The Nation March 18, 2013

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

Alamieyeseigha: CPC seeks Jonathan’s sack •Ex-heads of state under attacks

Dana Air’s licence suspended NEWS Page 60

NEWS

•NCAA raises safety concerns

Page 60

www.thenationonlineng.net

VOL. 8, NO. 2431 MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

On fast lane: U Crazy world of hackers, fraudsters

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

NTIL last week, Uche Nwakor, 27, Ejikeme Oluchukwu, 30, Ifeanyi Ejikeme, 28, Nnamani Ikechukwu,30, and Ibe Kodili, lived like kings in the Government Reserved Area of Enugu. They had eight exotic cars in their garage. Yet, they had no known means of livelihood.

When operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) swooped on them, $8,227, eight exotic cars, nine laptops, 21 mobile phones, two Internet routers and one currency counter were seized from them.

Hope Olusegun Aroke, 25, is facing trial for allegedly defrauding many

N150.00

people. The indigene of Okene, Kogi State, who claimed to be a student, cruised about town in three exotic cars - a Mercedes Benz SUV, a 4Matic Mercedes Benz and a Range Rover Sport.

His trial, alongside a Bureau de Change operator, began in January.

They are just two of the large army of hackers,

fraudsters and fraudulent bankers who have stepped up their game and giving the country a bad name. How do they do it? Who and who have fallen victim? How can you protect yourself against fraudsters?

Welcome to the world of fraudsters on

PAGES 2,3&8

Boko Haram crisis: Nigeria summons US ambassador His comment ‘unacceptable’ Seven hostages’ bodies not yet found

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IGERIA has summoned United States Ambassador Terence McCulley over his comment on the Boko Haram insurgency.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, who invited the Ambassador, discussed with him his comment, which the government said it was not comfortable with.

But a government source

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

said despite the interaction, there was no strain in the two countries’ relationship.

Speaking in a telephone conference with journalists from four locations in West Africa on Thursday, Ambassador McCulley said: “The Boko Haram phenomenon has not stopped as a result of the operation going on in northern Mali. I do believe that Nigerians feel that there

Senators, Reps give conditions to pass PIB

is a link between extremist activity in the Sahel and in their internal extremist insurgency.

“The government of Nigeria clearly needs to address this issue with what we call a multi-pronged approach that focuses generally on the security threat that Boko Haram represents. Also, in addressing economic and social conditions that exist in the North, communicating to

northern populations, who have suffered most from the deprivations of these extremist attacks.”

A source in the ministry, who pleaded not to be named because he is not authorised to speak officially, said: “It was shocking to the government for the Ambassador to have faulted our approach to the Boko Haram crisis. Apart from demanding a new approach to Boko Haram, he ex-

pressed doubts that the ongoing intervention in Mali might not solve the crisis.

“We felt the Ambassador did not explore appropriate diplomatic channels to air his views on such a volatile matter.

“But when the Ambassador came, he told the Minister that he was misquoted. He took time to explain what he meant during a telephonic conference call with journal-

ists.

“So far, I can tell you that the Foreign Affairs Minister and the Ambassador had fruitful interaction.

There is no cause for alarm at all in our relationship with the US.” Asked if it was right to invite the Ambassador, the source asked: “Is it bad to seek clarification on any issue or comment? We Continued on page 4

THE PEOPLE’S POPE

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

A

LTHOUGH the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) has scaled through second reading, North’s senators have not given up on their opposition to its passage.

They have reduced their demands to two, which they said the National Assembly must address before passing the bill into law.

The demands are the removal of the discretionary power given to the Minister of Petroleum Resources to determine royalty and the 10 per cent Host Community Fund, which will give oil producing states more revenue than the 19 states in the North.

They are seeking, also, the reduction of the powers of the Minister of Petroleum Resources as contained in the bill.

The senators have become positive about the bill, but their counterparts in the House are still uncomfortable with it.

The two demands were the highlights of a session of the Northern Senators Forum held in Abuja last week.

Although the meeting was stormy on why the Chairman of the Forum, Senator Umaru Continued on page 4

•Pope Francis waving to the crowd at St Peter’s Square during his first Angelus prayer at the Vatican...yesterday. Story on page 59

PHOTO: AFP

•SPORTS P23 •CEO P32 •LABOUR P37 •POLITICS P43 •MOTORING P45

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

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NEWS Ho w to bea How beatt ATM fr audster s fraudster audsters

Take precautions Debit/credit cards and their PINs must be private and ensure you register your mobile number with the bank, so that you get an SMS in case of transaction from your account.

Freeze transaction In case a message is received on the use of debit or credit card on your mobile phone, get the bank to freeze all future transactions and tell the police.

Check that ATM Before inserting your card in the ATM, run your finger over the slot used for inserting the card; if there is any device for stealing data, it would fall off.

Contact card provider Contact your card provider if you suspect any ATM has been tampered with. Call up the customer care people and even inform the security guard at the ATM.

Hackers, fraudsters Hackers and fraudsters have stepped up their game.

A combination of weak internal control systems, abuse of technological loopholes and outright forgeries make many Nigerians, foreigners and banks lose cash running into billions to fraudsters annually, reports Assistant Editor (News) OLUKOREDE YISHAU cases of e-mail spoofing and account takeover by suspected fraudsters.

The trend, according to the commission, targets influential personalities in government and professionals.

The commission said it has assumed a frightening dimension in recent times, with many losing their emails to the fraudsters who deploy the accounts to various nefarious ends, including soliciting funds from friends and acquaintances of the owners of the accounts.

Acting Head, Media & Publicity, EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren said: “The commission observed that Yahoo account owners are the most vulnerable to this scam, which has brought much agony to the victims. So far, efforts to engage Yahoo to rein in the perpetrators of this heinous crime has not yielded any fruit. Yet their activities continue to pose grave threats to the image and integrity of the nation.

“In view of this, the possibility of a class action suit against Yahoo by victims, who have suffered severe emotional and financial losses arising from the actions of the hackers, may not be ruled out.

“Nevertheless, local banks that have cooperated with the commission in the investigation of cases of spoofing deserve commendation for their diligence and sense of responsibility.”

The latest Symantec Internet Security Threat Report, which ranks countries with the greatest internet security threat, also confirms the EFCC’s position that cybercrime seems to be at its peak.

Four days ago, the commission arrested five suspected internet fraudsters in Enugu, Enugu State.

They were picked up from their hide out at No. 26 and 42, Chimaobi Uba Street, GRA, Enugu.

The suspects are Uche Nwakor, 27; Ejikeme Oluchukwu, 30; Ifeanyi Ejikeme, 28;Nnamani Ikechukwu,30, and Ibe Kodili.

They are alleged to be serial scammers who have defrauded several victims through hacking and forgeries.

Some of the items recovered from the suspects include $8,227, eight exotic cars, nine laptops, 21 mobile phones, two internet routers and one currency counter.

Other items found with the suspects include various bank cheques, ATM cards, a black traveling bag with 12 identity cards, a company metal seal and two international passports belonging to the same person, among other items.

It is not only hackers that are on the prowl.

An aide of a governor in the Southwest is yet to unravel how his stolen Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card was used for online purchases when the thieves were ignorant of his password.

He was in Cape Town, South Africa when he discovered that his wallet was missing. In it were his ATM

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L

AGOS lawyer Bamidele Aturu had unusually heavy incoming calls on January 11. Before he finished answering one call, another was waiting.

Earlier that day, his friends and colleagues had received a mail, telling them he was in distress.

The mail said the lawyer was out of the country, in desperate financial situation and needed N120, 000.

Not a few crosschecked with Aturu and it turned out his email account had been compromised by fraudsters.

The fraudsters, in their e-mail messages, asked that the money be paid into a First Bank and a Diamond Bank accounts. To beat them to the game, Aturu and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) hatched a plot. The banks were asked to flag the accounts.

The operation led to the arrest of two suspects, Onuabuike Chukuebuka and Izuchukwu Emewulu. They appeared last Tuesday before Justice Olasumbo Olarenwaju Goodluck of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on a five-count charge bordering on intent to defraud and obtain money by false pretence. The case will resume April 30.

Like Aturu, two editors, Gbenga Omotoso of The Nation and Ikechukwu Amaechi of Daily Independent, have had their e-mails hacked into.

The fraudsters told contacts on Omotoso’s mail that he was out of the country and needed money to solve his cousin’s medical issue. His phone kept ringing and he had to send bulk sms to friends and colleagues dissociating himself from the mail.

They also used the health joker in Amaechi’s case. They said he was away for dialysis and that an agent clearing the car he shipped needed N144,000, which he could not raise because he was in the hospital.

Public relations consultant Cdon Adinuba also fell victim on February 1. The scam mail was entitled: ‘Important matters,’ in which they requested N200,000 to be paid to his client in Nigeria. They said he was outside the country and could not do online transfer because his “token device” had been misplaced.

A former governorship candidate and publisher, Chief Ikechi Emenike, also had his e-mail hacked into by fraudster, who said he was stranded outside the country and needed money urgently.

Also caught in the web of the scammers is a chieftain of Aka Ikenga, Chief Goddy Uwazurike, who the fraudsters said needed N105,000 for a cousin’s lower uterine fibroid surgery.

There are several others, who have had their mails hacked into by these desperados who seem to have found in hacking an escape route from the fading scam letters to foreigners.

The EFCC believes there are rising

While I was in my house, I received an alert on my phone that the sum of N20, 000 was being withdrawn from my account. I never made any withdrawal with my ATM and I was more shocked when on reporting to the bank, I was told that I actually made the withdrawal with my ATM card. The bank could do nothing to help me since the records showed that my ATM made the withdrawal; but how this was done, I could not explain

‘

cards. He contacted his bank through the electronic mail, asking that his account be blocked so that no fraudulent transaction could be carried out on it with the stolen card. The aide to a governor, who prefers anonymity, also contacted a friend who was to take a letter to his branch for the same purpose. But before the friend could take the letter to the branch of the bank on Allen Avenue, Lagos, there was a mail from the bank to the effect that the account had been blocked and no transaction could be carried out on it.

The embargo on the account would only be lifted after he must have presented a letter to his branch, the e-mail explained.

But to his shock, the day after he got the mail, his card was used to pay for an online purchase. As if that was not enough, the thief also used the card to make another online payment the day after. They circumvented his password.

It took his wife’s visit to the Operations Manager of his branch before the account was restricted.

Fraudulent bankers are also catching in on weak internal controls put in place by their employers. A source at the Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Ikoyi, Lagos confirmed that bankers top the list of most wanted persons in the country.

Hadiza Abdullahi, a customer of the defunct Oceanic Bank Plc (now

Ecobank Plc), had fixed N40 million in the bank in 2010 and was rest assured her money was intact. But she was soon shocked when her signature was forged and her money developed wings.

She shares similar fate with Yusuf Saleh Dunari, whose signature was forged and his N245million in a fixed deposit account in Oceanic Bank was withdrawn without his consent. He also lost another N30 million deposited in another fixed deposit account in the bank.

The then branch manager, Usman Salifu, is accused of having a hand in both cases. Justice Dije Aboki of the Kano State High Court is trying to resolve the matter.

Mrs. Olubukola Nwoke lost N6 million deposited in a Diamond Bank account. The business manager of her branch is accused of being behind the theft.

Cases of fraud by “smart alecs”, who either hide under the anonymity of the cyber space or outright forgeries, seem to be on the increase.

Though the statistics for last year are still being compiled, snippets from insiders indicate that they are not going to be cheering— no thanks to the inability of banks to tame internet banking cheats and shady officials who suppress customer deposits.

ATM fraud and fraudulent transfers/withdrawals contribute a chunk

of what fraudsters squeeze out of the economy regularly.

The fraud statistics for the last four years are scary: In 2011, there were 2,352 fraud cases involving N28.40 billion in banks.

This figure represents “an increase of 53.5 per cent over the number of reported fraud cases of 1,532 in 2010.” Not all the attempts were successful, but in the long run, about N4.071 billion was lost to fraudsters.

According to the latest report of the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), there were 738 ATM frauds; 331 fraudulent transfers/withdrawals, 280 cases of presentation of forged cheques, 240 cases of outright theft, 219 incidents of suppression of customer deposit, 123 cases of fraudulent conversion of cheques, 112 non-dispensing of money but registered by the Electronic Journal and 108 cases of internet fraud.

More bankers in the year chose to be dubious. Of the 2,352 fraud cases recorded, 498 were attributed to staff collusion, which showed an increase of 141 from 357 cases in 2010. This represents 39 per cent increase from the previous year.

In 2009, N7.5 billion was lost to reported cases of fraud. In 2008, N17.5 billion was siphoned by fraudsters and in 2007, N2.9 billion was lost to reported cases of fraud.

Significantly, a source told The Nation that the NDIC reports do not contain all cases of frauds in the banks. The source said many banks, for fear of attracting negative publicity, hide cases of frauds, either by outsiders or members of staff.

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

3

NEWS

der

you ered care urity

Ho w ATM fr aud How fraud is committed

Stealing information Frauds install equipment on bank ATM to lift both the ATM information and the PIN code, which they end up using to steal from the acount holders.

Disguised spy The equipment used to capture your ATM card number and PIN is cleverly disguised to look like normal ATM equipment.

Skimmer

This is an equipment fraudsters have been known to use to collect card PIN and others. The unscrupulous staff at POS point could swipe it on a small 'skimmer' machine.

Cloning

The unscrupulous staff at POS point take a new card and transfer the data on it. The frauds produce a cloned ATM card and use it at another ATM to withdraw money or use it for shopping.

step up their game The fast lane, their only lane

By Olukorede Yishau

T

•The suspected hackers/ forgers (left) arrested by the EFCC last week in Enugu, with a Range Rover Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) and an Hyundai salon car (right).

PHOTOS: EFCC

ATM fraud

A

LAGOS lawyer, Mr Mike Dugeri, was at home not long ago when he received an alert that he had just withdrawn N20,000 from his account.

Dugeri said: “These criminals now go as far as hacking pin numbers of Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards of individuals. The situation bothers me personally, especially as I have been a victim of ATM fraud. While I was in my house, I received an alert on my phone that N20, 000 was being withdrawn from my account. I never made any withdrawal with my ATM and I was more shocked when on reporting to the bank, I was told that I actually made the withdrawal with my ATM card.

“Although the withdrawal was fraudulent, the bank could do nothing to help me since the records showed that my ATM made the withdrawal; but how this was done, I could not explain.

“These Internet hackers are smart and fast and I think it is time for the authorities to treat Internet fraud as a major issue.”

A student, Ogechi Onyemem, also fell victim of fraudsters, who stole her ATM card and withdrew N101, 000 from her account.

The latest report of the NDIC shows that there were 738 ATM frauds. Going by the country’s lack of respect for record keeping, many obviously were left unreported

by victims.

Johnson Olabode Adeoti of the Business Administration Department, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, said: “card jamming, shoulder surfing and stolen ATM cards constitute 65.2 per cent of ATM frauds in Nigeria.”

Adeoti, who did a research on ATM fraud, explained the various means through which people are defrauded, using the ATM. He said: “Shoulder Surfing is a fraud method in which the ATM fraudster uses a giraffe method to monitor the information the customer keys in into the ATM machine, unknown to the customers; using stolen cards is a situation in which the ATM card of a customer is stolen and presented by a fake presenter; card jamming is once the ATM card is jammed, a fraudster pretending to be a genuine sympathiser will suggest that the victim re-enter his or her security code. When the card holder ultimately leaves in despair, the fraudster retrieves the card and enters the code that he has doctored clandestinely; and use of fake cards is when fraudsters use data collected from tiny cameras and devices called ‘skimmers’ that capture and record bank account information.”

Adeoti added: “Duplicate ATMs is when the fraudsters use a software which records the passwords typed on those machines. Thereafter, duplicate cards are manufactured and

money is withdrawn with the use of stolen passwords. Sometimes, such frauds are insiders’ job, with the collusion of the employees of the company issuing the ATM cards; and card swapping is a card theft trick whereby a fraudster poses as a “Good Samaritan” after forcing the ATM to malfunction and then uses a sleight of hand to substitute the customer’s card with an old bank card. As the customers is endlessly trying to push the card through, the fraudster offers assistance by pretending to help the customer push through the card.”

But nemesis sometimes catches up with these fraudsters.

The long arm of the law caught up with an ATM fraudster, Auwalu Ibrahim, on January 31. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment with the option of N250,000 fine by Justice Farouq Lawan of the Federal High Court, Kano, for stealing N4,524,000 between May 30, 2010 and February 25, 2011 via a debit card fraud.

He pleaded guilty to the one count charge preferred against him by the EFCC. A Zenith Bank security guard, who allegedly stole a customer’s ATM card and withdrew N140,000, was on February 6 charged before an Abule-Egba Senior Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.

The accused, Prestly Akathor, 36, who lives at No. 22, Ajeigbe Street,

Abule-Egba, is standing trial on two counts of felony and theft.

Police prosecutor Rachael Williams said Akathor committed the offences on January 27 at Zenith Bank, AbuleEgba, Lagos at 3.40 p.m.

He said: “Akathor had assisted one Mrs Gloria Ebije, a Zenith Bank customer, in using the ATM machine but was later told off by the customer when his actions were suspicious. The customer’s ATM card later got stuck in the machine and she was told by the accused to go home and come back the following day. But before she got home, a debit alert of N140, 000 was sent to her,” the prosecutor said.

Akathor pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him.

How they hack

N

IGERIA occupies the 59th position in the latest Symantec Internet Security Threat Report. It has moved six positions up the ladder globally among countries with the greatest internet security threat.

By the admission of stakeholders in the industry, hacking into e-mail accounts and systems of big organisations play a big role in fraud.

Regularly, many get e-mails supposedly from a friend or colleague saying he is in distress and needs finanContinued on page 8

HEY are not difficult to know.

At least to their neigbours.

What is most times difficult is evidence to prove that they are not real.

They drive good cars, wear nice clothes and usually don’t have any clear source of cash to support their extravagant lifestyle.

If a search is conducted on their flats, items, such as various bank cheques, ATM cards, identity cards, internet modems, international passports belonging to the same person, but with different names are bound to be found.

Welcome to the world of fraudsters, the men on the fast lane who love everything big— big and glittering necklaces, big cars, big babes and big risk.

For a long time, some residents of the upscale 1004 Housing Estate, Victoria Island, Lagos had been amazed about the lifestyle of Hope Olusegun Aroke. The 25-year-old indigene of Okene, Kogi State, who claimed to be a student of Computer Science at the Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan University, Malaysia, was living life to the full.

He cruised about town in three exotic cars - a Mercedes Benz SUV, a 4Matic Mercedes Benz and a Range Rover Sport SUV. The music stopped for Aroke some days before the end of last year and peace has since eluded him. His trial, alongside a Bureau De Change operator, who helped him change money, began in January.

Another ‘friend’ of Aroke, Tunde Wasiu Sodiq, 23, claimed to be an undergraduate of Brandry University, Malaysia. He was paying N30, 000 daily on accommodation in a luxury apartment at the 1004 Flats.

He was painting the town red in a Range Rover Sport car, with his alias, “T.Wizzle” inscribed on the number plate .

Their reign came to an end when some residents petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) about their questionable lifestyle.

A search conducted by the EFCC operatives at Aroke’ s apartment led to the recovery of several items, such as laptops, iPad phones, travelling documents, cheque books, flash drives, internet modem and the three exotic cars, which he said belonged to his United Kingdom-based sister.

Documents downloaded from the laptops recovered from Aroke showed that he was a man of questionable ways.

Like Olusegun and Sodiq, Uche Nwakor, 27, Ejikeme Oluchukwu, 30, Ifeanyi Ejikeme, 28, Nnamani Ikechukwu,30, and Ibe Kodili, who were arrested in Enugu, Enugu State four days ago, also lived beyond their means.

Some of the items recovered from the suspects include $8,227, eight exotic cars, nine laptops, 21 mobile phones; two internet routers and one currency counter.

Other items found with the suspects include bank cheques, ATM cards, a black travelling bag with 12 identity cards, a company metal seal, two international passports belonging to the same person, among other items.

The commission plans to take them to court soon.

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THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

NEWS Boko Haram crisis: Nigeria summons US ambassador Continued from page 1

•From left: Mr. Jibril Aku, Managing Director, EcoBank Nigeria, Ms. Sophie Bussmann Kemdjo, Senior Community Manager, World Economic Forum, Mr. Thierry Tanoh, Group E.C.O. Ecobank Transnational, Mr. Kolapo Lawson, Chairman ETI, Ms. Elsie Kanza, Director, Head of Africa World Economic Forum at the forum on Africa 2013 CEO brainstorming session in Lagos.

PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS

Tukur takes PDP’s peace drive to Southsouth

P

ARTY chiefs moved fast yesterday to dispel the rumour that two governors walked out of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Southsouth zonal meeting in Port Harcourt.

Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and his Delta State counterpart Emmanuel Uduaghan left before the meeting ended.

Their exit during Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio’s speech was misinterpreted by some party leaders as a walk-out on the meeting presided over by National Chairman Bamanga Tukur to reconcile aggrieved members of the party.

The meeting was held at the Alfred Diette-Spiff Centre, near

From Bisi Olaniyi and Precious Dike, Port Harcourt

the Government House.

The Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Rivers State, George Ukwuoma-Nwogba, denied that it was a walkout. He described the exit of Amaechi and Uduaghan as “a mere coincidence”.

Ukwuoma-Nwogba, in a telephone interview, said: “Governors Amaechi and Uduaghan did not walk out on Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and other leaders of the PDP. What happened was a mere coincidence.

“Governor Uduaghan had an urgent matter to attend to in Delta State and he took permis-

sion from the national chairman to leave the meeting. As the host, Governor Amaechi had to see him off.”

Ukwuoma-Nwogba added that the PDP’s meeting would continue at the Brick House (Government House), Port Harcourt last night. He insisted that all was well.

Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson and Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke, who is the chair of Southsouth Governors Forum, were absent.

The PDP controls five of the six states in the Southsouth.

Edo is held by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

The party leadership in the zone was led to the meeting by Deputy National Chairman Dr.

•Tukur

Sam Sam Jaja.

Tukur told PDP members: “Let’s support the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan. This, of course, will make us to build one house for the progress of the party.”

Akpabio donated N1million to the PDP chairmen from each of the six states at the meeting “for lunch”.

Akpabio announced the doContinued on page 61

Senators, Reps give condition to pass PIB Continued from page 1

Dahiru, travelled abroad for a conference when the debate on the bill was before the Senate, wise counsel later prevailed A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “We spent the session to review the debate on the PIB on the floor of the Senate and how an attempt was made to scandalise the North by falsely claiming that its leaders own 83 per cent of the nation’s oil blocks.

“Members of the Forum expressed regrets that their chair-

man travelled out of the country, which led to a gap in reacting to Senator Enang’s wrong impressions created in Nigerians about the North.

“To keep the Forum united, we decided to retain the leadership of the Forum but with a caveat that it should be up and doing.”

On the PIB, another highranking senator said Northern Senators agreed on some merits in it but they listed two conditions which must be fulfilled before it is passed into law.

The source added: “The con-

ditions are the removal of the discretionary power given to Minister of Petroleum Resources to determine royalty and the review of the 10 per cent Host Community Fund, which will give Oil Producing States more revenue than the 19 states in the North.

“We all agreed that the PIB will make a sitting Minister of Petroleum more powerful than the President.

“Once these two issues are addressed, the PIB will receive the support of Northern Senators.”

But while the Senators have soft-pedalled on their opposition to the bill, members of the House of Representatives from the North are opposed to it.

A member of the House, who spoke with our correspondent, said: “We are standing by our position in the document prepared by the Northern Governors Forum and members of the National Assembly from the North.”

He said our grievances are as follows: Continued on page 61

need to find out if the US is not on the same page with us on Boko Haram menace.

“We are concerned because the US is a member of the UN Security Council which approved the intervention in Mali.”

Also on Friday, the Foreign Ministry summoned a top U.S. diplomat over the U.S. Embassy’s Twitter account critical of the unconditional pardon given to former Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, who was convicted on corruption charges.

Two short tweets were published by the U.S. Embassy in Abuja. The first said the U.S. was “deeply disappointed” over the Alamieyeseigha pardon.

The second tweet simply said: “We see this as a setback in the fight against corruption.”

The Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it was urgently calling James P. McAnulty, the U.S. deputy chief of mission, for a meeting. The statement called the U.S. remarks “undue interference and meddlesomeness,” since the president had followed the provision of the Nigerian constitution granting him the power to issue pardons.

“The ministry finally expressed the hope that the embassy of the United States of America would henceforth desist from making unwarranted comments on Nigeria’s internal affairs, which are capable of undermining the friendly relations that exist between them,” the statement said.

The search for the bodies of the seven hostages allegedly killed by Jama’atu Ansarul Musilimina Fi Biladis Sudan (a.k. a Ansaru) has not yielded results.

It was also learnt that US drones are not in Nigeria to track down Boko Haram leaders.

A Foreign Affairs Ministry source, who spoke with our correspondent, said: “The Federal Government is aware that there are US drones in Niger Republic and not in this country as being insinuated.

“We have not entered into any agreement with the US to establish a drone base in this country.

“We understand the ap-

prehension of some Nigerians because we share borders with Niger Republic. So if the drones are patrolling towns and villages close to Nigeria, people are bound to be concerned.”

The search for the bodies of the seven hostages killed by Ansaru has not yielded results.

Besides Nigerian security agencies, all the foreign missions with nationals among the hostages are carrying out investigations into where they were killed, what has become of their bodies and how to retrieve the remains of the victims.

Those purportedly killed were three Lebanese and one each from Britain, Greece, Italy and the Philippines.

They were all employees of SETRACO , a Lebanese construction company.

Also, there were indications that the United Nations might float a peacekeeping operation in Mali from July.

According to the UN news service, the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Edmond Mulet, gave the hint in Bamako on Saturday after a week-long assessment visit to Mali.

Mulet said: “July could see the transfer of African-led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA) to a UN stabilisation mission “Any UN force would be limited and focus on supporting the Malian authorities and protecting civilians.

“The sovereignty of Mali is the main objective of this international support,” Mr. Mulet said.

“It is not to create a buffer between the north and the south. The members of the Security Council and the member states are very clear on the need for Mali to extend its authority over all its territory,” he added.

The News Service said the 15-member UN Security Council would be required to vote on any UN presence in the country.

“That authorization is likely to be up for debate following a report from SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon due on 27 March. Following Security Council approval, it would take approximately another two month to deploy a force to Mali,” the News Service added.

Judgment today in suit seeking Justice Salami’s reinstatement

A

FEDERAL High Court, Abuja, will today deliver judgment in a suit seeking the reinstatement of the suspended President of the Court of Appeal (PCA), Justice Isa Ayo Salami.

Justice Adamu Bello could not deliver the judgment last Monday due to the strike embarked by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).

The plaintiffs are Mr. Jitobo Akanike, Idris Musa, Allens Agbaka, Ibrahim Bawa, Princewill Akpakpan, Obruche Ayeteni, Nosa Ihaza, Timothy Odumosu, Stewart Salomi, Egogo Lawrence and Maxwell Adeniran.

They sued for themselves and on behalf of the Registered Trustees of Centre for the Promotion of Arbitration.

The Defendants are President Goodluck Jonathan, the

From Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

Attorney General of the Federation and Justice Minister, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), the National Judicial Council (NJC) and Justice Salami.

In the suit, the Plaintiffs who are human right activists, are seeking an order of mandamus to compel them to recall Justice Salami from his suspension.

The plaintiffs are contending that Jonathan has breached the Constitution for disregarding the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC).

In the Originating Summons, the Plaintiffs are seeking • a declaration that the national judicial council is the only body that has the sole functions to exercise disciplinary powers over the justices of

the court of appeal and/or the president of the court of appeal.

•a declaration that the refusal of the 3rd defendant to implement the recommendation of its three man panel headed by honourable Justice Aloma Mariam Muhktar (JSC) urging the recall of honourable justice Isa Ayo salami (PCA) as president of the court of appeal constitute a breach of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria as amended.

•An order of mandamus directing the 3rd defendant to implement the recommendation of its three man panel urging the recall of honourable Justice Isa Ayo Salami (PCA) as president of the court of appeal forthwith.

•An order of this honourable court directing the 3rd defendant to recall the 4th defendant

to resume his duties as the president of the court of appeal forthwith.

•A declaration that the president of the federal republic of Nigeria has no power whatsoever and/or howsoever to exercise disciplinary functions over the justices of the court of appeal and or honourable justice Isa Ayo Salami (PCA) the president of the court of appeal •A declaration that the further reappointment and/or approval of the extension of the tenure of the 5th defendant as the acting president of the court of appeal by the 1st defendant is unconstitutional illegal null and void.

•A declaration that any further recommendation made by the 3rd defendant to the 1st defendant for any further appointment of the 5th defendant as the acting president of the

court of appeal is in conflict with relevant constitutional provisions.

•An order of this honourable court restraining the 5th defendant from further acting as the president of the court of appeal.

•An order of perpetual injunction restraining the 1st defendant from further re-appointing the 5th defendant as the acting president of the court of appeal.

•A perpetual injunction restraining the 3rd defendant from further recommending to the 1st defendant the extension or re-appointment of the 5th defendant as the acting president of the court of appeal.

The Plaintiffs want the court to determine •whether the president (1st defendant) by law has any disContinued on page 61

•Justice Salami

ADVERT HOTLINES: 08023006969, 08052592524 NEWSROOM: LAGOS – 01-8962807, ABUJA – 07028105302 COMPLAINTS: 01-8930678

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

5

NEWS

Row in House over plot to stop inauguration of Rep T

HERE is a row in the House of Representatives over the non-swearing in of a former President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Dr. Tony Nwoye, eight months after he was given a Certificate of Return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Some powerful forces in the Southeast Caucus are opposed to the inauguration of Nwoye, despite the directive of the Court of Appeal.

Some members are, however, pushing for his swearing in to show that the House has respect for the judiciary.

Acting on the advice of the Head of Litigation and Counselling at the National Assembly, House Speaker Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal has assured Nwoye of justice.

Nwoye was declared as the valid winner of the 2011 poll into Anambra East/West Federal Constituency by the Federal High Court, Awka on July 13, last year.

The court compelled INEC to recognise Nwoye as the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate for the election instead of Chief Ameke Chriscato Ikechukwu.

Based on the judgment, INEC, on July 16, 2012 issued a Certificate of Return to Nwoye.

But Ikechukwu filed a motion for a stay of execution at the Court of Appeal.

The Court of Appeal, on February 27, struck out the application for a stay for lack of prosecution.

Also, in advice to Tambuwal, through the Clerk to the National Assembly, the Head of Litigation and Counselling Mr. Saleh Abubakar, called for compliance with the decision of the court.

The advice reads in part: “Recall that the Department gave an earlier advice on the above subject matter to the effect that since there was an existing judgment which led to the issuance

T

•Tambuwal promises justice •Speaker meets Southeast Caucus From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

of a Certificate of Return to Tony Nwoye, the said Tony Nwoye be sworn in as the new member representing Anambra East / West Federal Constituency.

“This advice was arrived at then due to the fact that there was an application for Stay of Execution before us.

“Recall further that when we were later put on notice that there was an application for Stay of Execution pending before the Court of Appeal, we advised that until the application was discharged, Hon. Tony Nwoye should not be sworn in and the status quo be maintained pending the outcome of the application.

“However, we have received a letter from Barrister Chuma Oguajiofor, who is representing Tony Nwoye, stating that on 27th of February 2013, the application for Stay of Execution and the Notice of Appeal were struck out by the Court of Appeal Enugu on the ground of lack of prosecution.

“Since this was the only reason why we advised against the swearing in of Hon. Tony Nwoye and that reason is no longer tenable, may I recommend that you advise the Hon. Speaker that Hon. Tony Nwoye be sworn in.”

But all attempts by Nwoye to get inaugurated has been frustrated by some powerful leaders in the Southeast Caucus.

A high-ranking member said: “Some members of the Southeast Caucus are trying to prevail on the House leadership not to swear in Ikechukwu for any other reason other than sheer sentiments of “not losing a committed member.

“I think some members are not just comfortable having Nwoye in the House. It appears to be a carry-over of Anambra’s dirty politics.

“But the Speaker, who met with the Caucus on Wednesday, said ‘I have no order restraining me not to swear in Nwoye.’ This is a matter already settled even by the Supreme Court. I have also been advised by the Legal Unit to swear in Nwoye.

“The Speaker asked the cau-

cus to put its house in order in the interest of justice.”

A source in the House, however, said: “The Speaker has had discussions with the affected Hon. Tony Nwoye and he has assured him that he will ensure justice by respecting the order of the court.

“The delay in inaugurating Nwoye followed the Speaker’s insistence that the course of justice must run its full course to avoid any miscarriage. There was no way the Speaker could rush to swear in Nwoye after the judgment of the Federal High Court without being accused of bias.

“The Speaker is a lawyer who is also a product of justice and fairness in the House. He may overrule the caucus.”

•Vice President Namadi Sambo (left) speaking when he visited visit the Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, to condole with him on the death of his elder brother, Alhaji Umar Idris (Dangaladiman Zazzau and the District Head of Rigasa) at his palace in Zaria...yesterday

From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

by Mr. Tom Chiahemen, Publisher of an Abuja Newspaper, National Accord, published through the social media africanexaminer.com on Thursday, 7th March 2013 and other papers, where he regaled the reading public of his invitation to ICPC. “It is germane to note that ICPC does not publish details of its interrogations so as not to put a suspect or witness at a disadvantage before the court.

“ICPC will not at this time of its existence learn how to write with the ‘left hand’ given its well-known human rights by not lending itself to be used

to either curtail the freedom of citizens or hound perceived political opponents.

“For record purposes, Mr. Chiahemen’s invitation by ICPC’s was at the instance of the Commission’s External Solicitor to clarify certain issues relating to issuance and sighting of receipts in respect of monies paid by the Federal Ministry of Education through Cattigan Communications Limited.

“This is an ongoing case which commenced since February 2010 at High Court 4, Abuja vide Charge CR/44/10: Federal Republic of Nigeria vs Yusuf Agabi, Dr. Okey Ikechukwu and Mr. Stanley Brown (who were at the material time all mem-

bers of Staff or Media Consultant of the Federal Ministry of Education).

“From his media expose, Mr. Chiahemen has averred that at the material time, between 2006 and 2007, he was not only the Chairman of the Cattigan Communications Limited but also a correspondent of Daily Independent Newspapers assigned to cover activities in the Education Sector, as well as being a member of the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ECAN).

“Whilst still functioning in all three capacities, he was in 2006, appointed as a Media Agent by the Ministry of Education. His expose further established the

matrix between his concurrent status as employee, Consultant, FME Agent, ECAN member and the methodology of the procurement and administration of the said media contracts/services in a matter that has been in the court since 2006.

“Since this matter has been in Court since 2010 and therefore subjudice, ICPC calls on discerning Nigerians, and other interested parties like Human Rights Writers Association (HRWA), to note the line of questioning and the responses thereto and make their conclusions on the issues voluntarily broadcast to the world by Mr. Tony Chiahemen on Thursday, 7th March 2013.”

Lagos to Fed Govt: rise to climate change challenges

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ITH a call on the Federal Government to collaborate with Lagos State to reduce the effect of climate change in the nation’s industrial hub, the curtain has dropped on the fifth Climate Change Summit.

The three-day talk shop, orgainised by the Lagos State government at the Eko Hotel & Suites, on Victoria Island, Lagos, drew participants from the environment, housing, transportation and other sectors of the economy.

Environment Commissioner Mr Tunji Bello gave the federal authority the wake-up call to

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

S

ENATE President David Mark has called for the participation of women in parliament and politics to balance the gender sensitivity.

Mark spoke when the Chief Executive Officer of the Westminister Foundation for Democracy, Mrs. Linda Duffield visited him in Abuja, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan.

He noted that the “executive have been able to channel 35 per cent of governmental roles for women whereas in parliament the gesture is still a mirage.”

Mark condemned the impression that politics is dominated by set of individuals in the society and encouraged women to rise to the occasion by competing favourably with the men folk in contesting for elective positions.

He praised the Foundation for focusing on women in parliament, saying such approach would encourage gender balancing in parliamentary procedure to make it more attractive.

The Senate President pointed out that through parliamentary training and skills acquisition as suggested by his guest, “our nascent democracy which is still on the learning core will easily grow to be the pride of all Africans.”

He called for mutual understanding between the civil society groups and parliamentarians in order to tackle the suspicious interest that occasionally resulted into rancor in the discharge of their functions.

Police warn vehicle owners

ICPC: why we grilled newspaper publisher

HE Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related offences Commission (ICPC) yesterday said it invited the publisher of an Abuja newspaper, National Accord, Mr. Tom Chiahemen, for interrogation based on the advice of its external solicitor over an ongoing case.

It said the invitation of the publisher had nothing to do with curtailing the freedom of Chiahemen or hounding of perceived political opponents.

The commission made the clarification in a statement in Abuja by its Head of Media, Mr. Folu Olamiti.

The statement said: “The ICPC is not surprised by the interest generated by the report

Mark makes case for women in parliament

live up to its responsibility by creating more awareness on global warming. The summit had “Vulnerability and Adaptability to Climate Change in Nigeria: Lagos State Transport, Housing and Infrastructure in Focus,” as its theme.

Bello expressed dissatisfaction on the attitude of the Federal Government in handling the climate change issue and reminded it that the effects cut across territorial boundaries.

The commissioner said: “Nigeria is vulnerable to climate change and the impacts are already manifesting in the country. We must find a solution to it

now because of the future generations of our country.”

According to Bello, the primary aim of the annual summit is to create more awareness and change the perception of the Lagos residents so as to find workable solutions to climate change.

He spoke of a plan by the government to develop a work plan on the solutions proffered at the summit before the next edition.

Participants which brought together a broad spectrum of about 1,000 stakeholders, included: federal and state lawmakers, royal fathers, federal, state and council officials, poli-

ticians, members of the academia, representatives of the private sector, local and foreign experts in climate change, NonGovernmental Organisations (NGOs) and environmentalists among others.

In the 13 reconmendations contained in their communiqué, participants urged all tiers of government to properly mainstream climate change into their infrastructural development plans for resilience and sustainability and also make provision for an enabling environment to enable the private sectors aggressively pursue climate change mitigation and ad-

•Bello

aptation initiatives in the interest of green development.

T

HE Lagos State Police Command has warned owners of accidented and abandoned vehicles parked at Isheri Police Station to remove them or lose them to members of the public through auction after 21 days.

They are Mercedez Benz MA02AAA, Volkswagen XN210WKY and Pantex-Forklift

I‘m alive, says Braithwaite

By Emmanuel Oladesu

E

LDERSTATESMAN Dr Tunji Braithwaite is hale and hearty, contrary to the rumour that he is dead.

The foremost lawyer told our correspondent that he was bereaved, stressing that his sister-in-law, and not himself, was dead.

Associates and friends of the politician thronged the Lagos home of the Braithwaites, following the rumour that he was dead. Dr. Braithwaite was surprised to see many people in his residence after he returned from the church. Thanking them for their concern, he explained that the family was only bereaved because of the passing on of Mrs. Braithwaite, his elder brother’s wife.

He said on the phone: “We have been receiving streams of visitors. Nothing is wrong with me. But Mrs. Braithwaite, my elder brother’s wife, had just died. Glory be to God that I am still alive. My reaction to this rumour is very simple. I thank God. I thank journmalists and others who have shown concern. I have just returned from the church; it is natural because the name Braithwaite rings bell”.

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

6

NEWS

ACN: PDP a threat to democracy Our hands are clean, says party T

HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has accused the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of being a threat to democracy.

It alleged that the ruling party is sabotaging the merger of the progressives.

In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party urged lovers of democracy to join in the efforts to stop the PDP and its cohorts from truncating the nation’s democracy.

The party said: ‘’Having misgoverned Nigeria since the country’s return to democratic rule in 1999, the PDP - realising that its time is up - has now resorted to a dangerous game aimed at either keeping the party in power at all costs or crashing the country’s democracy. This is a dangerous game that must be stopped, with the good people of Nigeria, not just the progressives, leading the charge.’’

ACN said the PDP is using some of its members to scuttle the registration of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC). It described this as a throwback to 1993, when the then military junta supported the so-called Association for Better Nigeria (ABN) to scuttle that year’s presidential elections.

The party said the dirty game started by the ABN snowballed into a series of cataclysmic events that culminated in the annulment of what is still widely regarded at the best

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it is not involved in the formation of any other political organisation with the acronym APC. National Publicity Secretary , Olisa Metuh, in a statement in Abuja, said: “Our attention has been drawn to unfounded and vexatious reports claiming that the PDP is behind the identity tug of war by groups claiming the acronym APC. “The reports have suggested that agents of our party are involved in the formation of the African Peoples Congress (APC) to frustrate the merger of opposition parties under the canopy of the All Progressives Congress.’’

He decried the dimension the report had assumed, especially within a section of the online media.

He said contrary to allegations, the PDP e-mail address had never been made available to any external body for the purpose of disseminating information.

“For emphasis, the PDP did not at any time use its email address to circulate the so called APC’s press statement of 15th March 2013.”

Metuh, however, said the PDP usually circulated its statements to a wide network of e-mail contacts and had no control over who chose to make use of them.

“The fact, however, is that the e-mail in question did not originate from our domain.”

He said PDP welcomed a strong and virile opposition and could not be threatened by the emergence of any group.

Metuh added that the party had no cause to frustrate any alliance as it had always defeated such coalitions in the recent past.

He said PDP would remain focused on strengthening its bond with Nigerians.

By Nneka Nwaneri

elections in the country, as well as the ascension into office of a man regarded as the most brutal dictator in the country’s history. ‘’What started as a mere

game of political desperation in 1993 was to set Nigeria back by many decades, and the country is still reeling from the effects of that single act of high treason, sabotage and subterfuge. Sadly, 20 years on, it now seems that our country has

learnt no lessons from what the ABN did, as we are back to another desperate times, with the PDP sponsoring some scumbags to stifle the growth of the country’s democracy,’’ it said.

ACN said there is no doubt, going by the revelations in recent times on the efforts to scuttle the registration of the real APC and the reaction of Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora, that the PDP has finally driven the final nail its own coffin. ‘’The revelations have been mind-boggling: A wellknown PDP hatchet man and a card-carrying member of the party hired the apparently-naive lawyer who filed the phantom APC’s registration request at INEC; An apparent card-carrying member of the PDP working in INEC is the internal contact of the saboteurs; The email addresses used by the phantom APC were culled from that of PDP’s publicity office, while the scallywags who have now donned the garb of ABN (under the African Peoples Congress) made sure to copy their emails to their masters at the PDP! ‘’Equally mind-boggling is how the phantom APC, backed by its contact person in INEC, short-circuited the process of seeking registration by using computer-generated forms and fake signatures, among others. ‘’Ironically, in seeking to stop the All Progressives’ Congress, the PDP has now shot itself in the foot, as discerning

NIIA focuses on Nigerians in foreign prisons

T •Mohammed Nigerians do not believe in its denials of any linkage with the so-called African Peoples Congress. An official of the PDP, employing warped logic at its crudest, even had the temerity to insult Nigerians by suggesting that the opposition may be the one engineering the registration crisis to gain popularity! In any case, what is now happening to the PDP will speed its demise, and that is what happens when desperation clouds the sense of reasoning,’’ the party said.

ACN assures that no amount of underhand tactics will stop the merger of the progressives, who are even stronger now as they have received an overwhelming support and encouragement of Nigerians in the wake of the PDP-orchestrated registration gate. ‘’But we call on all our supporters and indeed all Nigerians to remain vigilant in the days ahead, as eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,’’ it said.

‘Stop use of youths as thugs’

T

HE Senior Special Assistant to the President on Ethics and Values, Mrs. Serah Jibril, has advised politicians to shun the use of youths as thugs to ensure meaningful growth.

Mrs.Jibril spoke yesterday in Abuja when she fielded questions at a forum of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) as part of preparations towards the forthcoming national summit on ethics and values.

The summit will hold in Abuja on March 21. She said the practice of using youths as thugs hindered the growth of ethical values and recommended that culprits should be punished to serve as deterrent.

“It is unethical to use human beings against themselves; to use human beings as destroyers of human lives; to use the youth who are supposed to be leaders of tomorrow as thugs in the name of somebody looking for political power.

“Power is positive a positive thing; power is not negative. Power is for the improvement of the human being. Let politicians know that imposing of candidates is unethical, which creates insecurity. Raising thugs is unethical; should anyone be found of hiring thugs, he should face the wrath of the law. Nobody is immune to raise thugs, to raise killers; these are the unethical issues in politics.’’

Jibril said her office had proposed a bill to inculcate ethics and values in the constitution as a means to curb amoral behaviours.

She said if the National Assembly passed the bill, it would help to promote justice and fairness for Nigerians during electoral processes.

•The Chairman, Presidential Team on Ecological Fund Project, Emeka Eze, speaking during the inspection of ecological projects of South East in Onitsha, Anambra State...at the weekend. With him are Anambra State Governor Peter Obi (second left), Director Ministry of Environment, Ganbo Jakada (second right), Director, Ecological Fund Office, Jude Mekwunye, Director, Federal, Ministry of Land Housing and Urban Development, Esther Okougha (right)and others.

PHOTO AKIN OLADOKUN.

Centenary City for London, Nigeria stock exchanges

T

O ensure its self-financing, the Federal Government at the weekend disclosed that plans were underway to quote the stock of the proposed Centenary City on the Nigeria and London Stock Exchanges.The city is being designed as part of the activities marking Nigeria’s 100 years of amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates.

Speaking at a dinner President Goodluck Jonathan had with top Nigerian Chief Executive Officers at the Presidential Villa, Abuja as part of activities marking the nation’s centenary, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, said the $100 milion capital call for the city had already been over -subscribed.

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

He said: “It is the desire of the promoters of the city that in the nearest future, the stock of the city would be quoted on the Nigeria and London Stock Exchanges.”

While efforts were being made to commission the production of the city’s final master plan, Anyim said that Price Waterhouse Coopers had been appointed financial consultants and that Messrs DDB, Lagos was appointed the official marketer of the centenary activities during the flag off ceremony.

Anyim also disclosed that the engagement of the Price Waterhouse Coopers and Starting Partners was intended to guarantee transparency at eve-

ry stage of the city development and also ensure international best practice.

“The entire celebration is planned to be investment driven such that nobody should put in a kobo without getting value for it,” he stated.

Jonathan said his administration had a lot of faith in the public-private sector partnership.

He said the city was designed to be a national asset that will be one of the best in the world, he said that his government also decided that all aspects of the centenary celebration would be private sector-driven.

He added that the city would be a profitable venture for the private sector to have investment or equity in.

According to him, the Centenary City would provide all

the facilities that top Nigerians have been traveling abroad to enjoy while unity squares would also be raised to add beauty to all the state capitals in the country.

He said: “The private sector should take the lead in realising this our national aspiration.

Your support will identify you and your brand with national success.

“We are encouraging a citizen driven commemorative event that will replace negative narrative of the nation with a story of a blessed nation.

“Experience has shown that most of the things done by government do not last. They may look good at the beginning but at the end, they always fall like a pack of cards.”

HE Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) will today hold a brainstorming session on the plight of Nigerians in foreign prisons.

The event, which is scheduled to hold in the Louis Mbanefo Rotunda at the institute’s Victoria Island secretariat, is scheduled for 9am.

A statement by NIIA’s director general, Prof. Bola Akinterinwa, said that the session is titled “the plight of Nigerians in foreign prisons: the challenges of transformation.”

The event will also see the presentation of the 2012 annual report of the Foreign Affairs ministry.

Rep flays pardon for Alamieyeseigha From Victor Oluwasegun

A

MEMBER of the House of Representatives and Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Hon. Bimbo Daramola, has said that the immunity granted the former Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha “was not well thought out.”

Daramola, who represents Ekiti North Federal Constituency 1 in Ekiti State, told reporters at the weekend in Abuja that the pardon not only portray the country as unserious in the fight against corruption, but one that encouraged it as well.

The lawmaker posited that even though he would want to err on the side of caution due to the kind of people on the body said to have approved the pardon, the country may not be giving a systemic solution to a systemic problem by pardoning ex-convicts.

He said: “The argument is out there the President did it and then tried to co-opt the Council of State into endorsing that decision. I am aware that Oladipo Diya is on that list, that Yar’Adua is on the list, then maybe one or two other guys, then Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.

“My quick reaction would be that we may not be giving a systemic solution to a systemic problem. Everybody, either within or outside Nigeria knows that corruption has become has become endemic and is also systemic. And then when you have a systemic problem, the first thing you want to do is look for an all encompassing systemic solution to it.

“Why is it systemic? We have laws in place, ostensibly to deal with all sorts of corrupt practices, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as a body, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other offensces Commission (ICPC) as a body, the Police and all of that.

“I believe that at the centre of this is that fact that our values are corrupt. If we don’t have our values restored and reclaimed, it’s most likely that we’ll continue to mouth and pay lip service to the fight against corruption. If you have an environment where people give their national honours to people who we know are criminals, that is an erosion of values.”

7

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

NEWS disagree Infant dies in Ogun road crash Ondoonmonarchs palace attacks •Four babies, 18 adults injured A S

BABY below one year of age died yesterday in an accident on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

Twenty-two people were critically injured.

The accident occurred close to Sagamu in Ogun State around 4pm.

The Sagamu Unit Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr. Lasisi Ogundele, said the tyre

of the bus conveying the victims burst and the vehicle somersaulted.

Ogundele said the bus, marked OS 46 A06, was coming from Lagos and conveying Muslims believed to be members of the Nasrullahi il Fatihu (NASFAT).

He said: “The driver was on top speed when it lost one

of its front tyres. It somersaulted several times and swerved to the Ibadan-Lagos side of the road.

“The baby died on the spot. Four other babies and 18 adults are on the danger list as we speak. They were critically injured. The remains of the baby had been deposited at Idera hospital.

The injured are receiving treatment at the same hospital.

“We warn motorists against over speeding and buying used tyres. When you buy used tyres, it is like attempting suicide, because most of those tyres expired before they were brought into the country.”

Lagos pays N1b compensation to property owners

T

HE Lagos State Government has paid over N1.025 billion as compensation to persons whose property were demolished to make way for the expansion of the Orile-Badagry, Ikorodu, Ago Palace roads as well as the Lekki/Epe Airport project and the Re-settlement project for the Free Trade Zone, among others.

The government also announced that another batch

•Flat owners to get documents today

By Miriam Ekene-Okoro

of 1,000 allottees, who bought property from the State Housing Agencies before January 2,000, will be given their Sub- Lease Registered Title Documents to-

day.

Home owners are to pick up the documents at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium of the Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.

The Governor Babatunde Fashola administration ini-

tiated the Registered SubLease Title Documents process to allow house owners in Government Housing Estates get title documents, which would serve as their proof of ownership of the property and enable them to use the property for business transactions, such as securing mortgages and loans.

About two batches of 500 and 1,000 flat owners have gotten the document.

USPECTED hoodlums allegedly ransacked the palace of the Olu of

Igbokoda, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo.

The attack on the palace in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, was at the weekend.

Sources said about 10 armed hoodlumsdisrupted the peace of the palace, brandishing guns and cutlasses.

The attack was said to be a reprisal over an alleged death of one of them, whose body was allegedly found floating on a river the previous day.

Some of the hoodlums, a source said, had last week invaded Ilaje High School, during an inter school quiz and sports’ competition.

They reportedly disrupted the event after which two of them were arrested and taken to the palace before being handed over to the police.

Odidiomo blamed the invasion of his palace on Oba Lawrence Omowole, the Amapetu of Mahin kingdom, a neighbouring community.

In a telephone chat, Odidiomo alleged that the installation of two members of the

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

community as chiefs within the community was the bone of contention between him and the Amapetu.

According to him, he kicked against Amapetu’s action since the two installed chiefs were his subjects, alleging that Amapetu raised local security for the new chiefs.

Odidiomo claimed that he reported the matter to Olugbo of Igboland, Oba Obateru Akinruntan, who promised to intervene.

Efforts to get Amapetu’s reaction were unsuccessful but one of his chiefs, Francis Mesagan, the Oloja of Abereke, said the Olu of Igbokoda was seeking attention.

Mesagan wondered how Oba Omowole, who singlehandedly installed Odidiomo, would turn around to destroy the “house he built”.

According to him, the floating body of a boy triggered the attack on the Olu’s palace.

He, therefore, urged Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to probe the attack.

Ogun to deliver Magboro roads, bridge in nine months

T

•From left:: Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi; his wife, Bisi and the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Yemi Adaramodu, at the opening session of a retreat for members of the State Executive Council at the Ikogosi Warm Spring Resort...at the weekend.

EKSU expels five students for alleged rape

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HE Ekiti State University (EKSU), AdoEkiti, has expelled five students for alleged rape.

The students, who were arrested on Thursday through the joint effort of the institution’s security men, the police and youths in IworokoEkiti, have been charged to court.

They are Babalola Adedo-

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

tun Kolawole, a 300-Level Psychology student with matriculation number 092819; Omoteye Olalekan Olamide (300-Level Psychology with number 0902886); Bamigboye Biola Moshood, a predegree Social Science student and Adekunle Lateef Omog-

bemileke, (300-Level Accounting with number 0902865).

Adekunle Lateef Omogbemileke and Okube Gabriel Ogunmoroti are at large.

Sources said they were expelled based on the report of the Institution’s Disciplinary Committee, chaired by Prof.

W. O. Adebayo.

A statement from the office

of the Institution’s Deputy Registrar, Information and Public Relations, Mr. Ajibade Olubunmi, quoted the Dean of Students Affairs, Prof. I G. Adanlawo, warning parents to monitor their children/ wards.

Adanlawo said the ViceChancellor, Prof. Oladipo Aina, was determined to rid the institution of bad eggs.

Policeman demands N9.4m compensation from firm

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IVE months after a transceiver mast belonging to May and Baker Pharmaceutical Company fell on the roof of his fourbedroom bungalow home in Ota, Ogun State, a police Sergeant attached to the Lagos State Police Command, Emmanuel Alademehin, is demanding N9.4 million from the company as compensation.

Taking reporters round the house, which is located behind the company’s branch in Ota, Alademehin said his wife, Josephine and their four children narrowly escaped being killed.

The policeman, who was

By Paul Olukoya

away on a national assignment when the incident occurred, said his family was rescued by their neighbours.

He decried the company’s alleged nonchalance to the incident.

Alademehin said the company did not remove the mast until three days later and has failed to renovate his house as well as replace his damaged property.

He said the house has been written-off by a certified building engineer.

Alademehin said: “Since the incident occurred, my family

has been in trauma. My children cannot sleep without the fear. The company re-erected the mast at the spot where it fell without showing remorse or compensation my family.

“I was on an assignment outside the state when it happened. The company did not remove the mast until after three days. My family was exposed to sun and rain. The building is now weak to the foundation. You can see the cracks on the walls.”

He said anytime he approaches the company, they direct him to their Lagos office.

The company’s Head of

Corporate Communications, Mr. Eugene Olewuenyi, said the company is safety conscious and the incident was an unforeseeable accident.

Olewuenyi said the company repaired the building and is ready to listen to Alademehin instead of going to court.

He said: “A truck accidentally pulled down the mast when it came to deliver some items to the company and we took care of the damage without minding the cost almost immediately. We are ready to listen, if he has any new complaint, instead of taking a legal process.”

HE Ogun State Government has begun massive construction of roads in Magboro, Obafemi/Owode Local Government.

The 7.5km road, which links Magboro Underpass on the Lagos -Ibadan Expressway with the residential area, has been in bad condition for a long time.

Commissioner for Works & Infrastructure Olamilekan Adegbite said the road would have dual carriage way, side walk, median, green belt and street lights.

He said: “Magboro is one of the border towns where the state government hopes to make its impact felt strongly by providing motorable roads for the people.

The government intends to construct the Magboro Un-

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie, Assistant Editor

derpass comprising of all road networks under the popular Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Bridge, as well as the Journalists’ Estate, Arepo. “ The commissioner said minor demolition had taken place to remove structures that affect the road’s right of way.

He said the contractor handling the road has started building drains and culverts, which are expected to be completed before the onset of the rainy season, after which the road construction would be started.

The commissioner said the project would be delivered before the end of the year.

Group hails Aregbesola on performance

A

GROUP in Ondo State, the Ijesa Youth Development Association (IYDA), Akure chapter, at the weekend hailed Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola for the rapid transformation of the state in the last two years.

It hailed Aregbesola for building on the solid foundation laid by former Governor Bisi Akande between 1999 and 2003.

The group said the exploits of the Aregbesola administration, especially in job creation, agriculture, education and road construction in urban and rural areas were impressive.

After a tour of the state at the weekend, IYDA’s executive said it discovered that there was no local government where the administration had no impact, especially with the construction of

10km roads in each of the 30 councils.

The group acknowledged the renovation and building of modern schools, provision of school uniforms and lunch for pupils.

In a statement by its Chairman,Olusayo Ogunleye; Publicity Secretary Boluwaji Faseyi and Coordinator Tayo Oluwagbaye, the group said the newly acquired Helicopter for the state police command would check crime.

It reads: “We commend Aregbesola’s administration for upholding the tenets of the late sage,Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the late Chief ate Bola Ige. “It is delightful that ACN administration in Osun state is working on a sustainable growth and development process that will transform the beyond expectation.”

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

8

NEWS Continued from page 3 cial assistance. But, they find out later that hackers are at work.

An information technology expert explained how hacking is done. He said technology can be used to predict people’s passwords and hack into email accounts and send out messages to contacts in their directory.

The hackers, said the expert, randomly shoot Trojan viruses to individuals and companies’ emails, asking the recipients if they needed “expert’s help” to update their systems. The viruses are such that when the recipients click on the mail, the hacker gets an alert on his computer and then gains access to the potential victim’s system.

This way, said the expert, the hacker can keep a watch on the recipient’s online activities and note down his or her banking details once he or she accesses internet banking.

An Indian fraudster, Fajroor Khan, 26, who said he was trained by Nigerians, on January 31, used the Trojan mail to get the username and password of a company executive and transfer money to 12 accounts of his accomplices within 45 minutes.

Computer systems with pirated software are easily susceptible to Trojan viruses and the like. Country Manager, Microsoft Nigeria, Emmanuel Onyeje, told The Nation that there is a link between hacking and pirated software.

According to him, pirated softwares often have secret codes which are embedded on them. So, when an unsuspecting buyer buys and installs them onto his/her PC and logs to the internet, the person unwittingly exposes himself/herself to malware, phishing and viral attacks. They also ignorantly open their flanks to hackers.

He said: “To hack big organisations, which spend millions and millions of dollars to protect their system, they have very big computers to fortify their system and the only way you can beat their system is that you must have big computing power behind you but most individuals, most hackers do not have access to the millions of dollars big organisations do. What do they do? There are more than 1.2 billion PCs (personal computers) on the planet and what they do is to get a way to get a section of that, ten thousand, one million Pcs, take those Pcs as a single unit to be able to hack into an organisation. That is where piracy comes in. They are the ones giving you the software free, they download it into your Pc, they take over your Pcs and now use that Pc to do an attack on other people’s site.”

Nigeria not prepared to fight hackers

D

ESPITE the dubious activities of hackers, stakeholders be lieve the country has not shown readiness to tackle the menace.

The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) said the framework needed to curb hackers is lacking.

Its Director, New Media and Information Security, Sylvanus Ehikioya, said the government cannot prosecute computer hackers yet, because of nonexistent laws.

He said: “We, as a nation, are not very ready to fight cyber crime. The necessary infrastructure, in terms of legal and technical infrastructure, has not been put in place yet. For the technical infrastructure, the NCC is doing its best to ensure things are in order.

“But for the legal infrastructure, the government is still wobbling because since 2011, the Harmonised Cyber Security Bill has not been passed.

“Until we pass the Cyber Security Bill, there is nothing that the Nigerian government can really do. Because, as of now, if you hack into any computer system, you cannot be prosecuted because there is no enabling act.”

Ehikioya said it is the passage of the Cyber Security Bill that can empower government agencies to punish hackers, and deter those intending to commit such crimes.

He said Nigeria must collaborate

•Salifu being escorted into the court by a policeman

•Aroke (right) and a Bureau De Change operator in court PHOTOS: EFCC

Hackers, fraudsters step up their game with other countries to check internet crimes.

His words: “Since it cuts across boundaries, that means that there are different governments having jurisdiction in cyber governance. This implies that collaborative efforts must be put in place because of the cross jurisdictional issues involved.”

The director said the model cyber crime law being produced by the International Telecommunications Union has a section entitled “International Collaboration Co-operations”.

“This means that countries must make provisions in their laws to collaborate with other countries,” he said.

In Ehikioya’s view, when the frameworks are completed, Nigerians who commit cybercrimes against citizens in other countries, such as the United States, could be extradited to America to face trial.

The most wanted fraudsters

W

HILE hackers seem to enjoy some form of immunity for now, fraudulent bankers do not. Statistics from the police show that bankers top the list of wanted persons for fraud. The police say the once revered sector has been infested by “hardened criminals” whose stock in trade is to employ scientific methods of defrauding their employers and fleecing billions of naira from customers’ accounts.

The police attributed the hi-tech stealing in the industry to greedy drive to sustain a lifestyle of extravagant spending.

According to the statistics from the Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Milliverton Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, there are more bankers on the list of the most wanted criminals. Sources at the SFU told The Nation that no fewer than 50 bank officials had been declared wanted by the police for various fraudulent dealings.

The wanted bankers worked with established fraud syndicates outside their industry to steal depositors’ funds.

In Okene, Kogi State, seven officials of a branch of a second generation bank were declared wanted by the SFU for allegedly collaborating to defraud the bank of over N100 million.

Akinwumi Omoniyi is wanted by the SFU for alleged fraudulent conversion of over N23 million belonging to customers of the bank where he worked. He allegedly stole the money as the bank’s relationship officer.

The deposits made through him, said SFU sources, were not reflected in the customer’s statement of account. He was also involved in fraudulent booking of overdraft facilities in two different accounts and fraudulent withdrawals from another.

The 33-year-old wanted banker, who hails from Ilesa, Osun State, gave his employers addresses where police have been unable to get him. The ad-

dresses are 115, Opebi Road, Lagos and 16, Paul Ikediashi Street, Asaba, Delta State.

Taming the monsters

T

HE NDIC said many banks bend the rules and, as such, re cruit employees who end up stealing depositors’ fund. It urged them to “thoroughly screen prospective employees by obtaining status report from previous employers and relevant agencies while employees should be made to be aware of the risks in defrauding or attempting to defraud the bank and the action expected, if caught. Insured banks should also endeavour to educate their customers on the use of ATM and other electronic banking services.”

The NDIC is also soliciting the assistance of judges to convict corrupt bankers. At a seminar organised for judges in Abuja last week, NDIC sought judges’ understanding.

SFU spokesperson Mrs. Ngozi Isintume, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), traced the successes recorded in bank frauds to the failure of bank chiefs to apply stringent measures while screening applicants.

Mrs. Isintume, who confirmed that more bankers had been arrested for fraud-related offences, said: “Most of the people we declare wanted are bankers and they plan the operation over a long period of time.

“Within the period, they would have relocated their families from the residential addresses they supplied the banks when they were employed.

Most of them, who already have mindset to defraud the bank even before they are employed, gave the banks fake home addresses.

“Somebody, who is from Ekiti, would say he/she is from Ondo State.

So, it is always difficult to find them.

The moment a matter is reported and investigation commences, we send invitations to the suspects.

“After two months, if we do not see them, we send a reminder, after which the person would be declared wanted if he/she refuses to show up.

“It is with the address that the person gave to the complainant which in most times are the banks that we will go to and most times when investiga-

tors get there, they discover that the address is non-existent.

“We declare anybody who is reported to have committed fraud and refuse to come and answer for it wanted. There is no time lapse. If the person is seen 10 years after he/she was declared wanted, he/she would be arrested.”

The SFU spokesperson said it has not been easy tracking the bank officials declared wanted for defrauding their employer because the banks never go the extra mile to cross-check the addresses supplied by the suspects.

She advised employers, especially banks, to scrutinise their employees.

Mrs. Isintume suggested that a verification team should be raised to visit then home addresses as claimed in the application forms.

A financial analyst, Abiola Idowu, said the temptation to commit fraud must be reduced. He said: “One is to reduce the temptation to commit fraud and the second is to increase the chances of detection. A good salary structure and excellent working conditions, which can help to a great extent to reduce the temptation to commit fraud, needs to be put in place. In addition, management should not hesitate to come to the aid of employees any time there is a genuine financial request, particularly in emergency situations.

“Such assistance not only eliminates the tendency to defraud the organisations, it helps to cultivate a group of dedicated and highly productive workforce.

“Another issue to be considered in reducing the incidence of fraud in Nigerian banking sector is the issue of fraudsters. Banks should have a good hiring and training policy as a first step in the battle to prevent fraud. This is because it has been established that the integrity of an individual is the essential deterrent to crime. A prospective employee’s background should, therefore, be thoroughly checked to ascertain if that prospective employee has previous criminal record or has dubious background or connections.

Also, an employee’s lifestyle should be closely monitored to determine whether such staff is living beyond his or her legitimate income. Where an

Trojan viruses The hackers randomly shoot Trojan viruses to individuals and companies’ emails, asking the recipients if they needed help to update their systems. The viruses are such that when the recipients click on the mail, the hacker gets an alert on his computer and then gains access to the potential victim’s system. This way, the hacker can keep a watch on the recipient’s online activities and note down his or her banking details once he or she accesses internet banking.

employee is considered living beyond the means known to the bank, further investigation should be carried out to determine the source of extra income.”

On hacking, experts say steps can be taken to prevent a person’s identity being stolen by using a secure email password that is updated on regularly. It is advised that email passwords are a minimum of 10 characters and should be a combination of numbers, letters and symbols to reduce the chances of them being predicted. They also advise against the use of pirated soft-wares and urged the government to ensure there is a legal framework to deter hacking.

IT expert and the Chief Executive Officer, Teledom Group, Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem, cautioned internet users against unprotected online security.

He said internet users need to protect their online transactions against security loopholes that could expose their transactions to cyber vulnerabilities.

Ekuwem, the former President, Association of Telecoms Companies (ATCON), urged governments and private bodies using web services to ensure they installed security solutions on their computers.

He said: “The greatest security threat facing governments and private bodies using the web service is lack of preparation for the increasing cyber threats.”

Ekuwem urged the National Assembly to be hasty with the passage of the security bill before them.

According to him, this is more important with Nigeria gradually transiting from cash to an electronic based economy by virtue of the implementation of the CBN’s cash-less policy.

“Cyber criminals, who attack businesses and individuals across the globe, can re-direct their energies to exploit vulnerabilities in the electronic payment system in order to perpetuate fraud,” he said.

Mr Peter Ejiofor, a Lagos Internet security expert, in a NAN report, said there was need to increase internet security solution to mitigate cyber crimes.

Ejifor expressed concern about Nigeria’s rising cyber crime profile, especially with the delay in passing into law, pending bills aimed at criminalising the acts.

He said the days of depending on only anti-virus software to keep computers safe were over, noting that internet was constantly changing and hackers were also changing techniques.

“When you use multiple security measures throughout your network, the overall security is much stronger,” Ejiofor said.

He advised computer users to implement stronger security measures to protect their cherished online data.

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

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THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

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CITYBEATS

CITYBEATS LINE: 07059022999

How Police killed our son, by family

•Police: we’ ll investigate the incident

I

F there had been no power outage, he might not have been killed that night. It was Saturday, March 9. He had gone to a building opposite his home to take fresh air with a couple.

Everywhere was in pitch darkness. The late Eze Okoro sat with, Mr and Mrs Chinedu Nwanri outside their 1, Oguntolu Street, Ijaiye Ojokoro, Lagos suburb residence, disussing. The late Okoro lived on House 2. Not far from where they sat is Holaks Hotel at 1 Gbolahan Fagboti Street.

Some Federal Special AntiRobbery Squad (FSARS) operatives from Adeniji-Adele, Lagos, said to have trailed some suspected robbers to the hotel, were said to be drinking there.

It was gathered that the policemen arrived the hotel premises around 4pm in a Silver-coloured Toyota Sienna space bus marked at KJA 280 BD. Four of them, in plain clothes, reportedly sat at a table inside the hotel, eating and drinking; others took strategic positions around the hotel premises.

Sources said around 11pm, three men with travelling bags were stopped at the hotel's entrance by the manager, simply identified as Mr. Adewuyi, who sought to know their mission.

The men said they wanted food and Adewuyi told them there was none. The policemen were said to have sighted the men, describing them as the armed robbers they were waiting for. They reportedly opened fire on the men, who reportedly took to their heels on sighting them.

When the late Okoro and Mr and Mrs Nwanri heard the gunshots, they took to their heels, apparenlty to avoid being hit by

By Jude Isiguzo

stray bullets.

As they were running, the expectant mother tripped, forcing the husband to rush to her aid. The police caught up with the couple, pulled the man up and threatened to shoot him. His wife cried out, saying: "Please leave him; he is not an armed robber. He is my husband, I am pregnant."

When the policemen saw that she is truly pregnant, they left her husband and advanced towards Okoro who had taken refuge under a shrub.

The police allegedly picked Okoro from •Okoro ... before meeting his gruesome death under the shrub. As he was being pulled hotel where they were told what out, he cried out, sayhappened the previous night. ing he was not a robThe bereaved family rushed to ber. He reportedly told the po- FSARS to confirm if it was true, lice that he resided at 2, but they were reportedly denied Oguntolu Street, adding that access by some policemen who they could take him there for claimed nothing like that hapidentification. Instead, the pened.

FSARS men reportedly opened When they persisted, they fire on him, killing him instantly. were taken to the office of a His body was dragged into their Deputy Commissioner of Police Toyota Sienna vehicle.

(DCP) who confirmed the inciOne of the suspected robbers, dent, but said their son was said to be among the trio that "killed in error." came in to ask for food, was also The widow and her aged arrested and taken away by the mother-in-law are calling on the FSARS operatives.

Inspector-General of Police The late Okoro's widow, Ugo (IGP), Mr Mohammed and her mother-in-law, Madam Abubakar, to investigate the inOkoro, were said to have started cident. a search for their son in the They wonder why the police morning when he did not come did not listen to their late son back home in the night of March and bring him home to confirm 9. if he truly lived there before killTheir search took them to the ing him.

‘My husband is not an armed robber; he has never been involved in any criminal act. Why would they kill him just like that and bring suffering to my family?

The IG should please look into this matter ...The killers of my husband must be brought to book’

•Mrs Okoro

"My husband is not an armed robber; he has never been involved in any criminal act. Why would they kill him just like that and bring suffering to my family? The IG should please look into this matter because all we want is justice. The killers of my husband must be brought to book", Mrs Ugo Okoro told The Nation yesterday as she fought back tears.

Mrs Okoro, who said she had been left alone to take care of their seven-year-old son, said: "My husband's last meal before he was killed was Indomie noodles, which I prepared for him. It was after he had finished eating that he went outside to join his friend and his wife. I would have been there with them, but I was busy taking care of some things inside the house.

"When I heard the gunshots, I

was afraid and I called my husband on his mobile telephone, but I discovered it was switched off. I summoned courage and ran out, only to discover that they were no longer where they sat. I asked some people and they said some policemen were shooting and that they saw them drag the lifeless body of a man into their van. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me to all the police stations in our area, but they denied knowledge of any such incident."

Six months ago, policemen from Anthony Police Station allegedly killed the late Ugochukwu Ozuah in a circumstance that is yet to be unravelled. Ozuah was killed five days after his wedding ceremony and his bride and family are yet to recover from the shock.

When contacted yesterday, FSARS' spokesman, Lekan Ogundare, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said: "I cannot deny it now because I am not aware of any such incident. But let me get to the office tomorrow (today), I will find out."

Praises as Rotary Club tackles eye defects

•Some of the beneficiaries. Inset: Adaba.

W

ITHIN three days last week, no fewer than 200 residents with eye defects, especially cataract and glaucoma, benefitted from the humanitarian gesture of the Rotary Club of Agege (District 9110, Nigeria), under its project for the

By Dada Aladelokun, Assistant Editor

Rotary Year, 'Peace through Service.'

Tagged, 'Save a sight,' the threeday project which kicked off last Thursday at the Rotary Centre, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, attracted

about 85 beneficiaries that day.

For the three days, officials of Eye Foundation, another non-governmental organisation, who partnered with the club on the project, were on hand with a mobile clinic, to conduct tests and surgeries on the beneficia-

ries.

The host - President of the club - Rotarian Linus Adaba, received the beneficiaries, some of who came from as far as Ogun State.

He got a helping hand from Dr. Dele Balogun, incoming Governor of the District; Dr Fatai Oluyadi, who gave an opening lecture, and Rotarian Wumi Oyewole, who is charge of Rotary Foundation for the club.

Adaba explained the exercise on its opening: "As a charity organisation of note, we have been expending our resources on assisting the less-privileged in the society in actualisation of the current aspirations of the Rotary International, our parent body, which include concerted onslaught against illiteracy, infant mortality, women's deprivations, various indices of poverty and above all, commitment to our peace project, part of which is what we are doing today.

"The eye projects include screening, treatment of glaucoma and cataract cases. We shall give out 200 eye glasses to patients in Agege area and its environs for free and no fewer than 30 will benefit from eye surgery apart from the corrective tests. All these we are doing in appreciation of the fact that the govern-

ment cannot do it alone and sadly, we are in a society where many cannot afford the cost of these medical services however meagre. We will wind it up by 5pm each day and it will end on Saturday.

Balogun who corroborated Adaba added: "Somebody who can't see cannot be at peace with himself, his family and generally, with his community and the larger society; this is why the project is dear to our hearts in Rotary Club.

While he urged other bodies to partner with the club to lift the needy, he lauded the government on its efforts so far, but added: "Government can still do more because of the enormity of the problem at hand."

Besides the corrective aspect of the project, Oyewole added that prevention of diseases is also among the key concerns of the club in its current efforts.

Mrs Olabisi Adewole and Pa James Adebayo were among the beneficiaries. They were united in prayers for the club over the gesture which they urged the government to emulate and extend to more Nigerians.

On Saturday, during the round-off of the exercise, words of appreciation flowed for Adaba and his colleagues, who promised that the club would remain committed to the welfare of the needy.

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

11

CITYBEATS LINE: 07059022999

'Fake' medical doctor arrested

F

OR 10 years, he paraded himself as a doctor, treating people and making money. Then, the bubble burst.

Today, Ibukun Ojo, 50, is in the net of the Special Fraud Unit (SFU), on Milverton Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. His offence: He is a suspected quack medical practitioner.

He was not alone in the business. His alleged accomplice, Steve Olusoji Fakolujo, is on the run.

It was gathered that Ojo, who hails from Arigidi-Akoko in Ondo State, was studying medicine at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, Osun State before he dropped out.

According to the police, after his exit from OAU in the early 80s, he came to Lagos and one of his friends assisted him to secure a job in a hospital as a clinical assistant. However, after some years, Ojo established his own hospital, Mount Zion Clinic, at 2, Mukandasi Street, Oja-Oke, Mafoluku-Oshodi, Lagos. He had reportedly operated the clinic for about five years.

Police operatives, who sealed off the clinic, said the place had no sign to identify it as a hospital, adding that patients had to go through some rigours to locate it.

According to them, the hospital has four "dirty beds" for admission, and a dingy tiny room which he used as operating theatre. They suspected that he used the theatre for quack abortions and may have also killed some people in the process.

Confirming the arrest, the Public Relations Officer of SFU Ngozi Isintume-Agu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said on March 6, a petition was received from the Canadian High Commission, alleging suspected fraud against Mount Zion Clinic/Hospital.

Isintume-Agu said the petitioner stated that "Steve Olasoji Fakolujo, a Nigerian resident in Canada, came to Nigeria some time in May, 2012 and approached Ojo who parades himself as a qualified medical doctor, to assist him procure some

O

EIGHTY visually-impaired students have received scholarship worth N200,000 each from the MTN Foundation. The event was held at the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos.

The undergraduates, drawn from the tertiary institutions in the Southwest, are among the 171 "special needs" students nationwide, benefiting in the second phase of the MTN Scholarship for Blind Students scheme.

Five hundred and ninety other students also received scholarships under the foundation's Science and Technology scheme.

In his speech, Chairman of the Foundation, Ambassador Hamzat Ahmadu, praised the visually impaired students for excelling in their academics as only those with a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 and above were eligible for the scholarship.

"Today, we also recognise the exemplary effort of a special group of students who have to overcome daily challenges in their quest for a brighter future," he said.

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

Ahmadu added that the scholarship was the foundation's investment in Nigeria's future.

He said: "Overall, the MTN Foundation is awarding scholarships to 1,087 science students while 171 brilliant and blind students will also receive scholarships this year. Of course, our impact goes beyond statistics and figures. It is about shaping Nigeria's future through education. It is about making an investment in the lives of tomorrow's leaders, by providing them with an opportunity to pursue their dreams despite financial limitations."

In an interview with The Nation, some of the beneficiaries thanked the foundation for easing the expensive financial burden of their special education.

Olubunmi Olamijulo, a Mass Communication student at the University of Lagos, said the scholarship would enable her benefit from her institution's internet resources.

Ogun douses community's crisis •Ojo... and some files siezed from his clinic

By Jude Isiguzo

forged medical bills which would enable him claim health insurance from the Canadian Government."

She noted that Ojo obliged him with forged documents covering "consultation, drugs and medications, ambulance fees, accommodation and feeding and miscellaneous expenses totaling N89,989,742.46." Fakolujo, the petition added, "travelled back to Canada and presented the forged documents for the claims."

When Ojo was arrested, it was gathered that he made "useful" statements

to the police and also confessed that he forged the documents for Fakolujo with claim No: 216316 for N1,500 and his unregistered hospital's letter-head and payment receipt.

Recovered from the suspect were two stethoscopes, some cards and patients' case notes and some other "funny" hospital equipment.

Isintume-Agu said investigation was ongoing, adding that the suspect would soon be charged to court.

The Commissioner of Police in charge of SFU, Mr Tunde Ogunsakin, called on the public to beware of quack doctors.

One killed as fire guts monarch's palace NE person was feared dead and two buildings, including the palace of Olu of Igbokoda in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, were burnt yesterday when hoodlums invaded the town.

Armed with dangerous weapons, the suspects destroyed the palace of the monarch, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo and the house of a chief.

Sources said the attack was a reprisal by the hoodlums who had come to avenge the death of a colleague.

Two of the hoodlums were arrested and taken to the palace where they were handed over to the police.

Oba Odidiomo, who alleged that a traditional ruler within the area, Oba Lawrence Omowole, the Amapetu of Mahin kingdom was behind the attack, traced the attack to a few months before his installation when the Amapetu allegedly installed two persons within Igbokoda as Baale and Oloja.

The monarch said he opposed the development since the two chiefs lived within his domain, but the Amapetu al-

C ITYBEATS MTN Foundation empowers the disabled

By Jude Isiguzo

legedly ordered some boys known as 'Mahin Task Force" to provide security for the two chiefs, adding: "I reported the development to Olugbo of Igboland, Oba Obateru Akinruntan who promised to wade into the matter."

The monarch said two hoodlums apprehended last week by his subjects were handed over to the police, adding: "The following morning, I was told a corpse was found in the river and was identified as one of the Mahin boys and these boys went on the rampage, destroying the palace and some houses belonging to some of my chiefs" All efforts to speak with Amapetu failed, but a chief, Chief Mesagan, the Oloja of Abereke described the Olu of Igbokoda as "a drowning man who is begging for attention."

The chief said Oba Omowole of Mahin kingdom installed Odidiomo as the monarch of

Igbokoda and would not be a party to destroying the house he built.

He, asked Odidiomo make peace with his people rather than pointing fingers at the Amapetu.

He said the body found in the river ignited the attack, adding that it was not from outside.

But Odidiomo insisted that the plot was hatched outside Igbokoda, saying: "This is part of the sustained activities to rubbish me. Last November, they shot at me right in my bedroom. In December, when I accompanied some government officials to inspect our market, they attacked us. Now, they have burnt my palace."

"I want the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to order investigation into this. We had a clear case of rape, murder and then arson and as a lawyer, I am aware these are grave offences." Ondo State Police spokesman, Wole Ogodo said about eight people had been arrested over the crisis.

Normalcy, he said, had returned to the land.

THE Ogun State Government has vowed to resolve the lingering chieftaincy crisis between Oba Alani Matanmi and Chief Lasisi Ogunseye over the Onijoko of Ijoko Ota stool in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government area of the state.

The crisis had deepened as indigenes in their thousands took a protest march to the Oke-Mosan Governor's Office, Abeokuta, demanding the removal of the town's rival monarch, Alhaji Fatai Matanmi, over allegations that he was behind the killing of some of their kinsmen.

The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Basorun Muyiwa Oladipo, while addressing the crowd who came with various placards to show their displeasure over the alleged unwholesome acts of Oba Alani Matanmi that led to destruction of lives and property in the community, assured the protesters that the present administration is law-abiding and

By Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

would promptly intervene to find a blasting solution to the lingering crisis in the community.

Oladipo urged the people to return peacefully to their community and refrain from taking the law into their hands, but continue to maintain law and order, saying that no meaningful socio-economic development could take place in atmosphere of communal upheavals. He promised to present all their petitions to the Governor Ibikunle Amosun, assuring that the government would take all necessary steps to resolve the crisis.

Earlier in their presentation, Chief Wahab Bankole, Bobajiro of Ijoko, Chief (Mrs.) Ajole Sanni, Iya Oge of Ijoko and Mr. Awe Job, leader of youths in the town appealed to the governor to come to their rescue and ensure the immediate stoppage of the crisis in Ijoko Ota that has made the residents live in fear of being killed or maimed.

Aregbesola, Fayemi’s wife for award ceremony OSUN State governor, Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola will be Special Guest, while Erelu Bisi Fayemi, wife of the Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi will be the Mother of the Day at this year's second edition of Facts and Potentials award tagged 'Potential Awards 2012'.

Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi, the Elegushi of Ikate land is expected as Royal Father of the Day while Mr. Dele Elumoye, NUJ Chairman, Lagos Chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) will be Guest Speaker.

Like last year's, the event is aimed at rewarding some selected few in the public and private sectors who

have laboured and used their resources to alleviate the suffering of the masses and develop the society at large.

At the Eko FM Multi-Purpose Hall, Agidingbi, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, last year, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, the first Lady of Ekiti State won the award of excellence on community service; Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola of Lagos State won the best governor of the year.

This year's edition will also take place at the Eko FM Multi Purpose Hall by 12 noon. It be chaired by Sir. Sunny Ndubisi Nwosu, President Independence Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN).

Aramoko Summit holds March 30 The 2nd edition of Aramoko Socioeconomic Summit has been fixed

•Principal officers from the Nigerian Federal Colleges of Education, Polytechnics and Universities at the just-concluded International Training organised by Henmuel Trainers Ltd in collaboration with Mannheim Business School, Germany.

for Saturday, March 30 at the town's Civic Centre. It is geared towards developing the ancient town in Ekiti State.

According to a statement by the Aramoko Socio-Economic Summit Group in Lagos, the summit, which will start at 10am, is designed to review the impact of the first edition on the social and economic status of Aramoko, her sons and daughters as well as mapping out strategies for further development.

The statement which stated that feedback from the first edition chaired by Prof. Sola Fajana and moderated by Dr. Ayo Olajuyigbe, was encouraging, added that this second edition particularly aims at presenting an actionable plan that can form the bedrock of the proposed development agenda.

The group, the statement said, is at the vanguard of harnessing the potentials of Aramoko indigenes to reinvent Aramoko for excellence.

The group urged Aramoko's sons and daughters of the town to attend the event to jointly rebuild a future that will be a pride to all.

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THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

NEWS Performance’ll determine second term, says Ajimobi

INEC opens defence at Ondo tribunal today •ACN: there were anomalies in T all units •PDP:truth’ll prevail

HE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will today open its defence at the Ondo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.

Of the five days allotted to each respondent, INEC has three days to prove its case.

This is because the commission (the third respondent) asked for adjournment twice last Thursday and Friday and the two days were deducted.

The first and second respondents –Governor Olusegun Mimiko and the Labour Party (LP) – closed their defence last Tuesday.

Of the 10 days allotted to them, they spent only two.

Mimiko closed his defence after calling only 13 of the 850 witnesses listed. LP did not call any witness. It said it relied on Mimiko’s witnesses.

Mimiko and LP closed their defence without calling their expert witness.

Counsel to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Charles Titiloye said Mimiko would not have shunned his expert witness, if his report had merit.

Titiloye said the ACN and its candidate, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, have proved that there were irregularities in all polling units.

‘Our party has always maintained that truth will triumph over deceit, evil and falsehood. We urge the tribunal members to be fearless in dispensing justice in the interest of Ondo people’ From Damisi Ojo, Akure

He said: “If a polling unit did not share out of the over 164,000 strange names injected into the voters’ register, it will share in the incorrect recording of figures of accreditation and voting in the voters’ register and result sheets.

“It is not uncommon to see accreditation without voting in the voters’ register and yet a result sheet for the unit. Cross examination of

Mimiko’s witnesses showed that in many polling units, persons whose fingerprints were not captured in the voters’ register were allowed to vote by INEC.” The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described Mimiko’s inability to present more witnesses as an affirmation that the election was marred by irregularities.

In a statement at the weekend by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Wale Ozogoro, PDP said: “Their other witnesses refused to show up because they did not want to mortgage their future. Of the 775 witnesses listed, the LP closed its case without calling any of them.

“INEC, which awarded victory to Mimiko, also found it difficult to present witnesses on Friday. The LP leadership has continued to express shock over the evidence and facts presented by our candidate, Chief Olusola Oke. “Our party has always maintained that truth will triumph over deceit, evil and falsehood. We urge the tribunal members to be fearless in dispensing justice in the interest of Ondo people.”

•’Anti-govt messages are lies’ From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

•Ajimobi

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YO State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has said his re-election would be determined by God and the people.

He spoke at the weekend at the opening of a retreat for political office holders and community leaders in the 33 local government areas.

Ajimobi said his performance would determine whether he is re-elected or not.

He said his focus now was on making life easier for the people and urged political office holders to concentrate on delivering the dividends of democracy in all parts of the state.

Ajimobi said the “landmark achievements” of the governments in Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)-led states would give them an edge over the opposition.

On the urban renewal programme of his administration, he said it was aimed at securing a better future for the coming generation in terms of a well-planned and serene environment.

The governor said the unattractive environment, which scared away investors, was responsible for the state’s poor economy.

He said the retreat would enlighten the participants on how to deliver good governance.

Also at the weekend, an Oyo ACN chieftain, Mr. Wasiu Olatunbosun, urged residents to be wary of text messages that were being circulated to discredit Ajimobi.

In a statement, Olatunbosun said the text messages were being circulated by “disgruntled politicians and groups, who want to discredit the Ajimobi administration and set the people against it”.

The Caretaker Chairman of Ibadan NorthWest Local Government urged residents to disregard the messages, adding that they are lies concocted to make the Ajimobi administration unpopular.

Urging the people not to be brainwashed by the lies, he said the Ajimobi administration is an advocate of scientific governance, which is usually based on evidence, facts and figures, adding that all successes and achievements by it are proven and confirmed.

Olatunbosun said: “For Oyo State to grow at a globally competitive pace, faceless people and groups must dis-

abuse their minds and support the progressive, proactive and visionary government of Ajimobi, who is committed and naturally cut-out for a holistic transformation, restoration and repositioning of the pacesetter state.”

He said the Ajimobi administration has executed many capital projects, such as the Bodija Bridge, dredging of water channels to prevent flooding, building and opening-up of roads, provision of free shuttle buses for workers and pupils and empowerment programmes, among others.

Olatunbosun said the Mokola Bridge would soon be completed, adding that Ajimobi remains one of the few governors, who truthfully declared their assets before assuming office.

He said the governor is not a novice in administration because he once headed a multinational oil conglomerate, is a former senator and has occupied several key positions, which prepared him for the effective management of the state.

Elders forum condemns reappointment of Ondo SSG

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GROUP, the Ondo Elders Forum (OEF), at the weekend criticised the reappointment of Mr. Rotimi Adelola as the Secretary to the Ondo State Government (SSG).

In a statement by its Chairman, Mr. Adeyemi Olakunle and Secretary Fanibe Femi, OEF said Adelola’s re-

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

appointment has raised doubts on the credibility of the Governor Olusegun Mimiko administration It said: “We understand that there have been complaints from different quarters on his appointment and urge the governor to sack him.”

e-payment: ‘All Osun workers captured’

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LL workers of the Osun State Government have been captured in the salary electronic payment system, Finance Commissioner Wale Bolounduro said yesterday.

Bolounduro said all salary arrears had been paid.

He said the delay of January salary was caused by the labour union, which he said halted the automation and made it difficult to pay electronically.

Bolounduro said despite all obstacles, the biometric

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

capturing of workers had been completed and salary arrears paid.

He said the e-payment system was to ensure prompt payment and get rid of ghost workers.

The commissioner said: “The Governor Rauf Aregbesola administration has paid the arrears and will continue its policy of paying salary on or before the 26th of every month, irrespective of when the Feder-

al Government pays federal allocation.

“The January salary processing did not start until January 21 because the labour union pulled out of the stakeholders committee that was supposed to monitor the automation of salary.

“The labour union also disrupted the salary payment, which led to the delay. January and February salary have been paid. February salary was paid last week and March salary will be paid normally.”

‘Tukur’s Southwest parley unnecessary’

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CHIEFTAIN of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, Mr. Femi Babalola, yesterday said the ongoing peace meeting being coordinated by the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, in the Southwest is unnecessary.

Last Friday, Tukur met with feuding members of the party in the zone at the Premier Hotel in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to reconcile them.

Speaking with reporters yesterday, Babalola said: “I want to correct the notion that some members of the party are aggrieved. Nobody is aggrieved. What is happening in Oyo PDP is not a crisis. Everybody is just fighting for space.

The issue is that everybody wants to create space for him-

From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

self.

“What is happening to the PDP in Oyo is peculiar to any party in government. Under the presidential system of government, the governor is the automatic state leader of the party, but in Oyo, there is no governor to lead the party.

“It is incontrovertible that people like Alhaji Yekini Adeojo, former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, Mr. Lekan Balogun and Chief Jacob Adetoro are the party’s leaders in the state. When the time comes, they will sort things out.

“All the principal actors, at one time or the other, were with the late Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu. They went through the same tutelage. They are all

students of the same teacher.”

He said the fact that the party leaders said to be aggrieved remain in the PDP showed that the party was intact.

The former senator said: “Those who are truly aggrieved could have left the party, after all there are between 20 and 25 parties in the country, but they remained, so, I say nobody is aggrieved.

They are just fighting for space.”

On Alao-Akala’s absence at the reconciliation meeting on Friday, Babalola said: “As a close associate of the former governor, I state without the fear of contradiction that he was unavoidably absent.

“He respects party rules and I am sure he would have been present if he had gotten the invitation earlier.”

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COMMENTARY FROM OTHER LANDS

EDITORIALS

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Ascendant Africa

Cart before the horse?

Continent’s rise is welcome, overdue – but still precarious

•FEC hasty in granting FCT’s request for development fund

NE must have a heart of stone and a head of mush not to welcome the economic renaissance of Africa and its businesses, which a Financial Times series is mapping this week.

Still, counting a once forgotten continent’s new-found blessings should not blur a critical look at the challenges that remain.

Many of the fastest-growing countries since 2000 – albeit from a very low base – have been African. The continent’s growth rate forecast exceeds Asia’s. Helping to power this progress is a homegrown business sector.

Part of the success reflects the removal of the extreme policy mistakes of socialist state planning in the 1960s and 1970s and excessive liberalisation and state downsizing in the 1980s. Today, African political leadership is better than it was in many places, if mixed overall. Most leaders now seem willing to let markets do what they do best.

This pragmatism has been complemented by a number of lucky strikes. The global commodities boom has fuelled economic activity on this resource cornucopia of a continent. The mobile telecommunications revolution has swept across Africa, with new markets and innovative services riding its coattails from retail finance to medical information provision.

Hoping one-off boosters will continue to arrive is no strategy for sustained growth.

The future is in the balance, to be determined in part by the continent’s current youth bulge.

Asia’s growth revolutions show what can be achieved if a demographic transition – a temporarily larger proportion of working-age adults – is handled properly. But it is a growth opportunity that will not last forever.

So far, Africa’s youth, better educated than ever, face largely jobless growth. Making the most of their potential means adding more value within Africa, as Lamido Sanusi, Nigeria’s central bank governor, wrote in the Financial Times last week. This requires better infrastructure in all senses: physical, logistical, human. Railways, roads and ports must keep improving and tie African countries closer to each other, not just to the rest of the world. Financial markets must broaden and deepen. More must be invested in education and health. Agriculture in particular needs attention: it can be a source of both employment and growth.

It is the duty of states to secure these public goods to match business’s contribution to gro wth so that liberated but sensibly regulated markets can create lasting prosperity in Africa as they have done everywhere else.

- Financial Times

HE Federal Executive Council’s (FEC) approval, last week, of a floating bond for the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory (MFCT) exemplifies the trouble with our public finance system. FCT Minister Bala Mohammed had, at the end of the weekly executive council meeting, announced that the council had granted approval in principle to his ministry to float a development fund.

In the words of the minister: “I have craved the indulgence of the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and she has agreed and the council has noted our recommendation to float an FCT Development Fund. That we can float the bond after we have established a sound legal framework with the establishment of the FCT Revenue Board that we can task to float the bond so that we can pay our debts (our emphasis) and do new projects and programmes”.

The debts here refer to the ministry’s staggering N420 billion liabilities said to have been incurred in the last 20 years.

Surely, there can be nothing wrong with the quest to explore alternative sources of funds to fast-track the development of the city – if that was the idea. Indeed, we see this as inevitable at some point, given the influx of population into the city and the need to extend vital services to the residents as quickly as possible. And just as the idea of an FCT Development Fund

may well be one whose time can no longer be delayed, the main bone of contention is whether debt recycling as proposed in the bond floatation can be said to meet with the criteria of such a fund.

This is where we disagree.

Of course, we understand the attraction to the bond option. Not only are the funds cheaper, they are of longer duration and hence more convenient. However, we do not accept that these should be a licence to crowd the market with all manner of requests. And, as we have seen not too infrequently, it is just as prone to abuse as other sources of funds. And contrary to what is generally believed, the bond option is never a substitute to proper sound financial engineering or discipline; it does not offer guarantees that the proceeds would not be abused.

And if we may add in this particular instance – nothing in the financial records of the MFCT lends to any optimism that that the funds from the bonds will be better utilised. Its pile of unserviceable debts of nearly two decades would seem to suggest a need for new orientation.

But that is not the only reason why the bond idea is suspect. Given that no details or specifics are supplied aside general statements of intentions, the quest comes across as woolly. More inexplicable however is the FEC’s blanket approval, even when the so-called legal

framework is yet to be in place. The latter seems to us a case of putting the cart before the horse, or rather an instance of working to a pre-determined answer.

We expect the MFCT to put its financial house in order if it wants to be taken seriously. We do not think it has done enough to overhaul its machinery for revenue collection or even to eliminate avenues for leakages, both of which are vital to shoring up its revenue. A better way is to explore other creative ways to retire its mountain of debts.

We cannot endorse the idea of digging new financial pit to fill up an existing hole. It is wrong.

‘But that is not the only reason why the bond idea is suspect.

Given that no details or specifics are supplied aside general statements of intentions, the quest comes across as woolly.

More inexplicable however is the FEC’s blanket approval, even when the so-called legal framework is yet to be in place. The latter seems to us a case of putting the cart before the horse, or rather an instance of working to a pre-determined answer’

Cassava loan •It is better to encourage private investors to invest in agric than for the govt to take the facility

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IGERIANS are conversant with government cliché of turning cassava produced by farmers in the country into a veritable export cash crop.

But the query is whether successive administrations in the past 14 years have shown sufficient commitment to the idea.

Since former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, cassava crop has become a tool deployed to befuddle the public, with the government telling us it is making efforts to find sustainable agricultural alternatives to crude oil as sole means of foreign exchange earner.

Despite spending billions of naira on cassava project, no meaningful foreign earnings has come to the government’s coffers. This underscores our scepticism about the move by the Federal Govern-

‘We call on the government to stop forthwith the processing of the US$40 million facility. For example, the reported N4.1billion credit facility to the Nigerian Cassava Growers Association (NCGA) for 20,000 cassava farmers by the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) to cultivate 60,000 hectares of farmland during the 2013 planting season is in order. We subscribe to this kind of private investors initiative, instead of the government being the direct beneficiary of such facility’

ment to secure from the African Export and Import Bank, Egypt, a US$40 million loan to finance China’s purported demand of three million metric tons of cassava chips.

Though Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, was enthusiastic when he unfolded the initiative recently, we believe that such facility, if eventually obtained, constitutes another policy somersault that may lead nowhere. Adesina is more fascinated by the idea of creating export market for cassava, even to the extent of the nation not likely being able to meet up with domestic demands for the crop.

Assuming domestic production is mopped up, what becomes of local consumption? Is it right to create deliberate domestic cassava scarcity simply because of official urge to meet foreign demands?

We deprecate the move to obtain the loan to finance the cassava export project.

If the government truly knows its onions, the nation does not need to seek external credit facility to meet up foreign demands for the production of cassava chips. If properly harnessed, we have enough cassava in rural Nigeria to meet domestic and other demands. The challenge is the dearth of infrastructure to transport and preserve the excess cassava produce from the farms across the country, which, sadly, nothing concrete is being done to remedy.

In 2012, the two million metric tonnes of cassava chips reportedly delivered to China, according to the minister, were

adjudged the best in the world. But more significantly is the fact that the cassava chips were cultivated and harvested by Nigerian farmers without foreign credit facility. The lesson from this is that the government must focus on how to develop general agricultural infrastructure. The way to start is for the government to see to fruition its plan to set up four cassava chip processing centres in the South-East city of Enugu, South-West city of Ibadan and the northern states of Nasarawa and Taraba. Also, there are other cash crops like cocoa and palm oil, among others, that can generate billions of dollars annually for the government.

We call on the government to stop forthwith the processing of the US$40 million facility. For example, the reported N4.1billion credit facility to the Nigerian Cassava Growers Association (NCGA) for 20,000 cassava farmers by the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) to cultivate 60,000 hectares of farmland during the 2013 planting season is in order.

We subscribe to this kind of private investors initiative, instead of the government being the direct beneficiary of such facility.

Instead of seeking foreign loan that will not yield the desired results, we want the government to encourage private investors, both domestic and international, to come and develop our great agricultural potential. We are opposed to this loan that is akin to the laughable idea of phone-for-farmer initiative by the minister sometime ago.

O

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

• Executive Director (Finance & Administration) Ade Odunewu

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THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

CARTOON & LETTERS

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IR: If the PDP governors are true believers of democracy, they should take the so-called presidency and its fixers head-on and vow not to be intimidated by their threats to impose President Jonathan on PDP members. Those calling themselves leaders and friends of the president have no right, whatsoever, to tell PDP members who to elect. If they so believe in President Jonathan, the party’s National Convention is there to test his popularity, instead of trying to intimidate PDP governors into supporting a cause they do not believe in. Besides, apart from a few opportunists among the PDP governors, Jonathan has not earned their support.

One can’t help but be amazed at Chief Edwin Clark’s comments, when he claimed that the NGF should be dissolved. The NGF should know that if they ignore or run away from their bullies, they will keep coming after them. Like with dogs, turning tail in flight is a signal for pursuit. And if they yield to their threats, the threats will keep aiming higher as they will become victims, and find it increasingly harder to overcome the bullies. There is only one proper response to leaders-turnedbackyard bullies. Stare them down, stay the course and stand up to them.

Jonathan and his praise-singers should be smart enough to know that no amount of threats, intimidation and blackmail will make the governors change their position on the candidate that they want to elect. Determined governors must be ready to take battering, tumbles and bruises, no matter how grievous they seem, because truth

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NGF should resist intimidation and right are on their side.

Spin doctors in the presidency, it seems, have misled the President that they really know the country called Nigeria. Do they even feel the pulse of PDP members, let alone that of Nigerians? This ignorance, which some people misconstrued as arrogance, has led them scurrying to re-install sacked National Working Committee members from the South West PDP, a move akin to eating their vomit, all in a bid to pacify already

perceived enemies to support the President’s re-election project. This is just the beginning of a series of dog fights in the party as 2015 approaches.

Interestingly, President Jonathan has put so much faith in the troika of Bamanga Tukur, Tony Anenih and Godswill Akpabio, and his mouth piece, Edwin Clark; men that talk from both sides of their mouth.

One writer even noted that Anenih was appointed BoT Chairman to reposition PDP. Excuse me; is it PDP

Edo or PDP Nigeria? Has Anenih been able to reposition PDP in Edo State? Here is a man that has since been demystified and sent to the cleaners by Governor Adams Oshiomhole. Twice.

In one breath, Clark says Jonathan is PDP’s sole candidate, in another, he says nobody should be stopped from contesting as “the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guaranteed equality of all Nigerians to seek elected offices, when and where necessary”.

Sponsorship of pilgrimage a misplaced priority

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IR: The Federal Government delegation to last year’s Christian pilgrimage, headed by Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, reportedly listed seven northern states among those who refused to sponsor Christian pilgrims. Their displeasure was the bias that has been institutionalized in the policy of the states mentioned. However, President Jonathan had a wise word that gladdened me to some extent. His assertion was that it was left to the states whether or not to sponsor pilgrims, but whatever their decision, they must remember that what applies to Christians must apply to Muslims and vice versa.

My concern, however, is the reli-

gious and economic implication of federal and states continuing sponsorship of Christian and Muslim pilgrimage to the holy land. In the first place, neither the Islamic nor Christian religion suggests that the common wealth of the people could be used to pay for the pilgrimage of a privileged few even where they are state religions. That some countries of the world practice this policy does not absolve us from considering how different our circumstance is.

I certainly encourage pilgrimage.

However, individuals should not be deprived of the spiritual benefit that accrues from the process involved in preparing and actual per-

formance of the pilgrimage. However, when the government decides to pay for all expenses, that process, in my opinion, is interrupted and the full benefit of the pilgrimage is not achieved. On the contrary, the pilgrim’s spiritual riches are, so to say, switched for whatever is received as sponsorship. .

Economically, what we do every time we sponsor pilgrims to either Saudi Arabia, Israel or Italy, is transfer our meagre resources to help enrich countries that are already far richer than us through tourism spending, the fastest growing economic venture in the world.

If the same amount used in sponsoring individuals for pilgrimage

Ogun NYSC’s conscientious objector

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IR: I refer to the case of Tolu Ekundayo, a youth corper posted to Ogun State said to have disregarded the dress code of NYSC. Nigeria’s constitution guarantees our fundamental human rights of which freedom of religion and expressions are there. The lady is free to obey the commandment of her God. We do not need the aid of dictionary to understand this divine command: “A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing, for all that do so are abomination unto the lord their God (Deuteronomy

So anybody can contest on the platform of an opposition party but no PDP member has the constitutional right to contest because of Jonathan?

Akpabio said the PDP Governor’s Forum will try to identify Judases amongst them; the same Judases Anenih is demanding total loyalty from, and the same Judases that, according to Tukur, have been giving Jonathan sleepless nights?

On what moral ground can these men stand on to lecture other people on politics and democracy when their own party is collapsing? Everything is in black and white now, and Nigerians expect the Presidency to respect the democratic will of the various states governors and their people.

• Lloyd Robinson Port Harcourt, Rivers State

22:5).

Only she who believes is obedient, only she who obedient believes.

In the 80s, the women that wear trousers were classified as prostitutes but today 80% of women are deliberately violating the law of God. Is that not the reason why there are many problems around us? She who refuses to obey God is an unbeliever. There is no way one can be happy in despising divine law.

NYSC Ogun State left leprosy to treat ringworm. There is a sect that its faithful will not sing our national

anthem. There are corpers that will not go to work but bargain with officials to collect monthly allowances. Nigeria is a country where corruption is being institutionalised and attempt is being made to constitutionalise it.

The highest form of evil you can do to a man is to force him to sin against his God. We underrate God and His law in Nigeria that is why righteousness is despised.

A lady who says “yes” to everyone and everything, every time is not a lady. Nearly all our career ladies today wear trousers and

there are lots of problems all over the place.

I salute the courage and audacity of this lady as she sounded it loud and clear that “others may, she cannot”. She has experimented divine truth with apparatus of confidence and boldness to let those who compromise know that she is not just God’s fan but His fanatic.

It is not who is right but what is right. Let us value virtue than social vices, it is then we can have new Nigerians for a new Nigeria.

• Ezekiel Oluwole Kolawole Ikotun Lagos.

was given to poor but industrious citizens, Nigeria would have been better for it. The idea of sponsoring pilgrims may be aimed at helping the citizens to grow holy but the reverse, in my opinion, seem to be happening. In a country of 160 million people, even if 10,000 citizens are sponsored every year, that will make up only 0.0062% of the total population and in a 100 years only 1,000,000 or 0.62% would have been sponsored, not even 1%. How long do we expect the other 99% to wait for their turn supposing it is a right? What this later group is seeing is the misappropriation of the common treasury to favour a very minor class of citizens based on their political or family affiliation to the detriment of the majority. The scenario would have been different if the one percent that will be sponsored will return to radically change the moral and socio-economic situation of the remaining ninety-nine for the better; then it would have be a worthy investment. Unfortunately, the security and economic situation in the country today is pregnant with so many questions that demands answers from all responsible citizens.

• Patrick Kanang Nyam Department of Development Control, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, Wuse, Abuja.

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THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

COMMENTS

APC: Really, what's in a name?

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ATHER than focus on tackling the plentiful challenges pinning down Nigeria, it is depressing that politicians are now making acronym of political parties to become the nation’s prime issue two years ahead of the 2015 election. The altercation has been between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the merging opposition, All Progressives Congress (APC).

On February 6, three major opposition parties (Action Congress of Nigeria, All Nigeria Peoples Party and Congress for Progressive Change), along with a faction of All Progressive Grand Alliance came together to declare a merger. Many saw it as an astute and smart move to dislodge the non-performing party in power. Few weeks after, the mega party released its logo and slogan, expressing determination to effect change of the miserable state of the nation. Of course, PDP that earlier openly welcomed the merger put its real inner anxiety to work. Its precedence to just hold on to power became clear.

Suddenly, a proxy African Peoples Congress emerged with an emergency letter of intent to be registered as a party with contraction APC title and rushed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office without any interaction with the commission’s officials and without requisite information. The apparent purpose was to frustrate the registration of the mega party with APC acronym.

As the controversy was overwhelming serious challenges of the nation, another ‘APC’ tagged All Patriotic Citizens was brought up.

Although the personalities of All Progressives Congress had earlier been made known, until last week, the list of representatives of the other intended APCs, their board of trustees, the address of its headquarters in Abuja and the list of its offices in the states were not disclosed – not even the promoters. And since INEC claimed it cannot shut its doors to any group seeking to register as a political party, the hullabaloo on the issue of which of the parties should hold APC acronym has now become media headlines.

It has been a deliberately engineered distractive uproar.

From its arrival, it was clear that the mega APC has political adversaries, equipped with bamboozling political weapons and foxes being garnered to blemish the vine. While PDP was quick to state it was not bothered by the coming together of the progressive forces, it has become apparent that it has surely been having sleepless nights and working round

I

T is common occurrence for sudden darkness to engulf us and in the jest of the perennial outages, the cry of “Oh NEPA” fills the dark air as if to express our collective disappointment, sadness, unfortunateness! This practice is not a generational occurrence or tribal one; it is the common cry of Nigerians when power outage takes place. It has become our national practice, part of our national character, our national psychic, our national pastime, our national expression of acceptance that power outage anytime has come to stay in our lives!

And why not, if this sad phenomenon has been with us for the past five or six decades - every man, woman, child and yet unborn baby knows “Oh NEPA”. We have come to accept that it is the norm and not the exception. I recollect a young primary school student on a five-day visit to London asking the Nigerian chaperon on the fourth day if “there was no NEPA here”. Naturally everyone burst out laughing but the chaperon had to explain to the young student that “NO NEPA “ is not the expected, it is the aberration, the failure of leadership that Nigeria and Nigerians had come to accept as a way of life. This young man was so moved he said he was going to study the sciences to fix the problem and those around him encouraged him though everyone knew that the problem is not with science but rather with politics.

The problem is no longer an issue of leadership alone; it has also become one of the acquiescing of the followership in accepting to live with an unwanted occurrence. We waste our votes each election and then exclaim Oh NEPA every single day of our lives without considering the huge cost to lives and property of the average man. The colossal loss of lives and property each year should provide reasons for voters to be wiser in the exercise of their fundamental human rights, the right to elect those who will govern them.

We hear each day of outages and the return of a burst of high voltage power causing buildings to burn; we hear of people being burned to death and of generators catching fire and burning properties. We hear of factories burnt, story buildings razed to dust by voltage issues. And yet it continues to be life as usual, as we wait for the next occurrence.

A nation accepting the power outage problem for five decades, with billions if not trillions spent to supposedly rectify the power problem. I ask you if your child failed his final exams for four consecutive years will the school receive him in the fifth year? If the lives and properties that were being lost were those of the billionaires, trillionaires, politicians, would a solution not have been found sooner?. If state houses and state assemblies were being razed by surge in power after an outage, would we not have found a solution earlier?

The consequences of “ Moment of Madness” when we shout

the clock to devise measures to sabotage powerful opposition unification capable of sweeping it off the throne it boasted to occupy for 50 years. The parties’ inclusion was to be discouraged and extricated with the emergency creation of another so-called APC through foul and smelly means.

In truth, acronym “APC” is nobody’s birthright. But the tricky machination of the hidden motivator of the surrogate APCs is a further indication of disingenuous purpose of holding on to power for self-augmentation and enrichment rather than performance essential service to the people. This is why I agree that merging of the opposition that could enable it take power legitimately from PDP should be more of devotion to serving the people. Convincing Nigerians on how to turn the battered country around from its present squalor of poverty and insecurity to the consigned land of greatness must be focal point far above a war on acronym.

And this is why the authentic APC should not loose any sleep because of this scam of the political fraudsters. It should rather make merger better-built and stronger.

This is to say that with the failing situation in the country today, the merged APC can decide to supplant the fake APC and its mentor and turn the circumstance to advantage by picking on its plan B. Mere change of name can rattle the fraudsters to their roots. Afterall, when God changed the names of Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah and Jacob to Israel in the Bible, their lives being hassled by the devil ended up in fulfillment.

How many years has PDP been in power with nothing to show for its stewardship other than corruption, insecurity and decay of infrastructures? Sometimes ago at the 60th National Executive Council meeting of the PDP, President Goodluck Jonathan as the party leader himself admitted the failure of the party to perform. He conceded that it was found intricate to deliver on campaign promises on the excuse that his administration was being distracted by security challenges, especially the threat posed by the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, which has claimed responsibility for bombings in the North.

Thousands have died in the terrorism attacks which have largely been targeted at churches and other public places.

Recounting insecurity as the most fundamental issue his administration is wrestling with, the President added that the challenges have stood in the way of delivering on the ruling party’s campaign promises. He listed job creation and power supply as priority areas that were meant to be addressed seriously in sincerity but which have been overshadowed by insecurity.

But Mr. President did not get it right. Insecurity is not peculiar to Nigeria. To use it as excuse for nonperformance stunned many faithful Nigerians. Is it

insecurity that is responsible for massive corruption for which politicians and leaders are involved? Could the activities of Boko Haram be the issue affecting some of the states being governed by PDP in the South East, SouthSouth and most parts of the North where terrorism was not afflicting? It was as if he was unconscious of the fact that people might because of his failure be preparing to vote with their conscience come 2015 for leaders who will be steadfast to hold responsibilities of challenges of their offices.

It has been repeated over and over: Boko Haram is byproduct of corruption in the high places. Or was there any Boko Haram 14 years ago when PDP was enthroned?

Yet, those in power have squandered every scrap of public goodwill and the country has turned into an underworld with political and business cabals creaming from the top, and the masses being robbed and blown up on the floor.

The biggest threat to Nigeria as a nation is not Boko Haram; it is the current ruling class and their voracious desire for self-enrichment, no matter the cost to the nation state. Nigeria is being wrecked and ruled by corrupt tyrants wearing the facade of democracy. Let it be known that it is either we change course, or we will further plunge headlong into global oblivion the day oil fails to bring in the cheap revenue that is unfortunately dragging the nation down.

We should not expect any good from evil. As long as we decide not to know what PDP stands for, the dilemma remains ours. The fact is it is PDP at the centre that is collapsing the country. Those who see nothing wrong in the nation’s continuing decline might support the party as long it is still in power where they too can partake and benefit in its unrighteousness.

Impactful change for the better will come when the main focus of the opposition parties is to make the PDP drown in its election rigging, manipulations, support for corruption (note the on-going presidential error of the pardon granted Chief Diepriye Alamieyeseigha and others?) and non-performance. The nation would only move forward when peoples’ wills are permitted and elections are not rigged to continue to steal public fund.

This is why genuine alternatives to failure must get prepared for a big fight as political thieves will not give in easily.

Yet, for the opposition to succeed come 2015, notwithstanding the approved chosen name, it will take the kind of stance Governor Adams Oshiomhole gave them in Edo State to remove the PDP from power: excellent performance that will naturally compel people’s followership.

One moment of madness!

By Mustafa Jaji Up NEPA is never captured, collated or indeed appreciated by our leaders who are quick to show grieve for political reasons when they know they are the cause of the problem.

I recently experienced one such Moment of Madness power outage, albeit one with an international dimension, with colossal consequences.

The day was Monday March 4, at the departure hall of Murtala Muhammed International Airport. It was hot as the reconstruction effort is ongoing; passengers went about getting set for boarding their respective flights. Flights arrived and departed and passengers waited in lounges, waiting areas and boarding points to jet off in different directions. Suddenly the airport experienced power outage and the usual “Oh NEPA” filled the air. Unknown to many, the light for the AIRPORT RUNWAY for landing planes had also been extinguished! Unfortunately, an Emirates flight from Dubai had commenced landing approach to the runway when the power outage occurred and you can imagine what the Captain of the flight had to do!

He lifted the plane and ran away from the Nigerian airspace to safety and proceeded to land at Lome. Just imagine if that plane had crashed killing all on board ( maybe 250 people!) just because of one Moment of Madness – all because we could not ensure that the runway is permanently powered to avoid any calamity; the airport and runway were on NEPA! The Emirates plane landed in Lome and after hours it finally returned to land at MMIA to drop her passengers and pick up those scheduled to travel that night. As you can imagine, the Emirates Flight to Dubai is usually full or nearly full since our leaders have denied us a National Carrier. Dubai serves as the hub for passengers going to as diverse as India, Shanghai, Russia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, New Zealand, Perth, etc and so it was that the flight to Dubai on this faithful evening was full of passengers going to different parts of the world with many requiring connecting flights to catch on getting to Dubai. The Lagos to Dubai flight that should have taken off at 9.30pm eventually departed at 1.58am on March 5!

Let me digress for a few paragraphs just to emphasize the point of the failure of our leaders to ensure we have a viable National Carrier. Nigerians travel a lot and in 2012 the number of Nigerians who would have travelled out would be in excess of six million flying the carriers of other countries, in-

cluding African countries like Rwanda, Namibia, Kenya, Egypt, Morocco, Ethiopia, South Africa, etc. Yet we proclaim ourselves as Giant of Africa!

Let me use Emirates to emphasize the case since I know our leaders must be aware of the profitability, job creation, imagery and cultural benefits of operating a National Carrier.

Emirates has turned the city of Dubai to the global hub for linking West Africa, East Africa, Australasia with Europe, Asia , Middle East and North America and vice versa. This has driven the rapid growth of the airline in the last decade and the recent partnership with Qantas confirms this strategic direction for further growth. For the Nigerian market, it has meant that over the last five years, Emirates has gradually developed as the link for Nigerians traveling to Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Middle East and including North America and Europe. The success of this service in the absence of a competing Nigerian carrier has meant increasing flight from a few per week to everyday to two flights per day!

And now Qatar and Etihad have joined to serve Nigerians since we cannot get our acts together.

To continue my story, our flight EK 782 finally arrived at Dubai airport nearly six hours after schedule. You needed to see the stress on the faces of my countrymen including mine, because we had missed our connecting flights and needed to find the next available flight. Many were going for meetings they had now missed; indeed some contemplated returning to Lagos since the new connecting flight was not helpful to their business venture.

One can then appreciate the challenge the One Moment of Madness caused our countrymen and also Emirates Airline as a business concern. Emirates Airline had to arrange rebooking of flights, hotel accommodation, transfers, and the vacant seats for the passengers who did not travel as planned on departed flights would have been lost revenue! The One Moment of Madness would have cost Emirates Airline a sizeable sum and you ask yourself why and all you are left with is because of Nigeria’s One Moment of Madness power outage.

It is time the people, the electorate, the followers of Nigeria think of how to eradicate this One MOMENT OF MADNESS. The solution is in their votes, in monitoring performance of their leaders, insisting on a better quality of life, demanding for 24 hours of electricity supply; we can then expect solutions faster.

• Jaji writes from Lagos

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

22

COMMENTS

I

F anything, the recent visit of President Goodluck Jonathan to Borno and Yobe states has raised the propriety of amnesty for the Boko Haram religious sect to the vortex of public opinion. This renewed interest followed the outright rejection of that proposition by Jonathan as earlier canvassed by the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar and corroborated

by Borno elders at a town hall meeting with the president.

Jonathan had anchored his objection to amnesty on the ground that promoters of the sect are ghosts and it was inappropriate to grant amnesty to an under cover group. But many, including the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah had charged that Boko Haram was no longer faceless as they had been addressing press conferences and issuing statements. As if to give credence to this, the splinter group led by Sheikh Muhammed ibn Abdulaziz came up with a press statement repudiating the claim that they are ghosts.

Abdulaziz could not understand why anybody should still take them as ghosts when they have been holding meetings with the Borno State government and a delegation of the northern governors’ forum. They also faulted a recent statement in which their overall leader Sheikh Shekau was said to have disowned their group. They claimed that those statements were not made by Shekau and that he was the one that promoted Abdulaziz to his current commanding position.

But this claim goes with a credibility overhang given that Shekau is the only fit and proper person to enter a refutal if he is not a ghost himself.

Abdulaziz cannot be speaking for himself and Shekau at the same time and wants to be taken seriously. If Shekau really exists and Abdulaziz has the kind of links he bandies with him, the minimum expectation would have been to get him corroborate or refute those claims. The inability to do that casts serious slur on his credibility and leaves us with no other choice but to

‘Being an arm of an international terror group, amnesty as a solution to terrorism is bound to fail. There is for now, no record of that as a panacea for taming the global phenomenon’

F

Emeka OMEIHE 08121971199 email: EmekaOmeihe@yahoo.com

Niger Delta, Boko Haram amnesty believe that the voice we heard was that of Shekau.

And this also puts to serious question the credibility of the ceasefire agreement he claimed to have entered into with the Borno State government. It is an uncanny irony that the effect of that ceasefire agreement is yet to be felt in Borno where he claims to be holding forth.

Beyond these, is the rational for according Boko Haram amnesty in the same fashion it was extended to the Niger Delta militants? Can we possible marry the two groups by way of solving both problems through a common approach? In other words, is amnesty the therapeutic response to Boko Haram insurgency in the same manner it was applied to militancy in the Niger Delta? What of the philosophical and ideological motivations of the two groups? Do they have things in common or prompted by disparate and contradictory desires or belief systems? There is also a territorial dimension to both agitations. These are the issues that will come handy in resolving the controversy arising from the prescription of amnesty as the necessary and sufficient condition for taming the Boko Haram insurgency.

For one, there are marked differences both in ideological and philosophical motivations of the two groups. And as the spokesman for the presidency, Doyin Okupe pointed out Niger Delta militants were piqued by the despoliation of their environment by oil producing companies and wanted greater share in nature-endowed resources at their backyard. They wanted the oil companies and government to be more caring and responsive to the sensibilities of the oil bearing states. They took up arms quite alright. But their target was largely expatriates working for the oil

ACT: Nuhu Ribadu is a frustrated man. He is hardly a happy man, at least outside his small cycle of family and friends. The once fiery anti-corruption czar got frustrated and disappointed on many counts. He was unceremoniously axed from the helms of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2008, a few months after the ascension of late President Umaru Yar’Adua. His then rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) was brought to question and eventually trimmed to a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) – two steps down the ladder.

And, in clear manifestation of his oft-stated fears over his job, the man narrowly escaped the assassin’s bullets on two occasions before he managed to escape the borders of the country. He became disenfranchised, exiled and, ultimately, ostracised. But it didn’t come to him as a surprise because he had for long realized that fighting the high and mighty is not without a price on one’s side. “Corruption fights back and it fights dirty!” he often says. No other Nigerian, nay African, is more competent to report on how embedded official corruption and fraud are in the fabric of the society, and how corruption also haunts anyone that attempts to cleanse it.

Like in a well scripted fantasy novel, President Goodluck Jonathan last week convoked the National Council of States (NCS) meeting to grant state pardon to convicted corrupt former Bayelsa State governor, Diepreye Alamieyesiegha and former managing director of the defunct Bank of the North, Shettima Mohammed Bulama. Nothing is as lethal to Nigeria’s skulking fight against the menace of corruption apart from the move to scrap off the EFCC itself that was hatched by some politicians around 2008.

Listening to Ribadu commenting on the controversial pardon over the BBC Hausa at the weekend, one hears a voice of a frustrated man. There was discernible anger from the way he responded to the questions about the whole show of shame that is the state pardon jamboree. The tone of the voice alone was enough to tell a story: a story of series of disappointments of man who, like a messiah trying hard to cure his society of odious stench of evils got spikes sprinkled along his path by the same people who should clear thorns and pebbles off the road to a better future.

The former anti-graft czar has valid reasons to be angry.

As he stated, he and his team at the EFCC underwent great difficulties in meticulously investigating these two individuals and, eventually, bringing them to book. It was, for Ribadu, something of joy and celebration when Bulama, and, later, Alamieyesiegha was convicted. Joy not for celebrating another’s ‘misfortune’ but for the fact that the once powerful treasury looters who, over the years, collectively siphoned over $380 billion since independence and stashed them abroad, could now be brought to books to account for their fraudulent past.

companies whom they saw as oppressors. At any rate, agitations for fair share in resources accruing from oil by host communities is as old as the Nigerian nation. Curiously however, the government did not deem it fit to attend to the peculiar circumstances of oil bearing communities despite the stupendous wealth accruing from that resource and the squandering of same by sundry buccaneers masquerading as leaders.

For another, the ideological motivation of Boko Haram is essentially faith-based. They want non Muslims in the north to leave; the president to convert from Christianity to Islamic religion and the conversion of the country to an Islamic state. Above all, they are abhorrent of anything that is western including education. It is ostensibly for these reasons they have unleashed mayhem unto the country leaving in its trail the killing of innocent souls through indiscriminate attacks on Christian places of worship.

When therefore the Sultan and some northern leaders came up with the idea of amnesty, the first set of resentment to it came from Christians in the north that bear the brunt of these unprovoked and senseless attacks. They could not comprehend why criminals should be rewarded for the reckless destructions that have trailed their activities. They found it hard to understand why arrested criminals should be released in the name of dubious amnesty without accounting for their misdeeds.

The fate of families sent to their early grave without justification was another issue that polluted the air at the mere suggestion of am-

nesty for the insurgents. And given our experience with amnesty for the Niger Delta militants, acceptance of such a proposal would see the government rehabilitating the insurgents in the same fashion it did to the militants. In effect, they will not only get away with the heinous crimes they committed but rewarded handsomely for their acts of lawlessness. To worsen matters, those proposing amnesty for the sect were amazingly silent on the fate of Christians in the north who suffered heavily from their acts of lawlessness. This fact went a long way to expose the hypocrisy in that prescription. It is not surprising therefore that the idea could not fly on account of inherent contradictions.

There are contradictions in constructing parity between Boko Haram and Niger Delta militancy as they differ very substantially both in ideology and doctrinaire motivation. And whereas the demands of the militants could easily lend themselves to easy handle, that much cannot be said for Boko Haram.

Granting them amnesty when they have not repudiated their ideological leitmotif is nothing but a recipe for anarchy. Moreover, Boko Haram has an international dimension. It has been linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic fundamentalists in the Maghreb. Their escapades extend beyond the shores of this country as shown by their taking into captivity of a French family in Cameroon in protest against Nigeria’s participation in Mali. We are also privy to how a faction of the sect killed some Nigerian soldiers preparing for the Mali assignment. The sect is not only concerned with events in this country but outside of it. There is no guarantee that issues concerning their associates outside our shores, will not provide the ground for them to strike again. So it is not only a Nigerian but global problem.

Being an arm of an international terror group, amnesty as a solution to terrorism is bound to fail. There is for now, no record of that as a panacea for taming the global phenomenon. Insisting on amnesty for the sect also conveys the impression that there may be more to their activities than ordinarily meets the eyes. The impression is festering that the whole idea is to get the government commit its resources to rehabilitating insurgents and sundry criminals the same way militants were treated.

But the challenges facing amnesty in Niger Delta even questions the propriety of that exercise again.

Today, it has become a platform for sundry characters and criminals to make dubious financial claims on the government. The situation is bound to worsen if Boko Haram is accorded that undeserving treatment. Then, the gesture would have emboldened criminals and evil minded groups to take up arms against the government.

Of state pardon and Ribadu’s frustrations

By Danlami Ibrahim Maikano Ribadu’s effort to bring those two figures, and subsequent other corrupt public servants to justice, was something that should be rewarded with the highest honour the country could give an individual. Through the ideas and selfless works of one individual, the global image of Nigeria was greatly embellished, leading to the deletion of Nigeria’s name from FATF’s “List of Non-cooperative Countries and Territories” as well as appreciable debt relief from the Paris Club. To his eternal credit, Ribadu worked with a great deal of self-restraint. Thus, he avoided several financial inducements that came his way, like plague. A story was told of how a notorious internet scammer who duped some Brazilians to the tune of $150 million, fervently begged Ribadu to halve the money and let him go with one portion while he (Ribadu) take the other half. The then EFCC chairman refused and he went ahead to prosecute the man and returned the forfeited money to the people duped. This was neither the first, nor the last in the series of barely known incidences of Ribadu choosing the less treaded path to sincerity and honesty, as against personal interest. Well before his days in the EFCC, Ribadu had once rejected bribe to the tune of N20 million while prosecuting a case of fraud involving some Central Bank of Nigeria and Ministry of Finance officials in the mid-1990s. Indeed, the case of the $15 million Ibori bribe saga, which Ribadu declined, has become a reference point worldwide, for sheer magnitude of the bribe money and highest sense of responsibility exhibited by the target of the bribe.

However, to the chagrin of anti-corruption campaigners and the global community, the first ‘reward’ Ribadu got from his years of untainted work at the EFCC was a tactical though brazen butt out. Yet, those who engineered his removal from the EFCC were not done yet. They kept masterminding heinous plots to distort the course of his entire life, the height of which was a ploy to send him off the face of the earth.

But still resolute on seeing that Nigeria is cured of its number one malady – corruption, Ribadu accepted to chair the Petroleum Revenue Task Force, last year. He worked against the odds, including starvation of funds, to bring about a report that unearthed unimaginable level of corruption perpetrated in active connivance with those who should have checked such rip off of the country. However, instead of government taking the committee’s revelations seriously, we saw how an obviously government-backed tragic-com-

edy was staged to rubbish the report from the day of its presentation. Yet, President Goodluck Jonathan still promised to act on the report. However, six months since the report was turned in, mum is the word from the side of the government.

The same government that showed this lackadaisical gait in dealing with this clear case of disservice for the nation is now reversing the good works Ribadu did many tears back.

Typical of the saying that prophets are not valued at home, Ribadu’s honours and accolades often come from the outside. A few months after he escaped the twin assassination attempts, Ribadu secured Senior Fellowship position at St. Anthony’s College, Oxford University, UK and another offer came from the prestigious Centre for Global Development where he served as a Visiting Fellow. The height of it all was the World Bank’s Jit Gill Memorial Award for Outstanding Public Service, the first from Nigeria to fetch such a reputable award.

Indeed, the Alamieyesiegha pardon-gate has once again brought to the fore the insincerity of the Jonathan administration to fighting the scourge of corruption and fraud in this country. Already, the torrent of criticism from within and outside the country, including – significantly – from the US government, has shown how unpopular this decision is.

It amounted to dragging the image of the country to the preEFCC days of money laundering, advance fee fraud and impunity. The sooner President Jonathan decides to eat the humble pie, the better for the country.

•Maikano writes from Kado Estate, Abuja

Indeed, the Alamieyesiegha pardon-gate has once again brought to the fore the insincerity of the Jonathan administration to fighting the scourge of corruption and fraud in this country. Already, the torrent of criticism from within and outside the country, including – significantly – from the US government, has shown how unpopular this decision is.

We didn’t

abandon Emenike—NFF

Pg. 24

KESHI PICKS 9 NPL MLS debut

stars for Kenya

Pg. 24

Pg. 41

thrills Martins

•Team off to Calabar •Praises fans

Sport Monday, March 18, 2013

PAGE 23

Mikel, Moses

hit Calabar Tuesday

•Musa, Ideye, Echiejile in today

S

UPER EAGLES’ Chief Coach Stephen Okechukwu Keshi told NationSport yesterday that Chelsea stars Mikel Obi and Victor Moses will storm Calabar tomorrow (Tuesday).

The coach in a routine check on his players, said they promised to be in Calabar on time to participate in the team's evening training.

From Segun Ogunjimi, Abuja

“Mikel and Moses have told me that they will be in Calabar on Tuesday.

They have promised to be there on time to participate in the evening training of the team,” Keshi told NationSport .

The former Togo and Mali coach also confirmed the availability of other players who will arrive in Nigeria

today (Monday).

Also expected are: Ahmed Musa, Elderson Echiejile, Brown Ideye and others “to join us if possible in Abuja tomorrow if they arrive on time before we depart for Calabar.”

“The plan is that players that had matches on Saturday and Sunday should be in Nigeria latest Monday and tomorrow Tuesday. So any

player that arrives on time tomorrow will travel with us to Calabar today.

Others would definitely join us in Calabar. We hope to start training on time, if time permits, Monday evening (today's evening) for the allimportant match. We are leaving no stone unturned to have a successful outing come this Saturday,” Keshi said.

Osaze: Westbrom wants to ruin my career

Pg. 24

25

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

We want a SONCAP programme that would serve its purpose; a programme that would be dynamic, where all the identified loopholes would be effectively plugged thereby making it difficult for the plaque of substandard products to continue to dominate the Nigerian business space.

-Dr Joseph Odumodu, DG, SON

ISSUES

THE CEO

Should customs or agents handle destination inspection? - P. 27

‘Three tiers of govt should get their allocations in dollars’ - P. 32

News Briefing How Africa can develop its economy,

by Sanusi FOR the economies of Africa to transform from being import-dependent to industrialised, the continent must put in place infrastructure, Afrocentric policies and develop both technical and vocational skills, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has said.

- Page 26

PenCom okays 317 firms for govt’s contracts THE National Pension Commission (PenCom) has okayed 317 private sector organisations. By this certification, the companies can bid for contracts with Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

- Page 29

Five perm secs, others to go in Kano FIVE out of the 32 permanent secretaries in Kano State are to retire from service following the introduction of tenure system for public servants in the state.

- Page 37 DATA STREAM COMMODITY PRICES Oil -$107/barrel Cocoa -$2,686.35/metric ton Coffee - ¢132.70/pound Cotton - ¢95.17pound Gold -$1,800/troy ounce Rubber -¢159.21pound MARKET CAPITALISATIONS NSE JSE NYSE LSE

-N7.560 trillion -Z5.112trillion -$10.84 trillion -£61.67 trillion

RATES Inflation 11.9% Treasury Bills 7.08% Maximum lending-22.42% Prime lending - 15.87% Savings rate 2% 91-day NTB 15% Time Deposit 5.49% MPR 12% Foreign Reserve $35.8b FOREX CFA 0.2958 EUR 206.9 £ 242.1 $ 156 ¥ 1.9179 SDR 238 RIYAL 40.472

‘Perm Secs, Heads of MDAs delay salary payment’ M

INISTRIES, Depart ments, Agencies (MDAs) and banks have been accused of being liable for the delay of civil servants’ salaries across the country.

The accounting officers of some MDAs are said to have connived with bank officials to withhold workers’salaries in fixed deposit accounts to yield interest before eventually releasing the money to the workers midway into the month.

While the monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting was going on last week, some angry civil servants came to the venue to monitor proceedings and confirm if the month’s allocation would be distributed on schedule.

Some of the civil servants, who spoke to The Nation, lamented that their pay was being delayed for no reason. He added that the delay has been on for some time.

When contacted, an official of the Office of the Account-

• ‘Workers pay placed in fixed deposit’ From Nduka Chiejina, (Assistant Editor), Abuja

ant-General of the Federation (OAGF), who did not wish to be named, admitted that they had heard of the delays in workers’salaries. He however, exonerated the AGF of any complicity. The source added that the OAGF has been remitting workers’ salaries 48 hours after it gets the Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE) to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to remit to the various accounts.

The official stated that since the introduction of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) by the Federal Government last year, it was impossible for them to withhold any disbursements that had been duly cleared for payment.

Also, an official of the CBN

New template for aviation investors coming

T

HE Federal Govern ment is set to introduce a new arrangement for potential investors in the provision of aviation infrastructure as part of plans to consolidate its master plan in the sector, investigations have revealed.

Part of the new arrangement is setting a timeline as well as funding options and credit guarantee for the investors in airports nationwide, a source hinted last week.

Under the new arrangement, any concession or lease rentals as well as other retail offerings that will be offered for private sector involvement must meet the conditions spelt out by the government under the watch of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

The new terms of engagement, according to investigations, is coming on the heels of the incidence of legal tussle between FAAN and some concessionaires that have sealed deals in the past that have gone awry.

The concessionaire agreements signed between FAAN and some firms have become subject of litigation and controversy following disagreement between the authority and the firms to review the details of the deal in line with contemporary business practices.

The Managing Director of FAAN, Mr George Uriesi,

By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor

told The Nation: “Well, we are doing this right and doing the right things. We are not doing anything for myself, or the minister. We are doing what is right for the business. Any concession agreement that we strike is done the way. It is done elsewhere in the world.

“And so, the criteria are clear, the business expectations are clear, unlike in the past . We are not doing anything with anybody unless we have evidence from the banks that they are funding the project and the money is there. This will be from the day you sign the agreement and the day you start construction is perked on a timeline, which is six months.”

If any investor does not start within that period, which was stipulated in the agreement, the deal is no longer tenable. The new arrangement is that from the day you start construction, we will follow up to ensure the timeline is observed fully.

The new arrangement is such that under normal circumstances, if there is default, by the concessionsire, penalty kicks in . There is no question of saying the thing has been concessioned to somebody in 1998 or so when you have not done anything.

said the apex bank processes such payments within 48 hours and transfers them to various banks to credit the accounts of the workers with them.

Those fingered in the alledged scam are some Permanent Secretaries and heads of parastatals, who are allegedly working with bank officials to keep the funds in fixed deposit accounts before finally releasing such to the workers.

The issue of delayed workers’ salaries has been a recurring problem in the country.

Before the introduction of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and after the introduction of

Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) designed to tackle this problem, the erstwhile Minister of Finance, Mr Olusegun Aganga, had said that workers’ salaries would be paid on the 20th of every month.

Also, at the FAAC meeting, J. M. Ajewole, who represented the Director of Petroleum Resources (DPR), disclosed that “the total amount transferred to the Federation Account by the CBN in February 2013 was N83,041,945,817.06.”

This amount is remitted on behalf of the DPR by the CBN into the Federation Account.“This amount in-

cluded N46,686,475.93 NESS remittance credited by CBN into Miscellaneous Oil Revenue Account,” Ajewole said.

He indicated that N82,995,279,359.13 “was collected in February 2013. This showed a positive variance of N21,530,279,359.13 only, or 35 per cent above the expected budget figure for the month of February 2013.”

This increase “was due to higher prices of crude oil in the international markets than the $72billion used for last year’s approved budget and some MCA royalty oil and gas payments for January this year was credited in the month under review,” he added.

The DPR executive told members of the FAAC that “when compared to the collection of N67,384,414,882.27 in January 2013, the sum of N82,995,279,359.13 for February 2013 was higher by N15,610,864,476.86 or 18.81 per cent.”

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

26

BUSINESS NEWS Flight Schedule

Naira snaps five-day decline as CBN intervenes

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

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

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

LAGOS – KADUNA Aero 08.00 Chanchangi 10.00 Arik 10.00 Arik 15.10

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

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

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

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

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LAGOS – OWERRI 07.20 14.00 16.30

08.30 15.10 17.40

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

08.00 18.00

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

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• From left: Chairman, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Ambassador Hassan Adamu; Chief Judge, Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim N. Auta and MD/CEO NDIC, Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim, discussing at the NDIC sensitisation seminar for judges in Abuja.

How Africa can develop its economy,

by Sanusi F

OR the economies of Africa to transform from being im port-dependent to industrialised, the continent must put in place infrastructure, Afro-centric policies and develop both technical and vocational skills, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has said.

He identified these factors in a speech he wrote for the Financial Times of London entitled: Development or de-industrialisation? A new look at Chinese engagement with Africa.

The CBN chief lamented that the continent has become a dumping ground for Chinese manufactured exports. He argued that a country, such as Nigeria with huge domestic market, but with factories largely shut, ought to refine her crude oil, build petrochemical plants and use gas for power generation and other gasbased industries such as fertiliser plants.

“For Africa to finally realise its economic potential and ... succeed, we need four things:First,

By Lucas Ajanaku

we need to build first class infrastructure (electricity, telecommunications, transportation).

“Second, the infrastructure so built should service a vision of Afro-centric economic policies.

African nations will not develop by selling commodities to Europe, America and China. We may not compete immediately with the Asian tigers in selling manufactured goods to Europe. But in the short-term, with the right infrastructure, the huge African market is there.

“Third, we must see China for what it is; a competitor who must be “taken out.” Africa must look at trade at trade practices, the impact of export incentives and subsidies and a weak currency, on Chinese exports to Africa. We must not only produce locally those goods in which we can build comparative advantage, but actively fight off Chinese imports

promoted by predatory policies.

“Finally, while African labour may be cheaper than Chinese labour, productivity remains very low. Investment in technical and vocational education are critical (elements too),” the apex bank chief said.

According to him, these changes will transform the relationship between Africa and China.

He added that the continent must recognise that China is not in Africa to promote African interests, arguing that, such as Americans, Russians, French, Brazilians and others, the interest of their countries is first while that of others follows.

“The romance (with China) needs to be replaced by hard-nosed economic thinking. Engagement must be on terms that allow the Chinese to make money while benefiting African development-such as incentives to set up manufacturing on African soil and policies to ensure employment of Africans and skills transfers as well as encouraging equity participation by locals,” Sanusi advocated.

Nigeria needs single regulator for energy sector, IGERIA has no need for and even nuclear energy. says expert able multiple regulatory bodies There should be department of

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in the energy sector as is the practice, but should establish one strong and effective regulator as obtained in developed economies of the world.

The Managing Director, JALZ Energy Limited, Ms. Lois Laraba Machunga-Disu, who made the proposal, said one regulator, such as the Nigeria Federal Energy Commission (NFERC) and a Ministry of Energy, should be established as obtained in the United States to oversee the petroleum and power industries.

She said the Ministry of Energy should have Departments of Power and Petroleum Resources as well as Department of Renewable Energy, which should be co-regulated by the Ministry of Environment.

She said Nigeria has dispersed structure with multiple regulators under separate ministries, such as Petroleum and Power. She argued that there was no need for the Ministry of Power, Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), generating and distribution companies, Nigerian Bulk

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

Electricity Trading Plc, and Nigerian Electricity Liability Management Company and other private generating power companies with regulatory bodies, such as the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Nigerian Nuclear Regulating Authority and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.

On the petroleum industry, she said there is the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, exploration and production companies, downstream companies, and Petroleum Technology Development Fund, with regulatory bodies such as the Department of Petroleum Resources, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Petroleum Equalisation Fund Management Board (PEF).

She said the establishment of PEF is a misconception and it should be scrapped because it plays no significant role in the value chain.

“One energy sector regulator (like NFERC) should be established. No more separate regulators for petroleum, power, renew-

Ministry of Energy to cost of governance and provide the much needed synergy.

“Government should strengthen tax capture and consider royalty share arrangement with community to replace the 13 per cent derivation, three per cent oil budget to Niger Delta Development Commssion and the potential 10 per cent for the Petroleum Host Community Fund, which should be auditable.

“Government should streamline agencies, such the DPR, Ministry of Environment, NOSDRA, among other on environment policy regulations, inspecting of operations and enforcement. Capitalise and eventually privatise both the upstream and downstream sector so that their activities can be driven by market forces to dictate supply of crude oil and gas, trading and distribution. Provide subsidy directly, only to the poor through government induced housing programmes, cheaper transport, healthcare, enhanced pay, social welfare and environmental protection,” she added.

HE naira rose, halting a fiveday decline, as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) sold dollars directly to the market outside of its regular currency auctions.

The naira rose as much as 0.9 per cent and traded 0.6 per cent stronger at N158.65 per dollar, its biggest gain on a closing basis since October 4.

The naira has dropped 1.5 per cent this year, according to data compiled

by Bloomberg.

“There was intervention from the CBN,” Tega Adeda, a foreign-exchange trader at Stanbic IBTC Holding Co. (STANBIC), said by phone from Lagos, without specifying the amount sold. “There was a lot of corporate demand” and the regulator is trying to stabilise the market, he said. Ugochukwu Okoroafor, a spokesman for the Abuja-based Central Bank of Nigeria, didn’t answer four calls made to his mobile phones seeking comment.

The bank reduced dollar sales to lenders by six per cent this week to $360 million. The regulator uses the twice-a-week auctions to stabilise the naira as costs of importing refined fuel, which accounts for 70 per cent of the local gasoline market, boosts dollar demand and puts pressure on the currency, according to the apex bank.

At the auctions, “demand appeared to have been higher,” Ridle Markus and Dumisani Ngwenya, Africa strategists at Barclays Plc’s Absa Capital in Johannesburg, wrote in a note to clients last week.

Yet, “with significantly improved external buffers, ongoing tight monetary policy and continued oil inflows amid relatively stable production and oil prices, we expect the naira to remain supported in the short term.”

LCCI: Budget delay fuels uncertainty

By Toba Agboola

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HE delay in the release of this year’s budget has created un certainty in the economy, the Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr Muda Yusuf, has said.

It will also affect planning in the private sector because there are some private sector institutions that take their cue from the budget.

Muda said it would have a negative effect on capital budget implementation because “the more time we have to implement the budget, the better for the implementation”.

“If we have a delay of close to two months, definitely it will affect the implementation.

“So, delay generally creates the problem of uncertainty, it creates the problem of planning. It affects the pace of implementation of the budget generally. When the political parties were really very effective, we won’t have this kind of friction going for long since the president belongs to the majority party in the National Assembly.

“The matter should have been resolved long ago, because they would have used the party machinery to resolve the impasse through the party caucus in the Senate and House of Representatives and party leadership. So, there has to be some effectiveness within the political party machinery in resolving such impasse.

“Even as the President was signing the budget, you see that there was no ceremony about it. It was not even in the public glare as we used to have, so they must have signed it with some understanding, with conditional assent, conditional in the fact that they will come back to review some grey areas in the budget.

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

27

ISSUES The Nigeria Customs Service was preparing to take over destination inspection (DI) at the ports, airports and border ports from destination inspection agents (DIAS), following the expiration of their contracts on December 31, last year, when the government renewed the pact on January 1. The extension of the contracts has generated a controversy over who should handle such a sensitive assignment, OLUWAKEMI DAUDA writes.

•A vessel

Should customs or agents handle destination inspection?

S

EVEN years ago, the Federal Government awarded the contract for the re- introduction of Destination Inspection (DI).

Three companies, SGS, Global Scan Systems Limited and Cotecna Destination Inspection Limited were named as service providers.

They were contracted to inspect imports to determine the duty payable and to prevent the entry of unwholesome and prohibited goods.

The contract was in three partsCapacity for Customs, Risk Management System and Scanning, operations. The service providers functions were divided into three: port/ point of arrival and entry into Nigeria. SGS zone covers the Port Harcourt main port and airport, Onne Port, Idiroko border post, and the Ilorin International Airport.

Global Scan covers Calabar Port, Warri, Lagos Airport, and Service Border Area; Cotecna covers the Apapa Port, Tincan Island Port,

Abuja Airport, Kano Airport, and the Jibiya and Banki border posts.

Terms of engagement The service providers were contracted to plug revenue leakages and ensure trade facilitation.

They were also expected to build, equip, train and transfer the technology and expertise to the Customs.

The aim of the policy was primarily to strengthen the capacity of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) by replacing pre-shipment inspection (PSI) in exporting countries with in-

spection on arrival in Nigeria using the latest technology tools.

This objective was envisioned to take care of irregularities in the maritime business.

Other reasons for the destination inspection include the facilitation of trade through risk management and the use of non-intrusive inspection (x-ray scanning) of selected imports prior to Customs clearances thereby minimising the need for physical examination and enhance regulatory compliance and collection of import duties/taxes.

Based on the terms of agreement, the service providers are expected to design, implement, operate and maintain a computerised Risk Management System.

The scanning service entails the provision, installation, management and maintenance of advanced scanning technology. Also the contract stipulates that the service providers should install mobile and fixed scanners at designated seaports, airports and border posts.

On December 31, last year, the con-

‘The scanning service entails provision, installation, management and maintenance of advanced scanning technology. Also, the contract stipulates that the service providers should install mobile and fixed scanners at designated seaports, airports and border posts’

tracts expired but it was renewed by the government on January 1.

The six months’ extension generated a controversy which is yet to die down.

The question stakeholders are asking is why the government extended the contract.

Reasons for contract extension Sources at the Ministry of Finance told The Nation that the government extended the contract to avoid congestion at the ports.

The source also traced the extension to the lack of preparedness by the customs for the job, adding that the government was not initially against the customs plan to take over from the service providers on December 31, last year, but that there was a change of position, when it realised that the Customs manage•Continued on page 28

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

28

ISSUES

•Minister of Finance, Okonjo-Iweala

• Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar

•Dikko

•Shittu

Who should handle destination inspection?

•Continued from page 27

ment was planning to start total physical examination of goods at the ports.

He said the customs plan is against the electronic examination being done by the service providers using scanners, which he said,would have led to a delay in goods delivery at the ports.

The source alleged that it would have led to more corruption at the ports as some Customs officials would have been left with the responsibility of value determination as against the current system where the service providers determine the value of the goods being declared by the importers.

The source said the Ministry of Finance, had on realising the danger of physical examination, drew the attention of the Presidency, which approved the extension of the service providers’ contracts.

The President of the National Council of Managing Directors of Customs Agents (NCMDCA), Mr Lucky Amiwero, told The Nation that the country must learn from Ghana's experience as far as DI is concerned. He said the issue of scanning equipment and training should be addressed first, followed by a transition period during which the Customs can take over.

Some importers said physical examination was an avenue through which Customs rip off importers, by jacking up duties on some items and compelling them to offer settlement if they hope to get lower debit notes (DNs) on such goods.

They claimed that it did not matter that such items had been correctly valued at the country of export, adding that on arrival in Nigeria, some Customs men will look for ways of extorting the importers through frivolous DNs.

Introduction of PAAR against RAR

by Customs Sources accused Customs of hurriedly sending a backdated letter to stakeholders, informing them of the new scheme to be known as Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), about 10 days to the expiration of the service providers contracts.

The introduction of PAAR by Customs, the sources said, was seen by the Presidency as compounding the problem at the ports. Customs, the sources said, should have waited after it took over before introducing PAAR. The letter sent by Customs to stakeholders on the new scheme reads: "The PAAR application system is a dynamic , real time and consistent Risk Management platform utilised by NCS and partner regulatory agencies, including Commercial Banks for classification, Valuation, Price Verification and added value services in a modernised Risk Management environment."

Sources said the government doubted the success of the PAAR scheme as it seems to have been done in a hurry.

President Jonathan, the source said, extended the contracts to avert the looming crisis at the ports.

But the President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANCLA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu, said the DIs have failed to ensure that the right machines are provided for scanning cargoes, such that actual contents/

images are generated without recourse to physical examination.

This, he said, has always led to physical examination of about 75 per cent of the cargoes thereby resulting in delays.

He said the Customs had since found that RAR was not sacrosanct and proposed to replace it with Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR).

Problems of RAR Shittu said ANCLA supported PAAR because RAR is a mere importer's document “to inform the Customs that this is the minimum amount you can pay."

He said although Customs has no right to reduce the duty payable under RAR, it has the right to review it upward and that has been giving us problem because there is evidence to show that importers have outsmarted them, by influencing RAR. A lot of RARs end up with additional debit note being issued on them.

"So, if the RAR is just advisory, and Customs will still perform their function, why should we still continue issuing the RAR and, at the same time, paying the service providers one per cent fee for service that is not relevant again? That is our grouse,” he said.

"It would be of interest to Customs licensed agents that they have RAR in another form because what we are talking about is risk management system, but this time, the document would be issued by Customs under the proposed PAAR and that would save us a lot of troubles.

"What customs is doing under RAR is check and balance. Even when the cargo is released, you see officers from the Customs Intelligent Unit (CIU), the valuation and examination units, coming forward to say the amount you paid was not correct. But with the introduction of PAAR, they are trying to turn it to a one-stopshop where PAAR will be the final documentation of assessment of your cargo by Customs to pay your duty. This is in line with the single window and one-stop-shop, which the Minister of Transport had worked on. “ This is to allow importers to pay shipping companies and terminal operators once and carry their cargoes. PAAR will save us a lot of problems and it will enable us to achieve the 48-hour cargo clearance policy," he added.

He said PAAR would use pre-classification and prevaluation mechanisms to facilitate the importation of goods and enhance Customs efficiency.

Contract sum The amount involved in the contract is one of the major issues why all eyes are set on the job of the service providers. For instance, the House of Representatives directed its Committee on Customs and Excise to probe the

extension of the N275billion contracts. Under the deal, the DIs, House sources said, would get N21 billion, irrespective of the quality of work done.

Sources said the House of Reps was not happy that the country's revenue potential is not being realised because the DIs are not paying the correct taxes. Over $1 billion was alleged to have been lost. The probe, source said, was initiated by the House to prevent the continued loss of revenue.

House Committee's report The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise, Sabo Nakudu, said in another six months, officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) should be able to take over the job of the service providers.

He made the statement during an oversight function visit to the two service providers.

He said Cotecna and Global Scansystems have done well in training Customs officers to take over the Destination Inspection Scheme..

Some of their recommendations include: "That the NCS should ensure that its officers trained by the various service providers are attached to the service providers in the interim to acquire more knowledge and not post them out to areas irrelevant to the training already received."

The report also recommended that the service providers Webb Fontaine, COTECNA, SGS and Global Scan, should take steps to harmonise their different risk assesment platforms into a single window for the use of the NCS. The committee recommended: "A central data management system that will aid in harmonisation and integration of all data from relevant agencies for effective monitoring should be immediately established, and that pending the complete takeover of destination inspection services by the Nigeria Customs Service, an implementable transition timetable should be put in place to ensure orderly transition to the Nigeria Customs Service," warning that "this transition should not extend beyond the end of 2013."

The report added: "The service providers should ensure that there is no skills gap in the Nigeria Custom Service within the transition period."

World Bank team meets stakeholders During a closed door meeting between the World Bank team led by Mr Ramesh Silver and leaders of freight forwarding associations, there were serious issues raised by the two groups.

Sources at the meeting said while some members of the World Bank team expressed doubt over the capacity of the Customs to take over from the DIAs in June, the leader of the agents said that the Customs can do so.

At the end of the meeting Silver said: "So far, it looks as if they (Customs) are wellprepared, but we still have to have some more detailed discussion, to understand how ready they are.

ANLCA’s threat

Sources said last week that ANLCA has started mobilising its members against the extension of the service providers' contracts, adding that the association's leadership has directed its members at the seaports and borders to withdraw their services, if the Federal Government extends the firms' contracts beyond June.

Sabotage

The Secretary-General of NAGAFF, Mr Increase Uche, said there is no question that the Customs is ready to take-over the DI job.

"There is no doubt that there are clear signs of element of sabotage in the whole essence of transfer to the Customs. Customs is prepared to take the responsibility and they have the support of the critical stakeholders to do so," he said.

But some of the service providers, who spoke with The Nation under the condition of anonymity, denied the sabotage allegation.

They claimed that if they are saboteurs, they would not have sent officers and men of Customs Service on training locally and abroad in areas of analysis, scanner operations and maintenance, risk profiling.

"We have always said we are ready for collaboration with the Federal Government and the Customs to ensure that the laudable project of Destination Inspection is executed and handed over to the Customs when the government desires.

"Most of the Customs officers trained by us have won the Comptroller-General’s award as the Best Scanning Officers. Who is then alleging that we are sabotaging the efforts of Customs to take over?'' the officer asked.

To prove that Customs to do the job, he said the service providers have to deployed 22 mobile and fixed scanning equipment, trained 6,788 customs officers, and provided an ICT network backbone to enable customs to deliver e-customs services to the public.

He said following these, Customs to takeover effectively had engaged experts on ICT technology to develop an indigenous PAAR with capability to over-come the inefficiencies of the previous destination inspection system.

How prepared is Customs

‘Although Customs has no right to reduce the duty payable under RAR, it has the right to review it upward and that has been giving us problem because there is evidence to show that importers have outsmarted them, by influencing RAR. A lot of RARs end up with additional debit note being issued on them’

Following the extension of the contract, Comptroller-General of Customs,Alhaji Dikko Abudullahi, said a new crop of Customs officers are being trained to take over DI scheme in June.

Dikko spoke when the World Bank officials visited the customs headquarters to ascertain its level of preparedness to take over the destination inspection from service providers.

He said most of the newly recruited staff had been trained in various areas of specialisation to ensure effective management of the service.

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

29

INSURANCE

PenCom okays 317 firms for govt’s contracts

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HE National Pension Commission (PenCom) has okayed 317 private sector organisations. By this certification, the companies can bid for contracts with Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

This is by virtue of the certificate of compliance issued to these organisations by PenCom after having provided evidence of complying with provisions of the Pension Reform Act (2004).

Compliance with the Pension Act, at minimum, include ensuring that all employees open Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs) with Pension Fund Administrators of their choice; remitting both employer and employee pension contributions to the appropriate Pension Fund Custodian not later than seven days from the date of payment of salaries and transferring pension funds and assets prior to the commencement of the Pension Act to licensed pension op-

Stories by Uyoatta Eshiet

erators.

The Compliance Certificate replaces the erstwhile Letters of Compliance that were issued to organisations bidding or soliciting for contracts with Federal Government MDAs. PenCom had earlier brought it to the attention of all organisations and the public that any supplier, contractor or consultant bidding or soliciting contract or business from any MDA must fulfil all its obligations on pensions.

PenCom has been updating the list of organisations that have been issued compliance certificates.

The names of the affected companies are pasted on the commission’s website with PenCom noting that it has to be publicised to serve as a guide to Federal Government MDAs and for information of the public.

Brokers to pay N2.5m for revoked licence

Group blames industry woes on fake agents T

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ATIONAL Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has warned that any broker that loses its licence as a result of infraction would be asked to pay a penalty of N2.5 million.

The Commissioner for Insurance, Fola Daniel, made this known at the council meeting of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB) in Lagos.

He urged brokers to avoid anything that would make NAICOM revoke their licences, adding that any broker who subverts the industry’s rules and has his licence revoked, would pay the new processing fee of N2.5 million.

Meanwhile, the President, NCRIB, Mrs Laide Osijo, has appealed to brokers to cooperate with NAICOM in the implementation of the new premium regime, stressing that they should avoid any infraction that might lead to sanctions.

She stressed that the council had gathered from members and underwriters that the public and government were already adjusting to the new premium rule. She called on insurance operators to embark on enlightenment of client on the new rule.

She said: “Reports reaching us from the underwriters and brokers indicate an adjustment to the new rule by insurance clients, including the government.

“From my findings, it has become necessary to advise brokers to cooperate with NAICOM in the implementation of this rule as well

•From left: Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Ernest Nwapa; Country Director, The Oil and Gas Year, Ioana Ocneriu and Head, Corporate Communication, Oando PLC, Meka Olowola, who received the company of the year award for Oando during the Oil and Gas Year 2012 Awards at Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

•Daniel

as avoid any infraction that may lead to sanctions by the commission.”

Osijo said the ‘no premium no cover’ is the best thing that can happen to the insurance industry. She said: “The money in our hands is better than expectations; it beats our imaginations. So many brokers have testified to the workability of the policy. You can’t believe the amount of premium we have received in my office this year so far as a result of the policy because we refused to give them cover on credit.”

She insisted that the law is there and has come to stay for the good of the national economy, the insured as well as the operators in the insurance industry in the country. She said: “It is a fantastic thing happening to the insurance industry and it is going to benefit everybody, whether you are an underwriter or a broker, even the public, because if you pay your premium on time, nobody will tell you stories the moment your claim falls due.”

HE Association of Registered Insurance Agents of Nigeria (ARIAN) has ascribed the continual downfall and low level of insurance culture in Nigeria to the presence of unregistered agents employed by insurance companies.

The Group’s National President, Kingsley Obuvie, during a media chat in Lagos, said insurance operators are yet to see how agency can help the industry develop and grow to the level of international standards.

He stated that though there are about 34,000 insurance agents in the country, only about 5,000 are licensed. He explained: “The enormous problem facing insurance in Nigeria is mainly because of the unregistered agents in the market. We have many agents who are not trained, but operating in the market selling insurance. If the public can ask for a broker’s licence before any deal is struck, then the public should always ask for an agent’s licence before they do any business with them.

Royal Exchange to hire 2,000 agents

R

OYAL Exchange Insurance Group is set to boost its operations with the services of 2,000 agents to sell its various products.

Its Group Executive Director, Market and Sale, Auwalu Muktari, who made this known at its Meet the chief executive officers’ forum in Lagos, said the agents would be deployed to the firm’s outlets across the nation, adding that the company has developed a robust Infor-

FirstBank to float insurance firm

F

IRST Bank of Nigeria Plc has concluded plans to float a general business arm. The bank will by next month announce its position on the new underwriting firm.

Earlier, it had established life insurance business with Sanlam Emerging Markets of South Africa.

A source said the group has been putting together necessary requirements for the smooth takeoff of the firm.

He said: “We are still working on it, before the end of next month, we will make a formal announcement. At the moment, we can’t say much for we are bound by some level of confidentiality.

When we get to that stage, we will make a formal announcement.”

FBN Life, a joint venture between FirstBank of Nigeria Plc and Sanlam Emerging Markets of South Africa, which was licensed to transact life insurance business in Nigeria, started op-

“We have approached National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) on this and it will be in the best interest of the industry if NAICOM can include it in the rule that before any individual or company deal with any person, not minding which company is involved, he or she should ask for the agent’s licence before any transaction.The truth of the matter is that the challenges we are having in the industry today is because of these unregistered agents,” he said.

The ARIAN chief mentioned that insurance outfits in Nigeria are doing well but they lack manpower, adding that the industry itself has realised that agency is needed to help boost insurance success.

He further said Nigerians are yet to see agency as a career business and a lot of people don’t want to come into it because it is strictly on commission basis. “Agents are only living on commission earned

from the field and some of the products available are not customer friendly.

“Looking at the economy, an average Nigerian does not see insurance as a priority, if not that motor insurance is made compulsory, there wouldn’t have been anyone buying insurance in the country,” he stated.

“Though some companies have actually seen agency as a way to grow their business, they have embraced it and given it some level of support. But insurance companies in the country are yet to see the core value of licensed insurance agents,” the ARIAN he said.

Obuvie lamented that the industry itself has not given agency the recognition it deserves, yet “brokers are everywhere because the industry has really given them the support which makes it easier for them to gain more ground,” he said.

He, therefore, called on the industry to embrace the agency and give it necessary support to reach out to every Nigerian.

erations on September 1, 2010.

In the joint venture, FirstBank of Nigeria Plc owns 65 per cent of FBN Life, while Sanlam owns 35 per cent.

Managing Director, FirstBank of Nigeria Life Assurance Limited, Val Ojumah, said by the middle of this year, the bank would have acquired a non-life licence either by buying a non-life company or by getting a fresh licence. We are approaching the issue with both hands.”

mation and Technology platform to support the agents.

The firm’s Managing Director, Olutayo Borokini, said most of the products to be sold by the agents have been developed into scratch cards, adding that the firm hopes to sell all its products through scratch cards in small values which would be tailored towards specific needs.

He said: “Those at the grassroots cannot be reached through the conventional brokers system. They are reached through agency networks which we are developing inhouse. Also, we are deploying the use of information technology to achieve this.

“We are putting some of these products on our website and sell them through the use of scratch cards through agents. The intension is that all our products will be sold through scratch cards in small values which would be tailored towards their specific needs.

“The way the scratch card works is that if a young man has just bought a car, and wants to insure it, he would be approached by an

agent who would educate him on the need for insurance. If the car owner agrees to insure the car, he would be given a scratch card. With the card, once he pays a certain amount of money, he would be able to access our web site, fill the proposal form on-line, and he would then get a cover automatically. The process can be done with all smart phones and gadgets. “ He explained that an individual can still insure the content of his/ her house through the cards, adding that certain products have been classified for certain prices. He said an individual can get a householder policy for one million value.

“At the rate of one per cent, which would cost N10,000, an individual can get a cover which can be done through the scratch card by just buying a card for N10,000, key the pin on it on our customised website, and fill the proposal form and get the cover automatically, after due confirmation. The process assists the insured in the claims collection and ensures that delays are eliminated,” Borokini said.

30

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

EQUITIES Investors await outcome of MPC meeting

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 15-03-13

I

NVESTORS at the Nige rian Stock Exchange (NSE) have put on hold their investment decisions to await the outcome of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which holds today and tomorrow.

Investors, investment managers and market pundits said CBN’s decision on the benchmark interest rate, the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR), and other monetary policy tools would reverberate on the stock market.

The market situation at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has been cautious in recent days. The main index at the stock market, the All Share Index inched up by 0.31 per cent last week to open today at 32.950.08 points.

Market capitalisation of all equities improved slightly

by N32.31 billion to N10.544 trillion.

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the CBN is faced majorly with the decision to either reduce the MPR from its current 12.0 per cent or retain the rate. Most analysts expect a reduction, although they differed on the significance of the cut.

Managing Director, Cowry Asset Management Limited, Mr Johnson Chukwu, said the MPC would contend with overwhelming demand for reduction in benchmark interest and the likely spillovers of significant reduction on other variables.

He said the balance would be between consideration for reduction in interest rate to stimulate economic activities and macroeconomic stability

By Taofik Salako & Tonia Osundolire

particularly with respect to exchange rates.

“The outlook for the Nigerian equities market is very positive. It is a well established fact that interest rates and equity performance move in opposite directions.

When interest rates decline, fund managers move their investments from fixed income to equity instruments, hence the usual rally in equity prices during periods of low interest rates,” Chukwu said.

He however, pointed out that a drastic reduction in benchmark interest rate may spur foreign investors to exit the Nigerian fixed income market with the attendant negative impact on foreign reserves and exchange rates.

Bismarck Rewane’s Financial Derivatives Company (FDC) Limited said the MPC has limited choices in its current conservative stance, hence, the possibility of a marginal cut in the benchmark interest rate by some 100 basis points.

Analysts at FDC shared concerns about the negative impact of drastic reduction in interest rate on foreign exchange stability but noted the positive influence on corporate earnings and stock market performance.

“Lower interest rates imply that companies pay less to borrow in order to finance their spending. It also implies that companies’ profits do not shrink, unlike high interest payments where companies may need to take out of their profits to finance the interest from borrowing. Thus, a de-

cline in interest rates would boost stock market activities because investors would be willing to pay higher prices for companies’ stock since they believe that companies’ profits are not depleting. In addition, a drop in interest rates boosts stock prices of companies that have high debt in their balance sheet.

This is because a decline in interest rates implies a reduction in the interest paid on the debt, which raises the earnings per share (EPS), improves investors’ sentiments for those companies’ stock and then boosts stock prices,” FDC noted.

It, however, cautioned on much optimism on the impact of reduction in interest rate, pointing out that interest rate reduction could only have meaningful impact with good infrastructure and other macroeconomic variables.

Analysts at FDSH Merchant Bank said the most likely choice for the MPC members would be to hold the MPR rate at 12.0 per cent to signal that they are satisfied with the current policy thrust of the MPC. With most opinions on the side of reduction in interest rate, investors swapped 29,335 deals worth N21.69 billion for 2.55 billion last week as against a turnover of 1.928 billion shares valued at N20.99 billion traded in 28,832 deals in previous week.

The financial services sector was the most active with a turnover of 2.071 billion shares valued at N14.281 billion in 16,956 deals, about 81 per cent of total turnover. The banking subsector was the most active with 1.62 billion shares worth N12.279 billion in 11,659 deals. Volume in the financial sector was boosted by activities in the shares of Unity Bank Plc, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, and Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) PLC, which accounted for 965.890 million shares, representing 46.65 per cent of the sector.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 15-03-13

31

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

MONEY LINK

Forex inflows drops to $11.17b

D

ROP in forex inflow to $11.17 billion in the fourth quarter of last year was triggered by 9.6 per cent fall in crude oil sales, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said.

The CBN explained in a report on its website that the figure represents a decline of 16.9 per cent from preceding quarter. The outflow also dropped by 3.3 per cent to $7.82 billion, leading to a net inflow of $3.35 billion.

The report said the invisible sector accounted for the bulk of 32.9 per cent forex disbursed, followed by mineral and oil sector accounted for

U

By Collins Nweze

18.7 per cent. Estimated forex demand by the authorised dealers stood at $4.28 billion, indicating a decline of 35.2 per cent. Under the Wholesale Dutch Auction System (WDAS), the average exchange rate of the naira against the dollar appreciated by 0.04 per cent to N157.32 from N157.39 per dollar.

CBN data indicated an upward trend in banks’ deposit and lending rates. The spread between the weighted average term deposit and maximum lending rates widened to 17.38 percentage points from 16.65. The margin be-

tween the average savings deposit and maximum lending rates also widened from 22.17 percentage points in the preceding quarter to 23.28 at the end of the review quarter.

The weighted average interbank call rate, which stood at 15.50 per cent, fell to 11.72 per cent, reflecting the liquidity condition in the interbank funds market. It indicated that the value of money market assets outstanding increased by 3.06 per cent above the level in the preceding quarter to N6.2 trillion. The development was attributed to the 5.2 per cent increase in bonds outstanding.

Shareholders okay N10b capital for mortgage bank

S

• CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido

Union Bank emerges official banker at Enugu Fair

NION Bank of Nige ria Plc is at this year’s Enugu International Trade Fair with full range of services to delight its customers.

The bank said in a statement that it targets mainly young entrepreneurs whose dreams it has vowed to transform into reality.

Coming at the hills of the recent Kaduna fair where it won most the courteous bank award, the lender said it is increasingly raising the bar in delivering world class services to its teeming customers.

The bank said it is parading an impressive array of eproducts using Point of Sale (PoS) terminals, internal transfers -account to account; card transactions for bills payments and Union mobile for commerce as well as Auto-

mated Teller Machines (ATMs) services. Others include corporate pay, internet banking, Pay direct, Pay4me and pay outlets for cashless transactions.

Union galaxy, it explained, is an e-payment platform that has both e-payroll e-payment and collection platforms that big, small companies and government ministries, departments and agencies can deploy to seamlessly manage their payments. The distribution and service industry can also use it for bills collection nationwide.

With over 60 companies and multinationals already on board, the bank is urged other companies to take advantage of Union Galaxy, rated as one of the best platforms in the financial services industry. In addition, the leader would also display

lied companies who desire soft loans to purchase seedlings for the season would take advantage of seamless process of documentations that would lead to loan disbursement. This is in addition to advisory services on imports, oil and gas, sold minerals as well as well as foreign exchange transactions.

value creating products and services for its numerous existing and prospective customers, namely; Union-ever, savings/current account based products, Union future leaders account, and Union wealth and consumer credit finance loan products.

Also, small, medium and large scale farmers, agro- al-

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

T

added to pressure on the dollar. Sterling jumped after the Bank of England’s governor suggested he did not want the British pound to fall any further. The euro gained on the prospect of EU leaders looking at short-term ways of boosting faltering euro zone economies.

United States consumer sentiment tumbled to its lowest since December 2011

Amount Amount Offered ($) Demanded ($) 350m 150m 350m 138m 350m 113m

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10% 10-11%

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2012 “ 14-04-2012

GAINERS AS AT 15-03-13

SYMBOL FIDSON CCNN PRESTIGE UAC-PROP NNFM NEMETH UTC CUTIX TRANSCORP PZ

O/PRICE 1.53 11.99 0.77 14.00 23.43 0.95 0.78 1.85 1.47 40.25

C/PRICE 1.68 12.99 0.83 16.00 24.60 0.99 0.81 1.90 1.30 41.00

CHANGE 9.80 8.34 7.79 7.38 4.99 4.21 3.85 2.70 2.04 1.86

ACCESS UBA STERLINBANK LEARNAFCA CILEASING UNITYBNK LIVESTOCK AGLEVENT UBCAP

O/PRICE 11.19 8.85 2.74 2.03 0.62 0.84 2.32 1.72 1.51

C/PRICE 10.20 8.29 2.60 1.93 0.59 0.80 2.21 1.64 1.44

NGN USD NGN GBP NGN EUR NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N) (S/N) Bureau de Change (S/N) Parallel Market

Current Before

Exchange Rate (N) 155.2 155.8 155.7

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

147.6000 239.4810 212.4997

149.7100 244.0123 207.9023

150.7100 245.6422 209.2910

-2.11 -2.57 -1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

153.0000

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

DISCOUNT WINDOW Feb. ’11

July ’11

July ’12

MPR

6.50%

6.50%

12%

Standing Lending Rate ,, Deposit Rate ,, Liquidity Ratio Cash Return Rate Inflation Rate

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00% 12.10%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00% 12.10%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00% 11.8%

Date 2-7-12 27-6-12 22-6-12

7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

27-10-11 N6.5236tr 20,607.37

28-10-11 N6.617tr 20,903.16

Rate (Previous) 4 Mar, 2012 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917 12.1250

% Change -1.44% -1.44%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS

ARM AGGRESSIVE GROWTH KAKAWA GUARANTEED STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND LOTUS CAPITAL HALAL BGL SAPPHIRE FUND BGL NUBIAN FUND FBN MONEY MARKET FUND FBN FIXED INCOME FUND NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL DEB. PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST CENTRE-POINT UNIT TRUST STANBIC IBTC NIG EQUITY • ARM AGGRESSIVE • KAKAWA GUARANTEED

Offer Price

Bid Price

9.17 1.00 137.90 146.54 0.80 1.14 1.11 100.00 1,000.00 1,780.91 14.66 1.39 1.87 10,695.04

9.08 1.00 137.47 146.06 0.78 1.14 1.09 100.00 1,000.00 1,777.05 13.95 1.33 1.80 10,397.87

• STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE • AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND

NIBOR Tenor

NSE CAP Index

Name

CHANGE -8.85 -6.33 -5.11 4.93 -4.84 -4.76 -4.74 4.65 -4.64

Amount Sold ($) 150m 138m 113m

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Year Start Offer

LOSERS AS AT 15-03-13

SYMBOL

risen to 83.166 on Thursday, the highest since early August, buoyed by positive data on US employment and consumer spending released over the past week.

Lately, the dollar has benefited from good news on the economy as expectations US growth is outperforming other major countries have lured foreigners into US assets.

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 Currency

Tenor 91-Day 182-Day 1-Year

in early March, while manufacturing activity in New York cooled slightly.

Separate data showed US consumer prices rose in February as the cost of gasoline surged, but there was little sign of a broad pickup in inflation.

The dollar index, which tracks the greenback versus a basket of currencies, fell 0.6 per cent to 82.139. It had

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM

MANAGED FUNDS

OBB Rate Call Rate

market.

Another shareholder Mr Robert Ibekwe also made a case for gender balancing in the board. He argued that having a female board member would influence certain decisions.

Responding to the contributions the Managing Director of the bank, Mr. Adeniyi Akinlusi said the entire mortgage industry had been in transition since the past two years, owing to new rules being issued by regulatory agencies.

“The future of our bank is bright. We are the second most capitalized mortgage bank in the country. What we have been doing in the last three years is to re-strategise in line with the new guidelines issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria”, he added.

DATA BANK

Tenor

NIDF NESF

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie Asst. Editor

Dollar retreats against world currencies HE dollar fell from a seven-month high against a basket of currencies last Friday after the United States data dented optimism about the economy and reinforced expectations the Federal Reserve will continue its bondbuying programme for the foreseeable future.

Reuters report said strong gains in other currencies

FGN BONDS

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

HAREHOLDERS of City Trust Mortgage Bank Plc formerly Intercontinental Home Savings and Loan Plc have approved the increase of the share capital of the bank from N4billion to N10 billion. This is to enable the firm meet up with the demands of a virile mortgage institution.

The shareholders also frowned at the nonpayment of dividend by the institution for the second year running.

A shareholder, Olorogun Chief Godwin Anono, decried the non-payment of dividend for two years and told the management of the bank to explore the injection of fresh funds through Rights Issue and Private Placement.

He advised the board to exhibit prudence in cash management and work on the possibility of sourcing fund through the capital

Rate (Currency) 6, Mar, 2012 10.17% 11.46% 11.96% 12.54%

Movement

OPEN BUY BACK

Bank P/Court

Previous 04 July, 2012

Current 07, Aug, 2012

8.5000 8.0833

8.5000 8.0833

Movement

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

32

THE CEO

• Boyo

Renowned Economist Henry Boyo has advocated the liberalisation of the foreign exchange market and advised the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to stop substituting naira allocations for dollar derived revenue. Boyo, who spoke with LEKE SALAUDEEN, says that is how to revive the economy and diversify it.

‘Three tiers of govt should get their W allocations in dollars’

HAT is wrong with the economy?

Our monetary framework is faulty.

There is urgent need for a fundamental restructuring of our country’s monetary framework so that our economy can be rapidly transformed to induce vast expansion in industrial activity with single digit lending rates, increase employment opportunities, lower single digit of inflation and a market determined exchange rate mechanism.The government’s efforts to achieve these parameters, reduce poverty and enhance the social welfare of our people in the last 30 years have evidently failed woefully.

Indeed, our economy appears trapped in a paradox of deepening poverty with increasing export revenue. It is inexplicable, for example, that Nigeria became listed amongst the poorest nations in the world. A careful analysis of the process of infusion of our export earnings into the economy will show that this anomaly was made inevitable by the Central Bank’s practice of capturing export dollar revenue and substituting naira at its unilaterally determined rate of exchange before payment of consolidated naira allocations to the three tiers of government.

Can you explain further the dangers inherent in the CBN’s practice of substituting dollar earned revenue with naira allocation to the three tiers of government?

I will narrate it this way. Buyers of Niger-

ia’s crude oil pay millions of dollars into the account of CBN for crude oil lifted from Nigeria. For example, $1 billion is paid to CBN account. The CBN unilaterally adopts an exchange rate for conversion of the $1 billion received from buyers of Nigeria’s crude. Consequently, the apex bank unconstitutionally prints N150 billion in place of the $1 billion crude oil revenue. CBN now pays the three tiers of government with over N150 billion— an exchange rate of N150 to a dollar. The three tiers of government now deposit the billions of naira into their respective commercial bank accounts, for custody even when deposit rates attract less than two per cent.

The additional deposits of billions of naira supplement the existing cash position of the banks and enhance their ability to embark on additional liberal credit expansion. Thus, the credit creation capacity, i.e. the money available for lending becomes multiple times the actual cash available in the vaults of commercial banks as the banks leverage on the hundreds of billions of cash inflow from CBN per standard banking practice; this is what the CBN decries as excess liquidity

cash in the system.

Consequently, CBN and the Debt Management Office (DMO) approach the banks to reduce the amount of naira cash and the credit capacity of the banks. Thus, CBN decides to borrow money from the banks by selling treasury bills with relatively mouth-watering interest rates. The DMO also enters into the market to borrow from the banks for intangible and inconsequential purposes. As a consequence, CBN, the erstwhile cash provider becomes a major borrower. The result is the widespread incidence of factory closures and rising unemployment as industrialists, service providers and small and medium businesses are faced with excruciating credit crunch, high interest rates and avalanche of cheap smuggled imports.

What would you recommend in place of the present system whereby the Central Bank dominates foreign exchange market?

The sensible thing for the government to do is to liberalise the foreign exchange market. It is very crucial to Nigeria’s economic growth. CBN should adopt the instrument of dollar certificates strictly not cash (i.e.

dollar denominated warrants in place of the usual Naira denominated warrants for dollar derived revenue) for the payment of monthly allocations to the three tiers of government for all dollar revenue. This arrangement replaces the present destructive system where CBN unilaterally determines the exchange rate and creates more naira in substitution for dollar revenue only to decry excess liquidity in the system. Under the new arrangement, the three-tier system would present their dollar certificates to their respective banks for exchange to naira, as the dollar certificates are not legal tender, and so cannot be used for every day transactions.

If this system is adopted, there will be no excess cash in the bank system, as we would no longer be inundated with the huge naira allocations usually paid into the bank accounts of the three tiers of government every month by the CBN. The result is that we would have more dollar certificates chasing a limited supply of naira. The stronger naira notes would translate into cheaper petrol prices. Indeed, a petrol sales tax of 10 per cent or more can be levied on the price of each litre of fuel sold. In spite of the cheaper petrol price, the fuel will sell in a fully deregulated market. The government can collect up to N100 billion from petrol tax every year from the 30 million litres sold •Continued on page 33

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

33

THE CEO

‘Three tiers of govt should get their allocations in dollars’ •Continued from page 32

daily.

The absence of subsidy on petrol prices will also save the government about N600 billion a year; this amount can be used to build up our infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals, power and roads instead of paying the same sum as subsidies to fuel marketers. The government will also save another N600 billion or more, as the CBN and DMO will no longer have to borrow from the commercial banks to reduce the scourge of excess liquidity that has always plagued the system, when CBN substitutes naira for dollar derived revenue. The CBN will remain the custodian of our dollar earnings, as the weekly auctions of dollar reserves and its attendant round-tripping and dispersal into foreign accounts will no longer be possible.Our foreign reserve base will consequently remain buoyant and less vulnerable to speculative dollar demand. Smugglers and money launderers will have little or no access to easy government dollar funding for their nefarious enterprise and the level of corruption will be reduced.

The stronger naira exchange will bring down the cost of imported raw materials and machinery, and this, together with low interest rates will energise the industrial and services subsector, and reduce unemployment and insecurity.

More operating factories will mean increasing employment and greater consumer demand. The local manufacturers will also be protected by a discriminatory tariff regime to favour patronage of locally produced goods in place of imports. Increased commercial and industrial activities will provide a huge revenue base for government taxes. More workers will inevitably mean more income tax revenue for both state and federal government agencies. The stronger naira will not only bring down the cost of production, but will also reduce annual inflation to not more than two per cent, and consequently increase the purchasing power of lower income group. The increasing job opportunities will increase employment and engender a conducive environment that will reduce strikes and other work stoppages. The enhanced economic growth and improvement in social welfare with increased purchasing power brought about by a stronger naira will begin to reverse the deadly infection of brain drain, as Nigerians in the Diaspora will return home to make valuable contributions and enjoy better life in their fatherland.

What is the solution to the recurring excess liquidity in the economy?

The dollars earned from crude oil export belong to the people of Nigeria and disbursement is facilitated by the issue of naira warrants to the accounts of statutory beneficiaries by the CBN. However, the beneficiaries—Federal, state, local governments and corporate bodies—do not currently have the same direct access to their portions of this export revenue as independent private exporters.The dollar revenue is first exchanged into a quantum naira value at a rate unilaterally determined by the CBN without any pretensions to the open market forces of demand and supply before the resultant naira equivalent are paid to statutory beneficiaries who would return to the same CBN to re-exchange their naira for the same dollars if they required foreign exchange for their corporate import needs. A week later the CBN will go to commercial banks to mop up excess liquidity in circulation at a rate determined by the commercial banks.

The commercial banks take dollars from CBN in exchange for naira.

• Boyo

• Boyo

• Boyo

• Boyo

PHOTOS: SOLOMON ADEOLA

‘Jonathan is not an economist. Because of his inadequacy, he hired world class economists to advise him.

If they don’t tell Mr President that the problem in the economy is excess liquidity, what do you expect of him? If the experts failed to tell the President the truth, he should ask what causes excess liquidity’ That is why the banks are making huge profits that they didn’t work for. Henceforth, CBN should stop substituting naira allocation for dollar derived revenue. All beneficiaries—Federal, State, Local Governments and corporate agencies should get their allocation in dollars. There will be no excess liquidity. The bank will start begging the real sector to come and take loan and a stronger exchange rate between naira and dollar will emerge. That is the way to revive the economy and diversify it. With that, subsidy will disappear on its own and fuel smuggling will dry up because it will be too expensive for the smugglers.This is what Zimbabwe did when its economy was in a crisis. At a stage, one Zimbabwe billion dollar was equal to US$1. What the government did was paying workers in dollars.

Prices of essential commodities are also paid in equivalent of US dollars. That was how Zimbabwe was

able to get out of its economic crisis and stem the spiral inflation.

What are the likely dividends of the liberalised foreign exchange market you are advocating?

The main dividends to be derived from the adoption of a liberalised foreign exchange market is the quick evolution of a realistically priced naira that will infuse the positive multiplier effects inherent in a free market economy dictated by the dynamics of demand and supply. Indeed, the defects of the current system —lack of transparency, parasitic chain, price distortion and economic dislocation— would be cleansed by a liberalised market. The inherent features and desirable benefits include a new improved CBN. The CBN would emerge unencumbered by the distraction of foreign exchange hawking and intrigues and assume its role as a patriotic custodian of the naira and a nimble and effective policeman of the money market

in line with national aspirations.

The mirage of excess liquidity whenever the federal pool is disbursed and the regressive reflex of mop-up activity inherent in the current system will disappear forever.

In other words, the CBN would not have to plead with beneficiaries of the federation pool to desist from spending their income even when the economy is crying for a dose of public expenditure to stimulate demand and investment.

The bulk of all foreign exchange earnings will be expended in its original form for the nation’s total import needs, that is, industrial goods, finished goods, contractors’ imports and services. This insulates the economy from a deluge of naira with extensive money creation possibilities by banks as at present. Foreign exchange not it is required for domestic transactions by the governments, public agencies and private sector operators will remain in the owner-

establishments’ domiciliary accounts with the CBN and will not be regarded as part of commercial banks’ liquidity base. A substantial proportion of foreign exchange converted into naira for domestic transactions is likely to be taken up by economic operators utilising the naira already in the system. Thus only a small portion of foreign exchange earnings would translate into injection of fresh money.

Last year, President Jonathan promised that the pains of subsidy removal will disappear within few weeks or months. What can you make out of the president’s pledge?

President Jonathan made a political statement to assuage anxiety in the land. If we are not careful, subsidy value will exceed 60 per cent of total expenditure in 2013. In 2011, there were underhand dealings in the subsidy arrangement; about N2 trillion was paid off. The government has indicated that approved audited claims exceeded one trillion naira in July 2012. By December 2012 audited subsidy claims would be two to three trillion naira leaving two trillion for both capital and expenditure. There is no way you can resolve fuel subsidy imbroglio unless you re-arrange payment in the country and confront the factors responsible for depreciation of naira.

The problem of subsidy is not caused by crude oil price, but the exchange of naira. If you spend N3 trillion on subsidy and debt services, where will you get money to improve on the living standard of the people?

Mr President would have made that promise with the belief of his advisers. Blame the economists in the team for not properly advising him. Reducing capital expenditure by one or two per cent is nothing to celebrate in an economy where corruption consume 30 to 45 per cent of the total value. Increasing Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to N5 trillion and evolving a mechanism that would plug loopholes are worthy of celebration.

The President also promised that the economy will be repositioned within a short time. What is your take on this?

Jonathan is not an economist. Because of his inadequacy, he hired world class economists to advise him. If they don’t tell Mr President that the problem in the economy is excess liquidity, what do you expect of him? If the experts failed to tell the President the truth, he should ask what causes excess liquidity. The total money for spending by the government is N5 trillion. It is not a lot of money. The excess is the result of subsisting naira allocation for dollar derived revenue. The government spends money to encourage increase in investment and payment. It makes it possible for people to buy more and create demands for goods. Excess liquidity is counter-productive. We can’t get out of the problem unless the President says enough is enough.

Government officials say the economy is growing at seven per cent. Do you agree?

Yes, it is possible for the economy to grow at seven per cent.

Crude oil provides 80 per cent or more of the national revenue. If the price of crude continues to rise and production increases, the gross domestic product (GDP) will also increase. But when it is infused into the economy in obtuse manner, it becomes destructive to the real sector. Our income is dollar derived. There is growth in external reserve and ability to pay.

When dollar increases, it creates more excesses in liquidity.

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18 , 2013

34

DUE DILIGENCE

Interlinked Technologies: In need of turnaround

I

NTERLINKED Technologies suffered a major reversal in its financials in 2012 as substantial decline in sales returned the bottomline to red. The audited report and accounts for the year ended June 30, 2012 showed that the electrical technology company failed to sustain the modest recovery witnessed in previous year. Decline in sales amidst relatively stable cost negatively impacted on the performance of the firm. About 33 per cent decline in turnover magnified into a net loss of N15 million in 2012 as against a modest net profit of N3.2 million in 2011.

The negative bottom-line impinged on the net assets value of the company, with shareholders losing some 6.4 kobo on the 2012 operations in contrast with modest gain of 1.4 kobo in the previous year. The reversal in 2012 further elongated the waiting period for hard-pressed shareholders, who had nursed hopes that sustained recovery would break the 10-year dividend drought.

However, the company’s balance sheet appeared stronger with better financing structure and liquidity.

With equity funds at almost 72 per cent of total assets and current ratio of 3.49 times, the balance sheet indicates a supportive structure that could cushion the adverse impact of extenuating factors- such as financing costs, on profit and loss performance. The negligible gearing ratio further underpinned the strength of the balance sheet.

Financing structure Interlinked Technologies’ paid up capital remained unchanged at N118.3 million, consisting of 236.7 million ordinary shares of 50 kobo each. However, on the back of the net loss transferred to the reserves, shareholders’ funds slipped by 3.3 per cent from N448.8 million in 2011 to N433.8 million in 2012.Total assets mirrored declines in current and fixed assets to close 2012 at N604.9 million, 6.8 per cent below N649 million recorded in 2011. Fixed assets dropped from N18.7 million to N16.1 million while current assets declined to N588.8 million as against N630.3 million in previous year.

Total liabilities also took cues from declines in current and long-term liabilities to close 2012 at N171.1 million compared with N200.3

Fiscal Year Ended June 30 Nmillion Profit and Loss Statement Main Business Segment Total turnover Cost of sales Gross profit Operating expenses Interest and other incomes Finance expenses Pre-tax profit(loss) Post-tax profit (loss) Basic earnings per share(kobo) Gross dividend (Nm) Cash dividend per share (kobo) Net Assets per share (kobo) Balance Sheet Assets: Fixed assets Total long term assets Trade debtors Current assets Total assets Liabilities: Trade creditors Bank loans Current liabilities Long-term liabilities Total liabilities Equity Funds Share capital Total Equity Funds

2008

million in 2011.

With these, the proportion of equity funds to total assets improved from 69.2 per cent to 71.7 per cent. Current liabilities/total assets ratio also improved from 30.5 per cent to 28 per cent. Bank loan represented just 3.0 per cent of total equity funds.

Efficiency The company witnessed considerable decline in productivity and efficiency during the period, with average cost in most instances outpacing average income. Total costs of business-excluding interest expenses, in relation to sales worsened to 105.9 per cent in 2012 compared with 98.8 per cent recorded in 2011. This underlined the midline declines in margins and subsequent loss and negative returns. While administrative expenses dropped slightly during the year, these remained considerably high in relation to the turnover.

Profitability Both underlying and actual profitability items showed negative outlook, with a top-down depression that reverberated all through to the balance sheet. Total sales dropped by 32.5 per cent from N285.2 million to N192.5 million. Cost of sales declined by 38 per cent to N121.4 million compared with N195.9 million in previous year.

Consequently, gross profit slipped to N71.1 million, 20.4 per cent below N89.3 million posted in 2011.

Administrative expenses moderated

2009

to N82.5 million in 2012 as against N85.8 million recorded in 2011.

With non-core business income of N0.2 million, interest expenses increased by 140 per cent from N0.9 million to N2.2 million.

The company’s bottom-line reverted to the negative with a loss before tax of N13.4 million as against modest profit before tax of N2.6 million in 2011. After taxes, net loss increased to N15 million in contrasts with modest net profit of N3.2 million in previous year. With these, loss per share stood at 6.4 kobo in 2012 as against earnings per share of 1.4 kobo in 2011. The company obviously could not declare any dividend while net assets per share slipped from 190 kobo to 183 kobo.

Underlying profitability indices were mostly in the negative. While gross profit margin improved from 31 per cent in 2011 to 37 per cent in 2012, pre-tax profit margin worsened considerably from 0.9 per cent in 2011 to -7.0 per cent. Return on total assets dropped from 0.4 per cent to -2.2 per cent while return on equity slipped from 0.7 per cent to 3.5 per cent.

Liquidity The liquidity position of the company improved considerably in 2012 with better working capital and coverage for possible immediate liabilities. Current ratio, which broadly indicates ability of the company to meet emerging financing needs by relating current assets to relative liabilities,

2012 2011 12 months % change 12 months 192.5 192.5 121.4 71.1 82.5 0.2 2.2 -13.4 -15.0 -6.4 0.0 0.0 183.0

-32.5 -32.5 -38.0 -20.4 -3.8 635.7 139.9 -615.4 -568.8 357.1 0.0 0.0 -3.7

285.2 285.2 195.9 89.3 85.8 0.0 0.9 2.6 3.2 -1.4 0.0 0.0 190.0

16.1 16.1 238.0 588.8 604.9

-13.9 -13.9 -2.2 -6.6 -6.8

18.7 18.7 243.4 630.3 649.0

149.7 13.0 169.4 1.7 171.1

-22.3 #DIV/0!

-14.4 -32.0 -14.6

192.7 0.0 197.8 2.5 200.3

118.3 433.8

0.0 -3.3

118.3 448.8

2010

improved from 3.19 times to 3.48 times.

The proportion of working capital to total sales also increased from 151.6 per cent to 217.9 per cent. Debtors/ creditors ratio

2011

2012

stood at 159 per cent in 2012 as against 126.3per cent in 2011.

Governance and structures Interlinked Technologies is a small and medium wholly owned Nigerian company. One of the few quoted indigenous engineering and technology companies, Interlinked Technologies was founded as Raychem Nigeria Limited in 1981.

Overtime, it metamorphosed from its initial business of sales and services of Raychem joints and termination accessories to become a fully integrated electrical engineering company with products and services across the three core sectors of power, oil and gas and telecommunications. Listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in 1993, Interlinked Technologies currently has more than 4,000 shareholders.

The board and management have remained stable over the years. Engr.

Fabian Nnadozie, who led the management buyout of the foreignowned Raychem Nigeria Limited in 1989, remains the chairman of the board of directors. Mr. Olusegun Layode still leads the executive management team as managing director.

Although in breach of certain postlisting requirements; including prompt submission of accounts, Interlinked Technologies maintains good corporate governance structure in line with the code of corporate governance and best practices. In the context of its size and history, it has taken considerable steps to align its governance, operating structures and accounting with its status as a mainboard quoted company.

Analyst’s opinion The performance of Interlinked Technologies in 2012 underlined the need for continuing restructuring of the company. With the recent recapitalisation, constrained sales and negative bottom-line reflected

Fiscal Year Ended June 30

MD, Interlinked Technologies, Mr Olusegun Layode

the inability of the company to efficiently utilise its expanded assets for sustainable growth and returns.

While it must be acknowledged that the difficult operating environment, characterised by high cost of business, dumping of substandard and fake products, poor power supply and financial constraint, played significant role in the dismal performance of the company, it has also failed to painstakingly follow through its transformation.

It carries substantially large expenses not commensurable with the size and operations of the company.

With adequate plan, there are prospects for the company.

The core product and services areas of the company -oil and gas, power and telecommunications, represent the biggest and fastest growing sectors of the Nigerian economy.

The reforms in these sectors would continue to unlock opportunities for growth for value-chain operators such as Interlinked Technologies. The Local Content Development Act, when fully implemented, presents good opportunity for growth of indigenous companies such as Interlinked Technologies.

But it needs first, to outline clear strategies towards compartmentalising its structures in line with its size.

It also needs to develop growth plan that would gradually build up the top-line. There is also the need for national sense of collective responsibility with relevant government agencies acting decisively to stop faking and dumping as well as ensuring full implementation of the local content policy, in order to trickle down the growth in economy.

2012 %

2011 %

Financing structure Equity funds/Total assets Long-term liabilities/Total assets Current liabilities/Total assets Debt/Equity ratio

71.7 0.3 28.0 3.0

69.2 0.4 30.5 0.0

Profitability Gross profit margin Pre-tax profit margin Return on total assets Return on equity Dividend cover (times)

36.9 -7.0 -2.2 -3.5 0.00

31.3 0.9 0.4 0.7 0.00

NA NA

NA NA 98.8

3.48 217.9 159.0

3.19 151.6 126.3

Efficiency Pre-tax profit per employee (Nm) Staff cost per employee (Nm) Cost of sales, operating exp/Turnover105.9 Liquidity Current ratio Working capital/Turnover Debtors/Creditors

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

35

MONEY MARKET REPORT FGN bond yields (%)

CBN intervention strengthens naira

I

NTERVENTION of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and foreign exchange upswing in the last one week forced the naira to halt a five-day decline.

The local currency rose 0.9 per cent and traded 0.6 per cent stronger at N158.65 per dollar last Friday after the banking watchdog intervened with about $50 million dollars.

Also, the reserve, which rose to $48.2 billion on March 14, strengthened the naira, which has dropped to 1.5 per cent this year, according to data obtained from the CBN website.

"There was intervention from the central bank. There was a lot of corporate demand" and the regulator is trying to stabilise the market, he said," Tega Adeda, a foreign exchange trader at Stanbic IBTC Holding Co, told Bloomberg.

The bank reduced dollar sales to lenders by six per cent last week to $360 million.

The regulator uses the twice-a-week auctions to stabilise the naira as costs of importing refined fuel, which accounts for 70 per cent of the local gasoline market, boosts dollar demand and puts pressure on the currency, according to the central bank.

The CBN held the rate at the record level on January 21 to control consumer prices and maintain the naira's level. Inflation eased to nine per cent in January from 12 per cent in December, the statistics bureau said last month.

Borrowing costs on the country's 16.39 per cent domestic bonds due January 2022 rose nine basis points to 11.27 per cent, according to Thursday's data compiled on the Financial Markets Dealers Association website. Yields on the nation's $500 million of Eurobonds due January 2021 fell two basis points to 4.204 per cent.

Cashless The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will from June 1, 2013 implement a policy that places N150,000 limit on all over the counter cheque withdrawals in commercial banks, microfinance banks and primary mortgage institutions (PMIs) nationwide.

In a circular to all stakeholders, CBN Director, Banking and Payment System, Dipo Fatokun said the policy is in recognition of the success recorded in Lagos and the need to extend such success to other states within the federation. He said the Lagos success story has also contributed to the reduction of fraud on cheques and aided the National Financial Inclusion (NFI) Strategy.

"All banks are therefore directed to ensure that implementation of N150,000 limit on third party cheques that could be cashed over the counter nationwide, with effect from June 1, 2013," he said.

Also, the CBN chief stopped banks from charging their customers payments for third party cheques below N150,000 cashed over the counter. "All banks are hereby directed to stop charging their customers for third party cheques of up to N150,000 cashed over the counter," he said. He explained that the policy is in recognition of the CBN’s role in the development of an efficient payment and settlement system that is well modernised.

GDR The admission of Zenith Bank's Global Depositary Receipts (GDR) to the official list of the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and trading same on the LSE is expected to take place within the month, Renaissance Capital (RenCap), an investment and research firm had said.

"Our understanding from management is that the listing of the instruments should happen in March 2013," it said in an emailed report obtained by The Nation.

It said the objectives of the GDR issuance are to increase the bank's visibility and trading in its securities, as well as to expand and diversify its investor base. "Given that Zenith Bank is the most highly capitalised Nigerian bank with a capital-adequacy ratio of 29 per cent as at last September, and

By Collins Nweze

does not require any capital injection, it makes sense to us that the GDRs are noncapital-raising," RenCap said.

The GDR issuance, it added, simply gives existing shareholders the option to convert to an LSE-traded instrument. The conversion ratio is 50 common shares to one GDR.

MfBs The National Microfinance Development Strategy will soon be released by the CBN. The document is expected to outline modalities for developing the subsector and rules that operators will follow to achieve improved performance s well s sector's stability.

The CBN is also working on consolidating on the achievements recorded so far by the country in the development of MfBs by strengthening the regulatory frameworks and other guidelines. This also includes formation of National Microfinance development Strategy with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the recent signing of a major agreement with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).

Besides, the CBN is considering the establishment of a Microfinance Development Fund (MDF) as a further step to deepen the financial market. The MDF when established, would assist in addressing teething challenges of underfunding for microfinance institutions in the country.

Mortgage banking The CBN also last week approved the Regulatory and Supervisory Framework for the Operations of a Mortgage Re-finance Company (MRC) as an exposure draft. Its Director, Other Financial Institutions Supervision Department, Olufemi Fabamwo, said the framework is drawn based on provisions of the CBN Act 2007, Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) CAP B3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004, other relevant Laws.

The CBN also set a minimum capital base for the subsector at N5 billion, but intending operators will have to pay non-refundable application fee of N100,000 and nonrefundable licencing fee of N200,000.

He said the framework provides for the licensing and establishment of a MRCs as specialised second-tier institution which would provide short-term liquidity, longterm funding and/or guarantees to mortgage originators and housing finance lenders.

He said the establishment of MRC is primarily aimed at increasing the liquidity within the mortgage sub-sector and availability of mortgage credit in the country. It will also reduce mortgage and related costs, and make residential housing more affordable. It specified the standards and criteria for, and timing of, periodic assessments of the creditworthiness of borrowers, obligors, or other counterparties, and for the establishment of credit limits.

IFRS The CBN has set up a roadmap on Inter-

•Sources: Debt Management Office (DMO), FBN Capital Research

national Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) stipulating compliance by all Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) by January 31, 2014.

The roadmap requires that the business community in the country would implement and converge in phases while the phases are submerged within a general implementation framework. The general plan would therefore ensure that appropriate changes and restructuring are made to processes, systems and the personel in terms of training and capacity building.

The IFRS is a globally-accepted set of accounting standards, framework and interpretations, adopted by the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB and its interpretative body, the International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee (IFRIC).

The IFRS was issued by the IASB. It was issued to serve as the global accounting language for the purpose of meeting the information needs of global business investors, shareholders and financial services providers.

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) had earlier announced its decision to converge to IFRS in the last quarter of 2010, but the commencement date was later shifted to January 1, last year to ensure legal and capacity building in the project.

Economy There is need to carry out radical reforms in the financial system of the country to achieve stability in the economy, CBN's Deputy Governor, Corporate Services, Suleiman Barau, has said.

Speaking at this year's EuroFinance Conference in Lagos at the weekend, Barau, who was represented by the Deputy Director of Banking Supervision, Steve Nwadiuko, said such the restructuring was the only way to avoid massive corporate failure witnessed during the financial crisis of 2007 to 2009, which exposed the weaknesses in many banks.

He said reforms were needed to strengthen the stability and resilience of the global financial system and prevent the reoccurrence of systematic crisis.

He said chief finance officers of banks across the globe need to design strategies that would adequately address possible hitches

‘The naira rose 0.9 per cent and traded 0.6 per cent stronger at N158.65 per dollar last Friday after the banking watchdog intervened with about $50 million dollars. Also, the reserve, which rose to $48.2 billion on March 14, strengthened the naira, which has dropped to 1.5 per cent this year, according to data obtained from the CBN website’

in the financial system.

Bank to bank report Sterling Bank is set to organise a fashion competition for undergraduates of tertiary institutions in Lagos State. In a statement, the bank said the exercise was meant to discover and celebrate the creativity of the youth.

The competition, which is part of the bank's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts in the education sector, seeks to transform the perception artistically inclined undergraduates have of themselves in relation to corporate organisations, their acceptability and the difference they can make given the opportunity and a suitable platform.

The competition tagged "Sketchamania," is a break from the norm and an unequivocal statement by Sterling bank that it seeks to identify new opportunities to make a difference in a distinct manner by impacting society through deliberate interventions aimed at encouraging and celebrating unique talents, which abound in Nigeria.

The Managing Director, Bank of Agriculture (BoA), Mr Muhammadu Satunraki, has said the institution would promote agricultural biotechnology.

He said the development would help in increasing food production. The bank, in a statement, quoted Satunraki as saying that biotechnology is a new field that must be supported to foster growth of the country.

Fidelity Bank Plc has given out five Hyundai Accent cars to five winners in its ongoing Cars and Cash Savings Splash held in Lagos. Twenty-one other winners also went home with cash prizes ranging from N100, 000, N500, 000 and N1 million.

Some of the customers, who won cars are Arinzechi Victus, Nwambu Chinwetara, Tansi Grace & Josephine, Umorem Etido Akpan and Maduka Stepenie. Also, Ozoeze Ndidi Amaka won N1 million while Oku Felix and Samuel Emua won N500,000 each.

Those who won N250,000 are Paul Abraham, Elizabeth Korgba Nkwa Eze while Nnachi Franklin, among others won N100,000.

Enterprise Bank customers will henceforth, enjoy additional convenience with the introduction of the lender's dual purpose prepaid MasterCard used locally and internationally.

In a statement, the bank said the new addition is a multi-purpose chip and pin debit card that can be pre-funded with cash. The card can then be used to effect cashless payments (like a bank debit card) on the internet, Point of Sale (PoS) terminals and cash from Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).

It said that the unique benefits of the card, which is open to both customers and noncustomers of the bank alike is that the individual would have no need to open or have a bank account in order to have the prepaid card.

The card, which can be pre-funded in naira or dollar denominations, is ideal for students, corporate accounts expense cards, estacode, and corporate travel and travel cards among others.

The card, the bank added, also eliminates the burden of carrying cash around just as it allows its holders to spend more than their approved daily spend limits since both the Personal Travel Allowance (PTA) and Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) are loadable on it.

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

36

BUDGET

Rivers: Capital projects get lion’s share

R

IVERS State Government has committed N314.30 billion, representing 64.10 per cent of this year’s total budget (N490.32 billion) to capital projects. The proposed capital expenditure, which is meant to finance and complete critical projects in the state, is however, some 2.92 per cent lower than the previous year’s N323.7 billion.

The aggregate budget, which is N52.32 billion or 11.95 per cent higher than N438 billion appropriation of the out-going fiscal year, translates to 11.95 per cent increase in the budget.

The financial plan was presented last December to the House of Assembly by Governor Rotimi Ameachi.

Under recurrent expenditure, Rivers is budgeting N176.02 billion this year, representing an increase of 54.06 per cent over last year’s N114.26 billion.

The N314.30 billon capital expenditure is expected to be ploughed into these sectors - economic, social, environmental, health, education, agriculture, water, road and transportation and power.

A breakdown of the proposed expenditure indicated that N99.03 billion was voted for the economic sector as against N99.4 billion last year; Works - N65 billion; Power -N15 billion - the same figure earmarked for 2012 fiscal year; Transport N8.5 billion; Agriculture - N4.03 billion, while N400 million was earmarked for Commerce and Industry.

The social sector will get N64.50 billion; educa-

By Akinola Ajibade

tion - N47.81 billion, which is 34 per cent lower than the N64 billiion budgeted in 2012. Health is N10.23 billion, about 76 per cent less than the N18 billion of the previous year.

The government also set aside N73 billion for roads as against N60 billion the previous year and N8 billion for the Mono rail projects; Sports - N3.04 billion; Information - N1.2 billion; Women Affairs - N600 million; Culture and Tourism - N1.2 billion; and Social Welfare and Rehabilitation -N500 million.

The Environmental sector got N37.60 billiion, which is to be spent on housing, water resources, Ministry of environment, Urban Development, Lands and Survey, Waste Management Agency, Urban Beautification, Parks and Gardens, among others. The health sector was allocated N10.23 billion, Agriculture - N4.03 billion, Education N47.81 billion, Power - N15 billion among others.

Under recurrent, N176.02 billion was earmarked for payment of salaries of civil servants including the recruitments of 13,000 additional teachers.

Also, provisions were made for the Monthly Pension/Contributory Pension Scheme, loans, and bond issuance related costs, among others in the recurrent expenditure.

Budget financing The government intends to finance 2013 budget

Key Components of 2012/2013 budgets Total Budget Recurrent Capital IGR Federal Allocation

2012 - N438 billion - N114.26 billion - N323.75 billion - N70 billion - N261 billion

2013 N490.32 billion N176.02 billion N314.30 billion N65 billion N245 billion

•Governor Rotimi Amaechi

with Statutory Allocation (FAAC) of N245 billion; Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) including Social Levy of N80 billion; Prior year balance of N48.32 billion; Bond proceeds of N100 billion; and World Bank/African Development Bank ( AfDB) credit of N17 billion. This is against N261 billion Federation Allocation proposed to finance the budget in 2012 among other avenues.

Commenting on the budget, Amaechi said the government is committed to the growth of the critical sectors of the state. He promised that all the projects his administration is embarking on will be completed during his tenure.

“In 2013, our commitment to the critical sectors that drive and sustain economic growth (power, roads and transport, education, and health) will continue to remain a topmost priority as well as improve governance. Sound regulatory framework will be put in place to ensure best practice and sustainability,” he assured.

Policy Thrust for 2013 Rivers said it would balance the budget structure to ensure that recurrent spending is financed from IGR and head towards achieving a ratio of between 30 and 70 per cent for recurrent to capital expenditure.

Acknowledging that the reengineering of the Board of its Internal Revenue had resulted in average monthly revenue of N6.5 billion in 2012, the government said that the figure is expected to increase to N7.5 billion per month this year.

Consequently, Rivers expects the 2013 monthly recurrent revenue expenditure items in salaries, overheads and monthly pensions currently averaging N8.5 billon to be funded from the IGR. The government intends to complete ongoing projects in critical sectors of the economy, build agriculture as the main driver of the state’s sub national economic growth and job creation as well as reform and maintain a robust public financial management structure. It also intends to put in place system and processes that bring about efficiency and ensure judicious use of resources.

It will also strive to sustain the promotion of Public Private Partnership (PPP) to accelerate development and implementation of projects; improve capacity of public servants to enhance efficiency and ensure good governances and service delivery; improve security and maintenance of law and order and improve the business operating environment.

THE N

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

37

LABOUR

New tenure system affects Kebbi to recruit 8,000 teachers five perm secs, 31 directors J F

IVE out of the 32 permanent secretaries in Kano State are to retire from service following the introduction of tenure system for public servants in the state.

The state’s Head of the Civil Service, Alhaji Umar Minjibir, said through his Public Relations Officer, Alhaji Mustapha Ibrahim, in Kano, has said.

Also, he said out of the 302 directors in the state civil service, only 31 directors were affected by the new policy.

Stories by Dupe Olaoye-Osinkolu

Ibrahim also confirmed the story to The Nation last Thursday.

Minjibir assured that the state has qualified officers who would take over from the retiring officers. ‘’There are qualified directors who will be appointed permanent secretaries in the state,’’ he said.

He said the government would ensure prompt settlement of retirement benefits of all the affected officers.

According to him, the government has recruited as part of efforts to inject new blood into the service. ‘’No state in the country has done what Kano State did in the area of recruitment which stands at over 4, 000 graduates during the period under review,’’ he said.

The state last Monday announced the introduction of tenure system for permanent secretaries and directors in the state civil service.

Ministry moves to check job stagnation

T

HE Federal Ministry of Education is considering creating additional offices to accommodate staff who are stagnated at the same level for years.

A stakeholders’ meeting under the chaired by Minister of Education, Prof. Rukayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i , has agreed that the ministry should expedite action on its effort to create additional vacancies through the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF).

Following the 21-day ultimatum given by the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) to the Federal Ministry of Education to resolve the outstanding labour issues, stakeholders met with the Labour Minister.

In the communidirector, Human Resources Management, Education ministry and Comrade A. B. Lawal, Secretary-General, ASCSN, the meeting agreed that

the Permanent Secretary of Education should provide a quarterly schedule of meetings between the Ministry and ASCSN leaders, which would be chaired by either the Minister or him.

On the non-placement of staff after promotion and the non-payment of promotion arrears, it was resolved that the task force put in place to address the issues should conclude its assignment latest by the end of by next month.

OBLESS teachers in Kebbi State may soon smile as the government is set to employ 8,000 teachers from the zonal education centres as part of efforts to reduce the impact of the dearth of teachers.

The Commissioner of Science and Technical Education, Alhaji Ruwa Dakingari, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Birnin Kebbi that the employment would be spread evenly among the state zonal education centres.

He said the minimum qualification required of the teachers were Bachelors Degree, Higher National Diploma (HND), National Certificate in Education (NCE) or Diploma in Arabic and Islamic knowledge.

Dakingari said recruitment at the Argungu and Bunza zonal edu-

cation centres had started and it would be conducted in the Jega, Yauri and Zuru zonal education centres.

He added that the exercise would be concluded this month.

He said the dearth of teachers was felt more at the primary school level than at the secondary schools and higher institutions. He expressed the hope that the trend would be reversed.

“Having completed the construction of some new schools, the ministry has embarked on the decongestion of schools to provide an environment that is conducive for teaching and learning.

“The renovation of the schools and infrastructure as well as the construction of new science laboratories for the schools will also start soon.’’

Plateau uncovers 5000 ghost workers

T

HE Plateau State Government has discovered 5,000 ghost workers through its on-going biometric data capture of the state’s workforce.

The Head of Service, Mr Ezekiel Dalyop, told The Nation that the exercise, undertaken by the government, revealed that no fewer than 5,000 ghost workers had infiltrated the civil service. Many of the alleged ghost workers were senior civil servants. He also said the state has ascertained through the exercise that it has only 12,000 authentic workers.

Dalyop said the government is working on the prompt payment of salaries and other emoluments to the state’s workers.

He said by the end of May, this year, workers in the state would be paid on the 23rd of every month. He recalled that it had been the policy of the government to pay its workers on the 23rd of

every month until two years ago when the problem of ghost workers truncated the policy.

The Head of Service said there was the need for action in view of the discovery of fraud and illegal employment as channels through which the government funds were drained, hence the introduction of the biometric data capture of the state’s workforce.

He said: “Machinery has been put in place to correct the anomaly. The on-going biometric data capture of the state’s workforce, undertaken by the government, revealed that no fewer than 5,000 ghost workers had infiltrated the civil service.

“The figure can change if some of those weeded out in the sweeping process can prove that they were wrongly shut out by the negligence of some personnel charged with the exercise in the MDAs,’’ he added.

Minister praised for generating 198,534 jobs

T

•Some of the women journalists in class. Front row: Mrs. Bimpe Zaccheaus and Mrs. Keji Akodu. With them are Mrs. Kehinde Ajayi (left), Mrs. Iyabode Ogunjuyigbe (by the window). Third row: Miss Adepeju Adeyemi, Mrs Morenike Umar. Behind them are Mrs. Ronke Kehinde and Mrs. Lola Jagunmolu. Facilitators: Messrs Ladi Tokosi and Emman Aluko discussing at the back of the class.

Arik partners NAWOJ on skill training

M

EMBERS of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) have completed a week-long training in London designed to broaden their horizons and hone their skills.

Arik Air had partnered the association by facilitating their trip to and fro the United Kingdom (UK) with a 50 per cent rebate on tickets to all the journalists who attended the training.

The airline’s spokesman, Mr Banji Ola, said Arik is a progressive airline that is always ready to assist

workers to build their capacities.

Held at the Goldsmith International Business School in London, the training had to do with writing for the web and effective news gathering from the web.It was organised by NAWOJ Lagos State Chapter. Classes were facilitated by several veteran journalists, including Audrey Laurencelle, Sala Kamkosi Banda and Ladi Tokosi.

Participants took time off classes to visit the Nigerian High Commissioner to the UK, Dr Dalhatu

Tafida, who commended NAWOJ for seeking to improve the abilities of its members.

He said:“Most of the time, when you see Nigerians here, they are sponsored, but you sponsored yourselves to London, the home of journalism.’’

Led by Chair of NAWOJ, Lagos State Chapter, Dupe OlaoyeOsinkolu of The Nation, the 28woman team included members from both the print and electronic media.

Firm rewards 460 employees

P

ROMASIDOR Nigeria Limited has rewarded about 460 employees for their hard work and long years of service to the company.

According to statement, the employees, including their spouses, were honoured for putting in 10 and 15 years of serving. The event held at Granduer Events Centre, Ikeja, Lagos, last weekend.

Speaking at the event, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Promasidor Nigeria,

Chief Keith Richards, said the long service award is a yearly event meant to celebrate the company’s long serving staff and promote the spirit of togetherness in the establishment.

Richards said:“Today is about you. We want to appreciate you for your hard work and long years of service, as well as use the opportunity to socialise and relax.

We want to thank you for everything you have done to help this company.

“When we saw the number of people to be rewarded, at first we thought it would be a challenge, but as the planning committee went on with the plans, we knew it would go well. Once again, from Promasidor group, thank you for your support and do enjoy yourselves.”

In a message, Chairman, Promasidor Nigeria, Mr Mark Rose, apologised for his absence, but congratulated the employees for their long years of service.

HE Federal Executive Council has praised the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, for his efforts at job creation and resolution of industrial dispute.

He was also commended for the advancement of paradigm shift in labour administration as well as development of strategic plan for the Ministry and pro-active approach to industrial related issues in the country, These commendations came shortly after the Minister presented last year’s performance report of his Ministry to the Federal Executive Council, presided over by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

Chief Wogu, among other vari-

ous achievements, listed during the presentation, according to a statement, revealed that the Federal Government was able to generate a total of 198,534 jobs from the various contracts approved for implementation by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) last year.

The Minister of National Planning, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman, who is also responsible for the coordination of the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) of the MDAs, commended the minister for a detailed presentation. He encouraged other ministers to emulate the contribution of the Minister of Labour and Productivity to the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.

10,000 jostle for 600 posts in Oyo

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O fewer than 10,000 job seekers have applied for employment in the ongoing recruitment exercise into Oyo State health institutions.

Chairman of the state Hospital Management Board, Alhaji Olaide Abass, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan.

He said the recruitment of the medical staff was to fill the vacant positions in the state’s health institutions. ‘‘Over 10,000 applicants have applied for placement into the health sector in Oyo State in the current recruitment drive,’’ he said.

The board chair said of the

number of, only 600 would be employed.

Workers needed in the state’s health institutions included doctors, pharmacists, nurses, dentists, physiotherapist and ward maids. ‘‘The state needs 100 doctors, 200 nurses, 100 ward maids and other categories,’’ Abass said.

The recruitment, he said, became necessary since the state’s health institutions were short of medical personnel.

He, however, said the pre-interview screening, which took place last week was meant to ascertain if the applicants were certified by their professional bodies.

38

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

International Business

I

NA Drew, the former JPMorgan Chase & Co executive in charge of the unit that made the disastrous "London Whale" trades last year, told lawmakers last week that she does not bear personal responsibility for the $6 billion in losses, Reuters reports.

Instead, she blamed others for deceiving her, including her direct reports - Achilles Macris, who supervised the trading book at issue, and Javier Martin-Artajo, who managed it daily.

Those employees did not appear at the hearing before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and did not participate in the panel's probe. They are based in London and are not subject to the U.S. Senate's subpoena power.

"Some members of the London team failed to value positions properly and in good faith, minimised reported and projected losses, and hid from me important information regarding the true risks of the book," said Drew, the bank's former chief investment officer, in her first public comments on the matter.

She defended her oversight as "reasonable and diligent" and said she

I’m not to blame for ‘Whale losses’ believed she didn't hold personal responsibility for the losses. "Clearly mistakes were made," she said.

The comments from Drew, who spoke softly but firmly about her role in the debacle, came early in Friday's hearing into the losing derivatives bets that came to be known as the "London Whale" trades.

The Senate panel released on Thursday a report that alleged the bank ignored risks, misled investors, fought with regulators and tried to work around rules as it dealt with mushrooming losses in that portfolio.

The report blamed Drew and other senior managers for doing little to rein in the risky trading as danger signs emerged in early 2012.

JPMorgan Chief Executive Jamie Dimon initially dismissed rumors of a troubled trading position as a "tempest in a teapot" during an April 2012 conference call.

Less than a month later, the bank disclosed serious problems with the trading strategy, and later said it lost

$6.2 billion from the trades.

Dimon, who has testified publicly twice before about the Whale trades, was not invited to appear on Friday.

Instead, the panel pressed Drew and other former managers.

Senator Carl Levin, the Democrat from Michigan, who heads the subcommittee, asked Peter Weiland, the former head of market risk in Drew's office, about why he dismissed a key risk measure that warned of potentially blooming losses in the synthetic credit portfolio.

The metric predicted that the portfolio could produce a yearly loss of $6.3 billion, which Weiland rejected as "garbage" in February last year.

He said on Friday that, in hindsight, the measure did not appear so far off.

"The whale trades demonstrate

how credit derivatives, when purchased in massive quantities with complex components, can become a runaway train barreling through every risk limit," Levin said.

Other JPMorgan executives described the losses as a terrible mistake, and said the bank had largely fixed the problems that led to them.

Levin asked many questions about misstatements by JPMorgan that he had identified in the report, but the executives provided little in the way of new admissions.

The bank's Vice-Chairman, Douglas Braunstein, blamed outside counsel and auditors at PricewaterhouseCoopers for signing off on the shift from valuing the positions at the middle of the range to an extreme that made the positions look better. But he said the bank felt it could justify the inflated marks

based on the volatility of the market.

A representative from PwC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The largest U.S. bank has long been seen as the safest and best-managed in the country, but the subcommittee's report could taint its reputation as well as that of Chief Executive Officer Dimon.

The report also gives ammunition to advocates calling for stricter financial reforms, including to regulators crafting the Volcker rule, which proposes to put limits on banks betting with their own funds.

"If derivatives books can be cooked as blatantly as they are in this case without breaking the rules, then the rules need to be revamped," Levin said.

‘Norway tariff cuts to lower income by $7b’

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UNDS that have invested $5.6 billion in Norway's gas pipelines said a government plan to cut their transportation fees by 90 percent would lower income by almost 40 billion kroner ($7 billion), Bloomberg reports.

Two of the investors, who control 32 per cent of Norway's pipeline system and are owned by Canadian pension funds, Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund and Allianz SE (ALV), said in a letter to the Petroleum and Energy Ministry that the January 2013 proposal would lower returns to four per cent, below an expected minimum level of seven per cent.

"The proposal undermines Norway's reputation as a stable and predictable country for investments," Solveig Gas Norway AS and Silex Gas Norway AS said in the letter. "The proposal represents an unauthorized intervention in the infrastructure owners' legally protected rights and expectations."

Solveig, Silex and two other investors, Infragas Norge AS and Njord Gas Infrastructure AS, last month escalated their fight against the plan by pleading with Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg to intervene. All the hearing letters were made public today by the government.

Norway has argued the tariff cuts would make more gas discoveries profitable and boost exploration and recovery rates. Higher-thanexpected returns based on past and current contracts will help preserve "reasonable returns" for investors even as tariffs are cut by as much

as 90 per cent on new gas volumes booked after May 1, it has said.

Njord said in a letter that the "unjustifiable fact" that the proposal would shift about 40 billion kroner in net present value from Gassled owners to gas shippers, "many of which recently sold their Gassled stakes, shows the unreasonableness of the proposal."

The four companies own 44 percent of the gas pipe network, buying stakes in 2010 and 2011 for about 32 billion kroner from producers such as Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), Statoil ASA (STL) and Total SA. Norway is western Europe's largest gas producer and owns 67 percent of Statoil.

Solveig is owned by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Allianz Capital Partners, a subsidiary of Allianz SE, and Infinity Investments SA, a unit of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.

Infragas is a unit of Canada's Public Sector Pension Investment Board while Silex is owned by Allianz. Njord is a subsidiary of UBS International Infrastructure Fund and CDC Infrastructure SA. Standard & Poor's placed Solveig and Njord on negative watch in January. Solveig in February was put on a review for a downgrade

by Moody's Investors Service.

The funds that own Solveig, Silex and Njord won't approve further investments in Norway's gas infrastructure if the government proceeds with the cut, the companies said in their hearing letters.

In addition to "significantly weakening the economic outlook

• Jorge Rios and other foreign students who were temporarily working at a Harrisburg McDonald's restuarant protesting over controversies of the franchise in New York.

U.S. stocks fall as consumer confidence declines

U

NITED States stocks fell, after the Standard & Poor's 500 Index moved within two points of its record high last week , as a report showed consumer confidence unexpectedly fell in March, bloomberg reports.

Equities pared declines as banks reversed losses in the wake of the Federal Reserve's stress test. Bank of America Corp. (BAC) and Morgan Stanley added at least 2.6 percent.

DirectTV surged 6.1 percent after pulling out of a bidding war for Vivendi SA's GVT division. Carnival Corp. slumped 2 percent after trimming its full-year earnings forecast.

The S&P 500 fell 0.1 percent to

UBS chief paid $9m while unveiling plans to BS paid CEO Sergio Ermotti on 2011, but he only joined cut 10,000 staff crease almost $9million and welthe bank in April of that year and

U

comed its new investment bank chief with a $26 million "golden hello" last year, the same year the bank announced plans to fire 10,000 staff in a cost-cutting drive, Globe and Mail reports.

Bankers' pay in Switzerland remains a heated issue five years after the near collapse of UBS in 2008, blamed by many on a culture of big bonuses driving bankers to make risky investments.

Investment bank chief Andrea Orcel, who is overseeing a radical restructuring of that operation in which 2,000 jobs are expected to go, secured a package worth 25 million Swiss francs, according to UBS's annual report on last week.

It comprises $6.364 million in deferred cash and deferred UBS shares worth 18.5 million Swiss francs ($19.44 million U.S.) at the grant

date. The deferred cash and shares will vest in instalments in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

The deal was designed to replace forfeited pay from his former employer, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, after he joined the Swiss bank in July, last year.

Details of the big payouts come barely a fortnight after Swiss citizens voted to give shareholders a binding vote on remuneration, representing the world's strictest controls on executive pay.

Ermotti was the Swiss bank's highest earner last year, pipping Americas wealth management division head Robert McCann, who was paid most in 2011. McCann earned 8.56 million francs last year, compared with 9.18 million in 2011.

Ermotti's pay is a 40 per cent in-

was named CEO in November 2011 after a $2 billion rogue-trading scandal felled his predecessor, Oswald Gruebel.

The CEO's base pay was 2.5 million francs, with more than SIX million francs in bonus awards.

The news follows another turbulent year for UBS, which posted a full-year net loss after saying it would fire 10,000 employees and wind down large parts of its fixedincome business.

In December UBS said it would have to pay $1.5-billion to settle its role in a multiyear global raterigging scheme.

"Despite these developments, the group made significant progress under Mr Ermotti's leadership," UBS told shareholders in its annual report. "He successfully led the firm in the implementation of its strategy."

1,561.16 at 1:13 p.m. in New York, after dropping as much as 0.5 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 39.42 points, or 0.3 percent, to 14,499.72, poised for its first closing loss in 11 days. Trading in S&P 500 stocks was 40 percent above the 30-day average at this time of day. Stock trading may be more volatile than usual as futures and options contracts expire in a process known as quadruple witching.

"This is a market that is digesting, it's a market that is in watchful wait mode, and waiting either to continue this pullback or getting ready for the next leg," Quincy Krosby, a market strategist for Newark, New Jerseybased Prudential Financial Inc., which oversees more than $1 trillion of assets, said in a phone interview. "It's healthy to have these gaps between run-ups."

The S&P 500 (SPX) climbed last week within two points of its record closing level of 1,565.15 set in October 2007. The gauge has more than doubled from its bottom in 2009, fueled by corporate earnings that topped estimates and monetary stimulus from the Federal Reserve.

The Dow set an all-time high for the eighth day in a row last week.

Industrial production rose more than forecast in February as U.S. factories turned out more business equipment and motor vehicles. Output at factories, mines and utilities climbed 0.7 per cent, exceeding the median projection in a Bloomberg survey, figures from the Federal Reserve showed today in Washington. Separate data showed manufacturing in the New York region expanded for a second month in March and industry managers grew more optimistic about the future.

DMS Retail starts in West Africa

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ORLD leading retail management, retail consulting and retail training company, DMSRetail Inc. Canada has commenced its West Africa operations with the formal signing of Business Operations Agreement for DMSRetail West Africa.

A partner business between Bervidson International Limited, Nigeria and DMSRetail Inc. Canada, DMSRetail West Africa will seek to make retailers successful at generating more sales, revenue, profits and returns to stakeholders while achieving a lasting positive customer experience.

Speaking at the agreement signing ceremony recently in United States, the President/Chief Executive Officer, Bervidson International Limited, Mr Joseph Ebata, noted: "DMSRetail West Africa is a retail management, retail consulting & retail training company that seeks to make retailers in West Africa successful using well established and time tested principles, metrics, materials and other support systems.

"We are focused on increasing the effectiveness of retail management personnel with practical success guides, cutting edge training, the best utilisation of retail technology and effective measurement tools and results management strategies. These proven principles and metrics of retail success have been tested and used to make retailers successful across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East and we are very excited to make them available to West Africa,” he added.

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

39

40

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

Taxation

Adoption of IFRS: Tax implications

By Frank Onero Obaro

I

N line with Section 8 of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Establishment Act 2007, FIRS issued a draft circular in October last year to provide direction to stakeholders on the tax implications of the adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). IFRS is expected to have far reaching implications on taxpayers, knowing that quoted companies are expected to adopt it, beginning from 2012, other businesses from 2013 while SMEs are to fully adopt the guidelines in 2014.

This is to give effect to the Federal Executive Council’s acceptance of the recommendation of the Committee on the roadmap for the adoption of IFRS in Nigeria, which places emphasis on the adoption of globally accepted accounting standards by reporting entities. The adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in a phased transition in a process is to be supervised by the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria(FRCN) formerly Nigerian Accounting Standards Board (NASB), under the supervision of the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment.

Section 55 (1) of the Companies Income Tax Act (CITA), Cap C21, LFN 2004 requires a company filing a return to submit its audited account with the Service while sections 8, 52 and 53 of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria Act, 2011 gave effect to the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standard.

This implies that the audited accounts to be submitted to the Service after the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standard shall be prepared in compliance with standards issued by IFRS. It is in line with the above that FIRS has published these draft guidelines on tax treatments to be given to each of the Standards especially where there are deviations from the present Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (GAAP) after the adoption. The objective is to highlight some salient points in the FIRS draft policy document in alignment with the IFRS guidelines.

IFRS 1 - FIRST TIME ADOPTION -An entity shall prepare and present an opening IFRS statement of financial position at the date of transition to IFRS. This is the starting point for its accounting in accordance with IFRS. An entity shall use the same accounting policies in its opening IFRS statement of financial position and throughout all periods presented in its first IFRS financial statements. Those accounting policies shall comply with each IFRS effective at the end of its first IFRS reporting period.

In particular, the IFRS requires an entity to do the following in the opening IFRS statement of financial position that it prepares as a starting point for its accounting under IFRS:(a) recognise all assets and liabilities whose recognition is required by IFRSs; (b) not recognise items as assets or liabilities if IFRS do not permit such recognition. (a) reclassify items that it recognised in accordance with previous GAAP as one type of asset, liability or component of equity, but are a different type

•Acting Executive Chairman, FIRS, Alhaj Kabir Mohammed Mashi

‘There is no doubt that the transition to IFRS is a huge task, with over 100 countries already signed to it. IFRS has become the global reporting standards for accounts and it is imperative for various stakeholders to work together to engender a workable solutions in terms of capacity and enlightenment on the cut off dates’ of asset, liability or component of equity in accordance with IFRSs; and (d) apply IFRS in measuring all recognised assets and liabilities”. FIRS draft guidelines emphasise that the new net asset based on the accounting balance shall be adopted for minimum tax computation and where dividend is paid from retained earnings, it shall be subject to tax in line with section 19 of CITA. Also, the details of recognitions, derecognitions and reconciliation must be forwarded to FIRS by the taxpayer including all adjustments to opening retained earnings.

Furthermore entities shall have the option to either completely expense or spread within 3 years the revenue expense component of its cost of conversion to IFRS as first time adopters.

All conversion cost (Capital & Revenue) must be verified and confirmed by the Service before it can be allowed as Qualified Capital Expenditure or expense. While any additional tax/refund as a result of the conversion shall be settled by the company or refunded by FIRS as may be agreed by FIRS within three years of adoption. For the treatment of Finance Lease the FIRS guideline notes that in compliance with IFRS re-classification of lease asset, there could be a situation whereby an operating lease becomes a finance lease. Where two parties had correctly applied the old principle but are now compelled by the IFRS standard to reclassify operating lease as finance lease, FIRS will rely on the Tax Written down value of the

asset in granting further capital allowance to the leasee.

Also, investment allowance and Initial allowance shall not be granted to the leasee on reclassification of the asset and where there are errors in compliance with previous standards on leases, the tax consequences resulting from the errors shall be adjusted for accordingly. For assets reclassified to finance lease, paragraph 18(2) and (3) of schedule two of CITA which relates to Rights to Claim Capital Allowances on finance lease shall apply. The guideline on finance lease as described in FIRS information circular No. 2010/01 dated 12th April, 2012 which relates to Value Added Tax (VAT) and With- Holding Tax (WHT) shall apply.

In IAS 19 – which dwells on EMPLOYEE BENEFITS, the FIRS draft guidelines notes that provisions in respect of other long-term employee benefits (other than postemployment benefits and termination benefits) that are not due to be settled within twelve months after the end of the period in which the employees render the related service shall not be allowed for tax purposes until actual payment is made. Profit sharing and bonus payments shall be allowed for tax purposes only if the amount and basis for its computation has been agreed and approved at the beginning of the accounting period and notably Personal Income Tax is payable on the bonus and profit sharing in line with the provisions of Personal Income Tax (amended 2011). For Pension remittances employer’s contributions over and above the 7.5 per cent compulsory threshold is an allowable deduction by virtue of the provision of the National Pension Commission Act (section 7 & 9 of Pension Act) and Actual contribution paid to the pension fund in the current year shall be allowed for tax purposes in line with the existing practice. The National Pension Commission has been empowered to approve defined benefit plan for any entity that wants to run it. However, FIRS must be satisfied that a proper scheme manager is appointed for the security of the fund before allowing any expenses on the scheme for tax purposes. Any provision charged to Statement of Comprehensive Income (SOCI) that does not have the approval of Pension Commission (PENCOM) and FIRS shall be disallowed.

Provision made for benefits payable to the employees offered voluntary redundancy shall not be an allowable deduction for tax purposes unless they result into cash payment to the employees.

There is no doubt that the transition to IFRS is a huge task, with over 100 countries already signed to it. IFRS has become the global reporting standards for accounts and it is imperative for various stakeholders to work together to engender a workable solutions in terms of capacity and enlightenment on the cut off dates.

Its revolutionary impact tax requires a great deal of decisiveness and commitment. It is a new world order in corporate reporting that will alter not only the financial accounting and reporting landscape in Nigeria but also tax accounting, tax cash flow and tax distributable reserves.

MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

43

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

Many challenges have confronted Taraba State Acting Governor Garba Umar in the last 100 days. Senior Correspondent FANEN IHYONGO examines the journey so far.

Taraba acting governor in eye of storm T

ARABA State Deputy Governor Garba Umar did not anticipate the responsibilities now enthrusted on his shoulders. But when his boss, Governor Danbaba Suntai, was hit by the blow of fate, the mantle of leadership fell on him. One hundred days after be became the acting governor, the challenges are still undaunting. Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.

From being a spare tyre, Umar started to exercise executive powers. Commissioners and special advisers who had snubbed him as a powerless deputy had to fall in line. Powerful elements who had by-passed him in the past had to curry his favours. As he inherited fame, his political troubles also multiplied.

The man of the moment came to power by sheer providence. He had little hurdles to cross on the way to the pre-eminent position. He was selected by the ailing Governor Suntai to replace the impeached deputy governor, Alhaji Sani Danladi.

Umar was sworn in as deputy governor on October 5, last year, at a ceremony witnessed by many stakeholders. His boss described his appointment as the number two citizen as an act of God, adding that he would be a dependable ally.

Barely 20 days after, on October 25, Suntai was involved in a helicopher crash. He was the pilot. The governor was flown to Hannover, Germany, where he is recuperating. Consequently, the House of Assembly invoked Section 190 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, which empowered Umar to hold forte for his boss.

As he inherited power, he also inherited many challenges. These challenges had taxed his boss to the brim.

Umar became the administrator of a polarised state. Civil servants are fractioned into camps. The division within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also stares him in the face. The acting governor’s challenge has been how to choose between two devil’s alternatives. He wanted to impress many. He did mot want to offend any.

Umar is still at crossroads. Should he extend the olive branch to his boss’ perceived foes or continue to antagonise them? This is a big puzzle.

When he was sworn-in, he promised not to betray the trust reposed in him by his boss, adding that he was a “child of circumstance”. As the governor, he is also the acting party leader. But the ruling PDP has witnessed a lull in party activities. Party chieftains are protesting the legitimacy of the election that brought the state chairman, Mr. Victor Bala, to office. The 67 year-old acting governor is also under stress as he tries to resolve the division in the troubled chapter. It is a hard nut for himto crack. Many think that he has chosen to be on the fence.

Umar has promised to continue with Suntai’s programmes. This means that he will not change or appoint any commissioner or adviser. He also said that Suntai’s projects would not be abandoned. That also means that Umar has not really taken up the gauntlet to be his own man .The acting governor is afraid that, if he attempts a novel programme, he would be accused by Suntai’s men of disloyalty. Umar has consistently submitted that “it is one and the same government”. But his supporters are mounting pressures on him to vie for the governorship in 2015. This is distracting him from concentrating on the his current assignment.

In the last 100 days, the state has witnessed religious and ethnic crises that led to the killing of over 310 persons and destruction of property worth billions of naira.

It started in Ibi Local Government Area where a clash between Muslims and Christians left over 10 people dead, and churches, mosques, commercial and residential buildings torched. In Wukari, what started as a mere football pitch argument between two amateur players, sparked an orgy of violence. The acting governor was sad and infuriated. “I am shock. I am saddened. Every-

• Umar

body is saddened with what has happened”, he said,` after inspecting the scenes of destruction.

Umar acknowledged that “the crisis has taken Taraba State several steps backward”. He blamed the hostilities on unemployment and promised to create “thousands of jobs this year to engage the youths, to curb youth restiveness”. He put traditional rulers and council chairmen on their toes, saying that they would responsible for any violent act in their domain.

Local governments in the state depends on the federal allocations to survive. The rural state is poor and internally generated revenue is small. The acting governor said he will pursue an aggressive revenue-generating plan to ensure adequate funds for project funding. Although, he has not put in place for the machineries to generate the internal revenue, he had succeeded in bridging the financial loopholes.

His supporters have applauded his decision to cut down this year’s budget by N436.5 million, when compared with his boss’ appropriation bill of last year.

Suntai’s budget for this year was N73.8 billion and Umar’s is N73.4 billion. “I want to avoid a deficit budget, which would give me problems”, he said.

Many have alleged that Suntai had starved some ministries of funds and other ministries get more than what is usually appropriated for them in the annual budgets.

Following the allegation of skewed budget implementation, Umar, who described himself a different manager, said that “funds will be released to implement programmes and projects that are only built in the budget”. He also promised to provide monthly running cost for the ministries, which Suntai did not provide for many years. If he does that, he would be putting smiles on the faces of the commissioners. But at the same time, he would have offended his boss.

Another challenge is the pressure mounted on him by his allies to dissolve the cabinet and appoint new commissioners and special advisers. But Umar is treading softly. He has publicly said: “I will continue with everything Suntai”. This means he will not temper with any of Suntai’s appointees, even, if they are not loyal to him.

‘His supporters have applauded his decision to cut down this year’s budget by N436.5 million, when compared with his boss’ appropriation bill of last year. Suntai’s budget for this year was N73.8 billion and Umar’s is N73.4 billion. “I want to avoid a deficit budget, which would give me problems’

• Suntai

The acting governor has established a cordial relationship with the legislature and the ruling party. The House of Assembly and the party is also supporting him. After he was empowered to act, the lawmakers approved for him a supplementary budget of N10 billion for last year.

The Assembly also passed a vote of confidence on the acting governor, describing his leadership approach as legendary. The PDP national secretariat also applauded him for effective service delivery.

Umar has tried to be more frugal with the state resources.

He is said to have saved about 30 percent of the state’s wealth. “If he was a profligate, he would not have paid the debts, which the state hitherto owed some banks via less than-transparent processes that resulted into over N3.5 billion overdraft”, said a source.

Tackling corruption is a big challenge for Umar. He owes the state vivid explanations on how the flood relief funds were expended. Before the crash, Governor Suntai had put in place a committee chaired by Umar to ensure that the N400 million given to Taraba by the federal government impacts positively on the flood victims. Unfortunately, the funds were allegedly misappropriated. The affected persons are reportedly crying foul.

It has not been easy governing a religious-conscious state where Christians and Muslims fight over the soul of Taraba. Initially, Umar was perceived as a religious chauvinist, when his Muslim brothers jubilated Suntai’s crash with the rumour that the governor had died. Umar changed the perception when he stopped Muslim-led pressure groups from protesting the prolonged absence of the governor, although the protests would have been to his favour.

In his response to those urging him to instigate a process that could make him become the substantive governor, Umar said: “An acting governor is the governor.

When you are acting, like in my case, you are the governor. I have all the powers that the constitution gives a governor. I prepared the 2013 budget and I am paying workers’ salaries. So, what power again? And it is the same government. The only difference is that the people are feeling the absence of my boss.”

Umar is uncomfortable with the surging population of aides. His personal aides and those working with his boss often clash over who should do what. He has applied the brakes effectively to prevent both groups from nursing hostile grudges against one another.

The acting governor has friends and foes. His friends want him to become the governor. His foes are aggrieved about the prospect. If he acts well in the absence of Suntai, Umar would silently turn the people’s worry into hope.

He has an opportunity to shine; to correct Suntai’s wrongs, complete the projects initiated by his boss and defend his programmes. But, if he fails, he will incur the public anger and make the people feel the absence of the governor.

What Taraba people want is good governance. They yearn for transformation. With or without Suntai, they yearn for socio-economic and infrastructural development.

44

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

POLITICS ‘Jonathan should tackle marginalisation’

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has been urged to redress the imbalance in the oil block allocations to erase the feeling of ethnic marginalisation and domination.

A political scientist, Prof. Opeyemi Ola, said that the skewed allocation should be investigated further by the National Assembly, adding that other stakeholders, including the labour, bar association and civil society groups, should speak out against the discrimination and injustice.

Ola, a Second Republic member of the House of Representatives, said the “outrageous, provocative and devastating” revelations by the National Assembly have vindicated the agitations by militants that the oil-producing states have been short-changed by the Federal Government for too long.

He hailed the legislature for enlisting on the side of equity and fairness, urging the progressive wing of the National Assembly to ensure that the matter is not swept under the carpet.

Ola enjoined the federal government to seize the oil blocks from those who have possessed them through foul means, adding that they should be re-allocated in accordance with due process.

“This is the revelations of all revelations. It has revealed the inequality between the North and the South. Politics is the science of allocation of values and sharing of the commonwealth.

Equity should prevail. Why should the ownership of the allocation of the oil situated in the South be entirely in the North where there is no oil well? Those who did it do not mean well for Nigeria. This cannot augur well for national integration”.

The former university don urged the National Assembly to resist pressures from powerful quarters in the course of investigating the skewed allocation. He queried: “Who did the allocation?

The President or NNPC? Who owns these oil blocks? How much wealth have they made from this imbalanced allocation? Have they used them to develop the economy, the manufacturing sector? How many youths have they employed?”

‘APC will rule Taraba’

F

ORMER Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate in Taraba State, Senator Joel Ikenya, has applauded the birth of the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying that it will successfully wrest power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015.

The politician said that the people of Taraba State looked forward to the formal registration of the mega party buy the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC).

Ikenja, who spoke on the phone with our correspondent, lamented that PDP had ruined the economy and puaperised Nigerians, in spite of the vast natural resources in the country.

He said the people of Taraba State have continued to groan under the yoke of the ruling party, adding that its leaders are insensitive to the plightof the masses.

Ikenya described the 2015 as the year of liberation from the PDP, advising Nigerians to gird their loins. He said, with the birth of the APC, rigging by the PDP will become a hard option.

He said: “The birth of the APC is laudable. It has given up to the people of Taraba. ACN and CPC are strong in Taraba. With ANPP now in the fold, we will defeat the PDP. We look forward to the national conventions of the ACN, ANPP and CPC when the merger will be formally consumated.

PDP has nothing to offer to the people of Taraba. We are tired of a party that cannot perform”.

The Ondo State governorship contest has moved from the ballot box to the court room.

Correspondent DAMISI OJO writes on the litigation and the challenges that will confront Governor Olusegun Mimiko, if he survives the legal hurdles.

Can Mimiko weather the storm of litigation?

F IVE months after, the October 20, 2012 governorship election is inconclusive in Ondo State.

Five political parties - Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Accord Party (AP) and People for Democratic Change (PDC), initially filed petitions before the State Election Tribunal sitting in Akure to contest the victory of Governor Olusegun Mimiko at the poll.

They complained that the election was rigged in favour of the Labour Party (LP) candidate.

However, before the pre-hearing stage, the petitions of the CPC, Accord and PDC were struck out on technical ground by the tribunal, chaired by Justice A. Kaka. But the tribunal has to contend with the petitions of ACN, its candidate, Olurotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and that of his PDP counterpart, Chief Olusola Oke. Akeredolu has closed his case after presenting huge documentary evidence to back his claim that the poll was characterised by massive rigging..

Akeredolu brought 80 witnesses to testify that the election was manipulated in favour of the governor.

Already, witnesses called by PDP’s candidate, Oke, have been appearing since last week to fault the same election.

Later, the tribunal will give its judgment on whether Mimiko actually won the election or not.

But there is no vacuum in the exalted office. On February 24, Mimiko took the oath of office administered by the Chief Judge, Justice Olasehinde Kumuyi for a second term in office.

The governor excited listed his achievements in the last four years, promising to build on them in his second term.

However, many people have disputed the achievements. They say that Mimiko has not fully justified the confidence reposed in him by the people.

According to the Coordinator of the Movement for Good Gover-

•Dr Mimiko

nance and Ethical Leadership (MGGEL), Mr. Kunle Bello, Mimiko’s stay in power for a second term may be short-lived.

He hinged his claim on the fact that the LP administration is unpopular, stressing that it did not win the last governorship election.

Bello asked Mimiko to reflect on what he promised in 2009 and how he had failed to fulfil the promises.

The coordinator said the promise to create jobs has become a tall dream, adding that the Arigidi Tomato Paste Industry, Okeluse Cement factory, Olokola Free Trade Zone, Okitipupa Oil Mill, Oluwa Glass Industry and other companies owned by the state are in distress.

He said that unemployment had soared in the state because these companies have been on their knees.

The spokesman of the PDP in the state, Mr. Ayo Fadaka, shared this sentiment.

Fadaka said the fortunes of the state have continued to dwindle since February, 2009 when the present government came on board.

He said: “The present government has been celebrating the management of the economy of the state from credit to debit.”

A political analyst, John Olaoye, described the past four years of LP administration as retrogressive and traumatic for the masses.

He said many projects were abandoned, lamenting that industries that should provide jobs for the army of unemployed indigenes are moribund Olaoye complained that the government had embarked on projects that have no impact on the citizenry. He said the huge amount of money being allocated to the state regularly was being wasted on frivolities.

“Ondo is an oil-producing state.

Therefore, the people are full of expectation. Today, unemployed youths have become ‘Okada’ riders.

“The road networks in the state are in bad shape.Many roads are in deplorable condition.”

Observers pointed out that within the past four years, there was no road construction; not a single kilometer built on a virgin land, except mending and patching in few areas.

Besides, there are some abandoned projects initiated by former Governor Olusegun Agagu, which his successor has not completed.

Mimiko is conscious of these lapses. He has promised to take governance closer to the people in the next four years. He has assured the people of a better deal.

Mimiko said: “We will ensure the completion of all outstanding projects; we will also unveil a new stream of programme that would improve the quality of our people”.

The governor said his administration would focus on job creation through innovative and durable programmes that would engender sustainable livelihood.

He said the government would undertake a 30 MW independent power project in Ore to provide electricity. Mimiko said this will attract investors to the state.

On the controversial international events centre, ‘The Dome’, Mimiko promised to deliver the project this year as part of efforts to boost tourism.

• Ikenya

NULGE urges states to conduct council polls

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HE National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has urged the state governments to conduct the local govern ment elections as prescribed by the 1999 Constitution.

The association also reiterated its demand for council autonomy, stressing that it will make the local governmet more productive.

NULGE complained that the hands of the state governments are heavy on the fledgling councils in terms of financial control, making them to perform below expectation.

Currently, there are agitations for the conduct of council elections in Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Delta, Anambra states. In fact, since 1999, local government elections have npt been held in Anambra State.

NULGE said in a statement in Abuja: “The people are denied the dividends of democracy at the grassroots. They lack the opportunity for the election of leaders and change of government at the local areas”.

The association urged the National Assembly, which is currently reviewing the constitution, to grant autonomy to the local government so that it can discharge its duties to the local people.

It added: “ Grassroots democracy is absent when the freedom of political choice cannot be exercised according to the law. Many states have breached the 1999 Constitution by refusing to conduct local government elections”.

• Second left: Abia State Governor Theodore Orji, his wife Mrs Mercy Orji, (left) President of Johns Hopkins University Washington, Mr. Ron Daniels, Prof. Ruth Wedgwood and Chief Ojo Maduekwe after a lecture delivered by the governor at the university, in Washington.

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MOTORING THE NATION

MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

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

Stylishly designed with modern Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV) features and a strong charismatic presence, the new SsangYong range from Korea has been showcased in Lagos by Stallion Motors Nigeria Limited. The vehicles are supported by economic petrol or diesel engines that offer great value. Writes TAJUDEEN ADEBANJO

•Korean SUV

Korean SUVs steal show in Lagos I

T was a rare display of candour on March 9 when Motoring journalists put the Korean engineered SsangYong range to the test on the busy Lagos Island roads.

The test drive, which began at the headquarters of Stallion Motors Nigeria Limited, Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island, saw the journalists drive pass the Civic Centre along the Lekki-Epe Expressway to Falomo, Kingsway Road through Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Onikan to Ahmadu Bello Way, Bar Beach and back to the head office.

Among the SsangYong models were the 104kw (139 hp) Kyron mid –size sport utility vehicle (SUV), the stylish and modern Korando SUV with strong charismatic presence and the new Actyon Sports pick-up utility truck that is uniquely designed to outmanoeuvre competition with its kerb weight of 1, 944kg (which is approximately 400kg more than several other contenders in its class).

SsangYong vehicles are not entirely new in the global marketplace after it debuted 30 years ago, when the first generation models were introduced in 1983 – 1996. This was followed by the second generation SsangYong in 1996 – 2006.

Now in the third production generation, the Korean automaker claimed SsangYong has

what it takes to compete in the global automobile marketplace.

SsangYong Motors Nigeria Head, sales and marketing, Mr Jatin Nadkarni, during the pretest-drive briefing, described SsangYong as one of the by-products of an acquisition partnership with Daimler-Benz.

Nadkarni said SsangYong had, in the quest for outstanding engineering prowess, brokered quick-witted partnership with Daimler-Benz to use Mercedes Benz know-how.

“You surely will discover what I am talking about as soon as you get behind the wheel. I mean the feel, the drive and the comfort compared to most luxury vehicles you possibly may have encountered in the course of your duty,” he said.

The SsangYong Kyron for example is smart and sassy, offering competitive SUV package that is refined to drive. It is roomy and attractively priced.

The seating arrangement is supportive and comfortable and they come in either the elegant deluxe cloth trim or leather upholstery material. And it is easy to get comfortable behind the steering wheel and the dash, however, the instrument design is very nice.

A peep into the cabin of the Kyron reveals how supremely spacious and well finished the inside is. The switch-gear has a pleasant

design, and the big chunky switches give another dose of manly strength to match the stylish, tough exterior lines.

However, the rear seat accommodation is similarly practical and could recline by up to 15 degrees while the decently sized boot includes a neat under-floor storage compartment.

Also handy in the Kryon are cruise control, power tilt/telescoping steering wheel with controls for the audio system as well as electric folding side mirrors, automatic air conditioning and a climate control function.

An electronic sunroof with an anti-trap blind, tilting front headrests with a battery saver feature and front fully adjustable electric heated seats with memory and lumbar support positions equates it with a luxury SUV. Alternatively, SsangYong Korando offers new level of value with class leading performance and comfort.

Stylishly designed with modern SUV features and a strong charismatic presence, the Korando is supported by an economic petrol or diesel engine that offers great value.

A top of the line suspension system including MacPherson strut front suspension and multilink rear suspension is incorporated in the Korando to diffuse impact and vibrations and enhance ride

quality.

The steering power is also intelligently assisted in low speed and lightly assisted in high speed to maximise stability and manoeuvrability.

But quite unlike the SUVs, the Actyon Sports pick-up is uniquely designed with a rare kerb weight of 1, 944kg, which is approximately 400kg more than several other contenders in its class.

Nadkarni said the dynamism of the Actyon Sports pick-up is manifest in the structure of the ladder frame chassis which ensures goodoff road capability and sophisticated part time drive systems.

He said the vehicle is built and powered by four - cylinder 2.3litre petrol engine that generates 149Ps of power and 214Nm of torque at 3500rpm.

And considering the hefty kerb weight, Nadkarni said the Actyon Sports pick-up has a respectable fuel economy of 7.8litres per 100kms for the five speed manual.

Interestingly, the Actyon Sports pick-up rides quietly on smooth surfaces when driven sensibly and it relatively refined with excellent power from an efficient 2.3litre petrol engine.

Aside Nigeria, SsangYong is sold in 1, 250 sales networks in over 96 countries and are actively entering emerging markets by establishing local bases.

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

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MOTORING

Coscharis opens auto centre in Lagos C OSCHARIS Group has introduced a new after sale service brand, with the opening of Quick Lane Tyre and Auto Centre at Alagomeji, Yaba, Lagos Mainland.

The centre, the auto firm said, is packaged to make life easier for the average Nigerian vehicle owner, especially of the Ford brand.

President and Chief Executive Officer, Coscharis Group, Dr. Cosmas Maduka, said Quick Lane “is part of our effort to address some of the after-sales challenges communicated to us by our customers through our feedback mechanisms.”

Maduka said: “The background is that the Ford brand has gained wide acceptance in the Nigerian automobile market, leading to rapid in-

Stories by Tajudeen Adebanjo

crease in the demand for Ford vehicles. With increase in sales came consequent increase in demand for after-sales services.

“Coscharis Group has invested a great deal on after-sales facilities, setting up ultra-modern service centres, manned by Ford trained and certified technicians in strategic locations across the country. However, we have come to the understanding, judging by the rate at which the brand is growing in our market, that we cannot provide all the after-sales needs alone.

“Thus the idea of collaborating with our partners-Ford Motor Corporation of USA, Quick Lane Tyre and Auto Centre USA and some likeminds in our local market such as

Chacom Motors, to set up the Nigerian version of the American quick service centre network, Quick Lane, to bring quick and qualitative after-sales services closer to our teaming customers, using genuine spare parts and lubricants.” According to him, some certified spare-parts dealers have been appointed to stock and sell spare-parts to customers who may intend to bring their own service parts/ lubricants to their choice Ford service centre for service.

Quick Lane as an automobile service centre brand has over 600 outlets in the United States and Canada and provides all the services a car or truck needs most, including an indepth Vehicle Check-Up Report on every visit. They specialise on vehicle

maintenance and light repair including air conditioning, auto service, brakes, tyres, batteries and much more.

Maduka said services will be performed by factory-trained experts and on customers’ schedule.

Customers, he noted, do not need an appointment and will get service while waiting, even on evenings and weekends.

“Quick Lane will take care of any make or model, using quality parts and lubricants from trusted brands like Motorcraft. Not to mention 11 top brand name tires such as Goodyear, Continental, Michelin and more.

These are the services we offer to provide at our Chacom Quick Lane tyre and auto centre. We intend to replicate this facility in all the states

Minister praises VON Automobiles

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INISTER of State for Trade and Investment Dr. Samuel Ortom has expressed satisfaction with the quality and proficiency of work at VON Automobiles Nigeria Limited, local manufacturers of AshokLeyland buses, trucks and light commercial vehicles.

Ortom made the remark last week, when he led a delegation comprising members of the Committee on Mass Transportation for Nigerians to the plant in Lagos.

“I am quite impressed with the quality of work here as well as the capacity of the plant. I have toured other parts of this country and I am saying what I found here is of international standard and can be used anywhere in the world,” Ortom said.

The minister praised the vehicle assembly plant for transforming the defunct Volkswagen of Nigeria (VWoN) plant within a short period of time.

He said mass transit is a major part of economic development worldwide.

“Nigeria, he said, cannot be an exception, hence the reason why I am here to supervise and to see your capacity, quality and quantity of what

T

HE organisers of the annual Lagos Motor Fair and Autoparts Expo has said no fewer than 150 foreign companies have been contacted to be part of its eighth edition scheduled for May. In a chat Mr Ifeanyichukwu Agwu, Chairman of the Organising Committee said all strategies have been deployed to ensure that the fair more than ever before receives the needed attention from participants, institutional, trade, professional and individual buyers as well as visitors.

Agwu said the fair is packaged to ensure participants and visitors maximise the benefits and potentials

you can supply to the Nigerian market.”

He assured the firm of the President’s commitment to the progress of vehicle assembly plants in the country.

Ortom said plans are underway to implement an interim policy in lieu of the National Automotive Policy to enable stakeholders in the transport sector have seamless access to the products and services of local automobile manufacturers.

This, he said, would enhance the realisation of planned efficient mass transportation and increase patronage of locally assembled vehicles.

The minister and his team were shown round VON Automobiles including AshokLeyland bus lines, VON Automobiles’ prototype medium capacity bus, brake test bay, shower test bay, spray booths, CKD stores and the refectory among others.

He said: “From what I have seen so far, your major challenge is not getting access to finances and sponsoring your production, rather it is about local patronage. You are not being patronised and Nigerians must rise up

•From left: Ortom; Director General, National Automotive Council Alhaji Aminu Jalal and Aromolaran

to the challenge. It is the responsibility of Nigerians to be patriotic and see the need to patronise made-in-Nigeria goods.”

The minister reiterated government’s readiness to provide enabling environment for the plant to thrive noting that VON has particularly towed the right direction and government is prepared to partner with the plant to enhance the level of employment in the society.

VON Automobiles Nigeria Limited Managing Director, Mr Tokunbo Aromolaran had earlier told the visiting team that the plant has also been installed with capacity to produce 36,000 units of light duty trucks.

The parts of this new line and CKDs (Completely Knocked Down) are, according to Aromolaran, onboard a shipment that would berth

by June and become operational in August.

Foreign firms boost for Lagos Motor Fair that abound in the Nigerian automotive and road transport sectors.

He said: “Strategically as we did last year, we are laying more emphasis on the spare parts sector in this edition. This is as a result of our guided intention to enhance the development of cottage industries in the spare parts sub-sector of the automotive business sector of the economy with the attendant multiplier effects on the economy of the nation. Our target is to attract many reputable original equipment

•Maduka

and cities of the Federation. This is specifically aimed at ensuring satisfactory after-sales experience for Ford owners by bringing the vehicles parts and service centres closer to their doorsteps,” he said.

manufacturers of Spare Parts from across the globe to participate in this edition as well as in subsequent ones.”

Agwu said over 70 confirmed Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) from across the world are already preparing to be at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) to participate in the event.

His words: “Our focus is to be the most preferred auto show in Africa. We equally have the mission of having more reputable OEM’s

taking part in event in subsequent editions. Specifically we are targeting over 1,000 participant in the fair in five years time. In conjunction with our foreign partners SENEXPO International Fairs Inc of Turkey, we have reached out to many of such companies and happily the response has been tremendous and we are expecting close to 150 of them. Our intention in bringing them to Lagos which is the hub of automotive business in West Africa is to enable Nigerians and

“One of our biggest hopes is to turn some area around this location to a component manufacturing village where components can be manufactured. It takes about three months to order a single part and if something is missing from the package, it means you have to wait for three months to get back on the production line but if we have some of these production units around, our supply chain will be much faster,” Aromolaran said. neighbouring West Africans engaged in auto spare business work out rewarding and lasting business relationships with the main companies engaged in the manufacture of auto spare parts.”

He said with the over 50,000 annual demands for brand new automobile products in Nigeria, the Stakeholders cannot but strive to ensure that all hands are on deck to promote and support the tapping of these potentials that abound in Nigeria’s road transport and automotive sectors; which remains the largest in Sub-Sahara Africa.

SAFE DRIVING

Micro finance banks’ charges and road safety

I

WAS opportuned to witness the launch of the microfinance policy by the government of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. The assurance given then was that micro- finance banks (MFBs) will bring great relief to the down-trodden masses and the small scale enterprises.

Alas! the reverse seems to be the case. Let us briefly examine the interest system of a typical microfinance-bank.

To obtain a loan of N300, 000 in a micro-finance Bank, you are required to: •Provide guarantors with one of them issuing an undated cheque for the total loan and interest.

•Provide N60, 000 which will be frozen in your account with the microfinance bank.

•With all other charges deducted you will be given N287,000 •Being a three-month loan, you are to be paying back N113, 000 per month being the part payment of the principal and interest.

Let us take a closer look at my business mathematics.

•N60, 000 personal money that could have been used to generate income is frozen with the microfinance bank.

•From N287,000 released for the business, you are to pay back N113,000 after the first month leaving a balance of N174,000 to trade with.

•By the second month, another N113, 000 is to be paid back leaving a balance of N67,000.00 to trade within the third month to generate the last payment of N113,000.

Which type of business in Nigeria can you do to meet up this type of shylock loan repayment in the microfinance banks?

Is it the microfinance bank that helped the borrower or vice versa?

A local road contractor was once interviewed as to the poor quality of road construction in Nigeria. His response was that when a contract is awarded, they have to settle the linkmen and pay the bank's high interest rate as well as put something in the pocket, no matter how little. He said it is the remaining amount that they have to manage to construct the road. He said the issue of quality does not arise in the case. He said the bank loan is the biggest killer of the local contractors.

The conventional banks and the microfinance banks have been suc-

ceeding in milking the borrowers and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is saying all is well with the banking system. Well, time will tell.

Anyway, my advice at this juncture is that the Federal Government should set up either a construction bank or an infrastructure bank that will be solely responsible for funding local contractorsinvolved in road construction and the provision of road furniture's at very low interest rates.

This bank will be to the local road construction companies, what the Bank of Industry (BoI) is to the manufacturing sector.

With adequate loan facility made available to the local construction companies at low rates of interest, they will be able to compete effectively with the foreign road construc-

Jide Owatunmise •Registrar / Chief Executive, Professional Driving and Safety Academy

tion companies in terms of quality and delivery time,thus enhancing the success of the government campaign for safety on roads considering the fact that the condition of the road is also a vital factor for safety.

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

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THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

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THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

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89th KANO STATE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING

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he Kano State Executive Council Sitting was held, as usual, on Wednesday 13th March, 2013 (1st Jumada Auwal, 1434Ah) and was presided over by Governor Engr. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE. Thirty two (32) Memoranda were submitted by eight (8) MDAs for deliberation by the Council among which nineteen (19) were approved for execution with twelve (12) of them having financial implications

totalling the sum of Two Billion, One Hundred and Eighty Million, One Hundred and Six Thousand, Six Hundred and Forty Eight Naira, Ninety Eight Kobo (N2,180,106,648.98) while the remaining thirteen (13) were on policy issues. Thus: 1. OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY TO THE STATE GOVERNMENT The Office of the Secretary to the State Government submitted ten (10) memoranda on behalf of other MDAs for deliberation by the Council of which six (6) were approved for execution. a. Request for funds to facilitate the execution of the 8th Batch of the Lafiya Jari Empowerment Program for 200 potential beneficiaries selected from the 44 Local Government Council Areas:The Lafiya Jari Empowerment Program is among the laudable legacies of the present administration of which the positive impact is glaring concerning the delivery of qualitative Healthcare services especially in drug dispensation, administration and ultimate consumption.

The program trains the beneficiaries on the business of selling medicine and its general handling for which seven (7) batches have successfully been conducted. In fact, over 1400 youths were trained and funded to open and operate patent medicine stores in the rural and urban areas thereby bringing genuine drugs closer to the people.

Immediate past government had allowed rural and urban centers at the mercy of illegal and fake drug peddlers, who have turned the State youths into drug addicts. The State is being seen and counted as the main center of drug abuse.

This explains the position of the State Government against drug peddlers that dispense drugs in the Sabon Gari Market. Under the present arrangement, while the peddlers are making millions of Naira at the expense of the people, more and more of our youths are becoming drug abusers because of its availability and dispensation by unqualified individuals. Government will not shy away from its responsibility to sanitize the drug business in the State. This Government is placing a high value on health and will do everything within its powers to ensure that quality healthcare is not only available but also affordable. The State Government is bent on curtailing the indiscriminate peddling and dispensing of drugs in the State.

The stand of the Government on illegal dispensing of drugs by individuals in the Sabon Gari market and other outlets explains the reason behind the introduction of this laudable program. This program, therefore, is not only empowering youths to be self-employed but it will curtail the dispensing of drugs by unqualified people. Thus, this memorandum is another request from the Office of the Special Adviser on Sanitation/Immunization (Coordinator Lafiya Jari) for the release of the sum of N48, 350,252.00 by the Council, to enable the conduct of the 8th batch of Lafiya Jari Empowerment Program for 200 beneficiaries selected from the 44 LGCAs in the State. Details were presented on the expenditure as proposed to cover five items; viz: i. Screening Exercise N 367,500.00 ii. Printing of Handouts N 280,000.00 iii. Engaging 20 Facilitators for 15 days N42,673,000.00 iv. Training Materials/Stationeries N 269,000.00 v. Announcements/Jingles N 4,760,752.00 Total N48,350,252.00 Council approved the release of the requested sum of N48,350,252.00 to the Office of the Secretary to the State Government for onward payment to the Office of the Special Adviser on Sanitation/Immunization (Coordinator Lafiya Jari) to enable the conduct of the 8th batch training of 200 beneficiaries selected from the 44 LGCAs for the Lafiya Jari Empowerment Program. b. Request for funds for disbursement as take-off capital for the 99 graduated students of the Kano Hospitality and Tourism Institute:The Kano Hospitality and Tourism Institute is among the 21 Skills acquisition/development Institutions established by the present administration as part of the strategic approach of confronting the menace of youths unemployment in the State. Amongst the institutions are Kano Informatics Institute, Fisheries Institute, Poultry Institute, Sports Institute, Security Institute, etc. The establishment of these institutions is associated with this administration's belief that idle youths within the society represent a waste, a loss of goods and services, and in the end, a loss of real income, which may lead to crises and crimes. Government is quite aware of the economic value of training the unemployed youths to be self-employed. Lack of income or the possibility of not having one in the future, threaten the stability of the family as an economic and social unit. In fact, the society as a whole may have to suffer the consequences.

Since, their establishment these institutions have trained and graduated hundreds of students and all of them were provided with funds and equipment to start their own businesses. The Hospitality and Tourism Institute had graduated Ninety nine (99) beneficiaries, who are now awaiting the release of funds to set up their private businesses.

This memorandum is a request for the release of the sum of N13, 500,000.00 on behalf of Kano Hospitality and Tourism Institute, to enable the setting up of the stated fifty three (53) Hospitality and Tourism related enterprises for the benefit of the 99 graduates, which draws credence from Government's desire to ensure the massive employment of our youths.

Council approved the release of the requested sum of N13,500,000.00 to the Office of the Secretary to the State Government for onward payment to the Kano Hospitality and Tourism Institute to enable the setting of the stated 53 Hospitality and Tourism related enterprises for the benefit of its 99 graduating Students. e. Presentation on Kano Agricultural Trade Development Center (KATRACEN) Nigeria Limited:Office of the Senior Special Assistant on Agriculture (SSAA) officially introduced Kano Agricultural Trade Development Center through the contents of this memorandum submitted by the Office of the Secretary to the State Government for deliberation by the Council.

The Company was introduced as a newly registered privately owned limited liability Company. KATRACEN is a private sector-driven approach to the erstwhile Commodity Boards that effectively served farmers in the past.

The company is established to support and mobilize "Focus Group" from each of the 44 LGCAs in the State.

Significance of KATRACEN to the State is multi-dimensional. Thus; o Partnership in the States ongoing commodity basic processing project o Partnership with the State in the development of Cassava, Sesame seed, Moringa (Zogale) and gum Arabic value chains. o Partnership with the State for the establishment of Commodity Support Center. o Partnership with the State to accelerate technical and business preparations for Export Production Village (EPV) projects take-off. o Partnership with the State in "Chefane Vegetables" retail stands project. o Partnership with the State in promotion of Agricultural Trade exchanges between Niger Republic and Kano Communities. o Partnership with the State in any agricultural development programs that require Private Sector Company involvement for better and sustainable outcomes.

Specifically, the main partnership "Focus Groups" were presented as follows; i. All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) Kano, General Commodities (Sesame, Cassava, Gum Arabic and Cluster bean). ii. Kano Co-operative Federation (KCF) Kano, General Commodities (Sesame, Cassava, Gum Arabic and Cluster bean). iii. Smallholder Farmers Association (SFA) Kano, General Commodities (Sesame, Cassava, Gum Arabic and Cluster bean). iv. Fadama Users Association (FUA) Kano, Vegetables Domestic Market Promotion (DMP). v. Miyetti Allah Kano, Meat and Leather Projects. vi. Kamala Agricultural Processing and Marketing Co-op. Kano Commodity Basic Processing Project. vii.

Kano Moringa Development Association (KAMODA), Zogale Industrial Plantation Development Project. viii.

Women in Agriculture Kano, Food and Agriculture Projects.

Council deliberated on the submission and agreed to collaborate with any private initiative that is beneficial to the State and its citizenry. f. Presentation on Letter of Appreciation submitted by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to Governor Engr. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE:The National Orientation Agency (NOA) submitted a Letter of Appreciation for the allocation of an 18-seater Toyota Hiace Bus to Governor Engr. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE, through the Office of the Secretary to the State Government. The Agency through this letter informed the Council that the vehicle was delivered and will be put to use. Therefore, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) reassured Council/the Governor of its commitment to continue to partner with the Government in the areas of public enlightenment, civil education, mobilization, value reorientation and campaign on the need for people to eschew violence for peaceful co-existence as envisioned.

The presentation was appreciated by the Council.

2. OFFICE OF THE HEAD OF CIVIL SERVICE Two (2) memoranda were submitted for deliberation by the Council from the Office of the Head of Civil Service.

One (1) of them was deliberated upon and appreciated as presented. Thus; Presentation on the Circular released on the Implementation of Tenure System for Permanent Secretaries and Directors in the Civil Service:Council recalled its approval for tenure system for Permanent Secretaries and Directors in order to reinvigorate

the system for efficiency and effectiveness as implement by the Federal Government under President Obasanjo. This memorandum informed the Council of the release of the circular on the issue for the consumption of the general public.

The aim of such a circular was to educate the public and sensitize the service. Thus, the release of the circular on the Implementation of Tenure system of Permanent Secretaries and Directors on Tuesday 26th February, 2013 was in compliance with the contents of an Executive Council Extract as well as the provisions of the Kano State Pension and Gratuity (Amendment) Law 2013. This memorandum presented relevant appendices for Council Member's perusal.

Council acknowledged the presentation in good faith.

Rabi’u Musa Kwankawaso

3. MINISTRY OF WORKS, HOUSING AND TRANSPORT Of the four (4) memoranda submitted by the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport, two (2) were approved for execution by the Council as follows; a. Presentation on confirmation of Receipt of 344,339 Liters of Diesel by Street Light Committee for the Months of November-December, 2012 and Request for Funds to Enable Payment to the Supplier:The citizenry is witnessing the transformation of the metropolitan Kano from a traditional settlement into a modern center. In fact, since the inception of this administration, the State is taking a new shape in infrastructural developments, with the construction of the first flyover, the construction of major roads along Zaria road, Gwarzo road, Hadejia road and Sheikh Jafar road. Almost all major streets are installed with functional street and traffic lights now. Kano is now alive at night as at day to quote the saying of the wise. However, due to the failure of the national grid to supply uninterrupted electricity to the State the streetlights must have to utilize generators.

This explains the content of this memorandum requesting the payment of the sum of N75, 752,580.00 to the company that supplied the fuel for the generating of electricity from the generators.

The Ministry of Work, Housing and Transport requested for the release of the sum of N75, 754,580.00 to enable the payment of 344,339 Liters of Diesel directly supplied to the Committee on Street and Traffic Lights for the period 1st November to December, 2012.

Council considered and approved the release of the requested sum of N75, 754,580.00 by the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport to facilitate payment for the 344,339 Liters of Diesel directly supplied to the Committee on Street and Traffic Lights for the period of 1st November to 31st December, 2012. b. Request for funds to facilitate the construction and installation of Automated Gate (NO.9) by Wudil Road Carriage Way beside Government House:The attention of the Council was drawn to developmental works currently being executed within and around the Government House. The need to construct and install an automated gate (NO.9) arose in the course of work being executed. The project is to cost an assessed sum of N28, 335,896.98.

Council noted, considered and approved the release of the sum of N28,335,896.98 to the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport to enable the construction and installation of automated gate (NO.9) by Wudil Road Carriage Way beside Government House, Kano. This project will add to the security and at the same time beautify the surrounding of the Government House to look more like a seat of government.

4. OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR/HON. COMMISSIONER MINISTRY FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS (CHAIRMAN ADMISSION DRIVE COMMITTEE) a. Purchase and distribution of JAMB forms to qualified candidates.

The laudable policy/tradition of the State Government on the annual purchase and distribution of JAMB forms to prospective Kano State Indigenous applicants for admission into tertiary Institutions was clearly cited to Council by the contents of this memorandum.

Council was alerted and notified that in the past the JAMB forms were purchased and distributed to the candidates without any screening or training, which resulted in most of such sponsored candidates failing the pre-requisite JAMB Examinations and not gaining the envisaged admission into tertiary Institutions. This defeated the purpose for which Government purchased and distributed the forms. This was not the case during the first (1st) tenure of Governor Engr. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE when the "Admission Drive" was introduced. That time, a Committee was set up with the Deputy Governor as Chairman with a mandate to screen, prepare, train and register sponsored candidates for JAMB. Successes were recorded as a result of the performance of the redemption activities of the "Admission Drive" Committee.

Therefore the Office of the Deputy Governor/Hon. Commissioner for Local Governments (Chairman Committee on Admission Drive) submitted to Council the need to re-introduce the activities of the Admission Drive Committee. Council was notified of the following: o That Government has already purchased 1650 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) forms for distribution to successful candidates to be trained. o 350 Direct Entry forms will be purchased and distributed to successful candidates when JAMB starts selling the forms. o A Sub-Committee has already screened the candidates to be registered for the training on JAMB Examinations. o Seven (7) Centers for the training are scheduled as follows; Rumfa College, GSS Dala, GSS Wudil, GTC Bagauda, GSS Gwarzo, GSS Dambatta and GGC Dala for Girls. o 15 Subjects will be taught to the applicants for 20 days on Saturdays and Sundays from 9th February to 21st April, 2013. o That the total cost implication for the screening and training exercise is N6,993,400.00.

This made the Office of the Deputy Governor/Hon. Commissioner for Local Governments (Chairman Admission Drive Committee) to request for the release of the sum of N6, 993,400.00 by the Council to enable the execution of the screening and training exercise for the sponsored JAMB candidates.

Approval was granted by the Council for the release of the sum of N6, 000,000.00 in view of the relevance of the request. This administration since inception has been sponsoring its qualified youths to undertake courses within and outside the country. Of recent 501 students were sponsored to study postgraduate courses overseas, 100 were sent to Crescent University, 100 were sponsored to be trained as pilots in Jordan, 100 were selected to study medicine and another 100 to read pharmacy overseas. This program in relation to others implemented by this administration has cost the Government over N5 billion to execute.

Thus, purchasing and distribution of JAMB forms to qualified indigenous youths are part of this Government support program.

5. MINISTER OF PLANNING AND BUDGET a. Presentation on the need to commence preparation for the Development of Medium Sector Strategy (MTSS):Contents of this memorandum presented a concise meaning/description of what the Medium Sector Strategy (MTSS) is to the Council as being an evidence-based explanation/description of how a Sector, Ministry or MDA goes about achieving outcomes, goals and targets over the medium term period of usually three (3) Years. This is done through a co-ordinated deployment of inputs and activities in most effective and efficient manner.

Importantly, the MTSS is derived from the overall State Development Plan (KSDP), which has just been completed making it possible to go ahead with the logical step of MTSS preparation at the respective MDA levels.

The MTSS reduces the long term KSDP down to 3-Year Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF). It also leads to the strengthening of the annual budgeting process at MDA levels. Being a rolling plan, the MTSS is flexible and rolled on each year to ensure that focus is maintained on achieving the long term goals enshrined in the KSDP. Council was reminded of the Government's adoption of fourteen (14) socioeconomic Sectors for effective Governance and service delivery. Among these, only two (2) sectors (i.e. Education and Health) currently have their MTSS, which are being reviewed annually.

Essentially, the Ministry of Planning and Budget informed Council of the fact that the DFID, working under SPARC and GEMS 3 has pledged to support another round of the MTSS exercise in four (4) more priority sectors which include; o Commerce and Manufacturing o Agriculture o Infrastructure o Environment.

Council was requested to approve for the Ministry of Planning and Budget to continue to lead/coordinate in preparation of the Medium Term Sector Strategy (MTSS) across the sectors.

Council appreciated the presentation and approved as requested.

6. MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES a. Request for funds to facilitate the procurement of 3000 Metric Tons of Aluminum Sulphate (Alum):Contents of this memorandum maintained that it is among the priority resolutions of the present administration to provide not only the required quantity of water but also that of safe/clean potable water for domestic,

51

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013 industrial, agricultural (irrigation) and other economic activities. This makes the procurement of alum a routine activity of the Ministry of Water Resources along with other water treatment Chemicals for the purpose of providing sustained qualitative life for all residents in Kano State.

Council was notified, by the contents of this memorandum, that an allocation of N600 Million was made in the 2013 appropriation by the Government for the procurement of 6,000 Metric Tons of alum to meet the consumption requirements of Urban Water Treatment Plants and Semi-Urban Water Supply Schemes.

As such, the Ministry of Water Resources requested for the release of the sum of N282, 000,000.00 by the Council to enable the procurement of 3,000 Metric Tons of Alum for use in the Urban Water Treatment Plants and Regional Water Supply Schemes.

Approval was granted by the Council for the release of the requested sum of N282,000,000.00 to the Ministry of Water Resources to enable the procurement of 3,000 Metric Tons of Aluminum Sulphate (Alum) for use as stated since the purpose is in line with Cardinal resolutions of the present administration under the capable Leadership of Governor Engr. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE. 7. MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES Three (3) memoranda were submitted for deliberation by the Council from the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources. All were approved for execution. Thus: a. Request for funds to enable the Take-off of the first (1st) Batch of training in respect of the Kano Fisheries Institute, Bagauda:Complying with directives issued regarding an earlier submitted memorandum on the proposal to commence training at the Fisheries Institute, Bagauda via State Executive Council Extract Ref NO SSCA/CA/EX/12/1/104, the Ministry of Agricultural and Natural Resources forwarded a new submission on the procurement of bedding, furnishing and the release of funds for the running of the Institution.

Essentially, the requirements were divided into two (2). Thus; i. Category "A" - provision of kitchen utensil, beddings, and furnishing of the institute to be provided through Contract Awards. ii. Category "B" - release of overheads for the day-to-day running of the institute.

Category "A" comprises 26 items such as beddings, kitchen utensils and furnishing of hostels and offices at the aggregate sum of N17, 570,506.00 while Category "B" comprises nine (9) items at the aggregate sum of N6, 044,500.00. The two projects are estimated to cost the State the sum of N23, 615,066.00.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources requested for the release of the sum of N23, 615,066.00 by the Council to enable the take-off of the first (1st) batch of training at the Kano Fisheries Institute, Bagauda which was subsequently approved. b. Presentation on Information Memorandum (IM) on Commercial Agriculture Development Project (CADP):Complying with directives issued by the Council at its sitting held on 6th March, 2013 to the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources to liaise with the State Community Reorientation Council (CRC) in the formation of the Community Interest Groups (CIG) under the Commercial Agriculture Development Project; KNARDA-SCADO submitted the following for consideration by the Council through the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources: i. The first meeting was held on 12th March, 2013 and was well attended by the State CRC and Chairmen/ Secretaries of the CRCs from the 44 LGCAs in the State. The meeting was held under the Chairmanship of the Honorable Commissioner Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources during which the followings were discussed; o Information about the project: Value Chains and Segments supported by the project; procedures for the formation of Community Interest Groups (CIGs); how to access project grant and other vital project information. o Mapping of the Local Governments based on Strength in terms of the value chains and activities. This will guide and facilitate formation of the groups so that the CIGs are formed in the Wards based on existing value chain activities. The mapping format was distributed to the participants a copy of which was presented to the Council for perusal. A format of the form to be filled for the formation of the CIGs was also presented and discussed. The form will be filled by the groups and submitted to LGCA CRCs for verification. Then the filled and verified forms will be submitted to the State CRC for endorsement before being submitted to the CADP for further processing.

Specifically, CADP expects to receive an average of 3 CIGs per ward to make a total of 1,452 from 484 wards in the State (i.e. 3x484=1,452). These groups are expected to be formed within a week pending the second meeting.

In any case, the formed groups are expected to be mobilized by the CRC to register with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Co-operatives and Tourism. The cost of registration is broken down as follows: i. Number of expected CIGs = 3 x 484 = 1,452 ii. Registration cost per group = N15, 000.00 iii. Total cost of registration = 1,452 x N15, 000.00 = N21, 780,000.00 Further, Council was informed that; o The second phase of the meeting will discuss registration of the groups and preparation for the formation of new CADA from the LGCAs after which the State CADA will be formed. o The 3rd phase of the meeting will be to strategize for the development of business plans for the formed CIGs for presentation to the Executive Council before being forwarded to the National Office and the World Bank for "No Objection" to implement.

Humbly, the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources requested Council's approval for a waiver of the entire cost of registration for the CIGs. Council approved the formation of the CIGs according to the details presented and approved the payment of the sum of N21,780,000.00 for the registration of the 1,452 groups to the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Cooperatives and Tourism. c. Presentation on update on collaboration between the State and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) on Red Goat Conservation and Multiplication:The Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources intimated Council, through the contents of this memorandum, of the collaboration between Kano State and NEPC on Red Goat multiplication and distribution of grower's goats to deserving women in the State.

Notably, the NEPC has conducted renovation of goat holding facility, renovation of borehole with water reticulation and the provision of drinkers and feeders at Dambatta Natural Service Center. Now six hundred (600) goats are ready for distribution through the Community Reorientation Council to prevent early slaughter.

A sharing formula of 80%: 20% (Kano: NEPC) was suggested to the Council in this presentation (i.e. 480 goats to the State: 120 goats to NEPC).

Council acknowledged and appreciated the presentation and approved for the distribution of the 480 goats to be benefitted by women across the three (3) Senatorial Districts.

8. MINISTRY OF LAND AND PHYSICAL PLANNING Four (4) memoranda were submitted for deliberation by the Council from the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning. All were approved for execution as follows; a. Request for additional funds for routine Road Maintenance Works:Maintenance of Public Utilities is among the priority resolutions of the present administration. Roads are among such utilities for which the Government has never relented to provide for from its inception to date.

Reflectively, the present administration approved for the release of the sum of N103, 507,867.04 via Executive Council Extracts NOS. SSCA/CA/EX/7/1/22 dated 13th October, 2011; SSCA/CA/EX/7/1/89 dated 1st June, 2012 meant for the repair of some selected roads inherited from the previous regime in order to reverse their neglect.

Notably, twenty (20) roads were selected under phase one of the ongoing road rehabilitation projects on which work is either completed or in progress. Thus; Phase I

SN i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. viii. ix. x. xi. xii. xiii. xiv. xv. xvi. xvii. xviii. xix. xx.

So, the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning requested for the release of the sum of N100, 000,000.00 to enable continuation of the maintenance work currently in progress on eighteen (18) of the selected twenty (20) roads for the phase I of the road maintenance projects.

Council approved the release of the sum of N50,000,000.00 to the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning to enable KNUPDA continue with the routine road maintenance work through direct labour. This is only in addition to the approvals granted for the revalidation of several road construction project contracts, expansion of some roads, etc. especially the following; i. Zaria Road ii. Hadejia Road iii. Independence Road iv. Western/Southern By-Pass v. Sheikh Ja'afar Road vi. Silver Jubilee Flyover b. Request for funds to facilitate the provision of Basic Infrastructure at the Northern and Southern ByPass Re-Settlement Layout:The Ministry of Land and Physical Planning professionally referred Council, through the contents of this memorandum, to the fact that the provision of basic infrastructure in any development area is a policy of the Government. This was not abided with by the previous administration when acquiring the land/site for the Western By-Pass resettlement layouts, which led the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning to conclude relevant documentation of the compensation allocation for the farm owners at the site.

KNUPDA has now prepared an in-house BEME to that effect, which suggested the need for N1,916,693,478.24 as assessed cost for the provision of 35.9KM long road network of 30M and 20M wide and 78KM long road network of 15M laterite access roads covering the two sides of the phase I of the Western By-Pass resettlement layout project. Details on the scope of work were also presented.

Nevertheless, twenty eight (28) contractors bid for the project with the best coming from one of them to the tune of N1, 600,930,086.88 which was negotiated down to N1, 500,000,000.00.

Council noted, considered and approved the release of the sum of N1,470,000,000.00 to the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning to enable the provision of access roads as basic infrastructure for the resettlement layouts at the Western By-Pass project area. c. Request for funds to enable the payment of balance of compensation approved in respect of Kwanar Dawaki International Cattle Market:Contents of this memorandum reminded Council of its approval for the relocation of the Kwanar Dawaki International Cattle Market to another place in the vicinity of its current site.

A total of 8.2 hectares were assessed for compensation of land and economic trees. Council approved the payment of the reviewed compensation for the site to the tune of N12, 384,200.00 as follows; o Land value at N800, 000.00/ha = N 6,312,400.00 o Economic trees = N 6,071,800.00 Total = N12,384,200.00 However, only the sum of N9, 100,170.00 had been released in May, 2011 to the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning leaving a balance of N3, 282,270.00 yet to be paid.

So, the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning requested for the release of the sum of N3, 282,270.00 to enable payment for the balance of compensation for a site acquired for the relocation of the Kwanar Dawaki International Market.

Council approved the release of the sum of N3,000,000.00 to the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning to complete payment of compensation for the site acquired for the relocation of the Kwanar Dawaki International Market. d. Request for funds to facilitate acquiring and payment of compensation for extension site (phase 2) of Amana City:This administration has initiated and awarded contracts for the establishment of three new cities of Kwankwasiyya, Bandirawo and Amana. These cities are now realities and are the first to be executed by any State Government in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Beside, Abuja, no major urban sector project has been executed by any public or private concern that can match what the present administration is implementing now. These cities are meant to provide decent and responsive accommodations to the citizenry at affordable price. Through these cities, the old Kano metropolis will be decongested thereby transforming the State into one of the most developed and modern centers in the nation. It was in recognition of this, the Governor received numerous awards from NGOs all over the world for his vision on urban and rural transformation.

In executing these cities, compensation for land and economic trees had to be paid to owners amounting to over N3 billion in addition to other infrastructural facilities required to make the sites available for the projects. The Ministry of Land and Physical Planning reminded Council, through the contents of this memorandum, of its approval for the release of the sum of N528, 546,464.00 for the payment of compensation for the acquisition of the first (1st) phase of the Amana City at its sitting of Wednesday 23rd May, 2012.

Presently, it has been determined that the City requires extension in order to accommodate more people.

The proposal is to extend the City to Zaria Road on the West and Fari/Gurjiya Road on the east.

In this regard, the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning requested for the release of the sum of N183, 313,284.00 by the Council to enable payment of compensation for the acquired extension site (phase 2) of the Amana City as follows; o Land value N59, 354,384.00 o Economic trees N19, 367,500.00 o Structures N104, 591,400.00 Total N183, 313,284.00 Approval was granted by the Council for the release of the requested sum of N183, 313,284.00 to the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning to enable payment of compensation for a site acquired for the extension of the Amana City (Phase 2).

UPDATE ON ACTIVITIES OF THE 89 EXCO SITTING 1 . Official Visit of the Governor to United Arab Emirates Council acknowledged the recent official visit of the Governor and his entourage to the United Arab Emirates where they met and discussed with several investment groups. Such groups were the Al Faisal Investment Group, which indicated interest in the establishment of light rail (Metro) within Kano Metropolis, Sky Line University College on the establishment of a private University and Skipper Electrical Group on Hydro electricity generation plant at Challawa and Tiga Dam. 2 . Presentation of Rural Watch Award Council expressed gratitude on the Award presented to the Governor Engr. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE as the best performing Governor in the Country for the year 2012 for his massive rural and community development programs and projects across the State.

3 . Congratulatory Message to Kano Pillars Football Club Council expressed happiness for the success achieved by the Kano Pillars Football Club by winning the first opening match of 2013-2014 National Premiere League Competition against Wikki Tourist FC of Bauchi on Saturday 9th of March, 2013.

4 . Condolence Message Council extended condolence message to the bereaved families of Alh. Bala and Muhammad Salisu shot to death by unknown gunmen. Similarly, Council sympathized with the injured State Primary School Teachers attacked by unknown gunmen at Hausawa Quarters, Kumbotso Local Government.

Road Name

% Completion

Remark

Emir's Palace Road

100

Completed

Kofar Ruwa Road

55

In Progress

Bompai Road

85

In Progress

Ahmadu Bello Way

90

In Progress

Sabo Bakin Zuwo Road

60

In Progress

Sokoto Road

50

In Progress

Bello Kano Terrace

40

In Progress

Race Course Road

60

In Progress

Obasanjo Road

50

In Progress

F C E Road

60

In Progress

Dan Hausa Road

50

In Progress

Commissioner Road

100

Completed

Murtala Muhammad Way

90

In Progress

Airport Road

55

In Progress

Lagos Street

70

In Progress

Kwairanga Road

90

In Progress

USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS ON ANY EMERGENCY The public may easily Contact KAROTA for: Breakdown of Vehicle(s), Traffic Congestion, Accidents, Illegal/ Wrong Parking through the following numbers - 08091626747. Similarly, the State Police Command could be contacted on - 08032419754, 08123821575. In addition, the State Fire Service can also be contacted on - 07051246833, 08191778888.

Magajin Rumfa Road

75

In progress

For update on the activities of Kano State Government visit us at www.kano.gov.ng/new

Dr. Bala Muhammad Road

35

In progress

Katsina Road

60

In Progress

First Bank Round/About

75

In progress

5 . Graduation of 600 Women from Poultry Institute, Tukwui Council acknowledged the fact that the graduation of the 6th batch of 600 Women Trainees from the Poultry Institute Tukwui is scheduled to hold on the 16th of March 2013. Council expressed its Good will message to the graduates.

6 . Project Inspection Visits by Governor Engr. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE Council acknowledged the recent visits by the Governor to some Mega Project sites on March 12, 2013 starting with Murtala Muhammad Way (Daula) Road Rehabilitation, Gezawa Hospital under general renovation and Minjibir Dam. 7 . Transformation of Magwan Water Restaurant to First Lady Girls Secondary School Council approved the proposition of transforming/conversion of Magwan Water Restaurant to First Lady Girls Secondary School. This hotel has been abandoned for the last 40 years and all effort to attract private investors has not yielded serious results. This administration will not like to see such an investment wasted and, therefore, decided to utilize the site for something more beneficial to the State by converting it into a school.

Signed: Hon. Commissioner, Ministry of Information, Internal Affairs, Youth, Sports andCulture

52

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

THE NATION MONDAY MARCH 18, 2013

53

NEWS

Agbaso: Imo CJ to inaugurate probe panel tomorrow

T

HE Chief Judge of Imo State, Justice Benjamin Njemanze, will tomorrow inaugurate a panel of enquiry to probe allegations of misconduct against Deputy Governor Jude Agbaso.

He constituted the sevenman panel at the request of the House of Assembly Speaker Ben Uwajumogu, in line with Section 188 (5) of the 1999 Constitution.

In a statement, Justice Njemanze said the inauguration would hold at the Court Hall of the Chief Judge by 9am.

Members are Justice G. C Ihekire (Chairman), Vin Onyeka, Egonu Mere, Humphrey Ajaelu, Mrs Cecelia Oladimeji, James Nze and Okparaku Nwarie.

The CJ said he received a letter from the Speaker on March 13, to which was attached a notice of impeachment and articles of misconduct against Agbaso.

The particulars of alleged misconduct, the CJ said, stated that Agbaso told the Special Ad-Hoc Committee investigating the causes of stoppage/abandonment of work in some municipal roads that he never had dealings or telephone conversation with Joseph Dina of JPROS International Nig. Ltd between February and June

Race for deputy governor heightens

P

OLITICIANS in Imo State have returned to the drawing board as the race for who replaces the embattled Deputy Governor, Jude Agbaso, begins.

This is even as the deputy governor has approached the State High Court to stop the House of Assembly from impeaching him.

The Nation reliably gathered that the Chief of Staff, Eze Madumere, has been selected as possible replacement by the governor’s camp, due to his track record and loyalty to the governor’s course.

Lately, different political groups and stakeholders from Owerri Senatorial zone, where the deputy governor hails from, have begun widespread consultations to woo the governor to consider appointing one of their own, if Agbaso is eventually removed.

Prominent among these groups are the Owerri Zone Political Forum (OZOPOF), Imo Progressive Youths and the Owerri Elders’ Forum (OEF) and other politicians.

But a Government House source said: “In the eventuality of Agbaso’s removal, the

By Joseph Jibueze

last year.

The claim, the House said, “were false and intended to cover your private/underground dealings with Joseph Dina, which amounts to gross misconduct in the performance of your duties as the deputy governor.”

It was also alleged that Agbaso, with intent to enrich himself, caused Dina to transfer N458million in two installments in two bank ac-

From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

Chief of Staff is likely going to replace him.

“He is from the same zone with the deputy governor and the governor’s in-law and Commissioner for Lands, Uche Nwosu, is equally pencilled down to take over as Chief of Staff.”

Although Governor Rochas Okorocha has remained silent on the ongoing probe of his deputy by the House, sources said Okorocha was embarrassed by Agbaso’s claim that his travail was politically-motivated at the instance of the governor, ahead of his second term ambition in 2015.

“His Excellency felt disappointed by the attitude of the deputy governor after all he did to settle the matter between Agbaso and the House, until he was indicted by the Ad-Hoc Committee.

“You know Okorocha does not condone fraud or any conduct that will smear the image of his administration, as a result whoever replaces Agbaso will be a man of proven integrity and a sound track record of achievement.”

counts, promising to award him two 15 kilometres of road in the state rural roads construction programme.

This, the House alleged, “led to the abandonment of the execution of the contract by the contractor for lack of funds when you were unable to award the said contracts to Messrs JPROS International Nig. Ltd. “This conduct amounts to gross misconduct in the performance of your duty as a

•Job seekers at the ongoing 24th Enugu International Trade Fair in Enugu …yesterday

Council chiefs vow to stay in office

T

HERE was tension across the 27 local governments in Imo State at the weekend, following threats by the disengaged chairmen to remain in office until their case in the Court of Appeal is determined.

Governor Rochas Okorocha, on Friday, swore in sole administrators to run the councils.

It was gathered yesterday that the chairmen, who were sacked by Okorocha in 2011, have served the government notice of office, notifying the government that they are still in office.

The elected chairmen, reinstated by the court to serve out their two years term

From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

which expired last August, maintained that they are still in office despite the appointment of the administrators The State Secretary of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Enyinnaya Onuegbu, yesterday in Owerri, said the appointment of the sole administrators “is contemptuous”.

The ALGON Secretary, who also is the chairman of Ngor Okpalla Local Government, vowed that they would stay in office without fear or intimidation.

“It is contempt of the court for the government to appoint sole administrators in

‘We are still in office and will be in office tomorrow and the government has been served a notice’ the local governments.

“Our case with the government is still pending in the Court of Appeal.

“We are still in office and will be in office tomorrow and the government has been served a notice.

“There is an impending motion at the Appeal Court in Owerri which comes up on April 22.”

Igbo to back ACN’s merger moves

A

GROUP, the Igbo-United Political Coalition, Lagos Chapter, has resolved to mobilise Ndigbo in the

state to support the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the merger with the newly formed All Progressive Congress (APC).

Speaking to reporters after its general assembly at the Igbo community centre, Okota, Lagos, the Chairman, Leo Chioma and the State Leader, Christian

Nwachukwu, said: “Ndigbo in Lagos State are delighted to associate with ACN in the formation of this progressive-oriented party, for good governance in Nigeria.

“We are embarking on the enlightenment of every Ndi-Igbo at the grassroots on the need to identify with the new political development in Nigeria.

“We also want to assure all Ndi-Igbo in Lagos State of the commitment of Governor Babatunde Fashola.

deputy governor and commissioner for works and transport.”

It was further alleged that Agbaso received a special drink named “Blue Label (Porsche Design)” from Dina in the deputy governor’s house at MCC Road, last February.

The House alleged that the gift had the effect of preventing Agbaso from exercising due diligence on the payment and insisting on proper

PHOTO: NAN

execution of the contract.

The lawmakers added that Agbaso, knowing that “Governor’s approval” means “approval and release” of money to the contractor, failed to ensure that JPROS earned necessary certificates of payment of the re-negotiated contract price of N1.5billion.

The deputy governor, the House alleged, “failed, refused and neglected to take reasonable steps to prevent the release of N1.15 billion upon the endorsement of Governor’s approval to your office as Commissioner for Works and Transport knowing that the contractor has not made the state to lose money, which amounts to gross misconduct in the performance of his duty.”

But Agbaso denied the allegations.

He told reporters that his indictment was politicallymotivated.

He said: “At no time did the contractor, Joseph Dina of JPRO, pay me N458 million.

“JPRO is the contractor working on the present Sam Mbakwe road.

“I never knew the construction company or its owners.

“The company was introduced to the state by Governor Rochas Okorocha, who approved a contract of N1.5billion.

“Since they said the money had been paid to the bank, I think the onus is to call on investigative agents to trace the payment. N458million is not N458, 000 and it cannot vanish into thin air.

“They should look for the money there (in the account the contractor claimed he paid to).

“It must be there. If it is not there, they can track the money. It can be traced to the last account that it went into.

“With forensics, they can trace the money into the pockets of those who took it. But my dear people of Imo State, I state here one more time, I never asked for the money, I never received the money and I do not have any thing to do with it.”

Obi may shut Onitsha market From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

ANAMBRA State Governor Peter Obi may close down the Onitsha main market and its sub-sections due to poor sanitary environment.

Obi had appealed and warned market officials to improve on the sanitary conditions of the environment or face sanctions from the government.

Yesterday, the governor warned Onitsha residents while inspecting work in some parts of Upper Iweka and Bridge-Head Onitsha.

He threatened to shut down socio-economic activities in Onitsha, if sanitary inspection in the commercial city was not improved upon within the week.

Obi warned that any goods displayed on any part of the road will be confiscated and leaders of the traders arrested and detained.

Poly denies defrauding applicants From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

THE management of the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Imo State, has denied media reports that the institution has been engaged in employment racketeering.

A senior lecturer, Clinton C. Emekoma, accused the institution’s management of engaging in employment racketeering and defrauding unsuspecting job seekers, including his children.

But the school’s spokesman, Nze Obinna Okafor, exonerated the management.

“We want to state categorically that these allegations are unfounded and untrue as it is an attempt by some unscrupulous elements that are out to tarnish the image of the institution.”

THE NATION MONDAY MARCH 18, 2013

54

NEWS UNIUYO teacher still missing

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HE whereabouts of the kidnapped University of Uyo (UNIUYO) woman lecturer, Dr. Ime Udotong, is still unknown.

Gunmen on Friday kidnapped Mrs. Udotong on her way home from work.

The kidnappers blocked her vehicle as she tried to make her way into her house in Uyo, the state capital.

Mrs. Udotong, a lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry, is married to Prof. Ime Udotong of the Department of Microbiology.

Commissioner of Police Umar Gwadabe said the com-

From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

mand was working to ensure that Mrs. Udotong regains her freedom.

Gwadabe said: “Everything is being done to ensure her release.”

On whether Mrs. Udotong’s abductors have contacted her family for ransom, the commissioner said he would not want to discuss the issue.

“This is one thing I will not want to discuss with you since we have launched a manhunt to ensure her release.

“If there is any development, I will let you know.”

Dickson hails INC polls

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AYELSA State Governor Seriake Dickson has praised the mature disposition of candidates in the Ijaw National Congress (INC) election.

In a congratulatory message to the new executive, Dickson thanked the candidates, saying they were a pride to the Ijaw.

The governor urged the Tari Sekibo-led executive to run an all-inclusive administration that will carry every Ijaw person along.

Dickson reaffirmed the strategic importance of Bayelsa State as the only homogenous Ijaw state and assured the new executive of government’s support.

“For us to remain relevant and make meaningful progress in a diverse nation, such as Nigeria, we must at all times be supportive of one another, exhibit the Ijaw in us and above all be united.”

N250m for Delta flood committee

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ELTA State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has ordered the release of N250 million to the Flood Management Committee, led by retired Justice Francis Tabai.

The governor gave the order at a meeting with the committee in Asaba at the weekend.

He said the release of the fund would enable the committee continue with its activities of reducing the challenges of flood victims.

Uduaghan said the fund was meant to provide agricultural implements and materials to the victims as well as ensure their resettlement.

“The government has developed three strategies to tackle

From Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

the effects of flooding this year.

“First, we have started the removal of illegal structures on our drains and natural waterways, clearing and cleaning of drains and enforcing the public order laws on waste disposal.

“Second, we have started the building of permanent relief centres throughout the state based on our flood experiences last year.

“And third, we intend to start advocacy campaigns to all affected areas to sensitise them on the need to be flood conscious and evacuate the flood plains early enough.”

Kidnappers kill victim

•Amaechi (right) with Adesina and the NGE’s Deputy President, Hajia Aisha Sule

Guild of Editors to Ameachi: stand firm

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HE Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE) has urged Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi to remain steadfast in the fight for the people.

The Guild said it would stand by him as long as he continues to fight for the people.

NGE President Femi Adesina said this at the weekend when he led the executive on a visit to Amaechi in Port Harcourt.

“We are glad that we are here today to see somebody who has impacted on the lives of the people.

“We have monitored your progress and we have seen that you have changed the face of the landscape, particularly in Rivers State.

“You have touched the lives of the people and NGE will gladly partner and support anybody that stands for and with the people.

“The needs of the people are not really much. They want good health care, a health care system that works, they want security, they want shelter,

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EVEN people have been reportedly killed in a fresh outbreak of hostilities between the Amagu people in Ikwo, Ebonyi State and the Adadama people in Abi, Cross River State, on Saturday.

Several others were injured. Seven houses were razed in Adadama, it was learnt.

It was gathered that several armed youths, dressed in military uniform from Ebonyi allegedly invaded

S

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

Adadama community on Saturday at about 2pm, firing sporadically.

An eyewitness said the seven, who were killed, were Adadama men who had attempted to beat the invaders to retreat.

He said: “We don’t have any arms here. The people they killed were our men who tried to fight them back.

“But because they went to face people with sophisticated

CLO issues ultimatum on RSUST crisis

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HE Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has given Governor Rotimi Amaechi seven days to reverse the re-appointment of Prof. Barineme Fakae as the Vice-Chancellor of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port Harcourt.

CLO, through its Director of Research and Publicity,

From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

Livingstone Wechie, yesterday accused the National Universities Commission (NUC) of complicity in the crisis.

It alleged that NUC was fuelling the crisis.

Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), who have been on strike since August 13 last year,

‘We have seen that your government is doing all that and more for the people...we pledge that as long as you stand for the people, the Nigerian editors will also stand by you and with you’ have seen something in you before they gave you that position.”.

Adesina said the Guild would build a national secretariat and provide training and retraining opportunities for journalists with in and outside the country.

Amaechi thanked the editors for the visit .

He promised to remain on the side of the masses.

The governor said he preferred a system of governance that would fairly take

care of both the rich and the poor in the society.

“Today, even the poor seem to have lost their voice.

They can’t speak for themselves.

“They don’t even know what to talk about because the frustration in the country has caused so much confusion.

“When you see the macabre dance you begin to wonder whether all of us are mad.

“As editors, you constitute a part of society that speaks for the poor, the masses.

“You speak to make sure that things are corrected and I thank you for that.

“Let me also thank all of you for the different roles you have played in the course of the struggle, I mean the struggle of the masses between those of us who think that I should be allowed to preside over the Governors’ Forum for another term and those who are opposed.

“I thank you for standing up for Nigerians, for standing up for the people.

Seven killed in Cross River, Ebonyi communal clash

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

IDNAPPERS have killed a middle-aged woman, identified as Madam Regina, after allegedly collecting N2million ransom from her children.

Madam Regina was kidnapped at her residence while her abductors posed as prospective tenants.

A police source said the kidnappers refused to release their victim and demanded an extra N8million.

The source said the police swooped on them yesterday while the kidnappers were attempting to collect the N8million.

It was learnt that the police arrested one of the kidnappers, who was monitoring the payment at Ugbogui in Ovia North East Local Government of Edo State.

Policemen hid in the bus supposedly used by a relative to drop the ransom.

The arrested suspect told policemen that the victim had been killed and led them to the hideout of his gang in a forest.

The source said a shoot-out with the kidnappers led to the death of two of them. Two others reportedly escaped.

The decomposing body of the victim was recovered and taken to the mortuary.

Police spokesman Moses Eguaveon said he was yet to be fully briefed on the matter.

He promised to make a statement on the matter today.

they want good roads, they want power, they want jobs and if you can provide most of that then you become their hero.

“We have seen that your government is doing all that and more for the people, so we are glad to be here today and we pledge that as long as you stand for the people and with the people, the Nigerian editors will also stand by you and with you.

“We are quite glad that our first outing as a new exco is to somebody that we can describe as a friend of the Guild.

“We recall that in 2010 we were in Port Harcourt here for our annual national conference which you kindly hosted.

“We are also glad that we were coming to visit the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.

“We know your role and position in the scheme of things politically in the country.

“The governors who made you their chairman must

declared that due process must be followed in the appointment of a vice-chancellor.

The CLO said: “We regard as unfortunate, the reappointment of Fakae, to monopolise the institution.

“We are worried that the university has lost its credibility, owing to the ongoing crisis, fuelled by the continued stay of the vice-chancellor.

“The Visitor (Amaechi) has personalised the university, as though it is a private business.

“We condemn this action and deem same as unacceptable, as he has failed to remove politics from the running of the institution. Only justice can restore confidence and the lost glory of the institution.”

guns, they ended up dead.

“About five were killed instantly. Two, who were injured, died on their way to the hospital.

“Their bodies are in the mortuaries.

“The invaders came in through the Ngoli Road which links us with Amagu community in Ebonyi State.

“They were masked and dressed as military men and they had sophisticated guns.

“They did not come with any vehicle but through the bush tracks which they know very well.

“They came around two o’clock in the afternoon and were shooting till late in the evening of that Saturday before military men came in and forced them out.

“They have withdrawn for now, but I believe they are just waiting to cause more havoc.

“As I speak to you, the Adadama community is deserted.

“The area is now like a war zone as people have

run away to other communities for safety. “ We really need something to be done about this situation once and for all.

“We are peace-loving people. We do not own arms, but we should not be taken for granted because of this.”

The Cross River State Security Adviser, Rekpene Bassey confirmed the attack.

“I cannot talk to the press now. But I can confirm there was an attack. Security agencies have moved in to check the situation. That is all I can say for now,” Bassey said.

In January, at least 11 people were killed in an outbreak of conflict between the communities.

Armed youths from the Ebonyi community had on January 14 allegedly invaded Adadama where they kidnapped seven farmers and thereafter proceeded to a newly constructed police station and razed it.

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

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THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

With ekpo:funtreatsvilla@yahoo.com / 08138168825 TRAVEL & LEISURE The financial crisis slammed global banking hubs around the world. Were it not for government bailouts, Wall Street, The City and other banking hubs may never have recovered.

The traditional financial powerhouses stand weakened, and others, long hungry to steal their business, are taking advantage.

THE WORLD’’STOP EMERGING FINANCIAL CENTERS

Dubai — a desert financial dream Dubai spent healvily in recent years to position itself as a regional financial center and a player in international finance.

But its debt-fueled, spendthrift ways finally caught up with the UAE member in late 2009; Dubai was forced to take a $10 billion bailout from Abu Dhabi and remains in serious financial trouble

Sao Paulo — it’s just more fun As Brazil emerges as Latin America’s leading economy, investors are increasingly looking to Sao Paulo to play the country and the region. Brazil’s banking sector is relatively underdeveloped and security remains a concern in Sao Paulo, but there’s lots of upside.

Luxembourg — safe and exotic Luxembourg is growing as a financial center because of its Swiss-like secrecy rules, but that could be its downfall.

There’s plenty to find attractive.

Luxembourg’s marketing materials claim “it’s the second largest investment fund centre in the world after the United States, the premier captive reinsurance market in the European Union and the premier private banking centre in the Eurozone.” It’s also the second-

SANDS OF TIME

CROSSWORD

Dizzy Gillespie

largest mutual fund market after the U.S.

Johannesburg infrastructure

—

Sophisticated financial

Johannesburg is poised to be the financial hub of a continent which represents more than 900 million consumers and one of the world’s fastest growing markets.

John Birks Gillespie was born October 21, 1917, in Cheraw, South Carolina, to John and Lottie Gillespie. The last of nine children, Gillespie’s father was abusive and unusually strict and the youngest Gillespie grew up hard and strong. When Gillespie was ten, his father died and left the family in terrible financial trouble. Around this time Gillespie’s English teacher introduced him to music, and he soon joined the school band. At first he played the trombone, but switched to the trumpet after borrowing a neighbor’s and immediately falling in love with the instrument. Over the next several years Gillespie played with local bands—to both black and white audiences— until his family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Gillespie was influenced by Roy Eldridge and played with the big bands of Cab Calloway, Earl Hines, and Billy Eckstine before leading small groups in the mid-1940s.

When Gillespie was in the Frankie Fairfax band in Philadelphia he carried his new trumpet in a paper bag, an act that inspired fellow musicians like Bill Doggett to call him “Dizzy.” In 1989, the year he turned seventytwo, Dizzy Gillespie received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences’ Grammy Award ceremonies. The honor—one of many awarded to the trumpet virtuoso—recognized nearly fifty years of pioneering jazz performances. That same year he received the National Medal of Arts from President George Bush (1924–). Not letting age slow him down, in 1989 Gillespie gave three hundred performances in twenty-seven countries, appeared in one hundred U.S. cities in thirty-one states and the District of Columbia, headlined three television specials, performed with two symphonies, and recorded four albums. The next year, at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts ceremonies celebrating the centennial of American jazz, Gillespie received the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers’ Duke Award for fifty years of achievement.

Although Gillespie’s failing health was due to pancreatic (having to do with the organ that helps digestion) cancer, Gillespie continued to play the music that he loved late into his life. His last public appearance was in Seattle in February of 1992. Gillespie passed away quietly in his sleep on October 6, 1993, at the age of seventy-five.

Pep Talk

FIRST BANK GOES GLOBAL ON BRANDING

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Correspond (9) 2. Pinch (3) 3. Sexual Desire (4) 4. Ourselves (2) 5. Moisture (3) 6. Discourage (4) 10. Expression of Surprise (3) 11. Get with Difficulty (3) 15. Enumerate (4) 17. Bird (3) 18. Taxi (4) First Bank of Nigeria has taken a further step in consolidating its position 20. Father (2) as the leading bank in Nigeria by taking its outdoor branding outside the shores of the country.

SUDOKU Sudoku is simply a game of logic and needs no The banking giant has its beautifully designed billboard displayed at mathematical skills to play. All you are required terminal 5 of the London Heathrow airport in what might be a move to to do is to fill in the blank spaces in the grid to position itself to take advantage of the Federal Government’s vista of ensure that every row, column and 3 by 3 box new investment incentives for potential foreign investors in the country. contains the numbers 1 to 9.

The novel branding move which may well be regarded as country branding, drawing attention not just to the bank but also the country is has the propensity of triggering a new trend with advertising in corporate Nigeria.

Companies all over the world are looking to expand their businesses into foreign markets.

With the dropping of trade barriers and improvements in communication, many firms aspire to go global.

With increasing globalization, MNCs are becoming stateless players, detached from individual nation states.

However, the consumer’s brand evaluation process is a complex one with a number of variables. One key, albeit often ignored, factor is the Country of Origin (COO) of the brand. COO has been an important factor in consumer purchasing decision making.

The FBNbillboard is strategic, given the fact that Nigeria has become the focus for Direct Foreign Investment.

1. Finalised (9) 7. Employ (3) 8. Tear (3) 9. Succeeded (3) 10. Consumed (3) 12. per Unit (4) 13. Bird (4) 14. Beer (3) 16. Imitate (3) 18. Bed (3) 19. Resort (3) 21. Justly (9)

Our ideas like orange plants, spread out in proportion to the size of the box which imprisons the roots.

– Edward Bulwer Lytton

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

57

NEWS

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HE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday scored itself high for the conduct of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area council poll. But it regretted the low turnout of the voters.

The Head of Public Affairs and Political Monitoring at the FCT INEC, Mr. Okezie Nwankwo, spoke with reporters after announcing the results of the election.

He said INEC is looking forward to a period when poll will be an easy affair in the country, adding that any citizen who fails to exercise his franchise is as guilty as a wrong person who has been elected into office.

According to him, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won five area councils of the six and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) won one.

PDP won in Abaji, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Buwari, Kuje and Kwali. ANPP won in Gwagwalada.

Mr. Nwankwo said: “The election has come and gone.

We worked so hard to ensure that there was a hitch-free poll and it was successful except for a few logistic problems. But we fell back on the plan B and things went on fine.

“What we want the electorate to do is to have enthusiasm. You could see that the turnout was low. We have an excess of over 914,000 registered voters in the FCT. “We urge Nigerians to show interest in the affairs that affect them. The issue of governance is the concern of everybody and should not be taken lightly. I am of the view that the citizen, who fails to utilise his powers in voting is as guilty as a wrong person who has been elected.

FCT poll: ‘INEC getting better’ •PDP wins five area councils

NBA scores election low

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HE awareness for last Saturday’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) council poll was not adequate, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) said yesterday.

It urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to work towards using electronic voting machines for efficiency.

Briefing reporters in Abuja, the Chairman of the NBA’s Election Working Group (NBA EWG), Dafe Akpedeye (SAN), said the election was characterised by low turnout of voters and disenfranchisement.

He said the officials and polling materials arrived late in most polling units in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

This, he said, was in contrast to the majority of the suburbs where electoral materials were distributed early.

Said he: “It was recorded in Kukwaba Polling Unit 003 that form EC 60E was not available at the time of voting. This form is essential for returning voting results.

“In a polling unit in Karu, near the old NEPA junction, there were complaints that the United Progressive Party’s (UPP’s) logo was missing in the councillors’ election, but our team observed that the logo was visible during the chairmanship poll.

“Our team of observers also reported cases in Kuje, AMAC and Gwagwalada area councils where some accredited voters were not allowed to vote because after being accredited, they left and returned when voting had started.”

Akpedeye cited a polling unit in Area 11 with 2,419 registered voters, but only 29 voters were accredited and voted.

He said: “In Garki II, NNPC main gate polling unit had 658 registered persons on the voters’ list. At 3pm, no voter turned up From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

“I assure Nigerians that INEC is getting better. The beauty of the commission is that any little mistake, we

•Urges INEC on e-voting From Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

for accreditation, although the INEC officials and security agents were present.

“In Abaji and Bwari area councils, there were cases where some voters with voter identification cards, who could not find their names on the registers, were not accredited. In some other cases, voters, who had lost their voter cards and were able to trace their serial numbers, were not accredited.

“Some of the polling units were haphazardly located, especially on the outskirts.

They were located under trees in some areas where schools were located not far away from trees. This was inconvenient for the voters and umpires, thereby making accreditation of voters cumbersome and problematic.

“Our team also observed the presence of under-aged people loitering around the polling units.

“Civic education was lacking on the part of the parties. We noted that there were cases of the elderly and the illiterate voting without a clue as to who was being voted for and for what purpose.”

The observer group recommended that the Electoral Act 2010 as amended should be further amended to give presiding officers the discretion to create a separate queue for the elderly.

It said: “Some of them could not cope with the harsh weather and the surging crowd.

The creation of a separate queue for the elderly will encourage them to remain engaged with the electoral process and encourage them to perform their civic responsibility.”

quickly correct it. We are looking forward to a period when an election will be an easy affair in Nigeria and people must know that the act of conducting a poll is

not exclusive to INEC. It has to be a mixture of many groups and stakeholders.

INEC will play its role, so the security agencies and others.”

Kano spends over N1b to sponsor graduates for pilot training From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

•Kwankwaso

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ANO State Government has awarded a special scholarship worth NI.07 billion (6.715 million USD) to 100 young graduates from the state for an 18-month professional pilot training course at the Mid-East Aviation Academy, Jordan.

A statement signed by Malam Halilu Dantiye, a copy of which was made available yesterday to The Nation, said the Mid-East Aviation Academy is a flight training organisation that offers courses in pilot training, aircraft engineering and avionics, and is certified by the

Jordanian Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission.

Speaking during a ceremony held for the trainees at the Government House, Kano, Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso described the programme as a watershed in the history of the state, which he said is in line with the human capital development agenda of his administration.

He said: “Our vision is to equip Kano indigenes to face the challenges of globalisation and take advantage of the local and international opportunities to improve their lot.”

The governor noted that the foreign training would expose beneficiaries of the training to best practices in aircraft management in addition to fostering a global citizenship.

He said the government is creating avenues for the people to acquire education in all fields of human endeavour because investing in knowledge brings about accelerated social change and sustainable technological progress.

Kwankwaso urged beneficiaries of the training not to waste the opportunity, but to justify the investment by excelling in the programme and by being responsible people when they take up jobs as licensed pilots anywhere in the world.

He said in less than two years, the government has offered overseas scholarships to hundreds of Kano indigenes for graduate and postgraduate courses based on the conviction that the level of greatness of the state depends on the level of education of its citizens.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Aviation,

Captain Shehu Iyal, described the sponsorship of 100 youths by the government as “a novel thing in the history of aviation in Nigeria.”

Iyal, who said the move was in consonance with the Federal Government’s transformation agenda, enjoined the trainees to be good ambassadors, stressing that their training requires discipline, orderliness and respect for hierarchy, among other attributes.

Others, who spoke at the event included the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, who was represented by the Saudi Arabian Consul in Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, Sheikh Majeed alQahtani and an Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) Commissioner, Prof. Olu Aina, who praised Governor Kwankwaso for showing a sense of vision and leadership.

Fed Govt to establish FMC in southern Kaduna

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HE lawmaker representing Kaduna South, Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, said in Kaduna yesterday that efforts are being made by the Federal Government to establish a Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in the senatorial district.

She told a meeting of stakeholders in her senatorial district that what is required to actualise the project is the approval of the governor,

From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

adding that once it is approved, the project would receive attention from the Federal Government.

Said she: “All that is required for the establishment of the Federal Medical Centre is the approval of the governor. So, I wrote a letter to the former governor, the late Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, on the issue. But before he could act on it, he died.”

Senator Usman said as part of her senatorial projects, the Federal Ministry of Education is building a 400-seater library and 426 students have received scholarship from her in the last two years.

She said she has sunk boreholes in 87 communities, adding that about 229 women were mobilised for an initiative aimed at boosting the production of food items for subsistence and

commercial purpose.

According to her, consultants from Thailand and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development were invited to sensitise women on how to plant, harvest and sell vegetables and other cash crops, while the women were registered and issued e-registration numbers to enable them purchase seeds and fertilisers at subsidised rates.

THE RESULTS ABAJI: •ACN-8,101 •ANPP-67 •CPP-15 •PDP-8,933 •PPA-15 •SDMP-6 AMAC: •AA-22 •ACN-2,527 •ANPP-1,208 •APGA-183 •CPC-7,055 •CPP-85 •LP-99 •PDP-16,841 •UPP-1,013 •SDMP-14 •PPA-60 BWARI: •AA-17 •ACN-643 •ANPP-1,086 •CPC-8,051 •CPP-92 •LP-0 •PDP-9,881 •SDMP-19 •PPA-33 GWAGWALADA: •AA-0 •ACN-470 •ANPP-11,596 •CPC-2,284 •CPP-0 •LP-0 •PDP-11,502 •SDMP-80.

KUJE: •ACN-58 •ANPP-5,994 •APGA-38 •CPC-285 •PDP-16,800 •SDMP-7 •PPA-37 KWALI: •Musa Sikirath - 37 •Hon. Joseph Shazin- 7,538 •Emmanuel Bamigbaye27 •Zubairu Jibrin - 1,472 •Titus Shigaba. S - 37 •Daniel Ibrahim (PDP) 12,809 •Okechukwu Onaga - 31

Kano, ICPC to fight corruption From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

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ANO State Government has said it would collaborate with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) to eradicate corruption.

Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso spoke in Kano when the ICPC Chairman, Mr. Ekpo Enta, who visited him, noted that the proposals rolled out by the commission on systems study would arrest the challenges associated with corruption.

He said: “We will partner you on corruption. It is a challenge to all of us. Government is working hard not only to minimise corruption but also to ensure a corrupt-free state.”

Governor Kwankwaso said government has put in place a structure that would ensure checks and balances in financial administration. According to him, corruption was almost zero in the state, going by the 2012 budget implementation, which attained 80 per cent implementation.

Enta, who was represented by an executive member, Prof.

Olu Aina, said the commission would stamp out corruption in the society by taking preventive measures, one of which is the systems study meant to find out why corruption thrives in the country.

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

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FOREIGN NEWS Odinga files Kenya’s election appeal

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ENYAN Prime Minister Raila Odinga has filed a Supreme Court appeal against Uhuru Kenyatta’s narrow victory in the presidential election’s first round.

Mr Kenyatta beat Mr Odinga comfortably by 50.07% to 43.28% on 4 March, avoiding a run-off by only 8,100 votes.

But Mr Odinga has accused the electoral authorities of manipulating the result.

Police fired tear gas to disperse about 100 supporters of his Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) who had gathered outside the Supreme Court.

The police had warned them that they would not be allowed to do so.

Some of the crowd were wearing t-shirts bearing slogans including “I support the petition” and “Democracy on trial”.

The presidential, legislative and municipal elections held 14 days ago were the first since the 2007 poll which set off ethnic and political violence in which more than 1,200 people were killed.

Mr Kenyatta and his running mate, William Ruto, are facing trial on charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for allegedly

fuelling the unrest. They deny the charges.

Lawyers for Mr Odinga said their petition to the Supreme Court included allegations of vote manipulation, as well as problems with the registration of voters and an electronic vote counting mechanism.

However, the prime minister urged his supporters not to resort to violence.

“We cannot begin what is supposed to be a new era under a new constitution in the same old ways,” he added, referring to the charter adopted in 2010.

The Minister of Lands, James Orengo, a senior Cord official, said the party had a constitutional right to file the petition and a “strong case”.

“Expect a new election, and this time around no monkey-business. I think we’re going to win and win in the first round,” he told KTN TV. “I can assure you that we have the evidence, and we have the will and the preparedness to prosecute the petition,” he added.

Mr Orengo nevertheless promised that Cord would respect the Supreme Court’s ruling if it went against the party, and urged Mr Kenyatta and his supporters to declare that they would do likewise.

LENTEN TALK Rev. Henry O. Adelegan

Theme: Mercy over Supreme Court Text: James 2:13b

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HE world’s judicial system is well structured such that a case can be appealed from the Magistrate Court to the Supreme Court in most cases. When a matter has reached the Supreme court however, whatever judgement passed at that court is regarded as ‘fait accompli’ as such cannot be reversed but the good news is that the Court of mercy can reverse any human judgement.

When blind Bartimaeus took his case to the Court of mercy, Jesus stood still for him, reviewed his case, he was discharged from the pathway and freed to a highway of blessings ( Mk. 10:46-52).

Whenever any matter is taken to the Supreme Court of mercy, there is a change of story because the appellant is moved from utter darkness into His marvelous light and a nobody in the society is recognized and celebrated.

There are lots of people in the Bible that mercy lifted up from nothing to something and nobodies to somebodies in the society. May your name join that list in the name of Jesus. Esther, for instance was a foreigner with no sound family background, she was staying with her Uncle who was a gatekeeper and her life was devoid of palace etiquette but His mercy singled her out ( Esther 2:15-17).

Jephtah was son of a prostitute and hated by his brethren but His mercy lifted him up. He became a celebrity (Judges 11:1-11).

David too was perhaps the most insignificant of the children of Jesse but mercy gave him a space and place in history. The highly revered Prophet Samuel because of God’s mercy told Jesse that he wouldn’t sit down until ‘boy’ David came and he anointed him ( 1 Samuel 16:1-13).

Brethren, has the world written you off or have you written yourself off? Perhaps you don’t even believe that you can be someone great in this world. Is marriage an issue, is it conception, employment, accommodation or spiritual challenges? It is not over because His mercy prevails over judgment.

When the mercy of God comes, it will cancel every human and satanic judgement, it will protect from adversaries (Psalm 56:1), heal the soul ( Psalm 45:4-5), open the gate to blessings ( Psalm 67:1) and wipe away tears (Psalm 86:3).

Then you will have an opportunity to testify that “he that was hated and forsaken that no man came to him is now an eternal excellency and joy of many generations in the name of Jesus” ( Isaiah 60:15). It is surely not over with you, just take your case to the Supreme Court of mercy and you shall return with celebration.

Prayers: Almighty God, there is surely no bad case with you. I come to you this day with a penitent heart. Father, reverse whatever judgement the economy of this country or spiritual powers have placed upon me. Give me grace to do all that I desire to do without stoppage in Jesus’ name.

•Followers of Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr (portrait) wave their national flag during a protest in the city of Kut, south of the capital Baghdad, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary since the United States’ led invasion of Iraq.

PHOTO: AFP

Congolese rebels surrender, flee after defeat

H

UNDREDS of Congolese rebels loyal to warlord Bosco Ntaganda have fled into neighbouring Rwanda or surrendered to United Nations peacekeepers after being routed by a rival faction, rebel and U.N. sources said on Saturday.

Ntaganda’s apparent defeat comes after weeks of infighting within the M23 insurgency and could open the way for rival rebel leader Sultani Makenga to sign a peace deal with Kinshasa, bringing an end to a year-long rebellion in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rebel spokesman Vianney

Kazarama said Makenga seized control of the town of Kibumba, 30 km (19 miles) north of Goma, capital of mineral-rich North Kivu province, early on Saturday.

Ntaganda and an estimated 200 fighters fled into the forest while hundreds of others crossed the border into Rwanda, Kazarama said. At least seven were killed.

Ntaganda is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of killing civilians during a previous rebellion.

His links to M23 have been a stumbling block to peace talks with Kinshasa, which says it wants him brought to justice.

“We’re following the situation very closely. The only thing we want is for Ntaganda to be arrested,” government spokesman Lambert Mende said.

Ntaganda’s whereabouts could not be confirmed independently and members of his faction were not reachable by telephone.

Rwandan soldiers, who walked around nearby, had collected heaps of the rebels’ weapons - AK-47 rifles, 60 mm mortar rounds and grenades and laid them out in the front yard of a house.

“They were fighting us on all sides so we were forced to

come to Rwanda. We know we have international rights here,” said Prince Andema Makamo, who told Reuters he was a member of the M23 faction’s political unit.

A Rwandan military official said more than 700 rebel fighters arrived in several Rwandan frontier villages through the night and into the morning, and more than 150 of them were being treated for wounds sustained in the fighting.

M23’s former political head Jean-Marie Runiga, a Ntaganda loyalist ousted from the rebel hierarchy last month, was among those who fled to Rwanda.

Iraqi Kurds mark 25 years since Saddam’s gas attack

K

URDS in northern Iraq have been commemorating the 25th anniversary of the chemical weapons attack on the town of Halabja by Saddam Hussein’s forces.

Clutching photos of dead relatives, mourners observed a minute’s silence at the Martyr’s Monument in Halabja.

An estimated 5,000 people, mostly women and children, were killed when Iraqi jets dropped poison gas on the town.

Many others died later of cancer and other illnesses, and the legacy of chemical contamination persists.

The attack on Halabja on 16 March 1988 was the most notorious act of chemical warfare in modern times, the BBC’s Jim Muir in Baghdad says.

Iraqi government forces attacked the town near the Iranian border after it was taken over by Kurdish rebels towards the end of the Iran-Iraq war.

The exact number killed is not known, but ran into the thousands as townspeople choked on a mixture of mustard gas and nerve agents.

Researchers believe the contamination passed not only into the soil and water, but also into the gene pool, with abnormal numbers of children since being born with genetic malformations.

In a speech marking the anniversary, the regional prime minister of Iraqi Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani, called for 16 March to be recognised as an international day against chemical weapons, the AFP news agency reports.

The atrocity at Halabja scarred the collective memory of Iraqi Kurds and hardened their determination to run their own affairs autonomously within a loose Iraqi federation, our correspondent says.

The two men directly responsible - Saddam Hussein and his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid - known as “Chemical Ali” were hanged in 2006 and 2010.

The attack on Halabja was part of a wider campaign known as “Anfal” in which tens of thousands of Iraqis were killed by their own government.

12 candidates for Syrian rebels’ interim premier

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WELVE candidates are running for interim prime minister of a government to rule rebel-controlled areas in Syria, the Associated Press has reported yesterday, quoting the country’s main opposition group.

The Western-backed Syrian National Coalition is set to elect the prime minister this week at a gathering of in Istanbul, Turkey.

The opposition, still largely based in exile, first raised the idea of an interim government months ago. Divisions among opposition figures caused repeated delays in forming it.

The latest effort to set up a government in the rebel-

held areas comes after two full years of conflict in Syria.

In recent months, rebels have seized additional territory and now control large swaths of northern and eastern Syria. President Bashar Assad and his loyalists have successfully defended regime strongholds, including the capital, Damascus.

State institutions have all but collapsed in rebel-held areas, leaving many communities to fend for themselves with little electricity and sometimes no running water.

Supporters of an interim government say it could help restore order in rebel-held territories, including the northern city of Raqqa and parts of Aleppo, Syria’s larg-

est city.

Others have warned that such a move is premature and that an opposition-run government would cement Syria’s fragmentation.

There is also concern that Islamist militias would not recognize the authority of an interim government. Many of the senior figures in the Syrian National Coalition live in exile, and might have difficulties asserting their authority in Syria.

After disagreements and delays, the Istanbul conference is set to begin Monday.

The vote for prime minister is to be completed by Tuesday, said Khalid Saleh, a Turkey-based opposition spokesman.

Pakistan’s govt makes history PAKISTAN’s PM has hailed as “a victory” for democracy the completion of a full term by an elected government for the first time in the country’s history.

“No-one will be able to harm democracy in future,” Raja Pervez Ashraf said.

An interim government will now be installed until the next election, which is expected to be held in May. Since Pakistan was founded in 1947, governments were often overthrown in coups, toppled by political infighting or end in assassinations or murders.

But overhanging the democratic transition is the continuing militancy and growing sectarian unrest, the BBC’s Mike Wooldridge in Islamabad says.

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

59

FOREIGN NEWS

NEWS

Pope delivers first homily ahead his inauguration

A

RGENTINE President Cristina Fernandez will be joined by United States Vice President Joe Biden and other World leaders to witness tomorrow’s formal inauguration at the Vatican of Pope Francis 1.

Among the Pope’s first formal meetings today is an appointment with the Argentine President. That will provide an opportunity to see if the new pope’s easygoing manner still holds — the two have been on opposite sides for many years.

As Buenos Aires archbishop, Francis had lobbied hard against the government’s move to legalize gay marriage and make contraceptives available

for free.

Yesterday he walked up to crowds, shaking hands with surprised bystanders in the street, mixing his formal speeches with off-the-cuff remarks to stamp his own style on the papacy.

His humour and down-toearth manner captivated many of 150,000 people who filled St. Peter’s Square in Rome. He embraced the crowd in a way that had to give his security staff palpitations.

“Brothers and sisters, ‘Buon giorno,’” Francis said in Italian in his first welcome from the window of the papal residence, setting an informal tone that has become the defining spirit of his young papacy.

Earlier in the day, he made an impromptu appearance before the public from a side gate of the Vatican that startled passers-by and prompted cheers as he shook hands and kissed babies. He then went back inside to deliver a six minute homily — brief by church standards — at the Vatican’s tiny parish church, St. Anna.

Francis started speaking at the window even before the stroke of noon — the appointed time for the weekly papal address — when the window of the papal study in the Apostolic Palace is usually flung open. The shutters were opened for the first time since Francis’ predecessor, Benedict XVI, gave his last Sunday

blessing on Feb. 24. Four days later, Benedict went into retirement, the first pontiff to do so in nearly 600 years.

Francis, the first pope from Latin America, was elected Wednesday and has been staying in a hotel on the Vatican’s premises until the papal apartment is ready.

“The pope is down-to-earth.

He is a people person and it is amazing,” said Emanuel Anatsui from Britain. “He is going to do wonderfully for the church.”

After Mass, Francis again put his security detail to the test as he waded into an intersection just outside St. Anna’s Gate.

Francis stepped up to the crowd,

grasping outstretched hands.

The atmosphere was so casual that several people even gripped Francis on the shoulder.

“Francesco! Francesco!” children shouted his name in Italian. As he patted one little boy on the head, he asked “Are you a good boy?” and the child nodded.

“Are you sure?” the pope quipped.

At one point he glanced at his watch and turned to an aide — as if to ask “How much time do I have?”

The pope then ducked back inside the Vatican’s boundaries to dash upstairs for the address to St. Peter’s Square.

•PK-light machinegun and ammunition seized from captured suspected Taliban are presented to the media at the National Directorate of Security (NDS) headquarter in Kabul March 15, 2013.

Security forces in the Afghan capital have defused a truck bomb packed with nearly eight tonnes of explosives, the biggest of its kind discovered in the country, the spy agency said on Friday amid heightened security.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Two policemen feared dead in Kwara clash From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

T

WO policemen were yesterday feared dead in a communal clash in Ganmo, Ifelodun local Government of Kwara State.

The development resulted in traffic gridlock on the everbusy Ilorin-Ajase Ipo road for hours.

Although, the cause of the crisis could not be ascertained, but it was gathered that the clash was due to the upgrading of the Oluganna to a fourth class status.

The state government recently announced the elevation of Ganmo monarch, Oba Abdullahi Kolawole.

Apparently to avert crisis, the government reportedly postponed the presentation of staff of office to the ruler because of unfavourable security reports. Two ethnic groups- the Igbomina and Afonja descendants of Idi-Ape quarters, Ilorin are claiming ownership of the ancient town.

It was also gathered that the grading of Oluganna stool was reportedly condemned by the supporters of a rival monarch, Oluganmo of Ganmo.

Sources added that the celebration by the supporters of Oba Kolawole allegedly sparked off the violent clash as the rival group saw it as act of provocation.

Another account however, attributed the crisis to the reported re-location of the Central Market, Ganmo to a new site which the people allegedly resisted.

A detachment of mobile policemen has been drafted to the troubled town to restore law and order, it was learnt .

The police command could not confirm the incident.

Iran steps up weapons lifeline to Syria’s Assad

I

RAN has significantly stepped up military support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in recent months, solidifying its position alongside Russia as the government’s lifeline in an increasingly sectarian civil war, Western diplomats said.

Iranian weapons continue to pour into Syria from Iraq but also increasingly along other routes, including via Turkey and Lebanon, in violation of a U.N. arms embargo on Iran, Western officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Iran’s acceleration of support for Assad suggests the Syrian war is entering a new phase in which Iran may be trying to end the battlefield stalemate by redoubling its commitment to Assad and offering Syria’s increasingly isolated government a crucial lifeline, the envoys said.

It also highlights the growing sectarian nature of the conflict, diplomats say, with Iranian arms flowing to the Shi’ite militant group Hezbollah. That group is increasingly active on the ground in Syria in support of Assad’s forces, envoys say.

The Syrian conflict started out two years ago as a pro-democracy movement. Some 70,000 people have been killed and more than 1.1 million refugees have fled the violence.

A Western intelligence report seen by Reuters in September said Iran was using civilian aircraft to fly military personnel and large quantities of weapons across Iraqi airspace to aid Assad. Iraq denied that report but later made a point of in-

By Louis Charbonneau

specting an Iran-bound flight that it said had no arms on board.

Much of the weaponry going to Syria now, diplomats say, continues to be shipped to Iran through Iraqi airspace and overland through Iraq, despite Baghdad’s repeated promises to put a stop to Iranian arms supplies to Assad in violation of a U.N. arms embargo on Tehran over its nuclear program.

“The Iranians really are supporting massively the regime,” a senior Western diplomat said this week.

“They have been increasing their support for the last three, four months through Iraq’s airspace and now trucks. And the Iraqis really are looking the other way.”

“They (Iran) are playing now a crucial role,” the senior diplomat said, adding that Hezbollah was “hardly hiding the support it’s giving to the (Syrian) regime.”

Israel’s chief of military intelligence Major-General Aviv Kochavi said on Thursday that Assad was “making preparations to use chemical weapons although he has not yet given orders to do so, and increasing operations with Hezbollah and Iran.”

Kochavi also said Iran and Hezbollah have built up a 50,000strong army of Syrian militiamen.

It is financed by Iran and trained by Hezbollah The senior Western diplomat said that the Syrian civil war was becoming “more and more sectarian,” with Sunnis - an increasing number of whom come from Iraq - battling Shi’ites and members of Assad’s

ANALYSIS Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam.

Ali al-Moussawi, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s media adviser, strongly denied the allegations, saying “No, such a thing never happened. Weapons did not and will not be transferred from Iran to Syria through Iraq, whether by land or by air.”

Russia, diplomats said, also remained a key arms supplier for Assad. Unlike Iran, neither Syria nor Russia is subject to a U.N. ban on arms trade and are therefore not in violation of any U.N. rules when conducting weapons commerce. But accepting Iranian arms would be a violation of the U.N. Iran sanctions.

Assad’s ally Russia criticizes U.S., European and Gulf Arab governments for their aid to Syrian rebels seeking to topple Assad. Meanwhile, France and Britain plan to urge the European Union to lift its ban on arming the rebels.

Russia, which used its veto power to shield Assad from condemnation in the U.N. Security Council, has said repeatedly that its military support for Syria includes anti-missile air defense systems but no attack weapons such as helicopters.

Alireza Miryousefi, spokesman for Iran’s U.N. mission, responded to a request for a comment by saying, “We believe Syria does not need any military help from Iran.”

“Unfortunately the situation in Syria and the whole Middle East region is becoming more and more delicate and risky because of foreign

interference and funneling of arms to the extremist groups,” he said, repeating that Tehran wanted to end the conflict through dialogue between the government and opposition.

The diplomats cited by Reuters made clear that the principal delivery route for arms to Syria still went through Iraq, despite the existence of alternative supply channels such as Turkish airspace. They also said that Iran Air and Mahan Air were well-known violators of the Iranian arms embargo.

Iran Air and Mahan Air were both mentioned in the intelligence report on Iranian arms shipments to Syria seen by Reuters in September.

The U.S. Treasury Department has blacklisted Iran Air, Mahan Air and Yas Air for supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

One Western diplomat cited intelligence reports from his country that a new avenue for sending arms to Syria went on occasion through Turkish airspace to Beirut and from there to Syria by truck. There was no suggestion, he said, that Turkish officials were aware of the illicit arms shipments.

Once in Syria, he said, the arms were distributed to government forces and allied militia, including Hezbollah.

“The equipment being transferred by both companies (Iran and Mahan Air) ... ranges from communications equipment to light arms and advanced strategic weapons, some of which are being used devastatingly by Hezbollah and the Syrian regime against the Syrian people,” said the Western intelli-

gence report.

“The more sophisticated gear includes parts for various hardware such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), shore-to-sea missiles and surface-to-surface ballistic missiles (SSMs),” the report said. “Other weapons are being used by Syrian security forces, pro-Assad shabbiha militiamen, and Lebanese Hezbollah.”

There are about 5 tons of arms per flight, which are occurring on a near weekly basis, hidden in the bottom of the planes’ fuselages, the report said, adding that arms cargo was removed separately after civilian cargo was unloaded.

Other Western officials confirmed the report’s findings.

A Turkish diplomatic source denied the allegation.

Turkey has intercepted Iranian arms shipments in the past and reported them to the U.N. Security Council’s sanctions committee.

Ankara’s aggressive campaign to stamp out Iranian arms smuggling via its airspace, Western diplomats say, was what led Iran to begin using Iraqi airspace instead.

Lebanon’s U.N. ambassador, Nawaf Salam, said he was not in a position to comment. An official at Beirut’s airport who requested anonymity rejected the allegations of clandestine Iranian shipments going to Syria via Beirut airport.

Lebanon has had a complicated relationship with neighboring Syria.

Its population is deeply divided over the conflict. U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has urged Lebanon, which is hosting hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, to remain neutral.

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

60

NEWS

CPC calls for Jonathan’s impeachment

IGR: Reps to repeal, re-enact Fiscal Responsibility Act

From: Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

From: Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja

T

HE tradition of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA) spending their Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR) at will, will soon come to an end as the process of amending the law that empowers the MDAs to do so is nearing completion.

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Finance, Abdulmumin Jibrin, said this at the weekend in Abuja where he revealed that the process also involved empowering the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) in the enforcement of its powers.

He said the development had to get to the point of amending the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 as well as clauses in the Acts establishing some agencies as a result of the abuse and manipulations the laws have been subjected to.

He said: “We are going to repeal and re-enact the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) because the manifest weakness inherent in it has allowed the agencies to get away with some things.

“Furthermore, we will strive to see that what the agencies remit to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) will henceforth be from gross earnings and no longer from operating surpluses because we have discovered how the operating surplus is being manipulated by the agencies.

“The new Act will also address the incoming expenditure of the agencies. The process has reached an advanced stage, what is left is to present the bill to the House with the hope that it will be given expedited hearing before the other processes follow.”

The lawmaker, who said the imperativeness of the new law is unquestionable, cited the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) that has accused the committee of having a hidden agenda against the corporation.

“Rather than defend allegations of non-remittance of revenue, the NNPC engaged in accusing the committee of being out to embarrass it, pursuing a hidden agenda and that the committee’s investigation was inconclusive before it made its report public.

“But I want to say that there is no reason to embarrass anybody or organisation here because it is not only the NNPC we have asked to pay back to the Federal Government what it has refused to remit.”

CAVEAT EMPTOR This is to notify the general public that the expanse of Land lying and situate at Ngwunazu Egbelu, Oyigbo West in Obigbo Local government Area of Rivers State measuring 9.1805 Hectares and more particularly described in Survey plan No OJR/32/78 is the bonafide property of our Client, OBIOFODILE and Sons Nig. Ltd of No 76B Woji Road, Woji Town, Port harcourt.

Any body who attempts to buy, sell or in anyway interfer with the proprietory or possesorry right of the company in respect of the said parcel of land WITHOUT the consent of the company does so at his or her own risk.

BE WARNED Signed: Ubojiekere Alikor Esq Pp Ubojiekere Alikor & Co No 11B East/west/Eliozu road, Rumokoro, Portharcourt.

Solicitor to OBI OFODILE &Sons Nig Ltd. 08038998432

•Alamieyeseigha

I

F the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) has its way, the National Assembly will begin impeachment proceedings against President Goodluck Jonathan over the unconditional pardon he granted former Bayelsa State governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and Mr. Shettima Bulama.

The party said the lawmakers should take the step if the President failed to withdraw the pardon, which has generated debate.

According to the CPC, the President’s decision was an embarrassment to the country, adding that the impeachment process should be based on gross abuse of executive author-

ity and total disregard for the feelings of Nigerians.

On March 9, the National Council of States in its capacity as an advisory body to the President assented to a presidential pardon for Chief Alamieyeseigha, Bulama (former head, Bank of the North), Lt.-Gen. Oladipo Diya (former Chief of General Staff), Maj.-Gen. Tajudeen Olanrewaju, Maj.-Gen. AbdulKareem Adisa, Major Bello Magaji, Mohammed Lima Biu and Major Seun Fadipe.

The decision was hinged on the Provisions of Section 175 (13) of the Constitution. Subsection 3 expressly states that: the President, acting in accordance with the advice of the Council of State, may exercise his powers under Subsection (1) of this section in relation to persons concerned with offences against the Army, Navy or Air Force law or convicted or sentenced by a court-martial.

CPC alleged that Jonathan pardoned Alamieyeseigha because of the 2015 election.

According to a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Rotimi Fashakin, CPC said: “Though the ostensible and much-trumpeted reason is for national cohesion, we have it on good au-

•As crisis over Alamieyeseigha’s pardon deepens thority that the main reason is a self-serving agenda by the Jonathan administration ahead of the 2015 election.

“Under the Nigerian extant law- which prescribes a 10-year disqualification for any ex-convict- Chief Alamieyeseigha is ineligible for any electoral contest in 2015 since his conviction was done in 2006.

“As a party, we are aware of the burden of responsibility on us to lend our voice to the vociferous condemnation of this ‘pardon for brazen criminality’ by the Jonathan administration. The wider implications of the infra-dig by this regime concerning the issue are very worrisome.

“Section 175 (1d) of the Nigerian Constitution, which deals with amnesty, states: ‘Remit the whole or any part of any punishment imposed on that person for such an offence or of any penalty or forfeiture otherwise due to the state on account of such an offence’.

“Does this imply that by this amnesty, the assets unjustly accumulated by Chief Alamieyeseigha and forfeited to Nigeria shall be returned to him in part

or whole?

“Would this not send wrong signals to the international community that Nigeria is a big enclave of institutionalised corruption?

“Would this not discourage potential investors and extirpate the implementation of the much-touted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)?; “By this action, is the Jonathan government not festering the cankerworm of corruption and implicitly encouraging the succeeding generation on imbibing that culture?

“Would this action not be anti-thetical to the spirit and letter of the United Nations (UN) charter against corruption to which Nigeria is a signatory?

“Without any scintilla of doubt, Dr. Jonathan, as President, has ceased from serving the collective interest of the people “He seems more pre-occupied with political manoeuvresthat are deleterious to the corporate existence of the country than ensuring good governance through enunciation of policies that do not offend the ethno-religious balance of the polity.”

Presidential pardon: Yakassai, others slam ex-heads of state S

ECOND Republic Presidential Adviser Alhaji Tanko Yakassai and a group, Yoruba Youths, yesterday blamed former Heads of State for the pardon to some ex-state officials by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Ibrahim Babangida, Chief Ernest Shonekan and Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar are members of the National Council of States, which endorsed the exercise.

Among those that were pardoned are former Bayelsa State Governor Chief Dieprieye Alamieyeseigha and exManaging Director of the defunct Bank of the North, Mr. Shettima Bulama.

Yakasai said: “The former leaders have demonstrated their unseriousness about such a sensitive issue and also disappointed Nigerians for endorsing the pardon granted the former Bayelsa State governor, who was convicted of embez-

N

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano, Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin and Kamorudeen Ogundele, Abuja

zlement.”

He said the role of the former leaders in the controversial pardon would reduce their respect and integrity before Nigerians and the international community.

“I am disappointed by this development not because I have anything against the former Bayelsa governor, whom I have known since he left the Nigerian Air Force, but it’s a different situation now. It is on record that this is a person, who was convicted on charges of corruption of monumental magnitude.”

The youths under the aegies of the Yourba Council of Youths (YCY) also decried the ex-Heads of State for their action.

DANA Air’s licence suspended

IGERIA Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) yesterday cited safety concerns involving one of DANA Air’s aircraft as the reason for the temporary suspension of its operating licence.

According to the Acting Director-General of NCAA, Mr. Joyce Nkemakolan, the authority took the decision to enable the Ministry of Aviation carry out investigations on the operations of the airline as a precautionary measure.

In a short message serv-

LOSS OF DOCUMENT

This is to inform the general public thet the original documents of Allocation by the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation in respect of Block 15, Flat 4, Agege Lane in Dolphin Estate, Ijeh, Obalende, Lagos and belonging to Mr. Elekana Olatunji Odusanya is missing. All efforts to recover the documents had proved abortive.

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

ice (SMS), spokesman of NCAA, Mr. Sam Adurogboye, said: “This is a development in the industry.

DANA Air’s licence was temporarily suspended over safety concerns in respect of one of its aircraft on Saturday in Abuja.”

Investigations showed that one of the McDonnel Douglas 83 aircraft in the fleet of DANA Air had a battery problem in Abuja on Saturday, as it was about to take off, forcing the airline to report to the authorities.

Following the report, the Ministry of Aviation ordered the grounding of the aircraft.

The airline, it was learnt, sent another aircraft to Abuja to carry passengers.

Their statement reads: The pardon of the duo convicted of financial malfeasant showed that President Jonathan has been waging half-hearted and insincere war against corruption.”

President of the council, Chief Tai Olusoccer, in a statement said the pardon granted Alamieyesiegha portrayed the president as ethnically-biased.

The statement reads: “The president sold the pardon idea to the National Council of State all in a bid to leave his former boss of the hook of criminal conviction hanging on his neck.

“The pardon is also an attempt to compensate Alamieyesiegha for a job well done in the run up to the 2011 presidential election and to prepare the ground for the president’s 2015 re-election bid.

“The pardon is as laughable as it is condemnable and makes

nonsense of the president’s war against graft and corruption. It will also make the international community regard the country’s anti corruption war as insincere and lacking in commitment.”

Ajulo, who chairs the Egalitarian Mission in Africa (EMA), faulted the President’s decision Although he agreed that Jonathan has the constitutional right to grant the state pardon in deserving cases, Ajulo said there are factors to be considered in the case of Alamieyeseigha..

He said: “In the first place, it is within public knowledge in Nigeria today of the facts and circumstances leading to the conviction of the erstwhile Governor of Bayelsa State and Governor-General of Ijaw Nation.

“Today, Alamieyeseigha remains a fugitive in the United Kingdom (UK) as it is a known fact that he escaped to Nigeria while he was facing charges of money laundering. “

T

Inflation rate rises to 9.5%

HE Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures inflation, rose by 9.5 per cent year-onyear, up from the 9.0 per cent it attained in January, thus justifying analysts that the single digit rate it dropped to in January from the 12.0 per cent rate of December 2012 may not be sustainable.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in its CPI Report for February released yesterday, attributed the rise in the headline index, which is made up of the Core Index and Farm Produce items, to increases in farm produce prices due to limited supplies as the toll of inventory, which was accumulated during the previous harvest period. It said draw downs might begin to take effect.

While noting in its report for the month under review that various classes of the core index also witnessed in-

From: Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

creases, the statistical agency explained that the relative stability in the prices of processed foods resulted in a stable overall core sub-index.

The report said: “In February, the composite CPI increased by 0.75 per cent month-on-month from the index levels recorded in January. The Urban composite CPI was recorded at 142.0 in February, which was a 9.8 per cent year-on-year change.

This was higher than the 9.2 per cent recorded in January. The corresponding rural composite CPI recorded a 9.5 per cent year-on-year change, up from 9.1 per cent in January.”

61

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

NEWS Telecommunication investment hits $25b, says NCC

I

NVESTMENT in the telecommunication industry is in the region of $25billion, the Nigerian Communications Commission said at the weekend.

The NCC DG Dr. Eugene Juwah, added that there are over 113million telephone lines, compared with about 450,000 active lines powered by a paltry $500million investment portfolio in year 2000.

Juwah, who spoke during the send off dinner for the former NCC board, said the number portability project will take off by the end of the month.

Number portability enables telephone users to retain their mobile telephone numbers when changing from one mobile operator to another.

“Presently, investment stands at about $25billion and active lines are well over 113

•Number portability to take off this month From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

million and still counting.

“Now I can happily report that the Sim Card registration is nearly completed while the much-awaited number portability project will be taking off shortly, by the end of the month,” Juwah said.

He also explained that the project which has already been in operation in Europe and Asia, was delayed by some factors which have now been addressed.

“There have been obstacles to successfully implementing these projects but we have fought very hard by doing a lot of fine-tuning to achieve results.”

Juwah also pointed out that “the telecommunication industry is a deep and delicate

one with each stakeholder-consumer, industry, government and international community maintaining very voracious appetite difficult to satisfy.”

He however said that with the support of the Communication Act, “we have always tried to strike a balance to meet everyone’s needs fairly well.”

On some challenges confronting the industry, Juwah said: “you will agree with me that just as there were legacy projects, there were also some legacy problems. The power problem still remains, multiple taxations by various government are still hydra-headed, vandalization of infrastructure is rampant, there multiple regulations from ancillary agencies and right of way for easy service deployment and expansion still constitutes a head-

ache, although the ministry has nearly curtailed this problem.

“Above all, operators will always remain operators and will want to maximize gains while obeying the least of laws,” he further added.

The NCC boss is however of the hope that fourth generation regulation will maintain a hold on the industry and ensure growth and development both I. The area of quality and service deployment.

He also noted that the Commission wants to encourage more investment in critical infrastructure to ensure there is adequate investment by operators on each subscriber.

Juwah praised the pioneers of NCC for the great work done towards the transformation of the industry.

Tukur takes PDP’s peace drive to Southsouth Continued from page 4

nation after Uduaghan said members of the party should be fed well by the PDP. “I join all my brothers in the Southsouth in welcoming you (Tukur). I must tell you this.

Even if you tar all the roads in the Southsouth without putting food on the table, our members will not appreciate the party.

“If you want to prevent our members from straying to other parties, you must put food in the stomach of our supporters,” Uduaghan said.

Akpabio enjoined state chairmen to take the N1million do-

nation for their lunch so that they don’t move to other parties.

“My brother Governor Uduaghan said our members are hungry and that we must put food in their stomach so that they don’t stray to other parties.

I am giving all the state chairmen of the party N1million each for lunch. Our members must not be hungry,” Akpabio said.

Akpabio urged members of the party to see the success of Jonathan as the success of the Southsouth, adding: “There is a hand of God in every position of leadership. Bayelsa is, perhaps the smallest state in Nigeria, but God decided to choose

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan from Bayelsa state to become the president of Nigeria. We must all support our brother to succeed. For us, we shall not fail and we will never fail,” he said.

Akpabio urged Tukur to ensure that reconciliation meetings were held at least twice in a year so that issues can be resolved on time. “If we do this, I can assure you that the PDP will win 30 states in the next election,” he said.

The meeting was the second in the zonal reconciliation process initiated by Tukur. It started from Ibadan, in the Southwest last week.

Senators, Reps give condition to pass PIB Continued from page 4

•Discretionary power given to Minister of Petroleum Resources to determine royalty; •The host community fund will give oil producing states more revenue than the 19 states in the North •Divestment of equity in National Oil Company and the National Gas Company will favour the South •Lack of consultations with states on PIB; and •No plan for gas supply to the North in the bill He quoted a part of the document as saying: “On top of the 13.5 per cent statutory derivation from the Federation Account, the mandatory Federal budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Niger Delta, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) levy of 3 per cent of oil operations and the massive amount of Federal funds

being spent on the Niger Delta Amnesty programme, the new PIB is adding 10 per cent of the profit of all Oil and Gas companies to the Niger Delta States and Communities.

“Currently, without this new addition, four states (Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers) earn more that the 19 Northern States combined. One wonders what kind of federation we would end up with if this situation is escalated by the new PIB. In any case, what really is the constitutional standing of this particular provision in the Bill?

“These and many more other issues in the Petroleum Industry Bill need very close scrutiny by the Northern Governors Forum.

Without this exercise, it is very possible for the states in the region to be legally short-changed through the process of legislation despite having the majority membership in the two chambers of the National Assembly.”

Judgment today in suit seeking Justice Salami’s reinstatement Continued from page 4

ciplinary power over the justices of the court of appeal including (4th defendant) honourable justice Isa Ayo Salami (PCA), the president of the court of appeal under section153 and s.21 third schedule of the 1999 constitution.

•whether it is within the constitutional function of the (3rd defendant) national judicial council to recall the president of the court of appeal honourable justice isa ayo salami (pca) (4th defendant) from a disciplinary suspension in compli-

ance with sections 153 and s.21 of the third schedule of the 1999 constitution.

•whether the president (1st defendant) of the federal republic of Nigeria has any step to take within the provisions of sections 153 and s. 21 third schedule of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria as amended in relation to the recall of honourable Justice Isa Ayo Salami (PCA) as recommended by the national judicial council (3rd defendant).

•Whether the 3rd defendant three man panel recommen-

dation for the recall of honourable justice Ayo Isa Salami (PCA) has not put an end to all disputes relation to his suspension/recall.

•Whether the national judicial council (3rd defendant) solely has the powers to exercise disciplinary functions over the justices of court of appeal and/or the president of court of appeal in the circumstances of this case as it affects honourable justice Ayo Isa Salami (PCA) (4th defendant) under sections 153 and s.21 of the third schedule of the 1999 constitution.

SPORT EXTRA AFRICAN YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP

CAF CONFEDERATIONS CUP

Nigeria falls to Mali in first game

Heartland walks tightrope

A

N

FRICAN Youth Championship (AYC) holders Nigeria suffered an upset in the hands of Mali in their opening Group B game in Oran yesterday.

FC Nantes teenage striker, Adama Niane scored the only goal of the game to give the Malians a 1-0 win inside the Stade Ahmed

Zabana.

Nigeria started on the front foot with Olarenwaju Kayode’s free kick stinging the palms of Mali keeper Ali Yiringo inside the first 10 minutes.

With a quarter of an hour into the game, Mali took the lead.

The Flying Eagles failed to clear from Tiekoro Keita’s

corner kick leaving Niane unmarked in the area to rifle home with his left-foot.

After the goal, most of Nigeria’s attacking play came through Ansfed forward, Kayode without breaking the resilient Malians.

On 28 minutes, Kayode got the ball in the net but his goal did not stand as it was

2013 AFRICA YOUTH ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

AFN moves office to Warri

T

HE Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has moved its office to the city of Warri for the last laps of organisation for the maiden edition of Africa Youth Athletics Championships scheduled for March 27 to 31.

“We are ready for the event.

We have already moved office to Warri,” Maria Worphil, secretary of the AFN said at the weekend. She also doubles as secretary of the Local Organising Committee for the Championships.

Warri Township Stadium, hitherto a largely soccer stadium, has been reconfigured to host athletics events. And to assess the reconfiguration the federation has moved the second leg of the 2013 AFN Relays, holding on March 23 to the refurbished Warri City Stadium. The relays will serve as a preparatory exercise for the African Youth

Athletics Championship starting March 27.

“It is part of the dress rehearsal for the African Youth Athletics Championships billed to kick off on March 27 at the same venue”, said the Coordinator of the All Nigeria Relays, AFN’s Yusuf Ali. The relay events include; 4x100m, 4x200m, 4x400m and the 4x800m relays.

“As part of our build up for the World Championships in Russia, our relay teams are going to compete in all the legs of the All Nigeria Relays. “ stressed Ali. Ogho-Oghene Egwero, Obinna Metu, Peter Emelieze and Benjamin Adukwu are all expected to enliven the Warri Stadium before the emerging stars of the continent take to the tracks dour days later.

About 35 countries have entered for the championships. Warri will

host about five hundred athletes and more than 200 officials.

“It is our hope that you organise a world class event,” Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta state charged the Local Organising Committee when he inaugurated them in January.

Chairman of the LOC, Amaju Pinnick said yesterday the visitors would leave Warri with “great memories.”

ruled offside.

The Malians ended the opening half under siege but kept their one-goal lead intact.

In the restart, substitute Edafe Egbedi missed Nigeria’s best chance in the 46th minute from close range after heading horribly off target at the near post where he was totally unmarked.

Kayode and captain Abduljeleel Ajagun came close to drawing Nigeria level in the space of minutes but missed target on both occasions.

With three minutes to full time, Enugu Rangers’ forward, Alhaji Gero was freed in the box but he could only blast wide after a good first touch on the ball.

Mali held on for a famous win in stoppage time as Nigeria now need an outright win against Gabon on Wednesday.

Rangers earn away draw in Champs League NIGERIA’s CAF Champions League campaigners Enugu Rangers earned a valuable away draw against Vital’O FC of Burundi.

Rangers held Vital’O to a goalless draw in the first leg of their first round encounter.

The Flying Antelopes made the trip to Bujumbura without a full strength squad as they are yet to clear some of their new signings.

Rangers however managed to keep their opponents at bay for the entire duration of the game, to the dissapointment of the home fans that packed Prince Louis Rwagasore Stadium.

Rangers will be hoping the get the better of Vital’O when they host the Burundian champions at Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu between April 5-7.

•Beat US Bitam 2-1 I G E R I A ’ s representatives in the CAF Confederation Cup Heartland have a mountain to climb in Libreville after only managing a 2-1 home win over visiting US Bitam of Gabon in the first leg, first round tie played at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri on Sunday. Jolly Osas scored the Naze Millionaires opening goal in the 22nd minute through a mix from the defence of US Bitam. A floated long thrust from Heartland’s player was left for the goalkeeper, Stephen Bitsiki to catch but Osas found his way to nod the ball beyond his reach and the ball went unguarded into the net.

Isa Akor doubled Heartland’s goals advantage in the 52nd minute when he reacted fast enough to an inviting cross from the flank from David Tyavkase. He was unfortunate not have scored earlier after his effort was wrongly adjudged offside in the 13th minute.

The visitors benefitted from the Naze Millionaires’ momentary loss of concentration to get the precious away goal in the 54th minute through Alain Djessikadle whose angular shot went past Ebele Obi who was until then a complete spectator in the goal line of Heartland.

US Bitam was reduced to 10

From Tunde Liadi, Owerri in the 64th minute when Emmanuel Ndonomba deservedly got his second yellow card after fouling Tope Olusesi who was clearly goal bound.

Despite having numerical advantage Heartland couldn’t get another goal until the centre referee signalled the final whistle.

They will have their hands full in the second leg tie slated for Libreville in the weekend of 5-7 April,2013.

The Naze Millionaires frittered away many scoring chances and could rue this in the return leg encounter where a solitary unreplied goal could mark their exit from the second tier Africa’s club competition.

•Kabiru Umar

62

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

THE NATION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

63

WHO SAID WHAT

MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL 8 NO 2,431

‘Today, even the poor seem to have lost their voices.

They can’t speak for themselves.They don’t even know what to talk about because the frustration in the country has caused so much confusion.’

C OMMENT & D EB ATE EBA

I

N different ways, the resignation of the old pope and the philosophy of the new one indicate one thing: that popes are human after all. They may bubble with the spirit from on high, but they are specimens of blood and flesh. Even Jesus, when he sojourned as the inaugural martyr of the spirit, showed in his last days that the tug of the flesh was powerful. Hence he wept and even begged God to let the cup pass.

When Pope Benedict XVI relinquished his high office, I told myself that the Bishop of Rome had revealed a quality that the church had veiled for centuries: the fallibility of the supreme pontiff. The Roman Catholic Church after the reign of Pope Pius XII had established as a dogmatic reality what it termed the infallibility of the pope. The pope could do no wrong in matters of faith and virtue.

Infallibility of the spirit did not imply the infallibility of the flesh, but a pope that is infallible of spirit should have fought to the finish in the battle of the waning of the flesh.

He would not have capitulated to the prompting of the flesh by worrying about its effect on his work. By resigning, the flesh had a say.

For the new pope, it appears to be a triumph of the poor in an age of material obsession. This also takes away from the perception of the papacy as out of touch with the commoner, a papacy of the people.

Hence, the new pope named himself after the saint that some psychologists and historians described as the saintly fool, a man who emphasised the dignity of poverty over the frills and grandeur of the high throne of the priest.

Both pontiffs have shown that the pope is one of us. I see both developments as good not only for the Catholic Church but also for the human race. Pope Benedict’s resignation has been located in the tumultuous eight years of reign, especially the eruption of sex scandals that unveiled the hypocrisy of priests and questioned the moral authority of the church. But that oversimplifies it. The papacy is coming to terms with an age of rampant materialism and invasive agnostics.

In the past century, we have witnessed burgeoning waves of technology, the rise of individual ethos, the collapse of traditional authority, the flowering of prosperity and the retreat of the fear of God. When German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche proclaimed God is dead, he did not mean that He existed in the first place, but that humans killed him in their hearts where He was born. Blasphemy has become one of the truculent undercurrents of the modern age. It is because of these factors that the West has called for a doctrinal revolution in the church, including the ordination of women as priests, the acceptance of homosexuals and gay marriage, the abolition of priestly celibacy

RIPPLES TREASURY LOOTERS WILL FACE THE WRATH OF GOD–Cleric

That will take long...they should face EFCC first

SAM OMATSEYE

IN TOUCH

intouchsam@yahoo.com 08054501081(sms only) •NMMA Columnist of the Year

From spirit to flesh

•Pope Francis among others.

The calls for these doctrinal reversals do not take cognizance of the church as a spiritual, and not human institution. If Christianity did not have a text, it would lie in the hand of the priest to say what is right. Christianity is nothing without the Bible. But those who call, for instance, for the acceptance of homosexuals want the church to discard the Bible. If you do that, you open the gate to a flood of permissive reversals and, in the end, Christianity becomes a church, not of Christ, but of the human. That is why some critics do not accept the concept of papal infallibility because it places too much power in one

man. As for the ordination of women, scripture frowns at it, and even Jesus did not pick a woman either as an apostle or among the 70 disciples to teach. Many women condemn St. Paul who firmly condemned it in his epistles to Timothy and Corinthians. We cannot cherry-pick scripture. We cannot choose what we want to be God’s will.

But women were accepted to play leading roles in the Bible only when men failed, including when Mary Magdalene visited Jesus’ grave, when Deborah judged Israel and when Miriam played a leader. That can be a Biblical justification for women to be priests today since the Catholic Church admits to shortage of priests when some women can play the role. It will be a capitulation of men as indicated in the book of Isaiah who condemned men who allowed women to dominate them.

But in the case of celibacy, the church has no Bible support. It is a convention, not an instruction. Even Paul, a Bishop who never married, urged the Bishop to be “blameless, the husband of one wife.”

The resignation of Benedict represented his inability to persist in this battle, and he has surrendered it to Pope Francis. By resigning, we see the pope come down from the lofty pedestal of the spirit, where he alone had the authority to speak to God more than any other. He has become one of us.

We should not forget that even St. Peter from whom the Pope allegedly springs was not perfect either before the death of Jesus or after the day of Pentecost. He was human.

HARDBALL

N

OTHING represents more acutely the distress facing the unregistered All Progressives Congress (APC) than the biblical quotation in Matthew 13:25. It says: “But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.” The verse is the opening shot in a parable told by Jesus Christ using farming analogy to describe the kingdom of God. But it could very well describe the predicament the APC is in today. How did matters get so tangled up? The APC, that is, the original APC made up of three or four political parties (Action Congress of Nigeria, Congress for Progressive Change, All Nigeria Peoples Party, and a part of the All Progressives Grand Alliance) excitedly came together early last month to activate a paradigmatic change in Nigerian politics. While they were still putting their papers together to seek official registration, they were at the same time irrepressibly bouncing up and down the country acting as if they were already a registered party, making deft moves, giving the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) sickeningly effective uppercuts in faraway Maiduguri, and perhaps already secretly imagining they were going to cause an upset in the 2015 polls.

Alas, they underestimated the enemy, their old and furtive antagonist, the behemoth with many tentacles and, now, many proxies. While APC slept, perhaps dreaming of political nirvana, the tip-toeing enemy craftily spawned “four or five APCs” and got law-

ROTIMI AMAECHI

He died in the battle of the spirit. He is regarded by the Catholics as the superior apostle, but Paul, who rebuked him once, did not accept it as he said he was not behind any of the apostles.

Those who praise Pope Benedict for not hanging on to office only look at the institution as a human one. In democracies, we expect leaders to step down.

If Peter was human in spite of his spiritual office, how did we expect the pope not to be the same? The former Pope only made the office connect with the common man by accepting that flesh matters even if the spirit is supposed to be superior. By resigning and becoming pilgrim, he has shown that you can be spiritual and human, and the pope’s humanity makes it easier for the flock to see the spiritual as attainable.

The ascent of Pope Francis reinforces the point as he wants the papacy to remember the poor. I particularly love this as the Pentecostal variety has tended to overplay the material. In Nigeria, pastors have not soared to God until they ride, not on the chariot of the Lord, but on private jets.

This is in a society where the poor beg for funds to afford danfo to the same churches. If the idea is to evangelise, why not buy helicopters that can take them to the poor in the villages and creeks, where their jets and limousines are forbidden. They also use the money of the poor to set up schools for the rich.

Pope Francis’ down-to-earth theology reminds one of the history of the papacy when it was simple. But Pope Benedict’s resignation shows a time when the papacy was human. At one time, the pope, to quote my history teacher Professor Femi Omosini, “became extremely worldly. He wined and dined with secular authorities and bargained openly for the expansion of the papal territory.” One of the notorious was Pope Alexander VI who ran a papacy like a mafia don and was said to be “flagrantly addicted to wenching.”

The reason the church came up with a number of austere rules was to revamp it as a moral and spiritual force. The celibacy of the priest was to stamp a moral grandeur; the Petrine succession to give it the backing of scripture; and infallibility to invest it with a power that transcends all things earthly. Both Benedict and Francis are beneficiaries of these rules.

Those were extreme. It is high time the papacy recognised that all doctrines be based on scripture and elevate the word above the world while not leaving it behind.

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

APC versus APC versus PDP yers to put in application for their registration before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The proxy APCs have so unnerved the real APC that the latter’s top hats are no longer sounding as self-assured as they did when they knocked out the PDP in Borno State about two weeks ago. It has probably come to the APC in an epiphany that, just as this column had warned, the PDP is very much alive and capable of delivering knockout punches even with its back against the ropes. The activists in the more troublesome APC will of course fight the ruling party’s chicanery, but from now on they will respect the enemy and learn not to underestimate it.

It is expected that INEC would do the right thing eventually, for there are probably still a few men in its top echelon whose consciences are still alive and functioning. The chairman of the electoral body has indicated the issue of a surreptitious attempt to register a proxy APC would be investigated. He will see the investigation to its logical end, and he will ensure that justice prevails. Being a man with an eye on history, it is unlikely he would let such deliberate malfeasance define his accomplishments. More, it is also unlikely that the ruling party, which is alleged to be behind the birthing of the pesky proxies, really wants to permanently disfigure the real APC with one brutal blow to the medulla. All they want to do, it seems, is to discomfit or disorient the

political upstart, make it less giddy than it has been in the past few weeks, confound its strategies, and generally earn respect from it.

Therefore, they will use the proxy cards as much as is feasible until it becomes untenable. Then they will move on to other more malevolent stratagems, some of which will reach maturity as the fateful elections draw near.

In many ways, the real APC should thank its stars that the ruling party is showing its hand early in the day. The proxy battle, no matter how it is resolved, should tell the APC that the months ahead are fraught with forebodings. There will be bitter battles, eyes will be gouged out, and ears bitten off. And if care is not taken, what seems a proxy, phoney war today could very well transform into a sanguinary war tomorrow, the type experienced by combatants in the Somme Offensive in World War I. From all indications, the APC can stand a chance only if it adopts unorthodox fighting style. The current fanciful footwork it has embraced, reminiscent of Georges Carpentier’s sweet but ineffective pugilistic style against the bullish Jack Dempsey (Heavyweight boxing match, Jersey City, New Jersey, 1921), will have to give way to more enduring pragmatism and, shall we say, more devilment, if it is to stand a chance of winning the polls and redeeming the country in 2015.

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