The Nation March 9, 2012

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

News Presidency, Action Congress of Nigeria in war of words P53 Sport Osaze close to new deal with West Bromwich Albion P24 Business N8b pension cash ‘found in chair’s brother’s account’ P58 www.thenationonlineng.net

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

VOL. 7, NO. 2059 FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

N150.00

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

•Movie stars and rights activists during a rally to mark the International Women’s Day in Lagos ... yesterday

Northern States Governors to criminals: enough is enough

G

OVERNORS of the 19 Northern states rose from a six-hour meeting yesterday in Kaduna, resolving to deal decisively with the insecurity posed by the militant Islamic sect, Boko Haram.

They warned that they

From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

would no longer condone criminality.

In a four-page communiqué read by the Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum and Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, the

South Africa ‘sorry’ From Yusuf Alli and Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

N

IGERIA and South Africa ended their week-long dilopmatic face-off yesterday. South Africa apologised.

Nigeria deported 131 South Africans as part of a reciprocity policy – in protest against the deportation of 125 Nigerian travellers last Friday at the Oliver Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

As part of the peace deal, a special envoy from South Africa is expected to meet with President Goodluck

governors said they had decided to adopt an integrated regional approach towards combating criminals.

Dr Aliyu said that the governors resolved to adopt a pragmatic approach to tackContinued on page 2

PHOTO: NAN

Continued on page 2

•Amb. Ashiru

Jonathan mourns as Boko Haram kills Italian, Briton Cameron: I okayed action Five suspects held Eight killed

B •Lamolinara

•McManus

RITISH Christopher McManus and Italian Franco Lamolino, held captive by abductors in Birni Kebbi, the Kebbi State capital, since May, last year were killed yesterday in Sokoto during a raid to free them by a joint Nigerian and British team.

President Goodluck Jonathan regetted the death and vowed that the killers will face justice.

British Prime Minister David

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

Cameron called Italian Prime Minister Marion Monti to inform him of the “tragic conclusion” of the operation, a statement said last night.

Cameron said the British authorities believed the men’s lives were in “imminent and growing danger” and a rescue attempt was mounted by Nigerian troops with

British support.

Cameron added that it looked as if both hostages were killed by their captors before they could be rescued.

Dr Jonathan last night announced the abductors had been arrested.

He condoled with the British and Italian governments and the families of the deceased.

Gunmen abducted the two engineers from their lodgings in Birnin

Kebbi on May 12, 2011.

McManus and Lamolino were engineers working with Italia construction company Stabilini Visioni Limited. They were involved in the construction of the state headquarters of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The Italian government said the rescue attempt was carried out beContinued on page 2

•CITYBEATS P16 •SPORTS P23 •SOCIETY P25 •BRANDS P29 •POLITICS P45

2

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

NEWS South Africa to Nigeria: we’re sorry Continued from page 1

•Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo and his wife Modupe cutting his 84th birthday cake in Lagos ... yesterday. With them are Osun State Deputy Governor Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. SEE ALSO PAGE 43 PHOTO: NIYI ADENIRAN

North’s governors: We ‘ll battle insecurity Continued from page 1

ling insecurity and embark on confidence building to promote economic prosperity in the North.

A five-man committee of governors is to monitor the implementation of the Federal Government white paper on the security challenges in the Northeast.

Members of the committee include Governors Kashim Shettima of Borno State, Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe), Ahmed Yari (Zamfara), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Jonah Jang (Plateau).

Aliyu said: “We are happy to note that insecurity is subsiding. Where dialogue will work, we will dialogue and we will work with moderate people. We will go all out; we’ll not justify criminality.”

Aliyu also announced a new name for the forum. It is

no longer Northern Governors Forum but Northern States Governors Forum. The change was necessitated by the similarity in the names abbreviation and the Nigeria Governors Forum.

Aliyu said the North needs an integrated approach towards tackling the “unfortunate” new realities of insecurity in the North, adding that the governors resolved to adopt a pragmatic, holistic and integrated regional approach to combat crime through collective effort of all security agents.

The governors, he said, also resolved to adopt common policies and programmes as well as build confidence among the people to promote economic prosperity.

They constituted a five-man committee to examine the troubled Kaduna Textiles Lim-

ited and recommend ways of reviving the company, which has been moribound for over 10 years.

The governors also resolved to develop a lasting and sustainable source of income from Agriculture and its allied activities as a way of providing employment to the teeming youths of the North and reduce social tension, which would lead to more peace, security and prosperity.

To actualise this objective, the Forum set up a committee under the chairmanship of Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema, to be assisted by Governors Magatakarda Wamako (Sokoto), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Jonah Jang (Plateau), Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa (Kaduna) and Danbaba Suntai (Taraba).

Continued on page 58

Jonathan in a couple of days.

Also, a meeting of the BiNational Commission of the two countries will reconsider all issues which led to the row, especially a review of the Yellow Fever Vaccination Card.

The Bi-National Commission will determine whether the card should be waived or retained with a new format number system.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, who broke the news yesterday in Abuja, said Nigeria received a letter of apology from South Africa and the apology has been accepted by the government.

Ashiru said: “The recent mass deportation of Nigerians by the South African Authorities from the Oliver Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg on the 1st and 2nd of March 2012, allegedly on the grounds that they were in possession of irregular Yellow Fever Vaccination Cards, has expectedly elicited reactions from several quarters in Nigeria.

“In accordance with its avowed policy of protecting the interest of Nigerians wherever they are found, the Nigerian Government had to take appropriate reciprocal measures, primarily to protest this inhuman treatment of Nigerians by overzealous South African Immigration officials.

“This unfriendly act was considered unacceptable to the government, especially coming from a friendly African country to which Nigeria has regularly extended solidarity, friendship and support.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs under my watch immediately undertook the following measures: •Nigeria’s High Commissioner in South Africa was directed to lodge a formal protest to the South African Authorities.

•Nigerian and South African officials held a first round of talks in Pretoria on the 5th of this month with a view to resolving the issue.

“Another meeting was held yesterday 7th of March 2012.

The meetings, among other things, met the request for an apology by the South African authorities over the maltreatment of our nationals. I have accordingly received appropriate communication from my South African counterpart.

“Other agreements reached include the following: (a) The Immigration Working Group (IWG) of our Bi-National Commission (BNC) would be revived; (b) The South African National Department of Health and the Gauteng Health Department would consider re-opening the vaccination clinic at the Oliver Tambo International Airport so that passengers without the Yellow Fever Vaccination Card can be vaccinated upon arrival at the airport, rather than be deported. “(c) The Nigerian and South African Authorities would exchange vaccine batch numbers and details about the official Institutions that administer the vaccine for verification purposes at the port of entry. The relevant authorities would exchange samples with regards to the vaccine batch numbers; (d) The Immigration authorities would be the first officials

that deal with passengers at the point of entry and if they experience challenges would invite other units, such as health, to help and not the other way round.”

“Arising from the determination of the two sides to settle this matter amicably, the South African President will, in the coming days, send a special envoy to Nigeria to convey his regret at the unfortunate incident that has constituted an irritant in relations between our two sister nations.”

“My South African colleague and I are agreed that one of the ways in which we can avoid incidents that are harmful to our relationship is to make use of the bilateral structures that already exist, such as the Bilateral National Commission (BNC), as mentioned above.

“In this regard, we both agreed that an early revival of the BNC will be appropriate and Nigeria is determined to use the opportunity of the BNC when it is reconvened, to fully address the whole gamut of our relations.”

Recalling steps taken in the wake of the development, the Minister said: “Also, the South African High Commissioner was summoned to the Foreign Ministry on the 5th of March 2012 by the Permanent Secretary who also handed him Nigeria’s protest against the spate of deportations of our nationals from that country.

“The High Commissioner of South Africa, however, expressed regret about the treatment of the Senator and assured that the matter would be looked into by his government immediately.”

Continued on page 58

Jonathan, Cameron mourn killing of Italian, Briton by Boko Haram Continued from page 1

cause the authorities believed it was the “last window of opportunity to save the hostages’ lives”.

The “horde of gunmen” who kidnapped them stormed their apartment in Birnin-Kebbi.

Their German colleague managed to escape by scaling a wall, but a Nigerian engineer was shot and wounded in the raid.

In a video received by the Mauritanian News Agency in December, masked gunmen threatened to execute the British hostage if their demands were not met.

The Mauritanian agency claimed that the captors belong to a Nigerian group inspired by al-Qaeda. Mr Cameron has not specified the identity of the kidnappers. The family of the slain British hostage, in a statement yesterday, said: “Our son Chris was abducted in northern Nigeria on May 12 last year. As a family, we are of course devastated by the news of Chris’ death which we received earlier today. During this ordeal, we have relied heavily on the support of our family and friends which has never waned and has enabled us to get through the most difficult of times.

“We are also aware of the many people who were working to try and have Chris returned to our family,

Eight sect members killed as Jonathan promises justice

P

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan last night condemned the killing of the British and Italian engineers in Sokoto State.

A statement by Special Advised (media and publicity) to the President, Reuben Abati read: “President Gooodluck Ebele Jonathan has condemned the killing of two kidnapped foreigners - an Italian and a British citizen - in Sokoto State Thursday, by their and his girlfriend. We would like to thank all of them for their efforts.

“We knew Chris was in an extremely dangerous situation. However, we knew that everything that could be done was being done. Our thoughts are also of course with the loved ones of Chris’ colleague, Franco Lamolinara, who are also coming to terms with this truly sad news.

“We now need time to grieve and come to terms with our loss.

We would therefore be grateful if you would respect our privacy at this most difficult of times.”

Chris McManus is from the north west of England. Last December, a Nigerian group calling itself “al-Qaeda in the land beyond the Sahil” announced it had captured Mr McManus.

It released a hostage video to Nouakchott News Agency, claiming it had kidnapped the Briton and showed a blindfolded and bearded man in an orange vest. Three men in dark

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

Boko Haram captors before they could be rescued by a joint security raid on the kidnappers’ hideout.

“Describing their death as sad, unfortunate and regrettable, the President on behalf of the Nigerian government and on his own behalf, extends heartfelt condolences to the families of the bereaved and the people and government of Britain and Italy.

clothing stood behind him armed with rifles and a machete.

It was reported that the man pictured in the video called for the British Government to respond to the demands of the group, so they would spare his life.

He also asked for the British people to pressure the Government to answer the demands of the group so he could return to his family.

McManus’s Italian colleague Lamolinara had worked in Nigeria for around 11 years. They were engineers with the construction company Stabilini Visinoni Limited.

In September 2008, two Britons were held by the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta. A Scottish oil worker was abducted and his guard killed in April 2009, in the Port Harcourt.

Three Britons and a Colombian were kidnapped in January 2010 and in November of the same year, four men from the U.S., Canada and France were

“The President who particularly commended the cooperation and understanding of the British and Italian governments, assured that the perpetrators of the murderous act, who have all been arrested, would be made to face the full wrath of the law.

“President Jonathan also assured that the Nigerian government would take every necessary step to protect the lives of foreigners in the country.

taken 7.5 miles offshore on the Okoro field.

In January last year, two French hostages were kidnapped from Niamey, the capital of neighbouring Niger to Nigeria’s north.

It is not immediately clear when the men were killed and Mr Cameron’s statement did not specify whether the rescue attempt was underway when the murders took place.

Mr Cameron said he had authorised the failed rescue bid after receiving information on their location and that their lives were in imminent danger.

He said: “Chris McManus, a British citizen, was taken hostage by terrorists in Northern Nigeria in May 2011. He was taken hostage with his colleague, an Italian national, Franco Lamolinara.

“Since then, we have been working closely with the Nigerian authorities to try to find Chris and Franco, and to secure their release.

“The terrorists holding the

Continued on page 58

two hostages made very clear threats to take their lives, including in a video that was posted on the internet. After months of not knowing where they were being held, we received credible information about their location.

“A window of opportunity arose to secure their release. We also had reason to believe that their lives were under imminent and growing danger.

“Preparations were made to mount an operation to attempt to rescue Chris and Franco. Together with the Nigerian Government, today I authorised it to go ahead, with UK support.

“It is with great regret that I have to say that both Chris and Franco have lost their lives. We are still awaiting confirmation of the details, but the early indica-

tions are clear that both men were murdered by their captors, before they could be rescued.

“Our immediate thoughts must be with Chris and Franco’s families, and we offer them our sincerest condolences. Both families have endured a terrible ordeal, and this is a devastating moment for all of them.

“The Foreign Office have been in regular contact with the McManus family since Chris’s capture. I spoke to them just before Christmas and I have spoken to them again with the news this afternoon.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank the Nigerian authorities, and President (Goodluck) Jonathan personally, for all they have done to help find Chris, and combat terrorism.

“I also want to pay tribute to all those, including UK personnel, who worked so hard to try to bring Chris home safely. I am very sorry that this ended so tragically. I ask that the media respect the family’s privacy and allow them time to come to terms with their loss.

“Terrorism and appalling crimes such as these are a scourge on our world. No-one should be in any doubt about our determination to fight and to defeat them.”

CORRECTION In the story: Cash-less: CBN grants waiver to specialised banks. Gaius Emokpae was erroneously referred to as Assistant Director, Banking and Payments System Department. He is Acting Director, Banking and Payments System Department at the Central Bank of Nigeria. The mix-up is regretted.

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

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

3

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

4

NEWS NIGERIA-SOUTH AFRICA ROW

Nigeria, South Africa...truce, but

• Aerial view of Johannesburg

Though South Africa yesterday apologised for the deportation of 125 Nigerians, more needs to be done to find a lasting solution to the frosty relationship between the citizens of the two countries, reports OLUKAYODE THOMAS

H

UNDREDS of passengers aboard a South Africa Airways flight from Lagos arrived at the Oliver Thambo International Airport, Johannesburg in March 2000 to a chilly weather.

Clad in light dresses that the Lagos weather permits, majority were in a hurry to complete the immigration formalities and embrace the comfort of their hotel rooms. On the flight from Lagos were the Nigerian journalists attending the finals of the 2000 CNN Africa Journalist of the Year Award, who were finding the weather unbearable.

At the Immigration counter, two Nigerian journalists, one, a member of the panel of judges, and the other, a reporter with the defunct The Comet were asked to stand aside.

After about five minutes, a health officer told them that they had entered South Africa without proper health certificate.

“But it is not a problem,” he assured, “at the payment of $44, you will be inoculated and allowed into South Africa.”

The two journalists were taken to a section of the airport where they were joined by many other passengers who entered the country without the right health certificate waiting to be inoculated. After the inoculation, they were allowed into South Africa.

But about 125 Nigerians passengers, who travelled to the land of Nelson Mandela last week aboard Arik Air and South Africa Airways, were not that lucky, instead of paying $44 to be inoculated, they were deported to Nigeria.

What has changed ?

Why are Nigerians who were treated with courtesy and respect when South Africa got independence in 1994 now treated like lepers in a country they committed a lot of human and material resources to help liberate?

During the apartheid era in South Africa, the Nigerian government issued more than 300 passports to South Africans seeking to travel abroad as part of its support for the struggle.

Now, Nigerians are often depicted as criminals in high profile South African movies and have reportedly

become targets of immigration and police scrutiny.

South Africans allege that Nigerian organised crime groups, mostly involved in illegal drug trafficking, has grown over the years.

High-profile victims of South African antagonism toward Nigerian visitors include Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, who later received an official apology. Former Aviation minister, Kema Chikwe, was detained by immigration officials in 2001 who insisted that she must be vaccinated against yellow fever and quarantined.

Foreign Minister Olugbenga Ashiru, speaking at the National Assembly on Tuesday, said the deportations represented something more than a vaccination concern.

Ashiru said it represented the ongoing “xenophobia” faced by Nigerian immigrants living in South Africa who face rampaging police who arrest them without cause.

Visa requirements between the two countries remain strict. Diplomatically, the two nations also hold differing views. Nigeria supported Libya’s rebels during the nation’s recent civil war. Nigeria also joined international forces calling for the ouster of Ivory Coast’s Laurent Gbagbo in 2010, while South Africa largely remained quiet.

When The Nation spoke to a Nigerian footballer ,who is now a South African legend on account of his exploits for a Johannesburg based football club, the day after the deportation row broke, he revealed that a lot has changed since he arrived in 1994 and now.

He recalled that when he first arrived in South Africa, he was treated like a King everywhere, not on account of his sharp reflexes as a goalkeeper, but because of the role Nigeria played in liberating South Africa.

The class of Nigerians in South Africa then were professionals in medicine, teaching, information technology and other fields of human endeavour contributing to the growth of the society and earning a decent living.

The problem that led to Nigerians being treated with contempt in South Africa began shortly after independence when thousands of Nigerians

• Zuma

• From left: South African Deputy Minister of International Relation and Cooperation, Ebrahim Ebrahim; Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa Anderson Madubike; official of South Africa International Relation and Cooperation Department Mrs Kojo and Nigerian High Commission Consular Minister Ibrahim Bashir at a news conference on the crisis between Nigeria and South Africa in Pretoria …yesterday

who were chased from Zimbabwe and others trooped to South Africa in thousands.

On arrival, they discovered that unlike Europe and America where they could do menial jobs, and survive, such opportunities were not available in South Africa.

Ms. Ayanda John, a South African tour guide, said: ‘’So many things have changed. At independence, Nigerians where treated like kings, but in last year ten years, your people have become a real nuisance to our society. In every crime, you see a Nigerian, drugs, fraud, prostitution, kidnapping. They are all being perpetuated by Nigerians. Are we supposed to sit down and allow you destroy our country? No!” Ms. John said the fact that Nigeria helped liberate South Africa is not reason enough to allow Nigerian criminals to destroy South Africa.

“At government, business and diplomatic level, our elite may be pretending that all is well, but at the level of the masses, we are tired of Nigerians and we don’t want them on our soil, if they want to, let them close all South African businesses in

Lagos, a drug free South Africa is better than billions of Rands from Nigeria.”

By the late 1990’s, research by the South African police revealed that the growth of Nigerian organised crime groups in South Africa is phenomenal. Despite this, there have been comparatively few arrests and fewer successful prosecutions. Street level drug officers in Johannesburg admit that they are largely unsuccessful in countering Nigerian criminal gangs and parts of inner city Johannesburg are increasingly dominated by the activities of these ‘drug lords’ On the eve of the 2012 FIFA World Cup, National Police Commissioner Bheki Cele threw caution to the wind when he publicly blamed Nigerians for being behind drug syndicates that have infiltrated South Africa.

“South Africa should not be the space for criminals. We are being targeted by international criminals, who are [making] factories of drugs in South Africa. They all come from Nigeria and live in Sandton.”

Two weeks earlier, police discovered a major syndicate operating in

Gauteng and North West, and arrested 16 men. Cele said the kingpin was a Nigerian national living in Sandton. He warned that the police would be using ‘deadly force’.

Not just Nigerian affairs For a country renowned for intellectualism, drugs’ smuggling is the only thing many South Africans associate Nigerians in their country with.

Sandidiwe Mbambo, a resident of Witbank, claimed Nigerians will do anything to import drugs into South Africa.

Ms.Mbambo revealed that it was once fashionable for South African ladies to fall in love with Nigerians and travel with them to Latin American countries for holiday, but not anymore.

“Many girls who went with them were killed and when they have been murdered, their corpse will be used to bring drugs, and the bodies are dumped after the drugs have been removed. If anybody is doing that to your daughter, sister, wife or mother, would you want them in your land? Our heart will be filled

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

5

NEWS NIGERIA-SOUTH AFRICA ROW

cracks remain • From left: Wife of Ekiti State Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi; Commissioner for Women Affairs, Social Development and Gender Empowerment, Mrs. Fola Richie-Adewusi; Iyaloja of Ado-Ekiti, Chief Waye Osho; and President of the state chapter of National Council of Women’s Societies, Evang. NIke Obatayo, during the 2012 International Women’s Day, in Ado-Ekiti

• Jonathan

with joy, if Nigerians leave enmass.’’

While Mbambo’s story may be difficult to verify, the fact that Nigerians are in the news for wrong reasons is not deniable.

Only recently, Ambrose Monye, a former Nigerian athlete, who quit track and field in Nigeria to play Rugby in South Africa, was arrested for murder and drug dealing.

Monye is regarded as one of Pretoria’s (South Africa capital city) most dangerous men - the “go-to guy” if you want someone’s legs broken or need protection via his company, Big Dog Security”.

Monye before the new charge has once been charged with beating a 48-year-old motorist, Neville Olivier, to death in 2009. Now he is back behind bars in connection with the murder of Chanelle Henning.

While Monye is fighting to beat the murder rap, a Special Drug Court in Durban, South Africa recently sentenced one of South African drug lords, Ndudim Agoha, a Nigerian, to 20 years imprisonment.”He was caught dealing in over R100 000 cocaine and ecstasy and therefore his involvement in manufacture and distribution is obviously of much larger scale than your average drug dealer,” Mark Dyson, the senior public prosecutor told the court.

Another high profile case is that of Frank Nabolisa, a Nigerian drug lord who was recently sentenced to jail alongside Sheryl Cwele, wife of the country’s Security Minister, and an accomplice to 12 years in prison each for trafficking drugs. Sheryl is married to State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele. They were convicted after the court found the pair guilty of using young women as carriers to smuggle cocaine into South Africa from Turkey and South America. Both the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

While delivering the sentence, Judge Piet Koen noted: “Many families are affected by drugs which are brought here illegally. They suffer as a result of dealers who often initiate addiction by constant supply and thrive on that addiction.”

The good, the bad, the ugly Are there no Nigerians in South Africa making the news for good

reasons? Nigerians in South Africa are a combination of the good, the bad and the ugly. Take the case of Dr. Kolawole Adigun. Last year, Dr. Adigun won the 2011 prestigious Pierre Jacques Rural Doctor of the Year Award in South Africa. The award, which was instituted by the Rural Doctors Association of South Africa (RuDASA) in 2002, is to reward doctors, who excel in the provision of healthcare services in the rural areas of the country.

But as the country media was reporting Dr. Adigun’s feat, they were also reporting the arrest of one Dr. Wale Aremu, another Nigerian qualified doctor, and five other Nigerians involved in fraud and corruption. Aremu and the other unnamed doctor, allegedly staffed three of their clinics with five unqualified doctors, thus putting lives of thousands of South Africans at risk.

The arrest of Aremu and others came after a two-year investigation by the Hawks and the Health Department.

One of the quacks was alleged to be a gardener, another, a car washer.

They apparently used the qualified doctors’ practice numbers, allegedly with their permission, to work as doctors. The men appeared in the Middleburg Magistrates court in Mpumalanga province, they are charged with fraud and corruption.

It is believed that the two qualified doctors will also be charged for contravening various health practitioner regulations.

A Nigerian teacher in South Africa, Sunday Ojikutu believes Nigeria government needs to sit down with South African government to find a lasting solution to the problem of illiterate Nigerians in South Africa who are giving the country a bad name. He said: “ Their argument is that there is no job in South Africa ; that is why they are doing drugs.

This is not tenable, neither the argument that South Africans are criminals. Even if South Africans are criminals. How many of them are stealing in Abuja or Lagos? While I condemned the deportation because of yellow card, I must say we need to check our citizens here, before we have a worse crisis.’’

•Women marching in Enugu to mark the International Women’s Day ...yesterday

•A cross section of pupils participating in the International Women’s Day in Lagos...yesterday

•Minister of State for Education Nyesom Wike (left), Emir of Bauchi Dr. Rilwanu Adamu and the Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Dr. Mohammed Moddibo during the minister’s visit to Bauchi to inspect almajiri schools ...yesterday

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

6

NEWS ACN leaders to witness LP Reps defection From Damisi Ojo, Akure

PROMINENT Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) leaders are to storm Akure, the Ondo State capital next Thursday to witness the defection of a federal lawmaker from the ruling Labour Party (LP).

Ifedayo Abegunde, who is the Chairman of the House Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness, dumped the LP for the ACN on February 1, on the floor of the lower chamber of the National Assembly.

Also expected to witness the defection billed for Akure City Hall, are members of the National Assembly.

In a related development, a political group “Abena Campaign Organisation” (ACO) has assured residents of Akure North/South Federal Constituency that the mandate freely given to Abegunde will be protected.

A statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Kayode Ojo, said the case is in court, stressing that the few “disgruntled elements “who are planning to recall him would fail since it is a constitutional matter.

“The political history of the state clearly shows that heaven did not fall when Governor Olusegun Mimiko moved from Alliance for Democracy (AD) to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and LP, likewise the speaker, Sam Adesina, who moved from PDP to LP, even as a sitting Speaker.

Tinubu, others insist on electoral reforms

F

ORMER military Governor of old Western Region, Maj. Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo, yesterday got a national assignment.

Former Lagos State Governor and National leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu told the elderstatesman: grab your phone, call the President and fellow elders and save the country from avoidable ruin.

It was during the celebration of his 84th birthday and a book presentation entitled: Electoral Reform in Nigeria.

The event took place in Lagos.

Tinubu was one of the eminent personalties that graced the occasion.

The book was co-authored by two lawyers: Tope Fadahunsi and Babatunde Adegbemiro, in honour of Gen. Adebayo.

“Please call the President. Tell him Nigerians need justice – not tomorrow, but now!”, Tinubu pleaded. “Baba, this is not the type of nation you envisaged – not the nation you fought for, ” He said Gen. Adebayo’s urgent intervention, with other Nigerians of goodwill, was imperative if Nigeria was not to slide into chaos, given the current ugly developments in the judiciary.

“Elections are being brazenly rigged.

The judiciary is under siege. Justice is being mutilated. If the judiciary fails to dispense justice without fear or favour,” he warned, “a slide into anarchy becomes imminent. Please call the president.”

He said Nigeria was today facing a crisis of development and democracy simply because the country could not guarantee the sanctity of the vote; and therefore the electoral system needed a complete overhaul.

“Let me state for the records, We are determined to see that electoral reforms take place. We want to ensure transparency and accountability in the elec-

•Adebayo marks 84th birthday with book presentation

By Joseph Jibueze

toral process. We desire to succeed in our campaign of one man-one vote across Nigeria.”

He praised the Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reforms (CODER) for sustaining this campaign but insisted that the government must be pressured to fully implement the Justice Muhammad Uwais report on electoral reforms to break into a future of electoral sanity.

“No genuine reform can start without the adoption of the Justice Uwais report. It is the only blueprint around to bring sanity into our electoral system,” he said.

Asiwaju Tinubu decried the situation whereby alleged “openly partisan politicians” get appointed into the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), adding that INEC must not only be independent, it must be clearly seen to be so.

“Unless INEC strives to perform as an impartial umpire,” he warned, “it would subvert democracy while maintaining a facade of electoral propriety.

Tinubu said Nigeria was ready for electronic voting to put a stop to multiple thumb-printing of the ballot; and gave a notice that from now on, the opposition parties would closely watch INEC to ensure it did not lean to the side of the federal ruling party.

Asiwaju Tinubu said Gen. Adebayo deserved all the accolades because as a younger man, he honoured Chief Awolowo, at a critical point in Nigeria’s history.

“At his youth and at the height of his military glory, Gen. Adebayo located the moral authority and leadership quality in Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the avatar of development politics in Nigeria,” he recalled. “He did every-

thing to yield leadership to him. Our country was better for it.”

Gen. Ike Nwachukwu described Adebayo as a father to him and many others, recalling how he encouraged them to read more and write better as young officers, and to be courageous.

“What we are today is due to you,” Nwachukwu said, praying that God would give Adebayo, who he called a wonderful leader and father, a longer life.

Retired Admiral Akin Aduwo said Adebayo cared for others, even those who were not so close to him.

He recalled that once when he wanted to leave Ibadan for Lagos after a party which ended at 3am, Adebayo ordered that his car key be seized, insisting that he must not leave until 7am in the morning.

The Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, said something has to be done to end unemployment, as that is at the root of youth crime.

To him, privileged or employed youths would never be caught snatching or stuffing ballot boxes during elections; only the poor who cannot feed twice a day do.

Oba Adejugbe went on: “Until we settle the problem of unemployment and create jobs for our youths, these problems would continue. We cannot talk about equity and justice and yet people are hungry.

“In 10 years time, if something is not done, there could be a revolt and those driving cars will be asked: ‘Where did you get money to buy a car when we’re hungry?’”

Gen. Adebayo, described the occasion as overwhelming, saying everyone should focus more on making the future better and dwell less on the past.

He urged the Southwest to unite for a better tomorrow. “The problems of

the future are between the South and the North. Therefore, young leaders in the Southwest must get yourselves together and join others in the South if you want one Nigeria.

“I have done my best in the past; I am now handing over to those of you younger ones, because we don’t know where we are going yet in this country. If you don’t have one Nigeria, then there will be no country.

“But we want the future to be better than the past, therefore we must have a better programme for our children. Those who are younger should do the best for the country. What is going on now is not giving us any good aspiration on what the future should be.

“The period between now and 2015 is very important. We must bring out the best if we want the best for our country,” he said.

At the event were retired army generals Mobolaji Johnson, David Jemibewon and Alani Akinrinade; Admiral Akin Adumo and former Defence Minister Chief Ademola Seriki.

Former Ogun State governors Gbenga Daniel and Segun Osoba; former Ekiti Governor, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, who is the celebrator’s son; Osun State Deputy Governor, Otunba Grace Titi LaoyeTomori, and wife of the celebrator Modupe attended the event.

The Iyanforogi of Ile-Ife, Oba Adebolu Funmise; the Alu of Famia, Ile-Ife, Oba Abimbola Akinyele and Balogun of Ife, Chief Bisi Omidiora were present.

Others are retired Justice of the Supreme Court, George Oguntade, Chief Idowu Sofola (SAN), activist-lawyer Femi Falana, Chief Oluyemi Falade, Representative of Ogun State Governor, Muyiwa Oladipo, Babatunde Oke, Chief Henry Ajuomole and representative of Ondo State Governor, Mr Niran AkinSule.

Man remanded for ‘hitting’ judge with vehicle

By Eric Ikhilae

FOR allegedly attempting to kill a judge of the Lagos High Court, Justice Adeniyi Adebanjo, a 33-year-old commercial driver, Quadri Kasali, has been arraigned in court.

Kasali, accused of deliberately hitting the judge with his vehicle on March 1, was on Monday arraigned before the Magistrate’s Court, Tinubu by the Police in Lagos.

He was said to be driving a commercial Vanagon Bus at about 2.20pm on Moloney Street, Lagos Island and allegedly hit Justice Adebanjo with the vehicle “with intent to kill him.”

The police claimed that the judge had challenged the accused who allegedly obstructed other road users, but in reaction, Kasali purportedly hit the judge three times with his commercial bus marked XA 242 KLK. The accused, who was arraigned on a one-count charge preferred against him by the Police Commissioner, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Chief Magistrate M.A Ladipo of Court 14 denied him bail and ordered his remand in prison custody. His alleged offence is said to be contrary to, and punishable under Section 228(2) of Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.

The case has been adjourned to April 3 while his vehicle and driver’s licence have also been confiscated by the court.

•National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) Batch ‘A’ members deployed in Oyo State being sworn in at the orientation camp, Iseyin…yesterday

ACN worried over ‘worsening poverty level’

T

HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday raised the alarm over what it called the worsening poverty in the land, warning that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led Federal Government must act quickly to reverse the situation to avoid plunging the country into a worse social crisis than it is already experiencing.

In a statement in Ilorin by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said while the government continues to beat its chest over a supposed economic growth year in year out, it has shut its eyes to the paradox of a worsening poverty among Nigerians, as attested to recently by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

According to the bureau, the percentage of Nigerians living in poverty has risen from 54.7 per cent in 2004 to 60.9 per cent in 2010, translating to 112 mil-

By Sunday Omoniyi

lion Nigerians living in poverty, despite a 7.6 gross domestic product GDP) growth in the country’s economy.

The party said: ‘’We have always warned that economic growth in itself is meaningless if it does not translate to better life for millions of our citizens living in poverty. We hate to say it, but the revelation by the NBS has proven that this is true. ‘’We have also consistently alerted the nation to the fact that the PDP-led federal government is clueless on how to ensure that economic policies impact positively on the people by helping to generate wealth and create jobs.

This, sadly, has also turned out to be prescient. ‘’By hook or crook, the PDP has ruled Nigeria since the country’s return to democratic rule in 1999. While the sta-

tistics given by the NBS reflect the situation from 2004 to 2010, we have no scintilla of doubt that if the figures from 1999 to the present were considered, the poverty level has more than doubled under this donothing PDP in the past 12 years. ‘’And instead of getting out of the hole into which it has dug itself, the so-called biggest party in the whole world has continued to dig deeper, thereby pushing more and more Nigerians into poverty. When the effects of the recent ill-advised fuel subsidy removal are taken into consideration, the figure of Nigerians living in poverty must really be staggering.

This is a time bomb waiting to explode,’’ ACN said.

The party said it was particularly revealing that the poverty level in the two regions worst hit by the activities of the Boko Haram sect - the

North-west and the North-east - recorded the highest poverty rates during the period under review by the NBS. ‘’There is no better indication of the correlation between poverty and social disorder than what the statistics have revealed,’’ it said. ‘’While nothing in the world justifies the continuous maiming and killing of innocent people by Boko Haram, we cannot run away from the fact that the high poverty rates in the north have provided a fertile recruiting ground for the Boko Haram dead-enders.”

And unless this situation is reversed and our growing number of jobless youths are gainfully employed, Nigeria may sooner than later become engulfed in a social crisis of unimaginable proportion, even as the PDP-led Federal Government continues to engage in wasteful spending and mindless corruption,’’ ACN warned.

Jonathan inaugurates projects in Benue From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday inaugurated some projects undertaken by the Benue Stata Governor Gabriel Suswam.

He will round off a two-day visit to the state today.

On arrival at the Makurdi Airport, the President flew in a chopper to Otobi Water Works in Otukpo.

From Otukpo he flew to Adikpo in Kwande local government area to inaugurate the Adikpo-Ikyogen - Jato Aka road before going to Ayiiin, the country home of Governor Gabriel Suswam where he inaugurated Anyiin-UgbaAmaafu road.

President Jonathan, accompanied by Senate President David Mark, Minister of Interior Comrade Abba Morro; Minister of state for Trade and Investment Dr. Samuel Ortom, all of them indigenes of the state.

7

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

NEWS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY ‘No development without women’

Ajimobi’s wife urges women to be active

O

GUN State Governor Ibikunle Amosun has said no nation can develop without maximising the potentials of women.

The governor spoke yesterday in Abeokuta while receiving officials of the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), led by its National President, Mrs Asabe Baba-Nahaya and Chairperson of Ogun State chapter of the association, Mrs Folake Ade-Adeniji.

Amosun said women occupy a special place in the society, adding that their industry has contributed immensely to the success achieved by the developed nations of the world.

“The era when women were confined to the kitchen is over. Many women have excelled in all fields of human endeavours and we have them in our administration.

We are gender friendly and have surpassed the 35 per cent affirmative action of Beijing Declaration.”

Orji’s wife urges end to injustice From Ugochukwu Eke, Umuahia

W

IFE of Abia State governor, Mrs. Mercy Orji, has urged churches, civil society organisations, the academia, government and traditional institutions to help fight female injustice.

Speaking in Umuahia during this year’s International Women’s Day, Mrs Orji described this year’s theme, ‘Connecting Girls, inspiring futures’, as apt in view of the importance of girls in the society.

Mrs Orji said: “As the baton bearers in our tomorrow’s relay race to greatness and service for excellence, we need to ensure that the injustice is stopped now for a better tomorrow.

We need to encourage them in education, career counselling and adulthood as the successful future wives and mothers.”

‘Fed Govt to review loan’ From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

T

HE Federal Government plans to review its loan scheme for rural women, it emerged yesterday.

The Women Fund for Economic Empowerment Scheme is adminsitered in collaboration with the Bank of Agriculture.

Minister of Women Affairs Hajia Zainab Maina spoke with reporters in Abuja.

Mrs. Maina said the soft loans would boost the productivity of women.

Speaking through the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Elizabeth Emuren, the minister said the Goodluck Jonathan Administration believes that investing in the rural women is key to eradicating poverty and hunger.

She commended the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan for her commitment to women empowerment and development.

From left: Mrs. Magaret Orakwusi, Dr. (Mrs.) Nike Davies-Okundaye, Mrs. Sandra Aguebor-Experuoh, founder lady Mechanic Initiative Nigeria Yemisi Ransom-Kuti, Charles Nosa-Osazuwa, officer in charge, United Nations International Centre, Lagos (UNIC) Shade Bembatoun-Young and Mrs. Antoinette Falohun, Assistant Director of Programmes (Children) NTA Lagos at an event organised by the NTA to mark the 2012 International Women’s Day in Lagos...yesterday PHOTO: DAVID ADEJO

Senate to end discrimination against women T HE Senate yesterday promised to stop discriminatory practices against the development of women.

The House of Representatives commended the dexterity and courage of Nigerian women in the face of oppressive and discriminatory practices.

The Senate’s position followed a motion to mark the International Day of Women.

Senator Ita Enang, (Akwa Ibom North East), who sponsored the motion, urged the Senate to congratulate Nigerian women.

The Senate, he said, should reconsider some traditional practices against women.

Senator Magnus Abe said over 60 per cent of agricultural activities in the country is conducted by women.

Senator Sunny Ogbuorji noted that in most instances

• Reps commend dexterity, courage of Nigerian women From: Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor

women have performed better than men.

He said there was no doubt that if women are made governors and president of the country, things would be better.

Senator Helen Essuene, who spoke on behalf of women, said girl-child education should be taken seriously.

She noted that child-wives should be discouraged.

Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu noted that without women, men would be nothing.

He noted that in spite of challenges women have achieved a lot.

Ekweremadu said the Senate would remove all discriminations against women.

The House of Representatives commended the dexterity of women, especially in the face of oppressive and discriminatory practices.

The motion was sponsored by Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, representing Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency, Abia State.

Onyejeocha noted that in some countries such as Afghanistan, Amenia,

Azerbajian, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos and others, International Women’s Day is observed a public day while in countries like China, Macedonia, Madagascar and Nepal, men go to work while the women take the day off.

She said: “There are still thousands of women that are suppressed, tortured and abused under several semblances.

“Gender discrimination still exist at all levels, at the workplace, where gender inequalities are brushed under the carpet, women workers are often subjected to sexual objectification, harassment and molestation.

“Women employees are discouraged from seeking higher positions in management as they are deemed as liabilities.”

Discrimination must end, says envoy

T

HE United Stated Consul-General to Nigeria, Mr Joseph Stafford, has called for an end to marginalisation of women.

Stafford said despite the progress women and girls have made, challenges such as poverty and gender-based violence must be addressed.

He spoke yesterday at a mentoring event for young girls in commemoration of the 101st anniversary of the International Women’s Day. It was themed ‘ Influential Black Women in US History’.

By Nneka Nwaneri

The Consul General quoted Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton: “What we are learning around the world is that if women are healthy and educated, their families will flourish. If women are free from violence, their families will flourish. If women have a chance to work and earn as full and equal partners in the society, their families will flourish. And when families flourish, communities and nations will flourish’.

He said many women

have been often absent from villiage councils and parliaments, boardrooms and negotiating table where decisions are made to affect them.

He said: “Women and girls drive our economies. They build peace and prosperity.

Investing in them means investing in global ecomomic progress, political stability and greater prosperity for everyone.”

Students from Vivian Fowler Memorial College and Chrisland Schools were present.

Speakers and menthoring

A

By Miriam Ndikanwu

raises its voice to condemn all forms of discrimination and violence against women in Nigeria. It is saddening to note that incidences of violation, discrimination and vio-

lence against girls are prevalent in Nigeria.”

Bakare lauded the Lagos State government for being at the vanguard of child protection laws, saying the right of the child must be protected.

•Stafford

session leaders included Chief Nike Akande; Tara Durotoye of House of Tara; and Mrs Margaret Orakwusi.

Lagos State Deputy Governor Mrs. Adejoke OrelopeAdefulire who received the group on behalf of Fashola, said the government would not relent in its effort to ensure that the right of all are protected.

Plateau women seek more opportunities

W

OMEN groups in Plateau State have said women should be given more opportunities to excel.

The groups spoke in Jos yesterday to mark the International Women’s Day. The women groups, the Women in Peace Building Network and West African Network on Peace Building,

From Marie-Therese Peter, Jos

said women deserves more in public and private appointments.

The North Central Focal Persons of the groups, Mrs. Persisa Yawe and Dr. Juliana Mafwil, said government at all levels have done well in appointing women in vari-

Why women must unite, by Fayemi’s wife From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

WIFE of Ekiti State governor, Mrs. Bisi Fayemi, has urged women to unite in order to progress.

She said women have to forge an alliance to reverse current situation and move up desirably.

She spoke yesterday at an occasion marking the 2011 International Women’s Day at the Trade Fair Ground, Ado-Eyin Ekiti Road , AdoEkiti.

She urged Federal Government to partner women groups to confront growing spate of illiteracy among women.

Mrs. Fayemi said despite improvements in life expectancy and standard of living of women, “every 90 seconds of everyday, a woman dies in pregnancy or due to childbirth complications.”

She added: “Across the world, women continue to earn less than men for the same work.”

Support for teenage mums

Rights group protest high rate of child abuse HUMAN rights group, Women Arise for Change Initiative, yesterday stormed the office of the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, to protest high rate of child abuse.

The peaceful protest started from Allen Avenue, Ikeja to mark this year International Women’s Day. The protest was led by the group’s president, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, convener of Save Nigeria Group (SNG), Pastor Tunde Bakare; Mr. Yinka Odumakin, Mr. Femi Aborishade, Prof. Remi Shonaya and Nollywood actors.

Okei-Odumakin said: “As the world celebrate this day, Women Arise once again

WIFE of Oyo State Governor, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi, has challenged women in the country to participate in socio-economic and political activities, and get actively involved in decision-making processes to make Nigeria better.

Mrs. Ajimobi spoke yesterday at an event to mark the 2012 International Women’s Day in Ibadan.

She said: “Nigerian women, who are mothers of today, should set aside the cultural barriers that bind them; they should be dynamic and courageous, enterprising, motherly and agents of positive changes in the society.

“As women, we now have the ball in our courts and the opportunities to hold credible offices and be of considerable influence in governance.’’

ous positions, but this should not be seen as a privilege because they deserves the appointments.

Commissioner of Women Affairs Olivia Dazyam said: “I want to implore us as women to be in the forefront of the fight against teenage pregnancy, forced marriage and early marriage.”

From Ogbonnaya Obinna Abakaliki

WIFE of the Ebonyi State governor, Mrs. Josephine Elechi, has distributed vocational materials worth over N100 million to atleast 800 teenage mothers.

Mrs. Elechi spoke yesterday at an occasion marking the International Women’s Day at the Unity Square, Abakaliki.

She said: “In conformity with the theme of this celebration, and promotion of the Transformation Agenda of the President, I organised a seven day skill acquisition programme for over 800 girls most of whom are school drop-outs, victims of teenage pregnancy and other less privileged Ebonyi girls.”

Some of the items distributed to the girls are sewing machines, dryers, equipments for making soap, bleach, detergent, pomade.

Others include: computers and bakery/confectioneries equipment.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

8

NEWS Oyo ACN chieftain predicts victory

F

OR a chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Oyo State, Olufemi Abiola, victory is certain for the party in the forthcoming local government election in the PaceSetter State.

According to him, the giant strides of the Governor Abiola Ajimobi administration •Ajimobi since it came on board about From Tayo Johnson, a year ago, have convinced Ibadan the electorate the ACN has what it takes to move the state forward.

Lauding the governor for following the footsteps of his predecessor and leader of the party in the state, Alhaji Lam Adesina, Abiola expressed confidence ACN will have a clean sweep at the polls.

He listed job creation, road construction and rehabilitation, civil servants’ welfare, beautification of the environment as well as the atmosphere of peace being enjoyed by residents as some of the areas where the ACN has made its mark.

Abiola said: “I believe with the great transformation programme of governor Ajimobi in the state, ACN will clear everything in the next election. I believe the evidence is there now.

“Look at all the local government areas, projects are being implemented here and there and the people are now happy.

Look at the primary schools in the state. They are rehabilitating all the dilapidated structures in the public schools and also the employment of 20,000 youths in the state into the YES-O programme.

“He purchased over 1000 tricycle called Keke Ajumose and with all these will reduce poverty.

“We have seen the renovation of Adamasingba Sport Complex and he (Ajimobi) was commended by FIFA and IOC, including the donation of two brand new buses to Shooting Stars Football Club.”

Ex-Osun commissioner loses D bail battle ETAINED former Finance Commissioner under Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola’s administration, Elder Moses Adetoyese yesterday failed to have his bail application determined.

The application was said to have arrived the office of the state prosecutor late, leaving Magistrate Olusola Aluko with no other option but to adjourn the matter till March 14 to allow the prosecutor peruse and respond to it.

Adetoyese and two other persons, Olaleye Olanipekun, 36, and Isaac

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

Ayoola, 38, are arraigned for allegedly defrauding the Osun State Government of N60 million, contrary to section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2006.

The court, had on March 1 ordered that the trio be remanded in prison pending the time the defence counsel, Mr. Tewo Lemuye, would formally file a bail

application.

At the resumed hearing for the application yesterday, the prosecuting counsel, Mr. M. O. Adedokun, asked for adjournment on the ground that the application arrived the office late and would need at least 48 hours to respond to issues raised in it.

But Lemuye objected to the application for adjournment.

He said the accused persons have the right to freedom and that their liberty is sac-

rosanct in the face of the court.

Arguing the accused persons are still innocent of the charges against them, he said if the court had not requested for formal bail application, the suspects would have been admitted to bail by now.

The prosecutor referred the court to counts one, two and three and Exhibit ‘A’ attached to the charge sheet.

He insisted that he be allowed to exhaust the stipulated 48 hours to respond to the application.

The court adjourned the next hearing till March 14.

We’ve eliminated corruption in public office, says Oyo ACN

I

N what looked like a self appraisal, the Oyo State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday said it has removed all the vestiges of corruption left behind in public office by the governor Adebayo Alao-Akala administration.

Speaking through its spokesman, Mr. Dauda Kolawole, the party said it prides the feat more than the landmarks it recorded in the last nine months of being in the saddle in the state.

It was reacting to the verbal attacks and allegations from three aides to the former governor.

Notwithstanding the over 150 state and local government roads that are in their various stages of completion, the party said it has succeeded in eliminating the massive corruption and massive theft of public funds which according to it, was the hallmark of the immediate past administration.

Kolawole said: “It is funny that these aides of Alao-Akala have suddenly discovered the meaning of prudence and transparency. Where were they when their boss, according to the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) charge, was looting N50 billion of our money? The

whole world knows that the greatest asset the Abiola Ajimobi government possesses is its integrity.” On the issue of performance, the ACN spokesman said the Ajimobi administration has ended the business-as-usual syndrome in governance.

He said: “We challenge Morohunkola Thomas, one of the authors of the said release, to tell the world what is going on at the moment on the road to his mansion at Elebu in Oluyole Extension area of Ibadan.

“The truth is that the road had been neglected for more than 20 years even by the Alao-Akala-led government and it is at the moment one of the 150 roads that the Ajimobi government is constructing.”

On the youth empowerment scheme in the state tagged YES-O, Kolawole challenged those he called the Alao-Akala hirelings” to point at a single youth their government empowered during its four-year in government.

He said the ACN government should be commended for employing 20,000 youths rather than have it condemned by those it called “jobbers in need of rehabilitation”.

•Wife of Ogun State Governor Mrs. Olufunso Amosun (middle) with members of the Women’s Wing of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) during the 2012 International Women’s Day celebration in Abeokuta…yesterday

Southwest governors, Tinubu, others for Adefarati’s Fifth Memorial Lecture

P

ROGRESSIVE politicians including the Southwest governors are warming up for the fifth annual memorial anniversary of former Ondo State Governor, the late Chief Adebayo Adefarati.

Activities lined up for the anniversary will begin on April 20 with a public lecture to be delivered in Akure, the Ondo State capital by the Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Asiiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Besides the Southwest governors, their predecessors in the zone, political associates, royal fathers and other eminent personalities are expected to grace the occasion.

A statement by the Secre-

Agagu, not Adefarati gave embattled monarchs instrument of office

C

ONTRARY to media report that the former Governor of Ondo State, the late Chief Adebayo Adefarati gave the instrument office to two dethroned monarchs in the state, the immediate past Governor Olusegun Agagu did.

The above was the submission of the first son of late Adefarati, Gboyega, yesterday, while absolving his late father of any involvement in the presentation of instruments of office to the Oralepo of Isinkan, Oba Olu Ojo and the Osolo of Isolo, Oba Kayode Oluwatuyi.

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

tary of the Planning Committee, Mr. Gbenga Omole, said a memorial church service will come up at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Akungba-Akoko on April

21.

The late Adefarati was the second civilian governor of the state. He was in the saddle between 1999 and 2003.

An accomplished educationist and committed Awoist, the late Adefarati

served twice as commissioner in the administration of the late Pa Michael Adekunle Ajasin between 1979 and 1983.

He was the arrow head of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) in the state during the military administration of the late Gen. Sani Abacha.

Fondly called “Baba Peace”, the former governor recorded remarkable achievements in the state during his tenure, especially with the establishment of the State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC).

OSOPADEC is an interventionist agency for the development of oil producing areas in the state.

Lagos ACN hails Southwest governors on regional integration

S

OUTHWEST governors got a pat on the back yesterday for forging a regional integration for the six states in the zone.

The Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which gave the commendation, said the move would enhance the development of the zone and fast track the cohesion of its people.

In a statement by its Publicity Secretary Mr Joe Igbokwe, the party described the ap-

proach being adopted by the governors as the best to make governance meaningful to Nigerians if imbibed by the Federal Government.

The statement reads: “The governors, governments and the people should remain consistent and ensure the benefits of such integration seep down to every individual in the region in the foreseeable future.

“We want to applaud the broad-mindedness with which the Southwest governors have

been pursuing this integration of their region into one whole developmental belt and we feel this is what Nigeria needs badly at present to meld together the disparate energies obtainable in each state and channel such towards a coordinated development of the region.

“We want to salute this initiative given the multiplier effect it stands to imbue on the region and the harmonised development it will

bring to the entire zone.

“Lagos ACN feels that when regions organise themselves in such manner, several developmental challenges stand to be better tackled and mutually beneficial projects are embarked upon with greater dividends for the people of such region.

“We believe that such an initiative stands to cushion the weaker members and states in such region and tap on the commonwealth to tackle chal-

lenges that arise in such region.

“We also believe that the Southwest initiative stands to forge common unity and understanding among the constituent states and eliminate barriers that stand between the various people in the Southwest.”

The party recommended the integration option to other regions in the country for a stronger sense of unity and commitment in governance.

It said: “We have no doubt

that this will ultimately strengthen the unity and cohesiveness of the country.

“We want other regions to eliminate the barriers of division that stand between their people and start coalescing their strength together for the purpose of fast tracking a common development of their regions and also forging common visions, goals and aspirations for their people, as the Southwest regional integration is doing presently.”

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

9

NEWS

Policemen write Acting IGP over alleged injustice A GROUP of policemen and officers, the Network of Good Policing (NGP), has written the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, complaining about the alleged injustice meted out to some men and officers in a recent promotion exercise.

It alleged that some officers who did not write the promotion test organised by the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) are presently undergoing further training in Jos, Plateau State.

It said men and officers who had no connection in

By Ayodeji Olaosun

high places were not nominated for promotion, despite their good performances in the examination and qualifications.

Alleging that the criteria used for the selection was “very fraudulent and misleading,” NGP urged Abubakar to intervene.

The group said in two Southsouth states, the cut off was 55, but those who scored far below were nominated ahead of those who scored

more.

It said: “A lot of persons who scored 37, 40, 48 and 52 are currently in Jos, while those who scored 53 and 54 were not nominated. More worrisome is the fact that persons who did not even write the ASCON examination are also undergoing training in Jos. “Sir, you have a choice to either right the wrongs or allow this injustice to stay.

Our prayer is to allow due process and common sense to prevail. Those officers who wrote the ASCON exam and

passed should be asked to join their mates in Jos, some of who are not qualified to be there in the first place.

“Please, consider the length of service and rank when promoting in future.

An instance where an Inspector who wrote ASCON examinations is not selected and a Corporal is at Jos does not augur well for the good image of the police.

“If you act on this immediately, the issue of who-know-man will cease in the police.”

Attempts to speak with Force spokesman Sola Amore were rebuffed. He also refused to reply to a text message.

Obi’s comment on civil war personal, says group From Okodili Ndidi, Onitsha

A

SEPARATIST group, the Lower Niger Congress (LNC), has said the statement credited to Anambra State Governor Peter Obi on the end of the injustice and denial suffered by Ndigbo does not represent the views of the majority of Igbo.

Overwhelmed by the support of President Goodluck Jonathan and eminent Nigerians from the six geo-political zones during the funeral of Chief Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, Obi had declared that the civil war was finally over and that Ndigbo can now have a sense of belonging in Nigeria.

Speaking with reporters yesterday in Onitsha, LNC Leader Comrade Nnamdi Ohiagu said Ndigbo are still faced with the ills that led to the civil war and until they are addressed, the agitation continues.

Ohiagu said: “Obi is not an Igbo leader. He is entitled to his opinions, but they are not binding on Ndigbo. None of the current crop of politicians can speak for Ndigbo. They are all jostling for the 2015 presidency that the Federal Government is dangling before them, and for this, they can compromise the freedom of Ndigbo.”

He said all groups agitating for the emancipation of Ndiigbo and the people of the Southsouth have agreed that the implementation of the Aburi Accord is no longer necessary, but total balkanisation of the country.

APGA urges INEC to stop PDP

T

•Elumoye; Izeze; Bello; Mrs. Ohu and Ogeah...yesterday.

Slain journalist’s wife launches book •NUJ urges police to revisit case

“D

OES a journalist deserve to die while doing his job?”asked Mrs. Blessing Ochuko Ohu, wife of the slain journalist, Bayo Ayanlola Ohu, yesterday at the public presentation of her book, entitled: The Journalist’s wife.

The book chronicles her experiences before and after her husband’s death. The event was held at the Multipurpose Hall of the Eko FM, Lagos.

The hall was filled with families, friends, former colleagues of the late Ohu and many dignitaries.

Ohu, an Assistant News Editor at The Guardian, was murdered on September 20, 2009, at his home in Lagos. Three years after his death, his killers are still at large. The authorities are yet to apprehend the killers of several other journalists, such as Edo Sule Ugbagwu of The Nation, Paul Abayomi Ogundeji and Godwin Agbroko of ThisDay, among others.

Mrs. Ohu said: “It is exactly three years since Ohu left. The day he left, I thought of the day we met and the way we started. I did not start writing the book when he died, but when Ugbagwu of The Nation newspaper died. I rushed to his widow when I heard the news and found that she was passing through a similar experience. I realised I was not alone.

There, the thought of The Journalist’s wife came to my mind for the first time.”

To the widows of other slain journalists, she said: “Be strong and determined. Our sun has not yet set. I still have hope. If I can withstand it and wrote a book, you can do better.”

At the launch, guests, including the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos State chapter, Mr. Deji Elemoye, called for the re-examination of the cases of slain journalists.

Elemoye said: “Since Ohu’s death in September, 2009, the killers have not been found. Between then and now, the NUJ, Lagos chapter, has lost about six to seven members. When we asked the Police Commissioner how far they have gone with the investigation, he said they are still ongoing.

“We are calling on the Acting Inspector-General of Police to revisit the cases of slain journalists in Lagos and let us know the state of things as regard the cases.”

By Evelyn Osagie

He urged the government to look into the displacement of journalists from the Press Centre at the Presidential Lodge at the Murtala Muhammad Airport II. Managing Director of The Guardian, Mr. Emeka Izeze lamented the laxity of security operatives on security matters.

He said: “Ironically, a good number of those killed worked with me at some point in The Guardian. Hearing the NUJ chairman talk about our slain colleagues brought back lots of memories. This is a country where the Attorney-General was killed and nobody was caught.

“We take so many things for granted as journalists. We do not have time for our families. The book is special. I am glad she wrote it. It would help us to know that there is life after the job. It will help Mrs. Ohu and the partners of other journalists.”

On the cases of slain journalists, Commissioner for the Environment Tunji Bello, who represented Governor Babatunde Fashola, said: “I do not think we should expect anything from the police.”

He called for a state-controlled police, saying it would take care of the bottlenecks the Police Force is currently experiencing.

Bello said: “The kind of police we have negates true federalism. That is why Lagos and other states are calling for ‘State Police’. We must all advocate it.”

Urging journalists to stand for something, he said: “Bayo stood for something. We must be on the side of justice and integrity. “ The book was reviewed by former Concord reporter and Executive Director, Nead High International Organisation Mrs. Tuni Osugbemi.

Guests at the event included Delta State Commissioner for Information Chike Ogeah, who represented Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan; Alhaji Nasir Kaka, who represented Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) Director-General Otunba Olusegun Runsewe; Permanent Secretary, Eko FM, Mrs. Tinu Badejo; and the Principal Consultant, Edumark Consult, Mrs. Yinka Ogunde.

Obi is lying, says Ngige’s campaign group

T

HE Media Director of the Senator Chris Ngige’s Campaign Organisation, Chief Charles Amilo, has said the statement by the Media aide to Anambra State governor Peter Obi, that said the state

government did not prevent Ngige from speaking at the Alex Ekueme Square, Awka, during the funeral ceremony of Chief Chukwuemeka Ojukwu is false.

Amilo said: “We were all there and we saw it all.

Everyone at the Ekueme Square witnessed it. Now they are saying all that was done followed a criteria.

“Let me ask, is Senate President David Mark from Anambra? He spoke as a Nigerian. Is his deputy, Ike

Ekweremadu, our beloved brother, not from Enugu? He spoke as an Igbo man. So why was Ngige or any member representing the state at the National Assembly prevented from speaking? Its all politics!”

HE All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) yesterday urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disqualify the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from contesting the Anambra South Senatorial rerun slated for March 17, 2012.

APGA alleged that PDP is fielding two candidates for the same position.

The Court of Appeal nullified Senator Andy Uba’s election while ruling on the petition filed by APGA’s senatorial candidate, Mr. Chuma Nzeribe.

Uba and Mr. Nicholas Ukachukwu of the PDP are campaigning for the rerun.

Both of them are claiming they were nominated by the party for the election.

Uba was nominated by the PDP State Executive.

Ukachukwu claims that the party’s National Executive

From Chris Oji, Enugu

Committee okayed his nomination and he should be regarded as the authentic candidate.

APGA’s National Chairman Chief Victor Umeh said if the PDP cannot present one candidate, INEC should disqualify it from participating in the rerun.

Umeh said: “In 2011, the PDP national leadership submitted a parallel list of candidates to INEC and the Anambra State chapter submitted another set of names as candidates for various constituency elections.

“We would not like this issue to be treated with levity as was done in the 2011 election. Despite that electoral fraud of 2011, APGA’s candidate, Nzeribe, went to court and got the election nullified. We do not want a repeat this time.”

Abia PDP chieftain slams APGA

A

From Ugochukwu Eke, Umuahia

CHIEFTAIN of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State, Mr. Chukwudi Apugo, has condemned remarks credited to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), which alleged that Governor Theodore Orji has abandoned road projects in Aba. Speaking with reporters in Umuahia, the state capital, Apugo accused APGA of inciting Aba residents against Orji.

He said the APGA leadership has “a myopic view of Orji’s developmental efforts in Aba and the entire state.”

Apugo said: “Orji won the election in 2007 and was reelected in 2011. If APGA thinks he is not performing, it should wait till 2015 when another governor will take over and judge him thereafter.”

He said Orji has endeared himself to Abians through his “numerous achievements”, particularly in Aba, which he said has always taken the largest share of the state’s budget.

Apugo named some of the government’s projects in Aba as: the ongoing rehabilitation of the Ukwu-Mango Road, the reconstruction of the Aba/Owerri Road, the building of a pedestrian bridge at Abia Polytechnic junction on the Aba/ Owerri Road and the distilling of Aba Main Water Channel, among others.

PPA begs Kalu not to quit politics

T

HE National Chairman of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), Chief Sam Nkire, has appealed to former Abia State Governor and Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BOT) Dr. Orji Kalu to reconsider his decision to quit politics.

In a statement yesterday in Abuja, Nkire said his exit will be a big loss to the party.

Describing the purported suspension of Kalu as “regrettable, ill-timed and in bad taste”, Nkire said only

From Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

the PPA National Executive Committee (NEC) can determine the membership of the BOT. He said: “I urge Kalu to reconsider his decision and continue to work for the party which he founded, as his exit will amount to one loss too many.

“I call on the warring factions in Abia State to shield their swords, as this matter is now being handled at the national level.”

10

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

NEWS Netherlands to partner Rivers

T

HE government of the Netherlands is to collaborate with the Rivers State Government to strengthen development in the state.

The areas of collaboration will be on youth development, natural resources, micro-finance, and education, among others.

The Dutch Ambassador, Bert Roniyan, said this when he led a delegation to visit Governor Rotimi Amaechi at the Government House, Port Harcourt, on Wednesday.

“There is a keen interest from my government on developments here in Rivers State and the Niger Delta, and we are ready to assist wherever we can,” Roniyan said.

He said the Netherlands would welcome any stakeholders’ dialogue to chart the way forward for Nigerians.

Amaechi said there are immense opportunities, particularly for investors, in Nigeria.

“Nigeria is a land of opportunities. Nigeria is not as bad as it is painted outside. You need to come and live in Nigeria and do business here to know that Nigeria is not as bad as it is painted outside.”

Factory razed in Calabar

T

HE factory unit of Val Classic Enterprises in the Technology Incubation Centre (TIC) in Calabar, Cross River State, has been gutted by fire.

It was suspected to be caused by an electrical fault.

Centre Manager Edodi Ununoh, while conducting officials from the National Economic Reconstruction Fund (NERFUND) round the burnt factory, said property worth about N23million was destroyed.

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

According to him, of this amount N15 million worth of equipment was owned by the TIC while others were property of Val Classic Enterprises.

He said the incident has cut off power supply to the eight other units located within the control room.

He said the fire was belatedly put out by firemen, adding that the incident has been reported to relevant government agencies.

Akpabio hails Navy From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

A

KWA IBOM State Governor Godswill Akpabio yesterday hailed the Navy for closing down illegal refineries in Akwa Ibom and Rivers states.

Akpabio made the call when the Minister of State for Defence, Mrs. Olusola Obada, visited him at the Government House, Uyo. He said there was a similarity between illegal oil bunkering and arms proliferation in the Southsouth.

The governor pledged his administration’s readiness to cooperate with the Navy in tackling security infractions in the Gulf of Guinea.

He asked the Navy to consider establishing a Naval Secondary School in Akwa Ibom for the education of children and wards of personnel in the state.

Akpabio said such school should be located in Ikot Abasi where the Navy has its operational base.

Bank donates incubator to UCTH S part of its corporate social responsibility, Zenith Bank Plc has donated a new infant incubator and other equipment to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH).

Receiving the incubator from a Zenith Bank delegation led by the bank’s Southsouth zonal manager, Mrs Ekanem Daniel Asuquo, in Calabar yesterday, the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Thomas Agan, said the gesture would go a long way in checking deaths of premature babies.

His words: “We are pro-

A

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

foundly happy for the donation of this incubator. We can assure you that with this incubator it shall reduce the rate of death of the babies.”

He called on other individuals and organisations to emulate the bank’s gesture.

“The government cannot do it all alone. It is the support of everybody that will make health what it ought to be,” he said.

Mrs. Asuquo said the bank would continue to partner the hospital and the government to help build the society.

Police invite Delta PDP chieftain From Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

T

HE Delta State Police Command has issued an ultimatum to the former Senior Special Assistant to President Umar Yar’Adua on Legislative Matters, Cairo Ojuigboh, to appear for interrogation over an alleged attack on ex- Speaker, Martins Okonta.

Okonta was reportedly attacked during last Saturday’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ward congress elections.

But the ex-Speaker, in a strange twist, is battling charges of public assault, deformation of character and sponsorship of libellous publication.

Ojuigboh averred that Okonta sponsored a malicious publication in This Day of March 5, on page 11, to wit that he personally attacked him.

The police have asked Ojuigboh to honour its invitation latest today.

Last Saturday’s bloody ward congress election led to a lawmaker and a Returning Officer being hospitalised.

Okonta and the Returning Officer for Ika South Local Government, Oritsbubemi Nanna, reportedly turned the secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Asaba to a battle field.

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, Commissioner of Police Mamman Tsafe and other politicians have visited St Luke’s Hos-

Osunbor backs Oshiomhole

A

PEOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Edo State, former Governor Oserienmen Osunbor, has given his support to the candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Governor Adams Oshiomhole, in the July 14 election.

Osunbor, who was a PDP aspirant, said: “If we have a governor who is developing the state, why should we complain?”

He spoke when Oshiomhole visited him at his home at Iruekpen in Esan West Local Government.

According to Osunbor, “the maiden visit of the governor and his entourage to his home was historic and symbolic.

“The reason I am in politics is to touch the people.

“My interest is service to the people and our people love you because that is what you are doing.

“The governor has given me the opportunity by assuring me that those projects which I could not complete while I was in office will be completed.”

“I am aware that you have said so many good things about me and I recall a publication in The Vanguard where you were quoted as

•Oshiomhole (left) greeting Osunbor...yesterday

PDP vows to reclaim Edo

L

EADERS of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State have vowed to reclaim the state from the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

They said Edo must be at par with other states in the Southsouth, where the PDP has control.

The PDP leaders spoke at Akoko Edo Local Government Area where they received some defectors, who claimed to be ACN members.

The Chairman, Dan Orbih, said the party was determined to make necessary changes in governance and bring the state back to a sound footing with the emergence of the party’s governorship candidate, Charles Airhiavbere.

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

saying Osunbor is a good man but he is in the company of criminals.

“Our people love you as you can see them coming to welcome you. We have a good relationship but poli-

tics has kept us at a distance.

But I know that we have no personal differences.

“I hope that this relationship will be sustained and nurtured as from now on and may God give you the wisdom to complete all the projects you have started.”

Oshiomhole said he was at Iruekpen to inspect the water project executed by the government.

He said: “Politics aside, you are a complete gentleman. I have always insisted that we are both united with a share commitment that this state must be developed.”

They later held a private discussion.

Cult killings rise in Bayelsa varsity

T

HERE is tension in the Niger Delta University (NDU) and Amassoma communities in Bayelsa State following renewed killings by suspected cultists.

It was learnt that two final year students of engineering died in mysterious circumstances.

The students were allegedly killed in a clash between rival cult groups on the campus.

One of the victims had machete cuts on his body.

The other was found floating on the Amassoma River, his face covered with a black polythene bag.

An unconfirmed report said the cultists covered the face of their victim before dumping him in the river.

A source identified the groups as Vikings and Black Axe.

•Two final year students killed From Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa

There were reported shootings on Wednesday night.

Several students were injured. Many were admitted at the casualty ward of the University Health Centre.

Eyewitnesses claimed the injured left the hospital before day break for fear of being arrested and interrogated by security operatives.

Three persons were reportedly missing.

Police spokesman Emokpae Eguaevon confirmed the development.

He said everything was being done to bring the perpetrators to book.

Eguaevon urged the public to assist the police with useful information to enable the police solve cult-re-

lated activities on campus.

Recently, a driver to the university’s Registrar, Stanley Boukiri, was kidnapped.

Four days after Boukiri was declared missing, his decomposed body was found at a foot-bridge in the community.

A source said his throat was slashed and both wrists severed from his body.

Also, a Youth Corps member serving on the campus was mistaken for a student and kidnapped.

He was released after he was identified as a Corps member.

The corps member was quoted as saying: “When the kidnap kingpin, a popular man in Amassoma, walked to where I was

•Three missing held, he told his boys to release me as he needed a student, not a corps member.”

The Office of the Chief Security Officer is reportedly working to assist the police to arrest the situation.

Reacting to the incident through his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Daniel Markson – Iworiso, Governor Seriake Dickson re-echoed his administration’s resolve to confront cults and militants.

He urged various security agencies to arrest the perpetrators.

Dickson said: “I have directed that thorough investigation be carried out and the perpetrators arrested.

“We are clear in our resolve to maintain a zero tolerance for crime and criminality.”

Four in race to replace Dickson at National Assembly

F

OUR candidates have emerged to occupy the vacant seat of Governor Seriake Dickson, who represented Ekeremo/ Sagabama Federal Constituency in Bayelsa State.

The seat became vacant, following the election of Dickson as governor.

The aspirants are Ms. Stella Dorgu, ex-Acting Governor Nestor Binabo, former Chairman of Sagbama Local Government Salo Adikumo and Imomotimi Fanama.

But the most likely aspirants are Binabo and Ms. Dorgu, who was the coordinator for the Keme to Keme Movement, a cam-

From Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa

paign outfit for Dickson’s governorship bid.

A source said Binabo has a better chance because he did not only handover to Dickson peacefully but also used his executive powers as the acting governor to assist the governor’s campaign.

He said: “Nestor mobilised all commissioners then, and even the structures that were still on the fence to ensure support for Dickson’s campaigns.

“He moved with him to every nook and cranny of the state to convince the people to support Dickson.

“So this is payback time for Dickson to support Binabo’s

ambition.

Governor Dickson should naturally let Binabo represent him at Abuja.”

But Ms. Dorgu’s supporters said besides her hard work through the Keme to Keme campaign outfit, Dickson had promised to ensure that she takes over from him as member of the House of Representatives.

They said: “This factor spurred her to exert lots of energy and ensure that she delivered her part of the bargain.”

Besides, Ms. Dorgu also has the backing of the women groups as they mobilised in a rally at the state Peoples Democratic Party

(PDP) secretariat yesterday.

Speaking at the rally, Mrs. Tina Tossi, Mrs. Patricia Blessing and Mrs. Ebi Akebofa emphasised on the need for a woman to represent the constituency in Abuja.

They said there hasn’t been a woman in the House since the creation of the state.

“Apart from the need to fulfil the 35 per cent derivative, Ms. Dorgu is most qualified among all the contestants,” said Mrs. Akebofa.

A youth leader, Peter Okogba, said there was need for the PDP as a party to give women a place.

The election comes up on March 17.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

11

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

Exploit natural resources, RMAFC tells states, local govts From Nduka Chiejina,

T

Asst. Editor

HE Revenue Mobilisation allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has called on all the 36 states of the Federation including the Federal Capital Territory to exploit their natural resources instead of depending on the monthly allocations Chairman of the RMAFC Engr. Elias Mbam made this call yesterday when a delegation from Taraba state called on commission to present their case for improved revenue allocation in the proposed new revenue formula.

A statement from the RMAFC signed by Ibrahim Mohammed Head, Public Relations, said Mbam called on all tiers of government to realise that “the perpetual struggle for oil revenue sharing from the Federation Account could become a thing of the past as huge revenue could be derived from agriculture, tourism, solid minerals and the manufacturing sectors.”

He charged all the three tiers of government to partner on the development of natural resources in their domain by leveraging on the Natural Resources Fund and the recently introduced Solid Minerals Fund to provide additional funding windows for the provision of infrastructure and other services for the effective take-off of diversification programme, which will reduce the overdependence on oil revenue.

Transportation is one of the biggest problems facing Nigerians. But with the concerted effort of the states and local governments, the transit buses would help ease the problem.

-Minister of Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga

Power project contractors get June ultimatum T

HE Federal Govern ment yesterday read the riot act to contractors handling power projects in the country. It issued them a three months ultimatum to either perform or get sacked.

The ultimatum came on a day the President of Eurobud Invest Corporation, Ukraine, Mr. Tatarenko Pavlo, pledged to boost Nigeria’s power sector.

Vice President Namadi Sambo, who presided over the 21st Board Meeting of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), said contractors that failed to reach achieve 50per cent project execution by the end of June, 2012, will have their contracts terminated..

The vice president also directed the management of NDPHC to make a list of delinquent contractors and consultants. He said anyone that could not complete its project by the end of the year will be sanctioned.

Briefing newsmen at the end of the meeting, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta, said any transmission and distribution contractor

• Ukraine pledges to boost electricity From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

that has not performed up to the 50 per cent by June, will have its contract transferred to a performing contractor.

He also said all the NIPP contracts will also come up for review at the end of June.

“At this meeting the chairman, which is the Vice President directed that all the contractors must have performed at least 50 per cent of their jobs by the end of June this year. Any transmission and distribution contractor that has not done so by June this year will have its contract given to a performing contractor.

“So there will be a review at the end of June of all the transmission and distribution contracts and the ones that are not performing will obviously be dropped and given performing contractors. Hopefully, there will be improvement in the next few months and definitely by the

end of the year we would have improvement,” he said.

He also said that the meeting reviewed the activities of the National Independent Power Plants that are being constructed across the country, noting that lots of progress have been made, including the coming up of two plants, Olorunshogo and Sapele.Both have some of the units (turbines) completed.

The Olorunshogo completed units with 450mw and Sapele two units completed with 250mw generation capacity, he said.

The success he said has been hampered with gas supply.

He however, assured that as part of the efforts to address the problem of gas supply to power projects, the Presidential committee on gas is expected to come up with gas supply strategy by next week.

Besides, he said the meet-

ing urged the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr. Austin Onivon and the Managing Director, National Gas Company of Nigeria to work with Chevron and all other oil companies to ensure availability of gas, in order to meet government’s planned programme for power delivery to the nation Before giving approval to some of the requests by the management of NDPHC, Vice President Sambo warned that the Board would no longer approve any new projects and they must concentrate on the urgent delivery of existing contracts.

In a related development, Pavlo, who spoke during a courtesy visit to the Minister of State of Power by the Ukraine Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Valery Vasyliev, who led a Trade delegation, said Ukraine is interested in the energy sector in generation, transmission and designing the thermal stations. He assured that if given a chance, they would uplift the sector to enviable heights.

DATA STREAM COMMODITY PRICES Oil -$123.6/barrel Cocoa -$2,686.35/metric ton Coffee - ¢132.70/pound Cotton - ¢95.17pound Gold -$1,800/troy ounce Rubber -¢159.21pound MARKET CAPITALISATIONS NSE -N6.503 trillion JSE -Z5.112trillion NYSE -$10.84 trillion LSE -£61.67 trillion

RATES Inflation -10.3% Treasury Bills -7.08% Maximum lending22.42% Prime lending -15.87% Savings rate -2% 91-day NTB -14.7% Time Deposit -5.49% MPR -12% Foreign Reserve $33.01b FOREX CFA 0.2958 EUR 206.9 £ 245 $ 156.4 ¥ 1.9179 SDR 241 RIYAL 40.472

FirstNation launches more online payment

By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor

I

N response to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Cash-less policy, FirstNation Airways has introduced additional payment options on its website www.flyfirstnation.com Spokesman of the airline, Mr Pelu Awofeso, said passengers flying on the company’s routes can now book their flights online and pay with their VISA, Interswitch or Mastercard.

Visitors to the website he explained, will find a step-bystep guide to making payments for all booked flights.

FirstNation Airways, which began domestic operations in November 2011, has offered tens of thousands of its passengers a pleasant travelling experience on its Airbus A320s. In the last five months, it has consistently maintained a record of on-time departures.

According to the statement, Jos resident, Augustine Joseph, who was on a FirstNation flight from Abuja to Lagos, said: “I appreciate using your airline because of your keeping to time.”

“I will fly FirstNation, again and again,” said civil servant, Ademola Saliu, who flew on the AbujaLagos service in February.

“Honestly, your airline is the best for now.”

Another impressed passenger added: “Your crew and the plane are very good. The staff on board are jovial and well dressed.”

FirstNation said it will operate a fleet of modern Airbus A320 passenger aircraft.

SON, CPC , seal petrol stations in Abuja, Nassarawa From Franca Ochigbo and Frances Ajewole, Abuja • From left: Mr Joel Ajiga, Director NSE; Mrs Titilola Bakare, MD/CEO Vono Products Plc and Mr Oscar Oyema, CEO, NSE at the Vono Products Plc presentation of Facts Behind the Figures, held at Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE), Lagos...on Wednesday.

PHOTO: JOHN EBHOTA

T

NNPC raises the alarm over oil theft

HE management of the Nigerian National Pe troleum Corporation (NNPC) has raised the alarm over what it called sustained nefarious activities of oil pipeline marauders. It said their activities are posing a potent threat to the successful operation of both the upstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry.

Group Managing Director of the Corporation, Austen Oniwon, disclosed this at an interactive forum between top management of the NNPC and the Board and Commissioners of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

He said pipeline vandalism presents the single biggest threat to the smooth operation of the petroleum industry in the country.

Oniwon said if the menace is left unchecked, Nigeria would wake up one day to discover that pipeline thieves have taken over the country.

The Group General Manager, Public Affairs Division of the corporation, Dr. Levi Ajuonoma made these disclosures in a statement yesterday.

He quoted Oniwon as saying: “In the last few months we have lost millions of dollars in shut-in oil wells as a result of the activities of oil thieves

who breach our crude lines to steal oil. So far the TransForcados and the Trans-Niger Trunk lines have been shutin due to attack on the facilities by thieves.”

Oniwon stated that the activities of the oil thieves is also a menace to the downstream sector where increased vandalisation of petroleum product pipelines has made it almost impossible to pump products to the depots across the country through the pipelines thereby depending on bridging with trucks.

“Let us take this menace a bit further by looking at the danger it poses to our collective existence as a nation. If we fail to curb this trend we are inadvertently empower-

ing these criminals to take over our Local Government Areas and by the time they do that they would move on to take charge of the states since they now have the resources to decide who gets to power and one day we may as well wake up to discover that they have taken over the entire country.”

Oniwon warned that the situation, if left unchecked could degenerate to the scenario in countries such as Mexico and Colombia where criminals have empowered themselves through nefarious activities and now call the shots because they have stolen so much from the system through underworld operations.

T

HE Standards Organisation of Nige ria (SON) and officials of the Consumer Protection of Nigeria (CPC), have clamped down on some filling stations in Abuja, sealing them off for engaging in sharp practices, ranging from under dispensing of fuel to selling adulterated and low quality of petroleum products.

This was sequel to an investigation by a joint enforcement team, led by Joseph Odumodu, Director General of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the Head of Weights and Measures Department , Ministry of Trade and Investment, Mohammed Sidi and the Director, Quality Assurance and Development, Consumer Protection Council,(CPC), Emmanuel Amlai.

12

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

BUSINESS NEWS Flight Schedule

Arik Air opens shop in Ibadan

MONDAY - FRIDAY

A

RIK Air has opened new sales office in Ibadan, Oyo State. The opening of the new sales office according to a statement follows the appointment of Peacock Travel and Tours as Arik Air’s General Sales Agent (GSA) in Ibadan.

The appointment authorises Peacock Travel and Tours to promote and sell Arik Air’s products and services in Ibadan and its environs.

Elaborating on the pact, Arik Air Managing Director, Mr. Chris Ndulue, said: “The new office in Ibadan will bring Arik Air’s products and services closer to our guests in Oyo and neighbouring Osun and Ogun States. It is now easier to book tickets from Ibadan to fly to any of Arik Air’s domestic and international destinations and enjoy the airline’s services.”

Chairman of Peacock, Chief Segun Phillips said: “I feel elated that our company has been appointed as Arik Air’s GSA for Ibadan. I am also happy for the people of Ibadan, the political head quarter of the South West, as the GSA will enhance the economic integration of the South Western Nigeria.”

Forth Oil gets ISO Cerification

F

ORTE Oil PLC, of the leading petroleum marketing compa nies in the country has received the NIS ISO 9001:2008 certification from Standards Organisations of Nigeria (SON).

With this certification, Forte Oil according to a statement, now joins the select list of Quality Management System certified companies in Nigeria.

The ISO 9001:2008 certification process involved intense audit of systems and processes of the business across Nigeria in order to determine compliance with global standards. The assessment process covered both the lubricant oil blending plant, (capable of producing up to 50,000 metric tons of about 100 different grades of lubricating oils annually) aviation depot, sales, finance as well as other operational and non operational areas of the business across Nigeria.

Receiving the award, Akin Akinfemiwa, the Acting Chief Executive Officer, said the certification was a confirmation of Forte Oil’s commitment to consistently offering her customers, good quality products and services from a well managed environment. In his words ‘‘As globalisation evolves, the only competitive edge a business such as ours can offer our customer is quality. ‘Consistent quality products and services is one of the surest ways of winning a respectable place in the hearts and minds of your customers,’’ he said. after a series of pre and main assessments of Forte Oil Plc’s Quality Management System by a team of auditors from the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON).

• From left: Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Mr. Kayode Jegede; and Project Director, Ekiti State Digital Transformation Programme, Dr. Anderson Uvie-Emegbo, shortly after the presentation of the State's new Digital Channels recently.

NUBIFIE, Access Bank to meet over members’ entitlement

T

HE management of Access Bank Nigeria PLC will on the 20th of March, 2012 meet with the leadership of National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) to negotiate the modalities of paying off ex- Intercontinental bank workers who were affected by the recent restructuring exercise.

NUBIFIE National President, Comrade Peter Okafor disclosed this to newsmen in Lagos yesterday.

Following the acquisition of Intercontinental Bank, Access Bank had cut over 1,000 jobs – majority of which were staff of Intercontinental Bank.

Giving an insight into staff rationalisation, Access Bank had said the exercise wasn’t arbitrarily done, explaining that a minimum threshold in terms of performance was set.

After the right-sizing, Okafor said efforts by the leadership of

By Dupe Olaoye- Osinkolu

NUBIFIE to meet with the management Access Bank proved abortive, prompting the union to issue a seven day ultimatum, which expired yesterday.

He said that in as much as the union wants absolute peace in the banking industry, it will not allow Access Bank to take its members for granted. ‘’Until two days ago, Access bank did not invite us to any form of meeting to negotiate on how the sacked workers would be compensated for their effort of many years.

We wrote to them but there was no response. That was why we issued that threat. It was just two days ago management invited us,’’ he said.

Okafor said there is a collective agreement, which must be honoured. “This, the bank did not do before embarking on such exercise. We know that employers

have the right to hire and fire but at least first thing should be done first, which is negotiating how these workers who will now face the labour market unplanned be able to live on something before they get another job or business to do,” he said.

In a statement jointly signed by the NUBIFIE President, Comrade Okafor and General Secretary of the union, Comrade Deji Kamson Olaniyan, both leaders stated that dialogue was the union’s watchword, adding that if Access bank Plc had called the union to a round table nobody would be raising eyebrow now.

NUBIFIE reiterated that the union was still having issues to settle with about three of the nationalised banks, who were yet to reach out to the national union with a view to proactively and collectively addressing the foreseen employment related challenges.

Govt committed to gas flares down, says NNPC

The Federal Government has said it is committed to drastically reduce gas flaring in the country within the next three years to save the environment and monetise the flared gas.

The Group Executive Director, Gas and Power, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. David Ige, said this yesterday at the 2012 annual Oloibiri Lecture series and Energy Forum in Lagos. It was organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).

Ige said that with the measures put in place by the government on ways to finally address the issue of gas flaring in the country, flaring would reduce drastically in the next two year. He said that Nigeria is the holder of the world’s seventh and Africa’s largest gas reserves of more than 187 trillion cubic feet.

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

But currently the country flares most of the gas it produces along with oil because it lacks the infrastructure to process it.

He said the country has the potential to hit 600 trillion cubic feet reserves, adding that availability of gas has never been Nigeria’s problem but what has remained challenging is getting enough gas to the power stations.

Ige noted that the gas master plan is predicated on an anticipated aggressive demand increase of up to 25 per cent, adding that domestic projects such as methanol plants, gasto-liquids plants, fertiliser plants, independent power projects and other LNG export plants such as Brass LNG

are also expected to stimulate demand.

He said: “Nigeria produces 7.8 billion cubic feet of gas per day, out of which it utilises 4.5 billion. Government is looking at having three gas transmission pipeline systems. The gas master plan and the pipelines that would carry gas to different parts of the country are expected to stimulate economic activities around the pipeline routes, with gas-related industries springing up and generating jobs for Nigerians.

He said that lots of the gas supply in the Eastern part of the country would be bridged from East-West gas pipeline. He added that gas remains a major challenge to the country’s power supply, which would be addressed in a shortly, noting that the government has spent over $1,5 billion on domestic gas.

N105b infrastructure for three Abuja districts

T

HREE new districts in the Federal Capital Territory are to receive N105 billion for infrastructural development.

The districts, Jahi, Wuye and Maitama Extension are to be provided with electrical power supply cables, street lighting poles, river draining channelisation, water drainage system among other facilities.

The Jahi District, which is being handled by Gilmor Engineering Company at the cost of N41billion

From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

with 40 months construction period, is to cover about 650 hectares with a total of 1973 plots made up of both residential and commercial plots while the Wuye District handled by Arab Contractors will cost about N40billion. It is also expected to be completed within 40 months.

The Maitama Extension being handled by a Nigerian Firm, Mangrovetech Construction Com-

pany costs about N24billion.

The Minister of the FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed, who performed the ground breaking of the three districts, said the projects is to be funded by the Debt Management Office (DMO)and through the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)of the ministry.

He said the provision of infrastructure to these districts is significant because over 1,292 hectares of land will be opened for immediate development with

Jahi District’s 650 hectares; Wuye’s 411 hectares and Maitama Extension covering 231 hectares.

“These three new districts are expected to provide about 3,500 residential and commercial plots that will help decongest the Federal Capital City by increasing the chances of additional residential accommodation, business and employment opportunities to the teeming population of the Federal Capital Territory”, he said.

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

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

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

1.

2.

3.

4.

Arik Aero Arik Aero

1. Arik 2. Aero 1.

2.

3.

4.

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

LAGOS – KADUNA Aero 08.00 Chanchangi 10.00 Arik 10.00 Arik 15.10

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

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

2.

3.

4.

5.

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

08.40 08.40 14.55 15.10 17.40

1.

2.

3.

4.

Arik Aero Arik Aero

LAGOS – WARRI 08.15 11.50 11.55 14.55

09.1 12.50 12.55 15.55

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

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

08.50 09.45 09.40 14.00 15.45 19.55

LAGOS – OWERRI 07.20 14.00 16.30

08.30 15.10 17.40

LAGOS – UYO 10.35

11.35

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

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

08.00 18.00

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

BENEVOLENCE Group builds support centres

Deltal

51

APPEAL

CRIME

Fishermen seek floating mega station

How fuel attendants defraud customers

Akwa Ibom

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

14

Lagos

50

Page 13

Email: news_extra@yahoo.com

“G

IVEN the situation one meets every now and then in our society, sometimes when the husband is not available, the next person to reach out to for support and/or advice is the wife of the governor and it is not a role one should run away from.”

This was the view of Erelu Bisi Fayemi, wife of the Ekiti State Governor, and the Founder of Ekiti Development Foundation (EDF).

With this mindset, she had her mind prepared for the complementary role her position as wife of the governor conferred on her to touch the lives of the downtrodden.

Long before she came on board as governor’s wife in Ekiti State and while still in the United Kingdom, Erelu Fayemi had worked in the Department of Health and Social Services and later became the Director of Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA), an international development organisation for African women based in London.

She also established the African Women’s Leadership Institute (AWLI), a training and networking forum for young African women which has its headquarters in Ghana. Currently, the institute has trained over 5, 000 women from various parts of Africa.

While it may be trite and possibly out of place to catalogue here the many organisations which she had either founded herself or cofounded with others, it is necessary to note that a recurring theme of protection of women, children and the girl-child always runs through her efforts.

Today, the office which Erelu Fayemi occupies in Ekiti State, or more appropriately, the role which she performs, has become a ‘discovery’ of sorts as it has gone beyond just supporting the office of the governor in providing occasional remedial palliatives for the needy, including young and elderly men and women.

Erelu Fayemi, through the establishment of EDF, has supported several women, children and the aged who are socio-culturally dispossessed, and serially abused. Before she launched the EDF in June 2011,

•Mrs Fayemi with widows waiting to collect bags of rice at Iye-Ekiti

Governor’s wife extends support to the needy Distributes cash, materials to the poor From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Akure

Erelu had been part of the launch of the Multiple Births Trust Fund (MBTF) and Maternal/Child Records Booklet (MCRB) in conjunction with and under the supervision of the State Ministry of Women Affairs, Social Development and Gender Empower-

ment.

While the multiple births initiative was to financially intervene in the care of multiple births like twins and triplets by indigent families, the MCRB was to assist the mother and the care-giver to keep record of sequence of pregnancies of the mother and health history both of the mother and the children.

I

•The incubators acquired by Federal Medical Centre, Owerri

She said: “This is to enable the caregivers to know when and how to advise our mothers to put a stop to making children as the best is to have as few children as one can take care of at any point in time.”

The governor’s wife, at the launch of MBTF had explained: “The objective of the fund was partly to ensure that families with multiple births

were adequately supported by government to reduce the burden of care on the families.”

Erelu had also selected, from across the 16 local government areas of the state multiple birth families numbering about 100 and gave them financial and material supports on the platform of Multiple Birth Trust Fund.

In December 2011, the MBTF, in conjunction with the Ministry of Women Affairs and Gender Empowerment, hosted nearly 200 multiple birth families, giving each between N25, 000 and N30, 000 and food/material items depending on the number of multiple births.

The parents, who were informed through text messages and selected from an established data •Continued on Page 49

‘We are committed to quality healthcare delivery’

N line with the Imo State Government’s commitment towards making quality healthcare services accessible and affordable for the people, the Medical Director of Federal Medical Centre Owerri (FMC), Dr. Angela Uwakwem has said that the priority of the hospital is to deliver quality healthcare system to patients.

Dr. Uwakwem disclosed this while taking delivery of six new incubators acquired by the management of the centre.

According to her, the centre is committed to the provision of modern affordable facilities to the patients. This, she said, indicates

From Emma Mgbeahurike, Owerri

that the management of the hospital would continue to emphasise on provision of first-class health facilities.

“We are committed to excellent services, pleasurably delivered. As such, quality will continue to be our watch word,” she said.

Dr Uwakwem stressed that, with the availability of the incubators, she has been relieved of certain

constraints as against what was obtainable in the past when they found it difficult to manage premature babies as a result of lack of appropriate and necessary equipment.

She said: “I am greatly relieved and I can now comfortably handle the case of children that did not stay up to nine months in the womb as such cases will be handled adequately.”

She called on the staff of the •Continued on Page 49

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

14

Okorocha advises women

Fishermen seek floating mega station at Ibeno

T

•Governor Akpabio

HE Artisan Fishermen Association of Nigeria, Ibeno chapter in Akwa Ibom has appealed to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to establish a floating mega station in Ibeno for fishermen.

Chief John Etim, the Secretary of the association told journalists in Eket, Akwa Ibom State, that the high cost of petrol had raised the cost of fishing in the area.

Etim said that the association members buy petrol for between N150 per litre and N170 per litre instead of the official price of N97 per litre.

According to him, Ibeno has a high concentration of fishermen, who require

‘Give us road before the rains’ HE Illah community in Delta State has urged the state government to save its people from persistent hardship by constructing the road leading to a major market in the town before the rains.

The community said that the road, which also leads to St. John’s Monastery, the only one in the state, had become dilapidated and neglected by the government for several decades.

Speaking through the Traditional Council Secretary, Mr Ben Nwaokocha, the traditional ruler of the town, Obi Nwabuenu Mebu, said the poor state of the road had constituted a setback to the economic growth of the community.

He said the “Eke” market, located by the bank of River Niger, had remained a major source of food for a greater part of the state and environs and decried the poor condition of its access road.

Mebu said that because of the viability of the market, the road often recorded high volume of traffic but regretted that lives and goods were being regularly lost on it due to its poor state.

The monarch said the neglect of the road by the government had made it difficult for vehicles to get to the market and the farmers “except for trucks and high vehicles”.

“Every year, especially during the yam season, the traffic on the road is often very high, particularly with big trucks which go there to convey people and their big yam consignments to other parts of the state and country.

“In the process, the road gets worse as no maintenance or rehabilitation work is done on it by any government, whether state or local government. Even people from the Government House come here to buy food items.

“Truth is that the road would have been totally impassable but for the communal effort

T

Delta of our people, including the church community, because of the monastery located in that area.”

Mebu accused the Oshimili North Local Government Council of selfishness and insensitivity, saying that the council’s officials were always at the market to collect taxes and rates but had failed to maintain the road.

The monarch lamented that the bad road was hampering evacuation of agricultural produce and other goods from the area and therefore appealed to the state government to come to the aid of the community.

In his reaction, the state Commissioner for Works, Chief Funkekeme Solomon, said that the road had been approved for construction, this year, adding that contract for the project would be awarded soon.

Church gives free medical treatment

I

Akwa Ibom large volume of petrol to power their outboard engines for fishing operations.

Besides, Etim said that the floating filling station would discourage the sale of adulterated petrol in the area.

He added that the high demand for petrol would make the establishment of the mega station worth the investment.

“Petrol accounts for the highest cost of fishing business because each fishing boat requires between 150 litres and 200 litres of petrol for a fishing trip.

“The implication is that fishermen will be compelled to add the cost to the consumer.

“Our withdrawal from fishing because of the oil spill that occurred at the Bonga Oil Field, as ordered by the oil spill regulatory agency, has led to the scarcity of fish in the Niger Delta.

“We do not want to add to the suffering of the people, who see fish as the cheapest source of protein.

“But if we buy petrol at N150 and above it will be difficult to break even; fish would simply become unaffordable to majority of Nigerians,” Etim said.

Mr Samuel Udokop, an official of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) told newsmen that the high price of petrol in the area was due to the landing cost.

Newsextra recalls that the fishermen were asked to stay away from the Atlantic coastline on December 20 due to the spill from Bonga Oil Field.

•Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan (right) receiving a gift from Delta State Students Association, Pan African University Lagos chapter, during a lecture on “Media, Democratic Governance and Challenges of National Development” delivered by the governor, at the university’s campus in Lagos.

Niger Delta group builds support centres

A

S part of its social responsibility for OdeUgborodo and Ogidigben communities in Warri, Delta State, a group: Ikpere Ale-Meje Women Traders Association (IAMWATAU),has built two support centres.

The two blocks of 16 rooms each built in OdeUgborodo and Ogidigben,according to their leader ,Mrs Mercy Olowu, is a major breakthrough for the women as they could manage and channel profit generated from their collective business into other developmental initiatives.

According to Olowu, the centres would go a long way in reducing hardship of the women as

HE Senior Pastor of Anthony Village City of Refuge Foursquare Gospel Church in Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos State, has explained that the free medical treatment programme of church is part of its community social responsibilities geared towards alleviating poverty in its immediate environment.

“In her own reaction, the operator of Royal Eye Clinic, Anthony Village, Dr Florence Chima Madukwe said “we only acted in partnership in order to help the less privileged who cannot afford eye care”

T

S

Enugu ensuring that they complied with what they set out in the plans submitted.

Ani said the chairmen were directed to set up committees to visit communities in their domains to ascertain their basic needs and report back to the various chairmen.

“After that, the council chairmen are expected to submit the reports to the state Commissioner for Local Government for documentation and appraisal when necessary.

•Commissioners in Lagos State Local Government Service Commission: From left: Otunba O. O. Osibodu; Alhaji Alanni Sumonu and Dr. W.A. Ipaye at the one-day interactive session with senior officials of local governments and local council developmetn areas in Lagos .

NGO calls for speedy trial of cases

T

•From left: Lion Taiwo K. Oloyede with Multi District Governor AVM Tony Okpere and Lions Internation Director, Lion Adetope Tyehus at the wake keep service for Mrs Grace aderemilekun Osijo at Palm Grove, Lagos.

Delta she lamented that for so long, the communities had faced the challenges of accommodation and other developmental projects.

Also speaking at the event , Mr Chima Nwogu, a manager of West Chevron Nigeria Limited, said the housing projects are a product of partnership and good neighbourliness. “We are indeed pleased that from the proceeds of the contracts which Chevron has given to members of this association, a huge infrastructural project like this could be executed. It just shows the importance of partnership and teamwork for development,” said Nwogu.

Olowu also acknowledged the contribution of the Afolabi- led organisation in making the dream a reality. According to her, Afolabi had used the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) to promote a non-violent agitation in favour of women.

A representative of Chevron Nigeria PLC, George Iluwa (another intervening agency) said Afolabi brought to the front burner the need to emancipate Niger Delta women.

At the ceremony well attended by women within beneficiary communities, the women confessed that they have not had it this good.

Briefly

Council chairmen submit work plans INCE assuming office two months ago, only seven of the 17 local government chairmen in Enugu State have submitted their work plans to the state government, an official has said.

The state’s Commissioner for Local Government Matters, Mr Okey Ani, disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Enugu.

The state government had requested for the plans to monitor the activities of the councils.

Ani said the state government used such plans to monitor the councils every two months.

According to him, this is with a view to

HE Executive Vice President for Coalition of Good Governance International, a non-governmental organisation based in America, Dr Collins Awosika, has called for the speedy trial of civil cases and other human rights violations in Nigeria.

Awosika told reporters in Lagos that his organisation was monitoring the development of governmental and judicial activities in the country.

He said: “We have interest in what is happening in the litigation involving the defenceless minority whose rights are being violated in the community, since most of then could hardly afford cost of hiring lawyers in the litigation they were involved in”.

However, he praised the Lagos State government for strengthening the judiciary in the discharge of its function to the society. “Let me start by commending former governor of Lagos, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the incumbent Babatunde Fashola for providing the enabling environment for judiciary to function”, he said .

Awosika stated that the government had

51

By Musa Odoshimokhe

put in place organisations where ordinary people could complain against cases of misdemeanour and were being assisted to enable them get justice.

He called on the judiciary to quickly address the cases involving Mrs Modupe Siyanbola with her banker. According, to him, the woman had gone to the bank to withdraw money and her belonging was removed from the cubicle provided by the bank.

The case which had been on for over two years had been transferred from where it was instituted initially to another court in Lagos Island but had been adjourned severally.

He said: “We are really worried that cases of this nature could go on and on, we will appreciate if the judiciary will look into this case and other ones because justice delayed is justice denied.”

•Awosika

Council chair promises welfare packages for workers BETTER days are here for workers of Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State as they will henceforth be smiling home every month with the enhanced welfare packages designed by the new caretaker chairman,Hon Salau Fatai Adesina This promise was given by the new chairman at his maiden meeting with the workers of the local government at Ayete.

According to him, the welfare packages will only be extended to workers who demonstrate commitment, diligence, loyalty, humility and dedication at their various duty posts. He, however, sought the support and dedication of the entire staff and members of the caretaker committee of the Local Government to enable him succeed.

He reiterated his total commitment to speedy infrastructural and human development within the shortest possible time.

In his remark, the chairman of National Union of Local Government Employee (NULGE) for the council, Comrade Bashir Folorunsho, promised the new chairman, the full cooperation of the workers of the council.

He said workers of the local government will improve in their service delivery to enhance speedy development of the council government.

Present at the meeting were director of personnel management. Alhaji W.G Ajani and other heads of departments and units of the local government.

MO State Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha has urged Nigerian women to live up to their responsibilities as wives, to ensure “a peaceful home and a better society”.

Okorocha gave the charge at a prayer meeting and marriage seminar, organised by the Women of Divine Destiny Initiative (WODDI) in conjunction with the state’s Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in Owerri.

The governor noted that many women failed in their responsibility to the family when they talked down on their husbands, refused them affection and care and not to pray for their success”.

He stressed the need for women to understand themselves well, to be able to appropriate God’s calling and the gift in their lives.

“Most women do not understand themselves. Women, you need to understand who you are, until you understand who you are, you will not appropriate yourself well to what you are called to do,” he said.

Okorocha, who observed that most women had left their spiritual responsibility in their --------------+-homes, in pursuance of worldly things, urged them to turn a new leaf for a better society.

“If the marriage is right, the family will

Imo be right; if the family is right the society will be right and if the society is right, the nation will be right,” he said.

Mrs Folorunsho Alakija, the guest speaker and Coordinator of Rose of Sharon Foundation, Lagos, an NGO that caters for widows and indigent children, said that 68 per cent of marriages broke up due to a lack of information.

The other factor, she added, was absence of commitment of the couple to God and to each other.

She defined marriage as a union of two people of opposite sex who have pledged to love one another and to live together, before God as a witness.

Alakija said a lot of women were battered, depressed and regarded as good for nothing in their homes because couples entered

•Okorocha

marriages with borrowed ideas and methods and left the ordained way of marriage.

Eight illegal refinery operators held Abia

O

FFICERS of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have arrested eight suspects who allegedly operate illegal refineries in Obiakpo-Obuzoukwu, Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State The suspects are; Paul Agu, Udochukwu Akanwa, Chika Edet-Okon, Joshua Sunday, Maduabuchi Chukwu, Ifeanyi Adikibe, Uchenna Onyemetu and Chukwuonye Nwuju.

The Abia Commandant of NSCDC, Mr Nathaniel Ubong, paraded the suspects before newsmen in Umuahia.

He said they were caught by the combined team of Anti-Vandal and Rapid Response Squad of the command in ObiakpoObuzoukwu in Ukwa West on February 27.

Ubong said the team had also impounded one Mercedes Benz vehicle with Registration Number; Rivers XA275GGU, laden with about 5,000 litres of substance suspected to be adulterated fuel.

Other items seized from them include one L-300 Mitsubishi bus (Registration number unknown), 30 metal sheets used in the construction of refineries, a long hose and empty drums.

The NSCDC officer said that the arrest followed a tip-off received from a patriotic Nigerian by the command.

Ubong said the NSCDC officers had discovered five illegal refineries in the same community in the course of the raid.

•Chairman, Ayobo Ipaja Local Council Development Area, Hon. Sakini Yusuf (middle) with Secretary to the Local Government, Alhaja Falilat Ajijola (fifth left), the Council Manager; Mrs A. O, Rosiji (fourth right), members of staff and other staff of the legislative arm at the council secretariat.

Council chief inaugurates projects HE Executive Chairman of Agbado/OkeOdo Local Council Development Area, Hon. Augustus Arogundade, has promised to sustain the tempo of development initiated by his administration.

Speaking during a series of activities marking his 100 days in office, the council boss explained that he was prepared to fulfill all his electioneering promises and to serve the people better.

“We will not relent in our effort to serve the people better by fulfilling all our electioneering promises and I will even do more. It gladdens my heart to report back to you that we have been able to fulfill some of our promises in the areas of rural and social development, education, health, security, infrastructural development and staff welfare

T

•From left: Hon. Kuye; Hon. Arogundade and Council Manager, Prince Adegbola Olujobi during the commissioning of Rauf Aregbesola Office Complex.

By Kunle Akinrinade

among others.”

“As part of our massive infrastructural initiatives, we have been able to give facelifts to about 20 roads with ongoing major rehabilitation works going on Meiran Road, which called for opening of drainage and expansion of roads for better vehicular movement.”

Expatiating further, he said: “This administration has also seen security as a major issue that must be tackled due to the challenges going on within the country now.

As such the council secretariat is of paramount importance to us, which brought about the new facelift of the council gate, burglary fittings, security light, swinging doors, security wires and by improving the welfare of security agencies.

“Our administration has also completed the uncompleted office block started by the last administration. This office complex tagged “Rauf Aregbesola Office Complex” is part of our achievements today. Also, as part of our rural and social development initiatives, a total number of 192 students will be graduating in catering services, event decoration, fashion designing, bead making, hair dressing, hat making, soap making and stove thread making.”

The Lagos State Commissioner of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Ademorin Kuye, who was the special guest of honour on the occasion, praised the council chief for the enviable success recorded in the last 100 days of his administration.

He said:” I am highly elated to witness the turn around in the fortune of this council areas with the series of projects in line for commissioning today by the administration of Hon. Arogundade.

“This has shown that our great party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) is the only party that has the interest of the people at heart through the provision of quality social amenities and infrastructures.”

15

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

DISCOURSE

Law as a tool for regional development Continuation of the text of the lecture delivered by Hon. Adeyinka Ajayi, chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Aids, Loans and Debt Management, at the first Legislative Summit on Collaborative Development Agenda (Southwest and ACN states), organised by Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation newspaper, on February 15 and 16, for federal and state legislators and Executive Council members.

• Continued from Tuesday

T

HE Nigeria of today have not been able to secure a place on the global map of development, despite out over 50 years of existence with abundant natural resources. Is it the fertility of our land and the encouraging agricultural turn out, the numerous natural resources, Oil and the quality of our human resources?

Prior to the early 70s, despite the civil war, we had wealth to the extent that the then Head of State declared that our problem as a nation is not money but how to spend it. I make bold to say as I team up with some other visionary and social commentators that we have no reason to be poor as a nation. Our role as a new generation of leaders is to trace the steps back and determine where we got it wrong.

The Concept of Federalism in Nigeria According to the definition of Oxford Advanced Dictionary, federalism is having a system of Government in which the individual state or country have control over their own affairs but are controlled by a central government for national decision. Going by this meaning, Federalism is a standardized arrangement among states coming to form a federation to submit a certain percentage of their powers to the central government while retaining control over some aspect of their economy and state affairs.

Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term “federalism” is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and constituent political units (like states or provinces). Federalism is a system based upon democratic rules and institutions in which the power to govern is shared between national and provincial/state governments, creating what is often called a federation.

As the 1999 Constitution implies Nigeria today is a Federation, but our version of federalism is not only defective in foundation, it is ineffective in operation going by the global definition of federalism. What we have in the contemporary period is nothing but a political structure devoid of a careful and sober planning. There is no mutualism among the states given the concentration of power at the center thereby rubbing the states of majority of its impact. To the best of my understanding an ideal federal structure leaves aspects of the economy with direct impact on the people to the state while the federal or central government is busy with matters that concern the international community, security against external aggression, money, finance and any other sensitive area.

Looking back, we have gone through a long period of degeneracy from Region based federation to State based. The era of regionalism afford all the ethnic groups to place their priorities right in line with the yearnings and aspiration of the people which the state based structures have greatly watered down. However, this is not impossible with federalism based on States but distorted version of our federalism will not allow that. Being a political framework, federalism is not to be foisted but a product of conscientious agreement to coexist as an entity.

This is not our case in Nigeria, we were conscripted into federalism and the leaders of the polity post-independence have not done anything sincere to correct the anomaly, put the nation in order and advance the lot of the country. Without this, we will continue managing within the confronting crisis without any headway. It is time we come together on a national platform with genuine representative

of the people at a national conference to rework the deficient structure we call a federation.

Federalism is not peculiar to Nigeria; there are several other federations in the world. Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Mexico, United States of America, just to mention a few. Some of these countries laid their foundation by themselves and on a genuine platform while some that came into it by accident have long corrected the anomalies. Sincerely, there is nothing wrong with federalism when, be it regional or state based but a lot is wrong when the foundation is deficiently laid.

The need for a bold economic development strategy for Nigeria’s Southwest region It is evident that the south west needs more to develop than the federal government is willing to do for it even though the south west region of Nigeria has always been known as the most developed most advanced and coordinated. There are many reasons for this. Lack of sufficient resources is one, the current revenue allocation formula is another, sectional politics also impacts on the ability of the federal government to execute a strategic development of the south west.

Even though Lagos is the largest city in West Africa and the economic engine of the nation. The federal government has always been reluctant to treat Lagos as special as it should be treated and that was reflected in its reluctance to grant Lagos a mega city status.

Ladies and gentlemen, even though the South west region can complain about relative neglect, owing to its importance to the Nigerian economy, what should we say about the southsouth region which has consistently gotten a worse deal than even the south west inspite of the fact that over 90% Nigeria’s resources come from the south-south. Remember that Nigeria depends on South-south for survival, yet it took youth restiveness and destructive bombing for the federal government to focus on the area for strategic development.

I do not think the south-west should resort to south-south styled militancy to engineer development for the region. A more thoughtful and proactive approach to the economic development of the south-west has been adopted by the leadership of the ACN to integrate the economy of the southwest region and drive massive development through cooperation and collaborative initiatives.

This is especially laudable when it is viewed against the backdrop of the approach of most African regions seeking regional development. The unrest and wars in most African countries can easily be traced to the agitation by a region for better allocation of resources, political inclusion or some kind of development.

Mr. Olorunnimbe Farukanmi commenting on the recent move by the Action Congress of Nigeria South West Governor’s forum to pool resources together for the socio-economic and infrastructural development of the south west region stated that: “It is becoming crystal clear that the persistent individualistic and un-coordinated developments foisted on this nation for many decades by successive leaders have not worked… The major features of uncoordinated…project developments include lack of energy, failed transportation system, housing inadequacy, poor health and educational services, widespread insecurity, unemployment and lack of essential infrastructural facilities. The attempt at making a holistic view through a strategic geo-political development plan for the contiguous states of the South West remains a right step in the right direction”

The leadership of ACN is taking the south-west on a road that is less traveled in this part of the world for which I think it should celebrated. I am aware that skeptics may misunderstand this to mean a plan for secession especially as it appears to coincide with Boko Haram’s bombing revival in the North. It is however important to note that long before ACN leadership started thinking of integrating the south west economy for growth and development, the Charter of Algiers adopted by the first ministerial meeting of the Group of 77 in October 1967 had stated that ‘Developing countries reiterate that the primary responsibility for their development rests on them[selves]’, The UN General Assembly also acknowledged this concept in its Resolution 2626 of 1970, that ‘the primary responsibility for the development of developing countries rests upon themselves, as stressed in the Charter of Algiers.’

Ladies and Gentlemen, inspite of critics and skeptics, coupled with the Constitutional constraints, the development of the south west should never be left to the Federal government. We must take responsibility for our own development. Prof Mashood Baderin in his article on Law and Development in Africa clarified this notion when he stated that ….. each African country must take the primary responsibility for its own holistic development and consciously use its domestic laws both instrumentally and responsively to realise that objective.

According to him, this can be done by …employing regional law and harmonisation of domestic laws for that purpose. Prof Baderin thereafter gave the basis for his earlier statement when he said that “The validity of the self-reliant theory is not hard to substantiate. It is based on pragmatic reasoning and reflected in the African philosophical saying, which roughly translates that ‘the owner of a load makes the primary effort of lifting it before others would give him a helping hand to lift it” The responsibility to develop the south west can therefore not be left to any other but the south west people.

The Role of Law in Regional Development Regional development is a broad term but can be seen as a general effort to reduce regional disparities by supporting (employment- and wealth-generating) economic activities in regions. In the past, regional development policy tended to try to achieve these objectives by means of large-scale infrastructure development and by attracting inward investment. Awareness of the need for a new approach is driven by observation that past policies have failed to reduce regional disparities significantly and have not been able to help individual lagging regions to catch up, despite the allocation of significant public funding.

The result is under-used economic potential and weakened social cohesion. Countries need competitive, dynamic regions to achieve their economic and social objectives. Regional

‘The final cause of the law is the welfare of society.

The rule that misses its aim cannot permanently justify its existence… I mean that when they (judges) are called upon to say how far existing rules are to be extended or restricted, they must let the welfare of society fix the path, its direction and distance….’

123456789012345678 123456789012345678 123456789012345678 123456789012345678 123456789012345678 123456789012345678 123456789012345678 123456789012345678 123456789012345678 123456789012345678 123456789012345678 123456789012345678 123456789012345678 123456789012345678 123456789012345678 123456789012345678 123456789012345678 123456789012345678 123456789012345678 123456789012345678 123456789012345678 • Hon Ajayi

development complements national macroeconomic and structural policies. Globalization poses new challenges to regions and to regional development policies in any country.

Regional economic integration agreements are considered to be important policy mechanisms to address regional developmental asymmetries in any nation.

The Nigerian reality is characterised by developmental asymmetries across the regions on the one hand and a lack of comprehensive pan-Nigeria formal regional economic integration agreements on the other. The current globally approved frameworks on regional development recognize that a new approach to regional development is emerging; one that promises more effective use of public resources and significantly better policy outcomes. This involves a shift away from redistribution and subsidies for lagging regions in favour of measures to increase the competitiveness of all regions.

Member entities in the region need to address the challenges of growth and sustainability in a systematic manner. Building and upgrading physical and social infrastructure throughout the region is a primary condition for robust, sustained growth, with large investments required in social services such as education, health, water supply, sanitation, and shelter, especially in the poorer Areas. Ensuring the environmental sustainability of growth in the regions resource-based economies is essential for development and poverty reduction.

Ensuring the participation of all stakeholders in development decision making and giving them equitable access to assets and opportunities are essential to maximize the benefits of growth and make development broad-based. Equity, especially gender equity, is also a key factor in transforming growth to development and reducing poverty in the region. A key element in the fight against poverty over the next 15 years will be the spread of economic freedoms and rights, resulting from the demands of individuals (i) to participate more actively in decisions that affect their lives and interests, and (ii) to benefit from good governance and inclusive development. Thus, civil society will exert increased pressure for more effective, efficient, and responsive government.

I must quickly point out however, that how law is employed in a society is based on what that society wants to achieve. Where development is not prioritised, law is usually not deliberately engaged for developmental purposes. I make bold to say that the role of law in regional development will be defined and assigned by the seriousness of the quest for regional development. In essence, where laws, legal and institutional frameworks are weak, underdevelopment is certain. Law must therefore be used to foster development under all circumstances.

Dr. T. O. Elias (as he then was-later, Chief Justice of Nigeria) stressed the importance of this concept when he said:“Never before in the long history of human thought has law had to face a more challenging situation than that in contemporary Nigeria… If Nigerian Law can fulfill the role of stimulating economic growth and social well being, elevate the moral tone of the community, foster a spirit of unity among the diverse ethnic groups and become a common law for the coun-

try under which no man is oppressed, it will have made an important contribution in the world of ideas for the cause of human betterment” In Dr Elias’ opinion, “law should stimulate economic growth and social well-being; “elevate the moral tone of the community; and “foster a spirit of unity among the diverse ethnic groups and become a common law for the country under which no man is oppressed.

In the same tone the late American Jurist, Benjamin Cardozo stated that; “The final cause of the law is the welfare of society. The rule that misses its aim cannot permanently justify its existence… I mean that when they (judges) are called upon to say how far existing rules are to be extended or restricted, they must let the welfare of society fix the path, its direction and distance….”

From the above, we can infer that law does no good if it is not deliberately employed to foster change and human development. In the Book, The Role of Law in China’s Economic Development,’ the authors observed, inter alia, that “the economic reform and transformation in China was marked by a conscious recognition from the beginning that law had a new and important role to play in the process.

One of the early African legal contributors to Law and Development scholarship, the late Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana, Justice Tawia Modibo Ocran, had also described the intellectual discipline of Law and Development as ‘a study of the conscious use of the normative system called “law” to help bring about economic development’ The development that is envisioned for the south-west can only therefore be achieved by using laws to create strong legal and institutional framework for the development of the south –west. That is why Ocran observed more than thirty years ago that the immediate and instrumental relevance of law to the developmental process may be argued briefly as follows: ‘Ultimately, it is to the law that the authorities in any contemporary nation state are most likely to resort for the creation of the new institutions needed for development. In addition, law can contribute to the probability of the effective operation of these institutions through role differentiation and the control and punishment of deviance from role expectation. This already suggests the affirmative and conscious use of law for the attainment of developmental objectives’.

According to Prof Baderin, “African states should identify development as the higher objective of law for the 21st century”. As rightly identified by Ocran, “legislation is the crucial source of law in development, because ‘it is the most innovative and perhaps the fastest form of law-making, and, in that sense, the most dynamic”.

Thus, the legislature would be the primary institution for achieving this.

It is proposed that development must be specifically identified as the higher objective for all new laws, with economic development, human development and social development serving as the general indicators in that regard.

Thus every law promulgated must be identified as having the higher objective of facilitating economic development, human development and/or social development.

Where development is identified as the higher objective of the law at the legislative stage, this will automatically place a duty on both the judiciary and the executive to respectively interprete and implement the respective laws in conformity with the higher developmental objective. That will go a long way in creating the necessary consciousness about law as a relevant factor for development.

Laws that do not promote development cannot be of much use to development even if we follow them as a rule. Laws must be development friendly to be useful in facilitating development through the rule of law.

Thus where development is identified as the higher object of law, it can then be consciously used as a tool for development.

To be continued

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

16

CITYBEATS

E-mail:- ynotcitybeats@gmail.com

• The obsolete machine

Govt press goes obsolete A

•Miss Darego

Agbani Darego losses dad

RCHAIC. This best describes the condition of the Lagos State Printing Corporation (LSPC) at Ikeja.

With obsolete printing machines acquired during the regimes of the first governor of the state, Brigadier Mobolaji Johnson and the first civilian governor, Alhaji Lateef Jakande in the 1970s and 1980s, the edifice meant to be the hub of printing for the government has become moribund.

According to the Secretary of the corporation, Mr Shina Bamgbose, the rot has led to material wastage.

The dearth of state-of-the-art printing machines has led to job

F

•Johnson

N

OLLYWOOD actress Mercy Johnson is about to set a new record. Like America's Kim Kardashian, the heavily endowed thespian has sold her wedding copyright to the movie production company, Great Star Production Ltd. Entitled: “My wedding” the movie was meant to be released

•Ngozi Mba

A

FESTAC TOWN, Lagos hairdresser has told how she was allegedly beaten up by thugs hired by a woman friend of a senior police officer.

The victim, Mrs Ngozi Mba, a resident of 202 Road, FESTAC, Town, alleged that she was brutalised by one Mrs Nonye Ukaegbuna, popularly known as Hajia, over an allegation that she told her husband of her relationship with the senior police officer.

According to her, Mrs Ukaegbuna has been having problems with her husband, who is not based in Lagos and who sometime last year, had separated from her.

LAGOS EMERGENCY LINES STATE AGENCIES 4. KAI Brigade Phone Nos: 080-23036632; 0805-5284914 Head office Phone Nos: 3. LASTMA Emergency Numbers: 01-4703325; 01-7743026 080-75005411; 080-60152462 5. Rapid Response Squad (RRS) 080-23111742; 080-29728371 Phone Nos: 070-55350249; 080-23909364; 080-77551000 070-35068242 01-7904983 080-79279349; 080-63299264

F

AMILY members of the woman banker kidnapped by gunmen on Tuesday night have not been contacted by her abductors. Mrs Olujumoke Oyegbola, an employee of Ecobank was kidnapped at Isheri, a boundary town between Lagos and Ogun State on her way from office.

Residents bemoan pace of work on Jakande Estate road

T

HE happiness expressed by residents of Jakande Estate when the contract for the rehabilitation of the main road connecting the estate to Mile 2 was awarded bythe government is fast disappearing.

A year after the construction commenced, the slow pace of work has heightened the fear that the project might not be completed this year.

More worrisome according to them, is the fact that the contractors in the process of commencing work blocked the main entrance to the estate thereby making it impassable.

They said hoodlums have been capitalising on the situation. At intervals, they come to remove the barricade to enable motorists access the gate, but not until after parting with some amount of money which is usually determined by the brand of vehicle driven. Those who refused to comply are bullied or denied entrance.

"This work has been going on

By Jude Isiguzo

By Mercy Michael and Amed Boulor

on February 17. But the release date was postponed as both parties were yet to conclude the terms.

International model Kim Kardashian sold her wedding copyright for $1million, but it is not yet known how much Mercy Johnson sold hers.

In the heat of her preparation for the wedding, a woman, Lovely Okojie, told the story of being married with two kids to Johnson ’s husband, Prince Odianose Okojie.

According to reports, the woman alleged that she had been legally married to Prince Okojie since 2006.

Abducted

'I was wrongly accused and beaten’

Mercy Johnson sells wedding rights

By Mercy Michael

ORMER Miss World Agbani Darego is bereaved. Her father Chief Asenite Darego, 72, has died in a London hospital.

Details of Pa Darego’s passing are still sketchy.

Last month her uncle, Apostle Enememia, was kidnapped in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on his way from a family meeting. He was later released after an undisclosed ransom was paid.

Darego was crowned Miss World in 2001, making her the first black woman from an African country to ever win the pageant. Three other women from African nations had taken the crown over the years, but two were white South African ladies, and the other an Arab contestant from Egypt in the 1950s.

Darego landed a three-year contract with L'Oreal, the cosmetics giant, during her reign as Miss World. She has got many awards to her credit which include: "The Face of Africa modeling contest, runner-up, 1998; Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria(MBGN) beauty pageant winner, 2001; crowned Miss World, 2001.

By Oziegbe Okoeki

losses.

“In an age of modern technology where printing machines can run seven impressions at the same time, the one owned by the Corporation can only run one,” Bamgbose said.

He added: “This has resulted into a lot of wastage when printing, with attendant inability to meet up with printing demands of state ministries, not to talk of outsiders. And this means a huge loss of revenue to the organisation.”

Bamgbose conducted some members of the House of Assembly Committee on Information, Strategy

and Security round when it visited the corporation as part of its oversight functions.

Chairman of the committee Hon. Segun Olulade, who led other members, described LSPC as “a shame and embarrassment to the state.”

To another member of the committee, Hon. Ahmed Omisore, the "corporation is a disgrace to the mega city status of the state."

Expressing dismay at what he saw, Olulade said: "We need total overhauling of the printing corporation, it is either we have it or we don't have it."

Pointing out that the place has lost its pride, Olulade stressed: "I don't think the governor is aware of what is going on here. I think the governor himself must be here to see the situation of things.

"It is better not to have a Printing Corporation than to have what is on ground here. This can’t meet up with the Mega City status we are clamouring for."

The committee expressed disappointment at the way the place was being run and summoned the state Commissioner for Information, Lateef Ibirogba to come and explain why the corporation is in such a deplorable condition.

Bamgbose said the neglect suffered by the machines has made them useless. “The machines cannot work again because a lot of damages have been done to them,” he said.

The workers of the Corporation also seized the opportunity to protest their unpaid salaries of January and February while pensioners were being owed five months. They alleged that the corporation has since been deducting their pensions without remitting them to pensions’ operators.

Chairman of the workers' union, Bolaji Komolafe, who spoke with the committee, explained that the union and individuals have been receiving alerts from the pension company that their pension deductions are not being remitted. The commissioner, according to the Committee Chairman, will appear before the committee next week.

1. Fire and Safety Services Control Room Phone Nos: 01-7944929; 080-33235892; 080-33235890; 080-23321770; 080-56374036.

070-55462708; 080-65154338 767 or email: rapidresponsesquad@yahoo.com

2. Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Lagos Zonal Command Phone No:080-33706639; 01-7742771 Sector Commander Phone No: 080-34346168; 01-2881304

6. Health Services – LASAMBUS Ambulance Services Phone Nos: 01-4979844; 01-4979866; 01-4979899; 01-4979888; 01-2637853-4; 080-33057916; 080-33051918-9; 080-29000003-5.

However, the senior police officer who was alleged to have contributed to their break up, decided to pay for a new accommodation for her in an undisclosed hotel in FESTAC, pending when she would secure a permanent apartment.

Mba said Mrs Ukaegbuna was one of her customers. She was still in the village where she had gone to celebrate the yuletide with members of her family, when Ukaegbuna called her to say that she heard that she was responsible for telling her husband of her relationship with the police officer and consequently threatened to deal with her whenever she returned to Lagos.

She said when she returned to Lagos on January 24, Ukaegbuna threatened that she should expect anything from her. ''Around 11pm that same day, she came to my house with four hefty men who attacked me and attempted to rape me. They held me to the floor and Hajia used a brand new razor blade to cut my body. It was my cry for help that attracted my neighbours who eventually came to my rescue,'' Mba said.

She explained that after the incident, she was advised by neighbours to report the incident at the police station in FESTAC and some policemen were detailed to follow her to arrest the woman, but before they got to her place Ukaegbuna and her gang had escaped.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

17

CITYBEATS

E-mail:- ynotcitybeats@gmail.com

banker’s family: no word from kidnappers

By Jude Isiguzo

Her disappearance has sparked controversy between Lagos and Ogun state police over which of them will investigate the crime.

A family member said the silence of the kidnappers is getting them worried as they are no longer sure of her situation.

The mother of three who was the Head of Operations of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) branch of the bank, was kidnapped around 9pm.

Her car, a Mitsubishi Montero, was discovered by the road, along Tinubu Estate Road, Isheri North, Lagos, with nothing taken away from it as the car keys and her

•The blocked Estate gate... yesterday

for more than two years now, first it was the drainage channels which took almost a year to be completed, but since last year when the road construction commenced, the entrance of the main gate has been barricaded," said a shop owner who would not want his name disclosed.

He added: "The road we expected

M

ONARCHS and residents of Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area have given their support to the proposed bye-law seeking to ban motorists from driving against traffic.

They spoke at a public hearing on Traffic Situation and Proposed byelaw on One way Drive in IfakoIjaiye, which held at the Iju Road Events Centre of the council.

The bye law according to them, will deter motorists from driving against traffic and help in maintaining sanity on the roads.

The Onifako of Ifako Kingdom, Oba Fatusi Obawole, observed that reckless driving has become rampant in the area and urgent steps should be taken to bring it under control.

"Lawlessness on the roads has done too much harm in the LGA. It has led to avoidable loss of lives and rendered many useless, as a result of injuries which have either maimed or confined them to hospital beds and wheelchairs."

Obawole said.

His counterpart from Ojokoro, Oba R.O. Taiwo, lauded the proposed bye-law and one side parking laws. He said it will curb the excesses of commercial drivers and road users. “The ways the laws are designed showed that the legislators have studied the areas and the sizes of the roads. The laws if complied with would reduce to barest minimum traffic bottlenecks across the council area,” he said.

Commercial motorcycle operators who were represented by the Chairman, Iju/Ifako branch , Mr. G. Ogundimu and Secretary, Comrade Solomon Folashakin, also said the bill would enhance safety on the roads in the area.

The Council Chairman, Apostle Oloruntoba Oke, stated that his

personal belongings were intact in the car.

Sources said her children are still devastated by the news of their mother's sudden disappearance.

However, police spokesman in Lagos, Mr Jaiyeoba Joseph, said the command and its counterpart in Ogun are working out ways to jointly investigate the case.

P HOTO: MIRIAM NDIKANWU

would be completed in a matter of months has lasted more than one year now and nobody is sure when the work will be completed."

He also complained about the quality of materials used by the contractor while calling on the New Towns Development Authority (NTDA), the agency supervising the project to call the contractors to

order and ensure that the work is done up to standard.

Another resident, Adesegun Eniola, commended the government for identifying the road for reconstruction while calling for one of the lane to be opened up, while work is ongoing on the second lane so as to ameliorate the suffering of

Lagos agog for Expo

•Mrs Oyegbola

motorists who now access the estate via FESTAC first gate "We understand that the contractors handling the rehabilitation of the second phase, of the 10 lane project on Badagry Expressway have been mobilized to start and soon they will be working from that first gate end and the traffic situation will ease as well.”

The NTDA has assured residents not to exercise fear on the project as the contractors have promised to complete the road by April this year. The site engineer supervising the project, Olaleke Shonibare, said: “The road was not completely barricaded,” adding, that one of the lanes was left open for motorists to access.

He informed that two contractors where working on the road, " Yob Construction company is handling Durbar Road which is over 1 kilometer, while Ayola Construction Company is working on Oba Mobadele Road and that also is about 500 meters."

On the quality of material used, he said contractors have been notified to improve on the quality.

He added that the interlocking stones used are of good quality, while the damaged ones will be replaced.

He said both contractors have given their assurance that the work will be completed within the stipulated time. "if you observed, workers are always on site and the commitment they have shown so far shows that they will live up to their expectation.”

Residents okay council's proposed bye-law

By Paul Oluwakoya

administration is working in tandem with keeping the directive of the state governor, Babatunde Fashola, in ensuring smooth and free flow of traffic in the area. He restated his administration's commitment to delivering good governance. He added that he would continue to intensify efforts aimed at sensitising residents of the area on safety awareness campaigns, adding that,

enlightenment campaigns on driving culture, strict observance and adherence to traffic rules would soon commence in the area.

He however, sounded a note of warning to those in the habit of abandoning their vehicles on the roads. He asked them to either take them of the roads or risk the payment of fines when such vehicles are towed by officials of the council.

Oke said the removal of such

would pave way for free flow of traffic as continuous presence of the vehicles will not only constitute security threats, but hinder the implementation of the new law."

The leader of the legislative council, Niyi Fadare, warned motorists against one way driving or reckless parking. He informed that a grace of one month would only be given after the promulgation of the bye-law before it would go into force.

WHO OWNS IT?

•OBSTRUCTION: This truck has been obstructing free flow of traffic at Cappa, Oshodi, since last Friday PHOTO: NIYI ADENIRAN

COME March 24 and 25, Lagos will be experiencing perhaps Nigeria's largest Wedding Exhibition, WED Expo 2012. The event is billed to hold at The Haven, Off Oba Akinjobi, GRA Ikeja Lagos.

This event promises to be a different experience with wedding vendors from all over the country and in diaspora exhibiting at the event. Currently 119 exhibitors registered to showcase the best of the best they include: Kosibah Couture, Cakes By Tosan, Mai Atafo, Frank Osodi, Ade Bakare, Concepteur De Fruitee, Newton And David, Sitpretty Makeovers, Eru-Iyawo, Planification, Studio 24, Xqwizit Events, Torge Events, Larry Peniel, Classy Touch Events, Enthrall Events, Distinct Crown EventsTap Studios, Kingserve Drinks, Cakes By Andy Clarke, Khuraira Cosmetics, Finesse Event, Gaterie, Akara Ogheneworo Photography, Busybee Events, Lizbob Accessories, Caleb Videography, Sweet Kiwi, Rennies Asooke, Couture Cards, among others.

During the exhibition, the first WED Couture Bridal Show which will have Frank Osodi, Yemi Osunkoya (Kosibah), Ade Bakare and Mai Atafo will hold. These 4 top bridal couture designers will be showcasing their 2012 collection and setting the tone for wedding gown trends in 2012.

Hosting the show will be Koffi and Joy Isi Bewaji while music to be provided by DJ Humility.

Throwing their weight behind the exhibition are Afromedia and INDeals among other partners which include Swift Networks Official Internet Partner, Liberty Digital Media - Official Video Visual Partner, Stagemakerz Official Runway Partner, Studio 24 - Official Photographers, Spartan Security - Official Security Partner, GTech - Official Web Partner, Fountain Springs - Exhibition Booth Partner, among others.

2000 applicants for job fair OVER 2,000 applicants have been screened to participate in the Surulere job fair taking place at the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu.

A huge crowd of applicants from within and outside the state turned out for the screening which is meant to determine those whose CVs would be shortlisted for employment when the job fair begins today.

The initiator of the project, minority leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, addressed the applicants before the screening started and assured them that many jobs would be provided at the fair.

The Surulere Job Fair is a platform that will bring job owners and job seekers under one roof. Companies desirous of more competent employees are expected to prospect for qualified hands at the fair. He added that companies that participate at the fair by employing applicants will get tax rebate from the government.

Gbajabiamila said: "we hope that this project will help reduce the high rate of unemployment in the state.”

One of the applicants, praised the initiative. He said: ''I came here by 9am and I saw a very packed hall, I got a message via email and I decided to come so far, the organisation has been on point and very orderly. I actually studied abroad and just returned late last year. I am here because I need a job and I hope to get a good offer through this platform.”

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

18

COMMENTARY

FEMI ABBAS ON

H

ISTORIANS never agreed on when and where the first human couple, Adam and Hawau (Eve), died. Some claimed that they died and were buried in India. Others believed that they lived and died in the Gulf area of the Middle East.

According to the latter’s account, which Muslims tend to believe, Adam and Hawau met at a place near Makkah called Arafah which later became the general assembly centre of Muslim Pilgrims. The account suggested that they lived partly in the valley of Makkah and partly in Jeddah after their expulsion from the paradise.

The duo, Adam and Hawau, were said to have left the paradise separately following their expulsion only to meet later at Arafah (which means recognition) after a long period of wandering. Their sojourn in that region of the world shows that the Middle East was the first place of human settlement. Hawau was believed to have died and interred in Jeddah, which is why the place was so named. Jeddah is an Arabic word meaning Grandmother.

Neither Adam nor his wife Hawau knew anything called death until one of their first two sons killed the other. The two sons: Habil and Qabil (Abel and Cain) had clashed over the choice of a wife. The tussle led to the killing of Habil by Qabil.

But the focus here is neither on the cause of their clash nor the killing of one by the other. Rather, it is on the lesson which Allah wanted to teach humanity through that episode.

Shortly after killing his brother, Qabil fell into a dilemma over what to do with the corpse. He was not worried as much by his conscience over his crime as what would become of the corpse. But while thinking on what to do, two birds of the Roller family appeared before him and started fighting each other and in no time, one killed the other. The strange scene attracted the attention of Qabil like a tragic drama. He watched the incident with full attention as the killer bird used its legs to dig a grave-like hole, pushed the corpse of its vanquished partner into it and covered it up. From that wonderful scene, Qabil got the idea of what to do with the corpse of his brother. And he buried him.

Thus, the lesson was learnt that this being created from the earth would eventually return to the earth.

What Qabil did not know at that time, however, was that the two birds, which became the teachers of man, were Angels.

And the lesson learnt from their experience was not just about death and burial but also about when and where to bury a human corpse. If Allah had wanted ceremony and expenses to be lavished on burial, the killer bird would have demonstrated same in the drama. Qabil did not move the corpse of Habil to any other place for burial because his bird teachers did not do that. Like the killer bird, he also buried his brother at the very spot where the latter breathed his last.

In Islam, death is supposed to be the determinant of where the demised should be buried. It takes life at a particular time and place according to its own natural schedule of duty. It gives no hint of the exact time and place to strike. And, after striking, it does not anticipate the transfer of a corpse across any major distance. That is why the body of the demised start to decompose just hours after it becomes lifeless. To confirm this, the Quran chapter 31: 24 says: “No soul knows what it will do tomorrow. No soul knows where it will die”.

Femabbas@yahoo.com 08051101861

‘Tokunbo’ corpses

‘

Can anybody cite a clear difference between death in Europe or America and the one in Nigeria?

Why must our money be audaciously stolen alive in Nigeria and be brazenly spent in death abroad?

‘

• The crescent The first group of the Makkah people who embraced Islam at inception suffered severe victimisation in the hands of pagans so much that they had to emigrate to Abyssinia (Now Ethiopia) for safety.

While there, a number of them died with their wives and children becoming widows and orphans respectively. All those who died in Abyssinia were buried in that country. Another group of the earliest Muslims emigrated to Taif. A number of them also died there leaving widows, widowers and orphans behind. Their bodies were not transferred back to Makkah for burial. Some unbelievers may argue that those emigrants were fugitives who had no courage to bring back corpses for burial. But what of those who died in the battle of Badr in which Makkah pagans came from a distance of about 650 kilometers away to engage the Muslims in a war? The corpses of the Muslims who died in the imposed war were buried there and then despite the Muslims’ victory in that battle?

It should be remembered that one of the most painful deaths to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was that of his uncle Hamzah, the great warrior who fell to the spear of a Makkan pagan in the battle of Uhd and was buried right there at the foot of mountain Uhd in Madinah where the battle took place. In fact, no one who died in another town or country among the Muslims was ever brought back to his original home for burial. Not even the corpse of the Prophet or that of any of his disciples who died in Madina was returned

to Makkah for burial. The reason for this is to avoid the transfer of bitterness and mental agony arising from the death of a person from one place to another. Not only that, it is also to avoid the unnecessary strain and expenses which such transfer can unleash on some people. That was why great disciples like Abubakr, Umar bn Khattab, Uthman bn Affan had to be buried in Madina where they died rather than Makkah where they were born.

Also, Alli bn Abi Talib and Mu’awiyah bn Abi Sufyan were buried in Iraq and Syria respectively where they served as caliphs and died. Even Hussain, the grand son of the Prophet and 72 others who were massacred by the forces of Yazid bn Mu’awiyah at Karbalau in Iraq had to be buried where they were massacred despite the nobility of their pedigree.

In Islam, death, like birth has no propensity for any display of aristocracy. And, ascribing one to it is a sign of ignorance and primitivity. Islam abhors extravagancy in whatever form and it admonishes against it. That is why the great religion does not take kindly to commercial exhibition of covings and ostentatious funerals. These are actually prohibited in Islam. Covings can be used to convey corpses from a place to the cemetery but such covings must not be ornamentally decorated. Neither must the Muslim corpses be extravagantly shrouded for burial.

The idea of keeping the corpse in a

morgue for a long time after death, to allow for ostentatious funeral and extravagant spending in a society where poverty is manifest, is an act of callousness.

Neither the expensive shroud nor the ornamented coving with which the corpse is buried has any benefit to the soul of the deceased. It is sheer wastage, which has no use even for the relatives of the deceased. That idea, which is rampant, especially in some parts of Nigeria today, is not different from cremation done by the Buddhists, the Hindus and others with fanfare in the Far East. Both are a product of ignorance and vainglory.

As usual, Nigerians do not copy anything negative without surpassing the original. Fraud and narcotics as well as terrorism are some examples. The fashion now in vogue in Nigeria is for any public official or private moneybag to travel abroad for medical treatment at the slightest feeling of an ailment. It is as if Nigerian money is outlawed from using the best hospital here in Nigeria. The concept is to separate the rich from the poor since an exclusive hospital for the rich will sound illogical in a country with overwhelming paupers. Even when some of those sick travellers will be treated abroad by their fellow Nigerians, they do not see anything wrong in spending their ill-gotten money in other people’s land to the detriment of their home country.

They seem to enjoy being flown back home lifeless if only to display aristocratic affluence in death. Thus, your death is not considered newsworthy unless your corpse is flown into the country via Murtala Muhammad Airport, Lagos or Nnamdi Azikwe airport, Abuja for public display. Yet no lesson is learnt that even Murtala Muhammad and Nnamdi Azikwe died here in Nigeria. Can anybody cite a clear difference between death in Europe or America and the one in Nigeria? Why must our money be audaciously stolen alive in Nigeria and be brazenly spent in death abroad? With the huge amount of money spent by Nigerian sick travellers on treatments abroad and on flying their corpses back home, one can understand why Nigerians are so wretched that their lives are not worth more than a dollar per head per day despite the billions of dollars accruing to the country from our oil wells.

It is necessary to thank God however, that though ‘Tokunbo’ products dumped in Nigeria daily are uncountable, the human corpses amongst them are those of the aristocrats and not of the innocent indigent class.

Death is a leveler of mankind. It does not distinguish between we shall all die willy-nilly and we shall all be buried in the belly of the same mother earth where the bones of sworn enemies may struggle together for space. The earth in America or China or Australia is not different from that of Nigeria or Saudi Arabia or Italy. And no earth is superior to another except with Allah’s conferment of sacredness.

Were the aristocrats privileged to carve out a separate portion of the earth for themselves they would have restricted the masses to a disadvantaged area of the earth. But the thinking of man is different from the planning of Allah. Celebration of funerals so flamboyantly as often exhibited in Nigeria is nothing more than celebration of vanity which fetches the celebrator no profit. In Islam caring for the dead at the expense of the living is a glaring evidence of ignorance which no civilised people should pursue.

NEWS Health practitioners meet in Calabar

Uduaghan advises corps members

D

ELTA State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has urged members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to deploy their skills towards the development and transformation of rural communities.

Uduaghan spoke at the opening of the 2012 Batch ‘A’ Orientation Course at IsseleUku. He said corps members as future leaders of the country should use their knowledge to transform the local areas.

The governor was repre-

sented by Deputy Governor Amos Utuama (SAN).

“This perception confers on you the mandate to articulate ideas, policies and programmes in actualising set goals in the Nigerian socio-economic milieu.

“As you are aware, our society is confronted with several challenges, prominent among which are the need to arrest the increasing insecurity, youth unemployment, crime rate and general societal decay.

“These challenges are so diverse and complex that

P •Uduaghan

our country needs discipline, dedication and sacrifice to be able to confront them adequately.’’

UBLIC health practitioners from all over the country and other parts of the world will meet in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, on March 11 till March 15, to brainstorm on the National Health Bill.

The Bill, which is yet to be signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan, was passed by the National Assembly last year.

Speaking to reporters in Calabar on activities lined

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

up for the 28th edition of the National Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Emmanuel Nsan, said discussions on the bill might influence the President’s perception and hasten its signing into law.

The theme of the event, organised by the state

chapter of the Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria (APHPN), is: “The National Health Bill: Matters Arising.”

Nsan said: “The theme of the conference is such that anybody and everybody is qualified to attend. There is nothing strictly scientific about it. This is something for all of us. This is the enabling instrument which would determine the height and breadth of health care delivery in Nigeria.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

19

EDITORIAL/OPINION Comments

EDITORIAL FROM OTHER LAND

Back to school monarch • “It is what I desire”, Oba Adetona enthuses as he returns to school

T

HE paramount ruler of Ijebuland, in Ogun State, Southwest Nigeria, Oba Sikiru Adetona, has returned to the university to study Law. The 78-year-old monarch joined about 201 other new students of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) for matriculation at the AwaIjebu Study Centre. Speaking to the press after completing the rites of studentship, Adetona stated that his passion for education in general and for law education in particular informed his decision to return to school. “Age cannot be a barrier for learning for me. It is what I desire and I assure all that I will come out of the university in record time,” he was quoted to have said.

Apart from assuring his subjects that his scholarly pursuits would not impede his traditional duties as a monarch, it was instructive that he had sought and gained admission along with 27 rulers under his domain, though they had to defer their resumption by one year in deference to him. The return to school of any octogenarian is in itself, glad tiding to be applauded; when such is a firstclass monarch and one of means at that, it becomes material for quality case study.

The Awujale of Ijebuland is one of the most respected monarchs, not only among the Yoruba but across the country. He is not only a man of means, he rules over a people historically noted for their commercial savvy and business acumen. Being true to his

type, the Kabiyesi who will be 52 years on the throne in April has, over this period, built for himself a measure of financial and economic independence.

This has kept him restrained from hankering after patronages and official contracts as some other monarchs are compelled to do. As a result, he has largely remained true to his stool, maintaining a healthy balance between the affairs of state and traditional matters. For instance, during the invidious days of late General Sani Abacha, the Awujale was among the few monarchs who could speak truth to power.

From the foregoing, Oba Adetona’s return to school is a huge symbolic victory not just for NOUN but the entire education sector in Nigeria. This ought to serve as a major slogan for Nigeria’s adult education campaign, if there was such a programme going on.

If Kabiyesi, the Awujale can return to school at 78, then no man has any excuse not to be educated, so the slogan should go. He has proved that a prestigious traditional stool with its attendant social and customary engagements, ample business concerns, a large family and even age have not become impediments to seeking further intellectual nourishment.

Most men in his station often engage themselves in running hither and thither seeking more and more social, political and economic relevance, hosting huge feasts, overseeing large ceremonies or even

acquiring more wives. Returning to the rigour of wading through arcane Law text books is obviously not the pastime of royalty. But the Awujale has not only enrolled, he has promised to finish in record time and he has encouraged his royal council to do same. While they are savouring fat books of knowledge and learning, they will become more exposed, more open minded and less fractious and covetous. Is there a better tool than an enlightened mind for building a society?

We commend the Kabiyesi; he has surely upped the ante. We also urge other monarchs, elderstatesmen and retirees to consider the Awujale example.

‘If Kabiyesi, the Awujale can return to school at 78, then no man has any excuse not to be educated, so the slogan should go. He has proved that a prestigious traditional stool with its attendant social and customary engagements, ample business concerns, a large family and even age have not become impediments to seeking further intellectual nourishment’

Adeboye at 70 • We wish this spiritual titan a happy birthday and many happy returns

O

N March 2, one of the best known Christian clerics both within and outside Nigeria turned 70. Simply called ‘Daddy G.O.’ by millions of his adherents and admirers, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has without doubt led a very purposeful, productive and fulfilling life so far. In his characteristically unassuming manner, Pastor Adeboye expressed the wish that no flamboyant parties or expensive gifts be bought to mark his birthday. Rather, he wanted any money planned for any such expenditure to be donated to the Redeemers University, one of the church projects dear to his heart.

Pastor Adeboye is indeed a man of

‘One of the remarkable things about this man, however, is his ability to insulate himself from the sheer arrogance that all too often accompanies fabulous wealth. Pastor Adeboye is an epitome of simplicity. He never fails to carry himself with uncommon humility. It is a sign of his tremendous influence across the world that Newsweek magazine in 2008 named him as one of the 50 most powerful persons in the world’

sharp contrasts in many ways. He often tells the story, for instance, of the abject poverty in which he grew up as a child. So materially deprived was his family that other poor families looked on the Adeboye family with pity, given the extremity of their penurious condition. Most times trekking to school without shoes, unable to buy the necessary textbooks, the young Adeboye struggled against daunting odds till he attained the heights of scholastic excellence. Today, Pastor Adeboye has moved a long way away from the young man striving to overcome poverty and make something of himself. It can be said without exaggeration that there is hardly anything that money can buy that he will not get at a snap of his fingers.

One of the remarkable things about this man, however, is his ability to insulate himself from the sheer arrogance that all too often accompanies fabulous wealth. Pastor Adeboye is an epitome of simplicity.

He never fails to carry himself with uncommon humility. It is a sign of his tremendous influence across the world that Newsweek magazine in 2008 named him as one of the 50 most powerful persons in the world. Yet, his is an example of influence that flows more from modesty and a high sense of integrity than an abundance of material accumulations.

A trained scientist, Pastor Adeboye holds a PhD in applied mathematics from the University of Lagos. Even then, his rationalistic scientific training has strengthened rather than

undermined his faith in the spiritual dimension of life. Many people in Adeboye’s shoes would prefer to adorn the title of Dr. which he earned on merit. But this spiritual titan of our time prefers the simple title of Pastor. His commitment to the church was evident when, on joining the RCCG he began translating the sermons of its pastor and founder, Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi, from Yoruba into English. It was thus not surprising that on the transition of Pa. Akindayomi in 1981, Pastor Adeboye was appointed as its General Overseer.

Under Pastor Adeboye’s leadership, the RCCG has grown at a geometrical rate across the world. In Nigeria alone, the church has more than 14,000 branches. This is in fulfilment of Pastor Adeboye’s vision of planting a church within five minutes of any person on earth. Of course, this phenomenal expansion has come at a cost. Rapid organisational growth and complexity have had inevitable implications for the quality of leadership as well as level of discipline, particularly lower down the church hierarchy. Even then, no one can take anything away from the gargantuan achievements of this unique man. We however expect to hear his voice of integrity speaking loudly against the ills, both of the religious and the secular authorities in Nigeria.

All said, we wish Pastor Adeboye a very happy birthday and many more fulfilling years ahead.

Super Tuesday

L

ONG before Super Tuesday, the Republican Party had cemented itself on the distant right of American politics, with a primary campaign that has been relentlessly nasty, divisive and vapid. Barbara Bush, the former first lady, was so repelled that on Tuesday she called it the worst she’d ever seen. We feel the same way.

This country has serious economic problems and profound national security challenges. But the Republican candidates are so deep in the trenches of cultural and religious warfare that they aren’t offering any solutions.

The results Tuesday night did not settle the race.

Republican voters will have to go on for some time choosing between a candidate, Mitt Romney, who stands for nothing except country-club capitalism, and a candidate, Rick Santorum, so blinkered by his ideology that it’s hard to imagine him considering any alternative ideas or listening to any dissenting voice.

There are differences. Mr. Santorum is usually more extreme in his statements than Mr. Romney, especially in his intolerance of gay and lesbian Americans and his belief that religion — his religion — should define policy and politics. Mr. Santorum’s remark about wanting to vomit when he reread John F. Kennedy’s remarkable speech in 1960 about the separation of church and state is one of the lowest points of modern-day electoral politics.

Mr. Romney has been slightly more temperate.

But, in his desperation to prove himself to the ultraright, he has joined in the attacks on same-sex marriage, abortion and even birth control. He has never called Mr. Santorum on his more bigoted rants. Neither politician is offering hard-hit American workers anything beyond long discredited trickle-down economics, more tax cuts for the rich, a weakening of the social safety net and more of the deregulation that nearly crashed the system in 2008.

There is also no space between Mr. Romney and Mr. Santorum in the way they distort reality to attack Mr. Obama for everything he says, no matter how sensible, and oppose everything he wants, no matter how necessary. Rising gas prices? Blame the president’s sound environmental policies.

Never mind that oil prices are set on world markets and driven up by soaring demand in China and Middle East unrest.

They also have peddled the canard that the president is weak on foreign policy. Mr. Romney on Tuesday called President Obama “America’s most feckless president since Carter.” Never mind that Mr. Obama ordered the successful raid to kill Osama bin Laden and has pummeled Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders, all without the Republicans’ noxious dead-or-alive swagger. Now, for the sake of scoring political points, Mr. Romney, Mr. Santorum and Newt Gingrich, who is hanging on only thanks to one backer’s millions, seem determined to push Israel toward a reckless attack on Iran.

Republican politicians have pursued their assault on Mr. Obama, the left and any American who disagrees with them for years now. There are finally signs that they may pay a price for the casual cruelty with which they attack whole segments of society.

Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican of Alaska, said on Tuesday that the Republicans have left people thinking they are at war with women.

Women are right to think that.

A new Pew Research poll shows that 3 in 10 voters say their opinion of the Republicans has worsened during the primaries. Among Democrats, 49 percent said watching the primaries have made them more likely to vote for Mr. Obama. That is up from 36 percent in December, which shows that Mr. Obama has risen as the Republicans have fallen.

But the president, who can be frustratingly inert at times, still has a long way to go.

– New York Times

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

• Executive Director (Finance & Administration) Ade Odunewu

•Deputy Editor Lawal Ogienagbon

•Advert Manager Robinson Osirike

•Deputy Editor (News) Adeniyi Adesina •Group Political Editor Bolade Omonijo •Group Business Editor Ayodele Aminu •Abuja Bureau Chief Yomi Odunuga •Sport Editor Ade Ojeikere •Editorial Page Editor Sanya Oni

• Gen. Manager (Training and Development) Soji Omotunde •Chief Internal Auditor Toke Folorunsho •Senior Manager (sales) Akeem Shoge

•IT Manager Bolarinwa Meekness •Press Manager Udensi Chikaodi •Manager, Corporate Marketing Hameed Odejayi • Manager (Admin) Folake Adeoye

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

20

EDITORIAL/OPINION

S

IR: When Ojukwu was alive, I was one of those that prayed and worshipped him for a hero that he was. I was in love with his courage in fighting an establishment that was bent on exterminating his people. I was one of those who saw him as infallible when he spoke for Igbo interest in Nigeria.

During what appeared as his last electioneering campaign, Ojukwu urged ndi Anambra nay Igbos to vote Governor Obi in what he termed his last wish. He spoke of him as his son in whom he was well pleased. At different times, Ojukwu made it clear that Obi was the leader after his own heart, considering the type of leadership he was providing. In terms of provision of infrastructure, building of human resources, and the temperament for leadership, he rated him high.

Some writers have started to pontificate that Governor Obi did not do everything Ojukwu wished.

Ojukwu did not do everything his own father wished. I believe it is even that manifestation of independent spirit that made Ojukwu to love Obi the more. If in your life, you have done everything anybody wished you do, including leaking your own spittle, you are not fit for leadership.

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

Ojukwu burial: Thank you Governor Obi All in all, Ojukwu’s wish was for Obi to be re-elected as the Governor of Anambra State. He could not have wished that in vain. He probably wanted a platform for him to continue to show leadership to the people.

There is no sacrifice Obi made for Ojukwu that is too much and he made quite a lot. If Obi was not indulgently sentimental about Ojukwu’s last days in hospital due to his Spartan spirit, I am surmising, what he did for him in death is simply outstanding.

I read with awe how he visited him in hospital for almost 10 times in the 11 months he was there. They say that his was not a case of going to London and taking the opportunity to look in. In most cases, he went with night flight, reached London in the morning, went to the Hospital to see him and left for Nigeria the same day.

What of the hospital bills. Though he has refused to disclose, but we could surmise that from what Bianca told Nigerians during his (Ojukwu’s) birthday 4th November, 2011. Speaking at the event, she asked Nigerians to thank Governor Obi who was coming to London every month to see Dim in Hospital and who had been paying hundreds of millions of naira worth of hospital bills. What more can we write about this.

In death, Governor Obi kept telling us that Ojukwu will be accorded the type of funeral nobody had witnessed in the country. But that was an understatement; Ojukwu received the funeral nobody has received in the world.

Imagine, Igbos mourning him throughout the world. I understand that during the requiem mass on February 29, at St George Cathedral London, more people were standing outside than seated as the church was filled to the brim in spite of the inclement

weather.

From Zungeru to Rivers, Ojukwu in death became the subject of kind commentaries. It has been difficult to record anything to the contrary.

Ojukwu has lived; Ojukwu is dead; Ojukwu is buried. The outpouring of goodwill that followed his burial is a good sign and a sure platform upon which to build Igbo unity. It is not a time for people to exhibit utter irresponsibility by comments and actions that are anything but unreasonable.

Above all, Ndigbo must not for a moment fail to be grateful to Obi for making sure our father, Ojukwu departed in a blaze of glory.

Now he is buried, it is now time to immortalize him. Let everybody who reads this take the message to the governors of the South-East and to the President for our joy to be consummated.

• Joseph Okoye, Awka, Anambra State

Time to reposition ACN in Oyo

S

IR: I am being compelled to write this piece, which is a clarion call on the leadership of the Action Congress of Nigeria in Oyo State to rally round the governor of Oyo State Gov. Ajimobi in repositioning the ACN in Oyo State, and to provide efficient leadership for the people of the state. This call becomes imperative in view of the unfolding events which would likely shape the future of the party and politics of Oyo State. The first event was the just concluded re-run election held in Irepo, Olorunsogo and Orelope Federal constituency, which was won by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate. This happened in spite of the fact that Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) controls the state government. The second event is the reconciliatory process ongoing in the Peoples Democratic Party in Oyo State.

These also include the return of the former governor of Oyo State, Senator Rashidi Ladoja to the Peoples

Democratic Party, PDP. The events mentioned above should give any discerning ACN member, who is conversant with the political trend Oyo State sleepless night.

In relation to the above is the reaction of the spokesman of Oyo State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to the ongoing reconciliation in the Oyo People Democratic Party (PDP), and the return of Sen. Rasheed Ladoja to the PDP. ACN spokesman, Dauda Kolawole dismissed the reconciliatory process with the wave of the hand by describing the PDP as an “assemblage of failed politicians, and return of Ladoja as “inconsequential.” This position was echoed by the State Chairman of the party, Chief Akin Oke. The reactions of the ACN spokesman including the Chairman show that they are either not well versed in Oyo State politics or being clever by half. If not they would have advised the ACN leadership to guard

their loins in preparation for an epic battle in the nearest future.

Unfortunately, when the PDP is putting its house in order, it seems ACN found it hard to manage its victory. The party is engaged in cold war and leaders and followers are at loggerheads over distribution of appointment and patronages. Some believe that familiarity and factional loyalties determine who gets what and not contributions to the success of the party. This has caused disunity in the party. To say that the party is bedeviled by lack of unity is to say the obvious. The unity with which the party went to election and won has eluded it. From the state to the local level loyalties to primordial factional caucuses have stifled unity and cooperation in the party. Going into an election in this circumstance is like a suicide mission.

Therefore, the ACN has to put its house in order. The leaders should be sincere to one another and this should be extended to the followers.

The cold war that resulted from self aggrandizement as against the general interest of the party would lead the party to nowhere.

There is no doubt that Gov. Ajimobi has set the state on the path of progress as against the retrogression of the recent past, and this is visible for all to see. It is equally clear that Oyo State is better off without the PDP. One need not mention the feats performed by Gov. Ajimobi-led Government in Oyo State in the last nine months. Beyond that however, Gov. Ajimobi has to do all it takes to keep the PDP at bay. He should continue to give effective leadership to the state and the party, be fair in distribution of appointment and patronages and make welfarism the core of his mission in government, create sense of belonging in the party members by giving everyone his or her due.

• Adewuyi Adegbite Apake, Ogbomoso.

CBN 100m donation: matters arising

S

IR: The recent donation of N100m to victims of Boko Haram attacks in Kano by the Central Bank Governor Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has elicited reactions from various quarters and has remained in front burner of public discourse. Whilst many of the points raised seem valid, there is the need to be circumspect and approach the issues more objectively. Firstly there is the popular notion that ethnic sentiments may have been the motivating factor for the donation, while others question the propriety of such donation by the CBN. I was opportune to watch the airing of the donation by Sanusi to victims of the Madallah attack and it struck me that the Catholic priest acknowledged attempts had earlier been made to reach out and donate resources to the church even before the Kano tragedy occurred. It is not clear why this donation did not occur earlier, but the intent was right and devoid of ethnic and tribal sentiments. The CBN governor is not from Niger State and yet the decision to help ameliorate the sufferings of the victims of the Madallah blast was done even before his own state was attacked.

It is pertinent to note that across Nigeria, several corporate social responsibility projects and activities have been embarked upon by the CBN over the years. This is so because such decisions are collectively made after proper consultations have been done with relevant stakeholders. The CBN considers the input of these stakeholders important because they to a large extent determine the success of its policies. The Madallah and Kano donations are no exceptions.

In essence, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is a public servant, whose duty as Nigeria’s apex bank Governor is to work for all of Nigeria and promote the common good. Some of his actions and public utterances may seem controversial, but experience has taught me not just to analyze the messenger but the message as well.

• Stephen Nwachukwu Lagos.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012 16

21

EDITORIAL/OPINION

Reality Bites S

Olatunji Ololade

URFACE meets surface; still.

Fancy-cute, Naira-keen, wisdom-thin and substance-poor; our next best hope still elevates the eternal law of averages. They choose to ornament “less-than” even below the eternal line of averageness. I speak of the Nigerian youth. I speak of you and me.

Beneath our passionate cry for change subsists a spinelessness that ornaments even the deserter with the valor of knights, thousands of miles from the scenes of combat and the valiant’s death. We have failed to make a response ideal to our cause. We have failed to display courage necessary to our survival and adequate to our time.

It’s every man for himself; the successful doctor, banker, journalist, engineer, police officer et al, do not care about anything and anybody else. It’s what Evelyn Waugh describes as the sly, sharp instinct for

‘We dream of the future and talk of change within the limits of our intelligence forgetting that the world of such future that we anticipate will foster a more demanding struggle against the limits of our intelligence, not a cozy rose bed in which we can lie down to be waited upon by a more compliant fate and time’

T

self-preservation that passes for wisdom among the rich. Hence the desperation of the Nigerian youth to be rich, within the bounds of that dear old “wisdom” and thought process that infinitely manifests as foolishness.

Such is the mentality of the Nigerian youth, regrettably lacking in guts and substance; our utterances persistently leap from our lips as discontent, insignificant as the spores of fungi yet impinged on the base surfaces of our minds. It’s indeed shameful what cowardly lot we have become.

We dream of the future and talk of change within the limits of our intelligence forgetting that the world of such future that we anticipate will foster a more demanding struggle against the limits of our intelligence, not a cozy rose bed in which we can lie down to be waited upon by a more compliant fate and time.

Our cries are for a historic revolution, bloody or not; even as our thoughts pander between the dangers of revolt and the inherent benefits in accepting the status quo in a prudent act of self-preservation.

Hence we revolt by impotent words and a mad, desperate dash for wealth or what we’ve learnt to coin as our share of the Nigerian dream.

This is our Nigerian dream: a lush, breathtaking future that de-emphasizes toil and accords our vanities a caressing glance. In the future of our dreams, we hope to keep strings of constantly increasing bank accounts at home and abroad; we hope to drive the best cars, live in palatial mansions in the choicest areas and enjoy the most lucrative job offers.

HE famous law doctrine, ‘res judicata’ (issue already decided by a court) is not applicable to Segun Oni and his Ekiti PDP neither do they believe that there should be an end to litigation. They are like dinosaurs hopelessly out of date and incapable of adapting to change. The Appeal Court is the last court that has the final say in gubernatorial petitions as at October 15, 2010 when Oni was ousted. Ever since that judgment, he has refused to accept the reality.

Observers of Ekiti politics would agree that Ekiti has had her fair share of crisis engendered by the way the PDP rigged the 2007 and 2009 gubernatorial elections which was the reason for the 42-month legal battle instituted by Dr. Kayode Fayemi. But Segun Oni was not done. Though he said he accepted the judgment of the Appeal Court and even went to the church for thanksgiving.

Suddenly in March 2011, he filed a suit at the Appeal Court Ado-Ekiti asking the court to reverse itself. The Court adjourned the case sine-die since it was based on the NJC panel of enquiry set up to investigate the allegations against Justice Salami and other judges in the Ekiti, Osun and Sokoto election petitions, an action orchestrated by the association of ousted PDP governors who are bad losers . The NJC at the end of its sitting cleared Justice Salami of wrongdoing in the Ekiti and Osun matter. Segun Oni, rather than going back to the panel of judges who adjourned his case till after the conclusion of sitting by the NJC, did not do that obviously because his scapegoat, Justice Salami on whose character he based his petition had be cleared of any wrong doing.

He and his backers approached the Acting President of the Court of Appeal to constitute another panel to review the judgment of the Ilorin Appeal Court and strangely enough, this was done. He asked the court to set aside the earlier judgment of the Appeal Court; to give an order that the case should be heard de novo (afresh) and that the Speaker of the House of Assembly should be sworn in as Acting Governor pending the determination of the case. The Court of Appeal did not only dismiss the three prayers of Segun Oni, it lambasted him for his affront on the judiciary

Hogs tale (3) In the future of our dreams, everything would work out just fine.

There will be justice and equity even as we tirelessly wish to lord it over others; every public officer will be accountable to the electorate; elections shall be fair and free of fraud and other irregularities; political hooliganism and the godfather culture shall become monstrosities of a dead era; public service will work and the anticipation of road, sea or air travel shall evoke no foreboding.

In the future of our dreams, both public and private security shall be assured; our education, health, financial and transport sectors shall evolve at the highest standards; Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) shall provide adequate and stable electricity; bail will be free, police officers shall decline and ask for no bribes; civil servants will become more honestly dedicated to their work and unemployment shall be reduced to the barest minimum.

In the future of our dreams, we shall have more beautifully planned cities in replacement of our slums; we shall have more educated and law-abiding public; more liberated journalists, writers, musicians and artists; our leaders shall be men of immense stature and enviable track records in both public and private service.

In pursuit of our dream future and guarantee its unobstructed realization, we have organized ourselves into riotous camps of retrograde youths offering ourselves as willing tools to every devious politician, godfather and criminal mastermind with a destructive plan.

To achieve the future of our dreams, we scorn honest labour to perpetuate indolence and the most perverted mission aids. Every youth seeks the easiest shortcut to the future of his dreams; collectively the sum of our dreams and heartfelt hunt

manifest as the worst human expression of vanity, civilization and desire.

We do not do much to improve our plight and we do very little to improve the possibility of doing that. There is no conscious effort to mobilize ourselves for the good of our kind and the love of the collective good. Every youth pressure group presents a sham and a shameful representation of all that vanity and lassitude ever gives.

Some of us are more brazen than others; individually, they hustle to position and project themselves as the best leaders of thought and drivers of hope that we would ever have.

I speak of the self-styled “youth leaders,” “advocacy gurus,” “evangelists” and “mentors” endlessly seeking local and international merit awards, presidential tea sessions and handshakes for leadership and inspiration they are yet to offer – and are infinitely handicapped to offer.

This shameful lot refuses to function and contribute their quota to the general pursuit and achievement of our cause. Rather they spend quality time applying for international and local funding for their suspicious schemes and non-governmental organizations (NGOs); they spend quality time functioning as campaigners, muscles and agents of the incumbent ruling class that we swore to ouster.

Together with our shameful and psychically handicapped “youth leaders,” we engage in unprecedented self-deception conveniently choosing to apply the balm to our chest while our hearts clog with morsels of our victual lust.

Eventually our deceitfulness and greed roost with devastating consequences in our lives: think Boko Haram, Niger Delta militants, kidnappers, Yahoo Boys, and every other corrupt youth scattered across our tribes, workplaces and pressure

Segun Oni’s endless gubernatorial petitions

By Hakeem Jamiu and berated his attempt to drag the judiciary to the political arena. The court told him that it cannot reverse itself as the case ought not to have come before them in the first place.

Andy Uba, another ousted interloper of Anambra State did a similar thing by asking the Supreme Court to reverse itself after he was sacked as Anambra State Governor in 2007 and he also got the same tongue lashing.

Despite the dismissal of the suit and the displeasure of the Court of Appeal against same, Oni has vowed to go on further appeal to the Supreme Court. Though it is within his right to seek any legal redress no matter how base, the underlying motive of Oni is less than noble.

He is only interested in coming back to power to have an undue advantage by controlling his party, the PDP which has imploded into many factions in the state. He also wanted to fraudulently insist that he didn’t rig the 2007 and 2009 elections, all evidence to the contrary notwithstanding.

The greatest pain of Oni today is the insinuation that he was never governor based on the Appeal Court judgment. He has never won any election in Ekiti be it the primary election of his party or the general election. He knows quite well that with Governor Fayemi in the saddle and with the way the PDP member’s daily defect to the ruling ACN across the state on a daily basis, the death knell of the PDP is sounded.

More worrisome is Dr. Fayemi’s achievements in just 15 months in the area of infrastructure which has made Ekiti a huge construction site, health, education, social welfare, agriculture, human capital development, job creation, industrialisation and gender empowerment. This is a source of worry for those in Ekiti and their

collaborators in the South-west while the integration drive aimed at the economic development of the region championed by Governor Fayemi is a source of worry to their leaders. The only way to keep the party together in the state is to keep the hope of the PDP members alive by such spurious petitions. Oni also wants to take over the government which would enable him and his cohorts to rig election in 2014. The result of the April 2011 elections in Ekiti and the South-west when the PDP was roundly beaten was a red card to the PDP that the region is not a receptacle for conservatives.

The desperation of Mr. Oni to snatch power again led to the rumour few days to the judgment of the Ado –Ekiti Appeal Court that Governor Fayemi would soon be removed.

He was so sure of victory that he hired all the available buses in his Ido/Osi Local Government to convey his supporters to the court in Ado Ekiti. His lieutenants were not left out as they came in large numbers from across the state. A day before the judgment, PDP members were boasting in beer parlours that they would take over the government again even when that was not part of the prayers of Oni in his petition.

They drank all the liquors available in bars and they brought coolers of food in buses to the venue of the judgment while most of them wore aso ebi in preparation and anticipation of victory. Alas! They were disappointed when their case was dismissed.

Many of the PDP stalwarts and officials who served under Oni left the court quietly through the back door. They became dejected and forlorn.

Their members were in disarray and they realised they have been tricked into believing they would take over government

groups to the detriment of all and the Nigerian dream.

But rather than speak as much truth to ourselves as we love to speak to power, we conveniently ignore our dread for the truth in relation to our kind. Consequently, the impacts of our dishonesty extend far beyond our travails as you read.

It gets scarier knowing we shall undoubtedly pay for our duplicity whether we like it or not as we are doing now.

The post oil subsidy removal palliative cash has crashed from its fabled N1.3 trillion to N426 billion.

Thus our subsidy removal protests were in vain. The youths that died have died in vain. President Jonathan and company will get away with and there is nothing any one can do about it.

Our heartfelt protests shall not be entertained anymore. Mr. President and our state governors can no longer affect the patience for such frivolities. We shall not be noticed until election time. We shall only be seen during familiar moments of tragedy when our negligible fates manifest disastrously like photographs of acceptable deaths.

Our hearts shall cry to our leaders for succor and they shall reluctantly budge, as usual, alighting from their stuck-up pedestals to accord our tragedies a passing glance. We shall cry over relatives lost to avoidable car crashes, plane crashes, boat mishaps, bomb blasts and state sponsored genocide but leaders we have shall cry over vacations cut short, aborted fornication, and elongated work hours.

Together, we shall passionately perpetuate the worst of treachery and disservice to our kind, customarily.

• To be continued…

For SMS only 08038551123

again. Many of them wept. It was the reaction of the PDP members that brought to the fore the level of their confidence that they would upturn the victory of Fayemi.

Understandably, because of the Nigerian factor which has made anything possible, many ACN supporters became apprehensive that Oni and his PDP were up to mischief more so when they continued to drop names of influential Federal Government officials who were purportedly part of their plot. It was a big relief when the honourable justices dismissed the case as lacking merit.

There is the tendency for PDP sympathisers to lure the unsuspecting members of the public to compare Fayemi’s legal battle to the indecent judicial assault of an audacious Segun Oni. But the two are different. Fayemi took his grievances to the Elections Petitions Tribunal in 2007 but his case was dismissed.

He went on appeal to Ilorin where a re-run was ordered in 2009. The re-run was blatantly rigged in the now famous Ido/Osi gate and he again approached the tribunal with unassailable facts supported by concrete evidence but his case was again dismissed.

He again went on Appeal to Ilorin in 2010 where he finally got justice and was declared as duly elected Governor of Ekiti State based on the results of the 2007 and 2009 re-run gubernatorial elections. The certificate of return erroneously issued to Segun Oni by INEC was ordered withdrawn. In the case of Segun Oni, he is asking the Appeal Court to reverse itself based on the alleged affinity between Justice Salami and a chieftain of the ACN. The Appeal Court is the last court of adjudication in gubernatorial matters as at October 15, 2010. His case was dismissed by the Appeal Court in Ado –Ekiti on February 27, the same day the case was heard. Oni during the trial at Ado-Ekiti attempted through his lawyers to get an extension of time and adjournment but the Judges refused and delivered their judgment thus putting an end to his legal chicanery. As he embarks on another shameless judicial voyage of uncertainty to the Supreme Court, it is high time Oni and his PDP are told that they should stop breast-feeding a dead baby.

• Jamiu writes from Ado-Ekiti

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

22

EDITORIAL/OPINION ‘Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu will be remembered for his courage and unwavering desire to fight for justice for his people’ —Gen. Yakubu Gowon (Nigeria’s war time Head of State), in his condolence message on Ojukwu’s demise.

HERE is no hesitation regarding the fact that one of the masterminds of the nation’s narration was interred last week. In the usual Nigerian tradition, panegyrics that eluded the man during his life time were generously heaped on him by those that at one time or the other castigated him for embarking on a failed secession bid. Epithets such as warlord, rebel, failed secessionist, Igbo leader and fugitive were regularly used to describe the man during his epoch on earth. Could it then be said that Chukwuemeka OdumegwuOjukwu (1933-2012), leader of the Igbo secession bid of 1967-1970 was paid lip service encomiums during internment?

The death of Ojukwu and the transient grandiose public display surrounding it should serve as reminder on all reasonable Nigerians to ponder over why true national leader has eluded the nation in nearly 52 years of independence as a sovereign nation.

We only recognise our leaders in death because while alive, we tend to give ethnic colouration to everything they did. As a Nigerian, Ojukwu was equally guilty of this foible while alive. In 1987 when the great Obafemi Awolowo died, Ojukwu described him as ‘the best president Nigeria never had.’ This statement from Ojukwu generated heated debates in the media for most people wondered why Awo was not in his life time recognised as the best man to rule the nation.

Rather than follow his conscience upon his return from exile by teeming up with the man that his mind told him can best and effectively rule the country, Ojukwu played the politics of survival by aligning with President Shehu Shagari’s National Party of Nigeria (NPN).

The problem of our inability to get national leaders but national figures is not restricted to ethnic leadership alone but their followership. How many Nigerians outside the Yoruba ethnic bloc would see Awo for instance as their true leader. The cerebral Segun Ayobolu in his Illumination column titled: ‘Falsified history’ last Saturday

T

N

IGERIA is a doomed country; it seems destined to die. That is what the story of James Onanefe Ibori has brought out in bold relief for those who care to note. The question now is when? The Americans had long predicted an expiry date of 2015. It could well be soon or a little later; let’s say in five to the next 10 years. Unless of course, someone with some vision comes calling soon. The reason for this assertion is simple: the story of Ibori is the story of the failure of elite leadership; of failed judiciary, failed security system; failed institutions and a broken society.

Since a thief can not catch a thief, Nigeria’s situation is irredeemable. We are currently at the end stage where looting and brigandage is the order. The final movement would be anarchy and violent despoliation. Sadly, providence too seems to have lost patience with this entity called Nigeria which is why at this critical moment of her history, it had contrived to bequeath her with a most unperspicacious President who is a dyed- inthe-wool establishmentarian. This is the time in the life of a nation that requires radical leadership, critical thinking and the need to commit class suicide in other to salvage a nation. Sorry to note that President Goodluck Jonathan is not imbued with such attributes. So here we are at the precipice peering down the abyss.

When you are poised at the gulf of no return, the only sound you here is the eerie, reverberating echo of your own voice. Such is the sound the ruling elite hears now; the sound of their own guffaws and sweet talks.

They have slight premonitions of doom tug at their dulled minds every now and then but they quickly wish it away. “We, (Nigeria) have a way of surviving troubles and tribulations,” they would console themselves not being sensible enough to tell the difference between a war and a state of anomy. And not a few would be more comfortable if Nigeria fails today. What for instance, would an Ibori care now if Nigeria goes to pieces? There are so many Iboris lurking in the shadows around here. Many are actually bankrolling the breakup process now hoping to get a fiefdom of their own when the pie is diced up.

Ojukwu and Nigeria’s leadership challenge reminded of this reality when he paraphrased Chinua Achebe, the great novelist’s sneering remark describing Awo ‘as nothing but a sectional Yoruba leader and tribal jingoist who was absolutely undeserving of a national burial.’ This Achebe comment as piercing as it was underscores the minds of Nigerians towards leaders from ethnic groups other than theirs.

The irony of the Nigerian situation is that most people can only acknowledge leadership potentials in leaders from other tribes in the inner recess of their homes or offices and at best publicly appreciate such leadership potentials as national figures and not national leaders in the true sense of the word. What was done to Awo was equally done to Ahmadu Bello, Tafawa Balewa and Nnamdi Azikiwe by people from outside their ethnic blocs. Unfortunately in this country, the defective federal structure in place has prejudiced the binoculars of the people thereby allowing them to see only what they want to see and not what could make the nation progress. There is an instructive example in this regard. The officially murdered Aare MKO Abiola won the June 12, 1993 Presidential election mandate that cut across ethnic groups in the country. His election was the first and only Pan-Nigerian mandate ever in the nation’s history. Any other one so far is a counterfeit.

In actual fact, Abiola defeated Bashir Tofa, a northerner in his home state of Kano but the

election result was criminally annulled by Ibrahim Babangida, another northerner. In the end, the struggle to see to the revalidation of the truly national June12 election result was ethicised by tribal jingoists outside the Yoruba ethnic group of Abiola. It would be wrong not to mention the criminal collaboration of few southerners in circumventing efforts made to actualise the June12 election. The northern feudal/military hegemony made the entire struggle to look like a southern affairs which is why they will continue as long as there is Nigeria to be haunted by the ghost of MKO Abiola vis-à-vis that of June 12 and more importantly the blood of all heroes and martyrs of that democratic age.

The death of Ojukwu has once again confirmed to discerning Nigerians and other observers of the nation’s history that there is no federally acknowledged national leader in the country today- for a long time, it may if the current flawed structure subsists be difficult to get. What we have are national figures that are at best admired and revered in other parts of the country.

However, Ojukwu’s presence on earth was foreboding to the parasites criminally reaping from the imperfect federation called Nigeria. Ojukwu by no mean standard was a great man. Despite being born a silver spoon to the family of Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu, a very successful businessman, he uplifted the family name beyond where his father left it. He reportedly hated injustice

EXPRESSO STEVE OSUJI

SMS O8181624757 email:steve_osuji@yahoo.com

Ibori: the story of a monkey colony

• Ibori It is only in a failed nation that the justice system can no longer prosecute bare-faced criminals. No court in the land can try me, Dimeji Bankole, immediate past Speaker of the House Of Representatives once boasted when he was held by the graft body, EFCC for virtually ‘breaking’ a bank. Truly, the court dared not bring him to book. It simply asked him to go his way. The same so-called court of the Federal Republic of Nigeria discharged and acquitted Ibori; this same Ibori, of any aorta of wrongdoing for these charges for which he has pleaded guilty in a foreign land. In the same manner in 2004, an Abuja

High Court pronounced Ibori clean and set him free when his eligibility to hold the office of the governor was questioned. There was overwhelming evidence of his prior conviction in 1995. The trial judge who convicted him even testified before the court that HE convicted James Ibori. Yet a High Court Judge acquitted him. These judges are still in the system.

If it is not a failed state, how come Ibori and many others like him get security clearance to hold high office in the land for two terms. The security system is so corrupted and debased that only criminals who can pay seem to get clearance for top jobs in the land.

Not quite long, a Senator once declared on the floor of the Senate that a good number of his colleagues in the sacred chamber of the Senate were hardened criminals he once prosecuted as erstwhile police chief. Yet such criminals were cleared by our security agencies to hijack seats in highest law making body of the land. Is it not a failed country that has so many criminals as her highest law makers?

Nigeria being a failed state, all the army, air force, navy and police could not arrest Ibori. It took the intervention of Interpol and the Metropolitan Police of London. It took the English police to build a case against him, it took a British prosecutor to prosecute him and a British court to convict him. And

from childhood. At age 11 in 1944, he was briefly imprisoned for assaulting a white British colonial teacher who was humiliating a black woman at King’s College, Lagos.

That event reportedly generated widespread coverage in local newspapers of that era. His father at age 13 sent him abroad to study in the United Kingdom’s Epsom and Lincoln Colleges respectively. He attended Oxford University for his first and graduate degrees in History from 1952-1955. Ojukwu lived well even as a student at Oxford University driving the best of flashy cars. Despite this comfortable lifestyle provided him by his father, he never drifted from the right path.

At a time when the Nigerian Military Forces had 250 officers with just only 15 being mostly uneducated Nigerians and; 6,400 other ranks, of which 336 were British; Ojukwu dropped the garb of comfort to don the Spartan robe of the military which he joined as a rank and file because his wealthy father pulled his weight to prevent his enlistment as an officer just to discourage him from joining the military. How many children of those in power in the past/today or that of wealthy Nigerians have the focus and positive zeal of Ojukwu? Without his father’s influence, he grew to become an icon of history in Nigeria and Africa. This should be poser for the political elites to reflect on; why can’t they produce an Ojukwu in their family despite their wealth and power?

Permit me at this juncture to quote Sam Omatseye, the cerebral wordsmith and award winning columnist of The Nation in his last Monday’s column titled: ‘Born Nigerian, died Nigerian’ where he declared; ‘No one fathered the Igbo nation until Ojukwu led Biafra. Ojukwu roared on his people’s behalf. The point was not that he lost the battle, but that he did not lose his people. They followed him last week to the grave.’ Whether as a national figure or Igbo leader, Ojukwu has acquitted himself well whatever foible he may have had.

Nevertheless, Ojukwu’s life and courageous ‘ethnic’ leadership forays remain serious puzzles for generations unborn to find solutions to.

NOTE This column was unavoidably absent last week because I was ill. My appreciation goes to those that phoned or sent messages to inquire why I did not write. Thanks to you all! one dares add; it took the British media to expose Ibori. This Ibori saga would not happen in any other living country. All hell would have broken loose. The President would have apologized to the people and perhaps, resigned immediately. The Attorney General, police and security chiefs would have taken their turns immediately so that the country could repair and heal.

Not so Nigeria; it is dead mentally, physically, spiritually, morally and even psychologically. Even the people seem to have been zombified, never to be jolted anymore by anything. No wonder the British prosecutor in the Ibori matter referred to Nigeria as if it were a monkey colony. But really does it need any special discernment to know that we are currently trapped in a Hobbesian situation. Where comes redemption?

Reaction Your write up on one of the greatest Igbo men that ever lived thus far, the indefatigable enigma called Emeka Ojukwu couldn’t have been more apt as the ten (10) point manual succinctly encapsulated his entire being.

To affirm some of the postulations you made on the man, I had a chance encounter with this great Nigerian sometime in 2006 on the invitation of Senator Mike Ajaegbo who happened to have had an appointment with Ojukwu with whom I met on the same flight to Enugu enroute Onitsha to break a campaign on some radio and television stations in the commercial city.

On our whistle stop over at Ojukwu’s haven in the GRA at Enugu, my experience of the man is still very green and would remain in my subconscious for a very long time if not forever.

The ten minutes or thereabout with this great Nigerian was awesome as Ojukwu displayed great level of erudition, guts, and candour.

His knowledge of Nigeria was legendary.

The Ikemba towers above most of his contemporaries in many respect.

Indeed, Ojukwu was a great legend of our time.

Adieu, the deliverer of the Igbos from oppression. 08181624757.

Igiebor braces up for Hapoel exit

Keshi gets thumbs-up

Pg. 24

Pg. 41

Pg. 24

Nation •Igiebor

from Cooreman

•Keshi

PAGE 23

Friday, March 9, 2012

WEST BROM CONTRACT

Osaze

close to new deal Pg. 24

•Osaze

•Eyes one or two-year package •Could dump Baggies for bigger offer

24

41

NATIONSPORT FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

NATION SPORT

NATION SPORT CROWD VIOLENCE AT LEAGUE VENUES

Erring clubs will complete banishment —NPL

T

HE Nigeria Premier League (NPL) says the body will be unyielding on the banishment of clubs that are unable to put their fans in check to neutral grounds to forestall the recent spate of crowd violence at league venues.

In a chat with the NPL Chairman, Rumson Victor Baribote in the wake of attacks on Sunshine Stars and Heartland FC players after league ties in Ilorin, Gombe and Kano respectively, he stressed that when fans are disallowed from watching their darling teams play before them the flurry of crowd violence would be a thing of the past.

He commended 1Game initiative at ridden the league of violence but averred that a lot must still be done to properly educate the football club supporters to see football as a game and not one that should be turn to battle ground when home teams get unpalatable results.

“We will take appropriate actions so that such precedent can stop. We have already banished Kwara United to Abuja. When you deprive the crowd of seeing their teams’ home games I think it will end. We cannot end crowd violence at a go, but gradually we can avoid it. Even in the advance league like the English Premier League (EPL) they also witness it occasionally. We are still devising other means to put a stop to it. It may not be immediate but we are working towards that.” The League boss said he was aware of the violence which broke out at the Pillars Stadium in Kano after the Kano Pillars’ versus Heartland FC confrontation but disclosed that even though they were aware of all that transpired the NPL will still have to wait for

From Tunde Liadi, Owerri the reports of both the match commissioner and the match officials before appropriate actions could be taken.

He urged Nigerians to see football as a unifying sport and not one that should be turned to bloodbath since there are only three eventualities at the end of a football game which is either to win, draw or suffer a loss.

Meanwhile, the General Manager of Heartland FC of Owerri, Fan Ndubuoke told NationSport that the Naze Millionaires have already sent a letter of complaint to the NPL on the untold hardship suffered by his wards in Kano in the aftermath of their 1-1 draw.

He decried the wave of crowd brutality on away teams when their clubs failed to get maximum points at home matches and called on the league body to do something snappy and drastic about it to nip it in the bud before it get further out of hand.

Ejike Uzoenyi recovers from injury •To make Rangers’ trip to Minna

S

UPER EAGLES’ defender Ejike Uzoenyi has told NationSport exclusively that he has recovered from the knee injury he copped while on the national team assignment in Rwanda and would be part of the Enugu Rangers’ party to Niger Tornadoes this weekend.

Ejike suffered a knock on his left knee towards the latter stages of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier against Rwanda in Kigali but managed to finish the encounter with the pain.

He told NationSport that he had since resumed training and he is working on his fitness to be adequately fit for the encounter with the Minna based side.

“Yes I am alright now. I have resumed training and hopefully I will be part of the team to Minna for our league match against Tornadoes. The knee injury kept me out of training for few days but now I am fit as fiddle and raring to go if considered by the technical crew.”

Diminutive Ejike has always consistently featured for Home Based Super Eagles since the reins of Daniel Amokachi who led the team to WAFU Cup success in 2009 and was also in Samson Siasia’s team that crashed to Togo in the final

WEST BROM CONTRACT

Osaze

From Tunde Liadi, Owerri of same competition last year in Abeokuta and now under new Eagles’ boss, Stephen Keshi. He started and played all 90 minutes against Rwanda in Kigali in the country’s goalless draw in the AFCON Qualifier on February 28.

•Uzoenyi

•Says clubs in England, Spain, Germany and others want him

H

APOEL TEL AVIV of Israel attacking midfielder, Nosa Igiebor believes he is in good stead to leave his present base at the end of the season for a more recognised league in Europe.

Igiebor in a recent chat from Israel told NationSport that his agents were currently studying offers from various clubs from Germany, Holland, Spain and England before making any pronouncement on where he would be trading his soccer skills next season owing to his sterling performance in the Israeli Ligat Al. The former U-23 international blamed the dearth of adequate publicity in Isreal unlike Norway for Nigerians’ inability to get firsthand reports on his progress for his current club, Hapoel highlighting that his present form had made him to earn lots of Man of the Match Awards in the league.

“I don’t think I will be staying in Israel beyond this season. I have several offers from notable clubs in

close to new deal •Eyes one or two-year package •Could dump Baggies for bigger offer

W

EST BROMWICH ALBION's Nigerian international striker Peter Osaze Odemwinge on Thursday insisted that he was close to striking a new deal with the West Midlands club, despite hitting a snag over his wages. Speaking from the USA, where the club are under way with pre season preparations, Odemwinge stated he believed he was close to signing a one or two year contract extension. Despite being the centre of transfer speculation, the 29-year-old striker revealed that he fully expects to be at the Hawthorns next season, but admited he could be tempted by an offer from a bigger club should a deal that suited both him and the club arrive on the table.

•Baribote

Igiebor braces up for Hapoel exit

But coach Roy Hodgson is confident of securing the services of Odemwinge at West Brom, who already has two years of his exisitng contract left to run.

The club are expected to make some change to the wage of Odemwinge, in return for his efforts and successes last season. But a figure that suits both player and club is yet to be agreed.

Keshi gets thumbs-up from Cooreman W

ARRI WOLVES trainer, Maurice Cooreman says Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi was spot on with his selections and tactics in the 2013 Africa Nations Cup qualifier between Nigeria and Rwanda in Kigali on February 29.

Keshi started three Nigeria Premier League (NPL) stars, Ejike Uzoenyi, Azubuike Egwuekwe and Godwin Oboabona against the Amavubi with sections of the domestic media suggesting that the Nigeria trainer should have given more domestic stars the look-in in the Kigali stalemate.

Cooreman who has managed Nigerian clubs like Bendel Insurance, Gabros, Lobi Stars, Enyimba and Kaduna United however insists that ‘the big Boss’ was right in opting for more of the f o r e i g n professionals to start against the •Keshi Amavubi.

"Keshi was right in his choice of players and his tactics.

I am surprised that he has received so much criticism.

Keshi is an excellent coach," Cooreman said.

Cooreman recently completed a shock switch from Kaduna United to Wolves and he was quick to speak on his early impressions at his new side.

"Wolves are a big club and I am happy to be here. Everything has been going well so far for us and I have no regrets so far," he said.

Wolves, one of Nigeria’s t w o representat ives in the 2012 CAF Confeder ation Cup return to NPL action on Thursday with a home game against Wikki Tourists.

•Cooreman

•Osaze

From Tunde Liadi, Owerri recognized league in Europe and my agents are currently studying them. After watching my game, some coaches told me they are actually wondering what I am doing in Israel when my talent will be of adequate use elsewhere.

Israel is unlike Norway or other countries in Europe where media patronage is key.

“Without sounding immodest, I have not stopped from the same way I played for Lillestrom SC in Norway that got me my present club, and with the experience I garnered in the Europa League playing against the like of PSV Eindhoven of Holland, a Polish club among others have all made me to improve in other aspects of my game.”

Igiebor told our correspondent that he has netted about three goals and had featured in all Hapoel matches this season while missing out on just few owing to injury.

•Igiebor

Onigbinde returns to NFF

F

ORMER Nigeria coach Adegboye Onigbinde has been persuaded to rescind his decision to withdraw from the NFF Technical Committee.

Onigbinde early in the week lashed out at the committee, claiming he was being marginalised in the decisionmaking process. But after a meeting of Nigerian members of FIFA and CAF committees, former NFA chairman Dominic Oneya says he was persuaded to have a rethink.

“We persuaded him to change his mind,” Oneya said. “As a CAF and FIFA official, we reminded him that charity must begin at home and he cannot resign and leave Nigerian football. We are happy that he has agreed to return to the committee.”

Falconets axe FCAAN excites Nigerian coaches over-aged players

N

IGERIAN coaches who thronged the Nigeria Institute for Sports (NIS) on Monday March 5th, 2012 for the launch of Football Coaches Association of African Nations (FCAAN) in Nigeria left the venue with kind words for the founder of the body, Dr Terry Babatunde Eguaoje for creating an avenue for the country's coaches to improve their knowledge of the modern trend in the business.

First to speak was the president of the National Association of Nigerian Coaches, Adegboye Onigbinde, he thanked FCAAN for launching the programme in Nigeria.

"I want to commend the initiators of this programme which will compliment the efforts of our association in training Nigerian coaches. It is a welcome development. What is happening here today is the beginning of a collaboration that will improve the lots of the Nigerian coach but have it at the back of your mind that FCAAN is not in Nigeria to usurp the functions of the NANC, it's only out to compliment us.

"Let me also use this opportunity to thank Dr Eguaoje for remembering home. On behalf of Nigerian coaches, I will like to say here that FCAAN has our support. We will continue to meet to work on how this relationship will benefit us all", concluded the CAF/ FIFA instructor.

Former Super Eagles assistant coach, Joseph Erico also commended FCAAN and urged the over one hundred coaches

present to take advantage of the opportunity the body is providing to enrich their knowledge "because learning is continuous".

Other coaches who supported Dr Eguaoje's project included the erstwhile Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia, Festus Allen of Shooting Stars Sport Club (3SC), while the president of The National Association of Nigerian Players, Harrison Jalla promised to ensure that ex internationals grabbed "this unique opportunity to broaden their knowledge of the business of coaching".

Obviously overwhelmed with the way his organisation was embraced by Nigerian coaches, FCAAN boss, Dr Eguaoje thanked all present for "giving me an opportunity to contribute my own quota to the development of Nigerian coaches, he added that the acceptance of FCAAN has motivated him and will ensure that a seminar/clinic for coaches in Nigeria will be organised before the end of the year. He thanked chief specially for gracing the occasion on a day he was celebrating his 74th birthday.

"I am so happy and honoured to have chief Onigbinde here on a day he should be home celebrating his birthday, we are grateful to you, sir.

Meanwhile, Dr Eguaoje charged coaches present to "take advantage of this occasion to register with FCAAN for free and enjoy stuffs like letter of introduction to attend coaching courses in America and some part of Europe and also to attend our courses at very good discounts".

C

OACH of Nigeria’s women’s under 20 team, Edwin Okon has decamped three players from camp ahead of the 2013 FIFA World Cup qualifying game against Zimbabwe.

Okon said the hard-line stance was taken in line with his policy of ensuring that only players under age limit were given the opportunity to represent Nigeria at international level.

‘I have decamped three players because I believe only players whose ages are not over the age limit should be here,’ Edwin told SuperSport.com.

The Falconets trainer also moved to douse the controversy surrounding seven members of his team.

Questions have been raised over the inclusion of Gloria Ofoegbu, Uchechi Sunday, Ebere Orji (Rivers Angels), Amarachi Okoronkwo (Nasarawa Amazons), Esther Sunday (Sunshine Queens), Desire Oparanozie (Delta Queens) and Blessing Edoho (Pelican Stars) in the squad preparing to face the Southern Africans in the twolegged playoff.

The seven players were part of the Nigeria U-20 squad that competed at the 2011 World Cup in Germany and their eligibility for the 2013 edition has been questioned by some sections of the Nigerian public.

Edwin, however, offered this explanation; ‘The coaches of the Falconets to the last World Cup are responsible for the situation.

The truth is the said seven players were originally in the Flamingoes (Under-17) team preparing for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago in 2010.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

25

PEOPLE THE NATION

AN EIGHT-PAGE SECTION ON SOCIETY

Ode-Ekiti, a rustic community in Ekiti State, came alive last Saturday when the remains of Prof Samuel Adepoju Aluko were interred. The funeral attracted dignitaries from across the country, reports SULAIMAN SALAWUDEEN

•Son of the deceased Senator Gbenga Aluko (right) exchanging pleasantries with Governor Fayemi (middle) and Chief Akande

Dignitaries see off ‘Mr Integrity’ Aluko Y

OU may not not easily find the town on the map. But mention him and you instantly get the feeling - that’s a big

name.

Now, Ode-Ekiti, a rustic community in Gbonyin Local Government Area of Ekiti State, has got some fame. It was brimming with dignitaries last Saturday as the remains of renowned economist Prof Sam Aluko were buried.

Aluko died on Tuesday, February 7 in a London hospital, He was 82.

The Clergy and laity, men and women of God and of books, patricians and plebeians came together at the church service and reception.

Dignitaries in dainty automobile consistently streamed into the sleepy town from about 9am till noon for the funeral service at Saint Mary’s Anglican Church.

Clad in local and foreign attires, family, friends, associates turned out in their numbers to honour the departed comrade of comrades, scholar of scholars and teacher of teachers.

In attendance were the Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi; former governor of old Anambra State Chief Jim Nwobodo; former governor of Cross River State Donald Duke; the first African Nobel laureate in Literature, Prof Wole Soyinka; National Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Chief Bisi Akande and Mr Segun Oni. Also serving and past Senators from Ekiti, Ondo, Osun and Ogun States including Babafemi Ojudu, Olu Adetumbi, Tony Adeniyi, Prof Sola Adeyeye (Osun) and Iyabo Anisulowo (Ogun) were present.

So were House of Representatives members from the state including, Bimbo Daramola, Bamidele Faparusi and Ife Arowosoge.

‘In the civil service or political terrain, he served with truth unlike what Nigeria has become today, where men of deceit have taken over politics

‘

The list also included top members of the State Executive Council led by the Deputy Governor, Mrs Funmi Olayinka; Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Ganiyu Owolabi and Chief of Staff to the Governor Mr Yemi Adaramodu and others.

Prominent members from the academia in attendance were Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) former Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Tale Omole; former VC University of Ado-Ekiti Prof Akin Oyebode; VC, Ekiti State University (EKSU) Prof Patrick Aina; Prof Oluyemi Omosini; Prof Tunde Adeniran, one timeNigeria’s Ambassador to Germany and chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party.

Top clerics, including Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi of Akure Anglican Diocese and Felix Ajakaye of Ekiti Catholic Diocese and Bishop of Ibadan Anglican Diocese Most Rev. Gideon Olajide (Rtd) were also there.

•Prof Soyinka (right) and Mr Duke

Amid intermittent rumbling of canons and continuous rendition of dialectal dirges by a section of the pallbearers, the gold edged, wine coloured casket festooned with flowers, was lowered into the grave within the hallowed precincts of the church at 2:45pm.

Before the service, Aluko’s body laid in state at his country home.

In his tributes at the church, Fayemi described Aluko as a nationalist whose reputation transcended the state.

He recalled that the deceased taught at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), University of Nigeria, Nsukka and all over the world, adding that the presence of former Governors Nwobodo and Duke lent credence to his nationalistic standing.

The governor said Aluko stoutly opposed economic prescription of free market neoliberal policies of the so-called ‘Washington Concensus’ for the salutary option of controlled state ownership of regulated and well guided

economy.

He recalled that two weeks after he assumed office, Aluko sent him a document, detailing prescriptions for economic emancipation of the state.

Fayemi added:“Just two weeks to his death, Papa wrote me another three page letter recalling the details of his earlier recommendations.

“This was a proof that Prof was concerned with the development of the state up to the last moment.

“We remain thankful to God that apart from leaving excellent children who have continued to render excellent service in various areas of life’s endeavours, papa has left lasting legacy not only in the state but even in Nigeria as a whole.

“We, his larger family, will continue to tread his path; we will be committed to and ensure that planning remains the bedrock of whatever development choice we want to make.”

•Continued on page 26

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

26

SOCIETY •Continued from page 25

•Deceased family (from left) Mrs Morenike Jayesimi; his widow Mrs Joyce Aluko; Prof Bolaji Aluko and Mr Olufemi Aluko and Mrs Bunmi Solade

•Mrs Olayinka

•Former governor of Old Ondo State Evangelist Bamidele Olumiluwa and his wife

Dignitaries see off ‘Mr Integrity’ Aluko •Continued from page 25 Fayemi said the state was considering what special way to immortalise the late scholar, adding: “but we don’t want to do that in a hurry as we believe he deserves an immortalisation that really reflect him as a public intellectual.”

Earlier in his sermon taken from Romans, 8: 28-38, Right Reverend Gideon Olajide eulogised the late Aluko, describing him as “the best brain Ekiti ever had.”

Rev Olajide, childhood friend of the deceased, said Aluko’s postulations remained relevant then and ever.

He maintained that Aluko was an incorruptible person, who served Ekiti and Nigeria to his best.

Olajide said: “Aluko served the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Adekunle Ajasin and the late Gen Sani Abacha patriotically and more than anybody could ever do. He gave his best to ensure the creation of Gbonyin Local Government.

“He lived an exemplary life of humility, simplicity, courage and perseverance and above all, he was free from corruption. He was an incorruptible man, who does whatever he believes in with passion.

“In the civil service or political terrain, he served with truth unlike what Nigeria has become today, where men of deceit have taken

over politics.”

Olajide said Aluko excelled wherever he went and whatever he did, adding that he shunned unearned credits.

In his vote of thanks, first son of the deceased Prof Bolaji Aluko said the best couple he ever saw and knew were his late father and his mother.

He said: “My father would agree to give you a thing in one moment and after consulting his wife, he would refuse to honour his earlier promise to you,” adding:“such was the closeness of dad and mum.”

Noting the presence of Prof Soyinka, he said his father would be pleased “in heaven” to realise that Soyinka was in church for his funeral.

“My dad will smile in heaven when he learns that because of him, Prof Soyinka made it to church,” Bolaji said.

Ranking officials of Christ School, Ado-Ekiti, the secondary school Aluko attended and OAU where he taught for years featured briefly at the church service, singing songs and anthems of both institutions.

Described by the Ekiti State Government in a tribute as “a quintessential family man, a devout Christian, an academic par excellence, an economist of global renown, a consummate nationalist, a man of honour and a true son of Ekiti State, Nigeria,” Aluko’s remains lie quietly in the church cemetery of Saint Mary’s Anglican, Ode-Ekiti.

•Hon. Bimbo Daramola (left) greeting Senators Ojudu and Adeyeye

•Ekiti Commissioner for Special Duties Mrs Bunmi Salami (right) and Special Adviser to the Deputy Governor Mrs Kehinde Daramola

COURTESY VISIT

CONJUGAL BLISS

•Mrs Esther Hezekiah, Prophet Oladeji Hezekiah (a.k.a baba Canaan Land) with couples, Pastor Mayowa Clement and his wife Mirs Bunmi Mayowa at Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Isegun, DCC Headquarters, Ikere Ekiti.

•Secretary to the Lagos State Government Mrs Olureti Adegbule receiving a document from leader of Ayan Agbalu Soungobi Foundation Chief Yemi Ogunyemi

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

27

SOCIETY

Ogun State Governor Senator Ibikunle Amosun led dignitaries to bid farewell to the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, the late Hon Anthony Idowu, whose remains were buried in Ayetoro in Yewa Local Government Area of the state. ERNEST NWOKOLO writes

Goodnight teacher I

F eulogies could bring back the dead, former Deputy Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, the late Hon Anthony Idowu, would have woken up from the coffeecoloured casket bearing his remains penultimate Friday.

His Ayetoro town, home to the headquarters of Yewa North Local Government Area of the state University, Ago-Iwoye, stood still with many dressed in uniform attires extolling him as a “ true teacher, disciplinarian,” and “a beacon of light.”

The Catholic community, his children, former students of Sacred Heart College, Abeokuta, and political associates gathered to bid him a heroic farewell.

His in-laws, Ogun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftancy Affairs Hon Muyiwa Oladipo ensured the funeral programme went smoothly.

From St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Ayetoro, the venue of the funeral service, to the adjoining roads and streets, everywhere was brimming with activities. Politicians cutting across party lines joined the Catholic faithful in prayer before the interment.

It was understandable why many turned up at the church service and the reception.

The late Idowu was a grassroots politician and had mentored many of his kinsmen, including the current Ogun State House of Assembly (OGHA) Speaker, Prince Suraju Adekunbi.

He was also accomplished teacher who became the pioneer principal of Awori College, Ojo, Apapa (1974). He was also principal of Sacred Heart College, Abeokuta.

No fewer than six traditional rulers in the state sent their staff of office to honour the deceased.

The monarchs included the Olubara of Ibara, Abeokuta, Oba Jacob Omolade; the Olowu of Owu kindom Oba Adegboyega Dosunmu; the Alaye of Aiyetoro Oba Lasisi Adelakun; Omala of Imala Oba Moses Adegboyega; the Olu of Igbein Oba Festus Makinde and the Onijale of Ijale Oba Ajibola Babalola.

The Assistant Parish Priest, Reverend Christian Eze, urged humanity to consider themselves as strangers in the world who must use their temporary time on earth to impact positively on one another.

Reverend Eze said the deceased lived by example and left a worthy legacy of sound character and humility in people, particularly his students.

“The world is not our own. We should live like a stranger. Baba didn’t want sufferings in life and after death. That was why he served God and humanity.

“The world we live is short to develop enmity with your neighbours, too short to live without God, once we close our eyes, that is the end; all we shall remember for is our good or bad work,” the cleric said.

His in-law, Hon Oladipo, who sees himself as the “first son” of the deceased because of the late Idowu’s fatherly role, eulogised him, saying he was an honest and straightforward man who “doted” on him like one of the children.

“In your lifetime, you were not an in-law but a father... No doubt, the fatherly advice that you gave in those years cannot be forgotten and will

remain indelible,” Oladipo said in his tribute.

The politician and disciplinarian teacher often referred to as the “Head boy,” began his exit by noon when the pallbearers pulled out the casket after the cleric’s blessing for onward journey to his final resting place at the country-home, Joga Quarters, Ayetoro.

The final leg of the journey was evocative as the pallbearers in demonstration of a life well spent on earth, tossed the casket in every direction.

His remains were eventually lowered to the grave by 1.40pm amid a bright weather and songs and drumming from Badagry-based Mitonayon group even as tears flowed freely from his widow, Ibiyemi.

Two of his children, Mrs Ronke Sokefun, who is the Director–General, Bureau of Lands & Survey, Ogun State and Mrs Olufunke Oladipo, laboured to fight back tears after performing the dust-to-dust and ash-to-ash rites for their daddy.

Ronke, who doubles as a Special Adviser to Governor Ibikunle Amosun on Land Matters, said her daddy was to her “what a father should be to a daughter.”

Dignitaries who joined Ronke and her siblings to bid their father farewell included Governor Babatunde Fashola, who was represented

by Mr Babatunde Hunpe (Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Rural Development), Governor Ibikunle Amosun and wife, Olufunso; Deputy Governor Segun Adesegun; first civilian Deputy Governor of Ogun State Chief Sesan Soluade; Senator Olurunimbe Mamora; State Chairman of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Alhaji Tajudeen Bello and the Chairman, Ojo Local Government, Lagos, Prince Yinka Durosinmi.

Others were Deputy Chief of Staff, Alhaji Salisu Shuab; Commissioner of Women Affair and Social Development Mrs Elizabeth Sonubi; her Information and Strategy, Works, Finance and Budget and Planning counterparts Alhaji Yusuf Olaniyonu; Arc. Lekan Adepite; Kemi Adeosun and Mrs Yewande Moyo; Special Adviser to the Governor on Millennium Development Hafsat Abiola-Costello; ex-Commissioner Mrs Doyin Ogunbiyi and Mrs Funmi Wakama.

Prince Durosinmi, who was the deceased’s student at Awori College, Ojo, described him as a “fantastic” person who “re–modelled” him.

“He was a fantastic teacher, father and a disciplinarian, who re-modelled our lives. We had the thought then that he was wicked. He would come to our community after school hour to ensure we behaved properly. Today, most of his products are great people in the society, like my humble self,” he said.

Also the Head boy of Sacred Heart College, Abeokuta, Davies Babashola, who led a delegation of pupils to the funeral said the deceased was a legend and a great man to all who passed through his tutelage.

“He was a great man and a role model. His major contribution to the school was in enthroning discipline among us. He never tolerated indiscipline from any student. We will always miss him and to us, even in death Mr Idowu is a legend,” Babashola said.

AWARD

•From left: Chairman, BUA Group Alhaji AbdulSamad Rabiu; Governor of Cross River State Godswill Akpabio and his Edo counterpart Comrade Adams Oshiomhole during The Sun award

•From left: Hon Oladipo, his wife Olufunke and Deceased's widow Ibiyemi

•Governor Amosun and his wife Olufunso

•Hon Adekunbi and his wife Oluwaseun

BIRTHDAY

•From left: Adesuwa Izevbigie; the celebrator Adenike Izevbigie; Mrs Felicia Yesufu and Modupe Yesufu durin the 50th birthday of Mrs Izevbigie

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

28

Eminent Nigerians, including Governor of Niger State Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, converged on the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) on February 27, for a forum organised by Business Hallmark, NNEKA NWANERI reports.

T

HOUGH a busy Monday morning , the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) on Victoria Island, Lagos, venue of a public forum organised

by Business Hallmark, was filled to capacity.

The guests shone in various attires. Some wore well sewn suits; others donned traditional garbs. The Igbos were in their red native caps; the northerners in their kaftan Jalabia. The women from southern part of the country wore Iro and Buba.

They trickled in, one after the other, till the auditorium was full. As they take their seats, waiting in anticipation, Niger State Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, who was the guest speaker, arrived.

Popularly called Talban Minna and Chief Servant of Niger State, Aliyu did not come alone. He came with a large entourage.

In his entourage were the Speaker of Niger State House of Assembly, Alhaji Mohammed Tsowa and many commissioners.

Also in attendance were elder statesman Chief Ayo Adebanjo; former Managing Di-

When intellectuals gathered

rector of the defunct Hallmark Bank, Marc Wabara; the daughter of the late Premier of Western Region, Chief Tokunbo AwolowoDosunmu; Editorial Board member of Thisday newspaper, Dr Chidi Amuta; Chairman, Editorial Board of The Nation newspaper, Mr Sam Omatseye; Prof Anya o. Anya; Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye; Chairman, House Committee on Media Zakari Mohammed; Ambassador Segun Olusola; Nollywood actors and comedian Ali Baba among others.

The governor did not let the audience down as he dissected many areas and issues on social-economic and political situations in the country.

Not many people of repute could sit for hours till the end of the event.

Prof Anya, who chaired the event, hailed the organisers.

He urged the gathering to think of imple-

•Governor Aliyu flanked by Prof Anya (left) and Mr Obasi

•Wabara (left) and Dr Dosunmu-Awolowo

•Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye (left) and Dr Tola Adeniyi

menting the concessions that have been reached.

He lauded journalism for going beyond ordinary reportage of news and events to critical assessment of performance in governance locally, nationally and internationally.

Aliyu sued for equity.

Equity, he said, begins from the home, permeates the society and will with time spread through the country.

“There is the need to imbibe the sprit of our religious beliefs. We all have a common destiny and anything that affects one affects all as a nation,” he said.

He blamed the social conflicts ravaging the country on economic factors caused by diversity of interests, material needs, preferences, values and ideas.

Nigerians, he noted, must accept the coun-

try as theirs and always place the national interest above primordial sentiments and loyalties.

“We all have a stake and we must collectively take the country to its expected place in the committee of nations,” he said.

He admonished traditional institutions to be properly involved in the fight against the decadence in the value system.

The forum indeed helped appericiate without bias the multiple problems of the country.

Speakers after speaker mounted the podium to bear their mind on contemporary problems.

Their presentations received standing ovation from the guests who could not but agree that it was a day well spent.

•Ambassador Olusola (right) and Tryone Lawther

•Niger State Comissioner for Information Danladi Abdulahi (left) and Usman Mobi

•Zakari Mohammed

•Prof Theo Ogunbiyi PHOTOS: NNEKA NWANERI

29 FRIDAY, MACRH 9, 2012

Vol 3 No. 142

In Nigeria, like in other parts of the world, personalities, corporations and governments have over the years employed branding to dominate competition and win the marketing war. However, given the peculiarities and social complexity of Africa , managers of global brands often discover, sometimes at great cost, that their strategies need a bit of tweaking for them to succeed in Africa. In this report, WALE ALABI in a nugget based on the seminal book, The Seven Dimensions of Branding: Brand Building from the African Perspective, recently published by Muyiwa Kayode, CEO, USP, the brand management company, offers tips to brand builders and custodians of brands from the African angle. Excerpts:

The Seven Commandments of Branding First Commandment:

I

N articulating a sound vision, an important question to ask is: “Why do we exist?” It is common to make the mistake of answering this question with “To make money.” This is based on the general belief that every business exists purely for profit. While profit is essential for the survival of the business, it must never be regarded as the company’s reason for being. From the outset, brand vision helps chart a marketing course for the company. When Microsoft envisions a computer in every home and Microsoft in every computer, there is an automatic marketing objective implicitly stated in the vision. Or when a bank envisions its account holder in every home, it instantly sends a compelling message to its stakeholders. Every employee becomes a crusader for the company, taking the bank’s offering to all and sundry. The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) that envisions a parish on every street of the world is another classical illustration of this commandment. Because every worker of the church has bought into this vision.

Second Commandment: No one buys your product because they want you to make money: Yet you cannot make money unless they buy your product. So what would make them buy your product? You must offer value. In doing this, you must define value not only from your perspective, but from theirs. Companies will create better value propositions if they think more in terms of creating value rather than making profits. This is because the customer is essentially selfish and will patronize a product or service only because his specific needs are being met by that product or service.

Third Commandment: The fear of a market definition that is “too narrow” is one of the reasons companies fail to develop a strong positioning platform. Yet it is futile trying being everything to everyone. Brand positioning has to do with how you want people to perceive your product or service relative to the competition and the things you do in order to achieve that desired perception.

Fourth Commandment: Oftentimes there is a gap between the identity a company aims to create and what it actually ends up with.

Several factors may be responsible for this. While the process of creating the visual identity is critical, subsequent communication and brand behaviour also play a vital role in shaping people’s perception of a company’s identity. The most easily recognizable aspect of brand identity is the visual aspect. This is what people see and remember. Yet there is more to brand identity than meets the eye. What constitutes the identity of a brand is a combination of many things. Identity must be able to appeal not only to the sense of sight but the other senses as well.

Fifth Commandment: Once you have articulated a brand promise, everything you say or do must reinforce that promise. Unfortunately, this rarely happens because most companies promise

‘No one buys your product because they want you to make money: Yet, you cannot make money unless they buy your product. So what would make them buy your product? You must offer value’ what they cannot deliver, while others promise different things at different times and never keep any of those promises.

Sixth Commandment: If more companies and their agencies could channel their creativity towards creating value, rather than attention grabbing adverts they would achieve a lot more.

Unfortunately, what is prevalent is a quest for award winning adverts, rather than award winning brands.

Advertising is what you say while branding is what you do. It does not matter how attractive your advert layout is, or how elegant the graphics are. If the advert does not contain a compelling value proposition, it’s a waste of money.

Seventh Commandment: Our nation branding efforts must recogniSe the difference between branding and advertising. This is the kind of thinking that builds great brands. We cannot become great by saying it. We have to do great things!

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

30

Brandnews

Promo: Coca-Cola to produce 70 millionaires in 70 days

F

OLLOWING dwindling income and rising cost of living, beverage giant CocaCola Nigeria is once again providing a cushion for its consumers.

The company’s latest nationwide consumer reward programme, tagged “Open & Win Promo,” will give out a grand prize of N1million daily to one lucky consumer for the next 70 days, in addition to airtime ranging from N100 to N1000 for many consumers.

The promotion, which starts from February 28 and run till May 10, is open to all consumers above 13 and applies to Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite and Schweppes brands of soft drinks.

Speaking at the launch at AboraMazonia Hall, Eko Hotel Towers and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos recently, Austin Ufomba, Marketing Director, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, said “The ‘Open & Win’ promo is another avenue for us to thank and reward our consumers

across the country and to make a difference in their lives in these challenging times. Coca-Cola is about happiness and we take every opportunity such as this promo to spread doses of happiness among our consumers”. Explaining the promo’s mechanics, Ufomba said, “All a consumer need do is buy a 35cl or 50cl bottle of Coca-Cola, Fanta, or Sprite or a 29cl bottle of Schweppes, look under the special white crown to see a number. This number is unique to individual corks as no two crown corks have the same number. The number should be sent via a text message to a special short code: 33665 to qualify for the daily raffle draw. Winners will be notified via SMS.” Toyin Nnodi, Brand Manager, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, explained that consumers could enter as many times as they wished as long as they enter a new code each time.

The SMS costs N10 and is open to subscribers of MTN, Glo, Airtel, Etisalat and Visafone. Winners of the daily

•From left: Toyin Nnodi, Senior Brand Manager, Flavours, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited; Austin Ufomba, Marketing Director, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited; Matthieu Seguin, National Commercial Director, Nigeria Bottling Company; Banky W, Brand Ambassador; and Host Mapondera, Franchise Manager, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, at the CocaCola “Open & Win” promotion press conference, at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos.

airtime will have their phones virtually topped–up by their network providers while winners of the daily 1 million Naira cash prize will get a phone call from CocaCola Nigeria and will need to show their winning SMS and bottle crowns to claim their prizes. They will be presented with their cheques at the Nigeria Bottling Company office closest to them.”

Also unveiled at the launch were the beautifully-designed posters, well-crafted

radio and television advertisements for the promotion. The posters feature popular musician Banky W, the official ambassador of the promotion. Nnodi explained why the crooner was chosen for the task.

“Banky W’s music has put so much happiness into the hearts and home of Nigerians. His positive energy and cool attitude are attributes that the Coca-Cola brand readily identifies

Legend extends brand equity with new activation

S

EQUEL to the successful completion of its full product circle with the launch in November last year of Legend extra stout in can, the brand has gone a step further in its reward for 2012 with the unveiling of “Real Deal Nite”, an activation that reward consumers for being loyal to the brand.

The reward, which was held at the popular Niteshift Coliseum, drew two popular artistes, J. Martins, Mike Okri and brand loyalists who carted home various prizes. Legend Extra stout, a premium stout brand from the stables of foremost brewer, Nigeria Breweries Plc, rewarded loyal consumers at the event with gift items ranging from refrigerators, DVD players, generating sets, standing fans and other fantastic gift items.

Funso Ayeni, Brand Manager, Legend Extra Stout, stated that the relevance of the “Real Deal Nite” is to create an atmosphere where the brand bonds with its consumers and to make them understand the brand essence, “we are calling on people to follow the brand, try

I

it and of course become a loyalist.”

Ayeni stressed that Legend Extra stout is by far “the best brewed stout brand in Nigeria with distinguishing qualities that sets it apart from other stout brands in the market because of the full brewed process that it undergoes.”

He added that the “Real Deal Nite”, which started in March last year, would also be spreading its tentacles in the coming months.One of the winners in the raffle draw promo, Mr Harrison Okolie, who was attending the event for the first time, was filled with joy when he was announced winner of a brand new generating set.

According to Okolie, who resides in Apapa area of Lagos state, “I am really excited to be here today. I have never won anything of this magnitude. I am so happy because I have won this generator at a time when power supply is epileptic and when one must own at least two generators to enjoy stable electric supply in Nigeria.

This would definitely complement

the one I have at home.” Okolie, who is also a devoted brand loyalist, commended the brand not just for the unique bitter taste of the Legend stout, but also for giving consumers the opportunity to share in the fun and excitement of “Legend Real Deal Nite”.

Another winner, Jones Omonuwa, a Lagos lawyer, who is also a goldcarrying member of the Niteshift Coliseum, carted home a brand new refrigerator. He acknowledged that his experience at the event was great and exciting since he started attending the event from the inception.

“It is a great feeling today having won a refrigerator knowing that this gesture by Nigerian Breweries is aimed at rewarding consumers like me. If you look at my table and judging by the number of Legend Extra stout bottles, you will confirm that I am loyal to Legend Extra Stout.

“My advice to consumers is that they should taste either the Legend in a Can or bottle to have a feel of the rich taste of Legend Ex-

LG Electronics celebrates good life at SOS

T was a day of unforgettable experience, love and care as LG Electronics’ train of Good Life moved to SOS Children’s Village Isolo, Lagos to support the children in a manner that depicts the brand’s connection to the needs and aspiration of the Nigerian child.

The event, which was held under a relaxed and fun-filled atmosphere, saw the top management of LG Electronics and Fouani Nigeria Limited, having a nice time through close interaction, gaming and refreshment with over a 100 children.

Not leaving any stone unturned, LG Electronics demonstrated its physical love and care for the children as it made donations of its premium consumer electronics products ranging from LCD television sets to home theatre systems, air conditioners, micro wave ovens, washing machines and lots of toys for the children to have unlimited fun.

The drumming of support for Nigerian children on this platform is

no doubt a demonstration of the company’s belief that children are not only valuable and priceless assets to their family but to their communities, nation and the global stage irrespective of the societal stratum they belong. It is in this light that LG Electronics believes very strongly that all hands must be on deck to make conscious and deliberate effort to treat and show children maximum love and care in ways that would enhance their moral, social, physical and academic upbringing.

This would in turn guarantee and boost the ability children to harness their potential and talent for the good of the society.

At the event the children were given a treat of a life time as they had the opportunity of oneon-one interaction with the top management of LG Electronics and Fouani Nigeria Limited.

This was besides the special session of gaming where the children had fun puzzles, quiz, refreshments and music as well dancing and singing.

Speaking at the event, The Managing Director, LG Electronics, West Africa Operations, Mr. Jaeyoung Lee, said ‘For us at LG Electronics, it is our core belief that children are special gifts and assets to a society. They are the future. If that future must be bright and beautiful then we must invest in them today by showing them love, care and compassion at every given point in time’.

Lauding the high level of love and care demonstrated by LG Electronics to Nigerian children, the Director, SOS Village Isolo, Lagos, Mr Benjamin Buraimoh, described the act as taking the lead in children’s wellbeing initiatives. ‘This for me is what I can best describe as the height of responsibility that any responsible organisation can show to its publics.

tra stout and I promise that they will be devoted to the brand much the same way as I am now,” he added. The ambience at the event was electrifying as some of Nigeria’s best entertainers thrilled the audience to ample fun and excitement.

The event which holds every last Friday of the month, gives brand loyalists an opportunity to win fantastic prizes in a raffle draw promo while they have fun and feel the spirit and uniqueness of the Legend brand.

The in-house live band set the tone for what turned out an exciting night as they treated guests to series of melodious sounds. There was a general feeling of nostalgia as evergreen music legend, Mike Okri, thrilled the audience with his sublime dance steps and got the crowd jumping to their feet as he took them back in time with his hit songs ‘Omoge’, ‘Time na Money’, and ‘Rumba Dance.’ Ken Caleb Olumense, Guv’nor of Niteshift Coliseum, while opening the dance floor enjoined Legend brand loyalists and other Gold carrying members of the Club who specifically came to feel the vibe and the special package of quality fun that Legend Stout guarantees

with. We are happy to have him assist us in putting big smiles on our consumers’ faces,” she said.

Invited guests, including journalists, officials of the Lagos State Lottery Board and the participating telecoms partook in an actual promo demonstration and went home with various amounts of airtime. They were entertained by Banky W, who performed some of his biggest hits.

New directors for Guinness

T

HE Board of Directors of Guinness Nigeria Plc has appointed Mr Rory John O’Keefe and Mr. Philip John Jenkins as NonExecutive Directors of the company with effect from February 9.

O’Keefe holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University College Cork, Ireland specialising in Economics and Marketing. He joined Diageo Plc in 1994.

He has held some leadership responsibilities including Brand Manager (Diageo Ireland), New Product Development Manager (Diageo Ireland), Guinness Brand Manager (Diageo Ireland - based in Dublin), Marketing & Innovation Manager (Diageo Jamaica), Marketing Director (Diageo Jamaica/Caribbean), Marketing Director (Diageo Nordics), Commercial & Innovation Director (Diageo Nordics), General Manager (Diageo Sweden & Finland), Managing Director (Diageo Russia & CIS markets - based in Moscow), Managing Director (Diageo Russia & Eastern Europe). O’Keefe is presently the Global Category Director, Beer and Baileys for Diageo Plc.

Winners emerge in Red Star Express promo

W

INNERS have emerged in the first month of the Red Star Express Plc “Scratch for Gift Offer”.

Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja, won the star prize of a plasma television while Adebayo Macaulay, a representative of an engineering firm in Ibadan went home with the second prize of a smart phone. The third prize of a refrigerator went to Bankole Adeniyi, a representative of VDT communications Limited, Lagos.

On the offer, the Executive Director, Muyiwa Olumekun, disclosed that the promo was targeted at promoting customers stake in Red Star Express success story over the years.

Customers from all over Nigeria

have benefited from the Red Star Express Plc “Scratch for Gift Offer” through their outlets across the country. “We are excited to be able to connect with our customers through the promo as it has availed us the opportunity to give back and say ‘thank you’ to them for their patronage and loyalty over the years.” said the firm.

It is expected that more customers will participate in the Red Star Express Plc “Scratch for Gift Offer”.

The offer is targeted at cash customers that send domestic and international packages through Red Star Express offices. Every customer qualifies to win an instant gift on their third transaction.

Bumper gifts winners will emerge at the end of each promo month.

SHOPPING

31

THE NATION

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

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

e-mail: janicenkoli@yahoo.com 08033349992 sms only

email:- shopping@thenationonlineng.net

• Formal retailing

Mall, market: who holds the ace?

With the ambience of formal retail stores, Nigerians now shop with ease, often shunning the traditional open markets in the process. The crowd which flock the malls, lends credence to this. But can this render the markets redundant? JANICE NKOLI IFEME asks.

N

IGERIA is a cash cow. Any business idea that fulfills a need is viable. Thus it is common to find people selling various things, from grocery to household items and electronics at corner shops, open markets and even road sides and highways. Many people have ended up buying fake products even

at higher prices because haggling is the order of the day in such shops.

Imagine this scenario. Two men went to Alaba International Market to buy a drum set for their organisation. After wandering in the market and nearly exhausted, not knowing the exact store to enter, they met a

young man who worked as a middleman.

He offered to take them to a good shop where they would get it. On getting there, they could not get a good one. “Take him to our second shop”, a dealer in the shop motioned to his colleague, who led them to another shop where they eventually found what they

wanted. The owner of the product called the man who brought them aside and said: “You can sell for any amount you like; just know that you are giving me N75, 000.

Having done that, he stepped aside as if • Continued on Page 32

Why many prefer wheat bread

Finding the perfect pair of jeans for men

Want a new dining set?

Page 33

Page 34

Page 35

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

32

SHOPPING

Mall, market: who holds the ace?

But the truth is that you cannot rule out the market... Irrespective of the mall’s ambience, the markets will always be there

• Continued from page 31 he had no business with the deal and allowed the other man to attend to his customers, as if truly the shop was an extension. Having checked the product, the buyers asked for the price and the seller told them N225, 000. They told him to reduce the price that it was too high, but they were told to bargain. After some haggling, they agreed on N135, 000.

They paid for the item and left. When about to write the receipt, the men who purchased the drum told him to write N191, 000.

The middleman saw them off and asked for a little money for his labour. They gave him N1000 before he came back immediately for his share of the profit: He got N15, 000. The man who sold the item took N25, 000 and gave N10, 000 each to the other two of his colleagues at their store. That is one of the things you are likely to see in an informal shopping setting.

The coming of formal retail stores has redefined the style of shopping in the country.

The pioneer, Mega Plaza has been offering quality services for over three decades. Others such as Park n Shop, City Mall and Goodies also offer quality products in their own

The coming of formal retail stores has redefined the style of shopping in the country right. The coming of The Palms and later Ikeja City Mall, have spiced up shopping as many, happily, go the extra mile to get to these stores irrespective of the distance.

Many shoppers insist they get a better bargain at the modern stores like Shoprite, Mega Plaza and Games, which parade the best quality and sell only approved products in a conducive environment.

Shoppers, who spoke with The Nation Shopping at Mega Plaza and City-mall, attested to the good quality of products available in the famous centres, adding that the orderly arrangement of products enables shoppers to identify what they want to buy easily. The packaging also makes products look more attractive. Besides, each item has a price tag on it so you do not need to bargain or ask anyone for the price of any item. In addition, the ambience of world class facilities makes a trip to any of the exotic malls a pleasurable one.

Consider this experience of a shopper: “I

•Informal shopping

have at various times fallen victim to what I choose to describe as the Shoprite bread madness. If you are after those other types of bread, then you do not have a problem, you have lots of those idling away in the shelves.

The one that you may probably have to cross the proverbial 7 deserts and 7 seas to get is the oven fresh one that gets sold out while still being baked. Believe me, queuing for a piece of this bread is not for the faint-hearted, you must be prepared to spend an average of one hour of your 24-hour day. Now, do not think that luck has smiled on you by the time it gets to your turn, because the confused sales attendants who hand out the bread as if they are standing in the throne of Heaven handing out life may just announce in their usual unfriendly tone that ‘bread don finish’. One of my problems with Shoprite is with the attitude of their sales assistants and check-out personnel-poor services”, he added.

Actually, many go to the famous malls for status symbol. For instance, Miss Dolapo Akinyemi, a student of the University of Lagos told The Nation Shopping at The Palms: “The essence of coming here is to define my status. I enjoy the pleasure of being in a world class facility as this. Even if I do not have

money, I can always look around. I can tell you that the store owners enjoy the fact that people come in at all. It begins from something. Or how would you explain the fact that people queue for one hour to buy hot bread? For me, I think it is all the razzmatazz that goes with shopping in a world class branded store. I guess the store has made its mark.”

Mrs Lara Ogunjimi, a business woman, said: “The coming of Shoprite is a good deal for me. I hate haggling for stuffs like meat and fish in the market; so, I would rather get them there. What I, particularly, like about the malls is the environment and convenience. I can just walk in, pick the item and pay without having to ask how much? I notice that in many markets, the price at which you buy depends on your bargaining power and you waste a lot of time doing that. But the truth is that you cannot rule out the market. For instance, Shoprite might be selling fruits but I only buy just a few there. When I set out for fruits, I go to Ketu. If I set out for food stuff, Mile 12 is just the place. Just as you cannot compare buying fabrics from a boutique to buying at Balogun or Itokun, if you find yourself in Ibadan. Or going to

I, particularly, like about the malls is the “ What environment and convenience. I can just walk in, pick the item and pay without having to ask how much? I notice that in many markets, the price at which you buy depends on your bargaining power and you waste a lot of time doing that’

Badagry market on any of its special days. I think it is a matter of what you want to shop for and how convenient it is for you.

Mr John Udom, an engineer with an oil companies, said: “You cannot expect me to visit any of those markets you talk about. I am sure my wife does. But I would always branch at The Palms or City mall and buy stuffs from my family on my way from work.

For someone like me, the malls are more convenient but I tell you that they can never outnumber the markets. The markets will always be there”.

For the likes of Mrs Funmi Makinde, the formal stores have the best offer on electronics. She said: “With my experience on buying electronics, your best bet is to go to a shop that has a name to protect and most of the formal stores do. You might be lucky if you buy from just anywhere. But my dear, it’s better to buy something where I know that I can always return to and know that my right as a consumer is protected”.

Irrespective of the mall’s ambience, the markets will always be there, says Mrs Ibironke Adigun. “I am sure that is why various governments, states and local endeavour to sanitise markets under them. If you pass through various markets in Lagos, you will notice that they appear better and more conducive than they were a few years ago. So, I believe the presence of the malls cannot phase out the markets. A lot of people depend on the markets for their livelihood. At most, the traders will improve on their quality and manner of delivery. Also, now that the rains have started coming again, cleanliness of markets needs to be properly monitored so as to reduce filth to the barest minimum”.

With more sophisticated malls springing up across the city, and shoppers having more refined taste, Many are of the opinion that traders in the open market might not be having the best of times but Mr Igwebike Igwe, who deals on electronics at Alaba International says it is impossible. “Yes we know the malls are there but it does not make any difference because people will always walk into the market. We know that there are touts in the market but genuine people like us will always be in business.

We do our business in such a way that our customers will always come back to us. And if we satisfy them, why would they go so far? So for me, satisfaction is the true word”.

In all, how well operators in the open market can adapt to the new shopping trend will determine their continued existence in business. But for now, the formal stores hold the aces.

Finding the perfect pair of jeans for men What should you look for when searching for that perfect pair of jeans? Here are some tips to keep in mind. JANICE NKOLI IFEME writes.

F

OR many, jeans are the most valuable player in their wardrobe. Usually, this is not because they are the most expensive piece of clothing one owns, or even the best-looking. Instead, it is their versatility that is important, as you they can be won around the house, in the work place, on a date, or on casual outings. Despite this usefulness, however, finding that perfect pair of men’s jeans is never easy.

Picking the right pair Consider when you will be wearing them.

It goes without saying that being comfortable in your jeans is the most important thing; after all, even the best-looking pair of jeans will look odd if you are uncomfortable in them. Nevertheless, keeping in mind when and where you will wear your jeans will make the process of choice easier.

If, for example, you only wear suits to work, your jeans might be reserved strictly for going out or for lounging around the house, which means you have few restrictions when selecting a wash and fit. If your work environment allows jeans, however,

denim might be everyday wear. In that case, you might have to consider more conservative styles, as even in the most casual work places, subtlety goes a long way. Either way, always ensure your jeans look good with sneakers or dress shoes.

Look for timeless washes It is hard to say what will be in style a year from today at the retail level, but by sticking with tried-and-true denim styles, you can aim for and land a pair of jeans that will remain stylish for years. Here are three classic examples: Original blue jeans: Evolving from roughand-tumble work wear, these are now one of the most versatile pieces of clothing you can own.

Slightly faded blue jeans: More casual wear than anything else, these can nevertheless look good with a nice sports coat and shirt.

Dark denim: You really cannot go wrong with a pair of straight leg dark denim. Wear it to the office with a white oxford and navy blazer or throw on a leather jacket for a street-ready look on the weekends.

Flashier colours, funky washes and exces-

sive distressing are always off-limits in terms of timelessness.

Stick with classic fits Slim, slim/straight, straight, relaxed, relaxed/straight, classic, standard — do the names of jean styles ever confuse the hell out of you? You are not alone. Instead of adhering to a common denim language, most retailers release models with their own jargon, resulting in an infinite amount of names to describe, essentially, the same fit.

(If you feel overwhelmed, just ask a sales associate for the fit you are after – it is their job.)

A good choice is a straight leg or boot cut.

When paired with the classic washes mentioned earlier, you will be set. Classic jean fits will give you the most bang for your denim buck because you will be able to get a lot of versatility out of them. Meanwhile, steer clear of tapered leg openings or a wide bell-bottomed look. . Many boutiques in your beighbourhood might stock jeans that would appeal to you. The various shopping malls around also have an array of jeans that befit your status.

• Men's blue jeans.

33

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

SHOPPING

Want a new dining set?

If you want dining set that will last long, be sure to pick one that is timeless. Pick a classic style that will adapt with all other elements of your home décor but finding one at affordable price and getting the best value for your investment is what matters most, writes TONIA ’DIYAN

Shopping Right with

How many clothes do you need anyway?

W

• Cube oval dining set.

E

VERYONE wants a beautiful home and to make this happen, many invest lots of money on various decorative things like the ceiling, kitchen tiling, bathroom tiling and dining sets kept in the dining room.

A dining set, which consists of five pieces, with simplicity in shape, having four dining chairs and one dining table should be a very good and trendy design for your home.

Once you have decided on a basic style, it is time to shop for a reputable and skilled dining set maker. Example of such places are Bed Mate in Victoria Island and Lush Capital Limited, Lagos.

Besides, there are lots of good furniture makers, who eager to make your furniture at affordable prices. Among them are Fezel Furniture, Kingsway Road, Ikoyi- Lagos and Enileda- Maryland Bungalow’s situated on Akin Adesola Sreet, Lagos.

It could often be a matter of finding a craftman who is experienced in your particular style and who builds that type of dining set and does not have to spend a lot of time on a design.

There are pros and cons for each choice. So be sure to have a close look at the craftsmanship in your furniture maker’s work and ask if the furniture is crafted of all wood or does it incorporate veneers or plywood.

The Nation Shopping visited Bed Mate, where various types of dining set were on display, namely, rectangular black/clear glass dining set, dining set with murcia chairs, europa leisure garden dining set, europa leisure patio dining set, bistro two seater garden dining set, beige cushions set, glass dining set with six ‘Z’ chairs, trendy dining set with a mix of glass and stainless steel, black bor-

• Black chairs platform

dered clear glass, finca outdoor rattan dining set, Sarah glass dining table with frosted under shelf, metropolitan square glass dining, new milano frosted/clear glass dining, molecular glass dining set, mini round black glass dining set, molecular dining table and many more.

Most dining set makers will happily back their products with a lifetime guarantee, but if they do not, then find out what their reservations are and work through them. One may just want to find another furniture maker.

There are also small dining sets which are, undoubtedly, very popular these days; they can be seen in small residences to save floor space within the dining room.

They can be of four different types; the round dining table, square dining table, triangular dining table and the rectangular dining table.

The round can be basically observed in several residences, but not specifically popular with property owners compared to other varieties as a result of some limitations like not being able to position the table against the wall and use all its sides.

The square dining set is incredibly flexible to use and can be used anywhere just to save very much on floor space. It can be made of timber and metal.

The trianglular dining set is similar to the round table; it is liked by homeowners with its round edges creating a few restrictions.

The rectangle dining table is the best to use among the types and designs listed above. It contains an expansion slot in the middle but bear in mind that it all depends on your requirements.

ITH so much penchant for material acquisition, I have often wandered to what length people could go in acquiring things. Here I am concerned about the wardrobe because it is the most common thing that many acquire without limits. When a man has too many cars in his garage, it is often said that he changes cars like clothes. Or when a man or woman is promiscuous, people will say that he or she changes the opposite sex like clothes. Some have so much in their wardrobes that they do not even remember what they own. This is not strange though since a lot of people fall into that category.

JANICE NKOLI IFEME Some time ago, while responding to an article on this column, someone sent me a text stocking so many items they do not have need commenting that she does not wear a clothe of, thus filling their closets with all kinds of twice. I also sought to know what she does trash. with the clothes after wearing them. I never A friend of mine actually did something that heard from her again. became an eye opener. She took stock of her When I interviewed P Square on this page wardrobe and realised that she had many things after they just gained stardom, not willing to she had not worn in years. Hear her: “I spent a be separated by their names, one confessed week (yes, a week) cleaning out my wardrobe. on behalf of the duo: “I can buy up to 20 shoes It’s quite a sizable one (I’m now realising), but at a go”. That is how much celebrities go to I couldn’t get into the back half due to all the appear good looking before their fans and the stuff on the floor. Why was I holding on to so society at large. Soft sale magazine, City Peomuch stuff? Did ple, also made a someone break into show of this when they celebrated ‘Thanks for coming to my show. my house and use closet as a dumpNollywood actress, Thanks for buying the tickets my ing spot? I tossed out Kate Henshaw in a fashion and style because I do need the money”. quite a lot of worn torn items as show where her The audience roared into and well as old bath and clothes were auclaughter as she added: “You do personal care prodtioned for her fans to and gave some buy. And they did!. not know how much it costs to ucts to charity and even Country music look so cheap!’ beggars”. star, Dolly Parton, is Having done this, reputed for owning she made a resoluthousands of wigs and burst enhancing dresses. In one of her pertion to simplify her life. She started by pickformances in London, she told her audience: ing eight clothes that she had completely for“Thanks for coming to my show. Thanks for gotten that she had and decided to wear them buying the tickets because I do need the for the next one month. The most shocking money”. The audience roared into laughter as result of her four-week fashion fast was that she added: “You do not know how much it no one noticed, not even her husband! costs to look so cheap!”

However, no matter the amount of closet It is hip for people, especially celebrities to purge, going down to six items would cerstock several clothing. Some also have to buy tainly be in the extreme. I’m happy to know for their crew. The Late Princess of Wales, Lady that the items I have are things that fit and that Diana’s clothes were so many that they were I like. auctioned after her death. It was a way of A lot of people care too much about what bringing her close to her fans. So was the Late others think about what they wear. They tend King of Pop, Michael Jackson, whose costumes to buy a lot of clothes and try to always be up were auctioned for several millions of dollars to date in fashion styles. Do you remember after death. what you wore last week? I’m sure no one else Late First Lady, Maryam Babangidda, who remembers either. made the office of the First Lady prestigious A strict programme called The Great Ameriand responsible, was reputed for being so fashcan Apparel Diet has convinced participants to ionable that she never wore a dress more than abstain from buying clothes for an entire year. once. That is understandable because, as a pubWhat is the condition of your closet? Is it lic figure, the styles and designs were so prooverstuffed? Do you wear 20 per cent of the nounced that any repetition might be noticeclothes you own, while 80 per cent simply take able. Does it matter anyway? She made the up space? Are you overwhelmed by what is ankara fabric very popular and classy. lurking behind your closet doors? Can you go But how many clothes does one really need a year without buying anything new? per time? A few months ago, just before lecYou could do a few things to keep your wardturers resumed from their strike, I took invenrobe in check: Restrict yourself from buying tory of my closet and felt I needed to let a lot something on impulse or just because it is on of things go. A friend of mine, an undergradusale. Being half price should not be a product’s ate in one of the Eastern Universities used the best feature. I have learnt not to buy anything opportunity to stay with me for some time. I unless I try it on first and it fits and feels comsimply told her to select the ones she wanted. fortable. Choose good quality over quantity; She was awed that I did not give those I no take care of your clothes to last and toss anylonger wanted. Of course, it was not necessary thing that gets shabby or worn out. You would because I do not buy something I would not love to go to your closet and admire it if it is want. tidy and not have an avalanche of insignifiThat also points to what a lot of people do: cant items falling on your head.

Write to us, express your views, observations and experiences. Let’s have your comments about shopping. Your comments, questions and answers will be published first Friday of every month. With your full name and occupation, send e-mail to: janicenkoli@yahoo.com SMS - 08033349992

34

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

SHOPPING

Why many prefer wheat bread White bread is ubiquitous but many are now going for whole wheat bread because of its projected nutritional benefits.

Do you find it difficult identifying the real one? Here are tips on how to get it right from JANICE NKOLI IFEME. and fiber than white bread. It provides up to four times the amount of zinc, essential to immunity and carbohydrate digestion.

Whole wheat bread also contains more folic acid and iron. It also has more chromium, a mineral essential to the body’s ability to digest sugar and fat.

The term ‘wheat bread’ is sometimes used to mean whole-wheat bread, but this is an ambiguous term because most white bread is made from wheat flour, and thus could legitimately be called wheat bread. Such wheat breads made of white, bleached flour most often muscle-tests weak. To have all of the grain’s nutrients, look for whole-grain, not whole-wheat, bread. ‘Fortified bread’ is whole-grain bread, with nutrients added.

The final test of the bread’s quality is to

muscle-test it. Buy bread that muscle-tests strong for you.

How to identify whole wheat Colour used to be a clue, but no more. Although white bread is white because it has been bleached, some dark bread has just had caramel colouring added to it. Look for ‘whole grain’ or ‘whole wheat’ as the first ingredient on the label. If any other ingredient is first, put the loaf back and keep looking. The fiber content of the most nutritious whole wheat bread should be 3 g, or more, per slice. The fewer the ingredients in the list the better, look for breads that contain just whole wheat flour, water, yeast, salt, and perhaps, an added sweetener.

Shoppers speak • Sliced wheat bread.

F

OR ages, bread has been a popular staple food for many families. When one travels out of town or has gone out to come back later in the evening, one of the things he or she will likely bring back home is bread. Many eat it with tea, coffee, beverage or even a chilled bottle of soft drink.

White and whole wheat bread are both made from wheat berries, which have three nutrient-rich parts: the bran (the outer layers), the germ (the innermost area) and the endosperm (the starchy part in between).

Whole wheat is processed to include all three nutritious parts, but white flour uses only the endosperm. Whole wheat is much higher in fiber, vitamins B6 and E, magnesium, zinc, folic acid and chromium. But of all these nutritional goodies, fiber is the star.

Nutritional experts say whole wheat bread can lower heart disease risk by 20 per cent.

You choose whole wheat bread for its higher nutritional value, but upon reading the labels of many brands, realise they contain no more fiber and just as many added sugars and fillers as white bread. Not all wheat breads are created equal. Whole wheat bread is healthier than white bread only if it is truly made with whole wheat flour.

Health experts at the Harvard School of Public Health, the American Heart Association and the United States Department of Agriculture recommend you eat more whole grains daily. The nutrition and fibre in whole grains, such as those found in whole wheat bread, can protect against heart disease, cancer, diabetes and digestive distress. Wheat bread can help you reach the daily recommendations for fibre intake.

Health experts at the Harvard School of Public Health, the American Heart Association and the United States Department of

G

OODS purchased can be returned for a refund of the product price, if after buying, the buyer is not satisfied. For satisfaction after purchase, some organisations give shoppers time to decide if they actually want the goods or not. Opportunity to make a second choice should be a consumer’s privilege. The return service is always at the consumer’s advantage as it gives good value for money spent and makes the consumer comfortable and important.

Companies, who practise the returns service have stipulated time given to shoppers for the service.

Items bought must be in their complete original pack and in an unused condition too- just the same way it was bought and at times, it allows you to return to any of their other branches, just incase you have moved from where you bought it.

In such cases, it takes four to five working days for the goods to get to the branch where it was originally bought.

Some would demand that you write to them through e-mail within seven working days of purchase to notify them of wanting to take a refund.

You must have a genuine reason to want to return the item or have a

Agriculture recommend you eat more whole grains daily. The nutrition and fiber in whole grains, such as those found in whole wheat bread, can protect against heart disease, cancer, diabetes and digestive distress. Wheat bread can help you reach the daily recommendations for fiber intake. made by the Institute of Medicine - 25 g per day for women younger than 50 and 38 g per day for men younger than 50.

The type of whole-wheat bread you choose determines its ultimate health impact. Some commercially prepared brands of wheat bread contain 69 calories and 1.9 g of fiber, making it nearly identical to white bread.

Shoppers who spoke with The Nation shopping gave reasons for eating whole wheat bread. Mr Henry Ibe, a lecturer, said: “I eat wheat bread but hate the taste. I eat it because I know it is healthier for me. I have struggled with weight my entire life”.

His wife, Ngozi concurred: “If you like white bread, eat it! If you like your life and health eat whole wheat or whole grain bread”.

For Miss Joy Okwu, “wheat bread may be healthier, but white bread is yummier! For years there has only been wheat bread in my house. One day my mom brought home a loaf of white bread for something she was making that she had to use white bread for. I swear every piece leftover I made toast out of, it was so much better than the wheat bread.

People have insisted to me that wheat tastes

‘The nutrition and fibre in whole grains, such as those found in whole wheat bread, can protect against heart disease, cancer, diabetes and digestive distress. Wheat bread can help you reach the daily recommendations for fibre intake’ These brands usually name wheat flour or enriched flour as the first ingredient and whole grains are listed much lower in the list. Wheat flour is only 25 per cent whole wheat, and the other 75 per cent is refined white flour.

Whole wheat bread contains more protein

• Whole wheat bread

better or the same as white but I just do not feel that way. Wheat may be healthier but I do not like it as much as white bread. Also, I feel like wheat bread is always thinner?

Maybe it’s just me”, she said.

Mr Jude Edem said: “I used to be hooked on white bread till I heard how good wheat bread was, so I started over to wheat, I at first did not like it, then I started getting used to it and I love it. I can’t even stand to say the word ‘white bread’ anymore. White bread is just white fluff. It also clogs up your arteries Unfortunately, we live in a world where we like what we are taught to like and hate what we are taught to hate. We have learned that white bread looks better so, we think it is better. No, white bread is exactly what it is- bland and absent of important nutrients.

Eat right. Live long and not just long but, happier.

But for some, white bread is it. “My family has been eating white bread for generation and the elderly have lived to their 90s and even to 104. Enjoy it and do not be fooled by negativity to white” said Mr Isaac Whyte.

Mr Ade Adeyemi said: “I am 70 and have eaten white bread almost all my life, and lots of it, I do not have any heart trouble, weigh a normal weight for my height, been trying to change to whole wheat because everyone says it is better for me. I do not enjoy my bread as much any more. I do not know if it is really worth the trouble.

I think the nutritional benefits of whole wheat bread are not that far and above white bread. The problem with most people and all foods is moderation. Do not eat a whole loaf of bread. A serving size of bread is one slice; not 4 (2 sandwiches). That is the real problem. Just because white bread has the nutrients of wheat bread pulled out, does not mean you cannot get those nutrients elsewhere.

Water has no nutritional value, yet is arguably the healthiest things for people”.

Returns service after purchase, a customer’s right Returning of goods with proof of purchase and full details within a particular period after purchase for replacement or refund is a routine in Europe. Some organisations practise same here.

TONIA ‘DIYAN writes. refund.

Some outfits that have the returns service policy is House of Praise Bible Place, Effurun-Warri-Delta State, Justjojo Entertainment Oron Road, Uyo, Akwa Ibom, Nigeria SEO CompanyIced SEO, Abakaliki Road, Independence Layout, Enugu, Mabu Incorporated, Mallamibro Infotect Group, Kano and HP Service Centre, with outlets in Lagos and Abuja. Also, in Abuja are Franklyn and Co Enterprises, Soft Solutions Limited, Winrok Limited, Absala Pharmaceutical and Instant Portraits. Others are Iway Africa Limited-Oju Olobun Close, Tripodwire LimitedOjodu, Vicinity Limited Opebi Ikeja, Fitness Options, Yellow Book Business–Badore Aja and McDorsey Service Company Limited, Moloney all

in Lagos.

The Nation Shopping spoke with shoppers, brand shop owners and brand importers at the Adeniran Ogunsanya Shopping Mall, Surulere, Lagos.

A shopper Mr Nnamdi Chukwu, said he does not believe the policy works in this part of the world. “I bought pair of a jeans trouser sometime, somewhere and found it was not good... I went back with the hope to return it, but was told there was nothing they could do. I was asked to manage it and amend it where necessary. Can you imagine?”

A brand shop owner said: “It is very common with us here. When you return an item with a very genuine reason and it is intact and unused, then we won’t have a choice, but to either change it or refund your

• Returns service process.

money, if that is what you prefer. So we practise it, no big deal,” he said.

Mrs Bisi Folorunsho, a shopper said, yes. I have experienced the returns service a couple of time. I am someone who changes my mind all the time. If I buy an item, then see a preferable one tomorrow, I simply return it and pick up something else

or have a refund of my money.

Mostly, I patronise shops that practise return service. “For instance, I bought a pair of shoes somewhere in Ikeja. I didn’t like the colour.

When I got home because it didn’t fit the dress I wanted to wear it with, I took it back and my money was refunded.”

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

35

Brandnews

DDB Casers founder bags Brand Personality Award

I

N recognition of his numerous achievements in the brand building business, one of Nigeria’s leading brands and marketing magazine, Marketing Edge, has concluded plans to confer the award of Brand Personality of the Year on the Chairman of Casers Group, Mr Enyi Odigbo.

The ceremony billed to hold on March 14, at the Banquet Hall of the Lagos Sheraton Hotel, will be attended by 200 top corporate leaders in the Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) sector.

According to the Publisher and Chief Executive Officer, Marketing Edge Publica-

tions, Mr John Ajayi, the editorial board and management of the magazine selected Mr Odigbo based on his doggedness and admirable entrepreneurial spirit in championing the cause of advertising and marketing practice over the years.

Ajayi said: “Mr. Odigbo’s recent nomination as one of the world’s top agency innovators and breakthrough thinkers at the 2011 Global Innovators Summit in New York clearly places him in the elite group of advertising agency executives and marketing leaders worldwide.”

He said the choice of Odigbo as the Brand

Personality of the Year is very significant in view of the fact that this is the second time in the magazine’s eight-year history that a practitioner would be so nominated for honour and recognition.

The Casers Group, which consists of DDB Lagos, Capital Media, Superbrands Nigeria and Magenta Consulting, is also in a joint venture with Fin International, a specialist financial services brand development, PR and communication company with offices in London and Lagos.

The group which boasts unsurpassed equity status is known for the market leader-

ship of its subsidiaries in the sectors where they operate. For instance, DDB Lagos, a subsidiary of Casers Group, has successfully handled one ofthe biggest brands, MTN in the past seven years, aside other juicy accounts.

Marketing Edge is aimed at protecting the marketing industry, offer relevant marketing information to brand owners, and keep various stakeholders abreast of information in the industry and also keep consumers adequately well informed about the state of affairs in the country.

Quadrant wins African PR award

T

HE Quadrant Company, Nigeria’s premier full-fledged Public Relations Consultancy has won the prestigious Holmes Report/Sabre Award’s African Consultancy of the year award.

The award is the most-sought after award for Public Relations practice in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. This is the first time it is being won by a Nigerian firm.

Managing Director of The Quadrant Company, Mr Bolaji Okusaga, said: “It was with joy that we received the news of The Quadrant Company winning the Sabre Awards as the African PR Consultancy of the year. For TQC to have emerged successful amidst top rated companies tells of the power of focus and team-spirit, it also tells of the need to create an oasis of excellence that will gradually help transform Nigeria and indeed the African continent.

The ‘can do’ ‘and never- say-never’ spirit of the Quadrant Company has contributed to this huge success. With this award, we are getting closer our aim of building a company that will be the envy of all, not just within our industry but, one that will define standards on the continent of Africa and indeed the world. The task is for us to continue to load our barrels and unceasingly deliver on-target shots at our goals.”

Also speaking in the same vein, the Chairman of the Troyka Holding in which

from which the Quadrant Company is a subsidiary, Mr. Biodun Shobanjo said: “The Holmes Award is the most sought after award for PR practice in Europe Middle East and Africa, and for TQC to have licked the finalists is testimony to the excellent work that the dynamic team is doing. To my knowledge, this is the first time a Nigerian company would win the award in the African category.

“The turn-around that the company has witnessed in the past two years has brought a new awakening that has resulted in this epoch making win. This is an achievement we can all be proud of. Having come this far, the challenge is to maintain this lead time and time again, both for our partners and ourselves.”

The SABRE award is the world’s largest awards competition for the Public Relations Industry and it celebrates the PR campaigns that demonstrate the highest levels of creativity, integrity and effectiveness. The SABRE Awards recognise excellence in Public Relations programming. Over the past decade, the competition - which includes separate programmes in North America, the EMEA region and Asia-Pacific - has grown to become the largest PR awards competition in the world, attracting more than 3,500 entries from more than 40 countries since 2008.

Superflux hosts MIT entrepreneurship team

A

TEAM of four Masters in Business Administration (MBA) students from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management, USA, has rounded up their three week in-country Global Entrepreneurship Lab with Superflux International Nigeria Limited, a leading security print solutions provider in Nigeria.

The choice of Superflux, among the few companies worldwide, Tokunbo Talabi, its President/Chief Executive Officer, said was an indication of the high-profile status the company is enjoying glo-

bally. The company also won the Pioneers of Prosperity Africa Awards 2008, organized by Legatium, an international investment group whose mission is to generate and allocate the capital and ideas that help people to lead more prosperous lives.

Only last year, the company installed a $5 million state-ofthe-art printing equipment in a bid to meet the challenges of the global printing needs.

The equipment was commissioned by the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

The in-country Global Entrepreneurship Lab is the flag-

ship emerging market internship course at the MIT Sloan School of Management and it has provided high impact consulting services to no fewer than 200 start-up and growing companies the world over in the last 10 years specifically working on the problems that host companies want to fix.

Each G-Lab team is composed of four second-year MIT MBA students with a wide range of backgrounds and expertise, spanning management consulting and financial services to manufacturing and service operations.

•From left: Peter Akhigbe, General Manager, SKG Pharma Ltd; Mr Okey Akpa, and Prof. Vini Onyemah, at the firm’s Pharma Trade Partners Conference.

Dulux to unveil colour of the year

I

N line with its tradition of excellence as well as strategic value of adding to the living standards of the customers, CAP Plc, a subsidiary of UACN Plc and the Dulux technological licensee of AkzoNobel (World’s largest paint and coatings manufacturer), is set to unveil the Dulux Colour of the Year.

The event will hold on March 14, the firm’s Managing Director, CAP Plc, Mrs. Omolara Elemide, has disclosed.

According to her, the 2012 Dulux Colour of the Year is one of “Possibilities”. It challenges us to explore the world. Both the physical world outside and the imaginary world inside us; and discover that it still has so much more to offer.

Mrs. Elemide said the event, the seventh in the series, has become one of the most thrilling moments in the world’s colour calendar because the outcome holds such great expectation for the coatings industry.

“The Dulux Colour of the Year concept was launched in 2006 to meet the growing sophistication of the Nigerian paint consumers. Dulux brand’s pioneering research efforts in the use and application of colour continues to lead the market in colour inspiration.

With over 12,000 colours, Dulux is established as the custodian of knowledge in the area of colours with the objective of helping customers realise their well-being,” she added.

In 2005, Dulux introduced the Colour Center concept, a consumer engagement platform for information, education and experience of the culture and tradition of Dulux excellence, while since 2006 the brand investment in the psychology of colour for wellbeing led to the Colour of the Year concept thus Kiwi Crush was Colour of the Year in 2006; Candy Love in 2007; Majestic Yellow in 2008; Cool Jade in 2009; Jazz Blue in 2010; and in 2011 it was Citrus Yellow.

PR specialists make US best jobs list

U

NITED States News and World Report has released its “Best Jobs of 2012 list and among those on the list is PR Specialist.

According to the profile of the profession, “The Bureau of Labour Statistics projects public relations specialists employment growth of 22.5 per cent between 2010 and 2020. During that time period, an additional 58,200 jobs will need to be filled.” The median yearly wage is listed at $52,090.

The article does point out that there are some stresses associated with the job, which

we’ve written about here . But the prospects for the job — the article points out the wide range of industries one can work in (from politics to tech), the content creating, and social media work involved — make it look enticing on paper. PR Specialist is actually ranked number one for creative service jobs ahead of architect and artist/designer.

Also on this list of best jobs is event planner, which comes in at number one for the best jobs in business. PR was also ranked a “best job” a couple of years ago by Money.

Troyka wins accounts

T •From left: Anastasia Azike, joint 1st runner-up and last female contestant standing, Kevin Durst, Joint 1st runner-up, Gulder Ultimate Search 8, Christopher Okagbue, winner, GUS 8, Edem Vindah, Media and Public Affairs Manager, Nigerian Breweries Plc and Mrs Joke Orelope-Adefulire, Deputy Governor, Lagos State, when the GUS 8 Champions paid a courtesy visit to the deputy governor.

HE good times are rolling in for the Nigeria’s pioneer marketing communications conglomerate, Troyka Holdings.

The group has become the favourite of brand owners as it has won two of the most sought-after accounts in the telecoms sector.

The Biodun Shobanjo-led Troyka group in the last quarter of last year clinched the multi-million naira public relations account of Etisalat

through its subsidiary, The Quadrant Company.

And early last month, the Enyi Odigbo-owned Capital Media lost the media buying account of the telco giant, MTN to Media Perspectives, another member of the Troyka Holdings.

The technical pitch for the MTN account took place in December last year, featuring the incumbents - DDB’s Capital Media, as well as All Season’s Mediacom,

Starcomm Media, Universal MCCann and Sharemind (formerly Initiatives).

The outcome of the technical pitch was kept under wraps until late January by MTN when three agencies believed to be the top three performers were pre-qualified by the leading telecommunications provider, for a commercial pitch. The pitch, which was concluded last month, saw Carat-Media Perspectives clinching the account.

36

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Little known media tools for brands NEIL Patel, a renowned media tools expert offers these useful tips for brand and marketing professionals.

S

OCIAL media is everywhere. It’s in our homes, places of worship, schools and, of course, our businesses. Everywhere you look, people are using social media and are talking about it. And it seems that every week a new type of social site pops up.

And as the number of social networking sites grows, so does the number of services that are created to measure, track and monitor those services. What’s a marketing professional to do?

To help you cut through the clutter, here are some must-use social media tools that can not only help you make sense of your social media efforts but make them more effective.

EditFlow EditFlow is a pluging from open source content management system, WordPress that allows you to manage your editorial team seamlessly.

With it, you can get a snapshot of your monthto-month content with the calendar feature. It also offers improved content status beyond WordPress’ default draft and pending review.

And user groups can help you keep your team of writers organized by department or function.

Who should use it and why: Any business owner who manages a multi-author website should give EditFlow a look. This tool can keep all of the things that are important to a multiauthor blog in one spot so management is easy, clean and documented.

TweetReach This tool allows you to see how far your tweets travel. For example, with TweetReach I can search my blog and come up with these results. It breaks down how many people your messages reach and how many tweets it took to reach them. For instance, TweetReach can tell you how many times your tweets have been shared by retweets, replies and other standard tweets.

Who should use it and why: From a social media manager to a small-business owner, basically anybody who is interested in finding out how effective his or her tweets are based upon the number of people they touch should consider using TweetReach. It can also useful from a metric standpoint in terms of justifying the results of your social media campaigns with senior management or partners.

ArgyleSocial This Durham, N.C.-based startup is a social media platform that aims to help marketers connect the business dots with the social media dots. ArgyleSocial offers a single dashboard to monitor Facebook and Twitter that allows you to delegate tasks to your team. It also offers easy reporting on the ROI of your social media efforts.

If you’d like to be an affiliate, you can use ArgyleSocial’s white label brand and resell the social media platform to your clients. All of your accounts can be wrapped up into one bill and sent to you to distribute or absorb as an included service.

Who should use it and why: From the social media manager to the one-person business that needs to prove to management, clients or themselves that their social media campaign is paying off.

HootSuite for iPad HootSuite users should be happy with this iPad application. It includes a stationary column in the sidebar that keeps track of all streams being tracked.

Among the other things HootSuite says you can do with this iPad app include checking in using a Foursquare account, scheduling messages to send at a later time, examine clickthrough statistics, add geo-location coordinates to messages and shorten URLs with a built-in Ow.ly tool.

Who should use it and why: HootSuite for iPad is for heavy iPad users who want to man-

age their social media content and engagement.

TweetLevel You might be thinking you don’t need another Tweet metric tool, but TweetLevel, allows you to specifically search for hashtags, which can lead you to insights on who to follow based upon conversation versus person.

Once you’ve found someone you’d like to follow, you can use TweetLevel to help measure his or her social influence. You can also evaluate the buzz around a certain topic to determine if it’s a trend worth paying attention to. Then take a peek at related phrases around your topic to gauge the true scope of the trending idea.

Who should use it and why: Public relations managers and social media marketing professionals who want to analyze a campaign should give TweetLevel a try. This tool can help you identify the Twitter conversation, where it’s going wrong and how to correct that mistake.

ReFollow When it comes to Twitter, numbers might not be as important as the people you follow and who follows you. ReFollow is an application that allows you to lock in those followers that you’ve connected with and make sure they continue to follow you.

Other features include filtering a search on Twitter to uncover insights, such as what you have in common with certain followers. This can lead you to connecting with someone who maybe you’re Twitter conversation has been close to zero, but with a simple direct message to that person you can make a connection and build a business relationship.

Who should use it and why: This can be the perfect tool for the person who wants to grow a list of highly-qualified, like-minded people. Consider using ReFollow if your concern is quality over quantity, which it should be.

TwitterSearch You’ve probably heard of TwitterSearch but, more than likely, you aren’t using it correctly.

New media expert Thomas Baekdal offers a number of little-known tips for using TwitterSearch. For instance, to see what people are saying about your competitors, search with to:competitor or from:competitor. Replace “Competitor” with that company’s Twitter handle.

To uncover top trending topics search that topic plus –rt filter:links. For example, “digital marketing-rt filter:links”. That code will remove all of the retweets from the search.

Who should use it and why: Anyone who wants to use and search Twitter more effectively should brush up on his or her TwitterSearch skills. And knowing what’s trending on Twitter can be a useful way to generate ideas for your business blog. When you see trending topics, you can create a blog post with content relevant to that discussion.

Traackr One simple way to find and follow people who are influential in your space is to use Traackr. It allows you to identify the “authorities” in your industry who can mean the most to your business or your client’s.

What’s also useful about Traackr is that you can watch how social media leaders are responding and contributing to content you are sharing.

An ad agency, for example, can see who it should target to help social media campaigns get off the ground, build its engagement strategies based upon Traackr’s unique intelligence and then see results of those campaigns.

Who should use it and why: Traackr can be a useful tool for either advertising agencies or brands that want to build social media campaigns that improve over time and show how they pay off in the end.

Thoughts on smart city

D

ESTINATION branding is a process, not a project. It is a journey, not a destination. Most countries from Dubai, South Africa and Kenya are neck deep in this process.

Efforts are harnessed into ensuring these countries are attractive to foreigners on a consistently. Nigeria dabbled in to it, albeit, the wrong way. We placed the cart before the horse. The cart cannot move. The horse is confused. What was the result? Ask Dorothy. Huge fund and efforts was invested in the “great people, great nation” charade.

After the initial euphoria, what happened?

Ask Dorothy. Thanks.

Anyway, destination branding is a big, big project and it requires lots of hard work with several sleepless nights in between. If you need a testimony on this, ask TJ. Who? Keep dreaming. Soon, you would understand that those who wait to observe the wind do not sow, and those who exercise a grain of doubt, do not reap. That is a story for another day. Today the world is searching for the killer app: that particular programme, that particular software, that particular drug, that particular design, that would take you to the outer space and back.

Like iPad. Like Android phone. Like what?

Fill the gap.

Destination-branding strategy makes a powerful contribution to your city image, economic development marketing, and community well-being by setting the path for greater efficiency, seizing competitive advantage, uniting stakeholders and communicating the city’s vitality and attractiveness.

As such, places of all sizes, whether cities, towns, downtowns or regions are getting more from their destination marketing budgets. None of these is the figment of one’s imagination. It is happening right now, right here, right in Cross River state, Calabar.

For instance, think about Calabar. What comes to your mind? Serenity: the place is so calm, so soothing, you would think you were in Europe. The place did not happen overnight. The changes took place overtime.

Destination branding in Calabar is based on a strategic approach to public relations, which played on the fact that image is an ongoing, holistic, interactive and wide-scale process, which required much more than a quick change of logo, colour palette or slogan.

In other words, managing brand in the case of a destination does not merely consist of attaching new labels, but consolidates the essential characteristics of the individual identity into a brand core. As part of the process, the creation of a brand would set in motion social, economical and cultural issues, which can strengthen or correct other peoples’ perceptions. The routine development of mechanisms leading to a strong and consistent brand is highly important for place branding.

To gravitate to this level, destination brand experts like TJ, would create customized strategies, designs, and educational programmes and tools to ensure that the destination brand has a ‘soft landing’ and it is well received, endorsed and adopted by key community partners. This is to ensure that you have a defined brand identity. The essence of this is to ensure transformation from a sleepy state to a more prosperous city, town, region or downtown.

However, development of this type does not merely promote a core message, a logo or a claim to the public but additionally communicates the place as a brand on a longterm basis using a consistent communication concept. Once this and other infrastructure such as good road network, transportation, health, security etc are in place, the next best thing is to switch, or aspire, to what has become a sing-song “smart city.” Do not ask what a smart city is. According to research, urban performance currently depends on not only the city’s endowment of hard infrastructure, but increasingly on the availability and quality of knowledge communication and social infrastructure such as intellectual and social capital.

The latter form of capital is decisive for urban competitiveness. It is against this background that the concept of the smart city has been introduced as a strategic device to encompass modern urban production factors in a common framework and to highlight the growing importance of information and communication technologies (ICTs), social and environmental capital in profiling the competitiveness of cities.

It is in the quest for a smart city that the Lagos state government has signed into law a bill, which would enable all Lagos residents, irrespective of state of origin, gender or religious affiliation, to be issued with electronic identification cards. What would this achieve in the centre of excellence? According to Governor Fashola, the e-card would enable the state to have a reliable database of all citizens under the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) law.

The governor said with the e-card residents will be able to access government services. Similar exercise is going on in Calabar under the Smartgov.CRSG Limited, a joint venture with Interswitch, to develop a statewide identity management and e-payment backbone, which has now positioned Calabar as the first smart city in Nigeria.

According to report, Smartgov is aimed at making Cross River state the first smart state in Nigeria, and in turn make Calabar, the first smart city in Nigeria. Aside, the project will deliver to the citizens and residents of the state the benefits of a smart city, which include smart economy, mobility, living and government. That is what Fashola wants to deliver to the residents of Lagos state.

Now that the other “infrastructure” such as BRT, gardens/parks, security, etc has come on stream in the state, the best next thing is,to slide into the smart city mode so that Lagos state would emerge as a well-rounded centre of excellence. Nevertheless, since success begets success, it is hoped that Lagos state and Interswitch could work together on the project in order to replicate in Lagos the high level of success achieved in Calabar.

Lagos deserves more and, to ensure that LASRRA achieves its objective of identifying Lagos residents, overcome the challenges of payment for BRT buses, taxation, manage health and identity, provide access to government services through e-government, Lagos state government should collaborate with such a smart company as Interswitch to deliver the smartest “smart city” in the world. Two can do it better. With the two entities working in unison, the quest for a smart city would be over.

‘Destination-branding strategy makes a powerful contribution to your city image, economic development marketing, and community well-being by setting the path for greater efficiency, seizing competitive advantage, uniting stakeholders and communicating the city’s vitality and attractiveness’

*Editor - Wale Alabi *Consulting Editors - Rarzack Olaegbe, Sola Fanawopo * Correspondent-Jimi David * Business Development - Kenny Hussain * Legal Adviser - Olasupo Osewa & Co Brandweek is powered by Brandz Republic Consulting and published every Friday in THE NATION newspaper.

All correspondence to the editor - 0808.247.7806, 0805.618.0040, , e-mail: korede2000@gmail.com © All rights reserved.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

37

SOCIETY

Day Island Club hosted Yuguda Lagos foremost social club, the Island Club, a few days ago hosted a Luncheon lecture and reception in honour of Bauchi State Governor Isa Yuguda, at the club’s house in Onikan.

KUNLE AKINRINADE was there.

•Governor Fashola

•Governor Yuguda (left) receiving a plaque from Chief Awe

W

HENEVER technocrats, politicians, diplomats and business moguls gathered to honour an individual, the honouree must surely be a high profile personality. And so it was on the occasion, when dignitaries filed out in their best attire to grace a reception cum lecture in honour of Bauchi State Governor Isa Yuguda by the Island Club.

Before his appearance, a group of itinerant drummers who had besieged the venue treated the early arrivals to scintillating beats laced with edifying lyrics.

At exactly 3.30pm, Governor Yuguda and his Lagos State counterpart Babatunde Fashola, arrived the venue of the event.

They were received by the Chairman of the club, Chief Gbolahan Awe and other club officials.

After signing the visitor’s register, they were promptly ushered into the Chairman’s office where the General Secretary of the club, Mr Oluwole Iyamu, introduced executive members of the club to the two state chief executives.

Spotting a red flowing Agbada made of Aso-Oke, with stylish Abeti Aja cap to match, Yuguda accompanied by his beautiful Abiodun, commissioners and other Bauchi State officials spent about 30 minutes for photograph session before leaving for the club’s main auditorium where guests had been waiting for the commencement of the event.

The event, which started behind schedule, became frenzy when Yuguda stepped into the auditorium in company with Fashola at about 4pm.

On hand to entertain guests were the traditional Yoruba Bata cultural dancers and Hausa cultural troop that thrilled the audience to exhilarating fusion of folk songs and dance.

The two-pronged event started with the rendition of the Nigerian national anthem followed by a short welcome address by Fashola, who described the Bauchi governor as a de-tribalised person.

“I am not surprised at the honour being bestowed on you today by this great social club. You have epitomised what a true Nigerian should be doing by your lifestyle.

As one married to a Yoruba woman, I am not in any way surprised at your choice as speaker on the need to chart a way forward for national cohesion and ethnic integration. Please, enjoy your stay in the city of aquatic splendor,” Fashola said.

Thereafter, Chief Awe explained the choice of the Bauchi State Governor for the lecture and honour.

He described him as a ‘rare breed’ among his contemporaries from the Northern part of the country.

“One of the issues that we have to discuss in Nigeria today is our coexistence and unity. And that is the essence of hosting Governor Yuguda on our “Business Luncheon”.

“His choice was based on the fact that as a northerner, he is married

•Mrs Yemisi Awe (left) and Abiodun Yuguda

•Aare and Mrs Ayandotun Ayanlakin

•From left: Alhaji Ganiyu Muritala; Alhaji Shitta Bey; Alhaji Bada and Alhaji Sikiru Jimoh

•Dr. Feyi Olatoyinbo (left) and Otunba Taofeek Oyesiji

•From left: Segun Abolarin; Hakeem Alobo Bakare and Otunba Steve Ojo

•Prince Ademola Omotosho (left) and Alhaji Waheed Agoro

to a Yoruba woman. So, we want to hear from him on how we can forge ahead as a people despite our diverse ethnic background. He would be talking about this and many other issues and I believe that we would have so much to learn from the discussion,” he stated.

The guest speaker thanked the club for honouring him.

Speaking on the topic, Nigerian Unity: marching forward to greatness, Governor Yuguda identified foster-

ing of inter-religious dialogue among the people of Nigeria as solution to ethno-religious crisis.

He said: “There is need for the promotion of inter-religious dialogue among the people of this country. It will help if we know one another’s religious’ tradition; but it will help if we begin by ensuring that all those who speak on behalf of their religion know exactly what it says. In other words, only experts should preach and hopefully when they do, they should only say those things

that will unite rather than divide us.

I think that we should look the strength of our unity and what unite us together as a people, other than what divides us.”

After the lecture he was presented with a set of Gramophone player and a honourary membership card of the club by its Chairman, Chief Awe. Yuguda thanked members of the club for considering him worthy of honour adding that he would always support the club in its quest to uplift

the society through social and humanitarian projects that would directly impact on the people.

“It’s an honour and priviledge to receive an offer of membership and this special gift from this great club and I will forever cherish this gesture. Let me use this opportunity to assure this club of my support in its quest toward provision of social and humanitarian amenities that would better the lives of people in the society,” he said.

38

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

SOCIETY Lagos State University (LASU) Vice-Chancellor Prof John Obafunwa; Lagos State University College of Medicine Provost Prof Olumuyiwa Odusanya; Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED) Provost Prof Olu Akeusola and Registrar Mr Bola Shittu were on February 26 honoured by Eredo Club, Epe Lagos. Writes AMIDU ARIJE.

•Mrs Adebule

•From left: Prof Obafunwa; Oba Aladesonyin; Oba Aliu and Alhaji Adenowo

Club honours its dear ones T

HE hall of Okemagba Development Association House at Odosiwola, Eredo, Epe, Lagos glowed in cream colour.

It was a day illustrious sons of Eredo, a rustic town were being honoured.

The honour was in recognition of their outstanding success recorded in their chosen profession which makes them proud of the town.

For Eredo Club, a leading social group in the town, it was a day of joy honouring a golden quartet.

They are Vice-Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU) Prof John Obafunwa; Provost, Lagos State University College of Medicine, Ikeja, Prof Olumuyiwa Odusanya; Provost, Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED), Prof Olu Akeusola and the Registrar of MOCPED, Mr Bola Shittu Members of the club and indigenes of the community converged on the community house, patiently waited for the trio's arrival.

The setting of the hall was fashionable.

Its chairs and tables were welldecorated with cream and white satin clothes.

Although the event slated for noon could not start until about 3pm, but people waited patiently.

While waiting, a traditional socio-cultural group, the Impact Performance Alliance (IPA) entertained the guests. They sang praise songs to enliven the atmosphere.

The group ensured there was no dull moment as the guests employed different styles of dance steps.

President of the Eredo Club, Mr Owolabi Amisu, also led other

•Prof Odusanya (right) and Alhaji Adenuga

•Yeye Adesanya and Mr Amisu

•Prof and Mrs Gbadamosi

•Mr Balogun Segiu (left) and Mr Olaide Odunosu

members to the dance floor.

The atmosphere became charged with the arrival of the Secretary to the Lagos State Government (SSG), Mrs Oluranti Adebule .

Her arrival kick-started the event that lasted about two hours.

Amisu, in his address, thanked the community for their patient and commitment to the progress of the club and the community.

Reminding the honourees of the reason for the reception in their honour, he urged them not to disappoint the town. ''That you were chosen among several eligible candidates show the trust we repose on you and it must not be betrayed,'' Amisu stated.

He tasked them to work in harmony with other members of their cabinet to achieve more results.

Thereafter, plaques were presented to them.

First to receive the award was Obafunwa. He presented

by Mrs Adebule. This was followed by Akeusola, who was represented by the Deputy Registrar of the school, Mrs Okuyiga F.S. His plaque was presented by the Provost of Ansaru-ud-Deen College of Education, Isolo, Prof Tajudeen Gbadamosi.

Provost, Lagos State University College of Medicine, Ikeja, Prof Olumuyiwa Odusanya, an indigene of the town, was also honoured. His award was presented by Mr Amisu.

Shittu was also presented with the same award.

Mrs Adebule thanked the club for honouring their indigenes who excelled in their professions.

Shechallenged the youth on

the occasion to face their studies so that they too would be celebrated tomorrow.

She appealed to the honourees to work towards bringing development to the community.

Amisu hailed the state government for citing higher institutions in the area, but like Oliver Twist, said his people wants more, especially industry.

Educational, he said, is really the foundation of all development and for that reason we thank government for making us proud in that area.

"However development efforts is not a one sided affair.

It is not for the government alone. The local government is the only source employment of our people. Individuals should be encouraged and we urge our sons and daughters to come around and take advantage of the vastness of

PHOTOS: RAHMAN SANUSI

the land to invest,'' he said.

Obafunwa thanked his people for their support and honour.

The LASU chief promised that he would never let the community down.

"We will be good ambassadors of the community. We know expectations are high.

We will not let you down,'' he promised.

Other guests on the occasion included Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Survey and Geographic Information System Mr Sikiru Babatunde Jimoh; Vice-Chairman, Eredo Local Council Development Area Mrs Olayinka Olusanya; General-Secretary Lagos Central Mosque Alhaji Rajee Adelowo; lecturer in the Department of Political Science at MOCPED Prince Salau Olawale; and Seretary, Eredo Club Mr Morufu Towase.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

39

SOCIETY FUNERAL OF FORMER LAGOS COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORTATION PROF BAMIDELE BADEJO’S MUM

WHAT AND WHERE? Lecture

T

ODAY, the yearly Obafemi Awolowo AbdSualmad Memorial Lecture will hold today at the NECA House, Hakeem Balogun Street, Business Central District Alausa, Ikeja Lagos.

It has as theme: Power politics or welfare politics?: Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the history of African nationalist political thought.

The lecture will be delivered by a Professor of History, University of Texas,

•The late Chief Awolowo

United States of America, Prof Toyin Falola and be chaired by former governor of Kaduna State Alhaji AbdulKadir Balarabe Musa.

Funeral

OMORROW, the funeral of Mark Jack Sekibo will take place at Okirika National Secondary School filed, Okirika, Rivers State.

The ceremony will be co-ordinated by the Redeemed Christian Church of God. The service will hold at the same venue.

T

Convocation •From left: Son of the deceased Prof Bamidele Badejo; Wife of Osun State Governor Alhaja Sherifat Aregbesola; Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation Comrade Kayode Opeifa and Hon Sesan Olanrewaju

•Brig-Gen Johnson

T

OMMORROW, the former Governor of Lagos State, Brigadier-General Mobolaji Johnson will be installed as the Chancellor

•Rev Wilson Badejo

•Lagos State Attorney General Mr Ade Ipaye

-

of the Caleb University, Imota Ikorodu, Lagos during the institution’s convocation.

The event will feature conferment of Honourary degrees and award of first degrees and a lecture to be delivered by the Director, Monitoring and Research UN-habitat, Nairobi Kenya, Prof Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka on the theme of the convocation, The Power elite, ‘Nigeria’s mineral economy and arrested development’

Inauguration

T

OMORROW, Lagos State Governor Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) will lead eminent personalities to open an u l t r a - m o d e r n Community Library at the CMS Primary School Complex, Okuta Road Bariga, Lagos.

The library was built by the City Profs Academy (CPA) in conjunction with Mrs Remi Agbowu-led Remick Promotion.

The event coincided with fifth anniversary of

•Captain and Commodore Dada Labinjo

•Mrs Agbowu

CPA. The chairman of the Profs Academy, Prof Grace Alele-Williams is the chief host.

Induction •Mr Aderemi Thomas (left) and former Coommisioner of Police, Lagos Command and Managing Director LASTMA Mr Young Arabamen

A

•Alhaji Olukola (left) and Dr Tajudeen Bawa-Allah

CONJUGAL BLISS

FOREMOST social and cultural club, Lisabi Club Nigeria will induct new members tomorrow.

The 80-year-old club for the sons and daughters of Egba pedigree is named after the club’s patron, Saint Lisabi who freed the Egbas from the yoke of Oloyo The event holds at the Lisabi Hall, Herbert Macaulay Street, Ebute Metta, Lagos.

The new members are Otunba James Akinsola; Tajudeen Kareem; Babajide Sotande-Peters and Samusideen Bisiriyu.

Internment

T •Former Miss Sarah Aderibigbe and her husband Mr Ezekiel Popoola during their wedding ceremony at RCCG House of Praise, Fadeyi, Lagos

HE funeral service for Elder Olufemi Akinde will hold today at House of Favour, Headquarters of the Ogun Province Four of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) at Redemption Camp, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The service will be followed by an interment at the Sagamu Cemetery, after which guests and family members will be enter-

C

•The late Akinde

tained at the House of Favour.

Elder Akinde passed on after a brief illness. He was 79.

Obsequies

OME tomorrow, the remains of Pa Mathew Nwankwo will be interred at his residence in Isiegbu Ozuitem, Abia State.

The Service of Songs for the departed cleric will hold today at Deeper Life Bible Church, Isiegbu Ozuitem Abia State.

Guests will later be entertained at the same venue.

•Compiled by Amidu Arije

40

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

SOCIETY

Rewarding excellence

Nine indigenes of Ikorodu, who excelled in their fields, have been honoured by the Conference of Leaders of Ikorodu Division (COLID) at Oriwu Club 82 House, Ikorodu. EMMANUEL OLADESU reports.

I

T was a blissful Sunday evening.

Oriwu Club 82 House, Ikorodu was agog. The Conference of Leaders of Ikorodu Division (COLID) was the host. It was a great day as nine indigenes of the division, who were elected and appointed to various offices, were honoured by their people.

The paramount ruler, Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Oba Salaudeen Oyefusi, led other traditional rulers to the ceremony. With him were the Olubeshe of Ibeseland Oba Richard Ogunsanya; Lisa of Ipakodo Olisa of Ikorodu, and local government chairmen; Alhaji Sheriff Anipole (Ikorodu), Ola Jimbo-Ademehin (Ikorodu West) and Adeola Jokomba (Ikorodu •Oba Oyefusi (left) assisted by Bashorun to present a plaque to Mr Ayinde North).

The reception was held for the Special Adviser on Education, Lagos State, Dr. Fatai Olukoga; Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development Olutoyin Ayinde, his Finance counterpart, Adetokunbo Abiru, House of Representatives member, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, state legislators; Sanai Agunbiade and Adebimpe Akinsola; and Senior Special Assistant on Education Saheed Ibikunle.

Also, two ambassadors, Olatokunbo Kamson and Ademola Onafowokan, were honoured. Three of them stand out.

Dabiri-Erewa, a former broadcaster, has won election into the lower chamber of the National Assembly thrice. Akinsola, an esteemed school teacher, made history as the first female member of House of Assembly from the division. Onafowokan is the first career diplomat to have been appointed ambassador.

The nine received certificates of merit and plaque, which underscore the memory of their impacts in different capacities in •Chief Benson (SAN) •Chief Shoderu (left) presenting a plaque to Hon Ibikunle public life. None of them is a push over.

Their citations bore eloquent testimony to sound educational background, successful career visibility in public life, and record of contributions to political, economic and social development at the grassroots.

Before his recent assignment, Olukoga was Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youths, Sports and Social Development.

He holds an honorary doctorate from the United University College, Denton, United States. Also, Dabiri-Erewa, who holds a Master in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos, Akoka, was well known in Nigeria before her foray into politics. She is the Chairman, House Committee on Diaspora. Agunbiade, a students union leader and lawyer, molded lives as a teacher before becoming a state legislator in 2007. Until her election, Akinsola was also a teacher.

Ayinde is a professional transport planner. He had bagged the DEINDE award •Chief Zacheus Odusoga presenting a plaque to Mrs Akinsola for best performance in Town and Re•Dr Olukoga gional Planning. Abiru is a chartered accountant and banker, who had bagged them their role models and are inspired to State Government (SSG) assured that, if an awards as the best branch manager and become achievers in the future,” he noted. Ikorodu indigene is given the opportunity, best business development manager in Urging the awardeees never to forget he would not let the state down. The FirstBank. Ibikunle is a teacher and com- their roots, Amusa also expressed the hope elderstatesman called for unity in the diputer scientist. Kamson retired as a top that they would justify the confidence and vision, stressing that it is critical to colleccivil servant in the state. Onafowokan is a trust reposed in them. tive progress. seasoned diplomat.

Chairman of the occasion, Olorunfunmi COLID Chairman, Chief Babatunde The chairman of the reception commit- Basorun, showered encomiuns on them for Benson (SAN), congratulated the tee Prince Adegbola Amusa congratulated bringing joy to the area as good ambassa- awardees. the honourees. dors.

Chief Benson urged them to identify with “By publicly honouring our outstandHe rekindled the division’s hope to pro- the association’s noble ideas. ingly successful indigenes, we are in ef- duce someone who will be at the state “It will be appreciated if they also enfect giving recognition to the deserving,” driver’s seat in three years time, saying courage other indigenes to come home and Amusa said. that it is long overdue. help in propagating the good name of this “When our youths see this, they make Basorun, who had served as Secretary to division”, he added.

•Ambassador Tokunbo Kamson

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

43

NEWS GEN ADEYINKA ADEBAYO’S 84TH BIRTHDAY AND BOOK PRESENTATION IN LAGOS

•Admiral Akin Aduwo (left), Chief Balogun Bisi Omidiora and Chief Oluyemi Falade at the 84 th •Olu of Famia – Ile-Ife, Osun State, Oba Abimbola Akinyele (left) and Iyanforogi, Ile-Ife, Oba birthday annivasary and presentation of a book: Electoral Reforms in Nigeria in honour of Gen. Adebolu Fafunmise Adeyinka Adebayo at Protea Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos…yesterday

•Osun State Deputy Governor Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori, Justice George Oguntade and Chief Idowu •Former Ogun State Governor Aremo Olusegun Osoba (left) and activist-lawyer Femi Falana Sofola (SAN)

•Chairman, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Lagos State chapter Chief Henry Ajomale (left) and ACN chieftain Demola Seriki

•Former Military Governor of Lagso State •Former External Affairs Minister Gen. Ike Nwachukwu (left) and Maj. Gen. David Jemibewon Maj. Gen. Mobolaji Johnson

•Gen. Alani Akinrinade (left) and former governor of Ekiti State (and son of the celebrator) •Ogun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Mr. Muyiwa Oladipo (right) Otunba Niyi Adebayo and former chair, Kosofe Local Government, Mr Babatunde Oke PHOTOS: NIYI ADENIRAN

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

44

With ekpoita :funtreatsvilla@yahoo.com / 08077706130

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ACROSS

DOWN

1.Remit (4) 2.Lusterless (3) 3.Imitate (3) 4.Trial (4) 7. Green Area (5) 8. Edible Grass (3) 10. Snake (3) 11. Nobleman (5) 13. Illuminated (3) 16. Bricklayer (5) 17. At No Time (5) 18. Youths (4) 21. Ward off (4) 23. Period (3) 25. Fuss (3)

1. Hunk (4) 3. Border on (4) 5. Fiend (3) 6. Standard (4) 9. Recedes (4) 12. Age (3) 14. Cereal (4) 15. Informal Course (7) 18. Hermaphrodite (2) 19. Consumed (3) 20. About (2) 22. Employs (4) 24. Part of Feather (4) 26. Wandered (5) 27. Examine (4) 28. Path (4)

MINI-SUDOKU Fill in the missing numbers in the grid to ensure that every row, column and 2 by 3 box contains the numbers 1 - 6.

HUMOUR Bank Account A mother decided that her young 11 year old daughter should open her own bank account. “As it will be your account, I think that you should complete the application form” said the mother. The daughter was doing really well but was puzzled when she came to where it said ‘Name of previous bank’. She pondered for a second and when wrote ‘Piggy

ShOwBiTz A new season of ‘Spartacus,’ with a new Spartacus

Marriage I asked my ten year old nephew the other day “billy, what do you think it would take to make marriage work? “well, i’d tell my wife she looked lovely even if she looked like a bus”. he said.

Burglary Charge My lawyer was trying to get me off a burglary charge.

He told the judge “ My client inserted his arm through a window and removed some items. As his arm is not his whole being, I submit that it would be wrong to punish the whole person for a crime committed by a sole limb. The Judge replied “ Okay - using that logic, the defendant’s arm is sentenced to 2 years in prison and can accompany the limb if he chooses”. So with the aid of my lawyer, I unscrewed my artificial arm, placed it on the table and walked out of the courtroom.

Married and Single Do you know why a room full of married people looks so empty and deserted?

There’s not even a “Single person” in it.

Pep Talk

“Paragon” paragon \PAIR-uh-gon; -guhn\ (noun) - A model of excellence or perfection; as, “a paragon of beauty; a paragon of eloquence.”

“Old Roland, that paragon of acceptable standards, viewed the world with a thoroughly jaundiced, nearly blind eye.”

— Samara Al-Darraji , ‘Eclipse’ Paragon comes from Middle French, from Old Italian paragone, literally, “touchstone,” from paragonare, “to test on a touchstone,” from Greek parakonan, “to rub against, to sharpen,” from para-, “beside” + akone, “a whetstone.”

Sports Teaser

Argument A brother and sister were having an argument and neither were willing to concede.

The sister said “ Barry, I will admit that I am in the wrong as long as you admit that I am in the right”.

He was in agreement and asked her to go first with the admission. “I am totally in the wrong” she said.

Barry, with a little glint in his eye gave her a little wink and said “ You’re right”.

WORDS & ORIGIN

What a different vision these two stars of “Spartacus: Vengeance” offer in person.

Here is Lucy Lawless: In her Starz adventure-action series she builds on worldwide fame as Xena, Warrior Princess, by playing wily Lucretia, widow of the Roman sports impresario whose “ludus” — an extreme training camp for gladiators — was where Spartacus had been enslaved. Transported from Capua in the first century B.C. to modern-day Manhattan, Lawless — in bright sweater and snug jeans — is pretty, girlish and full of laughs.

Alongside her for this recent interview is Liam McIntyre, who is taking over the role of Spartacus as the new season begins (Friday at 10 p.m. EST). His personality is far removed from the raging Thracian out to forge an army and topple the Roman Empire. Instead, McIntyre is chipper, affable and ready with wisecracks delivered, at times, in a comic squeal.

“Spartacus: Vengeance” retains a potent mix of hyper-realism and epic fantasy, with generous helpings of graphic violence, orgiastic nudity, racy sex and other visual pizazz. It remains a hard-body romp on a CGI sprawl.

But real-life tragedy, too, is a part of the story.

Andy Whitfield, who originated the role of Spartacus, announced in March 2010 that he was stricken with nonHodgkin Lymphoma. That May, a six-episode prequel concentrating on characters other than Spartacus was set for the following year, to give Whitfield time off for treatment.

But a few months later when the cancer returned, he announced his departure from the show. Last September, he died at age 39.

The player below is likely to become a potential; A. Super Eagle B. Indomitable Lion C. Harrambee Star D. Atlas Lion What is the player’s name?

Michael Jackson immortalized at Grauman’s Singer Michael Jackson is immortalized in a ceremony where his children (L-R) Prince, Blanket and Paris use Jackson’s shoes and gloves to make hand and foot imprints in cement in the courtyard of Hollywood’s Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on January 26, 2012.

Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose-a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye. - Mary Shelley

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

45

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

Obasanjo, Atiku clash over PDP chair The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) met yesterday to decide on guidelines for the March 24 national convention, Assistant Editor GBADE OGUNWALE reports the intrigues and forces at work.

T

HE search for a new set of national executive to run the affairs of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the next four years has entered a new phase. A committee of five governors has given the mandate to prune down the long list of aspirants to a manageable number has been meeting to manage the process and message egos.

There are no fewer than 10 jostling for the position of chairman, a number that stakeholders consider too large in view of the recriminations that arising there from. At the five man conference table are Governors Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers); Sullivan Chime (Enugu); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Danbaba Suntai (Taraba); and Jonah Jang (Plateau). However, the five men may be encumbered by a long standing tradition that has continued to nibble at the unity and cohesion of the ruling party.

One man has been the patriarch of this divisive tendency is believed to be back on the old trade. Snippets filtering in from the last National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party indicate that former President and chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT), Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was already neck deep in the fray. Though he was not present at the meeting, the message was hummed around that he may have zeroed his mind on Alhaji Bamanga Tukur for the position. Decrying what they termed politics of anointing by one man, not a few key stakeholders must have seen through the malignant effects of the aftermath on the ruling party if the process is not carefully handled.

Over the years, the party has demonstrated a capacity for quelling political tantrums arising from tilting the balance. Many perceive that Obasanjo may have sold the idea to President Goodluck Jonathan and that the President appears to have bought it even though he may choose to be diplomatic about it.

Other contending interests are said to be dusting their war kits in preparation for the emerging onslaught.

Apparently waiting at the far end are the former BOT chairman, Chief Tony Anenih and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar. Some stakeholders presume the two camps to be fighting on two fronts: One, they are conversant with the adverse consequences of Obasanjo’s overbearing influence on the unity and stability of the party during his eightyear Presidency, a development that saw a number of key party chieftains leaving the PDP out of frustration.

Two, they were victims of the Ota farmer’s long range political manoeuvrings and bare knuckle approach in tackling real and perceived political foes.

Anenih cannot forget in a hurry how Obasanjo pushed him off the party’s BOT chair in 2007 by dealing him a devastating blow below the belt. So for the Esan born Mr. Fix it, this may be the last battle to redeem his fast waning political relevance in Edo State that is already in the firm grip of the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ANC).

His reach in the Southsouth has also been curtailed, no thanks to Obasanjo’s hard tackles. Only a few doubt Anenih’s capability to fight should he choose to go into the battle.

•Obasanjo

•Atiku

•Tukur

‘Other contending interests are said to be dusting their war kits in preparation for the emerging onslaught. Apparently waiting at the far end are the former BOT chairman, Chief Tony Anenih and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’ He may have to align forces with other interests to fight what may have been identified as a common threat.

On the other hand, Atiku may remember for a long time to come how Obasanjo mounted barricades on his way in a succession crisis ignited by the former President’s unpopular third term bid.

With the combative former PDP national chairman, Ahmadu Ali as Man Friday, Atiku was forced to defect to the then Action Congress (AC) where he picked the party’s presidential ticket for the 2007 election which Obasanjo supervised. It was after Obasanjo’s exit from power that Atiku was able to fight his way back to the PDP fold. So, for the two party chieftains, one side of the balance is the unity of the party, while the other is the struggle for political relevance in which Obasanjo remains a formidable obstacle. While Anenih may be fighting to restore his seemingly lost prominence in the party, the outcome of the battle may have long term implications for Atiku’s political career.

The former Vice-President is said to be interested in the 2015 presidential race which political calculations may force the PDP to zone to the North. The feeling in the party is that since the South would have occupied the Presidency for a total of 13 years

by May 2015, through Obasanjo (1999-2007) and Jonathan (2010-2015), the North should be considered for the position to soothe frayed nerves occasioned by Yar’ Adua’s shortlived Presidency. And in the event of Tukur becoming the chairman, Atiku’s aspiration may become a hard sell. Tukur and Atiku are both from Adamawa State. Inside sources in the PDP are of the view that this may be the kernel of Obasanjo’s long range political manoeuvring.

Given that scenario, it would be a burden for the Atiku camp to convince key stakeholders why both the party’s

national chairman and presidential candidate should come from the same state. Party stalwarts are almost certain that the battle tested Atiku camp may not allow this go unchallenged.

But only a few can fault the choice of Tukur in terms of integrity, credibility, and unblemished record in both his public and private life.

However, not a few have expressed reservations about his age given the rigours, challenges and physical exertion that the office of chairman of the ruling party thrust on the occupant. Bamanga Tukur is 77 and by 2015, he would be 80, the age at which geriatric burden becomes inevitable, physically and otherwise. Incidentally, this trait manifested during the recent fund raising dinner organised by some party bigwigs at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel for former Cross River State Governor, Liyel Imoke who is seeking re-election. An official at the PDP headquarters who attended the event reported that: “There is this minor elevation leading to the high table. But it was a hard task for Alhaji Bamanga Tukur to scale the steps on his way to the high table. He had to be supported to cross over and all the party chieftains who were present at the occasion witnessed this. He appeared exhausted and he left the venue immediately he announced his donation. It was apparent that old age is already telling on him”. Incidentally, the office of the PDP national chairman is located on the second floor of the party’s national secretariat, a building that does not enjoy the services of an elevator or a lift. Some prominent northern elements in the party may have detected what they fear to be a recap of the 2007 experience in the process that led to the choice of Yar’Adua as the party’s presidential flag bearer. Obasanjo cocked it all up by arm-twisting and subduing other aspirants in the race through

threats, obvious or subtle. Obasanjo had his way and Yar’Adua clinched the presidential ticket even when many were convinced that both the benefactor and the beneficiary failed to consider the larger picture in the interest of the party or the nation.

Eventually, Yar’Adua died three years into what was expected to be his first four-year tenure. And that was how the north lost the Presidency that was conceded to that geo-political zone through the party’s zoning arrangement that was later repudiated in a fierce clash of interests that generated so much recrimination in the process that threw up Goodluck Jonathan as the party’s presidential candidate and his subsequent election in the 2011 elections.

Some prominent northern elements in the party are said to have warned that politicians from the region would have themselves to blame if they embrace Obasanjo’s choice with the same docility they embraced his imposition of Yar’Adua in 2007. One of the chieftains from the North West zone declared: “Without any prejudice to the person of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the PDP should not at this point be toying with the idea of electing people in their 70s as national chairman.

Alhaji Tukur is 77 and will be 80 in 2015 when national chairmen of political parties will be expected to lead their party’s campaign machinery, particularly for the presidential election. With due respect, many of us don’t believe this is a role for an 80year old”.

The source recalled how the late President Yar’Adua, in 2008, rebuffed attempts by Obasanjo to impose the former governor of Ebonyi State, Dr. Sam Egwu, on the party and how Yar’Adua, in consultation with state governors, went ahead to pick Prince Vincent Ogbulafor for the job. Many were willing to give Yar’Adua the credit for the choice for

the reason that the party witnessed some relative stability for the period Ogbulafor was at the helm of the party’s power hierarchy.

The former president waved aside the disinterestedness that the position of the BoT chair required of the occupant when he took the megaphone as Egwu’s campaign manager, to the consternation of other leaders. What has continued to irk Obasanjo’s opponents is the former President’s presumptuousness on every critical issue concerning the party. They pointed out that throughout his eight years as President, he never deferred to anyone in the choice of the party’s national chairman.

They noted that under his Presidency, the PDP had a total of four national chairmen instead of two as he hired and fired them at will. “As President, Obasanjo solely decided who became the party’s national chairman. As ex-President he still wants to dictate to a sitting President who becomes the chairman of the party thereby dishing out to others what he would not take from anyone”, a party chieftain remarked.

Incidentally, President Jonathan is believed to have tacitly given Obasanjo a free hand to mobilise support for Tukur’s candidature, a project that the former President is said to have started in earnest, though surreptitiously, apparently to avoid the miscarriage he suffered in the Egwu case.

Signals from the party’s national secretariat indicate that for strategic reasons, Obasanjo has kick-started the pro-Tukur campaign in Adamawa State with Governor Murtala Nyako as target. He was said to have drawn the Governor into the ring with the view to selling Tukur’s candidature to delegates from the state.

Observers say this may prove a difficult task for Atiku who is also from Adamawa State.

Observers of Adamawa politics, said Nyako has mastered the art of how and when not to offend Obasanjo. They predict that when the chips are down, the governor would know in which direction to swing the balance. This may rob Atiku of a large chunk of delegates for his preferred candidate. For now, the former Vice President may have to rely on his hunches. Observers predict that the outcome of the chairmanship election may go a long way in determining the stability or otherwise of the PDP in the post convention era.

According to them, in the overall interest of the party, Jonathan may have to be circumspect in his tango with the former President. Others say the President may require the same courage and intuition that Yar’Adua brought to bear in rejecting Obasnajo’s choice of candidate in 2008. A few expect Jonathan to replicate the same firmness with which he went about the choice of the PDP candidate in the recent governorship election in his native Bayelsa State. In what has been described as uncommon display of courage, President Jonathan had deflected pressure from the powerful league of PDP Governors to sway the balance in favour of the embattled former Governor Timipre Sylva. Instead, he threw all his weight behind Mr. Seriake Dickson.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

46

POLITICS Senate moves to create agency for care of the elderly

The bid by Mr. James Dugo to lead the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State received a boost following the victory of his associate, Mr. Seriake Dickson, as governor in the March 11 governorship election. In this interview with Correspondent ISAAC OMBE, he addresses the state of the party.

T

Bayelsa PDP needs new lease of life, says Dugo On the crisis in the party

T

HE PDP was not fragmented in Bayelsa; it is not fragmented, there is no crisis in Bayelsa PDP. If you look at it very well, if you look at the composition of the party in the state at that time, the deputy chairman, was Sylva’s junior cousin, the treasurer, his brother and the auditor also was Sylva’s school mate. So, he put in his relations as the party’s executives in the state, and so it was not really functioning well. What are the functions of a party? As a party, you advise government on implementation of the manifesto, you advise government on issues of development, you advise government on the dos and don’ts, but in that executive committee, we did not have such opportunities to even discuss with our principal then, let alone hold regular meetings with him. If you go to Government House, they would block you as a party man. So, that was how the party was run, it was like a family business, the party was dead, the party in Bayelsa State was dead until my emergence as chairman in acting capacity. With my emergence as the chairman on the other hand, you don’t expect the brothers to leave him (Sylva); they would not leave. So, there was no serious problem except that it was a family arrangement. Now the reality has dawned on everybody.

On failed efforts to reconcile members When the Acting Governor and Acting Speaker took over last month, as the chairman of the party, we formed a synergy, and said let these eople come over. One thing that was also holding us was the small ‘pepper soup’ (allowances to the party), but despite the fact that it was denied some of us, we did not hold it against anybody; even then SA Political, Emmanuel Otiotio, the Acting Governor and the Acting Speaker were all in the know of the reconciliation moves, but the brothers were not ready. I can’t be the one to pull the former governor down, for any reason.

They were the people that did not want reconciliation. Even now, the new governor is eager to reconcile everybody. He asked every member of the executive committee to attend the NWC meeting in Abuja,

but they refused to come. If you look at it, they are party members, Sylva does not own the party, the party is supreme. Look at the delegates elections, they refused to come out, may be because Sylva asked them not to. The governorship primaries, they refused to come out, may be because he ordered them not to. So, it is not that anybody is antagonising anyone.

Let them come, they are still our members”.

On how prepared he is to carry all members of the party along as chairman.

I will not suspend anyone, I am a peace loving person, we want to move forward. So, on my own part, there is no crisis in the party, it’s just because of their actions, nobody is driving anybody. My Principal needs peace because without peace there can’t be development in the state. The way forward now is peace, and PDP is not divided, and if anyone says PDP in Bayelsa State is divided, let him come and say why it is divided.

If no crisis in the party, why were people leaving to join other political parties?

There is no crisis, may be the only crisis situation was that PDP under Sylva was not sincere with party people, and that led to inter party migration which led to people leaving PDP for Labour Party. If that is the crisis you are talking about, then that is it. But with my emergence now let everybody come back to the party. If we had gone into election at that time, PDP would have lost Bayelsa State. So, the crisis then was the handiwork of former Governor Sylva, it is not Seriake’s emergence or my becoming the chairman. If we say we should practice what we are preaching, then at the tail end of it, we will begin to do abracadabra that now led to the removal of the Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA Chairman. So, Sylva was the engine room of fomenting troubles in the state PDP, and not my emergence as chairman. My emergence is to ensure that everyone is taken along in the scheme of things, to ensure that peace reigns in Bayelsa PDP. What are your plans for PDP if re-elected as chairman?

When I come on board, I will ensure transparency, consultation, and would want the party organs right from the Ward level to LGA and to

•Dugo

the state level to be very firm and to be recognised. I want to ensure that every member of the party, no matter how small he, is to be recognised in the scheme of things; there won’t be discrimination. What we had in the past was this: commissioners, House of Assembly members, they all come from different constituencies and wards.

You can imagine a commissioner who doesn’t even know your ward chairman. So, when I come back as a substantive chairman, if my principal wants to make an appointment, the commissioner and other people need to assist my principal to know the party members from the wards so that the work will be easy for the principal up there, whereas a commissioner does not even know his ward chairman, so this method does not work.

We want to go back to the 1979 era when the party was supreme, the constitution of the party is saying that the party is supreme. How can a party be supreme when appointments are being made without such persons not knowing their ward chairmen. If for instance, I am your ward chairman, you want to be a commissioner, they will now say go and identify with your ward chairman, definitely when you are there you must know that you are coming from a party and when you see your party official, you must give them that desired recognition. That is what the party will look like in Bayelsa State.

On other contestants for the chairmanship position?

I am not an ambitious man but i want to serve Bayelsans in the light of truth. Many people may be afraid to come out to contest because they will say can they withstand this man who has done a lot within this short period. However, I have been consulting and others are consulting too. Once I have consulted and get the right support, I will come out with my posters, may be others will follow suit.

•Kwara State Governor Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed (right) welcoming the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria Mr. Moshe Ram to his office in Ilorin.

HE Senate yesterday took steps to create a national social agency with the responsibility to care for the elderly.

This followed the second reading of a bill entitled “A Bill for an Act to establish the National Social Agency charged with the responsibility to, for among others things, provide financial assistance to elderly persons in Nigeria and for related matters.”

Sponsored by Senator Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central), the Bill, which was seen by most Senators as timely, sailed through second reading.

Consideration of the Bill was done together with another Bill that seeks an Act to establish a National Social Welfare Commission sponsored by Senator Domingo Obende, (Edo North) For those who feared that the country might not be able to fund such an agency, Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, disagreed.

Ekweremadu who presided over the plenary said that the time has come for the country to take a bold step to cater for her elderly.

He said, “I believe we can afford it if we reorder our priorities. I believe we can afford it if we cut costs, cut waste and cut corruption. We can take care of our elderly and our youths if we are able to cut unnecessary costs.”

Ekwermadu added that establishment of the agency would also assist the country to reduce crime in the society.

In her lead debate, Senator Tinubu stated the general principles of the Bill.

She noted that for ages, the cultural norms of the country accorded much respect to old age.

She added that it was worrisome that the age long cultural norms and trend appeared to have been reversed in modern times.

The lawmaker explained that the Social Security Bill became imperative in the face of growing inadequacy in customary/family support system and increasing poverty among the elderly.

She said: “The Bill is founded on moral principles of helping the vulnerable in the society and on constitutional principles, which recognises that government must direct its policy towards ensuring old age care and protection of the aged against moral and material

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

neglect.

“The Bill seeks to establish social security for elderly Nigerians whose labour had contributed to the Nigerian economy particularly in informal sectors, such as, the rural agrarian sector and who have no income to sustain themselves in old age.

“Many of the elderly have spent their productive years serving the nation and yet face poverty in twilight years because existing provisions of the Pensions Reforms Act, National Health Insurance Scheme Act and the National Social Insurance Trust Fund Act do not apply to them. “ Nigeria , a nation that came into being with the 1914 colonialist amalgamation of the erstwhile Lagos colony and other parts of what was then the Southern Protectorate with the Northern Protectorate will be marking her first centennial anniversary in 2014.

“Throughout this period, there has never been any significant legislation for social safety nets to protect millions of frail but struggling elderly citizens.

“It is in the light of this, that this Bill is being sponsored.”

Explaining that the importance of social security for the elderly cannot be over-emphasised, the Mrs. Tinubu, said that one of the country’s goals is to become one of the world’s leading economies by the year 2020.

She noted that since most of the world’s top 20 economies have functional social protection systems without actualizing such scheme for the country’s huge and socio-economically vulnerable population of ageing citizens, “we may be unconsciously sustaining some of the indices that rank us low on human development.”

Senator Tinubu said that addressing the existential challenges of elderly persons would be a significant step towards redressing some of society’s collective challenges.

According to her: “the establishment of a National Social Security Agency to provide financial benefits for the elderly, who have no income or any form of income-generating investment is not to discriminate against income earners and pensioners but to fill in, a lacuna, by providing financial assistance to the excluded.”

Ondo PDP petitions NJC over alleged ‘irrelevant’ injunctions

T

HE Ondo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has petitioned the National Judicial Commission (NJC) over alleged ‘irrelevant injunctions’ by the Chief Judge of Ondo State, Justice Olasehinde Kumuyi.

The party noted that in June 2011, a crisis was allegedly caused by the Labour Party (LP) administration led by Dr. Olusegun Mimiko to split the PDP. This development was said to have led to a litigation by a group within the party.

In the petition signed by the PDP’s State Secretary, Chief Ibine Oyedele, alleged that Justice Kumuyi assigned the matter to himself before granting “unmerited injunction” restraining officers of the party from discharging their constitutional responsibilities.

He contended that he took the action because those who instituted the case lacked the locus standi to do so.

The petition reads: ”When we realized his seeming reluctance to discharge this injunction as expressed by his relunctancyto sit on

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

the matter on set adjourned days, we decided to seek a way out of the bottleneck by urging members of the executive to resign.

“As we speak, the said injunction remains in force as the Chief Judge has not only refused to vacate it, but has not even allowed the contending groups to withdraw the case since he refused to sit on the matter ever since.

“It is now a serious speculation again that another group is to approach the State Judiciary to request for spurious injunctions to settle scores in an intra party election that ordinarily should not be the business of the courts.

The party noted that such action will include requests to restrain intending candidates to stand for elections, stressing that they consider this an abuse of privileges and judicial process.

“Sir, we therefore, request that you take proactive actions that will forestall the debasement of the institution of justice from being abused and raped in this State,” the party said.

47

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

AGRO-BUSINESS

How to boost Nigeria’s agro exports, by experts T

HE Federal Government has been urged to conduct quality inspections on all shipments of agro exports to prevent possible rejection at the European Union market.

Speaking with The Nation, the Country Representative, Research Into Use (RIU), a programme sponsored by the United Kingdom Department of International Development, Dr Utang Ugbe, said importers rejection of agro produce from Nigeria is supported by genuine quality problems.

He said the government has to work with farmers on quality control procedures, adding that the poor quality of agric commodities such as cassava, cocoa and cashew has limited the profitability of farmers in the export market.

He said export of these products to the EU has grown rapidly in recent years but that Nigeria has lost a sizeable share of the market because inspectors found such exports below standards.

He urged the government to improve the quality control process from the farms to the sea ports.

He said inspection of agro exports should be made before they are shipped out of the country to ensure their quality conform to estab-

By Daniel Essiet, Agric Correspondent

lished standards, adding that farmers face delay in getting their produce inspected at the seaports.

He observed that some farmers have lost a lot of money due to agro produce deteriorating in moisture level after being kept for a long time at the ports.

In the context of EU policy for quality export, he said Nigerian exporters must make moves to promote greater value-added processing in agricultural product chains prior to export.

He said exporters should provide support services to the farmers such as helping to manage their plantations, fight against fruit flies, and implement certification or traceability programs on the plantation.

He called for continous investment on quality and product differentiation, adding that the market for agric commodities is a growing one. To develop a vibrant and competitive agric-export sector, he said the nation needs to encourage the development of related industries and services (certification services, packaging material, input, and laboratory capacity).

He added that the key to improving the competitiveness of the value

chain is reducing the cost of inputs, technology and services, and also providing an important source of revenue and employment in the country.

The Project Manager, Cassava Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA), University of Greenwich, United Kingdom, Dr Kola Adebayo, said local agricultural commodity companies are facing a difficult environment with profit margins dropping sharply.

He said the companies are facing rising business costs. Price volatility for produce, he stated is making it difficult for them to keep up with the costs.

Adebayo said farmers have experienced increasing cost over the last few years, getting inputs, farming and getting the produce through the supply chain until it gets through to customers.

He said input costs such as land and labour have increased.

He said good logistics arrangement should be put in place to allow agro produce to be exported in large volumes and in good conditions.

He said emphasis should be on increasing input storage, improving handling facilities and building new food centres.

• From left: Prof Harold Van Es; Prof Ronnie Coffman and Project Consultant, Dr Ade Shomide, during the inauguration of the Committee on Kwara Agric-City Masterplan, in Ilorin.

NESG seeks increased investment in agric T

HE business think tank, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), has called on the Federal Government to review the business environment nationwide to attract international investors to the agric sector.

Its Director-General, Frank Nweke Jnr, said with increased investment, better agricultural policies and more support for farmers, the nation could achieve an agricultural revolution.

Nweke, who spoke at the NESG Nigeria-Focused Agribusiness Forum -Washington D.C. Preparatory Dialogue in Lagos, said investment in agric infrastructure would deliver jobs and help businesses grow.

He said a growing number of major investors are now betting on the nation’s population and agric resources. To this end, he urged the states to improve rural infrastructure, inadequate crop storage capacity, as well as the availability of social services, which greatly affect the quality of life and productivity of farmers.

Nweke said the agric sector would get investors’attention when it becomes easier, faster and

less expensive to operate an agro business in any part of Nigeria. International investors, he explained, want a guarantee of access to land titles to help them grow and create wealth as well as jobs for others.

Nweke said hunger and poverty are serious threats to the peace and security of the nation, adding that poor infrastructure, lack of skills and insufficient access to markets, also militate against efforts to ensure adequate food supply.

On the Washington summit, he said the objective was to seek alliances and build partnerships with agro business leaders from the United States.

The event, he explained, will highlight Nigeria’s most promising areas in agriculture to the American agribusiness community.

He said states would benefit from exploring partnership with Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) to attract the right kind of American agro businesses and investors that will help advance sustained eco-

nomic development and growth across the country.

He assured that expanding infrastructure for agriculture will encourage foreign investors to explore opportunities within the sector.

Nweke said it was time foreign direct investment (FDI) flows be directed to the non-oil sector and for the nation to develop over the long run, a comparative advantage in agro based industries.

Chairman of the Agric and Food Security Commission of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group, Emmanuel Ijewere, said a robust action was required to attract foreign investors to the agric sector.

Ijewere said agriculture would provide employment; increase incomes and contribute to food and social security.

He appealed for more spending on agricultural development, saying lack of adequate support for farmers has contributed to ongoing food shortages.

He said state governments should make agric development a central focus of economic planning and be more proactive when discussing how to secure food for residents.

Kano spends N156.68m on fertiliser To ensure hitch-free food production round the year, Kano State Government has purchased 82,465 tonnes of assorted fertiliser at N156, 683, 500 for the 2011/ 2012 dry season farmers through the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Baraka Sani, while launching the 2011/2012 dry season sale of fertiliser to farmers, disclosed that the state government procured over 18,000 tonness of fertiliser to support farmers in the 2011 wet season, as well as the 2011/2012 dry season. Also, over 4000 tonnes of the fertiliser are to be sold to farmers for the 2011/2012 dry season.

According to the Dr Sani, over 14,000 tonnes of fertiliser was procured and sold to farmers through the Community Re-orientation Committee (CRC) in 484 wards of the State for the 2011 wet season. To improve reach to the grassroots, Barak, disclosed that the state government has resolved to expand the system of sales, adding that for now, the 484 wards would be involved, including different farmer groups. She listed the farmer groups to include: Fadama Users Association (FUA), and All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), which she pointed out will all be utilised to reach out to the farmers.

To facilitate input supply to farmers, she revealed that the State government has registered KASCO as an input provider under the Federal Government Growth enhancement Support Service GESS) in the Agricultural Transformation Programme. Besides, she revealed that the State government has also provided funds for revitalisation of KASCO fertiliser and livestock feed production lines, assuring that in 2012 farmers in Kano will use KASCO fertiliser.

Also, Baraka disclosed that arrangements are in the pipeline the provision of improved seeds and other agricultural equipment. For the 2011/ 2012 dry season sales of fertiliser to farmers, she listed the allottees, as well as the number of bags (NPK and Urea) and the total bags and cost.alude, Fadama Users Association (FUA), All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), KNARDA (Kadawa, Watari Irrigation schemes), MANR (Kadawa, Bunkure and Jarman Baka). Others are MWR (Tomas, Jekarade, and Wala), as well as Kwankwasiyya Farmers at a total cost of N156, 683,683,500.

Baraka warned that any one found to be sabotaging government’s efforts in taking agriculture to another level in the state will be sanctioned.

‘Access to technology’ll boost food production’ THE Federal Government has been urged to provide farmers access to technology to boost food production. Chief Operating Officer of Skills Enhancement Centre (SENCE), Mrs Ogo Ibok, said getting more information on farmers, their needs, their character and competence will help the nation improve the agriculture transformation plan.

Mrs Ibok explained that there is a plethora of organisations involved in the food production value chain, such as farmers associations, research institutes, financial institutions, machine fabricating companies, and commodity brokers which are relevant to national agric data planning.

She noted that Nigerians are gradually becoming more aware of the incredible opportunities available within the agricultural sector, but are handicapped by the general lack of consolidated information on the sector.

Chief Executive Officer, EFInA, Ms Modupe Ladipo, stated that the findings from the EFInA Access to Financial Services in Nigeria 2010 survey revealed that 20.3 million adults (24 per cent of the adult population) derive their main income from agriculture; however only 1.9 million of them are banked.

Of the remaining 18.4 million adults that are unbanked, 6.0 million of them own a mobile phone. This demonstrates the potential for increasing access to finance to workers in the agricultural sector and the viability of using mobile phones to do so. The major challenges facing the agricultural sector, Ms Ladipo said listed include lack of infrastructure; inadequate funding; lack of local storage and processing systems; threats from pests and diseases; under-funded research and development; and adverse changes in the climate.

She further stated: “We need to identify and support policies and programmes that will ensure that Nigeria adopts a comprehensive approach to agricultural development, so as to break out of poverty. This requires leveraging technology to reduce costs in the value chain (including using mobile phones) and creating innovative systems that will foster better interaction between government, industry players, and academia.”

Kwara set to boost agric KWARA State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has said the government would ensure self-sufficiency in food production and expand cultivation of commodities for export.

Speaking during a forum for stakeholders in agric, Ahmed, said with its abundant arable land, water resources and favourable climate, Kwara has great potential for expanding agricultural production.

He said 70 per cent of the population live in rural areas, adding that his government is implementing its food security agenda in the hope that the food supply would remain sufficient at all times. To this end, he said the government has implemented several programmes entailing greater production of cassava, maize, rice, fisheries and livestock, and the creation of incentives for agricultural entrepreneurs.

Ahmed said production has risen and more jobs have been created. To develop the agriculture sector, he said private entrepreneurs and companies will be encouraged to invest in food production.

He said agric surpluses will better supply the country’s agro-industries, improve nutrition levels, increase exports and reduce the need for food imports, adding that it was high time attention shifted to improving the agric sector. Ahmed said if the state is to achieve higher economic growth rates, it must increase agricultural productivity and overall production. To achieve this, Ahmed said the government intends to transform agriculture from the traditional type to a more scientific and technology-based one,” while also placing a high priority on “conserving natural resources such as land and water.” Ahmed said the government hopes to stimulate economic with the development of agriculture.

He said food security remains a central component to the development policies of the state, adding that the government will support projects aimed to open up markets and increase rural income.

48

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

AGRO-BUSINESS STATE FOCUS

Borno home of fishing

•Project Manager, Cassava Enterprise Development Project of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture(IITA)Dr. Gbassey Tarawali (left); Executive Assistant to IITA Director-General Mrs. Toyin Oke; Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State; IITA Director-General Dr. Nteranya Sanginga; and the Communication Officer (West & Central Africa), IITA Mr Godwin Atser, during a visit to the governor in Ado Ekiti.

$40m rice farm coming, says A Minister

$40 million rice farm that will reduce imports by 15 per cent and cut costs by N54 billion ($342 million) a year is to be established, Agriculture Minister Dr Akinwumi Adesina has said.

The project, he said is a joint venture between Dominion Farms Ltd., an Oklahomabased farming company that produces rice in Kenya and the Federal Government. He said the Federal Government’s production target is 300,000 metric tonnes a year.

“There’s absolutely no reason in the world for Nigeria to be a food importing na-

By Daniel Essiet, Agric Correspondent

tion,” Adesina said. Nigeria must be a “food self-sufficient and exporting nation.”

Nigeria is the world’s largest importer of rice, at 2.3 million tons a year and consumption of 4.9 million tons, according to the United states Department of Agriculture. Demand in the country will be 35 million tons by 2050, Adesina said.

Nigeria imports 2.1 million tons of rice yearly and

will produce enough grain in four years to cover its needs, which would allow it to export to other West African countries and compete with Thailand and India, Adesina said. The farm will stretch over 30,000 hectares (74,132 acres) in Taraba State.

About 90 per cent of the land will be operated by contract farmers, and the rest will be run as a corporate farm and for training purposes, according to the statement. The farm will require 15,000 workers. Dominion Farms is

based in Guthrie, Oklahoma, and operates a 17,000acre leasehold in western Kenya.

Agriculture accounts for 44 per cent of gross domestic product, and contributes to about 77 per cent of all employment in Nigeria, Adesina said. Africa’s top oil producer spends“well over” N1.3 trillion annually to import the four basic food items of wheat, rice, sugar and fish, he said.

Nigeria plans to add 20 million tonnes of production over the next four years of crops including rice, cassava, corn, soybeans, sorghum and cotton, Adesina said.

‘Old practices hamper food production’

A

RCHAIC agricultural production practices are hampering the nation’s quest to become a food basket, an expert has said.

Johnson Ekpere, who is an international consultant on agriculture and climate issues, said agricultural output has not grown rapidly, even with the abundance of land and labour devoted to farming. He said farmers must adjust production practices in numerous ways to remain competitive.

Ekpere, a retired professor of Agriculture of the University of Ibadan (UI), said a large number of small farms

produce very little in a typical year. Meeting the increased demand for agricultural goods and services, he said required the use of modern farming practices.

Ekpere said changing production practices would only increase agricultural productivity but cause a significant growth in the amount of goods and services produced by the agricultural sector.

With change in production practices, he said farmers will realise enormous economic benefits, including lower pesticide costs, savings in management time, and, in many cases, higher

yields through reduced losses to pests.

He said changing farming practices along with growing adoption of agriculture technologies will help the farm sector to increase total output.

According to him, price increases for agricultural commodities have lagged far behind both economy-wide price increases and increases in prices of agricultural inputs. This, he explained was not in the interest of farmers if they have to make a living from it. He said a combination of changes in farming practices, and other structural trends will result

in environmental benefits.

According to him, changes in practices such as tillage and livestock feed efficiency, when coupled with efforts by farmers to improve nutrient and pest management will help limit soil erosion and nutrient runoff. Changes in agricultural productivity practices will not help keep prices of produce low, an expert has said.

He called on the government and stakeholders, to back full-scale adoption of modern agricultural techniques. These should include intensifying agricultural production by managing land and water.

UNAAD targets rural farmers to stimulate agric

T

HE University of Agriculture Abeokuta (UNAAB), is improving its research to prepare rural farmers to meet the challenge of increasing food demand its Deputy ViceChancellor, Prof Kola Salako, has said.

In an interview with The Nation, Salako said the institution is working on rebuilding farmers’capacity on small farms, where farmers will integrate and manage complex farming systems incorporating crops, trees and livestock.

He said the institution is

promoting an extension system.

According to him, good quality produce results from sound production practices, proper handling during and after harvest.

He said research will present information about produce and variety selection for markets, choosing the best time and how to harvest crops for the appropriate market.

He said yields must rise across the sector and that food security depends on agriculture and improved yields.

To increase yields, Salako

said farmers need the same things as farmers in highly successful agricultural countries - access to technology and services.

The challenge for the farming sector, he noted, is not just to deliver the technology that can improve yields, but to share the knowledge, to help farmers increase their profitability.

Salako said modest farmers need to acquire knowledge to see a return on investment. By increasing the profitability of the farmers, he said the institution would empower them to become more productive.

He reiterated that the university is ready to contribute to improving food supplies by sharing its research and practical knowledge with farmers.

Since more women are involved in farming, he said he supports training in agricultural research.

He said this could help women scientists to bring practical, sustainable improvements to the farm sector such that small farmers most of whom are women can build better lives for themselves and their families.

AGRICULTURE is the main occupation of Borno State. It involves 80 per cent of the population. Farming, fishing and animal husbandry represent the main agricultural activities in the state.

The key agricultural produce of the state include millet, sorghum, wheat, rice, mangoes, citrus fruits, vegetable, gum-Arabic, onions, carrots, groundnuts, berries etc. The state has consolidated its hold in these areas.

The goal of the government is to increase food production to achieve internal food sufficiency, while providing the enabling environment to boost export production.

Experts in the industry see the opportunities and bright promise that Borno State is holding out for the future.

A strong agricultural state, good climate and a lot of land for agricultural production to feed the Northern region.

Following the Federal Government efforts to boost the production of major cash crops, farmers in the state can benefited from strong economic performance.

Continued high prices in crop and livestock markets are predicted, meaning that prospects for the farmers look solid in the year ahead.”

The sector will see an increase in overall farm income levels due to higher prices for grains and oilseeds. The government needs private investors to play an important role its agriculture and agri-food sector. The Ministry of Agriculture is targeting development of agriculture and related industries.

This means increasing the competitiveness of the sector, increased volumes of production, and improved the social sphere in rural areas. The governments want to keep positive growth in livestock breeding and the livestock industry. This will include increasing meat production by construction and upgrading of livestock and poultry facilities. Share of pedigree livestock has increased. There is state wide effort to improve quality of cattle and, replace less productive breeds with more productive breeds. The main goals of the state programme on development of agriculture is food security, support of adequate level of farmers’ profits, support of the attractiveness of agriculture for investment, and the complex development of the social sphere in rural areas.

Subsequently, the government has outlined new priorities including, development of agro-food market infrastructure, support of private farms and small agricultural enterprises, support of exports of agricultural products, upgrading of food and processing industries and strategic measures aimed at mitigation of weather and climate risks.

The state government ha planned to increase competitiveness of the agricultural sector using the negotiated favourable terms to woo foreign and local investors.

The strategy supports infrastructure development, social development of rural

territories, irrigation and land reclamation. The state governments want to use agric to promote employment and advance the social and economic welfare of residents, ensure small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have opportunity to participate in the sector and review its policies to ascertain restrictive practices which may adversely affect the economic interests of farmers.

The sector is witnessing considerable transformation and commercial orientation and it has to be strengthened for effective competition.

The government is providing a wide range of farm inputs, including fertilisers, improved seeds, herbicides, pesticides and agricultural implements and machinery.

Certain farm services are also subsidised.These include land clearing and tractor hiring services, irrigation, farm credit, extension services, and agricultural insurance. Fertiliser was the most prominent of the various inputs and activities subsidised by the government. To improve competitiveness, the government is improving access to market information not only for the traditional food crops but also for other crops of industrial importance. The state is establishing the environment for a thriving and competitive indigenous agribusiness sector that relies on a-system of flourishing and innovative enterprises.

The frame work will be sustained by good infrastructure, regulations and access to appropriate financing. Addition to access to proper equipment and maintenance services, the government wants agric entrepreneurs to be able to assess market feasibility and raise investment capital.

The considerable amount of training is involved address the needs of farmers in the rural areas on the need to embrace modern farming technology. Farmers are taught new technologies and connected to the state’s agriculture ministry, and research centres.

The government believes harnessing its agricultural resources will contribute to the national income.

To this end, it is championing mechanised and commercial arable farming.

The government hopes to improve the living standard of farmers and increased productivity.

•Gov. Kashim Shettima

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

49

Untiring support for the needy •Continued from Page 13 of multiple births across the 16 local government areas of the state expressed joy that the Trust Fund had done it before and was doing it again.

In her address at the event, Erelu Fayemi said the Multiple Births Trust Fund recognises the need to empower parents of multiple births to be able to take care of their children.

“We, however, advise them to caution themselves and limit the size of their families. The smaller the size of the family, the easier it is to take care of the children,” Erelu Fayemi said at the programme.

While provision of immediate support for the needy that daily throng her office for one form of assistance or the other is a routine activity, Erelu has consistently rendered helps to individuals in other special need cases.

Just a few cases would suffice to exemplify her commitment to social welfare in the lives of the people.

Bose Amidu from Kogi State is one beneficiary whose case is particularly touching. She was a pregnant inmate of Ado-Ekiti Prison who, through a concerted effort between the office of Her Excellency and that of the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) got discharged and acquitted on murder charges. Though her freedom had been secured, she could not move back home.

Both Bose and baby Modupe who she gave birth to while behind bars has since been resettled in her home state of Kogi and placed on a monthly allowance for her upkeep and expansion of her business, courtesy of EDF. Temitayo Bejide is a five-year-old girl from Ado-Ekiti with cancer of the eye who, consequent upon EDF’s intervention has since been operated upon at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife. She has also been responding well to postoperation treatments.

Scores of cases like those of Bose and Temitayo now tell stories about how the intervention of EDF has reversed a life of anguish and pain occasioned by one affliction or the other for them.

Erelu Fayemi has also been visiting hospitals and orphanages to give material/financial assistance both to adults and children, even as she has consistently sent emissaries to the prison to check on needy female inmates, some of whom, like Bose, have been assisted into freedom.

The cases of a set of two inmates of Ado-Ekiti prisons simply identified as Bose (not the earlier one) and Yetunde present yet another evidence of Erelu’s deep commitment to female welfare.

While both were pregnant one had been imprisoned for her inability to pay the fine imposed on her by the court, while the other was granted freedom to save the yet unborn child from carrying an avoidable taint of

being delivered behind bars.

However, when EDF came on board mid 2011, many of the activities of her office as Ekiti State Governor’s wife became better harnessed, more focused and specifically organised about needful areas of care for women, children and the girl-child.

Just two weeks ago, the EDF, in conjunction with the State Ministry Women Affairs, Social Development and Gender Empowerment and Glo Mobile Network went on tour of all 16 local government areas in the state, handing over various monetary gifts and empowerment kits to scores of women and specially challenged individuals.

It cannot be gainsaid that EDF has showed great commitment to improve the lot of women in Ekiti State.

From localities to hospitals, from single birth families to multiple births,’ from widows/single mothers to widowers, the story has been the gains of the people through the EDF intervention.

But the issue does not end here. Despite these efforts, the womenfolk, including the girl-child, have not fared better in terms of treatment from men through a combined conspiracy of socalled tradition, endemic illiteracy and poverty.

The frequency of abuses they suffer, particularly rape of the girl-children by men which has lately typified gleeful pastime for many a randy men in Ekiti State, has been a sore point on the current renaissance of EDF’s women emancipation campaign.

While a few cases have been taken to the courts, most get concealed behind the walls of tradition and remain ever hushed within privileged interactions in the communities.

Erelu herself recounted an experience in a lecture she gave at the Ekiti State University (EKSU) late last year.

She said: “Bose (pseudonym) was an 11-year-old orphan when a policeman living in her neighbourhood lured her into a place where he forcefully had sex with her.

“She became pregnant. When her grandmother found out she was pregnant, she tried to confront the man who, in turn, threatened her with violence.”

While cases like that of Bose have really been on the increase, the problem has been how to evolve measures to deal or curtail the trend appropriately.

In checking the menace, the EDF, working in concert with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Social Development and Gender Empowerment and other women groups, has championed the enactment of Gender-based Violence (Prohibition) Law. The intention was to use the law to deter perpetrators and enforce serious penalties on defaulters.

It is believed that one of the reasons the malaise has not abated has been

•Some of the physically-challenged persons after receiving walking aids from Mrs Fayemi

Women and girls suffer disproportionately from conflicts and violent acts. Violence against women devastates lives, fractures communities and stalls development…It is therefore right to put in place severe penalties against perpetrators, protect victims and enhance public awareness on the danger of continuous silence due to fear of further attack

the rather lukewarm effects of subsisting laws against rape.

Based on the above, Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has advocated severe penalties for perpetrators.

Represented by his Deputy, Mrs. Funmilayo Olayinka, the governor stated at a recent function in Ado-Ekiti that the state enacted Gender-based Violence (GBV) Prohibition Law to curtail sundry violent acts women suffer mostly from interactions with

men.

“Women and girls suffer disproportionately from conflicts and violent acts. Violence against women devastates lives, fractures communities and stalls development.

“It is therefore right to put in place severe penalties against perpetrators, protect victims and enhance public awareness on the danger of continuous silence due to fear of further attack,” she said.

Special Assistant to the State Governor on Youth, Comrade Ajayi Taiwo said: “Government is taking seriously the issue of rape and other types of abuses of women.

“You are aware that Erelu Fayemi, through the EDF and some other organisations, has enacted a law to sensitise the public on the problem of rape and wife battering.

The current efforts may involve complementing the law with massive campaigns and ensuring that government efforts are deployed to expose perpetrators through the media and other means,” he said.

But the question is how severe can the law against rapists be to serve the intended purpose, given the prevalence of reported cases in the courts lately?

It is believed that EDF and other women groups will have to champion more radical approach in curtailing the menace if appreciable success must be recorded, especially in the light of rather indifferent treatment of ongoing cases that now abound in the courts.

‘We are committed to quality healthcare delivery’ •Continued from Page 13 hospital to take full advantage of the availability of the equipment and cater for the needs of the underdeveloped children; disclosing that they are now confronted with the challenge to make sure that every child is given the opportunity to survive.

Dr. Uwakwem commended doctors and nurses of the hospital for working tirelessly for its development, even as she said that the management would continue to work hard so as to

•From right: Chief (Mrs) Kemi Nelson; Dr. Muiz Banire, Chairman, Ojodu Local Council Development Area, Hon. Muyiwa Julius Oloro; his deputy, Mr. Abiodun Ayileka and Secretary to the Local Government, Mr Yomi Tijani at the commissioning of Alhaji Bakare Street during the 100 day of the chairman

improve on the services rendered by the hospital. Present at the occasion was Dr Hippolite Amadi, a Nigerian-born Crossing Consultant Orthopaedics Biomechanist at the Bioengineering Department and the Division of Surgery of Imperial College London, United Kingdom. Dr Amadi also doubles as a Visiting Consultant in ‘neonatal thermoneutral control’ to 15 Nigerian tertiary hospitals, including FMC Owerri.

Dr Uwakwem praised Dr Amadi for his excellent performance and commitment to duty, even as she commended the Visiting Consultant for his genuine interest in the affairs of the hospital and for his commitment in managing its neonatal thermoneutral applications.

She stated that the centre has witnessed tremendous transformation, with modern structures, state-of-theart medical equipment and improved healthcare services delivered by seasoned administrators and medical professionals.

Also speaking, Dr. Amadi explained that the role of incubator in

healthcare delivery cannot be overemphasised, stating that “when this crucial instrument is lacking in the management of new born baby, chances are that 50 per cent of the babies are lost.”

According to him, those little things as they appear initially when underdeveloped are human beings and if nurtured with the necessary equipment such as the incubator, would develop as full human beings.

Making a fair assessment of the feat achieved by the hospital, Dr Amadi said: “FMC Owerri has done well in neonatal healthcare management. I am in a position to say this because as an expert that consults for over 15 hospitals in the country, I speak from a vantage position.”

He stressed that the people of the state should be proud of the great progress newborn care has witnessed at FMC within the last few years. He disclosed that the addition of the new systems has brought the total number of functional incubation facilities at the FMC to 16, making the hospital the 4th largest among all the Nigerian teaching hospitals and FMCs.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

50

CRIME WATCH

Monarch urges trial of policemen fueling communal crisis

By Jude Isiguzo

Close, Ikoyi, Lagos and the petition also forwarded to the Inspector-General of Police, Force Headquarters, Abuja the indicted people are left to cause more havoc. “Despite our strenuous efforts to ensure that the aforementioned people are brought to justice, they have continued to escape the long arm of the law due to their connections with some police officers.

And so, courtesy of these policemen, they enjoy a high degree of protection and patronage in the conduct of their criminal and unlawful acts.

“I am saying without apology that they are achieving their clandestine activities with the active connivance and participation of one Police Superintendent and two Inspectors attached to the Special Investigation Unit (SIU), Force Headquarters, Louis Edet House Abuja who were in Ikorodu at the said time, and personally supervised the said invasion of Igbokuta Village by those suspected to be behind the crises and their thugs,” he concluded.

HE traditional ruler of Igbokuta Town, in Lagos State, Oba Tajudeen Nosiru has called on the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar to prosecute all police officers who have compromised and are aiding to fuel the crises in the town.

The monarch, who is currently on exile with some of his subjects, was chased out of the town by some hoodlums who have continued to unleash terror on the community.

Community schools, shops, and other legal activities have been shut down, following the invasion by the armed thugs numbering more than 100.

The monarch, who is hiding in an undisclosed location, called on the Lagos State government and the police to address the insecurity and lawlessness in the town.

In a petition through its counsel Omotubura and Omotubura Chambers, Oba Nosiru appealed to the IGP to intervene and save his domain from the terror group.

In the petition entitled: “Robbery, Unlawful, Possession of Fire Arms, Threat to Life and Property, Promo-

T

A seven-member gang that specialises in defrauding unsuspecting customers at fuel stations were arrested and paraded by operatives of the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) recently. In this piece, three of the arrested members narrated their roles in the unwholesome act.

•Abubakar

T

HE operatives of the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) have smashed a seven-man gang who specialized in manipulating fuel pump meters to cheat fuel buyers at filling stations in Lagos.

Parading the suspects at Milverton office Ikoyi Lagos SFU spokesman, an Assistant Superintendent of Police Ngozi Isintume said the owner of the new generation filling station at Ejigbo (name of owner withheld) alerted the commissioner of police CP Chinwike Asadu through a petition, that some members of his staff conspired among themselves and stole over N9,000,000 (nine million naira) through manipulation of the fuel pump meters at the head office and a branch of the company Fawa Nig Ltd which sells petroleum products.

The SFU image maker said the gang has seven members operatives but four were arrested when SFU stormed the head office and a branch while three escaped.

Those arrested narrated their individual roles in the crime. Making her own confession, the first suspect Owowumi Akinta said, “We really committed the offence. It is the pump maintenance manager named Akinrere that lured us into this crime.

He told us that other people in other filling stations were doing it and getting money to help themselves. He also told us which we found to be true, that our managing director is also into fraud and that ours should not be different.

He revealed to us that the normal fuel gauge (meter) is 20.5 but the managing director at times, adjusted the meter to 21.5 or even 22.1 and, at times orders us to bribe the NNPC supervisors and we used to settle them with N10,000, N5,000, even N20,000 at times. That was how we bought the idea and it worked for us.

I am 30 years old. I am from Ondo state. We suffer transportation problem. We start work 5.00 am and close at 11.00pm. I am the general manager but others like attendants do shifting from 2.00pm to 11.30pm. The name of the company is FAWA Nigeria Ltd. I started working in the company with my school certificate (O’level) as an attendant six or seven years ago on a monthly salary of N3,000. I was later promoted to supervisor and my salary was upgraded to N6,000 per month.

Last three years I was promoted to manager with monthly salary of N12,000. Presently I am the general manager with N18,000 as monthly salary.

The idea to defraud the company started when we started doing N10,000 monthly contribution to help ourselves.

That fateful day, Akinrere called our engineer Mr. Tayo while I called my colleagues to deliberate on how to go about the monthly contribution. I told them that my work is to transfer

tion of acts of Terrorism, Armed Invasion of Our Communities, Assault Occasioning Grievous Harm and Conducts Likely to Cause Breach of Public Peace in Igbokuta Lagos State,” the petitioners said that suspected land grabbers are behind the crises but wondered why the police whose legal responsibility to the citizens is to protect lives and properties should be seen to be siding the perpetrators of these evil act.

The embattled traditional ruler said the community has been under attack since July, 2008 when the thugs started the mayhem in his domain despite a court order restraining them from interfering in the affairs of Igbokuta.

He said: “My subjects and I have not returned to Igbokuta in spite of an Ikorodu High Court judgment in my favour. That is why we are appealing to the IGP to rescue us from the thugs.

Since July 3, 2008, some gangs of heavily armed people fronting for those people have invaded our town with guns, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons leaving many of us with various degrees of injuries and properties worth over N300m vandalised.

“As I speak with you, those who purchased lands from us have been chased away from their properties and these land grabbers have taken over our land.”

Indicting policemen in the prolonged crises, Oba Nosiru further said: “The matter was reported to the Lagos State Police Command, but the thugs have not been arrested. Also we reported in various police stations including the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba, Lagos, Zone 2 Command Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos, the Federal Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon

•From left: Owowumi, Titilayo (in black), Ola and Kamoru

How fuel attendants defraud customers

By Ebele Boniface

money from Ejigbo to head office. I asked them to think out what to do or how to do it.

At this point, Akinrere the pump engineer said, “we suffer ourselves for nothing. There is an easy way out. We have to buy one fuse to deregulate the pump. Unfortunately the fuse did not work in the head office fuel pumps at Ejigbo.

Titilayo borrowed us N35,000 with which we used in buying the fuse. We tried it at Igando road branch and it worked. We first got N19,000 and the second time we got N13,000. We promised to balance her from the money we would get when we fix our own fuse in the fuel pump. As the thing started working we interchanged the fuse with branch pump. We got four kegs and sold each keg N3,000 bringing the total to N12,000.00 As the thing continued to work we did it four times at Ejigbo and five times at head office.

Kamaru used to hold the money for us and we have a book we record everything we did including using it to share our money at the end of the month. We are seven in number namely: Myself, the general manager, Akinrere the pump maintenance engineer, Tope the Supervisor, Niyi our head of department (HOD), Titilayo, Ola and Kamaru.

My finance is not among. He sells ‘Tokunbo’ cars. He told me that he wanted to go to Cotonou for his business and I told him to give me the key to his car (a Volvo car). When they brought the Volvo car I put only ten gallons of fuel in it and parked it in the filling station premises. The car is not involved in the matter.

Let me tell you something, we used to get fuel excess like 200 litres. We would not tell MD. We only tip the truck people.

All meter tampering are with managing directors. Only directors can tamper with meter underground while pump maintenance engineer always get access to pump fuse.

On how they perpetrate the illegal

The normal fuel gauge (meter) is 20.5 but the managing director at times, adjusted the meter to 21.5 or even 22.1 and, at times orders us to bribe the NNPC supervisors and we used to settle them with N10,000, N5,000, even N20,000 at times

acts she said, “The pump engineer having told us to contribute money for our own fuse, comes everytime to change the original fuse and put the one we bought.

After selling with the one we bought, he would ask us whether we were ok, may be we had sold about N10,000.

We would tell him to remove it so that the sales would be reading in the company fuse and to avoid being caught by the MD or Supervisors.

The second tactics is cheating customers who don’t open their eyes very well. For instance, if the pump attendant had sold N2,000 fuel and another customer wants to buy five thousand naira fuel he would be cheated if he did not look at the meter reading to know whether it was robbed off or he started from the one he had already sold. If so the customer who paid N5,000 got only N3,000 fuel because the one already sold to the former customer (N2,000) was added to his own.

The one of underground adjustment are done by directors only who usually adjusted from normal 20.5 to 21.5 to 22.00 and we did not complain.

On pumping of air into customers fuel tanks in some filling stations Owowunmi said it is not true. No air is pumped into fuel tank of the customers car. There is no way one would pump only air. Any time you pump fuel must follow. It is meter tricks, only as I explained above. I have explained how the owner of the company can be defrauded also and I also explained how a customer can be

defrauded. What is important is for the customer to open his eyes well and read the meter well.

The second suspect, Titilayo Adedeji aged 26 from Ijebub-Ode said, see me o, I did account in my office one day and got excess of N20,000 (twenty thousand naira) I called Owowunmi to come and see what I saw as the general manager. When she came she told me to share the money between two of us.

Later I discovered that it was a miscalculation and alerted her. She said we should call Akinrere to advice on the correct thing to do. When he came he brought this idea of replacing fuse.

When Oga (MD) started complaining of shortage (consistent shortage) I called them and advised them that we should stop but when they refused I stopped doing it with them.

There was one attendant (a boy) who tampered with the fuel pump and she reported him and the boy was sacked.

I asked her why she reported the boy.

On whether she and her gang members defrauded the company N9m (nine million naira) she said she would leave her company if she get such money. She said, “I even sell recharge cards to complement my meager salary how much more getting N9m.

Auditors used to come two times a week. I transfer money. I know we don’t have shortage. At this point Owowunmi interfered, I transferred money. We don’t have shortage, everything is recorded in our log book.

52

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

The association should ensure that provision of door-to-door transportation system is effective and should not be used for any form of indiscipline

•From left: Hon. Job Akintan, another lawmaker, State Chairman, ACOMORAN, Alhaji Adebayo Apelogun, Speaker Suraju Adekunbi, ACOMORAN National Chairman, Alhaji Babangida Mahuila and others at the occasion

T

HE National President of the Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria (ACOMORAN), Alhaji Babangida Mahuila, has hailed the Ogun State House of Assembly for helping to foster harmony among various transport unions in the state through mediation and quality legislations.

Mahuila, who was in Ogun State recently for a visit praised the efforts of the lawmakers under the leadership of Prince Suraj Adekunbi, in resolving the recent crisis that rocked ACOMORAN in the state by wading into the matter and pacified the aggrieved

Union praises Ogun lawmakers From Mariam Sanni, Abeokuta

parties.

He noted that the House’s intervention at the time it did, helped to check a crisis that could have degenerated to a breach of peace and disruption of transport businesses of the ACOMORAN members.

He equally described the House as the “best Assembly” in the country, for their peaceful co-existence with the executive arm of

the state and said the climate of peace engendered in the state by such harmonious Executive – Legislative relationship would facilitate unhindered delivery of the dividends of democracy to the people.

“The visit came about as recognition of your contribution to the Ogun State chapter of the association under the leadership of Alhaji Adebayo Apelogun. I cannot but mention and recognise the effort of the Hon members during the recent crisis that rocked the association.

“I wish to state that the secretary, who was suspended for embezzling the funds of the association is being sponsored by some disgruntled elements in the association from the northern part of the country ,’’Mahuila said.

He described Apelogun as the authentic and recognised chairman of ACOMORAN in Ogun State, and said Apelogun was duly elected and sworn in on December 29, 2009 by the National Executive of the Association.

In a brief speech, Apelogun

urged members to embrace harmonious relationship among members and sister–unions across the state.

Speaker Adekunbi advised members of the association to be tolerant of each other and cultivate the habit of settling every misunderstanding among them amicably.

According to him, the association should ensure that provision of door-to-door transportation system is effective and should not be used for any form of indiscipline.

Chairman, House Committee on Transportation Matters, Hon. Sulaimon Adeleke called for cordial relationship among all members of ACOMORAN.

Council steps up healthcare

C

HAIRMAN of Oto-Awori Local Council Development Area, Lagos State Mr. Bolaji Kayode Robert has made good his pledge to boost the health of the council residents.

At Imude community a free screening for diabetes and hypertension has been flagged off as he promised at his inauguration for a second term in office. Over 1, 000 people were screened. A mass de-worming of children is also going on at the council.

“Health is wealth,” the council chief told his constituents, adding that my administration

Health is wealth.... My administration would do everything possible to ensure that residents had quality healthcare delivered to them even in remote places

By Emmanuel Udodinma

would do everything possible to ensure that residents had quality healthcare delivered to them even in remote places.

The Robert administration, also built a primary healthcare centre at Imude. The facility was inaugurated by His Royal Majesty, the Oloto of Oto-Awori Oba Josiah Olanrewaju Aina.

A morgue too has been built at the Era Mini-General Hospital. It was inaugurated by Dr Ahmed Ibrahim, CEO, Eko University of Medicine, Ijanikin; Lagos.

Another primary healthcare centre in the Oke-Ijewu area of the council is scheduled for inauguration in about a month.

Obas, chiefs and Baales (community heads) gathered at Imude to witness the flag-off of the screening as well as the inauguration of the primary health centre.

The council chair expressed happiness at the inauguration and handover of the project to the community for use.

Vice-Chairman of the council, and Supervisor for Health, Hon. Olufemi Musa thanked the council chairman for his passion for people-friendly projects and for living up to the expectation of the people in line with party policy.

Musa also advised the community to see the projects sited in their locality as their own, and protect them.

The Baale of lmude, Chief Josiah

•From right: Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope Adefulire, Chairman, Oto-Awori Local Council Development Area, Mr. Bolaji Kayode Robert and Chairman, Ojo Local Government, Hon. Murisiq Durosimi during the inauguration of the four-storey elevator powered Ultra Modern Office Complex

Ashade, also had warm words for Robert. Speaking in Yoruba, he said he was happy to witness great things happen in his domain. One of those great things was the primary healthcare centre which he said will greatly enhance the health of his people.

He prayed God to grant the chair-

man success in office.

Dr Ibrahim hailed the morgue, urging the state and federal authorities to establish such facilities because they will help the country.

The events attracted several dignitaries from the locality and beyond.

A crowd followed the council

chairman as he and his team moved from one inauguration venue to another.

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) sent representatives who wore eye-catching uniforms, complete with matching headgear.

Robert promised to continue to enhance the people’s well-being.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

53

NEWS

President to Nigerians: I’ll defend you always

P

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday assured Nigerians that he will continue to defend them no matter the condition.

Jonathan said his oath of office remains a driving force in all his dealings in the public service.

According to a statement posted on his social network page, Facebook, Jonathan explained: “In the last few months we have taken steps to actualise these promises as we were the first nation to airlift her citizens from the Arab Republic of Egypt in 2011 as a result of the uprising there. To communicate to all and sundry that this was not by happen stance, we moved in to protect our citizens in Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and Cote d’Ivoire when threats to our citizens safety became apparent.”

Mr. President also promised to work night and day to turn things around for the better.

The statement reads in part: “On the 18th of September, 2010 I made a sincere and solemn promise to “never, never let” Nigerians down. I repeated this good governance promise when I took oath of office on the 29th of May, 2011. Those words of promise have remained a driving force of all I do in my sojourn in public service.

“The administration also ensured that Nigeria was re-

Activist calls for Salami’s reinstatement From Leke Akeredolu, Akure

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

moved from the U.S. travel blacklist which we briefly entered as a result of the Abdulmutallab incident and ensured that Nigeria received Category One Status in the U.S.A. These actions are a deliberate projection of the new citizen centered focus of Nigeria ‘s Foreign Policy and we will not relent. We are a nation of good people and collectively we will work for the good of humanity beginning from home.

“Let me use this opportunity to thank you my friends on Facebook that your encouragement and support has continued to strengthen us to remain focused on the urgent business of working for peaceful co-existence, promoting the welfare, well being and dignity of the Nigerian people.

“I want to urge all Nigerians wherever we may find ourselves to continue to remain hardworking, law-abiding and united. These are tough economic times and as we work night and day to turn things around for the better, I will continue to remind myself that the mandate you gave to me to defend you is a sacred mandate that will not be taken for granted. May God Almighty grant me the enablement to “never, never let you down.””

•President Goodluck Jonathan with kids who welcomed him into Benue State during his visit...yesterday. With them are Senate President David Mark (left), Benue State Governor’s wife, Mrs. Oluyemisi Suswam and her husband, Governor Gabriel Suswam

ACN: Jonathan’s statement should be presidential

ACN attack on Jonathan, office unhealthy, says Presidency

T

HE Presidency yesterday expressed its dissatisfaction over what it described as an attack on the person of President Goodluck Jonathan and his office by the Action Congress of Nigeria.

ACN spokesman Lai Mohammed was quoted in a report yesterday to have advised President Jonathan “to take a long, hard look at himself in the mirror if he truly wants to see the face of a party leader who is fast turning his party into a one-man show,” and for saying that his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is the only truly democratic party.

The ACN publicity secretary was said to have also accused President Jonathan of failing to “show deep introspection in his public comments,” of “rushing to exhibit soap-box mentality,” and calling him “a highly partisan and easily excitable President.”

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said the attack was a denigration of the office and person of the President and also unhealthy for the country’s political landscape.

Abati, in a statement noted that the office of the president is a national institution that will surely outlive the current occupant.

The statements reads: “We consider this denigration of the office and person of the President in the name of opposition politics, as clearly unhealthy, and completely tactless. The ACN spokesman repeatedly resorts to personal attacks and disparaging remarks about the President. It is Mohammed who needs to take a long, hard look at himself in the mirror and ask whether his party is truly a democratic party. “ President Jonathan is a humble gentleman who has shown his value at moments of deep crisis as a loyal and thoughtful leader. Recall his measured response and handling of the constitutional crisis in 2010. Far from being excitable, Jonathan has

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

handled unprecedented attacks on his character and Presidency with dignity and humour. A highly experienced, scholarly and non-partisan President Jonathan cannot fit into such negative space as cast by Mohammed.

“Only national interests have dictated this President’s governance policies, choice of states to visit and events to attend, as exemplified by his consecutive visits to ACN-controlled Ogun State to open cement factories and attending the burial of the late Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu in All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA)-controlled Anambra State.

“The office of the President is a national institution that must survive its temporary occupants. Those who seem to be deriving childish excitement from attacking the President, under the guise of playing politics, should refrain from bringing that institution into disrepute. The time for electioneering campaigns and trying to score cheap political points, by any means possible, must be separated from the time for delivering dividends of democracy.

“The occupant of the Number One office in the land is father of all and not of one party. President Jonathan’s description of the PDP as the only truly democratic party should be seen as a wake-up call to other political parties, as well as political leaders, to live out their democratic pretensions in the full glare of the public. Is it not public knowledge that some political parties, despite preaching democracy, lack internal democracy and thrive in imposing candidates? Indeed, we have seen a dominant culture whereby wives, children, in-laws and other family members emerge as candidates without credible primaries in the same political parties that the President complained about.”

•Mohammed

T

HE “regular constructive criticism” of the Goodluck Jonathan administration is not an indication of disrespect for the office of the President, the Action Congress of Nigeria (AC N) said yesterday.

In a statement in Ilorin by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the statement by the President’s spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, in which he made the allegation, was so defensive that it easily gives the spokesman away as someone more eager to keep his plum job than to convince Nigerians that his boss’ actions and statements are dignifying of his high office.

The party said: “For the avoidance of doubt, we have nothing but the highest respect for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In fact, it is for that reason that we issued the statement in which we advised the President to refrain from making statements that will make him look more partisan than presidential. ‘’There is nothing ‘disparaging’ or constituting ‘personal attacks’ in asking the President to look at himself in the mirror or to show deep introspection in his public comments, and we are sure a brilliant fellow like Dr. Abati knows that very well, if he could momentarily remove his snout from the nectar of office. ‘’Unfortunately, in his eagerness to be seen to be working hard in defending his boss, Dr. Abati simply echoed

what we said in our statement that seems to have rankled him so much. For example, Dr Abati wrote ‘ The time for electioneering campaigns and trying to score cheap political points, by any means possible, must be separated from the time for delivering dividends of democracy. The occupant of the Number One office in the land is father of all and not of one party.’

This is exactly what we are saying!’’ ACN said.

The party said it (ACN) should be counted out of those who have engaged in ‘’unprecedented attacks’’ on the character of the President, saying an analysis of its statements over the years will show a party that has been measured in its use of words, dignified in its stance on issues and consistent on the need for the government of the day to ensure good governance and total respect for the rule of law. ‘’While we will continue to show nothing but total respect for the office of the President, we will not be cowed into relenting in engaging in regular constructive criticism of the government of the day.

Not even the thinly-veiled threat contained in Dr. Abati’s statement, that ‘Alhaji Lai Mohammed needs to be reminded that the ACN’s culture of throwing abusive and disparaging comments is getting out of control’, will be enough to make us shirk our role as the nation’s biggest opposition party. ‘’While we will ignore the barbs thrown in our direction by Dr. Abati in his statements, we will however like to remind him that the decision by President Jonathan to visit any state (including Ogun), is purely within the demands of his office as President, and should not be used to blackmail the ACN or any other party for that matter into keeping quiet when things are obviously going wrong,’’ the party said.

A HUMAN rights activist Mr Morakinyo Ogele has called for the reinstatement of the suspended President of Appeal Court, Justice Isa Ayo Salami.

President Goodluck Jonathan last year suspended Salami in deference to the decision of the National Judicial Council (NJC), recommending his retirement on account of allegations leveled against him by oustedgovernors Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Segun Oni of Osun and Ekiti states.

Ogele warned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors against filing baseless court cases, stressing that their attitude is irritating Nigerians.

The activist, who spoke with The Nation in Akure, the Ondo State capital, said the PDP believed that it could still find its way to get what it could not obtain legally.

His words: “The recent cases by Osun and Ekiti states ex-governors are not only irritating but a crude way to facilitate and perpetrate themselves as legal governors.

“These ex-governors should be disallowed in using judicial process to embarrass the nation.

“Justice Salami before his suspension was trying to repair and attune all the illegality in the conduct of the 2007 general elections.

“It is a threat to judiciary for a former governor trying to prosecute the President of Court of Appeal.

“It is sickening to think that a former governor is plotting to indict the well respected Justice Salami through a baseless affidavit.”

Ogele however praised the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Dahiru Musdapher for reforming the judicial

ABU elects council members THE congregation and Senate of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, have elected members to represent them in the University council.

The congregation elected two members while the Senate elected four.

While the congregation re- elected Dr. Muhamad Nasiru Maiturare and Allhaji Aminu Ramalan,the Senate reelected Prof S.Z. Abubakar, Prof Nuhu Jamoh, Dr. Tajuddeen Yakubu Surakat and Dr. Bakare. The six reelected internal members of the council are to serve two years each.

Also elected were 87 members of the congregation to serve in the Senate.

Chairman of the University congregation electoral committee, Dr. Yusuf Ahmad, said the vacant positions of the council were keenly contested by eight members of congregation.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

54

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 8-3-12

Stock index hits 26-week high

T

HE Nigerian stock mar ket extended its on-go ing rally yesterday to six-day in a row after lead indicator; All-Share-Index (ASI) added 113.08 points to its previous close. With this, ASI hit 26-week high dated back to September 14, 2011 when it closed at 21,158.25 points.

Activities were revved-up by maximum five per cent price gained by Nestle Nigeria, Guinness Nigeria and Julius Berger.

As indicated earlier, ASI gained additional 113.08 points, representing 0.54 per cent appreciation to close higher at 21,181.34. The Market Capitalisation of 187 First-Tier listed equities gained N45 billion to close

By Taofik Salako and Tonia Osundolire

higher at N6.685 trillion.

However, market analysts attributed the bullish performances to strategic investors taking position on stocks with good dividends prospects for 2011 financial year.

Paints and Coatings Manufacturers Nigeria Plc led the gainers’ table with three kobo or five per cent to close at 63 kobo per share, followed by Nestle Nigeria Plc with N20.02 or five per cent to close at N420.52 per share.

Guinness Nigeria Plc added N10.45 or five per cent to close at N209.10 per share, while Julius Berger Plc appreciated by N1.13 or five

per cent to close at N23.75 per share. Dangote Flour Mills Plc added 21 kobo or 4.98 per cent to close at N4.43 per share.

On the flip side, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc dropped by 30 kobo or 4.95 per cent to close at N5.76 per share, while United Bank for Africa Plc fell 14 kobo or 4.95 per cent to close at N2.69 per share.

Oando Nigeria Plc declined by N1.21 or 4.89 per cent to close at N23.55 per share, while May and Baker Plc dipped by 12 kobo or 4.58 per cent to close at N2.50 per share. Wema Bank Plc lost two kobo or 3.85 per cent to close at nominal value of 50 kobo per share. Wema is the only banking stock trading at nominal value.

Transaction volume in equities increased by 49.5 per cent, as investors traded 297.728 million shares valued at N2.825 billion, higher than 199.17 million shares worth N1.79 billion exchanged in 3,867 deals the preceding day

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 8-3-12

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

55

MONEY LINK

Fed Govt to review women’s loan support scheme

T

HE Federal Government has said it will review and ex pand its economic window support to the rural women under the Women Fund for Economic Empowerment Scheme.

The scheme, which is being implemented in collaboration with the Bank of Agriculture, is aimed at increasing women access to agricultural financing.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Zainab Maina, who spoke in Abuja yesterday, said the soft loans will assist in boosting the productivity of women.

Speaking through the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Elizabeth Emuren, the Minister said the present government believes that investing in the rural

ment positions and 35 per cent of board membership of banks in the country. Furthermore, the governor announced plans to give awards to banks adjudged as the most gender sensitive.

Deputy Governor, Economic policy, Sarah Alade, congratulated the women who in the past fought for women, noting that 25 years ago, it was very difficult to see female employees in banks. Alade appealed to women to work harder to occupy higher positions in the banking sector.

She implored female staff of banks to make good use of opportunities available to them to inspire others. The Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability, Dr.

• CBN defends empowerment policy

By Collins Nweze and Bukola Amusan, Abuja

women is key to eradicating poverty and hunger, which are the prerequisite for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.

Speaking on the theme “Empower Rural Women – End Hunger and Poverty”, she supported the government’s effort towards empowering women financially, especially those dwelling in the rural areas.

In a related development, the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has said the apex bank’s policy encour-

Zumax: No case against Iroche, Nwosu, Adigwe

L

AGOS State Government has withdrawn the criminal charge against Suzanne Iroche, Okey Nwosu and Sebastian Adigwe- all former Managing Directors of FinBank Plc on the grounds that the transaction between Zumax Nigeria Limited and FinBank Plc, which led to the case, preceded their tenures in FinBank.

A criminal charge was preferred against the former Managing Directors before a Lagos High Court, over a dispute between Zumax and FinBank. However, when the case came up for hearing on January 31, 2012, Counsel to the Attorney-General of Lagos State, Tani Molajo (SAN) informed the court that pursuant to the petition by the defendants, the Attorney-General, Ade Ipaye, has directed that the charges against the three former Managing

Directors of FinBank be withdrawn.

The letter tendered by Tani Molajo (SAN) to that effect read in part: “I am of the view that no offence is currently disclosed against Sebastian Adigwe, Okey Nwosu and Suzanne Iroche. The receivership of the company took place before any of them became the Managing Director of the bank”.

The letter also noted that “in all material times, the three of them were strangers to the happenings in the bank and in the company”.The business transaction which led to the dispute between the financial institution and Zumax took place in 2002 and the receivership of the company (Zumax) also happened before any of them became the Managing Director of the bank.

aging women to occupy top management positions on the boards of banks should not be seen as a favour, but as a means of providing an environment for qualified women to take advantage of opportunities available.

Sanusi, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Corporate Services, Alhaji Suleiman Barau, said this at the “Breakfast with the Governor” organised in celebration of the International Women’s Day 2012.

He reiterated the CBN’s affirmative action to ensure that women occupy 40 per cent of top manage-

T

points lower at 15.48 per cent and N57.12 billion of 364-day securities at 15.57 per cent, two basis points higher. Bids totalled N328.8 billion compared with N476.9 billion previously, the Abuja-based bank said today in an e-mailed statement.

“The drop in subscription level is likely the result of tighter liquidity conditions as the central bank had sold N223.3 billion of bills through its open market opera-

HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday, sold N150.1 billion ($953 million) of Treasury bills at an auction, as subscription levels dropped 31 per cent. The regulator sold N42.97 billion of 91-day treasury bills at a yield of 14.81 per cent, one basis point higher than the 14.80 per cent at an auction on February 23.

Also, N50 billion of 182-day notes were sold with a yield two basis

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

Standard Bank’s profit climbs 22%

S

items grew 21 per cent to 8.60 rand, beating the 8.45 rand median estimate of 14 analysts said.

Standard Bank Group Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Jacko Maree said: “Its a credit to Standard Bank that they’re the only bank that has acted contra-cyclically and that they’ve continued lending at this point in the cycle at better margins and better se-

TANDARD Bank Group Ltd full-year profit rose 22 per cent after the company cut costs and increased lending. Net income climbed to N13.2 billion rand ($1.7 billion) from 10.8 billion rand a year earlier.

According to told Bloomberg report, the dividend increased 10 per cent to 4.25 rand, while earnings per share excluding one-time

Amount

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2011 “ 14-04-2011

PAINTCOM NESTLE GUINNESS JBERGER DANGFLOUR GTASSURE STERLNBANK CADBURY REDSTAREX CUSTODYINS

O/PRICE

0.60 400.50 209.10 22.62 4.22 1.21 1.01 10.10 2.19 1.55

Current Before

C/PRICE

CHANGE

0.63 420.52 219.55 23.75 4.43 1.27 1.06 10.60 2.29 1.62

0.03 20.02 10.45 1.13 0.21 0.06 0.05 0.50 0.10 0.07

SYMBOL

O/PRICE

6.06 2.83 24.76 2.62 0.52 4.50 3.40 7.10 0.51 11.26

C/PRICE

CHANGE

5.76 2.69 23.55 2.50 0.50 4.35 3.30 6.96 0.50 11.06

0.30 0.14 1.21 0.12 0.02 0.15 0.10 0.14 0.01 0.20

Date

150m

150m

150m

155.8

29-2-12

138m 113m

138m 113m

138m 113m

155.8 155.7

27-2-12 22-2-12

147.6000

149.7100

150.7100

-2.11

NGN GBP

239.4810

244.0123

245.6422

-2.57

NGN EUR

212.4997

207.9023

209.2910

-1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

(S/N) Bureau de Change 152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

NSE CAP Index

27-10-11 N6.5236tr 20,607.37

28-10-11 N6.617tr 20,903.16

% Change -1.44% -1.44%

NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N)

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

153.0000

DISCOUNT WINDOW Feb. ’11

July ’11

Dec ’11

MPR

6.50%

6.50%

12%

Standing Lending Rate ,, Deposit Rate ,, Liquidity Ratio Cash Return Rate Inflation Rate

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00% 12.10%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00% 12.10%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00% 12.6%

Offer Price

Bid Price

9.17 1.00 1,177.37 99.76 0.76 1.04 0.88 1,666.70 8.24 1.39 1.87 7,137.57 193.00

9.08 1.00 1,160.06 99.49 0.73 1.04 0.87 1,663.73 7.84 1.33 1.80 6,953.84 191.08

ARM AGGRESSIVE KAKAWA GUARANTEED STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND THE LOTUS CAPITAL HALAL BGL SAPPHIRE FUND BGL NUBIAN FUND NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL DEB. PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST CENTRE-POINT UNIT TRUST STANBIC IBTC NIG EQUITY THE DISCOVERY FUND • ARM AGGRESSIVE • KAKAWA GUARANTEED • STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE

LOSER AS AT 8-3-12

UBN UBA OANDO MAYBAKER WEMABANK ETERNAOIL VITAFOAM ACCESS AIICO FIRSTBANK

Rate (N)

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

NGN USD

Parallel Market SYMBOL

Exchange

Sold ($)

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Year Start Offer

(S/N)

GAINERS AS AT 8-3-12

Amount

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 Currency

7.9-10% 10-11%

Amount

Offered ($) Demanded ($)

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

INTERBANK RATES

Tenor 91-Day 182-Day 1-Year

curity values”.

Standard Bank two years ago cut about 1,600 jobs to reduce costs and reversed its strategy of expanding in emerging markets outside Africa to focus on operations in 17 of the continent’s countries. Standard Bank’s South African retail business increased assets by six percent last year.

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM

MANAGED FUNDS

OBB Rate Call Rate

tions in the previous week,” Alan Cameron, a London-based economist at CSL Stockbrokers Ltd., said.

“The slight rise in yield was expected and resulted from the decline in subscription,” Edgar Ebinum, an analyst at Lagos-based Cowry Asset Management Ltd., said by phone. “The higher the demand, the higher investors would drive prices thereby contracting yields.”

DATA BANK

Tenor

NIDF NESF

Kingsley Moghalu, in his speech, envisaged that the CBN would be one of the most gender-sensitive organisation, noting that the bank had a collection of very serious and hardworking women.

Apex bank sells N150.1b TBs

FGN BONDS

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

• Finance Minister, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

• AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

Rate (Previous) 4 Mar, 2012 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917 12.1250

Rate (Currency) 6, Mar, 2012 10.17% 11.46% 11.96% 12.54%

Movement

OPEN BUY BACK Previous

Current

04 July, 2011

07, Aug, 2011

Bank

8.5000

8.5000

P/Court

8.0833

8.0833

Movement

56

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

57

NEWS Army, Boko Haram in gun duel

Boko Haram kills seven in Gombe T

S

USPECTED Boko Haram members yesterday attacked a police station and two banks in Ashaka, Gombe State, killing four policemen and three civilians.

They were said to have attacked a police formation in Ashaka, Funakaye Local Government, where the policemen, including a Divisional Police Officer (DPO), were killed.

According to a source, the

From Vincent Ekhoragbon, Gombe

gunmen, about 8 pm, attacked Ashaka Police Station, which is located near AshakaCem Plc. The source said the assailants, who came on motorcycles, shot dead the policemen on duty after which they released the three detainees in the cell and set the station ablaze, using explosives.

Two motorcycles belonging to the police were burnt

in the inferno.

The source said the gunmen followed the DPO of Ashaka Division, Superintendent of Police Sadiq Abubakar, to an isolated place and shot him and his driver dead.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Ahmad Muhammad, who confirmed the incident, said four policemen were killed.

Commissioner of Police Orubebe Gandi Ebikeme

said members of the Operation Rapid Response unit of the command were immediately drafted to the scene.

The PPRO said he could not say whether the strong rooms of the banks were looted or not.

He said the Anti-bomb Squad was combing the area to remove explosives.

Muhammad said the gunmen went away with three motorcycles belonging to police officers.

HERE was an exchange of gunfire yesterday at Mabera area of Sokoto, Sokoto State, between soldiers and suspected Boko Haram members.

Nobody died in the incident.

Reports said the gunshots, which occurred about 1 pm, caused panic as people shut their doors.

During the shootings, soldiers warned residents to remain indoors.

Sources said the exchange

From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

of gunshots may not be unconnected with the alleged ultimatum given by Boko Haram to security operatives to release some of its detained members.

It was learnt that a helicopter patrolled the area during the battle to track down Boko Haram members.

The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Baba Adisa Bolanta, confirmed the incident.

Tribunal to deliver ruling on scanning of ballot papers From Mohammed Bashir, Lokoja

HE Kogi Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Lokoja has adjourned till March 12 ruling in a fresh application for the extension of time for the scanning of ballot papers.

Counsel to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and its candidate Mr. Charles Edosomwan Esq. had asked the tribunal to give the petitioners more days to enable them conclude scanning of the materials used in the last December 3 governorship poll.

He argued that the petitioners could not scan many local governments as expected due to alleged undue interruption by the respondent.

He therefore presented another motion asking for adjournment till March 29, to enable the completion of the scanning.

Chairman of the tribunal Justice Suleiman Anbursa adjourned on Wednesday after a debate over the application filed by the ACN. In a heated debate, counsel to the respondent, Lateef Fagbemi, Chris Uche and Yusuf Ali, all Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), opposed the motion, leading to two standdowns before the final adjournment.

The tribunal dismissed an order of the tribunal restraining the respondent from interrupting the scanning.

T

•Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (left); Deputy Speaker Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon Kolawole Taiwo; Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National Vice Chairman Southwest, Alhaji Tajudeen Olusi with Deputy Speaker Osun State House of Assembly, Hon Akintunde Adegboye at the presentation of the Books in honour of Prof Siyan Oyeweso, at the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding, Osogbo, Osun State…yesterday

DANA Air denied landing at Abuja airport

T

HE ONGOING repair of a section of the runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja yesterday continued to take its toll on domestic flight operations.

DANA Air became the second airline to fly its passengers back to Lagos from Abuja without landing at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport.

The airline on Wednesday

By Kelvin Osa- Okunbor

night was denied landing by the control tower at the airport.

Air Nigeria on Monday was denied landing in Abuja by the control tower as a result of the ongoing rehabilitation of the runway. Passengers became unruly at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2(MMA2), Lagos, on arrival in Lagos.

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency

(NAMA) claims to have written to airlines, informing them that Abuja runway will be closed between February 7 and June 31, to enable the authorities carry out major repairs on a section of the runway.

The agency had issued a notice to airmen( NOTAM), informing them of developments at the airport.

Confirming the incident, the Head of Communications of Dana Airline, Mr. Tony Usidamen, said the air-

craft with 133 passengers took off from the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos about 10pm after being cleared by the control tower, but returned to Lagos because it could not land at the Abuja Airport.

He added that on getting to Abuja, the aircraft was not given clearance to land, as the airline was told that the runway was undergoing repairs at that particular time.

That was why the pilot had to fly back to Lagos.

Letter bomb intercepted in Minna

P

LANS by unknown persons to kill a petrol dealer in Minna through a letter bomb were foiled on Wednesday afternoon, but the bomb later exploded at the Tudun Wada Police Station, Minna.

Sources said the letter bomb, which was contained in a customised envelope with the logo of one of the new generation banks, was on Wednesday dropped by unknown persons in the shop of a welder, Emmanuel Emogon, at the Abdulsalami terminus, Tunga, Minna.

The welder was directed through a phone call by an unknown person to deliver the parcel to Mrs. Justina Udeh, the owner of a filling station at Tunga.

It was further gathered that when Emogon contacted Udeh, she sent the manager of her filling station, Mr. Nnamdi Osiogu, to collect the letter from the welder.

Sources said when he brought the parcel, Mrs. Udeh became suspicious because she discovered that it was neatly packed in an envelope with the logo of the bank, and she has no account with the bank.

It was learnt that Udeh told

From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

her manager to take the parcel to the bank to ascertain its authenticity. The letter was disowned by the management and he was advised to take it away.

Disturbed by the development, the woman and her manager took the letter to the Tudun Wada Divisional Po-

lice Headquarters. Sources said as the officers attempted to open the parcel, it exploded.No casualty was recorded.

The Police Public Relations Officer Mr. Richard Oguche confirmed the incident. He said: “We received a complaint that a letter suspected to be a parcel bomb was sent to a woman who owns a fill-

ing station. Efforts to determine the source of the letter failed.

“Our men made some contacts, but nobody knew the source of the letter. We then decided to open the letter to know its content. After removing the seal of the envelope, it exploded. But because it was professionally handled, there were no casualties.”

Wamakko assents to 2012 budget

G

OVERNOR Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State has assented to the state‘s 2012 budget of over N 100.8 billion with a warning against wastage of public funds by the ministries, departments and agencies.

The governor last December 29 presented the proposed budget to the House of Assembly.

Signing the budget into law, Wamakko said, “there should be prudence in the budget implementation.”

The House of Assembly on March 1 passed the Appropriation Bill into law.

According to the governor, “I am also appealing to all in government to respect the laws of budgeting and accounting in the administration of government funds and finances.”

He said those in charge of the routine running of the machinery of government must justify the confidence reposed in the administration.

2011 elections: Belgore scores INEC low HE governorship can-

T

didate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Kwara State in last year’s poll, Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN), has scored the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) low in the conduct of the elections.

He said INEC fell short of what was required of it after spending N84 billion on the polls.

The Lagos-based lawyer told reporters yesterday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, that “INEC has not met the expectations of many Nigerians.”

He said: “You cannot say the conduct of last year’s election was better than that of 2007, yet N84 billion was spent. INEC still needs a lot of improvement. It should make an assessment of the last elections and make corrections where necessary.

This is what Nigerians expect from the commission,” he said.

He said despite the Su-

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

preme Court judgment dismissing the ACN and his appeal, the quest for a better Kwara State would continue.

CHANGE OF NAME EBRI I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ebri Womono Daniel . Now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Womono Josephine Patrick Uket. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public please take note.

ELEGUSHI I formerly known and addressed as MISS ELEGUSHI FALILAT OYETOSIN now wish to be known and address as MRS SHITT A - BEY FALILAT OYETOSIN. All former documents remain the same.

General public take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE This is to inform general public that the “Certificate of Ownership” issued to Anthony I. Odiana located at No. 9 Awori Close, Satellite Town, Lagos was stolen or misplaced “C of O” #42/42/58 dated 1 st day of June 2000.

From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

The governor added: “To whom much is given, much must be expected. We should work in a unique way to justify the confidence reposed in us.

“I will in my own capacity work to ensure that we deliver to the people to justify their confidence in us and we must work with an absolute sense of commitment.”

Wamakko assured that he would work within the budget and respect the do’s and don’ts of budgeting, while commending the state assembly for the expedited manner it handled the passage of the budget.

Earlier, the Speaker, Alhaji Lawalli Zayyana, had said that the budget was an instrument and a legal tool to implement government programmes and policies.

He said although the actual figure was not tinkered with, resources were moved inwards to accommodate certain needs of the government.

In the Matter of the Companies & Allied Matters Act LFN 2004 and in the Matter of Aswani Industries Plc – In Liquidation (RC-6120) Notice of Final Meeting of Creditors (Pursuant to Section 468(1) of Companies and Allied Matters Act LFN 2004) Notice is hereby given that the final meeting of Creditors of Aswani Industries Plc will hold as follows: Date: Venue: Time: Agenda:

Wednesday, 11 April 2012 Sadiat Hotel, 106 Old Ilawe Road, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State 11 am 1. To receive the Report of the Liquidator 2. To lay before the members the accounts of the Liquidation of the company 3. Any other business

Otunba Olutola O. Senbore Liquidator of Aswani Industries Plc Dated: 9 March 2012

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

58

NEWS Police name change likely From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

SPECULATIONS are rife that the Nigerian Police authorities are planning to drop the word ‘Force’ from their identity.

The change when implement will help shore up battered image of the police.

The development came on the heels of secret visitations to police formation in Kano by the Parry Osayande-led committee on Police Reforms.

The committee also visited the Nigerian Police Academy (NPA) in Wudil.

Through the purpose of the visit was not made public, it was, however learnt that part of the Committee’s recommendation was to remove Force from the corporate name of the Police.

“Though the recommendations have not been submitted to the presidency, but I can confirm to you that police authorities are seriously worried over the dwindling image of the Police in this country.

Plane crash hoax causes panic in Ibadan From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

THERE was pandemonium in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital yesterday as rumours of a plane crash at the Ibadan International Airport, Alakia in Egbeda Local Government spread.

The panic stemmed from a glow of fire around the airport around midday.

Panic stricken witnesses had raised the alarm which attracted security and media practitioners to the airport.

The alert triggered panic calls from residents of the area who made frantic calls to the airport to ascertain the veracity of the information.

Reporters who had rushed to the airport discovered that the fire which caused the alarm was set up by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to test the capability of the officials of the Federal Fire Service stationed at the airport in case of emergency.

The Principal Airport Fire Officer (PAFO), Oladipo Kehinde, debunked the speculations of any plane crash.

Pension probe: N8b traced to Task team’s brother’s account T HE Senate investigative panel probing the management of pension fund yesterday issued a warrant for the arrest of Chairman, Pension Reform Task Team, Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina.

The panel mandated the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, to arrest and produce Maina before the Committee by 10 am today (Friday) over alleged embezzlement of Police Pension funds.

The warrant of arrest came even as more startling revelations on alleged excesses of the Task Team were made.

Chairman of the Senate investigative panel, Senator Aloysius Etok, commended the courage of Assistant Chief Accountant, Police Pension Office, Mr Toyin Ishola, for testifying at the sitting.

As a key witness, the panel directed Police Authority to ensure the safety of Ishola as well as others who testified during its sittings.

Ishola in his testimony, claimed that N240 million was expended on fictitious data capturing operation of only 20 pensioners in Atlanta, Georgia United States.

He claimed that most of the people on the delegation for the capturing exercise in Atlanta were not members of either the Police Pension

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor

Commission or Head of Service’s office.

Ishola claimed that Maina distorted existing Police Pension Account, transferring a total of N21billion into three different accounts including Fidelity BankN8billion, UBA-N3billion and First Bank-N10billion.

He said, “The Task Team within three months period unilaterally opened three accounts in different banks without recourse to extant financial rules and approval from the Accountant General of the Federation and the Honourable Minister of Finance “It was gathered that the account in Fidelity Bank, Central Business District Branch, was domiciled in the account of the younger brother of the Chairman Pension Reform Task Team, named Danjuma Zubairu and the said amount was fixed since then with a monthly interest of over N100 million into the coffers of the perpetrators of the act.”

“N3billion was deposited in UBA up till date with no proper documentation effected.”

The committee is to recommend to the forum means of improving agricultural production, storage, processing and access to local and international markets and other allied activities.

Aliyu said the Forum was “briefed by officials of the World Bank, DFID and other development partners on the need to facilitate the development of critical sectors in the North, such as health, education, social protection, water and agriculture, commerce and public financial reform.

“The officials highlighted their new approach in

“The Chairman, Pension Reform Task Team, who always claims he is saving government money has now embarked on frivolous spending without control or putting into consideration the reconciliation aspect of the office and also, disregarding the financial regulation guiding all government expenditure.

To allegedly cover his activities, Ishola claimed that Maina engaged the services of some operatives of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practice and other offences Commission (ICPC) as his buddies, while some of them are on his payroll.

“He has also engaged the EFCC and ICPC officials as his buddies hence, some of them are on his payroll so as to use them for his game plan,” Ishola claimed.

Ishola urged the Senate committee to intervene in bringing the menace to an end.

He also prayed the committee to return Police Pension Office to its former glory by removing the Task Team from Police Pension Office as well as compel Maina to hand over to the Head of Service with immediate

•Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi (right) presenting a souvenir to Mr Bert Roniyan, Ambassador of Netherlands to Nigeria during a visit to Government House, Port Harcourt on Tuesday

Northern States Governors to criminals: enough is enough •Continued from page 2

Ishola further claimed that the Team came into Police Pension Office in December 2011 with a mandate from the Head of Service to supervise the Biometric data capturing of the Police pension office within three months.

He said the Team was expected to hand over the biometric data platform to the Director of Police Pension Commission, Mr. Y.K. Adeyemi.

He added, “However, it was observed that within the period of the assignment, the chairman of the task team exceeded his mandate by engaging in frivolous and extravagant expenditures.”

“Among these were the expenditure of the conduct of the biometric exercise of the retirees in the Diaspora. He spent N240million to capture less than 20 retirees and for the local bio data of which over N220 million was spent.”

Ishola said his testimonies were part of activities carried out by the Task team within three months of its tenure in Police Pension Office of which over N3.6billion was spent without any entry of such in account books.

partnering with states through knowledge sharing and direct budget support to those states that are committed to Public Financial Management and service delivery.

“The Forum, after indepth deliberation, constituted two committees of three governors each with a view to approaching the National Assembly and the Federal Ministry of Finance for more consultations on the matter in order to benefit from the Programmes of the development partners.

“The Forum received brief from National Primary Health Development Agency on the prevalence of

wild polio virus in the Northern states. The Forum extensively deliberated on the issue and resolved as follows: “To commend the Federal Government for additional funds for eradication of Polio; “To strengthen the State Task Force on Polio Eradication in each member-state by making it more functional; to sustain the quarterly interaction of governors with their traditional rulers; and to prevail on local government chairmen in the Northern states to continue to support polio programmes particularly through sustained enlightenment campaigns.”

•Continued from page 2 “Last Tuesday, I had interactive sessions at the National Assembly, first with the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and immediately thereafter with the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs.

“At both meetings, I enumerated to them the actions we are taking and which I assured will be mature and calculated in order to underscore to our South African brothers the level of concern with which we view their actions.

“A subsequent scrutiny of travel documents of South African passengers travelling into Nigeria revealed that there were inadequacies contained in them. Consequently, over the last couple of days, over 131 South Af-

South Africa to Nigeria: we’re sorry rican nationals have been deported from Nigeria.”

Also at the session, the Minister of State II in the Ministry, Nurudeen Mohammed said: “This is a government that cares for its citizens. Any Nigerian that is maltreated anywhere in the world will be taken up. This is a message to all the governments globally. We will not stand by where Nigerians are maltreated unjustly.”

The joint statement by the Department of International Relations, Republic of South Africa, and the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria gave the details of the truce.

effect.

“Also, the co-ordinating Minister of the Economy should lift the ban on all our accounts so that the police pension office can carry out its statutory functions to the retirees, next ofkins and pensioners.”

Director, Police Pension Offrice, Mr. Y.K. Adeyemi, told the committee how Maina allegedly opened the three controversial accounts without authority of the Accountant General of the Federation.

Adeyemi claimed that his office was rendered redundant by the Task Team.

He said that the Team has refused to give them access to operate the Police Pension Account.

Former Head of Service, Steve Orosanye recommended that the lifespan of the taskforce should be clearly stated and strictly adhered to.

Eight sect members killed •Continued from page 2 The State Security Service (SSS) has arrested a Boko Haram factional leader, Abu Mohammed and four others over the killing of Briton Chris McManus and Italian Franco Lamolinara.

Eight Boko Haram members were shot dead in the crossfire during the attempt to free the hostages before they were killed.

There were indications that the Boko Haram sect in Sokoto was backed by alQaeda in the kidnapping and killing of the hostages.

A top security source, who spoke in confidence, gave graphic details of the last minute efforts by security agencies to set free the hostages alive.

The source said: “As at Monday, security agencies, the police and the military had sufficient information that the hostages were held captive in Sokoto.

“By Tuesday, the security agencies were able to arrest Mohammed and four members of the sect.

“These five suspects, still undergoing interrogation, showed the security agencies the compound where the hostages were holed up.

“But they also raised concern that the hostages might be killed unless security agencies quickly moved into the compound to free them. They admitted that they were being backed by Al-Qaeda.

“Based on the information, security agencies mapped out strategies to invade the compound. But the Boko Haram members keeping the hostages suspected that something was wrong when for two days their leader, Abu Mohammed and four others did not return to the compound.”

“We are suspecting that the hostages were killed to preempt onslaught on the compound by security agencies and the military.”

Notwithstanding, the security agencies were able to kill eight members of Boko Haram during the invasion of the compound.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

59

FOREIGN NEWS Kenya sacks 25,000 striking health workers

C

Kenya’s government has fired 25,000 striking nurses and health workers, saying they had defied an order to return to work and were placing patients’ lives at risk.

“All illegally striking health professionals, who defied the directive … to report back to work, have been sacked,” government spokesman Alfred Mutua said yesterday.

“Twenty-five thousand of these officers have, as of this morning, been deleted from the payroll … All qualified health professionals, who are unemployed and/or retired have been advised to report to their nearest health facility for interviews and deployment starting tomorrow morning at 9 o’clock,” he added.

Thousands of nurses and other health professionals went on strike last week in a dispute over allowances and benefits, halting operations

in many hospitals around the country.

As reports mounted of patients being neglected, the two main unions met the government on Sunday and agreed to return to work, but many strikers rejected the deal.

The Daily Nation newspaper reported on Thursday that a mother and her newborn son had bled to death on Tuesday outside a dispensary in Kwale County on the Indian Ocean coast after health workers refused to treat them.

“What is the use? Why should we have hospitals and personnel? Why was my wife left to die just like that?” Chaka Kadide, the husband of the dead woman, 35-year-old Chari Katana, told the paper.

Frederick Omiah, a member of the Kenya Health Professionals Society, said the government’s decision had set up a “very ugly scenario” and he feared strikers would continue protests in Nairobi and elsewhere.

PUBLIC NOTICE

GREAT INTERCESSORS MINISTRY The general public is hereby notified that the above named Club has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act No. 1 of 1990.

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES 1) Rev. Dr. GBARAGE MOSES BARIBERA - General Overseer/ President 2) Rev. (Mrs). GLADYS LEBIA GBARAGE - Vice president 3) Barr. OSBORN DORNUBARI GBARAGE - Secretary 4) Deaconess COMFORT FELIX - Treasurer 5) Pst. ALEX OKORI - Member AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To preach the word of God. 2. To make known God’s marvelous grace to mankind.

3. To bring deliverance to the captives.

Any objection to the above registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Cresent, Maitama, Abuja, within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED: REV. DR. GBARAGE MOSES BARIBERA

PUBLIC NOTICE SAVE THE NATIONS REVIVAL CHURCH

•Soro and members of his cabinet...yesterday

Ivorian PM steps down to make way for change

I

VORY Coast’s Prime Minister Guillaume Soro and his cabinet resigned yesterday, paving the way for the formation of a broader coalition government after parliamentary elections late last year.

“My election as member of parliament does not allow me to continue in the executive [branch]. After some reflection, I have decided to hand in my resignation and that of my government,”

TRUSTEES ARE:Pastor Jordan Akpan Akada Pst. (Mrs.) Emen Jordan Akada Pastor Samuel Thomas Nkanta Martins Michael Umanah,Esq Bro. Joshua Umoinyang

-President -Secretary -Member -Member -Member

AIMS: • To preach the Gospel of God • To propagate the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Evangelism • To cater for the spiritual well being of its member and charity work Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the RegistrarGeneral, Corporate Affairs Commission, Garki, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: Hon (Barr) Martins Umanah, JP Martyns & Martyns- Advocassie 5 Clement Isong Avenue, Federal Housing Estate, Uyo Akwa Ibom State

In the Matter of the Companies & Allied Matters Act LFN 2004 and in the Matter of Aswani Industries Plc – In Liquidation (RC-6120) Notice of Final Meeting of Shareholders (Pursuant to Section 468(1) of Companies and Allied Matters Act LFN 2004) Notice is hereby given that the final meeting of Shareholders of Aswani Industries Plc will hold as follows: Date: Venue: Time: Agenda:

Wednesday, 11 April 2012 Sadiat Hotel, 106 Old Ilawe Road, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State 12 noon 1. To receive the Report of the Liquidator 2. To lay before the members the accounts of the Liquidation of the company 3. Any other business

Otunba Olutola O. Senbore Liquidator of Aswani Industries Plc Dated: 9 March 2012

been president since 2000 and was unwilling to surrender power.

The power struggle triggered a bloody four-month conflict which ended in April of last year with Gbagbo’s capture. Soro’s Forces Nouvelles rebel group and former president Bedie backed Ouattara in the standoff.

Gbagbo is currently in jail awaiting trial at the International Criminal Court

in The Hague where he faces war crimes charges.

Soro, 39, has held the position of prime minister for five years, initially under a unity government that was headed by Gbagbo.

He is expected to take the helm of the national assembly - the second most powerful position in the country after the president - following his election as a member of parliament in December.

Gaddafi hid arms in Libyan embassies HE administration of wasthe plan. Was it to address ousted Libyan leadacross globe certain problems as far as the er Muammar Gaddhost country is concerned?

T

afi was running a covert programme to conceal weapons in Libyan embassies across the globe, a senior official in the new government said yesterday.

The weapons included handguns, grenades and bomb-making materials and were shipped using the diplomatic bag. They may have been intended for use in assassinations on Libyan dissidents abroad, or for operations against the embassies’ host countries.

This is to inform the general public that the above named church has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja, for registration under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, No1. 1990.

THE 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Soro, surrounded by his ministers, told President Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan.

Soro’s departure was expected and will allow Ouattara to keep his campaign promise of appointing a prime minister from the PDCI party of Henri Konan Bedie, which backed him in the second round of the 2010 presidential election.

Ouattara’s election victory was disputed by Laurent Gbagbo, his rival who had

The scale of the scheme is emerging for the first time now as the leadership installed in last year’s rebellion against Gaddafi takes over control of embassies and finds the arms, said Mohammed Abdul Aziz, Libya’s deputy foreign minister.

Gaddafi’s officials shipped weapons to “many countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe. So it’s not only in two or three countries,” Abdul Aziz told Reuters in an interview.

“Nobody knows what

Was it going to be used against Libyan nationals?

Nobody knows,” he said.

“Honestly, everything is possible with the previous regime.”

Asked if the weapons were concealed in Libyan embassies as part of a concerted operation conceived inside Gaddafi’s administration, Abdul Aziz said: “I have no single doubt in my mind. No single doubt.”

During his 42 years in power, Gaddafi was frequently ac-

•Gaddafi

cused of exporting violence.

The 1988 bombing of a US airliner over the Scottish town of Lockerbie, and the 1984 shooting of British policewoman Yvonne Fletcher outside the Libyan embassy in London, are some of the most high-profile cases.

Turkey offers $500m loan to support Tunisia transition

T

URKEY will disburse soon a $500 million loan to Tunisia to support its political transition in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings and to bolster economic ties, the official Tunisian Press Agency said yesterday.

It quoted Ridha Saidi, minister for economic affairs, as saying: “a Turkish

loan worth $500 million will be disbursed to Tunisia soon that will be used to improve the balance of payments and to secure income.”

The news came after a meeting between Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali and Turkish President Abdullah Gul, who is visiting Tunisia as part of efforts to bolster economic and political cooperation.

A year on from the uprising, Tunisia’s economy continues to slump. Investment has slowed, tourism has suffered a major decline, unemployment is rising and the government has had to cut its 2012 economic growth target to 3.5 percent from 4.5 percent.

A Turkish delegation will also visit Tunisia to help

promote the tourism sector, a key foreign currency earner, in the wake of the uprising that ousted Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. Tunisia’s new government is led by the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, which has close ties to Turkey’s ruling AKP. The AKP also has an Islamist background. (Writing by Lin Noueihed)

South Africa goes big on nuclear a year after Fukushima disaster

S

OUTH Africa has come to the rescue of a nuclear industry, still struggling for customers a year after Japan’s Fukushima disaster, with a tender for one of the world’s biggest atomic power deals.

Firms from France, the United States, Japan, South Korea, China and Russia

have been lining up for years for a chance to win the contract worth between 400 billion rand ($52.3 billion) and a trillion rand($130.8 billion).

Chances to build reactors have grown fewer after the Fukushima accident, with many developed states trying to wean themselves off nuclear.

“It has become close to a buyers market and not a sellers market, which it was before Fukushima,” said H. Holger Rogner, section head of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s planning and economic studies section.

South African officials expect to open the bidding in

Mozambique ex-rebel Renamo camp raided by police

A

CAMP of about 300 armed Renamo opposition supporters in the city of Nampula in northern Mozambique has been raided, police have said.

The former rebels - who fought a bloody 16-year civil war - had been living for weeks in makeshift shelters outside their party headquarters.

They say they were waiting for the goahead by their leader, Afonso Dhlakama, to stage anti-government protests.

Police say two officers were wounded and 20 arrested in the operation.

Nampula police spokesperson Inacio Dina has urged residents to stay indoors as police chase those who fled.

It is not clear what prompted the raid early on Thursday morning.

The BBC correspondent in the capital, Maputo, says the atmosphere in the city has been tense since December when the men arrived in town.

the next few months for 9,600 megawatts of nuclear power - or about the normal output of six reactors. Africa's largest economy is operating on razor thin electricity margins and needs the power to grow its energy-intensive mining sector and manufacturing.

Potential bidders are likely to include Areva, EDF, Toshiba's Westinghouse Electric Corp, China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group, South Korea's Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO) and Russia's Rosatom.

In a budget proposal released last month, South Africa penciled in 300 billion rand for the nuclear build, but the figure was just the start, energy minister Dipuo Peters said.

60

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

FOREIGN NEWS

Pakistan charges Osama Bin Laden’s widows

•Bin Laden

SAMA Bin Laden’s three widows have been charged by Pakistan with illegally entering the country.

O

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the women, reported to be two Saudis and a Yemeni, had been charged but did not say when the hearing took place.

The wives and about 10 children were taken into custody last May when United States commandos raided their safe house.

The three women had been living in the compound in Abbottabad that Navy Seals attacked, killing Bin Laden.

Mr Malik told reporters in Islamabad that “only the adults had been charged” and the children were free to return to their native countries if their mothers agreed.

Legal experts say the maximum term the women could get is five years.

The BBC correspondent in Islamabad says it is very unlikely the women will be tried in an open court.

He says the authorities

will not want the details of the case to be made public.

It is not clear if these three women are Bin Laden’s only widows - it has been reported that he had up to six wives.

Last June, a Pakistani commission was charged with investigating how the alQaeda leader had managed to stay in Pakistan undetected.

The commission said his wives should not be allowed to leave the country until they had been interviewed.

Fresh massacre in Syria’s Homs

D

OZENS of people have been killed in a suburb of Syria’s battle-scarred city of Homs, reports say, in what activists are describing as a “new massacre”.

Forty-four of those killed came from just a handful of families, the Local CoOrdination Committees (LCC) said.

The reported killings come a day after the UN’s humanitarian chief visited Homs, saying parts had been

devastated.

Meanwhile a Syrian deputy oil minister posted a message on YouTube saying he had defected to the rebels.

Abdo Hussameddin is the highest level political figure to abandon the government of President Bashar al-Assad since the uprising erupted a year ago.

According to the LCC, the latest concentration of killings by security forces happened in the Jobar district of Homs. The group said 20 of the dead

belonged to a single family, and 16 to another.

It said the deaths were reprisal killings, coming days after security forces retook Homs from rebels, having pounded the city for weeks.

The claims cannot be verified as international media inside Syria are heavily restricted.

After visiting Homs, one of the first cities to join the uprising last March, the United Nations humanitarian chief Baroness Valerie Amos

said the bombed-out Baba Amr district felt like it had been closed down.

“The devastation there is significant, that part of Homs is completely destroyed and I am concerned to know what has happened to the people who live in that part of the city,” Baroness Amos told Reuters news agency.

Activists said troops committed massacres after they went in to the district, but Damascus blamed the rebels for many deaths.

A

Venezuela inmates release 1,200 hostages

PRISON director says inmates at a western Venezuelan lockup have released about 1,200 prisoner relatives they’d been holding since Sunday.

Prison director Nelson Bracca says the inmates in the city of Uribana released the hostages Wednesday night. He tells the government news agency that the inmates seized the relatives during visiting hours Sunday after trying to negotiate human rights protections with prison authorities.

Bracca says an unspecified number of relatives were still waiting to be released Thursday and that 175 had already been let go before Wednesday.

Conditions inside the country’s prisons have been in the spotlight since inmates occupied a prison for nearly a month last year after a riot that killed 22 people.

Pakistani court says Zardari corruption case ‘must be reopened’

A

AKISTAN’S Supreme Court has ordered the government to request the Swiss authorities to reopen a corruption case against President Asif Ali Zardari.

The case is at the centre of contempt proceedings against Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who is accused of failing to pursue the allegations.

The government has argued that Mr Zardari has presidential immunity. He says the case is politically motivated.

But the court has said a compliance report must be filed by 21 March.

The Supreme Court earlier adjourned a contempt hearing against the prime minister to 21 March as well, saying that Mr Gilani must either file a statement or testify personally that day.

Correspondents say that by ensuring that both cases are heard on the same day, the court has effectively narrowed the legal options of the prime minister.

Mr Gilani is being tried for contempt because he has refused to write a letter to the Swiss authorities despite a Supreme Court order which overturned an amnesty on corruption cases said to be politically motivated.

NEWS South Africa: Reps seek review of expatriate quota From: Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja

T

•UN humanitarian chief Lady Amos arrives for a meeting with the Syrian education minister in Damascus.

Photo: STRINGER/EPA

US primary: Romney rivals spurn calls to quit

P

RESIDENTIAL candidate Mitt Romney’s campaign says his rivals cannot catch him in the race for the Republican nomination after Super Tuesday.

A Romney adviser said the other contenders were ignoring “the basic principles of math” and simply helping Barack Obama.

But Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich said they were in for the long haul.

Mr Romney won the lion’s share of the 10 contests on Super Tuesday, but it was not enough to wrap up the race.

The former Massachusetts governor triumphed in the crucial swing state of Ohio by a narrow margin, and racked up five other victories.

Romney adviser Rich Beeson told reporters on Wednesday: “Super Tuesday dramatically reduced the likelihood that any of Governor Romney’s opponents can obtain the Republican

nomination.

“As Governor Romney’s opponents attempt to ignore the basic principles of math, the only person’s odds of winning they are increasing are President Obama’s.”

Mitt Romney may have less momentum than a dead cat bouncing, but few are predicting he’s going to lose this race.

Where the Romney aides fall silent is predicting when he is going to win. His opponents are just as quiet detailing how they could beat him.

So will it go into April with Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island voting on the 24th? Surely not?

There will doubtless be some unpredictable moment when the race reaches the end of the road. But at this rate it feels as if it could go on until the very last primary in Utah on 26 June.

Whitney Houston’s will leaves everything to daughter

U

NITED States pop star Whitney Houston left everything in her will to her only child, 19-year-old Bobbi Kristina Brown.

Specific assets are not mentioned but furnishings, clothing, personal effects, jewellery and cars are all included, according to The Insider.

The will was filed in Atlanta on Wednesday with the singer’s money to be put in a

trust.

Her sister-in-law and manager, Patricia Houston, has been appointed administrator of the estate.

Houston’s mum Cissy is named as executor with her sister-in-law Donna and Brother Michael acting as trustees.

Bobbi Kristina will receive part of the money after she turns 21.

She will get more of her

inheritance at 25 and the rest at the age of 30.

Whitney Houston’s trustees can give her money for various purposes, including tuition, to buy a house or to start a business.

The will was signed on 3 February 1993, about a month before the singer gave birth to her daughter.

The star died before the Grammy music awards last month aged 48.

She was found in the bath of her suite at the Beverly Hilton hotel.

Houston’s hits include 1992’s I Will Always Love You and I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) from 1987, both of which went to number one in the UK singles chart.

Her later career was overshadowed by substance abuse and her turbulent marriage to singer Bobby Brown, who is Bobbi Kristina’s father.

HE HOUSE of Representatives yesterday directed its Committees on Foreign Affairs and Interior to liaise with relevant government agencies for the review of expatiate quota and issuance of Nigerian passports to foreigners.

The resolution was taken during the debate on the motion sponsored by Bimbo Daramola entitled: “Need for critical review of Nigeria-South Africa bilateral relations on economic interests and associated immigration issues.”

While debating the motion, members expressed the need to review the bilateral relations between Nigeria and South Africa without delay following the recent diplomatic row sparked by the deportation of 125 Nigerians including children from South Africa.

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the House headed by Nnena Ukeje, was also mandated to liaise with the Federal Ministry of Foreign affairs ‘to critically review every aspect of our bilateral relations with the republic of South Africa with utmost dispatch to prevent any future re-occurrence.”

Daramola while presenting the motion described the deportation of 125 Nigerians with legal entry permit into South Africa on the basis of fake yellow fever vaccination cards as “unfortunate.”

According to him, “Nigerians who legitimately have to go the Republic of South Africa never for business and economic interests or reside there never receive warm reception often accorded to foreigners.”

He said this is at variance with the warm reception given to South African nationals in the country and the protection of their interest.

“It is expected that the Republic of South Africa reciprocate this good gesture to Nigerians resident in their country,” he said.

According to him, other nations may take cue from South Africa and treat Nigerians with indignity if something concrete does not come out of the intervention within a short while.

Daramola called for total overhaul of bilateral relations with South Africa adding that should attention be restricted to immigration issues, Nigeria may lose sight of the key issues and areas such as economic interests of Nigeria and Nigerians living in South Africa.

“The issue of maltreatment of Nigerians in the Republic of South Africa has become perennial problem and the case in reference has the endorsement of the Government of the Republic of South Africa “The issue at stake should not be restricted to immigration issues only rather it should be looked into with the whole gamut of the interests of Nigerians and Nigerians in the Republic of South Africa.

Zakari Mohammed, chairman House Committee on Media and Public Affairs while reacting to the apology sent by the South Africa government, explained that the House has mandated its House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Interior to investigate and review the bilateral relations between Nigeria and South Africa.

According to him, the decision of the House will be guided by the recommendations of the committees.

THE NATION FRIDAY MARCH 9, 2012

61

63

www.thenationonlineng.net

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL. 7,

C OMMENT & D EB ATE EBA

A

RIPPLES ILLEGAL CHECKPOINTS: EIGHT POLICEMEN ARRESTED IN ABIA

...ARMED ROBBERS incorporated

SEGUN GBADEGESIN gbadegesin@thenationonlineng.net

At the break of DAWN

‘

...progressives must rally round ACN and the party must seek out aggrieved members for reconciliation; discourage the growth of splinter groups and caucuses within so as to avoid an unnecessary distraction and adulteration of efforts or, what is worse, provide an opening for the lizards of DUSK (Development Undermining Social Kinds) to creep in

‘

FENIFERE Renewal Group (ARG), a small assembly of dedicated patriots, is a group with a mission: to rebuild the walls of Yoruba land so that, as a people, we no longer suffer disgrace. It’s a commendable mission which, with good fortune, has a great potential for an across the board reverberation as a model for other regions and zones.

Therefore, whether one looks at the group’s commitment from a regional or a national perspective its patriotism is no less patent.

Brilliant as the DAWN document is, the selfimposed mission of ARG to implement its content with vigor and speed requires an introspective attention to and smart understanding of the context of our socio-political landscape and an unparalleled cleverness in the exploitation of its terrain to achieve desired objectives.

ARG prides itself as a progressive block following in the tradition of the original Afenifere of the Obafemi Awolowo political lineage. The decision to publicly birth the document on the 103rd anniversary of the avatar’s incarnation as the Oduduwa of our time is more than instructive. It was an effort to reach into the deep of commitment. At our wits’ end, we collectively seek the intervention of the ancestor who knew us and our weaknesses, whose selfless effort to save us from ourselves we frustrated, but whose acute understanding of our conditions of existence we ignore at our peril.

My purpose here is to identify a few potential hurdles so we brace ourselves up to jump over them without hurting the integrity of the ideal or negating the potential good that is its envisaged outcome.

First, we have to come to terms with the hurdle of progressive essentialism, which reduces politics and political groupings to an all-or-nothing affair; an ideal state that despises concessions, even those that protect and promote fundamental principles. This is a hurdle to which progressives typically fall victim because of their vulnerability. Yet, a progressive ever more needs concession and conciliation for the desired goal of benefitting the masses, the core constituency for which progressive ideas and policies are targeted.

Of course, there is a group that may fail to be a potential partner in the progressive struggle on behalf of the people, and whoever seeks to exploit the people and benefit at their expense belongs in such a category. They are the shameless exploiters of the common patrimony of the people, whether in politics or in business.

Progressivism, then, is an ideological orientation which stands for certain political and economic arrangements and against other opposing arrangements. Between political and economic dispensations, however, the core object of attention is the people, and their

NO. 2059

TOMORROW IN THE NATION ‘Today, it is South Africa. Tomorrow, it could be the turn of Sao Tome and Principe to humiliate Nigerians out of their tiny oil-producing island if we do not get our priorities right. We bicker over little things and ignore those things that can make us truly great.’

YOMI ODUNUGA

wellbeing is the rationale for such arrangements. It is instructive that the democratic ideal that is at the foundation of this philosophy was reformulated by Abraham Lincoln, a Republican president of the United States in his Gettysburg address, as the government of the people, by the people, and for the people. It is also no less edifying to know that it was Lincoln who took the side of the oppressed and issued the proclamation that freed enslaved Africans. Indeed, Lincoln held the indubitable belief that God must be on the side of the common people because he made so many of them.

The lesson of the foregoing paragraph is simply this. While party affiliation generally identifies the political choices of politicians (show me your friends—), it isn’t a perfect index of their ideological orientation. This is especially so in climes such as ours, where opportunistic tendencies inhere the political stratosphere. But just as there are wolves in the clothing of sheep; there are Jonahs in the belly of the whale, waiting to be rescued, redeemed, and reintegrated into the fold.

The second hurdle follows directly from the last observation. For whatever reasons, some

have been misled into the wilderness of insatiable greed, roaming around and getting sucked into the waiting teeth of the political hyenas. They would like to be extricated without being maligned because they still have some modicum of integrity. What should be the response of the genuine, long-suffering progressive? The humanist blood that runs through the veins of progressives must be called into action in such cases. This sounds missionary; but I prefer to see it as a pragmatic approach to the realisation of progressive ideals.

There is a different approach which I must respectfully take exception to. Perhaps not being an active political animal, I am not familiar with the attitudinal requirements for success in the rough and tumble of politics.

But my native intelligence tells me that politics is a game of numbers, and there is no one individual who is therefore totally useless.

Even if he or she is unable to bring anyone else to the fold, at least he or she counts for one and that is an addition not a subtraction.

Therefore I never quite understand the posture of the fewer the better (bo jawa meta pere, a

HARDBALL

I

T is of course premature to declare the Arab Spring stalled. From its implausible beginnings in Tunisia, through to Egypt as it moved like a hurricane, and then as it sliced viciously through Libya, the rebellions that swept through the Arab world are yet to exhaust themselves. In fact, if anything, the revolt may still end quite as dramatically as it began that fateful day in December 2010 when a frustrated young man immolated himself in protest against injustice and hardship. Egypt is still contending with terrible unease and unpredictable future, and after many more demonstrations and street protests consequent upon the abdication of Hosni Mubarak, the country is beginning to get its electoral acts together. Whether the end product will satisfy restless and anxious Egyptians remains to be seen.

Tunisia, where it all began, has somewhat made peace with itself and has apparently moderated its ambitions. Libya on the other hand is unable to find a quick formula to restore normality. Having fought a brutal war of liberation, it has found it the hardest of all the countries of the Arab Spring to define itself, its politics and expectations.

Apart from its inability to pacify and disarm militia groups, and also prevent revenge

o maa se e) which we know is inimical to political ascendancy.

What reactionaries that we loathe so much understand that progressives need to welcome is the need to embrace reconciliation and closure of ranks in order to achieve desired results. It is a hurdle that cannot be left to chance. Due to infighting, progressives especially in the Southwest have been scattered into different political tendencies. This is time to engage them in serious discourse on where they really belong and enlist them as dependable allies in the realisation of the vision that DAWN represents.

What I have offered is a bitter pill in the light of our antecedents. It has always been a mouth and cat affair; the case of the hunter and the deer, with one interest canceling out the other. They say it is what politics is about.

But the ideological focus of the progressive places a unique burden on him or her. To achieve success for the masses, you must build coalitions and sustain them. The longer these are sustained the better the prospect of the continued success in the realization of the vision.

Assume for the purpose of argument that ACN is the political pilot of DAWN because it is the progressive party that is committed to its realisation. Then it must have to be the case that ACN continues to wax stronger and stronger as the party in power in the region.

Otherwise a PDP government whose members are not counted upon now may turn back the hand of the clock. Recall the opposition of PDP governors to the Yoruba Agenda.

Here then is the dilemma. Either ACN, as the progressive party charged with delivering on DAWN has a total grip on Southwest for the indefinite future or PDP, as the party not now involved with DAWN, captures one or more states in the Southwest in the future.

If the former scenario occurs, DAWN has a good future. In case of the latter scenario, DAWN may have a short shelf life unless, as an antidote, the uncertainty of the future is encrypted in the bosom of the present. This is done by getting all involved right now.

For the former scenario of an indefinite future of power for ACN to be the case, progressives must rally round ACN and the party must seek out aggrieved members for reconciliation; discourage the growth of splinter groups and caucuses within so as to avoid an unnecessary distraction and adulteration of efforts or, what is worse, provide an opening for the lizards of DUSK (Development Undermining Social Kinds) to creep in. This is a charge that progressives must take seriously in this sunup of our fresh beginning, at this break of our new DAWN. •For comments, send SMS to 08057634061

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

Syria, Libya and stalled Arab Spring killings and torture, it is now facing the distinct threat of dismemberment, a fate far worse for the country and the Maghreb than overthrowing a pernicious dictatorship. All three countries remind historians of the 1919 revolts in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt that were apparently triggered by United States President Woodrow Wilson’s ‘Fourteen Points’ speech to the US Congress the year before.

Ridiculed as Wilsonian idealism, it had sought to justify World War I as a struggle for a great moral cause. Its unintended consequence was to inspire the Maghreb to fight for independence.

However, in comparison with Libya, Syria appears set to experience a far worse fate than the intractable call for autonomy and confederacy. Indeed, today, Syria is sinking deeper into the bloody vortex of the quintessential Arab Spring, with no hope that the crisis would abate soon. If the Syrian crisis was not to assume unmanageably horrendous proportion, it required the sensible application of diplomacy by the country’s backers – China and Russia. Instead, and perhaps

because of their own domestic politics, they have pretended not to be affected by the appalling crimes against humanity being perpetrated by the Syrian leadership and Armed Forces led by Bashar al-Assad. So far, over 7,000 people have been killed since the crisis began in January 2011.

Al-Assad hopes to checkmate the Arab Spring in a way Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi could never dare. And with Libya tottering on the brink of a second revolt, as the eastern part of the country hankers after autonomy, many in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East could begin to see revolt and its attendant secessionist overtone as a disincentive. The world should persuade Russia and China to quit backing al-Assad’s murderous inclination. If this is done urgently, it may yet stave off the worstcase scenario for that unhappy country. But if al-Assad’s backers continue footdragging, they will find to their surprise that they are both unable to eventually stop the revolution nor sustain their interest and hold on that country. Worse, if care is not taken, the country itself could sunder along sectarian lines.

Published and printed by Vintage Press Limited. Corporate Office: 27B Fatai Atere Way, Matori, Lagos. P.M.B. 1025,Oshodi, Lagos.

Telephone: Switch Board: 01-8168361. Editor Daily:01-8962807, Marketing: 01-8155547 . Abuja Office: Plot 5, Nanka Close AMAC Commercial Complex, Wuse Zone 3, Abuja. Tel: 07028105302.

E-mail: info@thenationonlineng.net Editor: GBENGA OMOTOSO