for how banks access its Standing Lending Fcility window and RDAS forex auction and the overall CBN’s monetary policy stance.

CBN, banks partner group on financial literacy executives teaching about 2000 primary and secondary students in public and private schools across the nation, the basics of Financial Literacy,” it said. It said the CBN states that the National Financial Inclusion Strategy aims to reduce the number of citizens that have no access

HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and banks have partnered Junior Achievement Nigeria (JAN), a non-profit focused on teaching Nigerian youth economic education, financial literacy to promote financial literacy during this year’s Global Money Week. The event holds today simultaneously in selected schools across the country. In a statement, the group said Global Money Week is a worldwide celebration to empower the next generation to be confident, responsible and skilled economic citizens. “It is about joining together – children, youth, parents, organisations and entire communities – to start action to reshape finance, and give young people the tools to shape their own future. Financial Literacy Day will involve 22 financial institution

to financial literacy from 46.3 to 20 per cent by 2020. The framework at the student education level will help to empower youth to understand financial products, make choices, create their own livelihoods, and prevent or break the cycle of poverty.

Executive Director of JAN Kunbi Wuraola said: “Taking charge of your finances at young age ensures taking care of your future, financial discipline will lead to less corruption in the Nation as our youth are the future of this nation.”

GTBank begins GTCrea8 promo

UARANTY Trust Bank Plc has announced the start of its 2014 annual GTCrea8 campaign for undergraduates. In a statement, the bank said the initiative is aimed at rewarding the bank’s customers studying in tertiary institutions across the nation. The bank said the nine-month initiative provides a unique avenue for it to stay in touch and reward its GTCRea8 eSavers customers, who have a unique role to play

in the continent’s future development. According to him, the initiative involves awareness sessions in 27 major tertiary institutions to promote values such as professionalism, integrity and the benefits of hard work. He said alongside these events are monthly raffle draws during which account holders will win monthly scholarships. One undergraduate

will emerge the winner of the campaign’s grand prize: a mini cooper convertible car during the December 2014 final raffle draw. This is the second edition of the initiative which the Bank introduced last year as part of a social awareness and marketing programme aimed at promoting adoption of the right values by our future leaders and getting feedback regarding their needs as customers.

FGN BONDS

DATA BANK

Tenor

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 ($) Demanded ($) 400m 400m 400m 400m 400m 400m

MANAGED FUNDS Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33 N1000.00 N552.20

NIDF NESF

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10% 10-11%

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Tenor 91-Day 182-Day 1-Year

Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2012 “ 14-04-2012

GAINERS AS AT 12-3-14

SYMBOL

O/PRICE

C/PRICE

CHANGE

7UP UBN OASISINS CONOIL CONTINSURE ZENITHBANK TRANSCORP IKEJAHOTEL COURTVILLE WAPCO

82.64 10.18 0.52 50.00 1.07 21.99 4.08 0.66 0.72 111.00

86.77 10.68 0.54 51.90 1.10 22.57 4.18 0.67 0.73 112.50

4.13 0.50 0.02 1.90 0.03 0.58 0.10 0.01 0.01 1.50

O/PRICE

AIICO OANDO UBCAP BETAGLAS DANGSUGAR AGLEVENT VITAFOAM HONYFLOUR DIAMONDBNK ASHAKACEM

0.80 18.00 2.66 19.45 10.88 1.43 4.59 4.09 6.80 16.98

C/PRICE 0.78 17.58 2.60 19.02 10.65 1.40 4.50 4.02 6.70 16.75

Date 2-5-14 2-3-14 1-29-14

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX

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 %

NSE

6-2-14

28-10-11

% Change

147.6000 239.4810 212.4997

149.7100 244.0123 207.9023

150.7100 245.6422 209.2910

-2.11 -2.57 -1.51

CAP Index

N13.07tr 40,766.16

N6.617tr 20,903.16

-1.44% -1.44%

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

153.0000

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

DISCOUNT WINDOWx Feb. ’11

July ’11

MPR

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% 11.8%

July ’12

7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

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%

Offer Price

AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND 156.27 ARM AGGRESSIVE GROWTH 9.17 BGL NUBIAN FUND 1.06 BGL SAPPHIRE FUND 1.17 CANARY GROWTH FUND 0.69 CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST 1.39 CORAL INCOME FUND 1,620.45 FBN FIXED INCOME FUND 1,000.00 FBN HERITAGE FUND 115.83 FBN MONEY MARKET FUND 100.00 FIDELITY NIGFUND 1.67 INTERCONTINENTAL INTEGRITY FUND 1.05 KAKAWA GUARANTE ED INCOME FUND 143.11 LEGACY FUND 0.78 NIGERIA INTER DEBIT FUND 1,886.59 • • • •

NIBOR Tenor

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

CHANGE -0.02 -0.42 -0.06 -0.43 -0.23 -0.03 -0.09 -0.07 -0.10 -0.23

Exchange Rate (N) 155.75 155.8 155.7

Year Start Offer

LOSERS AS AT 12-3-14

SYMBOL

Amount Sold ($) 399.9m 399.9m 399.9m

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 Currency

OBB Rate Call Rate

HE Emerging Markets Payments (EMP), a leading panAfrican and Middle Eastern payments company, has announced the appointment of Murat Ozulku as the Chief Executive Officer of its Bank Processing Division. He replaces Hoda Shoukry who has retired recently at the end of his career. In a statement, the firm said Murat will be responsible for all of EMP’s Bank Processing operations that include payments platforms in Nigeria, Egypt and Jordan, as well as sales and service operations in South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates. It said EMP’s Bank Processing Division provides outsourced payments solutions, ranging from card procurement and personalisation and card hosting through to Automated Teller Machine (ATM) and Point of Sale (POS) driving, mobile payments and advisory services to 130 banks in 35 countries. Paul Edwards, Executive Chairman of EMP, stated “EMP is delighted to welcome Ozulku as the new CEO of Bank Processing. Murat has had a stellar career at Citibank covering two decades. In that time, he has worked in many countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa in a variety of senior roles. Most recently, while based in Nairobi, Murat led Citi’s Transactional Banking business across East Africa, providing products and services to Financial Institution, Corporate and Public Sector clients. He has extensive experience of building and operating payments platforms and a deep familiarity with the wider region.”

UBA UBA UBA UBA

Movement

BALANCED FUND BOND FUND EQUITY FUND MONEY MARKET FUND

1.33363 1.2859 1.0198 1.1454

Bid Price 155.84 9.08 1.05 1.17 0.68 1.33 1,618.47 1,000.00 115.13 100.00 1.62 1.03 142.62 0.76 1,883.42 1.3245 1.2859 1.0013 1.1454

OPEN BUY BACK

Bank P/Court

Previous 04 July, 2012

Current 07, Aug, 2012

8.5000 8.0833

Movement

THE NATION THURSDAY,MARCH 13, 2014

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT

12-3-14

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 12-3-14

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

EQUITIES

Dangote promises better returns, jobs

ANGOTE Sugar Refinery (DSR) Plc’s strategic sugar master plan would enhance returns to shareholders and create massive jobs and opportunities for the Nigerian citizenry, the management of the company has assured. Speaking during introductory visit to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday in Lagos, the newly appointed managing director of Dangote Sugar Refinery, Mr. Graham Clark, said that the company has embarked on implementation of strategic initiatives to enhance returns to shareholders and widen opportunities for the people. Clark, who has served most recently as the Managing Director of Illovo Sugar Limited - Africa’s biggest sugar producers with operations in six African countries, assured that he would collaborate with the board and management of the company to increase its market share and sustain its leadership position.

Stories by Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

According to him, DSR will stimulate rural economy of Nigeria through its backward integration programme and create many jobs. The backward integration will reintroduce sugar production to Nigeria and ultimately make the product sufficient and stable in the market. He pointed out that the in furtherance of the backward integration, the company recently acquired farm machinery worth $35 million from Panafrican Equipment noting that acquisition was in demonstration of the company’s faith in the backward integration policy of the Federal Government and National Sugar Development Council (NSDC). He said that the DSR’s sugar master plan would lead to production of 1.5 million metric tonnes of sugar per annum locally adding that the company would increase its capacity significantly.

“We are bringing agriculture back to rural Nigeria, we will bring new skills to rural Nigeria and employ many people, we would play our part in stimulating the sugar industry in Nigeria. Our plan is to consolidate what we have and build on the plans to continue to reinforce DSR as the leading player in sugar in Nigeria,” Clark said. Clark, who has over 30 years of experience in African sugar industry, said Dangote Sugar has commenced the acquisition of additional hectares of land across Nigeria for the massive sugar plantation projects. According to him, there will be exciting things taking place in the next few years as the company’s sugar development story effectively moves from now through a period of five to 10 years, when it will develop new sugar plantations and new sugar factories across the country.

Emerging stocks fall to one month low

MERGING-market stocks declined to a onemonth low, led by industrial and technology companies, on concern that a slowdown in China will hamper global economic growth. Russia’s ruble bond yields increased to a record. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index retreated 1.2 per cent to 944.48 by mid day in New York, the lowest since February 10. The The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI) of mainland stocks listed in Hong Kong tumbled to an eight-month low and approached a bear market. Russia’s Micex Index sank 2.6 per cent, while yields on government bonds due

February 2027 surged to the highest level since the securities were issued in February 2012. Dubai’s DFM General Index (DFMGI) led a rout in Persian Gulf equity benchmarks. Equities slumped on speculation a report today will show a slowdown in Chinese industrial output, after the biggest drop in exports since 2009. The data highlight the challenges for Premier Li Keqiang in achieving this year’s economic-growth target of 7.5 per cent. Ukraine warned Russia is amassing troops near its border as Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk visits Washington to step up

the search for financial aid. “A lot of it is just slowing growth in China that appears to be driving emerging-market stocks on a daily basis,” Jack Ablin, who oversees $66 billion as chief investment officer at BMO Private Bank, told Bloomberg by phone from Chicago. “I would characterize emerging as cheap, but it’s not catching any momentum yet.” Today’s decline drove the MSCI Emerging Markets Index’s valuation to 10 times estimated earnings, compared with a multiple of 14.8 for developed nations, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Equities turn negative on speculative sales

FTER a three-session uptrend, Nigerian equities yesterday came under intense pressures from speculators as massive open-market sale orders overwhelmed the market situation and reversed the overall market position to negative. With three decliners to one advancer, the muted bearishness that started to build up on Tuesday came into full swing yesterday, shaving off 0.30 per cent or N38 billion from market capitalisation. Average year-to-date return at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) was further depressed at -5.27 per cent.

Aggregate market value of all quoted equities dipped to N12.576 trillion as against its opening value of N12.614 trillion. The All Share Index (ASI), the common index that serves as value benchmark for the stock market, also slipped from 39,269.40 points to 39,150.30 points. Market analysts attributed the significant gap between losers and gainers to unrestricted sale orders by profit-takers, who wanted to close their deal irrespective of the market situation. While 121 stocks were traded, 41 stocks depreciated while 14 stocks appreciated. Volume of activities also fell

below recent average. Guinness Nigeria topped the losers’ list with a loss of N6.85 to close at N173.15. Flour Mills of Nigeria followed with a loss of N2 to close at N76. Dangote Cement dropped by N1.02 to close at N238.98. Mobil Oil Nigeria, PZ Cussons Nigeria and Stanbic IBTC Holdings lost N1 each to close at N122, N34 and N20.25 respectively. UAC of Nigeria dropped by 50 kobo to N65. Nigerian Breweries slipped by 45 kobo to N148.05. Beta Glass lost 43 kobo to close at N19.02 while Oando declined by 42 kobo to close at N17.58 per share.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

NEWS

FOREIGN NEWS

‘INEC unprepared for voter registration in Osun’

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is not prepared for the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), which began yesterday. It said according to reports from its agents across the state, eligible voters turned out en masse and waited for hours without being attended to. In a statement by its Publicity Director Kunle Oyatomi, APC said in many wards, the Direct Data Capture (DDC) machines malfunctioned. It said: “Among areas affected by this unsavory development are Ward 8, Ilesa East Local Government; Ward 8, Ola Oluwa Local Government; Ilare Ward, Ife Central Local Government; all wards in Irepodun Local Government; Wards 1,2,3,7 & 11 in Isokan Local Government; Ward 1, Atakunmosa West Local Government; Ward 3, Isale Oba, Iwo; Ward 4,5,6,8, 11 & 15 in Osogbo Local Government; Ward 7, Obokun Local Govern-

•APC, PDP accuse each other of violence From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

ment; Ward 10, Atakunmosa East Local Government; Ward 2, Ife East Local Government; Ward 4 & 10, Ayedire Local Government; Ward 10, Isokan Local Government and Ward 5, Atakunmosa West. “Reports from our agents also showed that the number of machines deployed in many wards were grossly inadequate for the population of intending registrants. Examples are: Ward 4, 5, 8 and 15 in Osogbo Local Government; Ward 10, Egbedore Local Government; and Ward 1&8 Olorunda Local Government. “We also bring to the attention of the public and INEC Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega the acts of thuggery and brigandage perpetrated by some leaders and agents of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who maimed agents and supporters of our party at registration centres. In Ife East Local

Government, PDP thugs moved round registration centres, attacking everybody in sight. “They were in Okerewe Ward 1 and 2, where many APC agents and supporters were injured. A number of them were rushed to the hospital. PDP thugs went to No. 1, Mosalasi Lane, Itakogun, Ile-Ife, and attacked the mother of the Executive Secretary of Ife East Local Government and some other people. “The thugs’ names are Attillery, Ayo Wasca, Fatai Ologede, Alhaji Akinsolugba, Bisi Elelede and Alhaja Silifa Kako. At Ward 4, Ilase in Obokun Local Government, PDP thugs disrupted the registration and attacked the Councilor of the ward, Mr. Babatunde Olatunji, because our supporters resisted their to register minors. “In Atakunmosa West Local Government, PDP thugs attacked APC members. Two of them were critically injured and have been hospitalised at

the Westly Guild Hospital, Ilesa. It is surprising that the police, who are supposed to maintain orderliness at the registration centres, looked the other way when our members were being attacked. It is clear that the PDP is desperate to rig elections, but the people’s votes and choice must count.” Urging the public to resist the “PDP’s intimidation”, the party urged the police to be alive to their duties. The PDP also accused the APC of violence. It berated INEC for the poor conduct of the exercise. The Chairman, Alhaji Ganiyu Olaoluwa, said the situation report showed that the APC was responsible for the crisis. He said that the case had been reported to the police. Olaoluwa alleged that four PDP members were shot in Atakumosa West Local Government Area, adding that they are recuperating at a private hospital.

Aregbesola is fair to all religions, says don •Protests exclusion of African religion adherents from conference

FRICAN religion practitioners yesterday defended Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who was accused of attempting to Islamise the state. President of the International Council for Ifa Religion Prof. Idowu Odeyemi said the governor recognises the three religions in the state - Christianity, Islam and African traditional religion. He spoke with reporters in Abuja on the exclusion of traditional worshippers from the list of delegates to the national conference. Odeyemi said no state of the federation has supported

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

African religion like Aregbesola, “who has declared August 20 an annual public holiday for the African religion”. He said since Aregbesola has supported the three religions, he could as well be said to have attempted to “Christianise or Africanise” the state. Odeyemi said the governor cannot denounce his religion, adding that if he was governor, he would defend the interest of African religion adherents. His words: “As a matter of fact, Osun is the only state in this country that officially

recognises and respects the three religions in Nigeria: African religion, Islam and Christianity. As far as we know, Osun State is the only one that has consciously supported the existence of these three religions financially, morally and in other ways. So I marvel when people say Aregbesola is trying to Islamise Osun. “You don’t see what we see, but we are waiting. Well, he is a Muslim and he is entitled to defend his religion. As a believer of African religion, if I am in a position of power, people are likely to see me as a defender of my religion.

Ekiti poll: PDP withdraws Obafemi’s clearance

HE National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has withdrawn the provisional clearance given to Mr. Peter Obafemi, one of the aspirants in the Ekiti State governorship election slated for June 21. The Ekiti State Screening Appeal Committee, headed by

Gen. Mohammadu Magiro (rtd.), cleared Obafemi for the party’s primary after he was dropped by the Victor NdomaEgba-led screening committee. In a statement yesterday, PDP National Publicity Secretary Chief Olisa Metuh said: “By this, Peter Obafemi is not eligible to participate in the

Boko Haram: Rep advises JTF, media

FEDERAL lawmaker, Rotimi Makinde has urged the Joint Task Force (JTF) and the media to be more discreet in their reportage of the activities of the extremist sect, Boko Haram. Makinde spoke in Lagos yesterday. He said there was need to review media contents being disseminated to avoid giving terrorists undue publicity as well as a recruitment tool avenue. He emphasised the need to prevent leakages of mapped out strategies as well as diffuse heightened apprehension around the country. “The renewed onslaught against the sect in the past week has been quite fruitful, hence the need to consolidate on the milestone effort of the JTF and other agencies through a deliberate review of every strategy that will culminate in weakening the activities of the sect. “There is no doubt that terrorism must be reported. However, the way the events are

primary to elect the candidate of the PDP for the Ekiti governorship election. “In the same vein, the NWC has approved the inauguration of a 16-man Caretaker Committee for Sokoto State with Abdullahi S. Muhammed as Chairman and Hon. Musa Garba Gusau as secretary. “The inauguration will hold on March 14 (tomorrow) at the PDP National Secretariat, Abuja.”

How control tower lost contact with missing Malaysian plane

HE last communication received from a Malaysia Airlines plane suggests everything was normal on board minutes before it went missing over the South China Sea, Malaysian authorities say. Flight MH370 replied “All right, roger that” to a radio message from Malaysian air control, authorities said. The search has been widened to waters off both sides of the peninsula. Malaysia’s air force chief has denied reports the plane was tracked to the Malacca Strait in the west. The China-bound plane went missing on Saturday with 239 people on board. It vanished about an hour after it took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, as it flew over the South China Sea, south of Vietnam’s Ca Mau peninsula. No distress signal or message was sent. Malaysian authorities revealed the plane’s last communication at a news conference held in Beijing for relatives of the 154 Chinese who are among the missing passengers. As the plane reached the boundary between Malaysian and Vietnamese airspace, the Malaysian air control announced it was handing over to Ho Chi Minh City Control. Minutes later, all contact with Flight MH370 was lost.

China’s foreign ministry said there was “too much confusion” regarding the information released about the plane’s flight path. “It is very hard for us to decide whether a given piece of information is accurate,” spokesman Qin Gang told reporters in Beijing. Earlier yesterday, Malaysia’s air force chief Rodzali Daud denied remarks attributed to him in local media that flight was tracked by military radar to the Malacca Strait, far west of its planned route. Gen Rodzali Daud said he “did not make any such statements”, but the air force had “not ruled out the possibility of an air turn-back”. Early search efforts focused on waters between Malaysia and Vietnam. The search was later extended to the Malacca Strait and the Andaman Sea, off Malaysia’s west coast, amid reports that the plane could have turned back. Operations are now covering some 27,000 square nautical miles (92,000 sq km). Malaysian authorities yesterday requested assistance from India in searching the Andaman Sea, north of the Malacca Strait. Vietnam has confirmed an investigation into a possible sighting of the plane has so far yielded no results.

Two dead as New York City building collapses after blast •Aregbesola

“Aregbesola is not supposed to denounce his religion just to show that he is not trying to Islamise Osun State. African traditional religion believers are grateful for Aregbesola’s support. As a matter of fact, he is the only governor that has declared a public holiday for African religion and it is the 20th of August of every year. No other state has done that. “So how can they say he wants to Islamise Osun State? You can as well say that he has Africanised or Christianised Osun. I think the man has been handling religious matters well.” Odeyemi said the national conference would end in futility because anything built on pretence, self-deceit and hypocrisy cannot stand.

WO women have died after an explosion in an apartment building that then collapsed in East Harlem, New York City, police said yesterday. Seventeen others were injured in the incident, which sent smoke billowing into the city sky. Residents heard a blast in the five-storey building at 116th Street and Park Avenue before it caved in. All train services in and out of Grand Central terminal have been halted following the incident near its tracks. The New York fire department has elevated the incident to the highest threat level possible. The area is engulfed in thick choking smoke, says the BBC’s Nick Bryant at the scene It announced it has dispatched 198 members from more than three dozen nearby fire stations to battle the blaze. A utility company says a resi-

dent in a nearby building reported smelling gas shortly before the explosion on Wednesday morning. Streets and pavements around the site were littered with broken glass from shattered windows. Witnesses reported the powerful blast knocked items off shelves in nearby stores. Authorities in the area were said to be handing out medical masks to residents due to the thick white smoke at the scene. A witness told the BBC “there was just a lot of panic” following the explosion. Eyewitness Shane Kennedy said he heard a “massive explosion” Dan Scarvino had just emerged on to a nearby train platform when “suddenly a plume of smoke came out of nowhere”. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” he added.

By Precious Igbonwelundu

framed and the extent to which it is covered is also important. “Accordingly, in order to alter the symbiotic relationship between terrorism and the media, it is expedient that the media should be re-evaluated in covering terrorism-related news. “Just as the security elite can ‘de-securitise’ issues in international affairs through speechacts, the media can adopt the same approach in terrorism-related acts. “Achieving this may not only prevent terrorists from using media coverage as an important publicity and recruitment tool, but may also prevent the emergence of an atmosphere of fear at the public level. “It could also force government and security elite to make more rational decisions regarding countering terrorism and dealing with public outrage,” he said.

LENTEN MESSAGE Theme: Pleasing God!

OING the will of God makes one pleasing to Him and when the ways of a man is pleasing unto God, the Bible records in Proverbs 16:7 that He makes even his enemies (whatever or whoever has worked or is working against him) to be at peace with him ( be reconciled or befriend him). Apostle Paul, from our text, told the Thessalonians that when they walk right and please God, they will increase more and more. What this means is that the key to marital, financial, spiritual and occupational increase is pleasing God. Jesus Christ was an example of a person that pleased God during His earthly assignment and no wonder He had a testimony that God stood by Him

Text:” ...... you ought to walk and to please God, so you would abound more and more.” 1 Thessalonians 4:1 By The Revd. Henry O. Adelegan

all through ( John 8:29). It is a very sad thing to note that the church and the world today are filled with human pleasers, hypocrites, liars and deceivers. A great number of people desire to please men rather than please God because of what they desire to get from man and not for love. This is very visible in our political, occupational and even spiritual space. The end result of this attitude is heartbreak, disappointments, failures and regrets. During this season of Lent and

henceforth, it is pertinent to avoid every manner of eye-service, be diligent at your place of assignment ( Proverbs 22:29), obey God in everything He commands (John 2:5; I Sam. 15:22b), flee every appearance of sin (Ephesians 5:1-5), pursue the fruits of the Spirit ( Galatians 5:22-23), show love to people around you, be known for good things in the community you live and have a heart of gratitude ( Psalm 69:30-31). Beloved, as you determine to do all that is pleasing to Him during this season, your life will move forward, you will experience growth in every sphere of

•Rev Adelegan

life, God will miraculously supply all your needs and your enemies will turn to your friends in the name of Jesus. Prayers: Oh Lord, continue to direct my path and attitude by the power of your Holy Spirit. Give me grace to make you number one in my life and please you in all of my ways in the name of Jesus.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

NEWS Fire razes furniture firm in Edo

FURNITURE company, Plejel Woodworks, was razed yesterday after-

noon. The fire was said to have started at 1:30pm, few minutes after electricity was restored to the area. Firemen prevented the fire from spreading to a nearby storey building. People were removing their property. The owner, Omorogbe Amas, who was weeping, said he was standing outside his shop when he heard shouts of ‘fire’ ‘fire.’ Amas said he lost millions of naira. He said he was told that the fire was caused by a spark on one of the foams at the workshop.

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

A worker in the company, Christian Ikhuangbe, said he was in the workshop when the fire started. “As we were working with different machines, electricity went off. “They restored the light and there was a spark. It was not up to five minutes that the fire consumed this place. We lost everything. We need help now.” An official of the State Fire Service, Egberanmwen Oviawe, said they responded to the call after putting out a fire at Urora. Oviawe said the company was burnt when they arrived, but they prevented the fire from spreading.

Justice Olateru-Olagbegi loses mum

LORI Comfort Fabamigbe Olateru-Olagbegi, mother of a Lagos High Court Judge, Justice Adesuyi Olateru-Olagbegi is dead. She was 108. Olori OlateruOlagbegi was married to the late Olowo of Owo, Oba OlateruOlagbegi II. One of the founding members

of the Methodist Church, Owo and a top member of the Red Cross Society, Owo, she is survived by Mrs. Florence Adegborioye, grandchildren and great grand children. Her remains will be buried on March 29, after a funeral service at the Methodist Church, Okeogun in Owo, Ondo State.

World Bank partners on erosion sites

HE World Bank will intervene in five gully erosion sites in Calabar, Cross River State in the next two months. The sites are Ikot Anwatim, Ikot Ekpo, Edim Otop, Nyaghasang and Atakpa. The intervention constitutes the first phase under the Nigeria Erosion Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) and cover other areas in subsequent phases.

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

Project coordinator Fidelis Anukwa did not give a figure, but said the federal and state governments would provide counterpart funding. “There is need to create awareness among the communities as they have to be integrated in the programme. There is need to carry everyone along to achieve this,” he said.

Ibori mourns Abel Ubeku

ORMER Delta State Governor James Onanefe Ibori has joined Nigerians to mourn the first indigenous Managing Director and Chairman of Guinness Nigeria, Dr. Abel Ubeku. In a statement by his media assistant Tony Eluimo, Ibori described the death of Ubeku as a blow to Isoko people, Delta State and Nigeria. Ibori said Ubeku was a trail blazer, who cherished facing new challenges – challenges he faced with a stout heart, indomitable courage, the deep insight of an original thinker. Ibori prayed to God to grant the family the grace to bear the loss. He urged them to rejoice because their patriarch has left a heritage that will enrich the nation.

•Former Irish Prime Minister John Bruton cutting the tape to inaugurate the Public Health Centre at Ozuoba in Obio/Akpor Local Government of Rivers State. With him are Governor Rotimi Amaechi (righ) ; Eze Aniele Agbaraka Orlu (second right) and Commissioner for Health Sampson Parker.

Commission’s chair laments rot in NDDC

HE Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw, has bemoaned the rot in the commission. He said if the agency was in the private sector, it would have filed for bankruptcy. The chairman said the commission owes its contractors over N1 trillion. He said last year the commission received about N51 billion against a budget of over N300 billion for capital and recurrent expenditure. Ewa-Henshaw spoke yesterday at the management retreat in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. The chairman, who condemned the rot in the commission, said contracts were awarded for the sole purpose of collecting advance payments.

From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

He said same contracts were awarded to two or three contractors. “For the short time that the new board and management have been in the commission, some of the things we have seen are shocking. “Contracts are awarded with no design and no specific location but with the sole purpose of collecting advance payments. “One contract was awarded to two or three contractors. I am sure what is more shocking to me whether it is the fact that NDDC awards a single contract to more than one contractor or the fact that it appears to be common and acceptable. “As we speak, we are said to owe over N1 trillion on existing contracts. “Last year, only about N51 billion was released to the commission against a

budget of over N300 billion for both capital and recurrent expenditure. “In the private sector, we would be regarded as insolvent because we can no longer meet our obligations. “There are allegations that NDDC workers may be colluding with outsiders to sue the commission and later push for out-of-court settlement, after which they share the money. “We are informed that the commission has over 400 court cases pending and more are still on the way.” Ewa-Henshaw warned the workers that it would not be business as usual. He said: “I am outlining these things because I believe it is time to tell ourselves some truth. It will no longer be business as usual. Substantial and immediate changes for the better must take place. We must root out

impunity from NDDC.” The Managing Director, Bassey Dan-Abia, said since inception the commission had awarded over 6,000 projects. Dan-Abia admitted that the people have not received the value they expect from NDDC. “The quality of some of our infrastructure projects fall below standard and this has made the people to differentiate NDDC projects from other well delivered projects. “We have been tagged ‘contract cow’ because of the large number of infrastructure projects we have awarded since inception (over 6,000). There is a rumour that our award letters are being hawked in the major cities. “Posterity will not forgive some of us if we just want to dance in the comfort zone so that we don’t offend some people.”

Confab: Ijaw, North set to clash over resource control

JAW elders may clash with their counterparts from the North at the national conference over resource control, it was gathered yesterday. Ijaw delegates are said to be heading for the conference with resource control on their minds. Northern delegates and elders, it was learnt, are ready to scuttle such demand. The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has said there were moves by northern leaders to galvanise consensus against resource control at the conference. The youth body accused a northern leader and former National Secretary of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Alhaji Usman Bugaje, of canvassing support against resource control. Speaking in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, through its spokesman, Mr. Eric Omare, IYC criticised Bugaje’s comments against the region’s clamour for resource control. It quoted Bugaje as saying that “it is wrong for any state to claim that it is oil producing because 72 per cent of the land mass in the country belongs to the North and by the United Nation’s law, it is only the North that has

From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

the right to claim ownership.” IYC said Bugaje spoke at the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) meeting on the national conference in Kano, on March 11. The Ijaw youths said: “Dr. Bugaje’s statement is a deliberate ploy to mislead his northern brothers to prepare the ground to oppose the legitimate demand of the Niger Delta to control their resources. “The IYC is much aware of the game plan of the Northern Elders Forum. The IYC is watching and ready for the challenge.” Describing Bugaje’s statement as reckless, provocative, baseless and misleading, the group accused him

of displaying “the highest level of ignorance.” The group said there was no charter of the United Nations which based determination of maritime boundary of a country on land mass. Contrary to Bugaje’s position, the Ijaw youths said northern Nigeria and other states in the country were not part of the investment in the oil and gas sector. “It was the multinationals which came to explore for oil during the colonial and post-colonial era that did the initial investment and subsequent investment of government in the oil industry is from the proceeds of the Niger Delta oil. “Furthermore, the groundnut and economic

resources produced from the North were never used to develop the Niger Delta and the oil and gas industry. “Northern leaders and elite like Dr. Usman Bugae are advised to bury their frivolous claim to Niger Delta oil and think of creative means to harness the resources in the North. “The IYC wishes to state that the Niger Delta oil belongs to the communities and people of the Niger Delta and by extension the states where the oil is found and produced. “Niger Delta oil does not belong to northern Nigeria and the Nigeria state. The IYC is capable and ready and willing to defend, protect and assert the Niger Delta’s ownership of its oil and gas resources, both onshore and offshore.”

Cross River denies selling liaison office

HE Cross River State government has denied reports that it put up its liaison office in Lagos for sale. A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Liyel Imoke, Christian Ita, quoted the state Attorney General, Attah Ochinke, as describing the report as false. Ochinke, who chairs the state Privatisation Council, said the report was not only ludi-

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

crous but also mischievous. “The council has never broached the idea let alone putting up the structure for sale,” the statement quoted Ochinke. While urging the public, particularly Cross Riverians, to disregard the report, the statement appealed to journalists to verify their reports before going to press.

THE NATION THURSDAY MARCH 13, 2014

NEWS FULANI/TIV CRISIS

Borgu Emir honours ex-CDS

Cow sellers accuse Suswam of complicity •134 herdsmen killed

HE National VicePresident of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Hussaini Yusuf Bosso, yesterday accused Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam of complicity in the Tiv/Fulani clash. He alleged that the hostility against them was in compliance with the directive of the governor. Bosso said 134 Fulani herdsmen and 11,915 cattle were killed in three northern states in the last three months. Suswam’s convoy, on Tuesday, was attacked by gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen at Tse Akenyi on his way to a displaced persons’ camp in Guma Local Government Area. Bosso, who spoke yesterday in Minna, said their members were murdered in Benue, Plateau and Taraba

From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

states. He said the association recorded the highest casualty in Benue (82 herdsmen, 6,700 cattle; Plateau (43 herdsmen, 4,682 cattle) and Taraba (nine herdsmen, 533 cattle). Bosso alleged that his members in Benue and Taraba states were attacked by the Tiv, and in Plateau by the Beromo. He faulted an alleged pronouncement by Suswam that he did not want to see Fulani herdsmen in the state. “These atrocities were perpetrated by Tiv people. To our surprise, the police are aware but did not do anything to avert the development. “Not only the police are complacent, the governors of the affected states are also nonchalant.”

•A house set ablaze during Tuesday’s attack by suspected gunmen on Tse-akenyi and Ukpan communities in Guma Local Government Area

Kano

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

bodies. He said with the sophisticated weapons used by the attackers, they might have infuential sponsor(s). Gbaa called on Governor Suswam and security agencies to ensure that the sponsors were discovered and punished with the mercenaries. Ikyungwa and Tse Avule villages were razed by suspected Fulani herdsmen. The gunmen stormed the village during the day and set houses in the settlement ablaze. It was not clear how many people were killed.

•A van set ablaze in Tse-akenyi and Ukpan communities in Guma Local Government Area. PHOTOS: NAN

Church to Jonathan, Suswam: secure Benue

HE Catholic Church yesterday advised President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene in the Fulani/Tiv clash in Benue State. The church said in the villages and places where the attacks are visible: “one does

Akume, lawmakers seek federal governments to proENATE Minority intervention federal vide camps for the displaced Leader George

Akume and Tiv members in the House of Representatives yesterday urged Benue State and Federal Government to intervene to save Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), following clashes between Fulani herdsmen and Tiv farmers. Akume, in a statement on behalf of Tiv lawmakers, lamented that the attacks had led to widespread destruction of property, including the home of the paramount ruler of the Tiv, Tor Tiv Akawe Torkula. He said the IDPs, who live in schools and uncompleted buildings, face imminent outbreak of epidemic. The statement reads: “Skirmishes between Tiv farmers and Fulani herdsmen have been a common phenomenon for quite some time. “But within the last few years, and more particularly, within the last one week, this relationship has taken a dimension that has never previously been witnessed. “It started in parts of Gwer West Local Government, and spread to Makurdi Local Gov-

From Sanni Onogu, Abuja

ernment and Guma Local Government, and towards parts of Logo and Kwande Local Government, all in Benue State. “The attacks on the communities we represent are being carried out by armed groups. “Survivors have told us that their attackers have automatic weapons far superior to those of the police. “The attacks have led to widespread destruction of lives and property, including the home of the ruler of the Tiv, Tor Tiv Akawe Torkula. “As at today, we are receiving reports about Internally Displaced Persons (IDP). “It is necessary for the Benue State government and the emergency relief agencies to organise relief efforts for those who displaced by the crisis. “At present, these victims are staying in schools and in uncompleted houses. “There are no medical facilities for them and there is fear of an impending outbreak of epidemics. “We call on the Benue and

Police chief warns Kano politicians From Kolade Adeyemi,

Helicopter sighted in crisis area HE National President of Tombo Development Association, Isaac Gbaa, has described the crisis in Benue State as a genocide. He said in Makurdi that a helicopter was alleged to be supplying the gunmen with food and ammunition daily. Gbaa alleged that about two to three hours after the helicopter lands at Anyebe, the gunmen begin their onslaught against the villages. The TODA national president also alleged the gunmen may be using poisonous chemicals, as it was discovered that some victims had no gunshot injuries on their

A FORMER Chief of Defence Staff and 16th Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshall Oluseyi Petinrin (rtd), and his wife Linda, will, on Saturday, be turbaned as the Baazukum and “YUN” Baazukum of Borgu Kingdom by Dr Haliru Dantoro, Kittoro III in New Bussa, Kainji, Niger State. Petinrin, who is also the Jagunmolu of Ipetu-Ijesa in Osun State, is being honoured in recognition of his contributions to the development of Borgu Kingdom. The ceremony will be attended by important personalities.

citizens. In order to avert the outbreak of epidemics, these camps should be provided with potable water and medical facilities. “The IDPs are also in need of food and clothing, as most of them left their homes empty handed. “We also call on the Federal Government to note clashes between the cattlemen and sedentary farmers in the country. We appeal that we go back to the basics – particularly to the cattle tracks of old or a modification of same. “These clashes have reached the point where they have become a serious national security problem. “The information we have suggests that foreign mercenaries with heavy hardware are being used against the Tiv by the invaders. “To us, these invaders are not the normal Fulani cattle breeders we know and who live with us. “Both the Tiv and Fulani cattle rearers have enjoyed a long relationship, and this situation is rather tragic, unfortunate as it is capable of undermining this relationship.”

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

not find sufficient security agents.” It also advised Governor Gabriel Suswam to tackle the situation, despite the attack on his convoy. The Catholic Bishop of Gboko Diocese, Bishop William Avenya, said the Catholic Bishops of Makurdi, Otukpo, Gboko and KastinaAla resolved that government should monitor the influx of cattle rearers into the state, and check the activities of monarchs as well as security agents. The cleric, who admitted the crisis may be political, advised stakeholders to help salvage the situation. Avenya pleaded with the leadership of the Fulani to engage in dialogue. His words: “We have observed that the co-existence of pastoralists and farmers has always been problematic. “From 2010 till date, Benue has witnessed endless conflicts between Fulani pastoralists and Tiv, Idoma and Agatu farmers. We call on President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Gabriel Suswam to take responsibility of security. “We are not sure what will happen next. People have been migrating from the villages to towns. Several people have died and thousands are displaced. This is a political era and several times we smuggle criminality into politics.” On the church’s recommen-

dations to government, the bishop said: “The Fulani leadership and leadership of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) should notify rulers of the host community, law enforcement agencies, and government of the arrival of additional migrant cattle rearers. “Pastoralists are sometimes misled by community leaders to pay for grazing land in their domains. There is the need to sensitise nomads to understand the landholding and ownership systems of the host communities. “The location of police stations or posts on our boundaries is inevitable. Security agents must not compromise themselves.” He called on Christians to fast and pray.

Kano State Commissioner of Police Adenrenle Shinaba has warned parties to be careful in their utterances ahead of next year’s elections. Shinaba, who gave the advice yesterday in Kano, while decorating 613 police officers, said parties should learn to abide by their manifestoes. ‘’ You know that elections are around the corner and we have to sensitise all stakeholders. We are asking that politicians eschew abusive language and violence. Politicians need to be tolerant and accommodating. “We would not stop this peace and tolerance campaign. We would take it to all the nooks and crannies of this state and ensure that politicians abide by the rules.” To the promoted officers, he reminded them that it was an added responsibility for which much is expected from them. POLICE AUCTION SALES

This is to inform the general public that the underlisted Vehicles and other items shall be auctioned after 21 days of this publication. Claimants should report at The Nigeria Police headquarters, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, mile 3 Diobu, Port Harcourt SCRAP VANAGON BUS REG. NO. IMO XA 347, EKE SCRAP TOYOTA CAMRY CAR REG NO. BX 282 ABJ And other items Signed: MR. VICTOR OBEAHON

PUBLIC NOTICE NZUKO ISIALA NGWA The general public is hereby notified that the above named Association has applied to the co-operate Affairs Commission for registration under part C of companies and Allied Matters Act 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Dr. Christopher Chukwuemeka Otigbuo 2. Mr. Samuel Onyebuchi Onukwue 3. Mr. Uzoma Ogbonna 4. Dr. Oluchi Ogwuma 5. Chief Emmanuel Okezie Otuonye AIMES AND OBJECTIVES [A] To foster co-operation among all Isiala Ngwa Sons and Daughters. [B] To provide a forum for the articulation of ideas for the development of Isiala Ngwa in particular and Ngwa land in General. [C] To protect, promote and advance the cause of Isiala Ngwa people and Ngwa land in general. Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the RegistrarGeneral, Corporate Affairs Commission, 42, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, PMB 198, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication. Signed: Victor .C. Oti Esq Solicitor to Nzuko Isiala Ngwa Tel. 08033476758 Email: Otivik @Yahoo.com

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

NEWS Lagos hands over water projects

EFCC arrests warder for opening bank account for inmate

HE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday said it has arrested a 29-year-old warder with the old Abeokuta Prisons, Ibara, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Joseph Emmanuel for allegedly assisting a prison inmate in carrying out fraudulent financial transactions. The suspect was alleged to have used the name and documents of an illiterate taxi driver, to open a First Bank account for the inmate. A statement by the antigraft commission’s Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren said: “The suspect allegedly assisted the inmate whom he called ‘Ora’ to open the account, using the name of one taxi driver in his neighbourhood called Monsuru Ogunsina Adeogun”. “He took the step after he rejected the entreaties of the inmate to avail him of his account number. “Having made a promise to help the inmate with an account number, Emmanuel threw caution and his work

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

ethics to the wind and went ahead to open an account, in the name of Adeogun, a father of four. “Investigations showed that, after filling out the account opening documents and observing all account opening formalities, Emmanuel received the withdrawal booklet and an ATM card to the account. “He handed the withdrawal booklet to Adeogun and according to him, “I took the ATM card to Ora (the inmate) and I helped him make three withdrawals from the account, until the fourth time when the ATM machine rejected the card and I called Adeogun to bring the withdrawal booklet, and it was that Tuesday (March 5, 2014) that Adeogun was arrested at the bank and I came down to EFCC to see him the following day and I was also detained for my involvement”. The commission said the suspect might face trial very soon.

The statement added: “During investigation, it was gathered that the same inmate had previously convinced one Ogunnariwo Mary, a student of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu Ode, to help him open an account with her name. “According to Mary, “I went to the Abeokuta prisons to seek for an Industrial Attachment placement, but was told that I have to go to the Head Office, but before I could leave, an inmate who introduced himself as ‘Timilehin’ approached me and pleaded with me to help him open an account for him with my name so that I can help him withdraw money whenever his family pays in money into the account”. “She said she went ahead to open the account in her name, and helped the inmate to make several withdrawals, which were always collected by different men who managed to show up each time she got a call from the inmate to go and make a withdrawal.

By Tokunbo Ogunsami

•EFCC chair Ibrahim Larmode “This, she said, happened between December 2013 and March 5, 2014, when she was also arrested because the ATM machine rejected the card and she went into the banking hall to lodge a complaint and to make the withdrawal with a withdrawal slip. “Both Adeogun and Mary Ogunnariwo were arrested the same day and at the same bank and brought to the office of the EFCC together. “The suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.”

AGOS State government, through the Rural Development Ministry, has handed over two rehabilitated and upgraded micro water projects to Ejirin and Sekungba communities in Ikosi Ejirin Local Council Development Area (LCDA). This is to ensure the supply of potable water to the communities and reduce water-borne and water-related diseases. The Commissioner for Rural Development, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, said government acceded to the request of the lawmaker representing the area in the House of Assembly, Mr. Segun Olulade, by rehabilitating the projects, which were abandoned for over 20 years. He said the Governor Babatunde Fashola administration was concerned about the welfare of Lagosians. Ojelabi, however, noted that the people have a role to play in maintaining the facilities. He urged the Oba of Ejirin, the Baale of Sekungba and the community development associations (CDAs) to handle the facilities well. The commissioner said government would maintain the facilities for the next two years, adding that residents should understudy the managers and set up committees to work out the modalities for their sustainability. The Ejalonibu Elejirin of Ejirin Land, Oba Rafiu Ishola Balogun, hailed the ministry for the projects, but solicited more government presence. Olulade said the response of the ministry to his call for rehabilitation showed the beauty of governance in Lagos. He assured government that the projects would be maintained by the residents. The Baale of Sekungba, High Chief Solomon Omotayo, thanked government for the Sekungba Micro Water Scheme. The Head of Rural Water and Sanitation in the ministry, Mr. Adisa Yinusa, an engineer, said the facilities were put in place about 24 years ago and handed over to the local government, but it could not manage them well and they were abandoned, until the Fashola administration approved their rehabilitation. The event was also attended by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Rural Development, Mr. Babatunde Hunpe, the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olatunde Agoro, management workers and others.

Falana: Centenary awards on colonial masters, ex-military heads of state subversive

AGOS lawyer Mr. Femi Falana(SAN) has said the centenary awards conferred on some colonial masters and former military heads of state by the Federal Government are subversive of the letter and spirit of the National Honours Act. In a statement in Lagos yesterday titled: “Honouring colonial and military rulers is unlawful and immoral,” Falana also said the conferment of the award on this group of persons by government cannot be justified in law. The activist lawyer claimed

By Adebisi Onanuga

that it is against the African culture to honour corrupt people and other criminal elements. He said all former coup plotters who are still alive today, should consider themselves lucky that they were not charged with conspiracy and treason. He said it was sad that the former military rulers now sit illegally on the Council of State because impunity has become the order of the day “while their fellow coup plotters were put on trial and jailed in several countries while three of them were

shot dead by firing squad in Ghana”. Falana lamented that instead of apologising to Nigerians for erroneously honouring former colonial and military rulers during the recent centenary celebrations, the Federal Government claimed that such individuals had contributed to the unity of the country. “As if that was not enough, the Special Adviser to the President on Media, Dr. Reuben Abati stated that the award to the late maximum dictator, General Sani Abacha was not unlawful.

“It is pertinent to point out that the awards conferred on those who were violently imposed on the people of Nigeria is immoral, illegal and unlawful in every material particular. When Generals Mohammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha overthrew the elected Shehu Shagari Administration on December 31, 1983 they committed treason contrary to Section 37 of the Criminal Code Act. “They also contravened Section 1(2) of the 1979 Constitution which stipulated that “The Federal Republic of Nigeria shall not be governed, nor shall

person or group of persons take control of the government of Nigeria or any part thereof, except in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution “, he said. He said the annulment of the presidential election held on June 12, 1993 constituted a violation of Decree 25 of 1987 and Article 13 (1) of African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights Act (Cap A9) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990 which states that “Every citizen shall have the right to participate freely in the government of his country, either directly or through freely chosen representatives in accord-

ance with the provisions of law .” According to him, the Interim National Government set up by General Babangida and headed by Chief Ernest Shonekan was declared illegal and unconstitutional on November 10, 1993. “A week later, General Abacha sacked the ING and imposed his brutal junta on the nation for five years. Apart from killing innocent people through bombing and terrorist attacks, the military dictator engaged in unprecedented looting of the treasury.”

Your Sexual Health & You: Novelty Tips, Questions & Answers

use a condom each time I have sex so I always feel protected. But I also indulge in oral sex every now and then and mostly, it is women that give me oral sex. Do I have anything to worry about? Murayo Yes Murayo you have many things to worry about. The dangers of oral sex are not as publicized as the dangers of vaginal and anal sex, but oral sex is just as dangerous because you are equally exposed. Contaminated body fluids (semen, saliva, blood and vaginal fluids) are all capable of infecting another person when they come in contact with the mouth, especially when there are tiny sores in the mouth. I am sure you have observed that sometimes when you are licking orange or when you spit out first thing in the morning orbrush your mouth, you see a bit of blood. That shows you that the mouth is an easy passage for bacterial and viral infections because you never know when you have soresor cuts in your mouth. The list of diseases that can be transmitted during oral sex include Chlamydia, HPV (Human Papilloma Virus), Herpes,Gonorrhea, HIV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis B. As scary as all of this is, you can still give and receive oral sex but you must protect yourself and partner with latex condoms and dental dams during intercourse. If a woman of questionable status is giving you oral sex, make sure you are wearing a condom. If you are giving a woman oral sex, ensure you are using a dental dam. A dental dam is a flat, transparent sheet of latex that you place over the vagina during oral sex to ensure there is no direct contact between the genital and the mouth. So now you know better, go to the hospital and do a comprehensive test for all sexually transmitted diseases – Uche Once I am in the mood, I get erection but once I penetrate, I don’t last up to one minute and getting a second erection again may take up to 24 hours. What will you recommend for me that won’t have side effects? Chukwudi An aphrodisiac is what you need. They are commonly

referred to as erection enhancers and there are quite a few potent ones in the market. If you want a product that will stop your premature ejaculation and enable you get a second erection within minutes of ejaculating, then go for Red Lips Premium or Rhino 5. Both products handle all manner of erectile dysfunction in addition to curbing quick ejaculation and enlarging the penis. Alternatively, you can get a delay cream like the Forever Yours Delay Cream (to stop the premature ejaculation) and combine it withExploding Thunder supplement to enable you get a second erection within minutes – Uche I get dry during intercourse and this makes it painful – Joy Get the Colt Slick Lubricant or Swiss Navy Water Based Lubricant. Apply it on the genitals during intercourse and you will be alright– Uche I am 32 years of age and I have a history of staphylococcus which took three years to cure. Recently, I did a fertility test and was told that I had low testosterone and sperm count. I don’t have achild yet but I am afraid I will not be able to have any when the time comes – Sule If you are unable to father a child when the time comes, there are treatments that can help you. Fertility supplements such as Repro Aid and Fertil Aid are both good and have helped many people. So don’t worry – Uche I took your advice and bought the Exploding Thunder. I get strong erections now and I am no longer tired during sex. I never thought I could solve this problem. Bless you - Abbas The names of the people featured here have been changed for their privacy. Adults in need of these treatments/novelties can call 08191978308 or 08027901621 or any other number here to order or they can order online at www.zeevirtualmedia.com. Zee Virtual Media delivers to you wherever you are in Nigeria. For enquiries, send your emails to custserv@zeevirtualmedia.com - Uche Edochie, MD, Zee Virtual Media.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

NEWS Jonathan steps in to stop Gusau’s resignation Continued on page 2

rity agencies were still opposed last night to plans to make them report to Gen. Gusau without an amendment to the National Security Agencies Act. The National Security Agencies Act, obtained yesterday by our correspondent, reads in part: “For the purpose of co-ordinating the intelligence activities of the National Security Agencies set up under section I of this Act, there shall be appointed by the President a Co-coordinator on National Security. “The Co-coordinator on National Security shall be a principal staff officer in the office of

the President. “The Co-coordinator on National Security shall be charged with the duty of(a) advising the President on matters concerning the intelligence activities of the agencies; (b) making recommendations in relation to the activities of the agencies to the President, as contingencies may warrant; (c) correlating and evaluating intelligence reports relating to the national security and providing the appropriate dissemination of such intelligence within Government, using existing facilities as the President may direct; (d) determining the number

and level of staff to be employed by each agency established pursuant to Section I of this Act and organising the transfer and posting of staff, especially the transfer and posting of existing staff of the Nigerian Security Organisation established pursuant to the Nigerian Security Organisation Act 1976, repealed by Section 7 (1) of this Act; (e) doing such other things in connection with the foregoing provisions of this section as the President may, from time to time, determine.” Reviewing the issue last night, a source close to the Military High Command said: The Armed Forces Act 1993 as

amended in the 1999 Constitution states: “The CDS shall, subject to the general direction of the President and of the National Assembly, be vested with the day to day command and general superintendence of the Armed Forces”. The Minister of Defence is the political head of the ministry, which is composed of the military and civil components. He has two principal advisers - a permanent secretary who is a career civil servant and the CDS. “The minister provides policy direction for the armed forces and participate in government’s policy making process.

Tambuwal, Jega: N45b inadequate for INEC Continued on page 2

to do a good job,” he said. Tambuwal expressed optimism that the outcome of the general elections would affect the unity of Nigeria. The speaker noted that some ‘politicians and ethnic jingoists’ are fond of overheating the polity on the eve of every general election. “The 2015 elections are by the corner and already there is so much talk about how the conduct of that election can make or break not only our democracy but out unity. Let me say here that the unity of this country does not depend on the outcome of any election. We have moved past that. “Since 1999, it seems that every time we have an election coming, politicians and ethnic jingoists overheat the polity unnecessarily and cause a lot of tension and fear in the land. We must stop seeing everything as the end of our union. “We must all imbibe the democratic culture-the idea is that pow-

er belongs to the people and it is their sovereign right to determine who governs them. We must learn to respect the wishes of the people, however much it goes against our personal ambitions. “This country belongs to all of us equally and we must learnt o obey the rules of democracy. Nothing is gained by threats and counter threats, and democratic mandate is not gained by force or coercion. If the desire to win election is strictly based on our wish to take care of the people’s needs and not to satisfy some selfish desires of our own, then we should allow the people to choose who they want in an atmosphere devoid of fear or ran-

cour. The Speaker who lamented that Nigeria has few role model described Justice Akanbi as a shining example of patriotism who must be celebrated. Justice Akanbi urged INEC to organise a fraud-free election beginning with governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti states slated for June and August. He said: “we are all aware of the controversies that surrounded the last election in Anambra state which compelled Jega to conduct ‘supplementary polls’. True as Jega said, there can hardly be a perfect election anywhere in the world but our clamour is that INEC should endeavour to

achieve a near perfect election which will fulfil the aspiration of the majority of Nigerians and ensure that in future elections, there would be no repeat performance of what happened in Anambra state. “Until the one-man-one-vote is truly established in this country, the so much desired peace, stability and progress may continue to elude us. This is because those who are not justifiably elected find themselves in power and because they owe no allegiance to the electorate they continue to amass wealth to bribe their way through other forthcoming elections,” Justice Akanbi added.

Enugu attack: ‘We want to reaffirm Biafra’s independence’

PAN-BIAFRA organisation, the Biafra Zionist Federation (BZF), formerly Biafra Zionist Movement (BZM), led by British trained lawyer Benjamin Onwuka, has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Enugu Government House. The group said its motive was to hoist the Biafra flag and “reconfirm the independence of the Republic of Biafra.” Over 500 members of the Biafra Zionist Federation were arrested and detained by the police on November 5, 2012, at Enugu, after it re-declared the Republic of Biafra. Members said Nigeria “must vacate Biafra by March 31 and failure to do so will result in a blood bath.” Onwuka, who led the Enugu invasion, told reporters in Enugu that “since January 12, 1970, the Biafra flag has never rested in Government House, Enugu, which is the Biafra’s centre of power.” He said they were unarmed, saying they only brought flags, sticks and ropes to hoist the flags, which also included that of Israel. “We don’t know how the police came up with the story of machetes, cutlasses and charms.” Onwuka said: “What we did on March 8 was to re-confirm the

From Chris Oji, Enugu

independence of the Republic of Biafra, which we successfully did. We didn’t attack the Government House. But we captured it for the Biafra people. We battled for four hours from 3 a.m. By 7 a.m., we retreated because we didn’t have any weapons, to avoid loss of life. “And the reason why we did it was to show the Biafra people that the hope of Biafra is still alive. And nothing shall quench the aspirations of the people to be independent. And that independence has resurrected. So the Biafra flag was raised at the Government House on March 8. And I, Benjamin Igwe Onwuka led the operation.” The group warned the police to free four of their members. “Those boys must be freed now because what Nigeria is going to face soon would not be forgotten easily. It called for the unity of panBiafra organisations, such as MASSOB, MEND, Bakassi Peninsular Boys, Zionism and others. The BZF, which drew a new map of Biafra, including Benue, Kogi, Delta, Edo, Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Anambra, Enugu, Imo, Abia and southern Ondo, said there was no division among these groups.

Govt approves forensic audit of NNPC account Continued on page 2

cial banks to open up their books to unravel the whereabouts of the “missing” funds whether $49.8 Billion, $12 Billion or $20 Billion, ultimately

led to his suspension. “He also continues to make the mischievous claim that the government is somehow involved in a scam to divert huge sums of money from the Federation Account through the mis-

appropriation of kerosene subsidy funds.” According to Abati, relevant committees of the National Assembly are still investigating the claims and that the suspended CBN governor is free to give ev-

idence before them to back up his allegations. “The Presidency condemns Mallam Sanusi’s resort to playing politics with serious national issues. His suggestion that the phantom missing funds

may have been diverted to fund campaigns for next year’s general elections is mischievous, irresponsible and designed to incite other political parties and members of the public against the Federal Government.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

www.thenationonlineng.net

TOMORROW IN THE NATION

‘‘The evils the late Abacha committed are more than the good he purportedly did for which the government honoured him. The honour does not fit him. It is like putting a necklace on a pig.’ THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL.9, NO.2,786

C OMMENT & D EB ATE EBA

AST week, the All Progressives Congress (APC), the main opposition party, unveiled its manifesto in Abuja. As I have not yet seen or read the full document, my comments on it are limited to media reports on the manifesto that highlighted a social welfare vision of the party for Nigeria. This includes the party’s strategies on job creation, the fight against rising public corruption, the poor and deteriorating social and physical infrastructure, the creation of state police, widespread insecurity in the state, and greater transparency in government. It is definitely time for change in Nigeria and the urgent resolution of these long standing challenges is critical to Nigeria’s future progress and stability. The manifesto is wide ranging and should enjoy mass electoral appeal in the country. But there are some inexplicable and puzzling gaps in the manifesto. Omitted from it are such contentious but crucial issues as fiscal federalism, a parliamentary versus a presidential system of government, federal-state relations, and the frightening rot in the energy and oil sectors of the economy. The manifesto is also silent on the need for the political restructuring of the country and on the need for a review of revenue allocation between the centre and the states. Evidently the party could not reach a consensus on these controversial issues. We eagerly await the manifesto of the PDP, the ruling party, which has been in power since 1999, during which its performance has been less than satisfactory, and well below the expectations of even its own supporters. But the APC manifesto remains only a promise of what the party will do if it wins next year’s general elections. This promise cannot be fulfilled if the APC loses next year’s presidential election. In states controlled by the APC in the Southwest, most of the strategies outlined by the party in its manifesto are already being implemented with positive results. The physical transformation in those states, particularly in Lagos and Edo, is quite impressive. There can be no doubt that in those states there is a far greater commitment to developing a better infrastructure and laying a solid foundation for the future economic progress and social welfare of the people of the states. Outside the Southwest, a few other states have shown a similar commitment to promoting economic growth and the welfare of the people. Northern governors announced recently, but somewhat belatedly, that secondary education in their states would now be free. It should have been made free long before now. A greater spread of this commitment by the states is necessary for the overall development of the nation. However, the leaders of the APC still have a lot of work to do on their manifesto to make it more credible. The cost implications of the political agenda have to be carefully worked out to ensure that it is sustainable and that the resources for implementing the social aspects of the programme are available. All the governments of the federation are facing a severe cash crunch caused by declining oil revenues, massive scams in the critical oil sector, and colossal financial management at the centre. A few weeks ago, Governor Fashola of Lagos State complained publicly that, due to the fall in the

RIPPLES WOMEN JOIN MEN TO SIT ON TRAIN ROOFS–News

..Yes, ‘AREA WOMEN’

DAPO FAFOWORA

FROM THE SUMMIT dapo.fafowora@thenationonlineng.net

APC’s Vision for Nigeria The Development of a Welfare State

revenue of the states, specifically the federally allocated revenue on which virtually all the states depend, he was short of funds to continue with some of the social and economic programmes of Lagos State. Virtually all the states governments find themselves in this situation and, regrettably, have had to cut back on their public spending, even for laudable projects. Some states have already cut their wage bills by half. There is a high probability that this deplorable financial state of affairs will continue for some time. The nation depends mostly on its revenue from oil exports. But some twenty percent of this possible revenue is currently being lost to oil bunkering and other scams in the oil sector. The NNPC has remained largely unaccountable. So, revenue from oil exports is not meeting the set target, despite the rise in global oil prices. Though commendable, the APC will need to look carefully again at some aspects of its social welfare programme to ensure that the financial resources to implement them are available. Specifically, I refer to the plan of paying the poorest 25 million people in the nation a monthly allowance of N5, 000, and the payment for a whole year of ex-Youth Corp members who are unable to find jobs. Together, this will

cost the nation over N2 trillion or nearly half of the total federal budget for 2014. These are quite impressive proposals which have some electoral appeal. But the cost involved will be quite staggering and unsustainable. The APC will need to review this proposal more carefully. Of course, it will be argued that the resources are available, that the economy is growing, and that what is required at all levels of government in Nigeria is less public corruption and a better and more prudent management of our financial resources. But the same objective of reducing the prevailing mass poverty in the country through the proposed financial handouts can be realised by promoting economic policies and strategies that will lead to the creation of more jobs in the private sector, through increased foreign investment in the country. This can be achieved by improving the woeful infrastructure, and by promoting a greater transparency in governance in the country. The same objective of reducing the widespread mass poverty in the country can also be achieved by reducing the widening income gap in the nation between the rich and the poor, particularly in the public sector where income disparities are immense. The ratio of minimum and maximum wage in the public sector is as high as 1: 1,000. And this does not even include the opportunity for graft and unearned income to which highly paid public servants and the rich have easy access. In the rich countries the ratio is 1:5. At less than US$3 per day, minimum wage in Nigeria is very low. Fresh University graduates get a little bit more. Unemployment is estimated at over 30 per cent. There is no moral or even economic justification for this huge income gap. Governments in poor countries tend to deliberately keep labour costs low in the expectation that this will lead to increased demand for labour and attract more foreign investment. But experience in poor countries where labour is generally cheap does not sup-

HARDBALL

OULD the second bridge across the River Niger turn out a bridge too far? Remember the 1977 WWll epic of the above title based on a book also of the same title by Cornelius Ryan? It was a story of an ill-fated attempt by the Allied Forces to go behind the Germans lines by taking a bridge at Arnhem, deep inside the Netherlands. It was termed “Operation Market Garden”. The operation turned out calamitous and failed woefully. The story of the second bridge across the River Niger at Onitsha in a sense, also reminds of a bridge too far scenario. It is an ‘operation’ that has been conceptualised a long time ago but has been caught up in the mire of PDP election politics and defeated by the insouciance of a groveling Igbo elite. The bridge has also become a metaphor for and a joke on the Igbo race. It is indeed a bridge too far and a joke gone humourless. Last Monday, President Goodluck Jonathan had gathered a motley crowd of governors, PDP chieftains and other bigwigs at the bank of the river at Ogbaru to lay the foundation for the second bridge to rise from Delta State to Anambra. It was a large ceremony in

A bridge too far? which eulogies were chanted and backs were patted. The gullible would think the bridge had already been built and was being commissioned for use. One of the prominent Igbo leaders present described the project as a dream realised and commended the leadership qualities of President Jonathan whom he said had demonstrated an uncommon love for Ndigbo. But this is not the first time this manner of show has been staged. In May 2007, a few days before he reluctantly left office, former President Olusegun Obasanjo also flagged-off this bridge in an elaborate ceremony promising that it would be a public-private financed affair to be completed in a few years. A few months after Obasanjo left office, it turned out that he had shamelessly perpetrated a scam as there was no plan or design or even file of the second Niger bridge job in the Ministry of Works. Obasanjo only managed to hoodwink

LAWAL OGIENAGBON

port this view. Cheap labour is just one of several other factors that attract foreign investment into a country. In fact, such a strategy constrains productivity. It leads to frequent labour strikes and these impede economic growth. The APC should pursue an alternative strategy on public wages. It should increase the minimum wage and reduce the remuneration of highly paid officials in the public sector, particularly the pay of those in the executive and legislative branches of government. Better pay for the workers will increase their spending and stimulate the economy. This is not simply a moral issue. Better wages for workers will improve productivity in all sectors of the economy. Economic growth in Nigeria will be even faster. A prosperous, stable and secure state cannot be built on the foundation of such economic injustice. It is this injustice that accounts for the high crime rate in the country, and why our homes and streets are no longer safe. It is the source of murders, kidnappings, and armed robberies in our country. In a way, even Boko Haram is a manifestation of this social injustice. It is no accident that it is in the North East of Nigeria, the poorest part of the country, that it has had some appeal and success. Religious extremism feeds on wide spread poverty and income inequalities. These tend to attract the poor. Religious fanatics and extremists use these social and economic inequalities in the state to foster social grievances. A national consensus on the need for the creation of state police has emerged. This will improve state security and reduce the coercive powers of the federal government. This is an agenda item that the APC should encourage its delegates at the National Conference to pursue vigorously in concert with the delegates of other states in support of the idea of a state police. As I write this, the APC has not yet nominated its two delegates to the Conference. But it is well represented by APC delegates from the states controlled by the party. They should not compromise on this issue. Whatever it may think about the prospects of the national conference, the APC, as the main opposition party, should seek to be more actively involved in its deliberations. It should be at the table when critical issues on the new Nigerian Constitution are being debated. As a blueprint for social and economic development, the APC manifesto is sound. But as the leaders of the APC should know from Nigeria’s recent political history, party manifestoes do not necessarily win elections in Nigeria. If it is any guide, the experience of Chief Awolowo and his UPN is instructive. Given the ethnic character of Nigerian politics, local issues, even at the state level, as well as political alignments, are far more critical in winning elections than a manifesto, no matter how appealing and promising it is. That is where elections are won or lost. • For comments, send SMS to 08054503031

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above pliable Igbo leaders whom he had promised the bridge during the campaigns of 2003 and 2007. The same pathetic scenario plays out as Jonathan had promised he would build this bridge during the 2011 electioneering. Indeed, he had promised it would be completed before the end of his tenure. Now as the tenure ends and he reckons he would be put on the spot should he return to campaign in Igboland soon, a flag-off was hurriedly organised. For all of three years this project was forgotten! How are we sure it is not another Obasanjo scam? Gullible Ndigbo are supposed to vote Jonathan for flagging off a project. Supposing he does not win in the next election would this project become a nullity? More fundamentally, a second bridge across the great River Niger like every other federal project is a duty the Federal Government owes Nigerians; it is not a privilege to Ndigbo as Igbo leaders have been deceived to think. Finally, Hardball henceforth decrees an embargo on the flagging off of projects with fanfare. It has been determined that such projects are often not completed. Will this be another bridge too far?

Published and printed by Vintage Press Limited. Corporate Office: 27B Fatai Atere Way, Matori, Lagos. P.M.B. 1025,Oshodi, Lagos. Telephone: Switch Board: 01-8168361. Editor Daily:08099365644, Marketing: 01-8155547 . Abuja Office: Plot 5, Nanka Close AMAC Commercial Complex, Wuse Zone 3, Abuja. Tel: 07028105302. Port Harcourt Office: 12/14, Njemanze Street, Mila 1, Diobu, PH. 08023595790. WEBSITE: www.thenationonlineng.net E-mail: info@thenationonlineng.net ISSN: 115-5302 Editor: GBENGA OMOTOSO