The Nation May 03, 2012

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

News Bomb scare at Lagos airport creates traffic jam Sports Hodgson’s England job puts Osaze’s future in doubt Business Reps fault CBN, AMCON takeover of three banks

P5 P24 P11

www.thenationonlineng.net

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

VOL. 7, NO. 2112 THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

N150.00

CAN to Fed Govt: stop Boko Haram now U

•Oritsejafor ... yesterday

NDER fire from Islamist group Boko Haram’s insurgency, Christians yesterday vowed to withdraw their co-operation with the government, if the activities of the deadly sect are not checked.

Intimidation, killings,

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

bombings and wanton destruction by Boko Haram must stop, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) declared in what its President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, described as “final call” to

the Federal Government.

The latest attack on churches was at the Bayero University old campus in Kano on Sunday.

Worshippers were bombed and shot at by men believed to be members of Boko Haram. One Professor

– Andrew Leo Ogbonyomi – and 15 others died in the attacks. The sect also on Monday infiltrated the convoy of Taraba State Police Commissioner Mr Mamman Sule.

Eleven people died in that attack.

On Tuesday, Boko Haram

released a video on Youtube, threatening media houses with attacks.

Oritsejafor spoke in Abuja after a three-hour meeting of officials of the association to review the security situation in the Continued on page 2

Anxiety grips ministers as Jonathan plans shake-up T

HE President may drop some ministers in a proposed cabinet shake-up, it was learnt last night.

The reshuffle may take place after the first anniversary of the administration on May 29.

A list of would-be ministers is being compiled and security checks are being carried out on them, according to sources.

President Goodluck Jonathan is said to be unhappy with the performance of about 17 ministers

From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation, Abuja

in his 42-man cabinet. But a senior government official, who confirmed the imminent shake-up last night, said: “Yes; it is likely, but it won’t be that massive.”

Besides security reports and random assessment of the ministers, the President has taken “a deep interest in the submissions of ministers” at the ongoing stewardship programme organised by the Federal Ministry of Information.

It was learnt that Jonathan

LIKELY ENTRANTS

•Ex-PTDF Executive Sec. Hamisu Mai Rago •Ex-PDP Acting National Chair Kawu Baraje •Ex-Imo Deputy Governor Ada Okwuonu •Ex-PDP National Chair Okwesilieze Nwodo •Ex-Anambra Governor Chukwuemeka Ezeife •Ex-PDP National Org. Sec. Uche Secondus •Ex-PDP National Publicity Sec. Rufai Alkali •Ex-PDP National Legal Adviser Olusola Oke •Ex-Presidential Adviser Senator Abba Aji is disappointed that some of his ministers could not give account of their performance so far.

Another source, who spoke

in confidence, said: “I think there might be a cabinet reshuffle either a week before May 29 or a week after it.

“As I am talking to you, at

least 17 of the ministers may be shown the way out. These ministers have not performed up to the benchmark set by the President. “ The fuel subsidy probe is believed to have shown to the President some of the challenges in some of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

At the ongoing stewardship platform of the Federal Ministry of Information, some of the ministers could not list their achievements, The Nation learnt.

The President is said to be

unhappy with the pace of development in one of the ministries, considering the huge budgetary allocation to it last year.

A team was sent from the Presidency to conduct an appraisal of developments in the ministry and the verdict was not “encouraging”.

Jonathan, it was said, was shocked that the New Maitama Extension District in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was named afContinued on page 4

CBN denies paying N844b to NNPC

By Our Reporter

T

HE row over an N844.9billion fuel subsidy has deepened with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) denying payment of the cash to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The apex bank also alleged that the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) made N999million suspicious 128 payments (totalling N127.872billion) to marketers between January 12 and 13, 2009.

It insisted that by its records, the PPPRA paid N1.73trillion to other marketers – as at December 2011.

The CBN made the clarifications in a four-page letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, and the Chairman of the House Ad Hoc Committee on the Monitoring of Subsidy Regime, Mallam Farouk Lawan.

The letter, dated April 27, 2012 and exclusively obtained by our correspondent, Continued on page 4

•Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (right), Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu 1 (second right), former Deputy Governor Princess Adebisi Sarah Sosan (second left) and Prof. Ben Nwabueze (left) during Fashola’s account of stewardship to commemorate the 1800 days of his administration at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja, Lagos ... yesterday. Story on page 7.

PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES

•SPORTS P23 •EDUCATION P25 •POLITICS P43 •E-BUSINESS P49

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

2

NEWS

Boko Haram: •IGP Abubakar orders protection for media houses •NUJ: sect’s threats unhealthy,unfortunate

C

•Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi (second right), the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Onyeabo Ihejirika (right), Maj-Gen. Funso Owonube (left) and Maj-Gen. Hammed Abubakar (second left) during the army chiefs’ visit to the Government House, Ibadan ...yesterday.

HAD’S leader, President Idriss Deby, has called for the urgent creation of a regional force to tackle Boko Haram militants.

Deby said Boko Haram was posing a threat to Nigeria’s neighbours around Lake Chad.

He said: “Our basin is exposed to insecurity because of the permanent threat posed by Boko Haram.

“I am demanding the creation of a joint deterrence force. We have to make this decision here today,” President Deby told a meeting of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, which includes Chad, Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and the Central African Republic.

“If we don’t eradicate them, we won’t be capable of saving our Lake Chad. ” The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has ordered his men to provide special protection to newspapers and broadcast houses after a suicide bombing and threats against journalists made by a radical Islamist sect.

Abubakar spoke on Tuesday night during an interactive session with reporters in Abuja.

He described the Boko Haram sect as a criminal organisation.

He said: "Boko Haram is a crimi-

From Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja and Marie-Therese Peter, Jos

nal group. We have arrested many of them and recovered arms and drums of explosives without making any noise about it "Today the media will display these horrible photographs in newspapers and television and tomorrow they will be reporting that governors are bringing foreign investors into the country.

"How do you persuade foreign investors who have seen these photographs to come here and invest their hard earned funds under such circumstance."

Abubakar relived an encounter with a member of the sect who confessed that he was driven into terrorism because he had no job, no food and no place to stay whereas a few people have every good things of life which he has been denied access to.

He cited inadequate funding of the police as one of the major obstacles confronting effective policing in the country. This he said has been responsible for inadequate training, lack of equipment and poor response to security threats.

Abubakar disclosed that the quarterly budget of a police state command is just N2 million.

The Nation readers flay planned attack

R •Abia State Governor Theodore Orji welcoming Inspector General of Police Mohamed Abubakar, to Government House, Umuahia...yesterday

EADERS of The Nation in Plateau State yesterday flayed the Boko Haram for its planned atatck on this newspaper and others. They urged the government to provide adequate security to media houses and their

staff.

A reader at the Secretariat Junction, Jos, Mr. Ikenna Nwogbo said: “I read of this rubbish; because they succeeded with the ThisDay, they want to try others.

If our government and the security agencies are alive, they should work round the clock to rein in these criminals.

“They will think they own this nation, if this threat comes to be. The SSS should hunt these people, arrest and jail them so that the calculated attempts to silence the media and make us a terrorist nation will not come to be.”

Another reader at the Miango Road junction, Mr. David Ameh, said he was shocked that the sect could utter such a threat .

His words: “ They are targeting the media houses in the South while those patronised in the North are being warned; are we really one country at all?”

A member of the Civil Liberty Organisation (CLO), Mr. Peter Gad Shamaki said: “We cannot continue to live in fear allow a few evil persons decide how we live our lives. All efforts must be made to safeguard the media in Nigeria.”

‘Boko Haram, others sources of instability in Africa’

P

•From right: President, Nigerian-Britain Association Tunde Arogunmati, Vice Patron Phil Hall, Vice-President Carolyn Hall and Abimbola Okoya-Urey at the Association’s Annual General Meeting held at the Boat Club, Ikoyi, Lagos.

PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS

•From left: Managing Director/CEO, General Data Engineering Services Limited, Mr. Sunday Folayan, French Instructor, Afrinic Limited, Mr. Abba Brice and the Director, Software and Out Sourcing, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Ashiru Daura, at a two-day workshop for MDAs in Abuja...yesterday

RINCIPAL Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs of the United States (U.S.) Don Yamamoto Principal has identified Boko Haram as one of the sources of instability in Africa.

Yamamoto, in a submission before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, listed other sources as: Al-Shabaab, AQIM and Al-Qaeda in the Magrib.

He said: “In the face of terrorist threats and insecurity in Africa, military solutions in the first incident, while important in some cases, may prove counterproductive if not implemented and addressed in the context of other measures. We must therefore consider addressing the wide range of economic, political, and social factors that fuel conflict and insecurity and take a comprehensive, holistic long-term approach.

“The situation in Mali, for instance, represents a microcosm of the complex problems challenging Africa, and the need to address security concerns within a wider context. There are four distinct yet interrelated crises facing Mali which must be managed separately yet simultaneously. First, a return to civilian authority and the reaffirmation of democratic institutions will ensure a strong united country able to address other crises; second, a democratic government must reach out and engage and dialogue with the Touareg people of the north addressing their concerns; third, Mali faces a humanitarian crisis of well over 190,000 internally displaced as well as refugees in neighboring a country; and fourth, Mali and its neighbors together have a stake in confronting the challenges posed by AQIM and other splinter groups such as Ansar Al-hadeen.

“These challenges cannot be addressed in isolation but as interrelated issues. Security is fostered by the establishment of sound leadership, accountability to the people, transparent and democratic processes addressing the needs and aspirations of the population.

“We look to security challenges through a wide lens and that includes five pillars articulated by the president in Ghana in 2009 and those five are strengthening democratic institutions, fostering broad-based sustainable growth, combating disease and improving public health and education, mitigating armed conflict, and helping Africans with transnational threats.

Whether it is AQIM, Al-Shabaab, or Boko Haram, extremist ideology even those masquerading in religious terms are anthical, illegitimate, and repulsive to the vast majority of Africans.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

3

NEWS

ECOWAS force ‘should help Nigeria’ SSS impounds 35 drums of bomb-making chemicals in Kano

O

PERATIVES of the State Security Service (SSS) yesterday in Kano impounded 35 drums of highly combustible chemicals and powdery substances allegedly used by the Boko Haram sect to produce bombs.

The Director, SSS in Kano State, Bassey Eteng, broke the news while briefing reporters.

He alleged that the items were used to produce Improvised Explosive Device (IED), used by the Boko Haram members.

Eteng said the agency acted on a tip-off provided by a suspect assisting the SSS in its investigation into the sect’s activities in the state.

He did not mention the area where the raid was carried out.

“During interrogation, the suspect

President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Muhammad Garba yesterday expressed concern over fresh threat by the Boko Haram to attack media houses.

Garba, who spoke with reporters in Gombe, described the threats as unhealthy and unfortunate.

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

named Ayuba Usman as the supplier of the chemicals and other materials used by the sect to produce explosives.”

The SSS director said acting on the weight and magnitude of the information, security operatives from Giginyu swooped on the undisclosed chemical market and impounded dangerous items.

“Security agents are making efforts to curb the activities of the Boko Haram group. Yesterday, we arrested a suspect found to have links with the extremists, based on the statement by a suspect.”

Eteng said the impounded chemicals could also be used for economic and domestic purposes. “But in this case, they were supplied to make bombs.”

• Usman

The president said the group must recognise that journalists and media houses were only discharging their professional roles of reporting all issues and all sides of any disagreement.

The president appealed to groups, sects and individuals to support jour-

nalists to serve them better rather than threatening them.

“We are having very serious threats in Nigeria as it is. We are having lots of challenges coming not only from the threats of the Boko Haram.

“If you look at the working condi-

• The drums of combustible chemicals intercepted by SSS...yesterday

tion, the environment, we are going through a difficult moment.

“And such threats coming at this material time, I think it is unhealthy; because it will discourage us from performing our social responsibility as expected by the people.

“So what the media need at the

present challenging period, is support from government, from organisations and individuals.

“It is only by giving us such support that we will be able to discharge our social responsibility as expected by the people, including the sect.”

‘How to tackle insecurity in Nigeria’ Dakuku Peterside is Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on (Downtream) Petroleum. In this piece, he argues that if governments at all levels take development, intelligence gathering and others serious, insecurity in the country will be largely curtailed

•Dakuku Peterside

T

HE writings of Johann Von Goethe, German playwright and philosopher always fascinate me. “Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do”. Goethe wrote these immortal words in the 18th century, but its relevance in today’s world is incontrovertible.

The underlining point here is that it is not just enough to know or to resolve, action is as important.

Goethe’s words came to my mind as I reflected on the security situation in Nigeria which has overtime, moved from bad to worse. And daily, I ask myself: have we done our best in our efforts at tackling the threat insecurity poses?

This is indeed a trying period for Nigeria. And Nigerians are in agreement that something must be done urgently to save the country. Security, law and order are the major preoccupation of any Government. Once a government gets this priority right, it has made the very first right step.

Growing insecurity on the reverse side is the first sign of a failing state.

Going by recent developments in our country this appears to be the direction we may inevitably head and as always, the consequences are dire. Of course, development will be stalled and we will be isolated. Signs of growing insecurity abound at government circles, offices, leisure centres and even places of worship. Only recently, this threat of insecurity attracted the attention of the upper legislative arm. The Senate had warned that except the executive took a drastic step against Boko Haram, the country risked disintegration. A popular cliché says: “if you do the same thing

over and over again and expect a different result that is insanity.” Whatever we decide as a people, the choice is ours. After all, “knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough we must do”.

Today, Nigeria faces her greatest security challenge ever. Apart from the menace of armed robbers, which is widespread, we also worry about the threat of Boko Haram and its attendant collateral damage on Nigeria and her people. With the arrival of Boko Haram, Nigeria lost her innocence and effectively joined those isolated countries that carry that revolting tag of being referred to as terrorist states. But this is misleading and unfortunate because as far as I am concerned, Nigeria is not a terrorist country. Yet our position that we are not a terrorist state does not seem to impress western powers as they had only recently issued travel alerts to their nationals whether visiting or residing here.

Often, we all ask: how did we get here? I am afraid if we continue this way, there may be little or nothing left to bequeath to the next generation. I still admire the robust politics of post independent Nigeria, the healthy rivalry among the regions and the excellent bearing and leadership qualities of the drivers of that era, I mean our founding fathers.

Where then is that spirit of healthy competition today? And where is the peace and development we all sought and hoped for at the dawn of independence? These are questions we always ask ourselves anytime we unconsciously become too romantic of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Why are we no longer interested in replicating the good in our neighbour whether it is in the area of manufacturing, policy formulation and implementation, protection of human rights, provision of welfare services, good governance or in the fight against violent crimes which is on the rise?

In 1959, the Western Nigerian Television, WNTV was established in Ibadan by the then premier of West-

ern Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, becoming the first television station in black Africa. Less than two years after, the Eastern region followed with its own television station in Enugu, its capital. Awolowo’s programmes in other areas were also replicated by other regions. All of these are absent in today’s Nigeria.

The good news though is that not all our leaders are throwing up their hands in surrender. For one, I think the Rivers State example is one all of us could actually profit from. It is on record that within 30 days of assuming office, Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi reversed the prevailing anarchy and state of insecurity in the Rivers State.

And with the state government’s vigorous vision on security, the state has witnessed drastic fall in crime rate in the last five years. By February 2012, crime rate dropped by 30 per cent. Earlier, between 2006 and 2007 crime rate also fell by about 4550 per cent.

When I had the privilege of serving in the government of Rivers State under the leadership of Governor Amaechi, I observed that he placed high premium on security because he believed that security was the foundation upon which progress in every other facet of development depends. This is aside the government’s proactive disposition which drew substantially from intelligence gathering, surveillance and the fact that law enforcement agents could reasonably predict potential crime with near perfect accuracy.

Another interesting aspect of the Rivers model is the deployment of technology. Without sounding immodest, I can confidently say that the state’s security network is driven by excellent modern technology. Rivers was the first state to acquire a mobile scanning van known as back scatter.

Around the Port-Harcourt metropolis, there are Gantry Scanners at strategic entry locations in Onne- Eleme Road, East-West Road, Choba Road, Oyibo Road, Ikwere Road, Aba Road

and Mbiama Road among others.

Aside the use of machines, man is also a factor in the fight against insecurity. I am aware a superb community engagement exists in Rivers State.

To be frank, surveillance, intelligence gathering and a proactive disposition have all combined to help the government and its security apparatus to reasonably predict and tackle crime. And like some states in the country, Rivers also encourages and supports all the security agencies in the fight against crime. Periodically too, the state reviews security administration processes with a view to ensuring that short response time is maintained at all times. There is also the fact that government does not compromise in enforcing the law and also the fact that River State Government insists all the time on bringing the full weight of the law on those who infringe on it.

But by far the most hard-wearing factor is the leadership by example and strength of character of Governor Amaechi. Matching words by action, Amaechi personally visits crime scenes, engages the people and sympathizes with victims. And such actions continue to have a lasting effect on the people.

ARLIER in the year, Babs Omotowa, Managing Direc tor, Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG during a courtesy call thanked Governor Amaechi for making Rivers State safe and secure for business. But the NLNG boss is not alone. Other corporate bodies and individuals have also shown appreciation at different occasions. However, in his response during Omotowa’s visit, the governor made it clear that crime is not a function of border. “What causes crime actually is not location; it is basically poverty and injustice. So if we address the issue of unemployment and wealth creation, our crime rate will reduce and we are working hard towards that in Rivers State.”

It is a well known fact that a good

E

number of Nigerians now prefer to spend their vacations in Ghana.

Ghana is also a preferred destination for Africans in the Diaspora. Some years ago, I thought the drift to the former Gold Coast was a fluke and that it would go with the season but I was wrong. Tourism is a major industry in Ghana today and more tourists are still coming.

It therefore did not come as a surprise about two years ago when a specialised unit within the Ghana Police Service was established specifically to provide security and safety for tourists and tourism establishments. It is called Tourism Police and these special police personnel in mufti are always present at beaches, highways, airports, bus stops, public parks, entertainment centres, train stations, tourists’ sites and even markets. But Tourism Police was not an accident. As far as I am concerned, Ghanaians were proactive, they did not wait for the problem to surface first and overwhelm them. A year before the birth of this special police, a delegation that comprised members of the Tour Operators of Ghana, the Tourism Safety and Security Initiative, a non government organisation and Ghana Police Service had undertaken a tour of Egypt to study the country’s tourism policing system.

Conversely, insecurity, if not checked could seriously retard a country’s growth and damages its image for life. Kenya is a good example. Tourism was once the mainstay of this East African country but Al-Shabab, an Islamic group, Somali Pirates and nearly a dozen other armed gangs have turned Kenya which once prided itself as paradise on earth into a terrorist enclave.

And Kenyans are paying dearly for the prevailing security challenge in their country. But the lessons from Rivers State, Ghana and Kenya are clear and unambiguous. The drivers of these entities, apart from knowing and applying themselves were also willing to do according to Goethe’s principles of success.

4

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

NEWS

CAN to Fed Govt: stop Boko Haram now Continued from page 1

country. He said: “The church leadership has hitherto put great restraint on the restive and aggrieved millions of Nigerians but can no longer guarantee such co-operation, if this trend is not halted immediately.”

Pastor Oritsejafor said it had become irrelevant whether the root cause of Boko Haram insurgency is political, religious, ethnic or ideological, adding: “The question we have always asked is this; of the 51 years of existence of Nigeria as a nation, who have governed this country most? Most of them are from a particular section of the North.

What did they do with the opportunities they had? What did they do with the resources they had? We need to ask questions.

The people themselves need to

•Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun and his wife, Olufunso, presenting empowerment materials to Omisore Kehinde, one of the beneficiaries of “Uplifting the Unemployed” empowerment programme, initiated by Mrs. Amosun in Abeokuta ... yesterday

Subsidy fraud: CBN denies paying N844b to NNPC Continued from page 1

is the CBN’s response to some observations and recommendations of the Ad Hoc Committee.

The letter indicated that neither the CBN nor the NNPC is accepting the N844.944b liability, which the House Ad Hoc Committee asked NNPC to refund.

As at yesterday, it was unclear who drew the ‘strange’ N844.9b fuel subsidy uncovered by the committee.

The Farouk Lawan Committee in its report alleged that the NNPC might have been drawing fuel subsidy from two sources.

The committee said: “Contrary to the earlier official figure of subsidy payment of N1.3 trillion, the AccountantGeneral of the Federation put forward a figure of N1.6trillion, the CBN N1.7trillion while the committee established subsidy payment of N2.587.087trillion as at December 31, 2011 amounting to more than 900per cent over the appropriated sum of N245billion.

“The figure of N2.587.087trillion is based on the CBN figure of N844.944b paid to NNPC in addition to another figure of N847.942billion reflected as withdrawals by NNPC from the Excess Crude Naira Account as well as the sum of N894.201billion paid as subsidy to marketers.

“The figure of N847.942billion quoted above strongly suggests that NNPC might have been with-

‘President yet to get probe report’

W

HAT has become of the recent report of the House of Representatives on petroleum subsidy?

This is one question that is begging for answer, one week after the report of the Committee on Petroleum was debated by the House.

The report indicted some government officials and oil marketers who were asked to refund some money.

Rights groups and political parties have been asking the Federal Government to act on the report.

But the Presidency said yesterday that President Goodluck Jonathan was yet to receive the report.

Ali Gullack, Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, said contrary to reports that the President has refused to act on the report, Dr Jonathan was yet to get any such report from the lawmakers.

Gullack, who disagreed with the call by prominent Nigerians to embark on civil un-

drawing from two sources especially when the double withdrawals were also reflected both in 2009 and in 2010.”

The CBN letter reads: “Please be informed that following the submission of the ad-hoc committee’s report on the above subject to the House, the CBN hereby responds to some of the observations and recommendations contained in the Report, as it affects the Bank “The CBN in its submission to the Committee on January 25, 2012 gave a figure of N1.73trillion comprising direct deductions and Sovereign Debt Notes(SDNs), issued by the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) to other

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

rest should the President fail to implement the content of the report, said: “President Jonathan is one person that wants things done and done correctly. He is the only president in the history of this country that has embarked on the cleansing of the oil and gas sector. He is the only president that has embarked on fighting corruption in the sector and for anybody to say that Mr. President is sitting on any report is unfair and a calculated attempt to tarnish the good name of the president.”

“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been given the mandate to go into the matter and you will also recall that not too long ago, Mr. President approved the appointment of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, a former EFCC chairman, to help sanitise the oil and gas sector. The President is determined to do more if he is given the support

by Nigerians,” he said.

marketers as at December 2011.

“According to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) such subsidy approvals are credits due to the Corporation towards the cost of its domestic crude allocation.

“There was no time CBN paid any money to NNPC in respect of subsidy claim. It is pertinent to note that NNPC started advising CBN of subsidy deductions from October 2009 after the states had complained at various Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meetings of lack of transparency in the management of the subsidy regime.

“Our figure presented to the Committee was therefore

from October 2009 to December 2011.

“Direct deductions by NNPC as per CBN records between October 2009 and December 2011, shows a total figure of N844, 944,448,471.72 before transfers to Federation Accounts were made.

“CBN does not make any payment to the NNPC on fuel subsidy. The Corporation deducts at source before remitting to the Federation Account.”

Regarding N999million suspicious 128 payments of totaling N127.872billion between January 12 and 13, 2009, the CBN said it was done by the PPPRA which has accepted blame for it.

It added: “A review of the

statements of the account operated as PPPRA/PSF Account showed that these were instruments issued by the PPPRA and drawn on the account at CBN Abuja branch.

“The PPPRA has already issued an official statement taking ownership of the payments which has already been acknowledged by the House Committee.”

On the recommendation of warped budget management by the Federal Ministry of Finance which led to the N2.587trillion incurred on fuel subsidy in 2011, the CBN said it might not be in a position to talk on that.

It added: “This recommendation falls within the purview of the Fiscal authorities and NNPC. CBN is not in a position to comment on extra budgetary spending.”

Regarding the allegation that the CBN created avenue for easy falsification of records by marketers through its forex policy, the apex bank said: “The CBN under the leadership of Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was commended for discharging its responsibility well under the scheme.”

A top source in NNPC said: “We hope the House will look at the records very well, this corporation did not receive double payments for fuel subsidy at all.

“The NNPC cannot refund what it did not receive. We have also sent a note to the House leadership and the Ad Hoc Committee on this controversial fuel subsidy fund.”

ask questions.

“The Almajiris, if they could read and write and understand what is happening, need to ask questions. The realities are these: we know that the bottom of all this is a radical religious ideology. We want that settled but as it is right now, it has gone beyond trying to address why this happened or where it is coming from. It has gone beyond whether it is political or about poverty. The truth is that this situation must stop.

“I will now make a final call, a final call; I repeat. I will now make a final call to the Nigerian government to use all resources available to it to clearly define and neutralise the problem as other nations have done.

“It is the ideas that people coin from the Koran and are being used to terrorise the world. Now we cannot deny that these are Muslims. That is not to say that there are no good Muslims; there are. But the truth must be told. When we keep running from the truth, we will never solve the problem.

“You will recall that at our last news conference on March 6, we told the nation that the bombings and killings of innocent Nigerians may be termed senseless, but that it is not without sense for those sponsoring the act. We also said the killings and bombings were being done according to their plans in order to instil fears with the subsequent aim of eradicating religious freedom, democratic liberties with the church and Christians as the primary target.

“We have persistently pleaded with government to take courage and act to stop the surge of terror,” Pastor Oritsejafor said.

•Dr. Jonathan

CORRECTION •The Oyo State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) was wrongly referred to as Ibadan chapter in a congratulatory advertisement for Chief Michael Adeniyi Koleosho (OFR) on April 30, 2012. This error is highly regretted.

Anxiety grips ministers as Jonathan plans shake-up Continued from page 1

ter him. “He has decided to reject it because he does not want any minister to personalise governance,” it was said.

Said the source: “There was also a particular incident abroad when a minister did not live up to expectations of a public officer. There is no rationale for retaining such a minister.”

Responding to a question, the source said: “What the President is after is for ministers to be able to say exactly how many roads have been constructed; signifi-

cant steps in the provision of housing; access to basic needs, such as water and electricity; and a situation where ministers in strategic ministries would have impacted on the lives of Nigerians.”

Pressed to give more insight into the imminent shake-up, the source identified some of the ministers.

Some are said to have got hints of plans to drop them and have started lobbying to be retained.

Many people are making a strong case for the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqqayyat

Rufai, who was able to stave off the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) crisis and initiate reforms.

The source said: “Although going by the assessment report before the President, the Minister of State for Education, Nyisom Wike, is rated higher in performance than Prof. Rufai, some forces are pushing for the retention of Rufai, in view of the synergy between the two ministers.

“The team work in the Ministry of Education between the two ministers has been fairly better than the case in the past.

“A strong case is also being made for the retention of the Minister of Works Mike Onolememen who has succeeded in fixing some roads, which had been written off.

Some forces believe that Onolememen has performed better than most of his predecessors. But the President does not like a situation where some vital roads are about 4052 per cent completed.”

Some of those who may join the cabinet, if there are favourable security checks on them, are a former Executive Secretary of the Petroleum

Technology Development Fund(PTDF), Hamisu Mai Rago; the immediate past acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Kawu Baraje; former Deputy Governor of Imo State Ada Okwuonu; former National Chairman Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo; exGovernor Chukwuemeka Ezeife, former PDP National Organising Secretary Uche Secondus; former PDP National Publicity Secretary Prof.

Rufai Alkali; former PDP National Legal Adviser Olusola Oke; Senator Abba Aji and

some of the aspirants who withdrew for the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, at the last National Convention.

But another source added that some members of the President’s kitchen cabinet are opposed to bringing “deadwoods” to the cabinet.

The source said: “There are fears that some of the names being peddled may not add value to the cabinet.

“So, in the next few weeks there will be more amendments to the list of new hands to be injected into the cabinet.”

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

5

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

NEWS

Anxiety over bomb scare at Lagos airport

A

BOMB scare at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MM2) and the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) caused anxiety among passengers, motorists and airport workers yesterday.

The scare of a possible explosive around both the new and old domestic terminals propelled security agencies, including the police, the Air Force and paramilitary agencies, to deploy their men on the road leading to the

By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor

airport.

They screened all cars coming into both terminals.

The intense security checks, with the use of a mobile anti-explosive device caused traffic gridlock.

To beat the traffic gridlock, most passengers, especially those who had flights to board, trekked some metres to enter the terminals.

The Police Commissioner in

charge of the airport, Mr. Olatunji CaulCrick, said the exercise became important due to security reports received by the command.

CaulCrick said the police would not leave anything to chance in ensuring a seamless travel experience for airport users.

A passenger, who simply identified himself as Chukwuemeka, decried the alleged crude manner the Anti-Bomb Squad carried out the exercise.

He said: “This is most absurd. The anti-bomb squad who were supposed to actually check the vehicles themselves did not take the bomb scare seriously; otherwise, they wouldn’t have allowed the other guys carry out the checks. It is even pathetic that they don’t even have their own material. As you can see, they ‘d rather choose to look into the booths of the cars. This is a crude method of carrying out checks when they are supposed to be fully equipped.”

•Marketing Manager, Briscoe Nigeria Plc, Mr. Ola Abiodun, Sales Manager, Generator, Mr. Kayode Ikuenomone; Former Commissioner of Commerce, Kano State, Alhaji Ahmed Yakasai, General Manager, Industrial Equipment Division, R.T. Briscoe Nigeria Plc, Mrs. Titi Ojiefo; Senior Executive, Employee Energy Limited, Mr. Paul Aneke and Marketing Coordinator, Mr. Felix Adesoye, Briscoe Nigeria Plc, during the fourth Nigeria Infrsatructure and Construction Exhibition, Seminar and Product Showcases at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos

JAMB official dies, another faints writing promotion exams

T

HERE was pandemonium in the office of the Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB) following the sudden death of an official, Mr. Emmanuel Nwoke, while writing a promotion examination.

Another, Maryann Katsina, fainted in the examination hall.

Nwoke, who was an Assistant Director, sat for the examination to earn promotion to Deputy Director cadre.

Maryann Katsina, who is said to be a middle level official, wanted promotion to officer grade level.

According to a source in JAMB, the two officials were suspected

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

to have been affected by examination fatigue.

The source said: “Promotion examination took a toll on most members of staff of JAMB and I can say we all over-read in a bid to pass. We all suspected examination fatigue for the incidents.

“The affected staff slumped in the course of the examination. While Nwoke gave up, Maryann Katsina is recovering in an hospital in Bwari District of the Federal Capital Territory(FCT).

“All activities in the course of the promotion have been postponed till further notice. The oral. interview slated for today (Thursday)

is postponed.

“The JAMB management has also informed members of the family of those affected.”

When a call was placed to the Public Relations Unit of JAMB, an official said the spokesman of the agency was in a meeting.

In the last three years, workers have been kicking against the promotion examination but the government has maintained that civil servants cannot remain stagnant without updating their knowledge.

Going by the civil service regulations, junior staff from levels 01 to 06 are expected to write promotion examination every two

years.

While those on Grade Levels 7 to 14 take their turn every three years, the staff in the directorate group (Levels 15-17) write promotion examinations every four years.

The promotion examination was resuscitated by a former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Steve Oronsaye.

About 50 per cent of the 108 directors in the Federal Civil Service, who wrote examinations between September 23 and 30 to vie for slots in the Permanent Secretary cadre failed.

The Federal Government shortlisted 15, who have now become Permanent Secretaries.

FEC approves N8.3b contracts for water transportation

A

S part of the efforts to resuscitate the inland waterways transport system, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) yesterday approved N8.3billion contracts for the construction of Inland River Ports and dredging.

The construction of the Inland River Port at Jamata, Lokoja will cost N4.112billion. The contract, which was awarded to Messrs Inter-Bau Construction Ltd, has a completion period of 57 weeks.

The dredging of the channel along Orashi River from Oguta Lake in Imo State to Degema, Rivers State is to cost N2.028billion, with a completion period of 12 months. The contract was awarded to Messr Simidia S. and I. International Company Limited.

The contract for the shore protection/dredging reclamation works at Aseo Moku and Patani, Delta State, Kelebe and Okun, Kogi State and Ilushi, Edo State is to cost N2.128billion. The contract was awarded to Messrs Evomec Global Services Limited and has a comple-

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

tion period of eight months.

Briefing reporters at the end of the meeting, which was presided over

by President Goodluck Jonathan, Information Minister Labaran Maku said at completion, the projects would open up the hinterland to the coastal ports and ease the evacuation of agricultural produce, petroleum products, bulk cargoes and distribution of essential imports.

Maku, who briefed reporters with the Transport Minister, Senator Idris Umar, noted that the projects would increase employment and improve socio-economic development of the areas.

On the reclamation, the minister said when completed, it would prevent the continuous erosion of community land and destruction of properties and ensure the restoration and reclamation of degraded areas and community markets.

He said the project will enhance the effectiveness of Inland Water Transportation and promote socioeconomic activities in affected com-

munities, adding that the project would also create 282 professional and non-professional job opportunities.

Maku added that the meeting received a report from the Minister of National Planning, Dr. Shamusideen Usman, on the works of Ministries, Departments and Agencies on the administration’s Transformation Agenda.

He said an Action Plan for the country for 2012 to 2015 will be out soon.

The meeting, he said, ratified the country’s membership of African Union Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) Agreement entered into by the Federal Inland Revenue Service.

Maku noted that ATAF holds many benefits for Nigeria, which include: access to and membership of the largest network of tax administrations in Africa, capacity building opportunities, institutional development initiatives and exchange of experiences.

The minister said: “Nigeria

•Maku

stands in a unique position to effect and influence the direction of tax administration and such other issues relevant to tax administration in Africa in the short and long term.”

ATAF agreement is a treaty binding all the signatories.

‘Nigeria youths lack skills for employment’ From Osagie Otabor, Benin

MINSTER for Youth Development, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, has attributed the high rate of unemployment in the country to lack of possession of requisite skills by youths.

Abdullahi said statistics showed that 67million youths in the country are jobless and that 80 percent of the figures do not posses university degree.

He spoke in Benin City when he addressed youths at a ‘Career Day’ seminar organised by the TY Danjuma Foundation.

Abdullahi said Nigeria imports semi-skilled labour from neighboring countries because of preference for paper certificate

by Nigerian youths.

The minister said the N1.2bn provided in the 2012 Budget for Youth Employment Programme is to build skills and give grants as soft loans.

He said the ministry would work with young people in agriculture, ICT, creative industry and infrastructure.

Abdullahi said there was another N200m from the Millenuim Development Goals (MDGs) for youths interested in agriculture.

Executive Director of the foundation, Mrs. Thelma Ekiyor, said the event was to prepare the youths to be creator of jobs and expressed the organisation’s readiness to partner with the government on agro-business.

Nasarawa probes ‘dubious contracts’ From Johnny Danjuma, Lafia

FOLLOWING the discovery of what the Nasarawa State government said was ‘dubios and even non existence contracts by previous administrations’, Governor Tanko Almakura yesterday inaugurated a 13-man committee to verify the claims by some contractors.

Inaugurating the committee in Lafia, Almakura said local contractors were allegedly owed up to N10 billion.

The governor said the aim of the exercise was not to witchhunt anybody, saying he would not allow his administration “to be harmstrung by banks and other creditors on issues of contracts and other services that are dubious.”

Almakura said: “Unless we adhere strictly to the virtues of accountability, probity and transparency, this administration will go under.

“We believe that at the end of the exercise, whatever government shall pay for, work would be close to true values and it will be for works actually done as we want to do a good job and leave behind, a legacy for the future.”

The governor said due process would always be given priority.

The terms of reference of the committee include: to appraise all contracts awarded above N50 Million, determine the scope of works executed and details relating to costs, inspect and conduct valuations to determine the derivable values for all contracts awarded.

6

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

NEWS

Enlightenment highpoint of my tenure, says FRSC chief Agwu •At The Nation on a farewell visit

O

UTGOING Lagos State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) Mr. Jonas Agwu yesterday said the enlightenment of residents was the highpoint of his three-year tenure.

Agwu, who will resume next week as the Head, Corps Public Education Department, spoke during a farewell visit to the headquarters of The Nation in Lagos.

He said he enjoyed the cooperation of the media, adding that this projected the activities of the FRSC and ensured that his objectives were realised.

Agwu, accompanied by top officials of the Lagos Sector Command of the commission, was received by Managing Director/ Editor–in-Chief of Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation titles, Mr. Victor Ifijeh and the Editor (Daily), Mr. Gbenga Omotoso.

The editor said he was proud of Agwu’s performance as a journalist in the public sector.

He said the FRSC chief has joined the growing list of journalists in public service, who have changed the erroneous impression that journalists are good at criticising but do not perform well in positions of responsibility.

•From left: Mrs Esther Sonusi, Public Education Officer, Lagos Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC); Mr Agwu; Mr Olusanjo Kasali, Information Officer, Lagos Secor Command, during their visit to The Nation...yesterday.

PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS

Dabiri-Erewa, others to PDP: leave Aregbesola alone

ACN UK elects officers

T

HE United Kingdom (UK) chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has elected new officers.

In a letter to the party’s National Secretary in Abuja, ACN former Chairman in the UK Dr Philip Idaewor said the new officers emerged through a “very successful congress and the third international conference, which took place on April 28.”

He noted the new executive is “a mix of professionals in various disciplines and Nigerians who have been involved in prodemocracy activism”.

Idaewor added: “It was sworn in, using the party’s constitution as contained in “Oath of Allegiance and Oath of Office” by the representative of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly and in attendance were the representative of Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola; the Chairman, ACN Ireland chapter; and other eminent dignitaries.”

The officers are: Dr Ibrahim Emokpaire (chairman); Otunba Obafemi Adenuga (deputy chairman); Dr Olayinka Oduwole (secretary); Mrs Jane Obialisi (vice secretary); Mr Benson Bolaji Odidi (ex-officio, Southwest); Mr Kenneth Chukwudi Onyeji (ex-officio, Southeast); Babatunde Davids (ex-officio, North Central); Mrs Folashade Braimoh (Women Leader); Mr Stephen Kifordu (organising secretary); Mr Lanre Rosiji (deputy organising secretary); Mrs Olangbede Onile-Ere (Treasurer) and Mrs Margaret Apoeso Falodi-Musa (deputy treasurer).

Others are: Mr Oluseun Baiyewu (financial secretary); Mr Henry Olawale Olatubosun (deputy); Mr Philip Ilenbarenemen (publicity secretary); Prince Abdulhakeem Adetola Momoh (deputy publicity secretary); Bamidele Odusanya (legal adviser); Ms Philo Asimu (deputy legal adviser); Mrs Lola Animashaun (welfare officer); Mr Oluwakayode Ademola Adebayo (deputy welfare officer) and Mr Reginald Ayemoba (youth leader).

NUJ Zone C holds retreat on media ownership From Ugochukwu Eke, Umuahia

HE leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Zone C is set to examine the challenges of the media ownership and development in relation to good governance at a retreat.

The National Vice-President of the NUJ in the zone, Ambrose Nwachukwu, told The Nation in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, that the retreat would address lack of effective media voice to propagate the ideas, potentials and endowments in the area.

He said the retreat will hold at Gregory University, Uturu.

According to him, “media seeds have been planted but they have failed to either geminate or survive the weather, as most of them suffer death right after their birth, especially in the private sector”.

The solution, the NUJ chief said, lies in journalists “looking into the problems so identified”.

T

NGF holds workshop for states

T

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

HE Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) yesterday organised a workshop for consultants involved in monitoring its programmes.

The workshop is to ensure a proper take-off of its peer reviewing states.

Justice Muhammadu Uwais, the Chairman of the Steering Committee on State Peer Review Mechanism, said the peer review of states would help reshape governance and enhance socioeconomic development of the states.

He noted that the innovation would assist the states to accelerate their development through periodic reviews of the implementation of their policies, plans and programmes.

The former Chief Justice of the Federation said this “will lead to a credible and robust change in the development of Nigeria”.

The Director-General of NGF Bayo Okauru said the workshop would enable the consultants to assist the Justice Uwaiseled committee.

By Emmanuel Oladesu, Deputy Political Editor

•Dabiri-Erewa

L

AGOS Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) lawmakers in the House of Representatives yesterday berated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for attempting to create religious tension and confusion in Osun State.

They are: Mrs. Abike DabiriErewa (Ikorodu), Moruf

Akinderu-Fatai (Osodi-Isolo) and Deji Jakande (Somolu).

The trio described the Islamisation allegation against Governor Rauf Aregbesola as malicious, wicked and diversionary.

Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa frowned at the allegation of secession levelled against the governor, saying Aregbesola, who is an advocate of true federalism, restructuring and devolution of powers, was wrongly labelled by the PDP. She described Aregbesola as a patriotic Nigerian, who has created an atmosphere of religious tolerance and harmony in his state.

According to her, dubious politicians, who were rejected at the polls, have been trying to divert the attention of the performing governor from his accelerated development programmes.

The journalist-turned politician said the brilliant performance of the ACN governor has sealed the hope of the PDP to return to relevance in the state.

Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa said: “PDP is yet to recover from its loss of power and relevance.

Yet, when they were in power by default, they did nothing other than heating up Osun State. Aregbesola has performed. He accomplished in less than two years

what the Olagunsoye Oyinlola administration could not do in seven years.”

Akinderu-Fatai said: “The PDP is a wounded lion, but it is in the cage of the people waiting to be consigned to the garbage heap of history.

The party is bleeding in Osun State.”

He urged Osun residents to support the ACN government in repositioning the state for excellence.

Jakande said: “My advice is that Ogbeni Aregbesola should remain focus in his avowed determination to spread the dividends of democracy to the nooks and crannies of the state.”

Afenifere warns against sending troops to Mali

A

FENIFERE Renewal Group (ARG) has cautioned the Federal Government against deploying troops in Mali, saying it is unnecessary to do so.

The group urged Nigeria to review its foreign policy because of the current realities in global politics.

In a statement by its spokesman, Kunle Famoriyo, the group said Nigeria should tackle its domestic challenges, instead of playing the role of a big brother to other nations.

The statement reads: “Nigeria has over the years played very commendable roles in the international arena, especially in the area of fostering global peace. But while we appreciate the role of the Nigerian Armed Forces in

By Emmanuel Oladesu, Deputy Political Editor

most peace-keeping missions in the past, since Congo in the 1960s, the ARG wishes to state that the move by Nigeria to spearhead another policing and military operations in the West African state of Mali, with a mission for restoring democracy in that country, is clearly a misplaced priority.

“This is against the fact that Nigeria is confronted with myriads of economic, social, political and fundamental security problems. We believe this is not the time to mind other people’s business, when we are running what could be described as a deficit account in many facets of our existence as a nation. The country’s lead-

ership should desist from any form of diversionary adventures that are not designed to frontally confront the evils besetting us.

“We have always had a situation, where, despite our huge contributions to stability in other lands, what we have received in return has not been commensurate with those contributions.

“While not advocating a policy of isolation, it is our position that what is urgently required is for the leadership of the country to channel its energy to resolving the problems facing us, especially the critical security challenges for which we need all hands to be on deck. It should not be said again that we have money, but the problem is how to spend it.”

NAS calls for autonomy of EFCC, ICPC

T

HE National Association Seadogs (NAS) has urged the Federal Government to make the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) autonomous.

According to the group, it is the major way the government can make a headway in the fight against corruption.

In a statement by its President, Oscar Egwuonwu, the group said the recent revelation of high profile corruption in the petroleum sector and the administration of pension funds showed that the Federal Government was clueless

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

about how to fight the malfeasance.

It expressed worry over the high level of corruption, saying this has assumed a dangerous dimension under the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

NAS blamed Dr Jonathan for not matching his words with action, warning that his administration’s failure to tackle the increasing menace of corruption portends grave dangers to the nation’s existence.

It urged the President to avoid treating the matter with kid gloves.

The statement reads: “This

can be effectively achieved through proper strengthening and re-organising existing anticorruption agencies (EFCC and ICPC) by making them truly autonomous and independent.

“The government of President Jonathan must implement the recommendations of the House of Representatives’ adHoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy in full. The report should not go the way of other reports that had been swept under the carpet.

“Investigations into the activities of several, if not all, government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) should begin immediately and those indicted for

corrupt criminal acts must be asked to refund such stolen money and be prosecuted accordingly.

“The government of President Jonathan must speed up the process of governance to deliver the expected gains of democracy. Growing unemployment in the country has to be checked as this appears to be one of the major factors responsible for the proliferation of criminal activities.”

NAS said it is an insult on honest and hardworking Nigerians that individuals and establishments indicted in various probes are “glorified” through some “plea bargains” and made to evade justice.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

7

NEWS Presidency denies Okah’s Oct 1 blast allegation From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

A

LEADER of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Henry Okah, has accused The Presidency of collusion in the 2010 Independence Day bombing in Abuja.

Okah is trial in South Africa over the incident.

In an affidavit to be filed by Okah before a South African court, which online media Sahara Reporters quoted, Okah explained how he influenced the appointment of Mrs Deizani Alison-Madueke as Petroleum Minister and how he met with Presidential Adviser Oronto Douglas.

But the Presidency described the allegations as “false and without any factual foundation”.

In a statement last night, Presidential spokesman Dr Reuben Abati said: “The attention of the Presidency has been drawn to reports in the media of allegations against President Goodluck Jonathan in an affidavit said to have been sworn to by Mr. Okah, who is facing trial in South Africa for his involvement in terrorist acts against Nigeria.

“The Presidency affirms that the allegations are false and without any factual foundation.

“As the case of Mr. Okah’s involvement in the plotting and execution of terrorist attacks in Nigeria is already before a court of competent jurisdiction in South Africa, the Presidency does not intend to say any more on the matter for now but will, in accordance with due process and international law, make a full representation on the matter to the court when the trial opens.

“The Presidency advises Nigerian media to respect the sanctity of the legal and judicial processes in this matter and avoid becoming willing tools in the hands of Mr. Okah and his agents in a diversionary trial by the media aimed only at impugning the character and integrity of the President and officials of his administration.”

In Okah’s affidavit, he affirms that on the day of the bombing, he received a call from Mr. Moses Jituboh, the Head of Personal Security to President Jonathan, who asked him to continue to cooperate with the President.

As Mr. Okah asserted in 2010, following the bombing, Mr. Jituboh also asked him to shift the blame of the bombing to radical elements in the North.

Following the emergence of new facts, Mr. Okah is reapplying for bail. In his response to new information in his police docket that contains evidential material that will be used in his trial. Okah is facing trial at South Gauteng High Court that is estimated to last over 18 months.

He is pleading with the court to grant him bail because the case against him is weak and the state cannot provide evidential material to support their case.

The case will begin on October 1, by which time he would have spent two years in jail. The State has lined up over 50 witnesses from Nigeria to appear in court in South Africa. Okah also plans to call over 100 witnesses in his defence.

Reps move to reduce CBN’s powers

T

HE House of Representatives yesterday moved to reduce the powers of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

It directed its committees to propose amendments to the acts setting up Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to prevent them from spending their Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) without the National Assembly’s consent.

At plenary yesterday, the House went through the second reading of a bill to exclude deputy governors and directors from the membership of the board of the CBN. It also compelled the CBN to bring its annual budget before the Parliament for approval.

The bill was referred to the

•Urges MDAs to remit IGR From Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja

House committees on Banking and Currency and Justice for further legislative input.

The Senate had considered and put a similar bill through a second reading recently.

The bill entitled: A Bill for an Act to Amend the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007 No.7 to Appoint a Person Other Than Governor as Chairman of the Board of the Bank, Exclude Deputy Governors and Directors as Members of the Board, Divest the Board of the Power of Consideration and Approval of the Annual Budget of the Bank, and for Other Related Matters, was sponsored by Adams Jagaba (PDP, Kaduna).

Jagaba sought a change to Sections 6, 7(1) and 8(3), 49 and

50 of the principal Act. The amendment is on the composition of the board of the CBN and who should audit its accounts. It stipulates that instead of the board of the CBN fixing the salaries and allowances of the governor and the deputy governor, the task should be done by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, subject to the approval of the President.

The bill received overwhelming support from the members during the debate.

The lawmakers suggested that the amendment should also cover agencies with IGR and compel them to pay such incomes into the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

The Deputy Leader noted

that it is wrong for the CBN to spend money without appropriation from the National Assembly.

He said: “The Parliament should protect the management of the asset of the country; nobody can appropriate funds without the input of the National Assembly.”

The Deputy Minority Whip Samson Osagie (CAN, Edo State) said the CBN Act is an example of a legislation gone bad, “having failed many tests after it has been in force for many years”.

He added: “The amendment seeks the entrenchment of the principle of checks and balances in administration. How can the board of CBN fix its own salary to the exclusion of the Wages and Salaries Commission? It’s an aberration.”

Court orders WAEC to file defence on land dispute

By Adebisi Onanuga

JUSTICE Oluwatoyin Taiwo of a Lagos High Court, Ikeja, yesterday ordered the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to file its defence in a suit by a businessman, Kayode Euzebio, on a parcel of land at Plot 6, Southern Industrial Estate, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos.

In a consolidating ruling, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo held that the suit would be given accelerated hearing and that the court cannot immediately go into the merit of the matter.

She said: “A recourse to an order of accelerated hearing should be preferred to an order of interlocutory injunction so that the matters in controversy could be settled once and for all.”

But WAEC, the second defendant, in an application, urged the court to strike out the suit. It described the matter as an abuse of the court process.

In the suit filed by his lawyer, Babatunde Oshilaja, the businessman urged the court to invoke disciplinary jurisdiction of the court and restrain the defendants from taking any action on the disputed land pending the hearing and final determination of the suit.

Court restores police station in Kogi community From Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

•Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola (left); Chairman, United Imams and Khateebs of Nigeria, Osun State chapter, Mallam Lere Yusuf (middle); Chief Imam, Anabilonigba Central Mosque, Osogbo, Alhaji Moshood Busari (right) and others during a visit of the group to the governor at the Government House, Osogbo.

NECOM House: Bankole’s father, others accused of contempt

A

LAGOS State High Court, Igbbosere, yesterday fixed June 4 for hearing in a contempt application against Chief Sarau Bankole, father of former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, and others.

The Nigerian Telecommunications (NITEL) Plc sought to initiate contempt proceedings against West African Aluminum Products Plc and its directors, including Chief Bankole.

They will be incarcerated if is proven that they flouted a valid court order.

NITEL is praying the court to declare that 15, Marina Street, Lagos (NECOM House) is its property and has not been sold.

It is asking for N500 million damages against the defendants for alleged trespass and a perpetual injunction restraining them from having any claim to the house.

But the defendants averred that they bought the property through a third-party liquidator.

The court, on April 11, last year, gave an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the defendants from the property until the suit is determined.

By Joseph Jibueze

But the defendants, through their agent – Messrs M.I. Okoro and Associates - allegedly wrote a letter to the occupants. They asked the tenants not to pay any rent to the claimant or its agent. This was allegedly done after the interlocutory order had been made.

NITEL, therefore, began contempt proceedings against the defendants. It filed a Form 48, a notice to the court that its order had allegedly been flouted.

The court asked the claimant to put the defendants on notice of the contempt application. It also permitted it to amend its statement of claim.

The amendment showed that the purported sale of NECOM House by a NITEL liquidator was vitiated by fraud.

Justice Agnes Nicol-Clay ruled yesterday that the contempt proceedings have to be concluded before the substantial matter is heard.

She said: “When the issue of contempt is raised, it should be heard first before the court could proceed. It is also important to

hear from the contemnor on the issue.

“But because it was not listed today (yesterday), the court will give a date for the contempt issue to be heard.”

Counsel to NITEL, Chief Mamman Osuman (SAN), averred that the trial could not go on until the contempt application is heard.

He said: “This court must …treat the issue of contempt first. The respondent cannot get the indulgence of the court to proceed with the trial when the contemnor has an issue of contempt against him. It is a matter of procedure that the issue of contempt be heard first.”

Defense counsel Wale Akoni (SAN) said the application was not in the court’s list of cases for yesterday. He said it could, therefore, not be considered.

“What we have is a trial. I am surprised that my learned friend is canvassing for a contempt issue when they it was them that brought us to court. But they are now unwilling to allow the trial to continue,” Akoni said.

After the arguments, the judge agreed with Osuman and fixed the date.

FEDERAL High Court in Abuja yesterday ordered the acting Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar to restore a divisional police station at Ette village in Kogi State.

The order is pending when the National Boundary Commission determines whether the community belongs to Kogi or Enugu State.

Justice Adamu Bello issued the order of mandamus.

He directed the fourth respondent - the Nigerian Army - to refrain from invading the community and brutalising its members and/ or destroying their houses and property or do anything at the instance of any or both of the disputant states, pending the resolution of the boundary dispute.

The plaintiffs - Joseph Oodo, Mathew Ogwuche, Emmanuel Agada, John Onche and Abdullahi Momoh Sani - filed the suit on behalf of themselves and the community in Olamoboro Local Government Area.

We’re fulfilling our election promises to Lagosians, says Fashola

L

AGOS State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) yesterday said he has kept his electoral promise to upgrade infrastructure, green the environment and improve the residents’ wellbeing.

The governor spoke at the launch of his administration’s achievements after 1,800 days in office.

He said his administration commissioned the state’s Records and Archives Bureau; the Office of the Public Defender; the Security and Com-

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie and Miriam Ndikanwu

mand Centre; the Iponri mini-water works and the maternal and child care centre at Gbaja.

Fashola said: “Whilst we are making progress with 14 of the 15 inner roads we promised to rehabilitate in Agege, the 16 local roads in Badiya, the two schools in Bariga and the one in Gbagada, we have completed one of the 11 drainage

channels in Lekki. The ones we committed to repairing in Agege, Shomolu and other parts of Lagos, after last year’s rainfall, are being worked on and considerable progress has been made on them.”

The governor said the state has begun the regeneration of the Costain axis, parts of Obalande and the construction of Ajao-Ejigbo Link Bridge.

He regretted the state is hamstrung on the Ijegun, Oshun and Isolo Jakande

bridge due to paucity of fund, saying the project would cost N10billion.

According to him, as soon as funds are available, the project will be completed.

On the proposed Mile 12Ikorodu road, Fashola said the project would cost N30 billion and would begin soon.

The governor said he would award contracts for 17 new schools, renovation of 282 classes in seven schools, renovation and furnishing of

44 science laboratories, provision of 15,000 units of school furniture and 1,986 housing units.

He noted that an additional 660 housing units for the Agbowa community may be hampered by a suit the community filed against the government.

According to him, the government will provide modern facilities for the roads, such as street lights and lane markings, to tackle traffic challenges in the metropolis.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

8

CITYBEATS Lagos gets road protection society A

BY Miriam Ndikanwu

THE Lagos State Government has established a road protection advocacy society to complement its effort on road maintenance.

Chairman Lagos State Public Works Corporation (LSPWC), Mr. Gbenga Akintola said the initiative is to protect infrastructures built by government.

Akintola disclosed that the series of advocacy campaign organised by the corporation for different categories of people in the state soliciting for support in complementing the state government's effort in road maintenance may have started yielding results.

He said the corporation has maintained 400 roads this year and would require the cooperation of Lagosians in ensuring that they maintain the roads properly to ensure they last longer.

“We are soliciting the support of Lagosians to desist from habits that include dumping of refuse in drains, burning of tyres on roads, indiscriminate cutting of roads and a number of other harmful habits,” Akintola said.

Court remands two for ‘murder’ Stories by Precious Igbonwelundu

A LAGOS Magistrate's Court, Ebute-Meta, yesterday remanded two men in prison for alleged murder. The men, Mudashiru Lawal, 27, and Saadu Abdullahi, 20, were charged on a two-count of conspiracy to murder and unlawful killing of a yet to be identified young man.

Prosecuting Inspector Samuel Omoyeni said the offence contravened Sections 231 and 221 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State 2011.

Magistrate M.O. Olubi ordered their remand in prison custody pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and adjourned the matter to May 31.

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

LAGOS High Court, Ikeja, yesterday declined to admit as exhibits some gory photographs of a banker, Titilayo Omozoije Arowolo, allegedly killed by her husband, Akolade.

The photographs were those taken at the scene of the crime by a police photographer.

At the resumed trial of Akolade Arowolo for the alleged murder of his wife, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mrs. Olabisi Ogungbesan, sought to tender the photographs through a witness, Inspector Gift Onyechi, a Police Photographer from the Photo Section of the Forensic Department of the State Criminal Investigation Department, (SCID), Yaba, Lagos.

But Arowolo’s counsel, Mr. Olarenwaju Ajanaku, objected saying the move was not in accordance with the law.

Ajanaku urged the court not to admit the photographs because the prosecution failed to produce the negatives.

He said since the photographs were taken with an analogue camera, the negatives must also be tendered.

Ajanaku said the prosecution must produce the negatives before the photographs can be admitted in evidence.

In her ruling, Justice Lateefat Okunnu rejected the photographs, and asked the prosecution to produce their negatives as demanded by the defence.

Earlier, the 10th prosecution witness, Onyechi, in his testimony, described what the scene of the incident looked like when the forensic team arrived.

Court refuses to admit slain banker’s pictures as exhibit

By Adebisi Onanuga

Onyechi said when they arrived at the Arowolo’s residence at 8, Akindehinde Street, Isolo, Lagos, they met the door damaged and

he took shots of the scene.

"The door leading to the apartment was seriously damaged, we saw blood on the wall in the kitchen, the room was turned upside

down, the bed also has blood stains and a lot of flesh was found at the bedside."

Justice Okunnu adjourned the case to June 6.

Cash find: Crash victim disappears from hospital

W

HO owns the N4million cash recovered from an accident scene by some officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC)?

The mystery over the ownership of the cash has deepened following the disappearance from hospital of the man be-

lieved to own the money.

The accident victim was said to have disappeared shortly after admission at the Badagry General Hospital, last week.

Lagos Police Command's spokesman Jaiyeoba Joseph, said the police learnt of the victim's disappearance during a visit to the hospital on Tues-

F

Man, 26, pleads guilty to burglary A 26-YEAR-OLD man, Emmanuel Bassey, has pleaded guilty before an Ikeja Magistrate's Court for breaking into a shop and stealing properties worth N156,000 belonging to Joy Ellam.

Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), L.O. Moman said the accused with the intent to steal, broke into shop 9/10 Axiom Plaza, Ogba, Lagos, around 8pm on April 10, thereby committing an offence under Section 308 No. 11 Vol. 44 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

Bassey was also alleged to have stolen items including perfumes, wrist watches, an Indian Weavon, as well as a Milky way Yaki amounting to N156,000.

Bassey pleaded guilty to the charges and urged the court to forgive him. He said: "It was the work of the devil".

Magistrate, E.O. Ogunkanmi adjourned the case to May 4.

• TRAGIC COUPLE: Late Titilayo, with her husband Akolade Arowolo when the going was good PHOTO: File

•Ms Pabai

day.

Joseph said the police received the recovered N4,091,400 from the FRSC, adding that the victim had earlier claimed the amount on him at the time of the crash was N6.5 million.

He said part of the money might have been stolen by

hoodlums before the FRSC officials rescued him.

Joseph said the police were investigating the source of the cash, because of the way the money was wrapped.

He said the cash is in police custody, while the vehicle is with the FRSC, pending further investigation.

21 months after, LUTH ‘frees’ Liberian woman

REEDOM has finally come for Liberian woman held since 2010 at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) for failing to settle her N1.2million bills.

Ms Lombeh Pabai, 42, was rushed to LUTH in August 2010, after she was knocked down by a United Africa Company (UAC), truck at Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos. She had a fractured ankle and a big cut on the knee. She had a surgery on the affected leg.

LUTH Management discharged her on Monday, after she was made to write a letter of undertaking that she is owing the hospital N1.2million.

Reliving her experience to CityBeats moments after regaining her freedom, Ms Pabai

By Leke Salaudeen

said she was admitted in the hospital in August 2010 following injuries sustained when she was hit by a UAC truck.

"UAC settled my bill when I was at the Accident and Emergency Department. But since I was admitted to the ward, they stopped coming to look after me," she said.

She went on: "I was not able to pay my bill, but the hospital management said they cannot continue to keep me in the ward, so they have released me, but I am still indebted to them. There is a written document to that effect."

Ms Pabai said though UAC seemed to have abandoned her to her fate, she ‘frees’ that her relation might have collected some money from the company.

"I learnt that my relation collected certain amount of money from UAC on my behalf which he didn't deliver to me. He only came to see me once, when I was at the

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

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

Rapid Response Squad (RRS) 080-23111742; 080-29728371 Lagos Zonal Command Phone Phone Nos: 070-55350249; 080-23909364; 080-77551000 No:080-33706639; 01-7742771 070-35068242 01-7904983 Sector Commander Phone No: 080-79279349; 080-63299264 080-34346168; 01-2881304

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

emergency depatment. I don't know how much he collected from UAC. But later I gave a note to a sister (a Sierra Leonean) to UAC. She was also given about N152, 000 which she diverted. But with the help of the Police, I was able to retrieve the money from her which I used to pay for the surgery," Ms Pabai said.

She said left to her fate by family and friends, survived at the hospital by the grace of God. "I have been surviving by God's grace. The patients in the ward and their relations were very kind to me. They provided most of my needs," she said.

Though she hasn't fully recovered, Ms Pabai said she is much better. "I can now put some weight on the leg. It has not fully healed.

I was on Plaster of Paris (POP) for six months hoping it will put the leg back in proper shape but it didn't.”

She said LUTH stopped treating her long ago, but usually attended to her and gave her medications anytime she developed serious complications.

But despite her travails, she said she still loves Nigeria. "I will go home and come back. Nigeria remains my base. The problem I am facing is accommodation. I have accumulated rents on the house I was living before the accident. The landlord is threatening to throw out my belongings," she said.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

9

CITYBEATS

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

I killed him in self defence, says commercial sex worker

A

COMMERCIAL sex worker, Hope Okafor, yesterday told a Lagos High Court, that she killed her client, Samuel Sarumi - in self defence.

She said she did not know that Sarumi died from the injury until the next day when the police informed her.

Okafor, 26, is standing trial for allegedly stabbing Sarumi, to death at 11:30p.m on March 2, last year.

Principal State Counsel, Mosunmola Balogun said the accused stabbed Farumi with a bottle on his shoulder, near his

By Adebisi Onanuga

armpit, which later resulted in his death.

But Hope claimed that Sarumi attacked her and nearly choked her to death when she resisted his attempt to force her to sleep with him.

Led in evidence by her counsel, Ms Onabolu, Okafor said on the fateful day the deceased came to the hotel at midnight to see his girlfriend.

"On March 2, 2011 at 12midnight, Samuel came into my room and asked for his girlfriend, but I told him that the girl had gone out.

"He however, refused to leave wanting to force me into having sex with him, but I declined. He held me by the neck and almost choked me. When I was able to escape his grip, I ran into my room and I saw a bottle that I had to break so as to scare him away as he had followed me into my room.

"He however, refused to leave and I was forced to stab him and he ran out of my room immediately. He later brought in some hoodlums into the room and they beat me up. As a result, I had swollen mouth, injuries on my back and face.

"I didn't know that Samuel died the day I stabbed him till the next day when the police told me he died,” Okafor said.

She said she was locked up in Panti (police station) for over a month before being transferred to prison custody.

Answering the prosecutor’s question, Okafor described Sarumi as a jovial and generous man, who treated her well anytime he came to see his girlfriend, Ivie.

She described the incident that led to Sarumi's death as a surprise because it was out of character for the deceased.

Okafor said:"Before I was arrested, Sarumi's mother visited me and accused me of being a murderer and that I too must be killed."

Justice Lateefat Okunnu adjourned the case to June 28.

Three remanded

By Precious Igbonwelundu

AN Ikeja Magistrate's Court has remanded three men for alleged robbery.

Femi Elegbede (21), John Solomon (23) and Amidu Oduoye (23), were arraigned on a two-count charge of conspiracy and robbery.

The accused, on April 7, at 3:10 am, at Ayobo, Lagos, allegedly conspired to rob Saubanna Osene of a Nokia handset, valued at N4,500, a Blackberry phone valued at N75,000, and gold and jewelleries valued at N150,000.

It was alleged that the accused and others at large were armed with guns and other dangerous weapons.

The offence is said to have contravened Section 1(2) (a) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special) Act, Cap 398 Vol. XXII laws of the Federation 1990 as amended. The accused pleas were not taken. Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) L.O. Mamah, urged the court to remand them in prison pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

Magistrate E.O. Ogunkanmi ordered their remand until June 6.

‘End strike now’

By Emmanuel Oladesu Deputy Political Editor

• President, Association of Resident Doctors LASUTH, Dr Saheed Babajide, Aremu, Chude and Chairman, Pedro Taxi Park, Mr Taofeek Oladokun... yesterday PHOTO: WALE ADEPOJU

Pay striking doctors, Lagos told •Group urges govt to stop ‘repressive’ taxi policy

A

GROUP, Joint Action Front (JAF), has urged the Lagos State Government to pay the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) to the striking doctors in the interest of the masses.

According to the group, the state only needs N120million yearly to fully implement the scheme.

At a press briefing in Lagos yes-

By Wale Adepoju

terday, the group said the non-payment of the doctors is a breach of collective bargainning and rule of law.”

JAF urged the state to dialogue with the doctors over their strike that has plunged the health sector into crisis.

JAF Deputy Chairman Mr

Achike Chude said the agreement on the implementation of CONMESS is in a Federal Government circular SWC/S/04/S.410/220 of September, 2009.

On the recruited of new doctors, JAF Secretary Mr Abiodun Aremu said: "The so called prospective recruit should be aware that the same CONMESS is bound to apply to them and should, therefore, shun

the futile recruitment exercise."

He added: "JAF will mobilise Lagosians on mass action to compel the government to implement the agreement."

Describing the government’s policy that taxi operators should stop using second-hand cars as “unlawful”, Areme wondered where the drivers would get N4.5million to buy new cars.

He said the new policy has strengthened the government’s partners in control of taxi business to run the poor operators out of business.

Court remands man, 21, in prison for alleged robbery

A

LAGOS Magistrate's Court, Ebute-Meta, yesterday remanded Adeona Adebola Michael, 21, in prison for alleged robbery.

According to the charge sheet, the accused and others at large on March 26, at 9:00pm along Access Road in University of Yaba

Stories by Precious Igbonwelundu

(Unilag), Akoka, Lagos, conspired to commit robbery, thereby committing an offence under Section 5(b) and punishable under Section 1(2)(a) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provision) Act,

Cap 398 Vol. XXII, Laws of the Federation 1990 as amended.

The accused and others at large allegedly robbed a woman, Edu Adola, of 4, Anigilaje Street, Akute, Lagos, of two Blackberry phones valued N80,000 and N100,000 cash thereby committing an offence punishable

16 arraigned for attempted murder

S

IXTEEN person were yesterday arraigned before an Ebute Meta Magistrate's Court for alleged attempted murder of Ibrahim Abdulkadir and Lawal Mohammed.

The accused are Mohammed Bello, 27, Haruna Abdullahi, 22, Gambo Abubakar ,29, Yusuf Abbass, 21, Sago Haruna, 21, Idris Yunisa, 26, Ibrahim Jemuali ,30, Hassan Abubakar ,32, Audu Aliu, 21, Sahabi Abubakar ,32, and Sahabi Abubakar, 32.

Others are Babangida Yunasa, 25, Imam Musa, 27, Ismail Yahaya, 20, Lawali Alhassan, 40, Aminu Abubakar, 25, and Dasiru Mohammed, 32.

They pleaded not guilty to the charge.

It was alleged that the defendants on April 26, at about 7:30pm around Ketu, Mile 12, Lagos, attempted to kill Ibrahim Abdulkadir and Lawal Mohammed and others, by attacking them with cutlass,

leaving them in a state of coma.

The police said the accused inflicted wounds on Abdulkadir and Mohammed, and conducted themselves in a manner likely to cause breach of peace.

The offences are said to have contravened Sections 231, 288, 244 and 44 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State.

Magistrate, M.O. Olubi, granted the accused N100,000 bail, with a surety each in like sum. He adjourned the case to June 6.

under Section 1(2)(a)(b) of the Robbery and Firearms Act 1990 as amended.

They were also accused of unlawfully had in their possession a locally made short gun, cut to size, without licence from the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), or any other constituted authority, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 4 and punishable under Section 28(1)(b)(I) of the Robbery and Firearms Act, Cap 146, 1990 as amended.

Magistrate, M.O. Olubi remanded the accused in prison and adjourned the case to June 7, pending legal advice from Department of Public Prosecution (DPP).

Olubi advised the Police to read a copy of the case file to DPP, before the adjourned date or face a reversal of his order. He said the accused cannot be remanded indefinitely.

THE Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), Lagos State Chapter, yesterday urged the striking doctors to suspend their action.

The organisation, comprising 25 parties, appealed to the government to "do all within its power to make the doctors go back to work immediately to stop the continuous loss of lives.”

Chairman, Mr. Akin Obadia told reporters in Lagos that the should have respected the sanctity of lives and their Hippocratic Oath, which forbids them from going on strike, irrespective of their grievances with government. Obadia advised the government and doctors to resume dialogue urging understanding by the doctors, who he said are the highest paid civil servants in the state.

Obadia said: "Doctors alone consume 60 percent of the total annual recurrent expenditure of the state. Fresh doctors, who are House Officers earn N173,927.33 monthly and Consultants earn N801, 985.09, excluding their teaching allowances.

'Lagos State government must do all within its power to make the doctors go back to work immediately to stop the continuous loss of precious lives in Lagos State hospitals.”

Starcomms rolls-out recharge on Quickteller STARCOMMS Plc has entered into partnership with Interswitch Limited for the sale of airtime PINs on its service platform called Quickteller.

Starcomms Chief Executive Officer Mr Logan Pather said customers can now recharge their mobile phones via the Quickteller platform from their homes, offices, on Automated Teller Machines (ATM), Point of Sale (PoS), and online at www.quick teller.com any time of the day.

He said: "With Quickteller customers can now top up via multiple channels which include ATMs, PoS and online and still purchase the different denominations at the respective face value."

10

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

11

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

Naira ends flat as oil firms sell dollars

T

HE naira was stable on both the interbank market and at the official window yesterday as sales of about $194 million by two multinational oil companies to some lenders helped counter surging demand for dollars among importers.

The naira, according to Reuters, closed at N157.40 to the dollar on the interbank market, the same level as Monday’s close, after rising to about N157.18 to the dollar as the oil companies named by traders as ExxonMobil unit Mobil and Agip sold the greenback.

“Two oil multinationals, Mobil and Agip, sold about $194 million, which initially helped the naira up, before it finally settled at 157.40/$ at the close of market,” one dealer said.

The currency had firmed on Monday, from N157.80 to N157.40 per dollar, on expected dollar sales by some oil multinationals.

Traders said strong demand from fuel and finished products importers had been piling pressure on the local currency until the flows from the oil companies helped to calm the market.

T

We called all the IOCs to make their input that has been done. All the input would be presented for us to look at them in order to push the PIB. - Mrs DiezaniAlisonMadueke, Minister of Petroleum Resources

Reps fault CBN, AMCON on takeover of three banks

HE House of Represen tatives has faulted the process adopted by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in the change of ownership of former Afribank (now Mainstreet Bank), Bank PHB (Keystone Bank) and Springbank (Enterprise Bank).

The apex bank ceded the banks to the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) on the excuse that they failed to recapitalise before the deadline set for them.

The tirades came yesterday at the public hearing by the House of Representatives on the collapse of the capital market.

Against the CBN’s insistence that the three banks were not nationalised, the House also said the apex bank was indirectly responsible for the widespread fraud that led to the collapse of the nation’s capital market through its N25 billion recapitalisation fund, that it insisted must be met by the banks.

The Chairman of the Com-

• ‘Why capital market collapsed’ From: Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja

mittee, Ibrahim El-Sudi, stated that the apex bank seemed to have failed in its supervisory role over the activities of the banks, which eventually led to the bailout of eight banks with an injection of N620 billion into their operations.

Another member of the committee,Toby Okechukwu, also sought explanations from the CBN on the justification for taking over the three banks, arguing that due process might have been compromised with the composition of the hierarchy of AMCON that took over the three banks.

However,Bimbo Daramola noted that insider trading and other unwholesome strategies adopted by the affected banks might have triggered the rush to meet the recapitalisation deadline.

This is as the apex bank

failed to clarify who authorised the printing of N620 billion bailout fund for the eight banks as well as the status of the fund said to have been fully repaid by the eight banks.

CBN Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability, Kingsley Moghalu, who represented the Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, at the public hearing, insisted that AfriBank, Bank PHB and Springbank were not nationalised.

“Let me make it clear.

There is no nationalised bank in Nigeria. What we have are bridged banks. The banks were taken over by AMCON,” he stated.

Moghalu said: “Afribank used a share buy back arrangement to manipulate its price when its public offer took place in 2007. The bank advanced credit facilities to three stock broking firms and those credit facilities

were utilised in purchasing shares in the names of the 1,258 fictitious subscribers.

“The shares purchased represented 66 per cent of Afribank offer. On the specific instructions of the bank’s managing director, the shares held by the 1,258 subscribers were consolidated and transferred to nine companies owned by the bank and its directors.

“So depositors’ fund were being used to buy back shares in the capital market. This action contravened the provisions of the Investment and Security Act of 2007, which prohibits activities that create a false or misleading impression of active trading by engaging in the purchase or sale of a security that does not involve a change in the beneficial ownership of the security.

“In Finbank in 2006, the Management conspired in impropriety of purchase of its own shares through companies incorporated by the bank.”

N

DATA STREAM

RATES Inflation -12.6% Treasury Bills -7.08% Maximum lending22.42% Prime lending -15.87% Savings rate -2% 91-day NTB -14.18% Time Deposit -5.49% MPR -12% Foreign Reserve $34.6b FOREX CFA 0.2958 EUR 206.9 £ 245 $ 156.4 ¥ 1.9179 SDR 241 RIYAL 40.472

Airtel Q4 profits dip on higher costs • 1%Africa revenue up 16%

I

IGERIA’s leading fixed wireless and CDMA mobile telecoms firm Starcomms said yesterday its pre-tax loss widened more than threefold to N15.61 billion ($99.24 million) in 2011, from N5.16 billion in the previous year, the company said in a statement through the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

Turnover also dropped to N20.10 billion, from N29.03 billion in 2010.

MARKET CAPITALISATIONS NSE -N6.503 trillion JSE -Z5.112trillion NYSE -$10.84 trillion LSE -£61.67 trillion

T

HE Federal Govern ment plans to issue N145.05 billion ($922.12 million) in treasury bills ranging from threemonth to one-year maturities at its regular monthly debt auction next week, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said yesterday.

The bank said it would issue N32.05 billion in 91-day paper, N53 billion in 182-day bills and N60 billion in 364day bills on Thursday next week.

Nigeria, Africa’s second biggest economy after South Africa, issues treasury bills regularly to reduce money supply, curb inflation and help lenders manage their liquidity.

Yields at the previous auction fell across the board, driven by strong demand from offshore and local institutional investors, traders said.

By Adline Atili

Starcomms loss is N15.6b

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

Fed Govt to auction N145b T-bills

• From left: Human Resource Director, Nigeria Breweries Plc, Mr Victor Famuyibo; Managing Director, Mr Nicholas A. Verveld and Sales Director, Mr Hubert Eze, at the Pre-Annual General Meeting of NB. Plc, at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos ...

PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE yesterday.

National Assembly steps down all versions of PIB

T

HE National Assembly has stopped all ver sions of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) before it.

There is no such bill as Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) before the lawmakers at both the lower and upper chambers of the legislature, it was learnt.

The former President of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), now a member of the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Hon. Peter Ohiozojeh Akpatason, told reporters at the ongoing Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, United States that there is no PIB in House of Representatives.

He said: “People say that virtually everything in the oil and gas industry is at

• Seeks fresh bill

By Emeka Ugwuanyi in Houston, Texas

standstill, investment in and developments of new and old projects are stalled because of non-passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), but actually the issue is not non-passage because there is no bill in the first place. You don’t talk of passage when there is no bill anywhere.”

He said the attempt to pass the PIB by the Sixth Assembly failed because it was over-delayed by the intervention of the industry and political class. He noted that many versions came up such as the one by the inter-agency committee headed by the Nigerian National Petro-

leum Corporation (NNPC), one from the industry, which was actually packaged by the International Oil Companies (IOCs) and the one that originally came from the Oil and Gas Industry Committee (OGIC) that was in the National Assembly. He said at the end of the day, it took so much time and effort to identify which one was the right version before the lawmakers started the process. Besides, pressure from different interest groups kept coming until the end of the Sixth Assembly, which made them unable to pass it.

“We were to start from where the Sixth Assembly stopped, but we have to start it new, which means going it all over again. But despite the willingness to do so, the new government came up with

the idea of producing a fresh draft altogether. I don’t know what informed that, but that is the reality on ground at the moment,” he added.

“We hope that will be done as quickly as possible.

As it stands, it is left for the executive arm of the government, the Ministry of Petroleum and the NNPC to come up with a new petroleum industry bill. As we speak right now, there is no one at the National Assembly. So, we cannot talk of non-passage, but rather the situation we have is that there is no bill at all but if one comes, we are so willing and determined to debate on it particularly with people like us who have experienced it on both sides (the industry and legislature).

NDIA-BASED operator group, Bharti Airtel, has reported weaker-than-expected profit and revenue for its latest quarter as higher costs, fierce price competition and regulatory uncertainty impacted results.

For its fiscal Q4 (ending 31 March, 2012), the Indian number-one reported a 28 per cent decline in net profit to $200million, though revenue rose 15 per cent to $3.7billion.

For the full year, net income was down 30 per cent to $890million, while revenue was up 20 per cent to $14.9billion.

However, quarterly revenues were up by 10.5 per cent at the India and Southeast Asia unit (to $2.7billion) and by 16 per cent in Africa ($1billion) year-on-year.

In a statement, Bharti said the shortfall in annual net income was impacted by 3G licence fee amortisation ($135million), 3G interest costs ($95million), forex fluctuation losses ($87million) and tax provisions ($82million).

Chairman of the company, Sunil Bharti-Mittal, said: “I am pleased that the year has ended with the Company’s customer base crossing 250 million across twenty countries, the twentieth country being Rwanda .

“Our launch of 4G LTE, the first in India, is testimony to our commitment to the broadband agenda. The recent regulatory developments in India will have significant implications on the future of telephony and broadband, as well as India’s global competitiveness.”

Bharti’s total customer base rose 14 per cent year-on-year to 252 million, stretching across 20 countries.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

12

BUSINESS NEWS Flight Schedule

Globacom introduces new roaming service

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

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

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

1.

2.

3.

4.

Arik Aero Arik Aero

1. Arik 2. Aero 1.

2.

3.

4.

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

LAGOS – KADUNA Aero 08.00 Chanchangi 10.00 Arik 10.00 Arik 15.10

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

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

2.

3.

4.

5.

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

08.40 08.40 14.55 15.10 17.40

1.

2.

3.

4.

Arik Aero Arik Aero

LAGOS – WARRI 08.15 11.50 11.55 14.55

09.1 12.50 12.55 15.55

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

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

08.50 09.45 09.40 14.00 15.45 19.55

LAGOS – OWERRI 07.20 14.00 16.30

08.30 15.10 17.40

LAGOS – UYO 10.35

11.35

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

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

08.00 18.00

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

Stories by Adline Atili

S

• From left: Head, Sustainability, Access Bank,Omobolanle Babatunde and Bissalla Bello of Friends of the Global Fund Africa, at the Businessday Annual Giving Back Conference in Lagos.

Nigeria’s foreign assets fall

by N124b N

IGERIA’s foreign assets dropped slightly by 1.6 per cent to N7.289trillion in March this year as against the N7.413 trillion it was in January, data obtained by The Nation has revealed.

The latest money and credit statistics obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) indicated that the nation’s foreign assets were down by N124billion.

The CBN’s economic indicator also showed that net domestic credit, which is the total number of credits in the economy, stood at N13.9trillion in January as against N13.6trillion in March this year.

This indicates a reduction of about N300billion in the credit outflow in the economy. Analysts have attributed the development to the unfavourable economic climate, and the inability of the government to provide a lasting solution to it.

An analyst with Profound Secu-

D

By Akinola Ajibade

rities Limited, Mr Chijoke Obiagwu, said the slight drop in the nation’s assets would not have a serious implication on the economy. Obiagwu told said the nation’s foreign assets fell significantly within the period under review, the impacts would have been serious.

He said: A lot of issues have accounted for the drop in the nation’s foreign assets. There is high level of insecurity occasioned by the spate of bombings across the country. The issue of subsidy removal is another one. This has both internal and external impacts on the economy. But as it is, the issue cannot have serious implication on the economy. Had it been the gap between the net foreign assets in January and March is

bigger than this, it is going to have telling effects on the economy.”

Similarly, the former President, Association of National Accountants of Nigeria(ANAN), Dr Samuel Nzekwe, said it was unfortunate that the value of the country’s assets abroad are declining gradually at this critical period. He said it is sad that the country is losing its foreign assets, while at the same time not making efforts to improve on the ones at home.

He said: “There is imbalance in the economy. If the assets outside the country are decreasing and the government does not deem it fit to create and improve the domestic assets, the economy is in a serious problem.

He called on the Federal Government to make the nation’s domestic assets stronger, adding that the development would enable the country to make up for the shortage that occurs abroad.

Ekweremadu advocates use of ICT to “We just have to redouble our battle terrorism efforts at ICT development to be able to reap bountifully from its

EPUTY President, Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has called on the Federal Government and stakeholders in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector to use ICT in tackling the problem of insecurity in the country.

He made the call at the Beacon of ICT Distinguished Lecture/ Awards in Lagos.

Ekweremadu, who described ICT as a veritable tool of governance, political communications and advocacy for change and development, said the government had failed to harness its benefits to provide adequate security for the nation.

He said: “The importance of ICT in our contemporary society and its impact on our daily lives can-

By Adline Atili

not be overemphasised. It is overwhelming as it is encompassing. It has had extensive social impact, oiling social relations.

“It has proved to be our hope of economic survival, providing jobs, direct foreign investments, among others. Importantly, it has become a veritable tool of governance, political communication, and advocacy for change and development.

“While we, as a nation, are no longer where we used to be in terms of ICT development, the truth remains that we are nowhere near where we ought to be, given our abundant potential, especially in terms of human resources.

potential. Such efforts must be all encompassing to galvanise our ICT resources and create favourable environment for the industry to flourish. Again, while ICT plays great roles in the security of lives and property, it has proven to be a very bad servant when it enters the wrong hands.

“The onus is, therefore, on stakeholders and the government to ensure that we utilise ICT profitably in security terms. In particular, at a time like this, those doing business in the business have a task to ensure we deploy ICT effectively and rapidly towards bursting the terror and crime syndicates menacing the nation.”

BoI, Amosun’s wife to support Ogun youths

T

HE Managing Director, Bank of Industry (BoI) Mrs. Evelyn Oputu yesterday assured that enterprising young indigenes of Ogun State would be assisted by the bank to export their products.

Oputu said an enterprising spirit is what the state needs to drive her economy and creates opportunities for gainful self-employment for the people, stressing that youths with such attribute would be encouraged by BoI. She spoke in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, at the presentation of certificates, start-off tools, among other items, to 1,200 graduates in vocational skills under “Up-lifting Unemployed Graduates” scheme of the First Lady, Mrs Olufunso

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

Amosun.

She noted that she was “highly impressed” with the enthusiasm and talents demonstrated by the graduands in their new vocations, and urged them not to despise the little beginning in small and medium scale businesses.

She reckoned that most accomplished businesses took off in little ways and grew in time to become the giants.

Mrs Amosun said the beneficiaries of the scheme have got “the skills to excel and succeed in life,” urging them to make profitable use of the opportunities to stamp out poverty in their families.

“It is my belief that once you have been empowered, except you are lazy, you don’t need white collar jobs to earn a living. You have been taught how to fish and what you need to do is to go out and practice your skills.

“It is my conviction that graduates acquire vocational skills regardless of their course of study at the higher institutions. And regardless of educational status, acquiring vocational skills are desirable.

“The skills you have acquired and support that followed it to enable you to take-off will go a long way to give you a better opportunity to contribute your quota to the development of the society, Ogun State and the nation, Nigeria.”

ECOND National Carrier Globacom has announced a new roaming service, which offers a uniform local tariff and allows use of local Glo recharge cards in any country Glo has presence.

The service, UNIWORLD, enables both prepaid and post paid subscribers in Nigeria, Benin Republic and Ghana to enjoy seamless, unbroken communications at uniform and affordable rates in those countries.

At a press conference in Lagos, the company’s Executive Director, Mr Adewale Sangowawa, said UniWorld unifies the three Glo network countries by creating a Virtual Home Environment, which allows seamless communications at transparent and affordable rates across borders.

“Post paid and prepaid subscribers can now recharge with local Glo recharge cards in Nigeria, Ghana or Benin while roaming and enjoy all roaming services at very affordable rates,” he said.

According to him, subscribers who roam across the three countries will be charged the same uniform local rates irrespective of where they are calling from. He explained that customers’ bills would be rated in Naira, Cedi or CFA depending on their Glo home country.

“For instance, if a Glo Benin Republic subscriber comes to Nigeria, he will pay the same unified local rates as when he is roaming in the Republic of Benin and vice versa,” Sangowawa said.

He said the service was introduced to enable Glo subscribers to enjoy an unbroken connection across the three countries without the hassles of roaming while visiting the countries.

He said: “We recognise the strong economic and cultural ties as well as the high movement of people across these three countries where we have our footprint and conceptualised the UniWorld offering to boost communication in the region as it makes mobile telephony while roaming stress-free and affordable.”

Operators seek govt’s intervention in telecoms facilities closure

T

ELECOMMUNICATIONS op erators have appealed to the Federal Government to intervene in the frequent closure of telecoms Base Stations in the country to consolidate gains in the sector and strengthen security in the country.

Addressing reporters through their umbrella body, the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), the operators said impulsive disruption of communications services through closure of base stations by agencies of government is “extremely dangerous to national security.”

ALTON President, Mr Gbenga Adebayo, said: “At this trying time in our national history, uninterrupted availability of telecoms services is critical to the ability of law enforcement and security agencies to respond to the recurrent cases of bombings, armed robbery and other condemnable activities which threaten national security and economy.”

He noted that though telecoms sites and installations across the country comply with extant laws on environmental safety, the Nigerian Environmental Standards Regulatory and Enforcement Agency (NESREA) continues to shut down and demobilise telecoms infrastructure in the country.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

13

14

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

15

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

16

AFE BABALOLA UNIVERSITY ADO-EKITI (ABUAD) “A model, benchmark and reference point for private universities – NUC” WEBSITE: www.abuad.edu.ng

UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSION FOR 2012/2013 ACADEMIC SESSION GENERAL INFORMATION * Afe Babalola University [ABUAD] is a non profit Federal Government Licensed private University situated at Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State. * LOCATION: ABUAD is built on plateau 2500ft above sea level which provides cool and ideal climate for learning and sporting activities. ABUAD is the first university in Nigeria to commence academic work on its permanent site with all facilities in place. * STRUCTURES ON GROUND: State of the art and fully airconditioned buildings for all Colleges; Hostel buildings to accommodate Students; modern Cafeteria to provide Local, English and Continental dishes, ABUAD Bottled Water Plant, ABUAD Bakery, ABUAD Printing Press; Tuck Shops; Laundry; 72 3Bedroom flats for Lecturers and non teaching Staff, etc. * TEACHING FACILITIES ON GROUND: Fully furnished air conditioned laboratories for Chemistry, Physics and Biology. Fully furnished air conditioned modern virtual and physical Libraries; LexisNexis E- Law Library, ICT Laboratory, E-learning platform for all classrooms; V-sat to enable internet connectivity for all Colleges and Hostels, Modern Sporting Facilities for Soccer, Tennis, Handball, Volleyball, and Badminton, etc. * ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND RECOGNITION: The University is acknowledged by past and present Presidents of Nigeria, the National Universities Commission (NUC) as “a model, benchmark and reference point for private universities; fastest growing private university in Africa by Africa Student Union (AASU) and recently the winner of Socrates 2011 Best Enterprise Award in London. *

TEACHING PERSONNEL: Top rated and internationally acclaimed Lecturers from Nigeria and Overseas.

*

PHILOSOPHY AND MISSION: To reform University education by example and lead others in quality education, industry, service, character, and discipline.

*

RESIDENTIAL STATUS: The University is fully residential for Students and Staff.

* ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES: The University operates a collegiate system namely: College of Law, College of Sciences, College of Social and Management Sciences, College of Agriculture, College of Education, College of Engineering, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, College of Arts and Humanities. * FOUNDER: Aare Afe Babalola, OFR, CON, SAN, a frontline legal practitioner in the country is a highly committed Educationist, an Astute Administrator, and a Farmer and winner of 2011 Foresters Association of Nigeria Award. He was the Pro-Chancellor of the University of Lagos from 2000 to 2007 and the Chairman of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of Nigeria. During his tenure, he was twice honoured by the NUC as the best Pro-Chancellor in the country. His Council and the Vice Chancellor were also rated as the best in the country. He has recently been elected as the Vice President of the Club of Rectors of Europe by European Business Assembly with Headquarters in Oxford, UK. GENERAL ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: [1] COLLEGE OF LAW (5 Years) [A] LL.B Law (Public and Private) Admission Requirement: Five O’ Level Credits passes to include English Language, Lit. in English and Mathematics at one sitting.

UTME Subjects: Any three Arts or Social Science Subjects.

[2] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N]

COLLEGE OF SCIENCES (4 years) B.Sc. Microbiology/Biotechnology B.Sc. Biochemistry B.Sc. Information and Communication Technology B.Sc. Human Biology B.Sc. Chemistry B.Sc. Plant Science B.Sc. Zoology B.Sc. Statistics B.Sc. Mathematics B.Sc. Computer Science B.Sc. Sports Science B.Sc. Physics B.Sc. Industrial Chemistry B.Sc Geology

Admission Requirement: a) For Microbiology, Plant Science, Human Biology, Industrial Chemistry, Chemistry and Biochemistry: Five O’ Level Credit at one or two sittings which must include the following; English Language, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Biology/Agricultural Science. b) For Statistics, Five O’ Level Credit passes to include English Language, Mathematics, and at least two Subjects from Physics, Statistics, Chemistry Further Mathematics, Economics and Geography. c) For Mathematics, Five O’ Level Passes to include English Language, Mathematics and Physics or Chemistry. d) For Computer Science and Information and Communication Technology; Five O’ Level Credit Passes to include English Language, Mathematics, Physics, plus two other Science Subjects. e) For Physics: Five O’ Level Credit passes to include English Language, Physics, Chemistry Mathematics and any other Science Subject. f) For Sports Science: Five O’ Level Credit Passes to include English Language and Mathematics. g) For Zoology: Five O’ Level Credit passes to include English Language, Mathematics, Biology and two other Science Subjects. h) For Geology: ‘O’ Level credit passes to include English Language, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and any other subject.

UTME Subjects: Check 2012 UTME brochure for more details.

[3] COLLEGE OF SOCIAL AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES (4 years) [A] B.Sc. Economics

[B] B.Sc. Public Administration [C] B.Sc. Tourism and Events Management [D] B.Sc. Political Science [E] B.Sc. Communication and Media Studies [F] B.Sc. Banking and Finance [G] B.Sc. Accounting [H] B.Sc. Business Administration [I] B.Sc. Sociology [J] B.Sc. International Relation and Diplomacy [K] B.Sc. Peace and Conflict Studies [L] B.Sc. Psychology [M] B.Sc. Intelligence and Security Studies Admission Requirements: Candidates must possess a minimum of five [5] ‘O’ level credit passes at one sitting or six [6] ‘O’ level credit passes at not more than two sittings in SSCE/GCE/NECO Examinations which must include credit passes in English Language, Mathematics and other subjects relevant to course of study.

UTME Requirements: Check 2012 UTME brochure for more details.

(4) COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE (5 years) [A] B. Agric. Agribusiness and Economics [B] B. Agric. Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology.

[C] B. Agric. Food Science and Technology [D] B. Agric. Crop and Animal Production.

Admission Requirements: a) For Agribusiness and Economics: Five O’ Level Credit Passes to include English Language, Mathematics, Economics, plus two of Accounting, Commerce, Government, Geography, Statistics, Business Methods. b) For Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology: Five O’ Level Credit Passes to include English Language, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology/Agricultural Science and one of Geography, Physics and Economics. c) For Food Science and Technology: Five O’ level Credit passes to include English Language, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology/Agric Science and any other Science subject. d) For Crop and Animal Production: Five O’ Level Credit passes to include Mathematics, English Language, Chemistry, Biology/Agric.

Science and Physics.

UTME Subjects: a) Agribusiness and Economics: Mathematics, Economics and any relevant Subject. b) Agric Extension and Rural Sociology, Crop and Animal Production and Food Science and Technology: Chemistry, Biology, /Agric.

Science plus Mathematics or Physics.

Direct Entry Requirements: a) Crop and Animal Production, Food Science and Technology and Agric. Extension and Rural Sociology: Two A’ Level passes in Chemistry and one of Zoology/Botany/Agric. Science/Biology/ Geography/Mathematics/Physics/Geology. b) Agribusiness and Economics: (a) Two A’ Level Passes in Economics and any of Accounting, Business Management, Government, Geography or Statistics/Mathematics. (b) ON/HND in relevant fields.

[5] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I]

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION (4 years) B.Ed. Human Biology B.Ed. Chemistry B.Ed. Sports Science B.Ed. Computer Science B.Ed. Banking and Finance B.Ed. Accounting B.Ed. Business Administration B.Ed. Guidance and Counseling B. Ed. Information and Communication Technology.

Admission Requirements. a) For B.Ed Chemistry: Five O’ Level Credit passes in Mathematics, Chemistry, English Language and two of Physics, Biology and Agric. Science. b) For B.Ed ICT, B.Ed Sports Science and B.Ed Computer Science: Five O’ Level Credit passes in Mathematics and English. c) For B.Ed Guidance and Counseling: Five O’ Level Credit/NTC/ NBC or TC II merit passes to include English Language with at least a pass in Mathematics. d) For B.Ed Business Administration: Five O’ Level or NTC/NBC Credit passes in English Language, Mathematics plus three other Subjects.

UTME Subjects: a) For B.Ed Chemistry: Chemistry and two other Subjects from Physics, Biology and Mathematics. b) For B.Ed Computer Science, ICT and Sports Science: Mathematics, Physics, and one of Chemistry, Biology and Geography/Physics.

[6] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G]

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING (5 years) B.Eng Mechanical Engineering B.Eng Mechatronics B.Eng Electrical Electronics Engineering B.Eng Petroleum Engineering B.Eng Civil Engineering.

B.Eng Chemical Engineering B.Eng Computer Engineering

Admission Requirements: 5 O level Credits at one or two sittings which must include English Language, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and any other Science Subject.

UTME Subjects: Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.

Direct Entry Requirements: a) A’ Level Passes in Mathematics and Physics. b) National Diploma in the relevant area of study with at least upper credit from a recognized University or Polytechnic.

[7] COLLEGE OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH SCIENCES [A] Medicine and Surgery (M.B.B.S.) – 6Years {B} B.Sc. Nursing Sciences – 5 Years {C} Medical Laboratory Science (B.MLS) - 5Years {D} B.Sc. Anatomy – 4Years {E} B.Sc. Physiology– 4Years {F} B.Sc. Human Nutrition and Dietetics– 4Years Admission Requirements: Five O’ Level Credit passes in English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Physics at one sitting for Medicine and Surgery.

UTME Subjects: Medicine and Surgery, Nursing, Medical Laboratory Science, Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Anatomy, and Physiology: Physics, Chemistry and Biology.

Direct Entry Requirement: Two A’ Level passes chosen from Biology, Chemistry, and Physics except for Medicine and Surgery. {8] COLLEGE OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES (4 Years)

[A] B.A Linguistics [B] B.A History and International Studies [C] B.A Theatre Arts [D] B.A Philosophy and Religious Studies [E] B.A English Language Admission Requirements: Candidates must possess a minimum of five [5] ‘O’ level credit passes at one sitting or six [6] ‘O’ level credit passes at not more than two sittings in SSCE/GCE/NECO Examinations which must include credit passes in English Language, Mathematics and other subjects relevant to course of study.

UTME Requirements: Check 2012 UTME brochure for more details. {9} PRE-DEGREE & DEGREE FOUNDATION PROGRAMMES IN THE ABOVE LISTED COLLEGES (EXCEPT COLLEGES OF LAW AND MEDICINE) The Pre-Degree and Degree Foundation programmes are run in our Ibadan International Study Cetre; Afe Babalola Plaza (AB PLAZA), Osuntokun Junction, Opposite Zenith Bank, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Hostel accommodation available and conducive. a) PRE-DEGREE PROGRAMME ( 9 Months) Admission Requirements: Candidates must possess a minimum of five [5] ‘O’ level credit passes at one sitting or six [6] ‘O’ level credit passes at not more than two sittings in SSCE/GCE/NECO Examinations which must include credit passes in English Language, Mathematics and other subjects relevant to course of study. b) DEGREE FOUNDATION PROGRAMME (12 Months) Admission Requirements: Candidates must possess a minimum of five [5] ‘O’ level credit passes at one sitting in SSCE/GCE/NECO Examinations which must include credit passes in English Language, Mathematics and other subjects relevant to course of study.

For further enquiries on Pre-Degree and Degree Foundation please call 08033535368, 08120840894 08054300473, 08127772121, 08038521163 MODE OF ADMISSION. • Candidates applying for admission into any undergraduate programme must possess a minimum of five (5) O‘Level Credit passes at one or two sittings in SSCE/GCE/NECO/NABTEB or equivalents which must include Credit passes in English Language, Mathematics, and other subjects relevant to the proposed course of study. Candidates awaiting results can also apply provided that such results will be available by resumption • Intending Candidates must sit for the 2012 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and satisfy JAMB requirement or obtain the UTME Direct Entry Form where applicable.

PURCHASE OF APPLICATION FORM Purchase your application form from any of the designated points at anytime and pay appropriate fee to any of the banks listed below: S/NO 1.

2.

3.

4.

BANKS UNION BANK FIRST BANK SKYE BANK ECOBANK

ACCOUNT NUMBER 0034651222 2017401566 1770775995 0029906508

OR Purchase your application form on the day of the screening exercise.

POST UTME SCREENING DATE: • Date and detailed information regarding post UTME screening exercise will be published soon after determination of cut-off mark for admission by JAMB. CANDIDATES WHO HAVE NOT CHOSEN AFE-BABALOLA UNIVERSITY (ABUAD) IN THE UNIFIED TERTIARY MATRICULATION EXAMINATION (UTME) REGISTRATION. The University shall also give entry opportunities to candidates • who did not choose Afe Babalola University (ABUAD) in the UTME Registration but intend to change their choice of Institution to Afe Babalola University. Such candidates are required to obtain a Change of Institution Form at designated application forms selling points.

Furthermore, all candidates are also required to satisfy a Post-UTME Screening Exercise.

DESIGNATED SELLING POINTS FOR ADMISSION FORMS • MAIN CAMPUS: AFE BABALOLA UNIVERSITY [ABUAD], ADO-EKITI, KM 8.5, AFE BABALOLA WAY, ADO-EKITI, EKITI STATE. • IBADAN OFFICE, EMMANUEL CHAMBERS: 80, Fajuyi Road Ekotedo, Ibadan.

• ABUJA OFFICE: Emmanuel House, 24, Madeira Street, Imani Estate, Maitama, Abuja.

• LAGOS OFFICE: Emmanuel House, Plot 1, Block 4, CMD/Jubilee Road, Magodo GRA, Lagos.

• PORT-HARCOURT OFFICE: 7, Aba Road, Port-Harcourt.

Post-UTME Screening will hold at the following centers.

1. MAIN CAMPUS: Afe Babalola University, km 8.5, Afe Babalola Way, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State.

2. IBADAN: Afe Babalola International Study Center, AB Plaza, Osuntokun Junction, Opposite Zenith Bank, Ibadan, Oyo State.

3. ABUJA: Garki Secondary School, Area 10, Garki, Abuja.

4. LAGOS: Afe Babalola Auditorium, University of Lagos Akoka, Lagos.

5. PORT HARCOURT: Rivers State College of Arts & Science, Rumuola Road, Port-Harcourt.

6. WARRI: Montessori International School, 66, airport road, opposite Delta Career College, Warri.

ALL INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS SHOULD CONTACT THE FOLLOWING: 1. Prof. Henry Akintunde (USA) Director of International Linkages akintunde1@yahoo.com 2.

Dr. Emmanuel Ademola (UK) ojo_ademola@hotmail.co.uk

International Applicants are required to forward their Academic Transcripts to the following emails: abuadregistrar@gmail.com christieoluborode217@yahoo.com cidisosho@yahoo.com amb.hagher@nigerahcottawa.com •

International applicants are required to pay a non refundable application fee of $125.

FOR FURTHER ENQUIRIES VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.abuad.edu.ng OR CONTACT: OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR, AFE BABALOLA UNIVERSITY [ABUAD], ADO-EKITI. CALL THE FOLLOWING NUMBERS: 08127772121, 08054300473, 08038521163.

SIGNED: LADY CHRISTIE OLUBORODE (MRS.) REGISTRAR

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

17

18

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

19

EDITORIAL/OPINION Comments

EDITORIAL FROM OTHER LAND

Azazi’s mumbo-jumbo •The NSA must know more than he has disclosed on Boko Haram; he should tell us more

G

EN. Andrew Owoye Azazi, the national security adviser (NSA), stirred the hornet’s nest with his damning comment linking security challenges facing the nation, especially the Boko Haram cankerworm, to undemocratic tradition of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP). His observations were made in a paper he delivered on the second day of the SouthSouth summit that held recently in Asaba, Delta State.

He was unsparing as he traced the incessant bombings, suicide attacks and jail breaks ravaging mostly the northern part of the country and sensitive national landmark institutions to “the politics of exclusion of the PDP in the region.” He decried the party’s attitude that”…only Mr. A could win, and that if he could not win, there would be problems in this society.” He traced the source of the current state of insecurity in the country

‘While the nation digests Azazi’s comments which were not entirely new ... we have the feeling that Gen.Azazi is not through yet. He must still be carrying in his mind some other burdens that need to be discharged concerning what he knows about the Boko Haram or why it would be difficult to ensure security of lives and property in the country. He should not hesitate to tell us; we want to know more’

to “…when there was a declaration by the current president that he was going to contest.”

Azazi tried to impute political undertone to the intractable problem of insecurity that is made more vociferous by the activities of Boko Haram. But from his speech, we have deciphered that he is not only frustrated by the evolving trend of this reverie of violence but that the government in which he is the number one intelligence man has lost grip of the security problems in the country.

Moreover, we have been made to know from someone who should know that the problem arose from the politics of imposition and ‘do-or-die’ that have, over time, become synonymous with the ruling party. Notwithstanding several attempts by President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP to minimise the weight of that speech by their pretension not to understand the contents, we make bold to say that it has shown that the ship of state is drifting while its captain is in dire straits for want of relevant ideas.

Apart from what the NSA publicly disclosed, we know that there are other scandalous information that he rather prefers to hide from the public so as not to rattle the system. We are aware that prior to the 2011 general elections, billions of naira were reportedly approved for the NSA’s office to buy security equipment and to provide intelligence gathering necessary to facilitate nipping in the bud of the Boko Haram and other security challenges.

Perhaps, it will not be immodest if we ask what effect such colossal amount has had in the nation’s quest to conquer the

Boko Haram insurgency. As observed

by Azazi, why are the Boko Haram members getting ‘better trained, better equipped and better funded’ while our security agencies have no answer to the question posed by them?

It is sad that a ruling party that cannot take the country out of the doldrums has just been exposed by its numero uno intelligence officer as creating through its contempt for the constitution and due process a rapacious national atmosphere of instability and insecurity. President Jonathan should stop pretending not to understand what his NSA was talking about. The fate of over 100 million Nigerians is too serious a matter to be trivialised under the altar of the president’s ambition and his party’s lack of respect for its own rules and principles.

While the nation digests Azazi’s comments which were not entirely new (many Nigerians knew all the while, but coming from a frontline member of the government gives it more weight), we have the feeling that Gen.Azazi is not through yet. He must still be carrying in his mind some other burdens that need to be discharged concerning what he knows about the Boko Haram or why it would be difficult to ensure security of lives and property in the country. He should not hesitate to tell us; we want to know more.

He hinted that he should not be assailed in public but rather they should discuss with him in private. Meanwhile, has he turned in his letter of resignation because whatever the cause, the fact is that he has been unable to ensure security in the land? That is what a man does.

Blackout at airport •National embarrassment as international airport suffers hours of power outage

I

MAGINE that you are in an aircraft which is about to land in a foreign country and suddenly you are told that you cannot land. Your aircraft would have to hang up there and hover for about two hours. Yes, nearly two hours before you can land. No, there is no violent coup d’etat; neither is there an earthquake or tsunami. It is something as mundane as electricity power outage at the international airport which kept passengers of an international flight from different parts of the world suspended in the clouds for so long.

It sounds surreal that this can happen in any country that is not under any emergency situation but that was what happened in Nigeria on Saturday, April

‘We want to wager that this outrageous occurrence cannot happen in any other country in this day and age under normal circumstance. A power outage in an international airport!

Maybe for two seconds or at most, two minutes, but not for 20 minutes; certainly not two hours! This must go into the record books as the longest power outage (in peace time) at an international airport in modern time’

21.

We want to wager that this outrageous occurrence cannot happen in any other country in this day and age under normal circumstance. A power outage in an international airport! Maybe for two seconds or at most, two minutes, but not for 20 minutes; certainly not two hours!

This must go into the record books as the longest power outage (in peace time) at an international airport in modern time.

It is outrageous, it is a national embarrassment and we think some people ought to have resigned or be sacked on account of this.

According to reports, a British Airways flight could not land at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for about one and half hours as a result of power outage at the airport. Reasons given by airport officials when the Senate Committee on Aviation visited were that there was a faulty Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) connection and that three standby generators failed. It was also learnt that the PHCN had disconnected one of the two lines dedicated to the airport. The three generating sets in the airport reportedly packed up out of overuse.

The implications of this calamitous situation are numerous. First it portrays the country in very bad light; exposing her as a jungle where governance and every rubric of civil organisation have collapsed. Then there is the threat to life.

Imagine the horror of passengers hovering in the air for hours and the

security implication shutting down a nation’s international airspace for that long. There is also a huge economic implication for the nation’s premier airport. The magnitude of all these is better imagined than experienced.

Abuja is Nigeria’s seat of power and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport is certainly the country’s most important entry port. It is a facility of utmost strategic national importance and between the ministries of aviation and power and steel, there ought to be an understanding that ensures a nopower- outage situation at this particular airport. That power could go out at this airport portrays the Federal Government as most lackadaisical and unserious.

It is salutary that the Senate Committee on Aviation is on the matter.

It would do Nigeria a world of good for the committee to get to the root of the matter and ensure that this very embarrassing situation never recurs. In other climes, immediate resignations would have followed a debacle of this size. But under the current government, it seems as if just anything goes.

The power ministry has been particularly remiss this past one year and does not seem to be able to get a handle on the country’s poor power situation, just as the aviation ministry can’t seem to maintain its generators. As it is, the Senate committee is the last recourse and Nigerians would expect that this investigation is pursued to a logical conclusion.

Egypt is taking U.S. money and running

I

T’S BEEN FIVE weeks since the Obama administration granted Egypt its full $1.3 billion in annual military aid despite its govern-

ment’s failure to meet conditions set by Congress for advancing democracy. In granting a waiver on national security grounds, administration officials argued that continuing the funding was more likely to encourage cooperation with the United States and progress on human rights than a cutoff would.

As it turns out, the administration was wrong. In a number of tangible ways, U.S.-Egyptian relations and the military’s treatment of civil society have deteriorated since the waiver was issued March 23.

The threat to nongovernmental organizations, whose prosecution triggered the threat of an aid suspension, has worsened. Conditions for U.S.backed pro-democracy groups elsewhere in the Middle East have deteriorated as other governments have observed Egypt’s ability to crack down with impunity.

Consider the situation of the three U.S. organizations whose offices were raided and closed by Egyptian security forces in December — the National Democratic Institute, the International Republican Institute and Freedom House. Before the waiver, senior Egyptian officials repeatedly promised U.S. envoys that the groups would be legally registered, their offices allowed to reopen and their property returned. The fine points of a settlement were under discussion. Once the waiver was issued, the process was frozen and communication ceased, according to Nancy Okail, the head of the Freedom House office in Cairo.

The government, meanwhile, has begun pressing a new law on civil society groups that would stop all foreign funding for Egyptian NGOs, prohibit them from engaging in any work related to democratic politics and force many existing organizations to close. Other Arab governments have taken the cue: The United Arab Emirates last month shut the regional office of the National Democratic Institute.

The one concession Egypt made to the United States before the waiver was allowing a half- dozen American employees of the NGOs, who had been on trial in Cairo, to leave the country. But following the waiver, the government asked Interpol to issue warrants for their arrest. The trial of 14 Egyptian staffers left behind, meanwhile, continues, under harsher conditions. During their last court appearance, they were placed in a cage along with common criminals, and they have been threatened with having the charges against them upgraded to treason — which carries a death sentence. “We feel like we have been forgotten by the international community,” said Ms. Okail.

U.S. officials argued that an aid cutoff might cause a dangerous political backlash in Cairo. But since the waiver was issued, Egypt’s government-owned press, which is controlled by the military’s intelligence agency, has continued a toxic campaign of anti-Americanism. The State Department also argued that aid should continue because Egypt had stuck to the 1979 Camp David agreements with Israel. But after the waiver, the government unilaterally canceled a deal under which it was supplying Israel with gas.

Though Egypt has scheduled a two-round presidential election for this month and next, it remains unclear whether a promised transition to democratic civilian rule by July 1 will take place. One thing is certain: The Obama administration has lost much of its leverage over the Egyptian military — and its credibility with Egyptian democrats.

– Washington Post

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh • Editor Gbenga Omotoso

•Editorial Page Editor Sanya Oni

•Chairman, Editorial • Executive Director Board Sam Omatseye (Finance & Administration) Ade Odunewu •General Editor Kunle Fagbemi • Gen. Manager (Training and Development) •Editor Online Soji Omotunde Lekan Otufodunrin •Managing Editor Northern Operation Yusuf Alli

•Chief Internal Auditor Toke Folorunsho

•Managin Editor Waheed Odusile

• Senior Manager (Sales) Akeem Shoge

•Deputy Editor Lawal Ogienagbon •Deputy Editor (News) Niyi Adesina

•Advert Manager Robinson Osirike •IT Manager Bolarinwa Meekness

•Group Political Editor Bolade Omonijo

•Press Manager Udensi Chikaodi

•Abuja Bureau Chief Yomi Odunuga

•Manager, Corporate Marketing Hameed Odejayi

•Sport Editor Ade Ojeikere •Group Business Editor Ayodele Aminu

• Manager (Admin) Folake Adeoye

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

20

EDITORIAL/OPINION

S

IR: I was not in the least surprised at Boko Haram coordinated attacks on the media on April 26. The bitter condemnation was palpably intense because the attacks were deemed a desecration on a revered institution.

With all sense of respect to the departed and injured, sympathy with the media houses for their loss, and acknowledgment of everyman’s right to freedom of expression in a free society, I dare say that a substantial portion of the anger expressed on the heels of the media bombings were misplaced and demonstrates an unbelievable lack of system awareness.

As the fourth estate of the realm, the media is part of the dysfunctional and multi-diseased creation called Nigeria. Our cancerous ailment cuts across board: a clueless, corrupt and ineffectual executive; an unserious and equally ineffectual legislature, a pathetic judiciary notoriously acclaimed for miscarriage of justice, and vexed citizenry that endures the pain and bitter taste of assorted hardship recipe continually dished by its government.

Given the levels of vexation among different sections of the population, it is no surprise that radical manifestations and fundamentalist philosophies like Boko Haram developed, thrives and wreaks havoc at will. At the SouthSouth Economic Summit held in Asaba, Delta State on April 27, Retired General Andrew Azazi, President Jonathan’s National Security Adviser (NSA), admitted that there was a systemic failure in the land and pointedly blamed the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and its ill-fated zoning formula for the Boko Haram onslaught. Unfortunately, the PDP can no longer tame the Frankenstein monster it bred and the entire nation is no longer at ease.

It is now a capital offence to be a policeman because of Boko Haram’s murderous campaign against the force; churches, markets, our streets, politicians and ordinary citizens alike have, and still are, being bombed by the sect almost daily.

EDITOR’S MAIL BAG SEND TYPEWRITTEN, DOUBLE SPACED AND SIGNED CONTRIBUTIONS, LETTERS AND REJOINDERS OF NOT MORE THAN 800 WORDS TO THE EDITOR, THE NATION, 27B, FATAI ATERE ROAD, MATORI, LAGOS. E-mail: views@thenationonlineng.net

Boko Haram’s attack on the media In my reckoning, it was only a matter of time before the media fell under the group’s radar of reckless destruction. Seriously, could the media have gone attack free? Not long especially when the police, that should protect lives and property, are at the mercy of Boko Haram and the government looks on helplessly like the king’s men who could not put Humpty Dumpty together after his fall.

Remember Bayo Ohu of The Guardian who was murdered in cold blood and Enoche Akogwu of

Channels TV, felled earlier this year by the same Boko Haram while covering the attacks on Kano?

True, in terms of magnitude, these do not compare to the bombing of Thisday, The Sun and Moment newspapers but both do share one thing in common: an attack on press freedom and democracy. But Boko Haram has never been about press freedom and democracy and our angry condemnations probably makes no difference.

Instead, our indignation should fall on our democratically elected

government that has consistently failed to uphold true democratic ideals and protect its people, including the press, from terrorists like Boko Haram.

Just before Boko Haram struck the media, the United States, Britain and Australia- three developed nations with tested and superior intelligence apparatuswarned of impending attacks in Abuja.

Marlyn Ogah, spokeswoman for the State Security Service (SSS), called a conference where she rubbished

the security alert and called the issuers alarmists. Well, Boko Haram did strike in Abuja as predicted and Madam SSS has kept mute since then.

Citizens beware! Nowhere is safe and no institution is immune from attacks. Boko Haram has declared war on the nation. The most terrifying aspect is the sect’s newfound evil attacks on our higher institutions; no surprise though, after all Boko Haram translates as western education is bad. Perhaps when all our academic institutions have been bombed to rubble and there are no more youngsters to continue the tradition of the media, we will realize that our collective existence is threatened – not just the Nigerian media.

• Ogunsanya Akintayo Adesoji Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State.

Oronsaye’s report as integrity test for Jonathan

S

IR: One doesn’t need to arm himself with a degree in economics to understand the fact that the cost of governance in Nigeria is the most expensive around the world. It’s no longer news that financial recklessness reigns supreme in most government establishments. What is rather new is the brazenness with which public office holders loot the country’s till with gross impunity. It’s only in this part of the world that people steal government money and walk tall on the streets without being questioned.

Heartrending stories of how civil servants forget huge sums of money amounting to millions of naira in their offices and how a clerk in the civil service drives to work in choice cars have become almost a regular occurrence at a time most hospitals in the country exist without drugs, roads in pathetically intolerable state, poverty assuming dangerous dimension among other social problems. With recent scary

revelations on how a Federal Permanent Secretary in an unholy alliance with a few of his subordinates cornered billions of naira meant as pension money for police retirees, one would be forced to believe that we have penrobbers parading themselves as civil servants.

Even though the President Jonathan administration has penchant for setting up committees on issues as trivial as clearing refuse dump around the Federal Secretariat or naming a street, we must indeed commend his resolve to set up the Steven Oronsaye committee to carry out a thorough rationalization and restructuring of all existing government agencies with a view to cutting cost of governance. Its a right step in the right direction.

Though the Steve Oronsaye’s report is not completely different from recommendations previously offered by the Ahmed Joda and Allison Ayida committee reports set up past administrations to streamline the number of

government agencies, successive administrations have never seen the dire need to reduce these dubious duplication of functions which is principally done to reward political office holders, protégés who had ‘worked hard’ to ensure their emergence in elections.

Despite the huge accolades that greeted the setting up of the Oronsaye committee as well as its final report, some Nigerians have expressed doubts in the ability or sincerity of this present administration, like its predecessors to ensure its meaningful implementation.

Nigeria is a country where leaders make haste to set up committees on issues only for the report of such efforts to be left to gather dusts on government shelves.

In civilised climes, or bluntly put, in places where leaders put national interest above every other considerations, agencies are not just set up, they must be a compelling need that would warrant their setting up. The

reverse is however the case in Nigeria where departments or agencies are merely created to provide means of livelihood for government cronies.

As Nigerians, we all have defined roles to play in ensuring that the effort of the Oronsaye committee doesn’t die a natural death in the presidency. The Nigeria Union of Journalists, Nigeria Bar Association, civil society organizations, religious groups and other sociopolitical groups must rise up to their responsibilities to ensure that government implements to the latter the committee’s report. The Mohammed Adoke led committee set up to study the report for action should be resist moves from any quarter by anyone or group of persons to influence their decisions.

We expect the media to continue to remind government through informed commentaries and news reportage on why the Oronsaye committee’s report shouldn’t be swept under the carpet.

• Abdullahi Yunusa Minna, Niger State

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

21

EDITORIAL/OPINION

Oh blessed day - 2

I

SPECIALISED at the Doctoral level in Diplomatic History and International Relations and I wrote my thesis on Nigeria in the First World War which was later revised and published by Longman group of London. I was an Izaak Killam scholar in Dalhousie University, Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada and I believe I was the first Blackman in that University to get a Doctorate degree. Prof. John Edgar Flint was my friendly supervisor and a brother figure, because in the 70s we felt so far away from home and also isolated in a Whiteman’s country where racism was rife. I must not forget to give credit to my lecturers in Ibadan and particularly, Prof. R. J. Gavin, J. D. Omer-Cooper, Prof. J. F. Ade-Ajayi, Prof. Emmanuel Ayandele, the late Prof.

Adiele Afigbo and the late Prof. J. C. Anene, who as Head of Department sent me to London for a year as an exchange student. I have had an exciting academic career. I was first appointed in 1970 as Assistant Professor of Commonwealth and Imperial history at the University of Western Ontario in Canada; this was like dressing me in borrowed robes. All university teachers in the US and Canada are addressed as professors.

I was 28 years old then and was the second black man teaching in a university of 40,000 students in the heart of white Canada.

I was a shy person, but in order to overcome this shyness, I took to smoking pipe tobacco, which when I took some puffs, I was always enveloped in the smoke and in this way I mesmerized the students who were always wondering what kind of Professor this black man is. I learnt this trick from Prof. J.D. OmerCooper at Ibadan who used to be enveloped in smoke while teaching us. After one year in the University of Western Ontario, I moved on to the University of West Indies where I had a most exciting year teaching in the University and swimming in the blue Caribbean ocean in the afternoon and evening and eating flying fish on the beach and sipping rum as if I was on a permanent tourist visit. I had with me my one year old daughter Fola and I became a darling of my colleagues wives who admired my courage in raising alone one year old child while my wife was studying in Canada.

I got married in Canada to Abiodun, my late and only wife with whom I shared the most beautiful times of my life in Canada, the West Indies and Nigeria. I returned to Nigeria in 1972 to join the History Department in the University of Ibadan and I was sent to Jos to what was then the University of Ibadan, Jos Campus, where I again had an exciting life, but because of poor medical facilities, my wife lost a baby boy born prematurely and as a result of this, I decided to leave the place for the University of Lagos. This was in 1974 and I can say Lagos has been good to me.

It was from University of Lagos that I was appointed as a Director of the National Universities Commission in Ottawa, Canada and later in Washington DC. This was at a time when Nigeria was rapidly expanding its universities and I was involved with training and recruitment of staff and buying equipments and books for the new universities under the dy-

I

namic Executive secretary of the NUC Prof. Jibril Aminu. After four years, I came back home and just as I was a pioneer in Jos, I went to the University of Maiduguri to join Prof Aminu who was then Vice-Chancellor and I later became Dean of Arts and Acting Dean of Graduate School before I returned to Lagos in 1985. It was from the University of Lagos that I was appointed as Special Adviser to the Foreign Minister of Nigeria, Major General Ike Wachukwu in 1988. I subsequently served as Ambassador of Nigeria between 1991 and 1995 and I had the great fortune to be the first Ambassador to the reunited and economically resurgent Germany.

While in Germany, God used me to prevent Obasanjo from being killed by General Sanni Abacha because I mobilized the German government and the European Union after Obasanjo was sentenced to death, by quickly getting former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt to recall his successor Chancellor Helmut Khol who was then on visit to South Africa. This and other demarches of mine got me into trouble with Abacha in whose hands I suffered greatly.

My life has been full of ups and downs, more downs than ups.

My distinguished brothers, starting from Chief Oduola Osuntokun who even at 32 years old was already a Minister in the first Republic, suffered from the vicissitude of life and died rather prematurely. His younger brother who was an army officer, as a Captain in Nigerian Army Electrical and Mechanical Engineers died because of incompetence of Army doctors who operated on him for simple Hernia, he was only 34. The intellectual giant of a brother of mine, Prof. Kayode Osuntokun was perhaps too busy with research and caring for others that he neglected his own life and died when he was barely 60. Other brothers have passed on and I who was the youngest in my maternal side remain the only survivor. I also lost the wife God gave to me in 2003. The wife who gave me four lovely children and who was my soul mate and somebody that I had total commitment to succumbed to a rare type of cancer. But to God be the glory, in spite of these ups and downs, life goes on. I have every reason to be grateful to God, first of all, for life; for family both nuclear and extended; for good health and for the fact that I’ve had three distinct professional calling of education, journalism and diplomacy and I can say that I’ve reached the top in all the three.

I have been involved in Foreign Policy formulation and execution in Nigeria as adviser, as an ambassador and now as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on International Relations. Thanks to Governor Kayode Fayemi, I have opportunity to give back to Ekiti State and share my wealth of experience with Staff and Colleagues of Ekiti State University where I serve as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council.

For more than a decade, I have maintained a regular column first in the Comet newspaper where I briefly served as Chairman of Editorial Board and now as a Columnist, a must read Columnist, according to my academic colleagues, in The Nation news-

paper I have written or edited 10 books and more than a hundred articles and chapters in books, and I’m greatly cited by students and colleagues involved in doctoral dissertations or writing of books. My four children have done really well. One as a banker, another an Engineer, the other as a Cardiologist and the last of them a Clinical Psychologist. What more can I ask for. To God be the glory, my future is pregnant. My Jide prayer is that it brings forth good tidings.

Osuntokun I am naturally disappointed with the lack of progress by my country Nigeria. As individuals, most Nigerians of my generation have done well, as well as anybody anywhere in the world. But as a collectivity we have not made it. What is the problem? Is it in our genes? Or is it in our stars? I have no doubt that the political leadership and leadership recruitment are the fundamental causes of our failure and national ineptitude. The best people are not running our lives and if the head is rotten, the entire body will be affected. This is why our country after spending trillions of Naira is still in pitch darkness. This is why corruption is made in Nigeria. This is why it seems everybody has given up on this country and is just waiting like Israelis to go back into their ethnic homes and redoubts. My prayer however is that in my life time, Nigeria shall stretch forth her hands to God and He will lift this much abused and despised country to the point that the country will realise its currently latent destiny and become the light to show the way to other African nations.

‘I have every reason to be grateful to God, first of all, for life; for family both nuclear and extended; for good health and for the fact that I’ve had three distinct professional calling of education, journalism and diplomacy and I can say that I’ve reached the top in all the three’

Boko Haram on our minds

T'S derring-do is the stuff of which great thrillers are made.

In fast moving cars or motorcycles, they tear through their targets without a care in the world.

In most cases, their targets are churches or public buildings.

Whenever they strike they leave in their trail sorrow, tears and blood, STB, as the late legendary musician, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, called it. Since they seized the nation by the throat, they have been dead on target whereever they strike. What do they want?

What are they after? Nobody seems to know.

One thing is clear though. This group, which clandestine activities in the beginning we all thought will end in no time, is digging in deeper and deeper. The more we condemn the group, the more it dares us as a nation to put a stop to its murderous activities.

For the uninitiated, I am talking about Boko Haram. Can any Nigerian alive today really say he does not know about Boko Haram? If there is any such person, then he may be living in the moon. Boko Haram is so popular that its fame has spread across the world.

Eventhough its popularity is not the kind many pray for, Boko

Haram is less concernerd about how it is perceived. What it is interested in is the amount of damage and destruction it can wreak on the country in its one-sided war against society. I don't seem to understand Boko Haram because I cannot pinpoint what it is fighting for. Its targets too do not give a clue as to what its philosophy is because its attacks are mixed.

Today, it hits a church, tomorrow it is a public building like the United Nations (UN) House or Force Headquarters or an office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The next target could be either a pub or a motor park or even a media house. So, it is impossible to say why it is throwing bombs all over the country. This may be why there are various theories about the motives behind Boko Haram's unrelenting war against Nigeria.

Let's face it, what Boko Haram is doing is a declaration of war by other means against the country. But in what way did the country wrong the group? I know that its sympathisers will locate the answer in the killing of its leader, Yusuf Mohammed, by the police in 2009. The police may have been wrong in killing Mohammed af-

Nobody or institution is immune from the Boko Haram threat. Last Thursday's attacks on three media houses have shown that we are all potential targets

ter his arrest but is that enough justification for Boko Haram to go on a killing spree? How many people does it intend to kill in revenge for its leader's death before it stops its murderous act?

By its actions so far, it has spoilt the good case it has over the extra-judicial killing of its leader.

Nobody in his right senses will endorse what the group is doing on the grounds that its leader was killed. To do that will amount to turning logic on its head. Boko Haram is doing what it is doing for a purpose which it has yet to disclose. It is not doing what it is doing because ''western education is a sin'', which is the english translation of its name.

E are all confused by the Boko Haram doctrine. It is a doctrine which brainwashes young men to become suicide bombers. Many of these youngsters have died in the course of carrying out their dastardly acts, yet others appear willing to carry out future assignments whose end result is known to them. What hold do their leader have over them to make them commit harakiri without looking back.

Nobody or institution is immune from the Boko Haram threat. Last Thursday's attacks on three media houses have shown that we are all potential targets. The nation was still licking its wounds from those attacks when the sect hit Kano, Borno and Taraba states over two days.

Altogether, no fewer than 40 persons were killed in those attacks.

With no end of these attacks in sight, it is likely that more people

W

may be killed in the days ahead, leaving the citizenry to live with the fear of Boko Haram.

Must we continue to live with our hearts in our mouths over this Boko Haram threat? The group, it appears, has learnt to strike and hit its targets with maximum damage despite all security precautions. The ease with which the suicide bombers carry out these dastardly acts show that we are not doing enough security wise to stop them in their tracks. For how long will we continue to be at their mercy? For how long will worshippers continue to dread going to church on Sundays? Are we saying that Boko Haram is unstoppable? I don’t think they cannot be stopped.

Worldwide, the fight against suicide bombers is not always easy because of the element of surprise in their action. How do you explain a driver or a rider tearing through a crowd, a barricade or a security post just to kill and be killed? Could such a person be sane? This is the evil we are all confronted with and with God on our side we will conquer it.

READERS' TURN

RE: Will they go scot-free?

T

HOSE indicted in the fuel subsidy probe no matter how powerful must be brought to book. What is the fuss?

The thieves in high places are powerful because state power is in their hands. Who will bring them to book when the poor lack the power to do

Lawal Ogienagbon lawal.ogienagbon@thenationonlineng.net

so? From: Amos Ejinmoye, Kaduna.

Give us a schedule of all ad hoc investigation committees set up by either the executive or legislature; their findings, recommendations and actions taken so far. From: M.A Sanni, Bida, Niger State.

The Farouk Lawan oil subsidy report must not be rubbished by the Federal Government. All the indicted individuals and corporate bodies must vomit their spoils without political consideration. This should be a test case for the President on his so-called transformation agenda. All serious minded rights activists should join hands to ensure that the culprits are not let off the hook. From: Pastor Odunmbaku, Ikeja.

Let's focus on the power sector and the refineries. Where is the money earmarked for turnaround maintenance since the days of Obasanjo and Babangida. The vote was in every year's budget. May be we should try British judiciary? From: S. Finnih, Lagos SMS ONLY: 08099400204

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

22

EDITORIAL/OPINION “

A

NYONE giving his vote to Jonathan gives him the permission to serve the PDP, to protect its army of crooks and looters and to spend the federal treasury until it is empty’ - Sonala Olumhense March 13, 2011 We ignored Sonala’s warning to our eternal damnation. But last week, Buhari said he is ‘still in until the polity is sanitized and people enjoy the fruits of democracy at all levels of government’. There is no doubt the nation is in a dire need of a messiah. And for now, the only one that fits the bill is Buhari, the author of ‘Nigerians have no other place besides Nigeria.’ I guess we can start counting the chicks before the eggs are hatched. This is precisely because PDP has made change inevitable 13 years after its war that has left the nation prostrate.

Besides, we have learnt our lessons.

Jonathan seduced us with his shoeless-schoolboy claim, his kneeling down like a lamb about to be slaughtered before Pastor Enoch Adeboye, and his appeal to ethnicity. And with our eyes wide open, we voted for a man, who for close to four years, never demonstrated he had any vision as to how the national question problem could be tackled, and a man who represented PDP that has raped our nation for 12 years. And with his oil sorcerers in Diezani Alison Madueke, the NNPC and PPPRA still in office several days after the Farouk Lawan’s damning report, we now know Jonathan is working for PDP and not Nigeria. Or was it not this same President that sacked Justice Isa Salami on a Saturday

‘My advice is that all those who love our nation must now join Buhari’s train. We must start the negotiation and the taming now so that he can see the importance of restructuring of the nation in a way that every group including Boko Haram that has been let loose on us can develop at their own pace without posing a threat to others’

I

T’S safe to say that the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) probably has never had so many gubernatorial contestants in one state since its birth as is currently the case with Ondo State where the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has slated the governorship election for October 20. Less than two years after the current governor assumed office, ACN, has become the dominant party that any serious politician seeking office must pay court to if he wants to win. The party is so strong and formidable now that the politicians in the state, including those in the opposition, believe that the road to Alagbaka Government House runs through the ACN headquarters in Akure. And contestants who fail to come to terms with this reality do so at his/her peril. Why these contestants are falling over themselves in order to fly the party’s flag and wave its broom may not be unconnected to the shellacking the party gave the ruling party in the Southwest geopolitical zone in the last general elections. More importantly, the progressive political ideology in which the party is firmly anchored naturally has a huge resonance on a people whose core political The party’s rapid ascendance as credible opposition in Nigeria’s political landscape and its dominance and control of the politics of the Southwest geopolitical zone may be quite impressive. But what should be more daunting to the leadership is the sustainability of its winning formula to keep the “mainstreamers” at bay and the entrenchment of its progressive political ideology well into the future in this geopolitical region. Therefore, how the party’s leadership navigates the political waters of Ondo State in order to prevent its crowded “MV Alagbaka” from capsizing should be of utmost importance at this critical juncture. Care must be exercised in putting the final political piece of the regional puzzle in place.

This is more so since ACN is not only trying to unseat a more formidable chief of state who is a “professional” in the game probably far more than he has ever been professionally engaged in the trade in which he was trained at Ile-Ife. The party must also, of necessity,

Who is afraid of Buhari? even while the man’s case was still in court?

But for a start let me advise Buhari to restrict himself to his area of comparative advantage - sanitization and regimentation of our chaotic society. He should perish the thought about democracy which was the source of his anguish in his previous three outings. Since he is not a democrat, he cannot give what he has not got. He doesn’t understand democracy is a game of compromise by elites, especially the Nigerian PDP variant, that live on the sweat and blood of others. In America, where democracy is the reigning god, it is not for nothing it is called government of big corporations.

We have seen this past 13 years that democracy is the government of PDP for PDP. All the sordid revelations from the various probes involved PDP. All the indicted former Senate Presidents, House Speakers, jailed governors and those ex governors on the run from justice are PDP members. Alison-Madueke and General Ahmadu Ali, are PDP members. It was PDP Minister of Finance, Okonjo-Iweala, noted more for her PDP “aso ebi” and her dancing prowess at PDP convention that disingenuously tried to rationalize the frittering away of N2.56 trillion as fuel subsidy as against N240 billion allocated for that heading in the budget. That was before the release of the earth shaking Lawan Farouk’s report that gave graphic details of PDP conspiracy against Nigeria.

Before this latest revelations, Nasir El Rufai, former BPE chairman and former minister for Abuja Territory, told us what PDP did to our nation in the name of privatization and commercialization, two devices through which PDP members shared our national patrimony.

I sympathise with some of our colleagues who are apprehensive about the possible regimentation of society by Buhari after 2015.

After all, journalists and drug pushers were the greatest victim of Buhari’s aborted revolution in 1984. But from insight, we can see Buhari was an angel during his reign compared to those that succeeded him.

It would be recalled that our endless craving for freedom without responsibility exposed him to the vagaries of fuel and wheat importers and their foreign partners who replaced him with Babangida. The result of Babangida’s SAP was the collapse of all our budding textile, pharmaceutical, tyre industries; importation of rice, meat and fish and our today’s exchange rate of N170 to $1 from about N1 to $1 in 1982.

Buharis’s derailed ethical revolution consumed only two drug pushers who he said were giving our country a bad name. Since then, hundreds of Nigerian drug pushers have been beheaded in China, or quietly killed and buried unsung in Malaysia and other parts of Asia. Buhari jailed only two journalists for embarrassing government officials. The press promptly de-legitimised his regime and made him easy target for a palace coup. For its price, the press got their new friend, Babangida to expunge Buhari’s obnoxious Decree Four from statute books, pardoned their jailed colleagues, appointed one of their shining stars, Chief Duro Onabule his Chief Press Secretary and Prince Tony Momoh, former editor of the Daily Times as minister, who specialized in letter writing to Nigerians while Babangida perpetrated evil.

Before journalists, the incurable pessimists,

As battle for Ondo 2012 hots up

By Femi Odere play some roles, no matter how minimal, in ensuring that the PDP in the state and its supporters would revolt should the governor decide to co-opt the party as part of his winning strategy in the October election.

This is a delicate balancing act.

Although the contestants have all pledged that they would support whoever the party throws up to carry its flag into the election but this is easier said than done. History has always recorded serious rumbles in any intra-party or inter-party electioneering in this clime. The acrimonies that almost always follow elections in Nigeria are primarily due to the weak, and in most cases, non-existent institutionalized structures and a hugely compromised judiciary which, ordinarily, should have been the fair and transparent arbiters when contestants are aggrieved.

Even in a party where a system or a semblance of it is in place, some players who consider themselves too big become so contemptuous of the system that they themselves help put in place that they have no qualms violating the rules with reckless impunity if they did not have their way. ACN leadership had declared that it would conduct a “guided primary” in the state. The phrase itself is ambiguous and capable of igniting an already charged state. But it’s equally understandable that the party has cleverly introduced this phrase into its electoral process (and by extension into Nigeria’s political lexicon) so that contestants don’t start shooting at each other even before the votes are counted on primary day because of the weak internal mechanism that pervades the country’s political parties.

There’s no doubt that ACN in Ondo State has impressive display of well qualified and politically astute contestants for the October gubernatorial election. Voters are also no less

sophisticated and discerning that their lots are more likely to be significantly improved if the party’s candidate become the chief of state. Among those that have thrown their hats into the ring is Chief Michael Segun Abraham. Chief Abraham’s name may not be so familiar to most people in the state relative to others in the field but he has been a pillar of the state’s socio-economic development since the beginning of this political dispensation. Abraham, a water engineer and chairman of Seg-Masen Engineering Company, is a self-made professional who has contributed in no small measure to the human and material developmental facets of the state.

Even though a politician but this aspect of him is hardly known, Chief Abraham has always been in politics without being in politics. As someone who packs the dual attributes of a technocrat of international repute and a political knowledge of the state and the direction, he simply leads the pack.

Despite his immense financial contribution that saw to the emergence of late Chief Adefarati as governor of the state in 1999, a period when there was no such thing as the EFCC to worry about, Chief Abraham politely declined to be made a commissioner.

He rather accepted, after much persuasion by the governor and other stakeholders to make his services available to the state to be the chairman of Owena Hotels. He took this assignment and within six months, a moribund state enterprise which was indebted to the tune of more than N50 million started to turn profit. It’s also instructive that this man did not take a salary during the four years he was at the helm of Owena Hotels. Chief Abraham’s engineering company is a contractor for World Bank’s projects in Nigeria and other African

forced their self-proclaiming greatest lover to step aside following his ‘transition without end’ fiasco in 1993, journalists were known to have been parcel-bombed by suspected agents of state. Some disappeared from the streets in broad day. Many were assassinated inside their houses.

Let me also remind our award dispensing colleagues that there is no nation that has developed without one form of regimentation or the other. The West that criticizes China is herself a police state. On every single day, an individual that ventures outside his home has his picture taken by secret cameras more than 20 times depending on how long his outing takes. If you throw trash on the street thinking no one is watching, a ticket will be waiting for you at home.

Buhari has told us, his new converts, that the least of his worries when he comes in 2015, is unlikely to be the struggling journalist who survives on crumbs from recipients of their meaningless awards, notably governors and bankers that the press, as ‘the fourth estate of the realm’, should monitor. Our fate as a nation is under threat by a clueless President, his PDP, and to borrow the President’s Chief Intelligence Officer, Owoye Azazi’z innuendos, PDP-inspired Boko Haram. Journalists or drug pushers who in any case already have their nemesis in China and Malaysia, will amount to a distraction.

Buhari has proved he is capable. In eight months we did not import fuel, neither did we import wheat. We produced more grain than we needed. Our problem then was that of storage facility. Buhari has no friend when it comes to crime against his country. He once defied Shehu Shagari to tame the rag-tag army of an unfriendly neighbor county.

We will be taken seriously by the international community. We will not have an Okonjo-Iweala who, while supervising the monumental fraud by her PDP party members, will be begging the West to give us loan for agriculture. He will deal decisively with economic saboteurs. He will control his wife to prevent state resources from being wasted on first Lady jamborees.

My advice is that all those who love our nation must now join Buhari’s train. We must start the negotiation and the taming now so that he can see the importance of restructuring of the nation in a way that every group including Boko Haram that has been let loose on us can develop at their own pace without posing a threat to others. countries. You cannot do business of any kind with this world financial institution without imbibing international best practices in all your dealings which is a key ingredient that Nigeria and its constituent parts must have in order to turn their sorry economic situations around.

To say that the October gubernatorial election in the state would be war is, unfortunately, stating the obvious. The recent mayhem in the state capital where people were injured and vehicles damaged during the fifth memorial anniversary of Chief Adefarati is only a prelude to what to expect.

The political atmosphere of the state is so combustible because of accusations and counter-accusations of betrayal, ingratitude, wickedness, recklessness, fraud, backstabbing, crass opportunism and the like that the political class on both sides of the divide leveled against each other which their supporters had internalized. Chief Abraham’s candidacy can go a long way in calming frayed nerves of politicians and their supporters who are already at daggers drawn.

• Odere is a media practitioner.

‘But it’s equally understandable that the party has cleverly introduced this phrase into its electoral process (and by extension into Nigeria’s political lexicon) so that contestants don’t start shooting at each other even before the votes are counted on primary day because of the weak internal mechanism that pervades the country’s political parties’

25

THE NATION

EDUCATION Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.com

THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

email:- education@thenationonlineng.com

In February, the number of universities in the country increased to 122 when the Federal Executive Council (FEC) granted licences to five new owners. But Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN, who revisits the issue, finds out that stakeholders want the strengthening of existing universities rather than the creation of new ones

Can more varsities solve admission problem?

U

NTL 1990’s the federal and the state governments were the only bodies licensed to operate universities in the country. But ever since, licences have been granted to individuals, corporate and religious bodies to establish universities in Nigeria, with the National Universities Commission (NUC) serving as the accreditation and regulatory body.

Madonna University Elele in Rivers State was the first to blaze the trail as it berthed in 1999. Since then, more universities, especially privates, have grown in leaps and bounds.

On Wednesday, February 22, the Federal Government announced approval of provisional licences for the establishment of five new private universities, bringing the total number of universities (public and private) in the country to 122.

The new ones: Elizade University, Ilara Mokin, Ondo State; Evangel University Akaeze, Ebonyi State; Gregory University, Uturu, Abia State; McPherson University, Seriki Sotayo, Ogun State; and Southwestern University, Okun Owa, also in Ogun.

However, the government claimed that 122 universities were still not enough to address the challenges facing the nation’s tertiary education.

Justifying the establishment of the five universities, Education Minister, Prof. Rukkayat Rufai recalled that a total of 1,305,277 candidates applied for admission into universities nationwide last year, out of which only 205,170 or 16 per cent of them were admitted.

She also gave the example of Bayero University, Kano, which had a carrying capacity of 5,000 candidates, but had 39,000 applicants, who made it their first choice.

According to her, new universi-

•Entrance of Ajayi Crowther University, a private university, in Oyo, Oyo State

ties are being established so that as many as possible of the nation’s suitably qualified citizens can have access to university education and earned the higher qualification necessary for their own self-development and the training of the high quality manpower needed for our national development and international competitiveness.

The Vice-Chancellor of the Lagos State University (LASU) Prof John Oladapo Obafunwa, said there is no sense in more private universities. The question to ask, said Obafunwa, is if the new universities have infrastructure, and experienced administrative amnd teaching staff to manage the schools?

Rather than setting up more universities, Obafunwa said the solution is for government to expand the existing ones by distributing the human resources among them, and geting them to strengthen their departments of Distance Learning (DL) to enable those who can’t come inside the for walls of universities to acquire education.

The Federal University, NdufuAlike, Ebonyi State, is one of the nine universities established by President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. Its pioneer, ViceChancellor, Prof Oye Ibidapo-Obe said: “It is true that we must increase access to university education. But what I think we need

•Prof Obafunwa

•Prof Ibidapo-Obe

‘So, if we talk in terms of opening up access for candidates to come to the university, then creation of new universities may not achieve this goal until after some years, otherwise will just be opening up access to sub-quality learning.’ are new knowledge centres because we need to tap into potentials embedded in our youths to develop the country. However, in doing so, we must have structures that will support these new

knowledge centres. The newly created universities are set up to mop up excess human capacity that needed to be trained.

“But from my point of view, these new universities are only good

political concept doing little too soon and rather too late. This is because at the Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, where I now work as the Vice-Chancellor, the goal of creating increased access has not been met. For instance, over 25,000 qualified candidates applied for our post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations, but the NUC gave us an admission quota of only 250 spaces.

“So, if we talk in terms of opening up access for candidates to come to the university, then creation of new universities may not achieve this goal until after some years, otherwise will just be opening up access to sub-quality learning. I think we should have expanded the existing universities so that they can take in more candidates.

The former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos felt frontline universities such as University of Ibadan; Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; and Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria can be expanded to admit more students.

“We can also collapse or merge universities together which is what they are doing in the United States (US) where some universities that have the structure but don’t have students are coming together,” Ibidapo-Obe added.

• Continued on page 26

INSIDE •FUNAAB VC ...a worthy legacy - Page 27 •Lagos ties WASSCE to Parents Forum - Page 39

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

26

EDUCATION LASU mgt. visits TetFUND

T

HE management of Lagos State University (LASU) has visited the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TetFUND) headquarters in Abuja.

The team was led by the ViceChancellor, Prof John Oladapo Obafunwa, his two deputies (Administration and Academics), Prof Omolara Bamgboye, and Prof Dapo Asaju and a former National Universities Commission Executive (NUC) Secretary, Prof Peter Okebukola.

Decisions arrived at the meeting were that the outstanding TetFUND allocation to LASU is intact, accessible and that interested persons should contact Prof Asaju or the Staff Welfare Office on how they can avail themselves of the funds.

The only funds released to LASU to date are the 2010 intervention funds, which is N6. 8 million for the production of learned journals by the university and the N12.574 million approved for applicants to attend international conferences.

NANS threatens boycott over bombings

T

HE National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has condemned last Sunday attack on Christians, who were holding their fellowship at the old campus of the Bayero University, Kano.

Its President, Comrade Dauda Muhammed, warned that the Federal Government should check the spate of bombings in the country, or the body might order students to boycott all tertiary institutions.

A professor and 15 others, died in the Sunday explosion with many more injured.

Said NANS: “We have once again received the news of the callous attack which occurred last Sunday at the Bayero University Kano (BUK). It is saddening to imagine that a group under whatever pretense could unleash terror on the campus of one of the nation’s foremost universities to maim innocent peaceful worshipers. The Kano attack is coming a fortnight after a similar attack on the Gombe State University.

“This act is not only condemnable, it has also increased our demand that the Federal Government should immediately take a concrete step in addressing the increasing waves of terrorism.

“Without mincing words, the NANS in the next few days shall not hesitate to order a total boycott of campuses until the security of lives and properties is guaranteed on our campuses. We cannot continue to look at our future being wasted.”

•Comrade Mohammed

Reduce dependence on foreign donors, don urges Fed.Govt O

VER dependence on foreign donors is dangerous for the economic and industrial growth of the nation, a physicist, Prof Clement Akosile, has warned.

Akosile, who is of the Department of Physics, University of Ilorin (UNIORIN), stated this while delivering the institution’s 105th inaugural lecture entitled: Energy and the chameleon: Energy transformation in the sustenance of life in the universe. He urged governments, industries and businesses to invest more on research.

“Buy and sell syndrome only makes a nation poor and a dumpground for the rejects and lefto-

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

vers of other countries with example in the cars we take pride in,” he said.

On the energy crisis in Nigeria, the physicist said: “The energy crisis be seen as a ‘war’ situation which must be won if it is not to consume us.”

“I, therefore, recommend that government sets up or create a special research team similarly composed to combat our electrical energy crisis. I recommend that for every N100million spent on im-

porting energy into Nigeria, N10million must be reserved and spent on energy research and development in the country. Similar approach should also be used for other commodities the country imports.

“I additionally propose that every research professor be given N1 million a year for the next 10 years on a research proposal that must be submitted as evidence that he or she is actively working and contributing to the development of the nation.”

He enjoined telecommunications

companies in the country to fund research into power generation instead of complaining about Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) that is not providing power.

“They (communication companies) should for God’s sake join the government in active good research and development of power from gains they generated from Nigeria to benefit large subsection of the nation in solving geo-sectional energy problem and other problems.

“After 50 years of developing a nation and considering the average lifespan of human beings, it is about time Nigeria started producing her diversity of automobiles and inventing new ones not yet thought of,” he added.

Can more varsities solve admission problem?

• Continued from page 25

Ibidapo-Obe has support in the former Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) National President Dr Dipo Fashina, who also wants the strengthening of existing universities, which according to him, have suffered many years of neglect by past administrations.

“With the way things are going, those new universities will take time to grow. It is true that private universities are being established daily, but the truth is, they will not have the required facilities to meet the admission needs of admission seekers in the country.

“All of them cannot admit more than 12 per cent of students in the country. We all know that these private universities still rely heavily on public universities in terms of its teaching staff. It’s a statement of fact that an appreciable number of lecturers in most of the private universities are still lecturers on government’s pay roll. The lecturers are either adjunct or visiting or all that.

This kind of practice won’t help our university education system. From this development, it’s obvious that these private universities cannot really offer much in terms of meeting the admission needs of prospective university students.

Analysts say there is a correlation between low quality education and the productivity of university graduates. The attenuation of quality invariably implies low quality graduates who cannot contribute substantially to the productivity of the economy. Today, about 20 million graduates in Nigeria are not employable because they lack employable skills and talents needed for a dynamic economy. As the graduate unemployment index soars, the indication is that the state of university education is worsening For three decades, the university system is bogged by inadequate funding for teaching and research.

The problems of brain drain, academic wastage, decaying infrastructure, inadequate teaching facilities, industrial strife, declining productivity and budgetary bleeding have accelerated the progressive decay of the system.

On the poor ranking of Nigerian universities globally, Ibidapo-Obe suggests that each university should develop an internal mechanism including a very robust information centre that will enhance its presence on the internet because those who do the ranking “do not send people down to our universities to assess what we have and what we don’t have, they only rely on what they see on the internet.”

He added: “Ranking is important once you are in the business, you

‘The older universities are not in good state to merit stamp of quality. They l a c k infrastructure that make learning and research conducive for both students and lecturers’ • Prof Ajeyalemi

must be ranked. We don’t have a choice if we intend to internationalise the system. Or will a Nobel Laureate come and pick up a job in a university that is no ranked? Will foreign students come? To achieve this, we should fund the university system better, we should provide facilities and we should ensure the results of our researches are being used to teach our students.

“We should invest more in research, in laboratories and quality of teaching must improve. We should ensure that students have confidence in what they are being taught so that they will have confidence to face the world after graduation. Where students go after graduation is also one of the factors that are considered by those who rank the universities.

Stakeholders in the education sector are of the view that the solution to the nation’s university education system doesn’t rest in creating more universities. Rather, the existing ones should be adequately funded so that can expand to accommodate more students.

A former Commissioner of Education in Lagos State Prof Kunle Lawal does not seen any wrong in a society which he said is ‘under universitied’ owing to overpopulation. To the professor of History rubber stamping more private university is not as challenging as the staffing them, especially with quality teachers.

“The nation needs to take into cognisance how many PhD, I mean real PhD students she can produce to feed some of these private and new public universities. Some of the oldest universities such as UI, ABU, UNIBEN, NSUKKA can be given this task.

“I also feel government can com-

•Prof Lawal

pel the private sector to come up with specialised universities like a university of agriculture, and also task them to concentrate more not only on teaching, but research and development which many public universities today are no longer serious about. Unfortunately government is not putting private universities on their toes enough. Many of the still operate with that profit-orienting mindset.”

Prof Duro Ajeyalemi of the Faculty of Education, UNILAG, also faulted government’s stance “Creation of new universities is unnecessary. Even the nine federal universities established last year are yet to take off fully. If the universi-

ties owned by the government could find it difficult to take off after one year of their establishment, what do we expect of the private ones? he asked.

Ajeyalemi, who lamented that few Nigerian universities made the list of the first 1,000 universities in the world, believes consolidating on the existing universities through funding and infrastructure will be costeffective.

“The older universities are not in good state to merit stamp of quality.

They lack infrastructure that make learning and research conducive for both students and lecturers. The only difference that the new universities can make is to offer new courses.

This can be achieved if they are properly funded, have necessary facilities, recruit qualified teachers and admit best students, “ he said.

“You see? ... terrorism begins at home, charity ends abroad!”

27

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

EDUCATION On May 24, this year, Prof Oluwafemi Olaiya Balogun’s five-year tenure as Vice-Chancellor Federal University of Technology, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) will expire. In this report ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA takes a look at some of his achievements

T

HE Vice-Chancellor (VC)designate of Federal University of Technology,Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Prof Olusola Bandele Oyewole, is perhaps a lucky man.

When he eventually receives the baton of leadership from the outgoing VC Prof Oluwafemi Olaiya Balogun, on Thursday, May 24, he will not only be assuming the leadership of the second best university in the Nigeria, he will also be the first helmsman to occupy the new VC’s Lodge, which overlooks the 24-year-old institution.

The beautiful white imposing edifice has three living rooms, seven bedrooms, a library, miniconference room, gym, swimming pool, office, dining, among other facilities.

The Chancellor and ProChancellor also have lodges, which were built from the university’s internally generated revenue (IGR).

Even then, Oyewole may have some problems to address. The legacy of Balogun is one intimidating task he would have to surmount. For example, he must sustain or even surpass the ranking of FUNAAB as the second best university in Nigeria and 35th best in Africa, by the World Web Ranking of Universities, a feat achieved under Balogun’s administration.

As reporters were led on a tour of Balogun’s achievements since 2007, when he became FUNAAB’s VC to date, one could not but marvel at the ingenuity of this professor of Agricultural Biochemistry and Nutrition. Any Doubting Thomas could attest to the array of projects that now dot university’s beautiful landscape - wellmanicured lawns and fascinating buildings.

Some of the projects include the road from FUNAAB International School Junction to the staff Nursery and Primary School; the university’s staff nursery and primary school; zoological garden; a 2,500-seater auditorium; and construction of a road from Health Centre to Vice-Chancellor, ProChancellor and Chancellor’s lodges.

Others include construction of four blocks of female hostels (two from federal capital grant and two from IGR); fencing of the female hostel; completion of the College of Veternary Medicine (Phase 1) Construction of Veternary Teaching Hospital; School of Postgraduate Studies; and the Institute of Human Resources Development (INHURD) But Balogun whom many revered as a quintessential and quiet administrator, has a reason for relocating not only the VC’s lodge, but also taht of the Chancellor and Pro-Chancellor, which, since the university inception, had been outside the university premises.

“For me, I’m of the belief that a VC living in the GRA with uninterrupted water and power supply, and in a 24-hour air-conditioned room, will never be able to appreciate the sufferings of the students he is employed to cater for.

But I’m happy today that after about 24 years of the university’s establishment, the VC will now live among the students. Hence the need for him to know their sufferings.

The financial prudence of the Balogun is a virtue worthy of

As FUNAAB Balogun VC bows out

•The PostGraduate School, one of the new projects

•Another of his numerous projects, The College of Environmental Resource Management (inset) Balogun PHOTOS: ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA

emulation. One will, nonetheless, wonder why, despite the nonpayment of the capital grants to universities by the Federal Government since 2007, FUNAAB is still building infrastructure including the ones meant for the Federal Government which it defaulted.

In all, Balogun said the estimated

cost of the capital projects that he handled is about N8 billion, with 40 per cent of this got from its IGR. He demonstrated the virtue of a detribalised Nigerian and a bridge builder. The Unity Building, a twin structure, which now stands tall in the university remains a part of his legacies.

The 66-office twin building, one

of which was through an endowment and the other via the university’s revenue, is meant to assuage the discontentment created by the gap between the academic and nonacademic staff.

Another key projects executed by Balogun was the Institute for Human Resources Development (INHURD), The INHURD

‘For instance, last year’s Acceptance Fee was about N22 million. We invited the students to tell us what they wanted the money to used for. They said they wanted more buses and the refurbishing of the medical centre. We set up a committee, which they are also part of, to ensure that they also monitor how every kobo is spent’

Programmes run at INHURD, which wears a new look, include the Pre-Degree, Part-Time Degree and Mature Degree programmes.

The Pre-Degree programmes are to train indigenes of the state and other students, who failed UTME and if they meet the cut off points, are offered preferential admission to enjoy the 40 per cent admission quota reserved for them by the management.

The Part-Time degree programme meant for those who lost the opportunity to acquire university education for one reason or the other.

The mature degree programme is for those who have diplomas or HSCs for over a decade or more but their credentials had stagnated their career advancement in the civil service when compared with their university counterparts.

“I conceptualised this idea (Mature Degree) because I believe a university or polytechnic graduate should enjoy the same career advancement in the civil service..

When we pick these set of people, we find appropriate courses for them and they spend only three years. Once they meet the minimum benchmark, their status changes immediately and they can be appointed to any point in the ministry, “ Balogun said.

Balogun believes that though parents should pay a little for their wards’ education, not the kind of cut-throat tuitions some public universities charge today, which he argued, are beyond the reach of the common man.

“I will never succumb to throat cutting fees that will deprive children of the poor from varsity education and overburdening already impoverished Nigerians. I also feel university administrators should be creative enough to tap the right avenues both locally and internationally towards facilitating funding into the university,” he added.

Balogun should also be credited for running a university whose students had not embarked on any protest in the last five years. He, however, attributed this to transparent management and engagement of the student leadership in the university affairs.

“When I came in 2007, students were paying N3,000. It was increased about 500 folds and they did not protest because we made them realise the imperativeness of the action and promised to engage them. Since then they have always been part of money generated from the students Acceptance Fee and how it is spent.

“For instance, last year’s Acceptance Fee was about N22 million. We invited the students to tell us what they wanted the money to be used for. They said they wanted more buses and the refurbishing of the medical centre. We set up a committee which they are also part of to ensure that they also monitor how every kobo is spent. Today, you can see the buses all over the campus, ” he further said.

With over 300 teaching and nonteaching staff, who had undergone various capacity training both within and outside the country in the last five years, what is left, Balogun said, is for his successor to continue with the philosophy he is leaving behind and consolidate on the unity already established in the varsity.

28

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

EDUCATION EKSU FILE

Students arrest rape suspects STUDENTS and cadet corps of Ekiti State University (ESKU) have been commended for apprehending some members of a notorious gang noted for robbing and raping innocent people around Iworoko-Ekiti.

The Vice-Chancellor, Ekiti State University (EKSU), Prof Patrick Oladipo Aina, and several members of the university community made the commendation shortly after two members of the gang were taken to the State Security Service (SSS).

The suspects - Sesan Oyindamola from Agbado - Ekiti and Bukola Olowolafe from Epe - Ekiti, had promised to convey a passenger Miss Esther Omofoye, who hailed from Efurun in Delta State to the Federal the Medical Centre, Ido - Ekiti but stopped somewhere in Iworoko Ekiti to hatch their criminal plans. The bubble burst when they could not agree on how to handle their victim.

It was at this juncture that vigilant students and members of the University cadet corps in Iworoko Ekiti swooped on the criminals and arrested them. They were later taken to the university security post.

A

‘Over 21 cult groups exist in secondary schools’

GROUP, Peace on Campus Initiative (PCI), has raised the alarm over the increasing trend of secret cult activities in the nation’s secondary schools, saying there are 21 of such groups.

PCI’s National Co-ordinator, Oliver Cromwell Ajibo, said as against the popular belief, cult activities were no longer the preserve of higher institutions. The group is devoted to eradicating cultism and cultists activities in schools.

He said investigation by the group revealed that “more than 21 cult groups exist in the nation’s secondary schools, independent of those in the tertiary institutions.

Ajibo, who spoke in Lagos while announcing plans by PCI to embark on a nationwide campaign against cultism, said his organisation discovered the new trend of cultism during the massive initiation of more than 150 cult groups identified by the anti-cultism law of Rivers State.

He said his organisation’s activities since inception, has yielded successes, resulting in many students renouncing their membership of cult groups and increasing collaboration between PCI and some state governments and managements of some higher institutions.

By Eric Ikhilae

“In June 2003 about 250 cultists renounced at the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, 24 renounced in the state’s college of education, 71 renounced on November 11, 2010 during the flag-off of the PCI operations in the state.

“Several others renounced privately in Rivers State Polytechnic, Enugu State University (ESUT), University of Calabar (UNICAL), Maritime Academy, Oron, Micheal Opara University of Agriculture, among others.

“We have succeeded in stopping what would have been cult wars in institutions where we operate. No gun shots or sailings have taken place in all the tertiary institutions under our coverage since 2003 to date. No demonstration of any kind has taken place in any of these schools since then,” Ajibo said.

Ajibo, who expressed hope that similar successes will be replicated nationwide at the completion of PCI’s campaigns later in the year, also disclosed plans by his group to rehabilitate over 2,000 former cultists, who have renounced their

membership on account of PCI’s activities.

The PCI boss spoke of his organsation’s collaborative activities with the governments of Enugu and Akwa Ibom states, managements of institutions and bodies such as the Council of Heads of Polytechnics and Monotechnics in Nigeria.

He explained that PCI, whose activities had been limited to Southsouth and Southwest states in its 18 years of existence, has published two books on cultism –Cultism: Evil unlimited and Campus Terrorism: The emerging realities.

He also spoke of a planned collaboration between PCI and the Federal Government via the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Ethics and Values, Mrs Sarah Jibril, in the nationwide campaign scheduled to start with states like Rivers, Delta, Cross River, Anambra, Imo and Nasarawa.

He said PCI comprises members drawn from student activists, student union leaders, ex-cultists, ex-military intelligence officers, men of the State Security Service (SSS), university lecturers, clerics and other wellmeaning individuals committed to the fight against cultism.

Varsity shines at WAUG THE EKSU contingent at the justconcluded 13th edition of West African University Games won 11 medals.

The group, led by Prof Wole Adebayo, chairman of EKSU Sports Council and Prof Olusola Akindutire, chairman, Upgrading of Sports Facilities Committee, came back home with three silver and eight bronze medals, all in athletics, judo and badminton.

The competition held at the University of Ilorin between March 27 and April 7. The leaders described EKSU's victory as a departure from the old tradition.

The VC, who thanked the contingent, also promised to improve on the facilities and welfare of the university's representatives at such competitions in future.

Medalists at the competition are Selubo Ekundayo, Adeloye Tosin, Oribamise Jumoke, Ojo Kehinde, Ilesanmi Dotun, Abdusalam Bayo, Jethro Bunmi, Awojemila Jumoke, Akinleye Abimbola, Mathew Monday, Yusuf Ismaila, Ijadare Grace, Akinyele Joy and Adeyemi Bukola.

Ajobo said the choice of the group’s membership was informed by its belief that “the answer to cultism threats can only be found in an interventionist programme that also involves the students because cultists are students who operate among students.

NUC plans seminar

‘Fund federal, state varsities equally’ THE VC has called on the Federal Government to fund federal and state universities equally.

He made the call when the National Executive Council of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) led by its President Prof Ukachucku Awuzie visited him.

According to him, federal, state and private universities provide manpower to the nation and contribute to national development without anybody asking where they come from.

He disclosed that Google Nigeria, an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) giant, would soon provide the university with wireless network among other facilities to enable staff and students to link to the outside world effortlessly.

Earlier, Awuzie stressed the need for the university to be residential, adding that this would allow interaction between students and staff.

•Oliver displaying one of the books

Medinat Kanabe

T

•Members of the Parents-Teachers Forum, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Otto/Ijanikin, Lagos State after its first meeting at the institution’s premises.

Oyo to hold education summit HE Oyo State Government is to hold a two-day education summit from Monday and Tuesday, May 23 to 24.

It is aimed at arresting the decline in the education sector as well as the launch of the Yoruba Trust Fund.

The Commissioner for Education, Mrs Adetokunbo Fayokun, who disclosed this while addressing reporters in Ibadan, the state capital yesterday, explained that the philosophy behind the summit is education for empowerment.

The commissioner, who assured that the summit would not be another jamboree, said the idea would create a platform for stakeholders in the sector and the public at large to brainstorm and achieve long lasting goals for the sustainable development of the education sector.

"It (summit) is also driven by the need for capacity building across all levels of the education sector and the need to drive Public Private Partnership and to restore, transform and reposition this all-important sector," she said.

According to Fayokun, some of the aims of the summit would include discussion and agreement on the key issues that led to the deplorable state of education in Oyo State; offering short and medium term solutions to kick-start a revolution in the sector, as well as

T

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

developing and implementing a long-term post-summit strategy and work plans that would ensure that panaceas designed are unique and • specific to the problem of education in the state.

"We aim to mobilise available

human capital resources and materials to lay the foundation for the return of the state to her pacesetter position in the education sector in the county and indeed be a reference point for academic excellence," she said.

•An 18-year-old pupil of Government Secondary School, Okrika, Rivers State, Adeyinka Adeola, receiving the keys to a new home he won in Lekki Ajah from Mr Walter Drenth, Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, at the ongoing Maltina promo organised by the company ... on Sunday.

O develop the right leadership culture and management technique in the university system, a consultant and technical partner to the NUC on DataBase (NUCDB) project, Gucci Chis Nigeria Ltd will hold a three-day seminar with the theme: Building the capacity of Nigerian Universities to be among the World Best 20.

The seminar, which holds between Monday, May 28 through to Wednesday, May 30 has as target audience vice-chancellors, administrations, and research fellows of universities, decision makers and technocrats and other stakeholders, who will deliberate on how best to deal with issues posing threat to universities.

In a statement signed by Paul Adingwupu, NUC database consultant, participants will also deliberate on how to accelerate development in line with global best practices and, ultimately, rank among the leading universities in the world.

The event will also feature official inauguration of the NUConline programmes/accreditation process, as well as the launch of the University of Calabar UNICAL-NUCDB WIFI project Adingwupu said the seminar "promises to provide a platform for leaders to share ideas, build the capacity of managers and stakeholders of Nigeria's education sector to be better equipped with a smarter, coeffective management and communications strategy that harness the power of leadership and communications to improve the universities mindshare and performance. " There would also be a minimum of three national and internationally recognised speakers per meeting, who will bring their experience to bear on how best to raise the standard of education system to be highly referenced in the world.

In addition to the speakers, a leading authority on the topic will serve as discussant alongside a repporteur.

29

Records tumble at Poly Games

Washy: A controversial tradition Page 34

Page 31

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

THE NATION

CAMPUS LIFE 0805-450-3104 email: ladycampus@yahoo.com THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

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

email:- campuslife@thenationonlineng.net

Kiosks and shops at the University of Calabar (UNICAL) usually make life easier for students because they sell at cheaper prices. But, as the school resumes for a new session, students are complaining that the reverse is now the case. EMMANUEL SHEBBS (500-Level Political Science) and ISAAC MENSAH (400-Level Medical Laboratory Science) report.

•One of the markets in the campus

Returning to hard life on campus T

HEY returned to school to meet changes, the most prominent of which is the high cost of goods and services. Before they went on a five-month “mid-semester break,” they used to buy things at lower prices at the University of Calabar (UNICAL) market.

The students are complaining about the increase in prices of goods and services on the campuses. They say this has eaten deep into their budgets.

“This is a strange phenomenon,” said Martha Ini, a final year Medical Laboratory Science student.

Andrew Ijioma, a 400-Level Sociology student, said: “UNICAL markets initially served as succour for off-campus dwellers who prefer to purchase their items on the campus. Before we went on break, it was so. I stay off-campus; I would come here to buy things because the commodities were cheaper. But now, it seems the campus sellers are competing with those outside. The prices are not regulated any longer. Everything is expensive. The pocket money that normally takes one a month hardly takes one for two weeks now.”

Mary Salome, of the Faculty of Education, said: “We have many things to do with the school kiosks. They help us a lot. We type our assignments there. You photocopy your documents with them. You can also buy stationery and books when you need them on emergency.

Thus, it is not only food items that we buy from them.”

CAMPUSLIFE gathered that before the “midsemester break” prices of goods were moderate. For instance, a plate of garri with afang soup went for N120; while white soup and garri went for N200. Every other food was sold at N120 flat rate. Extra plate or meat went for N30. Barbing salons charged N50 flat rate. On transportation, from Main Gate to Library, taxi and bus drivers collected N10; from Gate to hostel N20 and to staff quarters, N30. Pencil was sold at N5, and pen N20. Photocopying of one A4 paper was N5.

Upon resumption in February, there was a significant increase in prices. Garri with afang soup is now N200. White soup is not yet on sale in campus restaurants. The reason, according to a seller who identified herself as Bless-

ing Okon, is: “The condiments are very expensive. If we start selling white soup, we will sell it higher than the students’ pocket money. Food is not even costly here in school. Go off-campus and see what is happening. We are just starting.”

A plate of food is sold at N250 flat rate. Extra meat or plate, N100. A double extra, that means, an extra plate after you may have been served with an extra plate on one table, is N50. Hair cuts now cost N200. Transport from Gate to Library is N20; to hostel, N40 and to staff quarters, N50 or more. Photocopying of one A4 paper is N20. The cheapest mineral drink, Coca-Cola, is N60.

A woman who sells provisions beside Hall Four at Malabo (as students call their hostels’ area) said local marketers are not to be blamed.

“The increase started from the major market.

Early this year, the sellers increased the prices of goods. We do not produce these things and whatever we sell, we do to make our gains. If you don’t increase as well, you will go bankrupt.”

Another vendor at Female Hostel who gave

her name as Mama Mfon explained further: “Iced fish was sold at N80 but now it is N150.

The cheapest bunch of afang leaf is N500. Water leaf is N20 for a very small wrap. We do not have any other option. If we sell anything cheaper than what we are selling now, we will not be able to give you people good food.”

The increase in haircut is one of great concern. A student, Ekanem Bassey, lamented: “Salons are for service. They do not sell products.

I see no reason to justify the increase of the cost of service.”

But a barber close to Hall Four said there was every reason for barbers to dance to the music of price hike. His words: “There is only one place that we go to sharpen our blades here in Calabar. They charge N150 per clipper irrespective of size or location. The same amount they charge those off campus is the same they charge us. Oil for the generator was sold for N150, now it is N200. We all know about the fuel price hike. A litre of fuel sells for N150 in Calabar.”

•Continued on page 31

•Lagos corps members rally against rape - P32 •NANS condoles with families of dead students - P33

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

30

CAMPUS LIFE

Portrait of Pushing our leader (2) Out with

W

E HAVE almost three years to go before we queue up again at the polls to elect a new set of leaders.

However, as a result of the muddle created by election riggers, there are about 10 states whose elections will always come up at other dates than those of the general election. Thus, there may be no year that will not witness at least one gubernatorial election. Hence, my decision to draw up the portrait of those we should be giving our votes, which I started two weeks ago.

Sadly, since then, especially in the last one week, it’s been one heinous attack after another by members of the Boko Haram sect. as I write this on Tuesday morning, the number of deaths in the Abuja, Kaduna (ThisDay, Sun and Moment offices), Kano (Christian worship centre at Bayero University), Adamawa and Jalingo (on the Police Commissioner’s convoy) have risen to over 70. Pray, what is the value of life to us? How much brainwashing does it take to remove the humanity from a man and turn him to a monster with an insatiable appetite for blood?

The sect said it was fighting the Nigerian government; later it added southern Christians to the list. Meanwhile, its victims have been more of the ordinary man on the street than government officials. It has also killed northern Christians, southern Muslims and northern Muslims as much as it has murdered southern Christians. Thus, clearly, it is as uncoordinated and confused as the same government it claims to be attacking.

Where does that leave the hapless man on the street? Nowhere, most of us would say.

But I beg to differ.

Unknown to us, we still hold the ace. We can still determine what shape our country

Ngozi Agbo 08054503104 (SMS only)

•campuslife@thenationonlineng.net •ladycampus@yahoo.com would take. Unfortunately, as my very senior colleague, Sonala Olumhense, noted in his column in last Sunday’s Guardian newspaper, a good number of us do not yet grasp the depth of the challenge before us or the awesome power we wield to change things for the better.

In an article he titled “An oil well in every privileged pocket,” he used an instructive analogy to refer to what happened at the polls last year. Here goes: “… Nigerians stepped into the examination hall…. An examination hall tests, first, your nerves. Then it tests what you really know.

What it tests most of all is the relevance of what you know to what is asked of you. The best student is not necessarily the most informed one, but he or she who can best synchronise what is known with what is asked.

One year ago, in that examination hall, the actual question before Nigeria(ns) was: Who among the men on the electoral slate for the presidency is ‘Moses’?”

Moses, in the Bible, is the deliverer who not only led the Israelites out of Pharoah’s bondage; he equally led them to pass through the Red Sea on dry ground.

The quote continues: “By 2011, Nigeria had endured over a decade of the most decadent ‘governance’ known to a modern state. The opportunity to escape was there, on the bank of the Red Sea, the Egyptian army advancing in the form of an uncertain future on the plat-

form of business as usual. But where was Moses? Who was Moses on the presidential slate that was capable of feats of incredible strength? I argued it was General (Mohammadu) Buhari.

Moses was no angel, but he had the staff in his right hand. Buhari had the credential and strength of incorruptibility; he could lift his hand against our true foe.

“But there may have been no fuel to power the generators in that examination hall, because on the examination sheet, many people do not appear to have seen the question about Moses at all. Instead, they returned, saying, ‘I voted for Goodluck Jonathan, not the

People’s Democratic Party’. In other words, they thought it was possible to separate Pharoah from his army; that the consequence was prettier than the cause. They did not understand the question; better still, they pretended they did not understand the question.”

Boko Haram cannot change or fight our government for us; our government cannot subdue Boko Haram for us. Just like the Niger Delta militants who have been “taken care of” while the degradation and neglect of the oil producing areas continue (little if anything has changed in the physical development of the area even with a “son of the soil” in Aso Rock), the Boko Haram insurgents are incapable of taking us to the Nigeria of our dreams. I repeat, the sect and the government each is too clumsy, clueless and confused to take us anywhere we want to go. With the tacit support given to the sect, the leaders and people in the north are “pretending not to understand the question”.

At the polls last year, Nigerians had a golden chance to make things right; we squandered it. Like Olumhense said, many of us “pretended we did not understand the question”.

I found his treatise quite interesting. Those who are familiar with the story of Moses, the Israelites and the Red Sea know that Moses did not eventually lead the people to the Promised Land. His job – brief, if you like – was to lead them out of Egypt. And that he did. While not campaigning for Buhari like

I’ll create employment for students’

‘Medics should be versatile’ Obinna Odoemena is among the latest batch of doctors who graduated from the Ebonyi State University (EBSU) Medical School, Abakaliki.

The student-leader speaks with LAWRENCE DANIEL (400-Level Applied Biology).

Y

OU graduated last December.

What has been happening?

I started my internship this April. I purposefully delayed a bit because of some programmes I embarked on before our induction as doctors. I was privileged to be among the Nigerian contingent at the last International Federation of Medical Students Association (IFMSA) conference in Denmark. From there, I attended four more workshops in Holland, Sweden, Spain and Dubai since I had arranged them that way to reduce cost. I’m free now to face internship.

What were the workshops about?

The trip afforded me the chance to consolidate on what I have built on over the years as a medical student with regards to contacts and collaborations. We were exposed to a lot of health issues, challenges and policies and even modern practices around the globe since about 99 countries & over 1600 participants (medical students) participated. It was awesome.

We spent seven days in Denmark, before I proceeded to spend another 21 days in the other workshops in other countries.

Due to your activism as a student, many still talk about you as if you are still in school. What do you have to say about that?

I’m humbled by this compliment.

At the same time, I’m not surprised because I’ve paid my dues. A good name is better than riches; this I learnt from my father. My activism dates back to my second year when I worked with the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDHR) where I learnt much, looking up to people like the late Gani Fawehinmi

and Femi Falana. I defended students against sexual harassment, extortion, bribery and many others. We were always fought too, resulting in some of my colleagues being suspended and expelled. All the same, we achieved a lot.

Then, I was inspired to go into student’s representation both in the medical school and the university levels. Thereafter, I became the first NANS JC chairman of Ebonyi State though I am from Imo State. This position meant I was in charge of higher institutions in the state and was able to achieve a lot in this respect restoring student unions in places where they were banned, like the Ebonyi State College of Education, Ikwo. I later became NANS PRO, before resigning to become the national president of Nigerian Medical Students Association. I served to the best of my ability; so, it is no surprise that students talk positively about me having seen all that I did.

How were you able to combine your academics with all those activities?

It wasn’t easy at all especially at the beginning; though later I got used to it. Let’s be sincere, as a student, how many hours in a day do we read? May be the ones who we call bookworms read like 7/8 hours in a day. Then if you have sound sleep of up to eight hours in a day for those who do – there are still another eight hours remaining. The question is: what do you do with them? Remember that “we are what we repeatedly do, and excellence is a habit”.

With such a background, what are your prospects in life?

Olumhense, I could not help thinking that what we need mainly now is a deliverer – someone who will lead us out of this cesspool; someone with the pedigree and the will. Like I listed last week, someone who commands our respect and who has a clear sense of where we should be headed.

Edo and Ondo are two of the states still to hold their gubernatorial elections this year.

The people must not allow the politicians to decide for them; the people must use their heads to ensure that the best candidate is placed in each of the government houses.

Closely related to respect is the ability to trust the leader. Trust and integrity are interwoven. It is impossible to trust a man whose word is not his bond. The Bible says that a righteous man (person of integrity) swears to his own hurt. In other words, a leader must be someone who says something and stands by it no matter what happens. Even if he has to change his mind, he must be strong enough to say: “I said that previously; new evidence has proven that I was wrong. I am sorry”.

Leadership is not for neophytes; it is for experienced people. It is suicidal to vote for someone you cannot point to his antecedent and say this or that is what he did previously, thus I am voting for him believing he would do this or that once in power.

Good leaders are made, not born. They develop through a never ending process of self-study, education, training, and experience. We may not see them go through the processing, but we must be able to know or see their ability to do certain things better than others. Those “certain things” do not come naturally but are acquired through continual work and study. Good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their leadership skills; they must possess the requisite knowledge and skills.

Nothing comes by mere contriving, machination or scheming. Therefore we must be careful that we no longer fall for silly sentiments like “he is from my area”, “from my church”, “from my school”, etc.

Ciao

•Obinna

With all the experiences I have had, I’ve come to the conclusion that I am a leader, not a politician. I still need to invest in myself intellectually, be grounded in my profession in the area of public health so, after the NYSC, I want to go for a Masters in Anatomy and Public Health. Thereafter, I will always be there as a leader to give direction and support.

By God’s grace, going by some of my colleagues’ plans to form a movement that will wipe corruption and bad leadership out of the country, there will still be opportunities. Let’s wait till then.

What is your advice for others, especially medical students?

Everyone should try and discover his or her talent while still young.

University education is not an end but a means to an end. Again, aluta does not mean violence and wanton destruction but a voice against injustice, corruption, oppression and suppression in high places. Let us explore intellectual aluta that encompasses the press and dialogue. Then for medical students, participatory medicine is the current thing! Learn your skills and learn some other things too. Technology is revolving, let’s diversify and be versatile.

Ruth Adejo, a student of Kwara State University, Malete, is the new Miss NABES (Nigeria Association of Business and Entrepreneurship Students). She tells HABEEB WHYTE (400-Level Law University of Ilorin) her plans for her colleagues.

H

OW do you feel as Miss NABES? It’s exciting and fun because everywhere I go on campus, people call Miss NABES. Sometimes, though, it can be very embarrassing. An example was when one girl asked me sarcastically if, indeed, I was Miss NABES. This was made worse by the look on her face, as if I didn’t deserve to be given the award.

But you must have felt beautiful enough to participate in the contest?

Of course, I did, and still do. All the same, beauty was not the only qualification; intelligence and ability to bond with the aims of NABES were part of the criteria. All these I have.

However, I must confess that the major motivation for me was just the fun of it.

At the time the main winner was to be announced, what was going through your mind?

Truth is that I had a little stage fright during the question time. Also, I am

•Ruth

not a very great dancer so I was actually a little nervous. I went in knowing I had great chances, but those incidents made me have some misgivings. At that point, I was not so sure anymore. But when eventually I heard my name as the winner, I became ecstatic!

What kind of project will you be working on during your one year reign?

As a student of entrepreneurship, representing other entrepreneursin-the-making, I will be going into soap making. This way, we can create employment opportunities and also further training for our students.

By the end of my reign, we will all not only learn more but also have an opportunity to increase our pocket money.

How do you intend to combine your studies with these new duties?

My Bible says with God all things are possible, with my prayers and studying hard, I know that I will make it.

What kind of advice can you give to other girls to motivate them to participating in such contests?

As an individual, always believe in yourself.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

31

CAMPUS LIFE Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) was first on the medals table at the justconcluded Nigeria Polytechnics Games (NIPOGA) hosted by the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Osun State. DAYO OJERINDE (400LMass Communication, Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State) reports.

I

T was the best of sporting activities at the biennial Nigerian Polytechnic Games (NIPOGA).

Old records were broken. The event also reignited the battle for supremacy among old rivals.

For two weeks, 2,994 athletes drawn from 51 polytechnics and colleges of technology, competed for honours in 14 events. The events are: athletics, badminton, basketball, chess, football, handball, hockey, judo, scrabble, squash, table tennis, taekwondo, lawn tennis and volleyball.

Formerly the All Nigerian Polytechnic Games, it made its debut in 1976 at The Polytechnic, Ibadan.

Since then, it has remained the rallying point for students, a forum for fostering social interaction and healthy competition and strengthening bonds of unity and friendship among the students.

Declaring the competition open, the Minister of Education, Prof Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufai, praised the host, the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, for raising the standard of the competition in terms of facilities provided.

In her goodwill message, Prof

•Female handball game between the Federal Polytechnic, Ede and the Federal Polytechnic, Idah

Records tumble at Poly Games Rufai, represented by the Executive Secretary National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Dr Masaudu Kazaure, who sent Adeojo Aimola, an architect, said the ministry was aware of the innovations introduced by the school in the “design and fabrication of a score board developed by staff and students and Science Laboratory Technology and Engineering departments), the first electronically powered animated mascot for the competition, and fully functional and dedicated website for the competition”.

A major complaint about grassroots age grade competition is the use of outsiders (called merce-

nary) for competitions. But such allegation was not heard this time.

On how they were able to surmount this challenge, the Manager, Games and Contribution for the NIPOGA 2012, Mr. Ademola Onijala, in an exclusive chat with CAMPUSLIFE, said: “We have a database that was able to give ready information as to the number of games our athletes must have attended. We have three procedures for athletes attending this game.

First they will be accredited; from there they will go for the zonal preliminary.

“If they qualify, they come for the final here. So, what we are trying to

do now is to have the database for all athletes in this game. The facts about the athletes would be put in a database so that in subsequent games, we would be able to know if particular athletes competed for the game at a particular institution and if he or she is trying to compete for another institution in the next edition. That would be very easy for us to detect”, he submitted.

However, there were some grumbling from athletes who complained of favouritism in the officiating.

On that score, Onijala said: “Though I have been preoccupied with various assignments here, the

feelers I have received is that the officiating is biased. But I am not surprised with these allegations because any team that is not winning is always complaining about the officiating; but once they are winning, they will not complain.

It is always the general belief that the host institution always has the advantage in terms of officiating.

All the same, I refuse to see it from that point of view. We must equally remember that the officials are human too and are bound to make mistakes”.

Mr. Princeworth Anane-Asare, Sports Manager for Accra Polytechnic, Ghana, was there to represent the Ghana Polytechnic Sports Association as an observer. He told CAMPUSLIFE his observations: “The organisation is excellent, the facilities here are superb. I therefore commend the host institution for this. From now on, this institution can host any sort of sporting event, either local or international, based on the facilities on ground,” he submitted.

On whether his school, Accra Polytechnic, Ghana, is ready to host the West Africa Polytechnic Games (WAPOGA), he said: “I have come here to hold final talks and to observe so that we would learn on how to improve on records set here.

“The date for the next WAPOGA is tentatively July 2013, because 2012 is out. We have to present our budget to the government; the cabinet must sit on it. That is why we chose July next year, tentatively as I said”.

The captain of the hockey team of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, whose side won the gold had this to say: “I feel happy that my team won despite many frustrations. We won, not because we played at home, but because of our determination built on solid preparation”.

Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu, came tops on the medals’ table with 18 gold, 17 silver and 25 bronze. Federal Polytechnic Ede (second) with 15 gold, 12 silver and 28 bronze. The Polytechnic Ibadan, the defending champions, came third with 14 gold, eight silver and eight bronze.

Returning to hard life •Continued from page 29

Many of the vendors added that the rent for their shops has also been increased. A barber, who gave his name as AK Salon, explained: “Initially, we paid N10,000 per shop. But now, for barbers, they count it based on the number of mirrors you have.

Currently, this year, they charged N9,000 for each mirror. I have three mirrors so I pay N27,000. It was not so in UNICAL before now. These increases necessitated the hike in our charges.”

Asked if there will be a reduction of prices if the school reduces the rent, Mama Mfon said yes. “If they reduce the rent, I will sell at a lower rate, even if not the old rate exactly.

I used to pay N50,000 for my shop but I pay N60,000. We have our families to cater for. We have children at home. Some of us have children in this university. The school fee is high, the rent is high. So, if we increase the prices, it is not our fault.

How will they increase school fees and increase rent charges and expect us to sell at a low price?”

The price increment affected the school toilets. Every section of the school has public toilet blocks for staff and students. A toilet attendant said that there is a recent increment.

“We usually charged N10 but now we charge N20. As you can see, things are hard. Not only that, sometimes, we use money to buy the water we use to flush and wash the toilets. We are here to serve the people. We are not making profit from this service.”

The SUG has been temporarily proscribed. The voices of the students are meant to go through their parapo, departments and faculty presi-

dents. But for James Tene-Omadide, a 500-Level student of Political Science, the department and faculty presidents seem not to know their duties.

“Most of them may not be aware that they are supposed to be on the frontline in channelling students’ challenges to the management. It is possible that the management may not know about these problems; thus, it is the duty of the presidents to draw management’s attention to these issues.”

Kingsley Bassey is the Director of Socials, Faculty of Arts. He said the SUG would not have done anything if they were not proscribed. His words: “Before the crisis that took us home, the SUG was known for its confusion. Up till the seventh month in office, the SUG executive members could not implement the price regulation. Is it this time that they would do it? What they could not achieve in seven months will they achieve in three months? The problem is not what the proscribed SUG would have solved.”

The deputy speaker of the proscribed SUG Parliament, Ubi Onen, said things would have been better if the SUG was in place. “The SUG Parliament had a welfare committee. This is one of the duties of the committee. I believe that if SUG was in place, things would have been better.”

Another student, Bright Oriaran, in 400-Level Political Science said: “A layman can tell that the whole thing is circled around the removal of fuel subsidy. The hike in prices is not peculiar to UNICAL but affects every part of Nigeria. The solution is that we should cut down all un-

•A student pricing a hand bag on the campus

necessary expenses.”

The Students Welfare Board (SWB) is saddled with championing students’ welfare, including controlling prices on campus by providing a price list distributed to staff and students. The board is headed by the Dean, Students Affairs (DSA). The membership of SWB is from various student groups and the executive arm of the SUG. At the beginning of each session, the SWB meets with vendors and releases a general price list which is usually lower than off campus prices.

Consequently, the Joint SUG Task Force and the Man O’ War go round to apprehend those that go against the price regulation. The regulation

often assumes that the campus business operators can sell lower than the price list but not higher. For the past one year, a food vendor confirmed that there has not been any price list either from the SUG or from the SWB. Asked what SWB’s plan are regarding the current hike of prices? The DSA, Prof Eyong Eyong, said: “The recent price hike is a national issue.

It is affecting everybody. But the truth is that we will not allow the local business workers to exploit the students, hiding under the removal of fuel subsidy. When we had the first SWB meeting this year, we didn’t discuss the issue but currently, we are doing something about it. We

will work with the security and the school task force to make sure that the sellers obey the new price regulation.

Prof. Eyong expressed optimism that as the school resumes for a new academic session, students should expect something better. He added: “You know that the school has just recovered from a little problem. The management needs some time to put some things in their proper place.

As soon as everything is set, price regulation will be made available and even in a better condition. We shall put heads together with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Administration, the Security Unit and the task force to make all these possible”.

32

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

CAMPUS LIFE ‘Think about the present and stop focusing on the future’

A

•Students standing at the Aluta ground during manifesto. Inset: The SUG president, Nurudeen

A

300-Level student of Management Technology, Nurudeen Saleh, has been elected president of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) of Moddibo Adama University of Technology (MAUTECH), Yola, for the 2011/2012 session.

He polled 1,910 votes to beat the other contestants to clinch the position. Samuel Yusuf, who polled 717 votes, was the first runner up, while Yakubu Lawal emerged the second runner up with 654 votes.

Umar Afkawa polled 2,036 votes to beat John Amos and Joel Israel who had 973 and 598 respectively to clinch the position of vice-president.

Humphrey Umejike and Abdulrazak Bappayo were elected secretary general and assistant secretary general respectively.

Others are Safiyanu Barata (financial secretary), Asue Ngunengen (treasurer), David Tsavnande (public relations officer), Friday Yakubu (director of socials), Ayuba Darwin (welfare director I), Baba Ansho-Kwembe (business director), Mohammed Jabir

Varsity elects SUG leaders From Silas Edet and Philips Ogbaje MAUTECH

(health director), Victor Joseph (sports director) and Suleiman Sabiu (welfare director II).

The election, which experienced a low turnout of students, started at about 9am instead of the publicized 8am. In most of the polling units visited by our correspondents, the elections were largely peaceful.

It was, however, not without hiccups. In Geography Department, female students from Education Technology attempted to vote at the department’s polling unit. Also in Soil Science Department, electoral officers tried to stop a student whose name did not corresponded with the name on the register.

Meanwhile, in the build up to the poll, aspirants went the extra length to canvass for votes. During the manifesto, students trooped out to

cheer their candidates but they could not repeat the turnout on election day.

Elisha Ajeh, of 300-Level Information Technology, described the turnout as the worst. “The poor quality of the aspirants in the elections really influenced the low turnout of students in the election,” he said.

Speaking, the chairman of the Independent Student Electoral Committee (ISEC), Bashir Yakubu, in 500-Level Geography, described the elections as free and fair and thanked the students for the level of maturity displayed during and after the election.

The Information Officer of the university, Mallam Mustapha Migawa, said the election was free and fair in all respects.

The Dean of Students’ Affairs, Mallam Ja’afaru Ali, who described the election as peaceful, congratulated the winners and the ISEC for a successful conduct of the elections.

MOTIVATIONAL speaker, Olakunle Soriyan, has told Nigerian youths to stop thinking about the future and start living in the present by putting their brains to work. He spoke last week at the World Changers’ Forum that took place at the National Sickle Cell Centre, Idi-Araba, Lagos.

He was speaking on “Innovation and Change” at a three-day programme organised by School of Success International, a human capital development and youth empowerment organisation founded by Seyi Olawunmi.

“The reason why we are backwards in Africa is that we are not masters in using our brains,” Soriyan said adding that “we are consumers while developed nations are producers and controllers of innovation.

“We are living in times of great complexities. Foolishness has become a standard and excellence has taken back stage. The reality of honour, excellence, integrity and merit has become so scarce. The wise men in our land are not people who are wise by their contents, but by the praises of the majority. We now have foolishness in high places. It is possible to be a rich fool; wealth is not a proof of wisdom,” he said.

Expressing concern over the craze for popularity, fame and riches among young people, Soriyan said:

Oyo students revive union

S

TUDENTS of Oyo State origin, who are studying at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, have resuscitated their union - Federation of Oyo State Students Union (FOSSU) - in the school.

In a meeting the students held at GNS Shield, the revival of the union was done by Bolanle Oyetayo, a former national Public Relations Officer (PRO), after a pronouncement.

The body was proscribed some seven years ago due to internal crisis. The students set up a committee that would oversee the election

From Femi Asu LAGOS

“Something is wrong with our system and it is due for change. You have heard it all your life that ‘you are the leaders of tomorrow’. Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, did not wait for tomorrow; he is a leader of his time.”

He, therefore, urged Nigerian youths to stop waiting for ‘tomorrow’ saying, “you can’t be so concerned about the future and forget that there are actions you have to take today. Don’t focus on the future; get pictures of the future, but return to today.”

In a veiled reference to people who look up to government for the solutions to their problems, Soriyan said: “Government is as stranded as you are. The government is a victim as you are a victim. You can’t insult Nigeria and forget that you are part of it. You will soon be there and if your thinking does not change, you will reproduce what we are experiencing now.”

He urged participants to improve the quality of their thinking saying, “the books you read, the knowledge you acquire define who you are. Engage your head. Stop giving excuses.

Start thinking seriously. Stop asking God for shoes, perfumes, cars. Ask God to give you answers to the problems in our society.”

From Musliudeen Adebayo LAUTECH

of the substantive leaders of the union in the coming weeks.

The committee is chaired by the FOSSU national vice-president, Adeyemi Abdulahi, a 500-Level Computer Science Engineering student. Other members include Wasiu Adebayo, 300-Level Chemical Engineering, Bolanle Oluwadamilola, Agric Engineering and David Balogun.

Adeyemi said: “The university management approved that FOSSU LAUTECH be resuscitated at the congress held on April 3. Electoral officers were nominated by each chapter of the five geopolitical zones, and were given 10 working days to conduct elections into various offices. The zoning formula and the congress act were signed by representatives from the five geopolitical zones.”

NDLEA enlightens students against hard drugs

T •The corps members during the rally

Lagos Corps members rally against rape

A

COALITION of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), particularly the Legal Aid Community Development Service group otherwise known as Lagos State Corpers Legal Aid Scheme (LACLAS) and the NYSC Anti-HIV/AIDS club (NAHAC) thronged the streets of Ikeja, the capital of Lagos State, last week, to demonstrate against sexual violence on women. The rally, which was tagged “Stop rape: Take action against rapists”, witnessed a large turnout of corps members serving in the state.

Chanting anti-rape songs, the procession moved to major streets and roads in Ikeja area. The participants carried placards and banners with inscriptions such as “Rape is ape”, “Against her will is against the law” among others.

The Executive Director of one the

From George Ukwuoma NYSC LAGOS

NGOs, Dr Princess Olufemi-Kayode, said the government must take a stand on the issue of rape and sexual violence visited on Nigerian women.

She said the issue should not be treated with levity.

She said: “We advocate for a Rape Center where rape cases can be heard from the victims and punishment meted out to offenders with the urgency it deserves. Taking the matter to court has not really helped as such because the whole court process is time wasting and we don’t want to be in court for long.

“The government, police, magistrates and judges have to understand the consequences of sexual violence and it is only when this is done and more quicker and practical steps are taken to stampede this menace that we can sigh for relief,” she added.

According to her, no female child or girl desires to be raped. The same was boldly inscribed on the vest she wore: “I never asked to be raped.”

Miss Adaobi Egboka, the Executive Programme Manager of Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP), said the purpose of the rally was to call the government to action. This she said was contained in a letter written to the Lagos State government on the need to take immediate steps against the crime. She said it was not only a state matter but a problem that affects the whole country.

A corps member, Kenneth Williams, who participated in the rally, said: “The move is encouraged. The moment I was informed by my colleagues, I made it a duty to be present at the rally to show support for the project. I think rapists deserve harsh punishment for forcing women against their will”.

HE Sokoto State branch of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has sensitised students of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) abuse of drugs.

This took place two weeks ago.

The programme, which had in attendance eminent personalities, such as the Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aliyu Wammako, former president of Nigeria, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Tambuwwal, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar,

From Mubarak Ibrahim UDUS

and the UDUS Vice-Chancellor, Prof R.A. Shehu, was held at the university’s multipurpose hall. The programme was tagged “Revitalisation of drug-free club”.

It also featured award presentation to recognise the efforts of prominent personalities, such as the Sultan, the governor and the Speaker for their roles towards a drug-free society.

Participants at the event were admonished to desist from the use of hard drugs.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

33

CAMPUS LIFE NANS condoles with families of dead students •Charges politicians on development From Esther Mark and Hameed Murtala UNIJOS and UNILORIN

T

•Oluwaseyi in a group photograph with the beneficiaries

Corps member donates to schools, rehab home

A

MEMBER of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Oluwaseyi Oluwalade, serving in the Information, Protocol and Public Relations Unit of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, last Friday, donated 2,000 copies of customised exercise book to 10 public primary schools in Akoko Southwest Local Government Area of the state.

Oluwaseyi, who also donated 10 mattresses to the Saint Louis Rehabilitation Centre, Oka-Akoko, hoisted the national flag in the public primary schools.

Schools that benefitted from the gesture included Community UBE Primary School, Supare-Akoko, St. James Anglican Primary School, Supare-Akoko, Baptist Day Primary School, Oba-Akoko, Community UBE Primary School, Oba-

From Dayo Ojerinde AAUA

Akoko, Zumratul Islamiyyah Primary School, Ikun-Akoko and Holy Trinity Primary School, IkunAkoko.

Others are St. Mary’s RCM Primary School, Oka-Akoko, Christ AC Central Primary School, OkaAkoko, Ansar-Ud-Deen Primary School, Akungba-Akoko, and Anglican and CAC United Primary School, Akungba-Akoko.

The corps member said the initiative was borne out of his “passion to always affect the lives of people positively.” He added: “It is not until one becomes a millionaire that one can reach out to fellow human beings.”

Oluwalade said the government alone cannot meet the endless needs of the society, thus the ne-

cessity for individuals to complement government’s efforts.

In his remarks, the Local Government Inspector of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Akoko Southwest, Mr. Dauda Williams, praised the corps member for projecting the image of NYSC in good light. He also called on individuals, corporate bodies and governments at all levels to continue to support corps members, most especially in the areas of community development service.

The Local Government Caretaker Chairman, Hon Opeyemi Adefarati, who was represented by an officer in the council, Mr O.A. Ajanaku, appreciated the corps member for his “generous donation” despite the financial situation in the country. Ajanaku promised that the leadership of the council would continue to support the ac-

tivities of corps members.

Responding on behalf of the benefited schools, Mr. S. A. Abudu, said: “When he came to our school last year asking whether we have some pupils who could not afford to buy exercise books so that he can give them some books, I thought he was one of those people used to playing pranks around. But when he called me two days ago that the materials were ready, I was so surprised. The corps member has demonstrated he is responsible”.

Reverend Sister Victoria Orifunmishe, who received the mattresses on behalf of St. Louis Rehabilitation Centre, said: “The mattresses will go a long way to meet needs that the donor never imagined. I want to thank Oluwaseyi for the initiative and I ask God to bless him”.

Jr., said: “We will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.” He described ACJ as a body for student intellectuals and said the new members of the executive should be ready to face challenges, and overcome them from both ends.

He concluded with the biblical verse, saying “you have laid your

hands on the plough, no looking back.”

In his inaugural address, the new president of the association, Samuel Adegbola, promised to work and ensure the interest of students take the centre stage. He said: “The present administration is more than ready to put an end to the era of attack of members.”

Campus journalists welcome new leadership

“M

Y time shall pass, your time shall pass; history will never pass, posterity will judge us all…” These were the words of Joseph Akinyanmi, the immediate past president of the Association of Campus Journalists (ACJ) in Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) at the handing over and swearing in of new executive members of the association. The ceremony took place penultimate Saturday at the Humanities Block 1, Faculty of Arts.

Members of the association from various departments attended the event. Dr. Victor Alumona, the patron of the association and Dr. L. M. Durosimi, Dean, Students’ Affairs were at the ceremony.

Joseph, in his handing over note, gave an overview of hiccups and successes of his administration, saying: “Handling students’ issues on campus is a major part of what we

•Joseph welcoming the new leaders From Oluwafemi Ogunjobi OAU

do in ACJ and we must be firm and maintain the association’s stance for objectivity so as not to be pulled down by unscrupulous people.”

The outgoing Financial Secretary, Ifedayo Olanipekun, quoting the words of Martin Luther King

Medical students visit Health Ministry

S

TUDENTS of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) under the banner of Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences Students Association (FAMEDSSA), have paid a courtesy visit to the Director of Nursing Services Cross River State Ministry of Health, Elder Edu Edmond.

The students were led by their president, Emmanuel Olayi.

At the visit, Emmanuel said that

From Isaac Mensah UNICAL

the association had outlined programmes it deemed important to implement before the end of the year. The programmes, which include health outreach to rural communities within the state, visit to remand homes, orientation for newly admitted students among other things, were considered key

agenda of the association.

Emmanuel solicited the support of the Director and other publicspirited people to ensure the speedy implementation of the “laudable programmes.”

On his part, Edmond thanked the students for the visit, promising to do all in his power to ensure the agenda of the association were implemented.

HE National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has commiserated with the families of the two students of the Benue State University (BSU), Makurdi, who were killed during the demonstration against the killing of their colleague by trailer drivers.

At the end of an emergency meeting of the association at the Bauchi Road campus of the University of Jos (UNIJOS), NANS, through its Zone C coordinator, Henry Pam, said it was unfortunate that the students lost their lives while fighting a worthy cause.

At the meeting, the officials condemned the action of policemen who disperse the protesting students with live ammunition which led to the death of two students while several others got injured during the process. The names of the students that were killed by the policemen are James Unogwo, 400Level Physics and Emmanuel Ayodele, 100-Level Biological Sciences.

Henry wished other injured students who were receiving treatment in the hospital a quick recovery.

The apex students’ body reiterated its commitment to protect Nigerian students and advised the government to be cautious in the method it chooses to respond to issues.

In another development, the North Central Zone of NANS has charged pubic officers in the country to always discharge their duties judiciously as this is paramount to the growth and development of the nation.

In a communiqué issued by the association, last week, which read in part: “Nigerian students are always appreciative of the effort made by anybody to achieve justice and development. The well-meaning Nigerian students charge all public officers to judiciously discharge their obligation in any capacity as this is sine qua non for the growth and development of the nation.”

The association has also expressed appreciation to Mr. Hamza Usman, the Senior Special Assistant on Information Technology to the Governor of Kwara State for providing buses for students of one of the tertiary institutions in the state during their examination to ease the hardship faced by the students.

‘Nigerian students are always appreciative of the effort made by anybody to achieve justice and development’

34

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

CAMPUS LIFE The Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Anambra State, was one of 10 institutions that received a licence from the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) in February 2007 to operate a radio station. UNIZIK FM, broadcasting on 94.1 megahertz, staff and students recently celebrated five years of consistent broadcasting, NGOZI EMMANUEL reports.

Campus radio marks five years

T

HE Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) community was agog last week as activities to mark the fifth year of the UNIZIK Radio 94.1 FM reached a crescendo. The day also witnessed the installation of patrons and patronesses for the campus radio. Before the time, guests and students had converged at the auditorium. It was clear that many could not wait to see the faces behind the microphone. The air was filled with a kind of excitement that was so contagious it seemed the ceiling fans’ blades slapped around faster than normal. The stage was decorated in orange ribbons and balloons, the brand colour for the radio station. The radio station DJ, Beenimuan, played party tunes from the deck backstage.

The programme began with a beautiful rendition of the national anthem, the UNIZIK anthem and a community radio anthem that was championed by the radio presenters. No one seemed to remember the challenges of the past or the faltering start of the radio station that is fiveyears-old. But then, like every other venture, UNIZIK FM has a story.

In 2007, the institution received a licence to broadcast. It began immediately to audition students who would later work as presenters and DJs. They were known as student-volunteers. Passionately, these volunteers worked very hard under the sun and in the rain, broadcasting quality programmes as developed by them, to, not just the university community but the Anambra

•The radio presenters after the event

State and other areas of reach. In turn, they became celebrities of some sort, though they weren’t paid any remuneration then. With the little revenue coming to the radio station, it was amazing how it had managed to maintain consistent broadcasting since 2007.

UNIZIK FM operates according to the philosophy of a community radios as a non-profit organisation with the principle of all-inclusiveness. Thus, most of the programmes aired are community development-oriented and as such the radio does not engage in commercial activities.

Regularly, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) visiting panel comes around to check on compliance.

Through the challenges of inadequate funding and some technical hitches, the station has made a mark as one of the best campus stations in the country. Thus, in that auditorium, it was a celebration of excellence and

sustainability as patrons and patronesses were installed.

The installed patrons and patronesses were: Chief Chidi Anyaegbu, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, Hon Uche Ekwunife, Senator Joy Emordi, Mr. Vitalis Okafor, Dr. Stella Okoli, Senator Chris Ngige, Mr. Emma Nweke, Senator Andy Uba and Dr. Obinna Uzor.

As each received an award of installation, it was applause galore. They made donations to support the station.

Speaking at the occasion, the excited Head of Mass Communication (HOD), Prof Kate Omenugha, said: “We are here today to celebrate the success of a community radio station, which for five years has maintained consistent on-air broadcasting with quality programmes from the studentvolunteers amidst limitations.

Though we still have some teething challenges, we are confident that, as time goes on, everything

will be sorted out. We are today installing these patrons and patronesses as models for the radio station.”

Visibly excited, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Boniface Egboka, said: “In the comity of higher institutions in Nigeria, the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, is always a force to reckon with and we are proud of that. Added to our feathers is this wonderful radio station, UNIZIK FM, 94.1, which has maintained consistent broadcasting for the past five years.”

Some of the dignitaries at the event included Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, who was represented by the Commissioner for Youth Planning and Development, Prof Chinyere Okunna; his former deputy, Mrs. Virgy Etiaba, and the new patrons and patronesses.

The student-volunteers were also celebrated as the audience cheered when they each stood up

to introduce themselves. The audience’s excitement knew no bounds as the faces behind the microphone were finally unveiled.

Another interesting aspect of the occasion was a raffle draw.

The raffle was drawn from the over six thousand tickets sold before the event. At the end, there were three winners and 10 consolation prize winners. Prizes included washing machine, flat screen television, a sponsored trip to Obudu Cattle Ranch, kitchen oven sets and others.

Congratulating the winners, the Station Manager, Mrs. Ifeoma Obi, said: “We just did this to appreciate our listeners and to encourage our fan base. I want to thank all of you for honouring this event to celebrate UNIZIK FM at five. I especially congratulate our new patrons and patronesses.”

Before the event came to a close, Theatre Arts students thrilled the audience with a cultural dance.

Elevated compliments have become part of everyday social interactions for students. “Washy” is the name of this controversial culture. GILBERT ALASA (300-Level Foreign Languages, University of Benin) writes that the practice is manipulative.

I

T was the beginning of the second semester at the Nigeria French Village, Badagry, Lagos.

Students were on their way to catch up with an early class that morning.

As if on cue, a young man walked past this reporter hurriedly. Approaching his target, he prostrated with his two hands on the ground and his body fully stretched out like an athlete observing his routine pressups. And then, in a playful rebuff, the target (a student) who was being “worshipped” veered off in swift escape. “That’s washy at its exciting best,” muttered another student.

Washy is an age-long tradition among undergraduates in Nigeria.

Although its origin remains unclear as no one can recall when it started, investigations, however, reveal that it is a bastardised form of “wishwash” which implies an insipid talk.

“Washy” connotes the deliberate act of flattering someone in an elevated language and excessive compliments for the purpose of ingratiating oneself with the subject. This is also referred to as wheel-greasing or applepolishing. Among certain groups, it is called “whinnying”.

In the view of Esan Adeolu, a 300Level European Studies student at the University of Ibadan (UI), washy is a fun way of keeping our social interactions animated. “I relish it. It’s fun and most times affords people the opportunity of expressing their real •Continued on page 36

Washy: A controversial tradition

•A student being adulated through ‘Washy’

•Another student being adulated

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

35

CAMPUS LIFE

A

S a kid dreads the darkness of the night, so the adrenal of all is fully sensed, detecting movement, and loitering of all they see about. We are in perilous times. The word “terrorism” is not new to anyone in the Middle East nor those in the West (as they can remember the ugly incidence of September 11). How on earth would anyone take up arms against others? Nigeria joined the list of terrorist countries when one Abdul Muthallab attempted to blow up a plane in the US a little over two years ago.

A suicide bomber is someone who deliberately kills himself with explosives to destroy something or kill other people. In the Middle East, small children and teens are trained to carry out this brutish act. Three years ago, a small Palestinian boy walked into a busy market, then he sluggishly squeezed his belt to detonate.

Ghbouum!!! The blast rocked the earth, tearing the boy limb to limb.

The lad did not go alone, he died with over 20 innocent people, and dozens were wounded. Such is the power of walking bombs.

It is observed that terrorism is not only attached to religion, but many a times it has political undertones. The main reason that triggers terrorism, from my observation, is hatred. For thousands of years, the Arabs have been the enemy of the Jews, and the same hatred, from the Arabs is also translated to the United States. Though there maybe bilateral relationship

T

HE history of music is as old as that of man. Archaeological and canonical evidences prove this to be true. Yore sub-Saharan African tribes played drums, horns and bells at their festivals and religious processions. The Tejue, Han and Mioa tribes of ancient China played a form of mouth organ and panpipes. Of course, to enjoy instrumental music in those days, you had to play an instrument or listen to someone who could, for the reason that playing this requires precision and expertise.

But inspite of this, music played a very important part in the socioeconomic life of the ancient world.

From soothing melodies to romantic serenades to lively pop songs to stirring symphonies to inspirational melodies, one cannot but shudder to imagine what life

Boko Haram: The walking bombs sometimes because of economic ties, it never removes the animosity. Mind you it will spark out when situation calls for it. To historians, they count this last generation as the generation of contention, revolution and strife.

In Hindu ideology, this is the last time, and it will be marked by destruction, tears and blood. To an Islamic extremist, especially those trained as suicide bombers, this is the era of jihad. They have been brainwashed into a belief that if they sacrifice their life to kill “unbelievers”, they would be rewarded with the bliss of heaven and a harem of virgins both voluptuous and good at bed.

We cannot separate religion from our nature, yet the human solidarity - of peace, love, and natural milk of tenderness that we owe one another - surpasses the creed and belief in our holy books. Tolerance, love, and kindness are the bedrock of peace and the creator placed these virtues above our religious sentiments. The divergence of our opinions should be sheathed and our teachings should emphasise those things that bind us together and not those that divide us.

It was observed that more blood has been shed in the name of religion than any other cause; and terrorists (most of which hide under the cover of religion) have com-

mitted over 17,720 deadly attacks since 9/11. The case of Nigeria is not an exception but the problem here is multifaceted; it cuts across religious, political and even economic issues.

The dreaded terrorist group, Boko Haram, reared its ugly head during President Umar Yar’Adua’s administration, and this led to a bloody clash between JTF and the group. The dead toll rose to over 700, consisting of both innocent citizens and members of the sect. The leader, Yusuf Mohammed, was also brutally killed by the police and many thought that is the end of the strife but to me I could smell the danger afar; counting days when the backward ram will come with double strength and stronger horn.

The socio-economic problem, ethno-religious sentiments, educational fallout (illiteracy), unemployment, political geocentricism, etc, have become platforms to launch attacks on innocent citizens by armed robbers and kidnappers in the past so we should not be hasty to judge Boko Haram. It is also a product of national failure like others. The veil hiding behind the intention of this terrible sect was torn when they came out in black and white to table their agenda.

The upsurge of this group is now a big menace as the security agencies are too weak, and the arm of

Music and the undergraduate

By Oluwafemi Obayagbo would be like without music. Dull and banal, to say the least.

The love for music cuts across the broad spectrum of the human society. From young to the old, the affluent to the common, the literate to the unlettered, music is beautiful.

It comes, therefore, as no surprise that the music industry is fastpaced, fickle and ultra competitive; music taste changes, his grow stale and new tastes and technologies supersede the old.

The Nigerian undergraduate occupies a sizable portion of this spectrum of music lovers. This can be seen in barbing salons, cafeterias, shops, and even chapels in the cam-

pus environment, where sound systems blaring out melodies have become a common feature. The incident reported by CAMPUSLIFE sometime ago about how a student murdered his roommate because of a CD plate also underscore this fact.

It is no more considered a status symbol for a student to own a powerful sound system in his or her hostel room. Those who cannot afford this try to record or download songs and play them on devices that can be slipped into the pocket.

But every undergraduate must ask himself or herself: on what basis do I choose the music that I listen to? Is it just the sound or the artist? Or do values influence my

The need for change

C

HANGE, they say, is constant but nobody can make an impact in the society if he doesn’t make a positive change in his life and people around him.

Nowadays, youths don’t think of a positive change; rather, their minds are filled with vices. Many have neglected the right thing and indulged in evil whilst our society is dying.

Change is necessary in our lives in as much as one can think of it in a very critical way. Many people are being used as instruments of change because they worked on their mindset to achieve greatness.

Martin Luther King Jr for instance had a heart for change. An apostle of non violence, a beacon of social justice, and a paragon of true Christian love; today he is remembered as a man for all seasons.

In this wise, the need for change cannot be underestimated, hence the following steps to achieving the change we need: Increase desperation: Inspire people to make objectives real and relevant. A Chinese philosopher once said that “If it can be imagined it can be achieved only if you believe”.

Build a guiding team: Get the right people in place with the right emotion commitment and the right skills.

Don’t underestimate anyone; a boy becomes a man when a man is

justice too short to tackle them.

Take for example the bombing of the police headquarter in Abuja, attack of UN building which left over 20 people dead, Christmas bombing at Madalla, Kano bombing, the recent Easter bombing at Kaduna, and still counting….sadly.

Dialogue has failed and the stickand–carrot approach of the dummy has not worked. The nation is in dilemma because it is very hard to use force in a democratic country like Nigeria; it can easily degenerate into ethno-religious war since majority in the north are Muslim (Hausa- Fulani). We pray this does not come, but should we fold our hands and allow this people to continue to prey upon the innocent?

Some months ago when a bomb factory was discovered in Niger State ( a place very near the boundary of Abuja) and three “bokoboys” were arrested with first class explosives and detonating gadgets, the president said that the Federal Government was ahead of Boko Haram in intelligence and soonest they would become history. The next morning, a newspaper reported top officials of JTF (Joint Task Force) as saying that the sect presently was ahead of the security forces and more deadly attacks could happen in the future.

Labaran Maku, the Information Minister, out of frustration, described the group as anti-develop-

needed. We can effect change by neglecting the age and focusing on the ability of the individual.

Get the vision right: Get the team to establish a simple vision and strategy focusing on emotional and creative aspects necessary to drive service and efficiency. Remember an effective selfless service requires competency.

Empower actions: Remove obstacles, enable constructive feedback and lots of support from leaders, reward and recognise progress and achievements. It provides motivation to the team, which keeps everyone going.

Don’t give up: Foster encouraged determination and persistence. To succeed, you have to put success in motion. The secret of getting ahead is getting started.

Reinforce the value of successful change. An impact made on one’s life can really go a long way in affecting the society positively. All the people who have achieved greatness and touched the lives of people positively had a turn to the right direction.

I believe that everybody has something to offer the society morally, financially academically. Every person has to be useful to the society, and selfless. Some people made you whatever you are today, so you have to give back to the society even better than it has given you.

choices? These are pertinent questions, for music has the power and can influence us at very deep levels.

Before you head to the record store to buy a piece, ask yourself: “what message does it convey?”

Some musical genres are known for depravity. Rap lyrics are occasionally shocking and filled with misogynistic remarks and obscenities. For example, lyrics like “Get rich or die trying so” by 50 cent and “My crime pays” are maxims that incite young minds to crime, especially in societies where life is tough.

Since music affects the mind and heart, it can arouse indecent thought and actions. Character defines a man. Values and virtues,

By Samson Obadofin

ment, anti-people and anti-God. The proximity of Borno and other northern states to Sudan, Somalia, Niger and Chad and the porosity of our border security has made recruitment of members for the terrorist easy from other countries. It is a known fact that the establishment northerners hate Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, and some had even vowed to make the nation ungovernable for him. If this hassle continues, we are on our way down to the valley of chaos and disintegration, which will not only be limited to ethnicity but religion.

Samson, just graduated from OAU, Ile-Ife which were hitherto extolled have been eroded and maligned by certain artists in this country. I wonder why songs, such as “Yahoozee” and “Maga don pay” should even see the light of the day let alone become major hits in the Nigerian music industry.

These songs eulogise cyber crime, which is a societal ill. It is worthy of note that Nigeria ranks third in the world in cyber crime.

Such songs rebuff hardwork, debunk discipline, honesty and integrity. I am not a fundamentalist neither am I a conservative. As a matter of fact I love good music; I only try to be selective.

I urge my fellow youths to do same; scrutinise the content, broaden your taste, be informed, be constructive and be discerning.

Oluwafemi, ND II Food Science and Technology, YABATECH

Remembering Dagrin and his ghetto dream

T

By Francis Egwuatu

People like Henry Ford would have become a nuisance to the society, if not for change. He was able to attain a “height” that everyone can reach. If only you are determined and focused.

His company produced over 1,000 cars a day; he has workers he employed. Imagine, if he was reluctant, his workers would have remained unemployed.

James Gordon said: “It’s not that some people have will power and some don’t, it is that some people are ready to change and others are not”.

Failure will continue as long as we permit it. Change begins with you.

Francis, 200-Level Mechanical Engineering, FUT Owerri

HE truth be told; I was never a fan of Dagrin, neither did I have passion for his music.

Not necessarily because of his style of singing, but because I do not understand the language (Yoruba) he used to communicate his message in his music. Communication is said to be impaired if the recipient does not understand the language the sender used to convey the message.

But I was convinced by a friend to one of my lodge mates who always sings a particular track of Dagrin song, Ghetto Dream, whenever he paid his friend a visit. One day, I was so curious that I asked why always that song.

His response: “You don’t understand Yoruba; therefore you wouldn’t know what the song is talking about”.

“Can you explain in English, please?” I inquired!

“Oh death!” he exclaimed, then proceeded to educate me.

My brother, Dagrin is talking about his life, his struggles in life and how he was still struggling to make ends means, how critics try to discourage him whenever he wakes up in the morning to make ends meet through manual labour, how he eats

By Friday Ohikhuai

concoctions without no salt. But despite all this he was still dreaming big (to be like Nigeria’s president).

After I had listened to the narration, I was moved with passion, and my response was, “How I wish Dagrin is still alive to eat the fruit of his labour”.

In life, everybody has a dream.

Some dream to be like a particular person, while others dream to just be themselves (that is, develop their inborn gift). But there is nothing wrong if one has a good role model to pattern one’s life after. That is why we see some persons prefer to dress like a particular musician, some behave like a particular pastor, while some want to be like Prof Wole Soyinka. Even some persons including my humble self want to become a pen-pusher like Lawal Ogienagbon and Victor Akande both of The Nation newspaper.

But how would one’s dream become a reality? As Dagrin rightly said, through focus and determination. Adieu Dagrin. Shalom.

Friday, HND II Business Administration, AUCHI POLY

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

36

CAMPUS LIFE Many students and young people love to smoke. They do so mainly due to peer pressure.

DAYO IBITOYE (Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria) captures some of the dangers and fight to reduce the practice.

A

T 27, Lanre Lawal (not real name), a recent graduate of Civil Engineering from Osun State, had a bright future ahead of him having bagged a Second Class Upper from the university, a degree which was enough to get him a befitting job and put food on his table. Lanre’s joy was shortlived when, one day, on his way to attend an interview, he slumped and was taken to the hospital. He died after three years of battling lung cancer at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

According to Peter, his childhood friend, Lanre got addicted to smoking in their secondary school. “There’s nothing I didn’t do to stop him from smoking but he wouldn’t listen. He’s so addicted that he smokes at least 10 sticks a day.”

Lanre’s is just one of the many cases of the wreck that tobacco smoking is turning young Nigerians into. Many find it disheartening that, despite the danger tobacco addiction poses, the Federal Government has yet to sign the Tobacco Act into law.

When recently various groups stormed the National Assembly to compel the legislature to pass the National Tobacco Control Bill 2009, topmost in their demands was a bill that will regulate the consumption and distribution of tobacco and its product in the country, especially in public places.

Nigeria is plagued by the incessant increase in the number of tobacco smokers. The protesters claimed that close to seven million sticks of cigarettes are smoked everyday, especially by young people.

According to them, between 150,000 and

The tobacco fight

300,000 children under 18 months get respiratory infections, such as pneumonia and bronchitis, from second-hand smoking otherwise called passive smokers.

According to Dr. Tola Oyebode, a medical doctor, a report by the Federal Health authorities in 1988, certified that about 4.5 million Nigerians were smokers and about 17 billion cigarettes were produced in the country annually. The figures are believed to have increased. Today, Nigeria is one of the largest markets for tobacco products in Africa.

“The government is yet to sign the tobacco act into law. Nigeria is really at risk, if the National Tobacco Control Bill is not passed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan,” added Oyebode.

He attributed the delay in signing the bill to pressure by various tobacco lobby groups.

He further stated that tobacco firms had infiltrated the ranks of the nation’s polity, finding their way to the heart of the policy makers.

His words: “Every day that passes it looks as though smoking has become a part of the Nigerin culture. While some see it as a way of socialising, others see it as the best way of coping with anger, stress, anxiety, tiredness, or sadness. Despite all the warning signals in the media and places of worship, many Nigerian youths still indulge in it and the government seems unconcerned about the increasing tide and has failed to set a

LASU may reinstate union

T

HERE are strong indications that the Lagos State University (LASU) may reinstate the proscribed student union, CAMPUSLIFE learnt. The management, in its official bulletin, has constituted a committee to look into how to revitalise the union.

According to the bulletin, the authorities are seeking an all-encompassing electoral system, which stipulates qualification or otherwise of contestants and which will be coordinated by the Dean of Students’ Affairs.

Also, the guideline seeks to evolve a constitution that would conform strictly to a new LASU Students’ Union culture and to articulate the activities of the union with a view to curtailing the excesses of the office holders

From Olasunkanmi Arowolo LASU

amongst others.

LASU proscribed the students’ union towards the end of last year, after the students’ body led a protest against the hike in school fees. A close source, who craved anonymity, told our correspondent on Sunday that the students union and the management were set to resolve their differences.

The source said: “The union suspension is likely to end soon because the Vice Chancellor has promised the students of quick resolution. He has set up a committee to look into the issue with the aim of revitalising the students union.”

On and Off Campus By Solomon Izekor 08061522600

leadership role for the rest of Africa by enacting the law.”

CAMPUSLIFE learnt that 92 countries in the world have signed the tobacco bill into law, though with varying stipulations on how it is implemented. When the tobacco bill is implemented, it will ensure the prohibition of the sale of cigarette to persons under 18, stipulate warning labels and health messages to cover at least 50 per cent of the principal display areas and prohibit all forms of tobacco advertisement, sponsorships and promotions, endorsements or testimonials and sales promotions. An action everybody believes is a step in the right direction.

A walk round the city of Lagos, undoubtedly the most populous in Nigeria and the nation’s commercial capital, shows that more 40percent of the youths have either smoked or still smoke. CAMPUSLIFE met Adamu Makam, a 22-year-old from the northern part of the country but resident in Lagos. A chat with Adamu revealed he is a die-hard smoker; he not only smokes tobacco but also engages in Indian hemp.

Speaking in Pidgin English laden with his Hausa language, he revealed that his love for smoking knows no bounds as it makes him forget his troubles. “It makes me relax, and high. No day passes without me finishing at least a pack of cigarettes. When it comes to dying, whether I smoke or not I will still die. Everybody has what will kill

A man lighting cigrette

him; if tobacco is mine, so be it”.

Some students who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE did not deny ever smoking or still smoke.

One of them who preferred anonymity said he derives pleasure from it as it makes him “feel high”.

Francis Junior, a student, believes smoking is evil and every reasonable youth should desist from it.

Considering the risks posed by addiction to tobacco, the question on everybody’s lips still remains, why won’t the National Assembly pass the bill and why won’t the president sign the tobacco bill no matter what the pressure is considering the dangers tobacco addiction poses to the Nigerian society, especially the youth?

Washy: controversial tradition •Continued from page 34

feelings in a light-hearted way. Personally, I find it difficult telling people how I feel about them in a serious way. Washy brings me out of my shell,” he said.

How is the ritual observed? A student could be strolling towards a crowd of people. In a sweet ambush, a group of students appear suddenly from nowhere and immediately fall on their faces to the ground in “worship” of their target. This often draws the attention of other students. Aside the use of hyped compliments, washy could take the form of using big names and titles for the subject. A person could be tagged with names as “goddess, G.O (General Overseer), chairman, boss, presido, alhaji, powerful”, and so on. It is believed that such false compliment makes people let down their guard, allowing the flatterer to swim his way into the heart of his target.

Asserting the historical perspective of the practice, Randy Ikechukwu of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) said: “Recall the era of troubadours who wrote poetry to serenade the souls of prominent personalities? Men desire to be adored because it creates a momentary escape from our insecurities. Like we often say, everybody wants to feel important. It’s natural”.

Blessing Ejere of the University of Jos (UNIJOS) believes washy is healthy for humans, especially women. “It’s a known fact that one can win a woman’s heart simply by the good application of adulation. We just love to hear men overwhelm us with sweet talk. A good dose of flattery can make my day. In fact, it makes me feel like a real woman when I hear someone tell me such things.”

But for a student of UI and President of the Nigeria French Village Christian Fellowship, Fola Alabi, such culture of overrated compliments should be checked as it often sends the wrong message. “It’s not cool to say what we don’t mean to people. Adulating someone for fun’s sake is cunning and manipulating. Again, a girl who has never been used to receiving compliments could go overboard and do crazy things with a man who tells her such bloated lies. Above all, the Bible charges believers to be faithful and sincere in their words. So, it’s sinful telling someone what I know to be false.”

Over the ages, philosophers and historians

have identified flattering as an ethical problem. Yet, while some see no evil with the practice, others find the idea repulsive. Julius Caesar was noted for his prowess in flattery. During the Renaissance, it was a standard form of communication wherein writers cajoled reigning monarchs as seen in William Shakespeare flattering King James 1 in Macbeth. Edmund Spenser also flattered Queen Elizabeth 1 in “The Faerie Queene”.

Erasmus Desiderius was quoted as commending flattery when he said: “It (flattery) raises downcast spirits, comforts the sad, rouses the apathetic, stirs up the stolid, cheers the sick, restrains the headstrong, brings lovers together and keeps them united.”But Dante condemned the practice by likening flattering to human excrement.

Female students are the primary victim of washy. Their covert desire to be sweet talked often lands them in wrong hands. This assertion is supported by a 200-Level Insurance student of the University of Lagos. He noted: “Sadly, girls love lies and embellished compliments. If you tell them the truth, they get easily disenchanted and could refuse to flock your camp. Feed them with all the lies and you are on your way to getting whatever you want. In my first year, a girl broke up with me because I wasn’t feeding her with those things she longed to hear. Later, she got involved with a serious player on campus. So, I learnt the hard way.”

Investigations equally reveals that washy gets an all-time high during student union elections. Student politicians stylishly exploit what Robert Greene in The 48 Laws of Power call the power of the thumbscrew.

According to him, flattering bloats the human ego and opens a hole in their armour; thus giving the flatterer the power to manipulate and seduce at will.

A students’ leader at UNIBEN who didn’t want to be named said: “One of the traits of a good politician is the ability to influence people through the use of language. Man, naturally, hates the truth especially when it’s not pleasant. And sometimes, due to a background of battered self-esteem, they gravitate easily to people who seem to boost their self-confidence. Flattering, I must admit, is a powerful way to get students on your boat during campaigns”.

‘It’s a known fact that one can win a woman’s heart simply by the good application of adulation. We just love to hear men overwhelm us with sweet talk. A good dose of flattery can make my day. In fact, it makes me feel like a real woman when I hear someone tell me such things.’

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

37

EDUCATION

Osun to spend N1.5b on feeding pupils

ACE FILE Monarch calls for college upgrade

• Sterling Bank donates N10m to programme

T

HE Osun State government is to spend N1.5billion yearly to feed pupils in the state public schools under the school feeding programme tagged O’MEAL. Disclosing this to reporters in Osogbo on Monday, the Deputy Governor, Chief Grace Titi LaoyeTomori, said the government would not mind to spend the money in the interest of the children, whom she described as leaders of tomorrow.

She lamented that the situation in the education sector was worrisome at the time the administration came on board.

She said the governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, mandated her to visit public schools to assess the situation and report to him.

Describing the governor as passionate about education because of its overall impact on all sectors of the economy, the deputy governor, who is also the state Commissioner for Education, said O’MEAL is one of numerous programmes of the Aregbesola’s administration in the education sub-sector to

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

revamp it from decadence.

She said Governor Aregbesola adopted and modified the Home Grown policy introduced by the Federal Government in 2006.

“After going round public schools in the state as instructed by the governor, I discovered that kids were not well kitted and fed.

They were malnourished and they did not have any good chance unlike their mates in private schools.

“After the visit and submitting my reports, the government resolved to repackage the Home Grown, which only targeted the pupils in primaries one and two.

Now the Aregbesola government has expanded the programme and pupils in primary three can as well benefit. Our belief is that the formative stage in life should be well handled,” she said.

She also said 3,000 food vendors, who would cater for the kids, had been recruited.

She said the government, through the school feeding programme, had assisted many

youths, who could not get into the Osun Youth Empowerment Programme Scheme (OYES), to earn independent and decent living.

According to her, N124 million was spent by the government to provide kitchen utensils and another N18 million for uniforms for the cooks.

She said the state government advanced interest free loans for the cooks to have a standard kitchens from where they would prepare hygenic and highly proteinous meals for the pupils.

She spoke on the achievements of the government in many areas of education, including the construction of models schools in the three senatorial districts of the state, welfare packages for teachers and provision of good school uniforms for students.

Meanwhile, the management of Sterling Bank Plc has donated N10 million to the Osun State government to

• Governor Aregbesola

boost its free elementary school feeding programme.

Receiving the cheque on behalf of the governor, in her office at Abere, Osogbo, the state capital, Chief LaoyeTomori, expressed gratitude to the bank for the kind gesture. She said the bank’s support would assist the programme.

She noted that the positive response of the bank to the numerous programmes of the Aregbesola administration was encouraging and could not be taken for granted.

THE Osemawe of Ondo Kingdom Oba Victor Kiladejo, has called on the Federal Government to upgrade ACE to a university.

According to the monarch, the college established in 1964, has been awarding degrees for over 30 years and the quality of its graduates is high.

Oba Kiladejo made the call when the Presidential Panel to the institution visited the monarch in his palace.

He added that there is a good relationship between the college and the community and that since the assumption of office of the Provost, Prof Adeyemi I d o w u , t h e c o m m u n i t y and college had enjoyed peace.

The Chairman of the Presidential Panel, Dr. Sabo Albasu, commended the Ondo community for the warm welcome, promising that the panel would be objective in its recommendation.

School holds conference THE School of Arts and Social Sciences of ACE has held a fourday national conference in the college. The conference with the theme Socio-Political conflicts and challenges of democratic consolidation in Nigeria was opened by the Provost.

The keynote address was delivered by Prof V.E.A. Akorede of the Department of Geography, Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji Arakeji, Osun State while the Director, Ventures and Linkages, Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo, Dr. Adegbeoyega Ajayi presented the lead paper.

Group plans carnival ASSOCIATED Juggernauts, a nonprofit making organisation that promotes children’s interest in curricular and extra curricular activities will hold a Children’s Day carnival on May 27 at the NITEL ground, Oshodi, Lagos at noon.

The event, which the organisers hope will attract over 1,500 pupils from different schools in Lagos, has as theme: Support for children involvement in ICT. The organisers are calling on sponsors to assist in sponsoring areas such as venue, branding, quiz/ debate, African fashion parade, and promotional items, among others.

Established as well as upcoming artists are expected at the event.

Firm introduces learning tool •Memebers of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (Unity Schools), Abuja at a march past during the Workers Day Celebration ... on Tuesday

Foundation to create access to students finance

S

AM Ohuabunwa Foundation for Economic Empowerment (SOFEE) and Enterprise Trust Development Company Limited (ETDC) will hold the first International Student Finance Conference in Nigeria next week.

Its theme is Expanding access to finance for all students in tertiary institutions.

The foundation’s founder, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, said the conference is necessary at a time when studies have shown that the level of poverty in the country keeps going up because of wealth inequality.

Ohuabunwa, also the Chief Executive Officer, Neimeth Pharmaceuticals, said the conference seeks to redirect the focus

of tertiary education financing from institutions, projects and programmes to financing people (students).

He said: “It (conference) will explore how to scale up financial aid such as bursaries, scholarships, grants, loan, and other instruments and financial services to assist all students enjoy a hassle free learning experience while they undertake post-secondary learning.”

Ohuabunwa, National President, Nigeria America Chamber of Commerce, added: “We must rise up to this challenge and re-examine the modus of financing our education system and the tertiary level in particular in order to reform all levels of our tertiary system financing for a total transformation of the education sector to

meet national development aspiration.”

He said an improved education financing will impact positively in addressing enrolment, participation and success through tertiary education as well as help address poverty alleviation, youth restlessness, security and national development challenges.

He acknowledged the support of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Shell Companies, Guarantee Trust Bank, National Universities Commission and Petroleum Technology Development Fund.

He called on government at all levels, especially the Federal Ministry of Education to endorse the event.

One of the organisers of the conference, Mr Abara said the event would help students to boost their financial education. “It will bring in a higher level of resource which will allow for room for expansion.”

The sub-theme of the event would include: “Reforming student finance systems for development: The roles of public, privateandphilanthropicpartners.;Worldwidepractices and trends in private financing, expanding access to tertiary education finance for disadvantaged groups; Developing students financial aid and learning instruments and promoting inclusion: The South Africa experience; and Focus on Nigeria and making the reform work-Looking back half a century; Building consensus and moving forward to Vision 20:2020.

Y

MCA Consultants has introduced kindle, an electronic standard learning platform, for studying and pleasure for school children to the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye and the management of the Ministry of Education.

According to the team leader, Mr Yomi Majekodunmi, it has been observed that pupils do not have interest in reading and studying despite that Nigeria has one of the best facilities in the world.

But with the kindle, learning can be fun for the pupils because of the advantages inherent in it, such as, reduction in the cost of procuring textbooks.

The device has the capacity to store 3,500 books, has an inbuilt power system that lasts up to two-and-a half months and has a chargeable battery.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

38

EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS APPROACHING DEADLINES Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship, 2012 South Africa.

Undergraduate and high school scholarship for the applicants of Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland and South Africa and southern Africa at selected South African Institutions, 2012 South Africa Study Subject(s): Commerce, Science (excluding Medicine), Engineering, Law or Humanities (majoring in Politics, Philosophy or Economics) Course Level:Undergraduate and high school Scholarship Provider: Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Scholarship can be taken at: South Africa Eligibility:If you are in Grade 12 or your 1st year at university, you could qualify for a full undergraduate scholarship from the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation.

-applicants of Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland and South Africa are eligible to apply.

Scholarship Open for International Students: Yes

Don seeks teacher training inclusion in NYSC programme

• Governor Ajimobi

Oyo edu. commissioner averts strike at EACOED

W

HAT could have resulted in the paralysis of academic activities at the Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, (EACOED), Oyo, has been averted by the state Commissioner for Education, Mrs Adetokunbo Fayokun.

The College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) of EACOED was contemplating an industrial action to compel the state government to address what they referred to as "unhealthy and strange happenings in the academic community".

Their demands include review and drastic reduction in tax policy; provision of adequate lecture rooms and offices; payment of accumulated new salary arrears; an end to forcing new staff to sign memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and appointment of substantive principal officers for the college.

Though the problems cropped up under the immediate past administration headed by former governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, the administration has, however, been making concerted efforts to redress the anomalies.

The lecturers' plan to down tools was thwarted by the commissioner, when she paid an official visit to the college, and subsequently sought audience with COEASU officials.

At the meeting, it was gathered that Mrs. Fayokun appealed to the aggrieved lecturers not to disrupt the industrial harmony on campus, but to allow for mutual understanding through dialogue.

Except the issue of appointment of principal officers, which Fayokun explained, could only be addressed by the governor, other outstanding demands received assurance of prompt attention of government by the commissioner.

COEASU Chairman, Dr. Olugbenga Abegan, who described both the visit and the meeting as good omen, warned that "delaying in giving prompt attention to the demands may be dangerous."

According to him, "We really appreciated the visit and the meeting. We will not hesitate to wait for sometime. We want to believe this present administration is a listening one.

“Based on our previous demands, though few of which had been attended to, the commissioner for education on behalf of the state government, thought it wise to visit the college and see things for herself. It was, indeed, a commendable initiative."

Scholarship Open for Students of Following Countries: Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland and South Africa Scholarship Description: The Foundation seeks to promote high growth entrepreneurs and high impact leaders in Southern Africa and to foster a generation of catalysts for change in the county. The undergraduate Scholarships come in the form of fellowship studies which cover university tuition, residence, book allowance and living allowance. If you are awarded with this undergraduate scholarship, your fellowship studies also include additional work in the form of business and entrepreneurial skills development programmes and you will have access to mentorship to help you achieve your goals.

How to Apply: By Post Scholarship Application Deadline: Grade 12 -May 31, 2012, Grade 12 application for university scholarship (Namibian Application)- June 29, 2012, 1st Year application for university scholarship: August 31, 2012Grade 7 application for high school scholarship, June 8, 2012

•Prof Eya

A

PROFESSOR of Curriculum and Instruction at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Patrick Eke Eya, has proposed the inclusion of teacher training programme into the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) orientation.

He stated this at the third inau-

gural lecture of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), where he gave a lecture on the topic: Marriage of curriculum and instruction reasons, results and witnesses.

He said over 90 per cent of NYSC members posted each year to schools to teach and implement curriculum did not do educational courses in their undergraduate years.

He said: "I feel that if foundation courses are introduced to them in the orientation camps it will help to a great extent because people who are teaching at any level of education without professional qualification are quacks and are cheating rather that teaching."

According to Eya, who is also the Director, Enugu Study Centre of NOUN , when quantity and quality are being discussed, competence, commitment and motivation also come handy "competence expected of every teacher are good knowledge of subject matter, effective use of teaching strategies, teaching learning resources, classroom management techniques, communica-

By Medinat Kanabe

tion skills, teachers pleasing personality, teacher and student rapport and interaction."

Saying that curriculum is very important because it is the vehicle through which educational objectives are achieved, Eya argued that the actual execution of the content of curriculum document is curriculum implementation, and for implementation to achieve the curriculum objectives, it has to be effective.

He noted that instructional materials are also important in curriculum implementation, adding that a study he carried out shows that students taught Biology with instructional materials performed better than their counterparts without it.

He said: "Instructional materials that appeal to both audio and visual senses are more effective in achiev-

ing better results than those that appeal to only one sensory modality. " He lamented that many teachers take to teaching because they do not have other jobs, noting that excellent teachers are needed for effective implementation of curriculum in Nigeria.

He said a study carried out in Cross River State Primary Schools shows that 60 per cent of teachers who were teaching Social Studies never offered the subject in their teachers training institution.

"Today in our schools, teachers teach subjects that they never offered in their institution. This is also happening a lot in science subjects. The truth is that one cannot give what one does not have especially if one hates the subject one is asked to teach," he added.

• Founder Afe Babalola University AdoEkiti (ABUAD) Aare Afe Babalola presenting certificate to Miss Atilola Taiwo, a law student of ABUAD, who emerged the winner during the mock court session betwen the law students of ABUAD and the Ekiti State University, Ekiti State as part of the second Afe Babalola lecture at the Ekiti chapter of the Nigerian Bar Associatio, Ado-Ekiti.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

39

EDUCATION Lagos ties WASSCE to Parents Forum attendance

H

ENCEFORTH, Lagos State pupils whose parents do not make up to 50 per cent attendance at the Parents Forum (formerly Parent-Teacher Association, PTA) will no longer be eligible to write the West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Also, promotion criteria and eligibility for WASSCE registration for potential candidates will now include a minimum of 50 per cent pass in five subjects (including English and Mathematics), minimum of 90 per cent attendance in schools and at “after School” coaching by SS3 pupils.

The state Commissioner for Education, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye, at a briefing to mark the first anniversary of the second term in office of the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola, said no pupil would be allowed to write the October/November Private Candidate Senior Secondary Examination /NECO if he failed to pass a new screening test.

“In order to ensure this, a screening test will be administered during the period of October/November WASSCE Examination. This is to ascertain those who are ready for the mock examination; with this,

By Medinat Kanabe

we are sure of the candidates being presented for final exams.”

According to her, government would no longer be responsible for payment of WASSCE examination fees of any SS3 student who fails the test.

She stated that the placement of Primary six pupils in JSS1 would be subjected to scoring a minimum of 50 per cent in English and Mathematics and a total cumulative pass of 50 per cent in all subjects.

She spoke on the achievements of state in education, adding that teachers of English language, Mathematics, Basic Science and Biology have gone for two or more professional development programmes in subject mastery, leadership, use of instructional materials, ICT, and many others.

According to her, the state stands out in the provision of formidable literacy programmes in the country.

“The result of a recent study conducted to determine this shows that we have attained 87 per cent which is unsurpassed by any other state of the federation,” she added.

Other areas of education the state has made modest achievements, according to her, include

infrastructural development, science and technology, technical and vocational education, creation of multilingual centre, co-curriculular activities and the total restructuring of the State Universal Basic Education Board.

It also made succeeses in curriculum services, examinations board,

private education, education resource centre, basic education service, Teachers Establishment and Pension Office (TEPO), creation of agency for mass literacy adult and non-formal education as well as the establishment of the Lagos State Scholarship Board, she added.

She said its other achievements were the establishments of new centres and

directorates at the Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED), Noforija Epe and Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED) Otto/Ijanikin, which came second in the National Mathematics and Statistics competition in Abuja last year, among others.

Youths get training on entrepreneurship

Ekiti SUBEB inaugurates projects committee

N

A

SEVEN-MAN Independent Projects Monitoring Committee has been set up by the Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to monitor its projects.

Its Chairman, Prof Modupe Adelabu, while inaugurating members of the committee at the SUBEB hall in Ado-Ekiti, expressed dissatisfaction on how projects were poorly executed in the state’s primary and junior secondary schools when she went on general monitoring of projects on assumption of office in last year.

She said the technical staff of the board were inadequate to meet the numerous demands for project monitoring and inspection, hence the need to set up the committee and bring new hands on board.

The Committee headed by Mr Kayode Dada was inaugurated to ensure that the contractors handling SUBEB projects delivered quality jobs and at stipulated period to complement the board's efforts.

Other members of the committee

•Pupils of Opebi Junior Grammar School, Lagos entertaining guests during the donation of a block of classrooms to the school by the Ikeja D’IBY Lions Club International.

•Dr Fayemi From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

include Mr Alade Adedokun, Prince Tunde Adejugbe, Mr Ojo Ayodeji, Mr Bolu Aladesanmi, Mr J. A. Alaka and Alhaji Yaya Amuda Yusuf.

Adelabu implored members of the committee to work conscientiously to meet the aspirations of the state government and the people. She promised to support the committee with incentives for optimal performance of their assignment.

Highlighting the committee's terms of reference, she said they should visit project sites regularly to inspect and issue instructions to contractors, ensuring that quality materials were used to meet up with specified required standard to guarantee quality service delivery.

O fewer than 600 youths drawn from different schools in Lagos State have received training on how to set up and manage small scale businesses courtesy of Megalois Solutions & Consulting and the Capstone Church, Yaba, Lagos.

The training which lasted for a month was anchored by distinguished trainers and entrepreneurs some of who came from abroad. They included Dr Martins Williams from the United States; Terry Pruett; Mike Onuorah, a Oracle certified trainer.

Others were the Chief Executive Officer Tonye Cole and Proprietor, Eventful Limited.

Chief Executive Officer, Whitefield Foundation, Mrs Funmi Johnson, said: Our mandate is to train, equip by way

of paradigm mental shift, a new breed of youths who will take up integrity, industry and business intelligence and recreate the Nigeria of our deams.”

She added that giving back to youths through professional mentorship and leadership was a better way to impact Nigeria than constant daily negative criticisms of the country.

Senior Pastor of Capstone Church, Tokunbo Beulah Johnson, said: “The key to the economic breakthrough of any nation lies in the ability of young creative minds to move their ideas from where they are as simple mental musings of the mind to actual tangible services and products which become solution to the needs of society.

Only then can value be placed on these ideas and only then do they have aright to command income.

Our mandate is to seek out these young minds, our next generation, and help them craft these ideas that will change our nation.

He also said the today’s church not only prays, but also acts , adding that Christians must rise up and make a difference in their environment.

A beneficiary of the training said: ‘’It is remarkable to see selfless and innovative collaboration between Whitefield Foundation, Megalois IT and the Capstone Church bringing us so much resources all at no cost. I did not pay a dime to attend these seven empowerment trainings and I received so much resource.

It simply tells me that there is solution in Nigeria and I daresay that I am ready to take my place in my great nation.”

The training which started in 2010 have held since then.

Group donates science lab. to FCT school

T

O enhance the teaching and learning of science practical in Federal Capital Territory (FCT) secondary schools,the Agbami Partners made up of Chevron and others in the oil industry, have donated a well-equipped Sci-

• Pupils of Golden City Nursery and Primary School, Ikotun, Lagos on their Cultural Day.

From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

ence Laboratory to the Government Science School in Tungamaje.

FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed, who inaugurated the equipment, said since the transformational agenda of the administration is anchored on the development of education, it is also expedient for the private sector to partner with the Federal Government in developing the sector.

"The FCT administration has over the last two years, placed the development of education in the fore of its development plans, and has made the provision of required infrastructure a priority," he added.

The minister, who was represented by the Secretary for Education, Mallam Kabir Usman, said the education secretariat has begun an aggressive classroom construction programme, which has so far provided over 1,200 classrooms in the last 12 months , while efforts are on to build more because of the continuous influx of Nigerians into the FCT daily.

"We are working to address the congestion, provide access to good educational facilities through the establishment of 28 new schools," he added The minister commended the efforts of the donors for the laudable

project.

Representative of the partners, Alhaji Aliyu Mansur, said the Agbami Partners have always demonstrated commitment to conducting their business by adding value to the lives of the people and contributing positively to the socioeconomic development of Nigeria.

Mallam Salihu Kallamu, also from the education secretariat, said a partnership with various organisations in the provision of good quality educational infrastructure in FCT Schools is to complement the efforts of the FCT Education Ssecretariat and the FCT is determined to ensure that our educational services remain the best in the country. ‘’Arising from the above is the need for continuous action to improve the performance of the public service in Nigeria.While successive governments have implemented several initiatives to improve service delivery and the performance of the public service in the country, what is clear today is the need to strengthen the capacity of the public service at all levels of government to reposition the service to better the attainment of the country's development agenda unfolded by the present administration of President Goodluck Jonathan,” he added.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

40

EDUCATION

ASCON boss harps on training

T

HE Director-General, Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), Topo, Badagry, Lagos State, Mr Ajibade Peters, has said no nation can develop without investing in its workforce.

Addressing the institute’s 58 new graduates during their convocation last week, he described the public service as an important factor for the attainment of President Goodluck Jonathan's transformational agenda.

He said: "Indeed, the quality of public services provided by government’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) is one of the defining features of economic growth modernisation as it has a direct impact on a country's economy, social integration and standards. Indeed, the quality of these public services determine to a large extent, the efficiency and effectiveness of communication, power supply, security services, health care, education and other services that are critical to creating the enabling environment for the private sector to thrive and

By Adegunle Olugbamila

grow."

He thanked the Head of the Service of the Federation and the National Assembly for approving funds for the upgrade of the auditorium, among other transformational programmes of the college.

The programmes, Ajibade said, have been designed and implemented to equip participants with necessary skills and capability to adequately function and discharge their responsibilities effectively and efficiently.

He noted that contemporary knowledge is gradually shifting to a knowledge-based economy which, according to him, implies that the success of the competitive world is largely dependent on quality knowledge which individual and organisations can consolidate on, on key business.

"To ensure the of the transformation agenda, its ambitious goals need to be matched with greater capacity development in the public service.

Undoubtedly, we live in an era that is replete with unprecedented changes; and we need a well-trained, intellectually trained and technically equipped workforce to be able to deliver the dividends of democracy.

In this connection, the knowledge and skills of public servants at all levels of government need to be updated while they need to be exposed to best practices in management to prepare them not only to cope with the demands of today's environment but also face unpredictable future."

Conferring the prestigious honours of ASCONIANS on the graduands, the ASCON boss urged them to join alumni chapters closest to their organisations. He implored them to leverage on the knowledge they'd acquired for better productivity in their different work places.

Twelve participants graduated in Human Resources Management; three in Train the Trainers (there); 10 in Database Management; two in Advancement Records Management and 31 in Advanced Financial Management.

•Mr Peters (middle) with his Deputy DG, ASCON, Bitrus Kefas (right) and other top officials of the college

Firm to hold 5th Hero Award

D

UFIL Prima Foods Plc, producer of Indomie Noodles, is receiving entries for its Fifth Annual Indomie Hero Award.

The firm’s executives disclosed this during a briefing at Westfield Hotels, Ikeja, Lagos.

Speaking at the event, the firm’s Public Relations Manager, Mr Tope Asiwaju, said: "We are doing this as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). We are committed to giving back to the community especially to reward diligence, selfless act of bravery, fight against

By Seun Olalude

drugs and skill display which is among many other criteria used for selection. ‘’The idea is to celebrate Nigeria child not only in cosmopolitan but in rural environments. To commemorate the fifth edition, special packages have been drawn out as gift for the awardees."

Asiwaju added that efforts were being made by the company to involve reputable and knowledge-

able men and women in the society as panel of judges to determine stories worthy of reward.

The company's Managing Director, Mr Deepak Siughad, said the company is committed to unique services.

"We are here to deliver unique services to our esteem consumers primarily to the future of tomorrow. The aim of this initiative is not for publicity but to discover and appreciates unrecognised efforts.

“As a company, we will make sure children are appreciated," he said.

Soyinka praises Akpabio's education programmes

N

OBEL Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has commended the Akwa Ibom State Governor Chief Godswill Akpabio for his efforts in human capacity development.

In a statement signed by the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Aniekan Umanah, he said Soyinka, who was the chairman of a discussion session at the Southsouth Economic Summit in Asaba, lauded Akpabio's training of Akwa Ibom youths in aviation as well as his free education.

Soyinka noted that education models must be developed by governments.

At the summit, Akpabio had earlier told participants of his

administration's investments in free and compulsory education for Nigerians in the state from primary to senior secondary school, with an attendant revamping of education infrastructure in the state.

He maintained that this gesture was to build the capacity of the youths to meet the manpower challenges of not only the emerging industrial economy of the state, but the highly competitive labour market in Nigeria.

He said his educational scheme was devoid of any hidden charges as his government pays subventions to school heads in the state, and has Child Rights Law, that, among other things, prohibits children of school age from being detained at home

•Governor Akpabio

during school hours.

Akpabio also said his administration has sponsored several youths abroad on specialised training in aviation in view of the huge investments his government has made in the aviation industry.

EDUTALK

with

Nurturing Maths whizzes

M

ATHEMATICS as the language of science is spoken all over the world in diverse forms. The forms include business, academics, domestic, entertainment, and communication. It is a language spoken daily, influencing activities in every stratum of human enterprise. Mathematics as a school subject is central to all academic disciplines.

The globalisation of knowledge via Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has made Mathematics even more indispensable in any human endeavour.

As interesting as the discipline is academically, it is often widely dreaded by school children. The seeming “hatred” most students develop towards learning Mathematics is a product of many factors: parental background, peer group influence, fear, stereotype belief, school and lack of determination as well as the subject’s uncompromising nature.

However, nature endows humans in various areas of human endeavour. Some individuals are regarded as gifted in different things. Hence, a mathematically-gifted student is someone who exhibits above excellent trait in the knowledge of mathematics. He goes beyond his colleagues in appreciating mathematical principles in problem solving. As it is applicable to other academic disciplines, the mathematically-gifted child is fast in reasoning, articulate in gathering, meticulous in applying and proactive in learning the subject with little encouragement. They are usually confident and can study independently given a conducive environment at home and school.

Identifying mathematically-gifted children

Identifying this category of students by parents at home and teachers at school calls for careful observation of the aforementioned traits.

A gifted child in a particular discipline will usually be enthusiastic about learning the subject, pay more attention to the subject than others, participate actively while learning/teaching the subject, motivate others and resourceful toward getting tasks accomplished.

A careful and observant teacher should be able to recognise these traits in his students within a short time of interacting with them in the classroom. Once noticed, the onus rests on him to explore all available avenues to encourage the child to do well in the subject. The teacher’s monitoring ability becomes very relevant at this stage. As a role model, he swings into action by mentoring him in the classroom.

This will serve as background confidence for the child as he feels recognised.

The teacher has a supportive role to play while mentoring a gifted child. He should identify some of the student’s needs that must be satisfied for him to be fulfilled.

These needs may be psychological, physical and material. For instance a gifted child from poor background may be grounded and his potential buried when the acquisition of learning materials such as textbooks becomes a problem.

Coming to the aid of the child

Kofoworola

Belo-Osagie Kofosagie@yahoo.com 08054503077 (SMS only)

through provision of essential learning materials could boost his morale and give him hope.

The learning environment should be friendly enough to exploit the potentials of gifted children. A gifted child in a hostile learning environment may risk being denied avenue to develop his potential since this cannot be done in a vacuum.

The teacher also needs ensure that teaching materials are up-todate and sufficient to meet the academic needs of the gifted child.

Obsolete and inadequate teaching/ learning facilities are potential killers of innovation, interest and morale.

Mentoring confers on the teacher the need for him to be ahead in terms of content knowledge of the subject, and pedagogy. Otherwise, the gifted child‘s ambition may be derailed. The teacher’s resourcefulness is pertinent in the business of grooming a gifted child no matter the discipline. Therefore, ability to provide alternatives (from locally available materials) create new things, and exhaust all available options is the responsibility of the teacher.

In this ICT-dominated age, it is pertinent that the educator be ICT compliant to effectively perform his role on gifted children. He should also be able to provide access to ICT infrastructure for them to interact with the wider world.

Appropriate reward for the gifted child should be provided by the teacher in the classroom to serve as motivation.

Parental Roles

Charity, an adage says, begins at home. Therefore, for a mathematically-gifted child to develop his/her full potential, good parental care is paramount.

Otherwise, his vision may not see the light of the day.

Basic needs of the child such as uniform, books, shoes and feeding must be provided by the parents to ensure a smooth take-off from home. Just like the educator, parents also need to monitor the child and guide him on the path of success, provide conducive environment at home for study after school and ensure he has enough time to study, show him love and support his aspiration by being involved in mathematics-related ventures that would boost his morale, and reward his commitment appropriately.

Co-operating with educators in the area of discipline in-and-out of school is another important role the parent must play. This will add value to the mentoring role by the teacher at school.

From My Inbox Dr Aderemi Abass Adedibu, FSTAN, is the International Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Coordinator for Africa.

PS: Readers interested in featuring their opinion articles on issues in the education sector can send their pieces to the above email. The essay should not be more than 800 words.

42

43

THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

Governor Kayode Fayemi is not just a politician, but also a scholar. In this interaction with journalists in Lagos, the Ekiti State governor addressed controversies surrounding the West’s attempt to integrate the region, the security report on Osun State and the Ondo State political imbroglio. Group Political Editor BOLADE OMONIJO was there.

Fayemi: My worries about the Nigerian polity I

S regional integration possible with the altercation between ACN and Labour Party in Ondo?

What is wrong, if Aregbesola one of the leaders of the Action Congress of Nigeria wants his party to produce the governor of Ondo State? I have already told you about style and language. Is there anything fundamental about Aregbesola’s involvement in politics? Will he be promoting other parties? If we go as far as Adamawa, we sent people to Kogi, we sent people to work with our party in all the states we have potentials to win, what is wrong with that. The people you say people are not harassing, Adams in BRACED, don’t they come to campaign in Edo for PDP, do they get harassed? Has their rally been disrupted? Let us be fair about it. If we have a problem with Aregbesola language or style there is nothing wrong in advising him to moderate his style. I still insist that Ondo believes in regional integration. In regional integration everywhere it happens, you will have leaders who are uncomfortable with one another. Take the European Union, at the beginning, Britain stood out, they said they didn’t want to be part of it, Germany and France pushed on for some time till it became economically unwise for Britain to stay out of it as they realised that the market, that big European market, is there for them. This is an economic and development issue, it is not a political issue. It is not about the governors, it is about the economic necessity. Can we survive on our own? Can we remain in our silo? What happens to us when this handout from Abuja, that we call allocation stops? How do we want to organise our society? It is a futuristic agenda, it is not even an agenda for now.

What is your view on recent development in Osun State and its effect on the image of your party?

Our party, the Action Congress of Nigeria, has a manifesto. Our manifesto is not apologetic in any way about how we see the Nigeria state today. We believe in the promotion of equity. We have offered what we consider to be the mechanism for reordering state, federal and local government relations. That is properly documented. Whether it is called in some sectors devolution of power or it is called by another decentralisation or it is called true federalism. There are all sorts of names that are used for what we believe in. We all have our styles of governance. It may be easy for me because of my nature to relate with an Ayo Fayose who is my brother, regardless of whatever his political position is or Oni or any of the other people in my state in a manner that Governor Aregbesola may find difficult, if not impossible, to relate with Iyiola Omisore or even his predecessor; Governor Oyinlola. That is personal style but we must not elevate that personal style to the level of fiction because that is exactly what is happening with the so called security report. I come from a security background as many of you know. I know how security reports are put together and when you put together a report that is mishmash of discussion, I don’t want to say beer parlour or pepper soup joint discussion, with no head no tail, I have my worries.

‘Our party, the Action Congress of Nigeria, has a manifesto. Our manifesto is not apologetic in any way about how we see the Nigeria state today. We believe in the promotion of equity. We have offered what we consider to be the mechanism for reordering state, federal and local government relations’ • Fayemi

Governor Aregbesola is seen as fiery and fearsome, but he is quite soft at heart. It may be difficult for some to believe that is really what he is. Because he is a shy person, his own mental defence mechanism may be to put a wall between himself and those who he doesn’t want to relate to but when you really subject it to logic what is in that report that is worthy of a second look from any serious minded person. As I said in my statement, we had a flag before Osun had a flag. Lagos had a flag 20 years ago. It was the only state that remained when the other states were balkanized. We have an anthem. If you come to Ekiti, we don’t sing just the national anthem, we sing our own Ekiti anthem and if you come across any document from Ekiti State, you will see that it is not the federal government coat of arms that we have in the state. We don’t even have the Federal Government’s coat of arms on our document. That is not to say that we are not a constituent part of the federal state called Nigeria, and we are proud to be, but we believe that we need an identity that speaks to the core value of our state, that our people can relate to and when you see the Ekiti crest, if no name is written on it, if you have 10 crests put together and you see the Ekiti crest you will not be in any doubt. You will actually say this must be Ekiti without being told. I think that is what Governor Aregbesola has done.

What about Omisore’s threat to stop and search the convoy of Aregbesola?

How is it going to be done? Some of the people fighting him, where were they in the politics in their state.

You have my brother who claimed to be the South West Chairman of their party.

It will not be news to you that he has no place at home. He couldn’t even go home. He is settling quarrel all over the South West, he could not go home to his party to resolve the conflagration that is there.

Is it feasible for a state to champion secession?

Is Osun State championing secession? One, it is not feasible. We have our own design, our own grand dream about what we want to achieve for our state. I have just come from the opening ceremony of the Lagos Economic Summit. Lagos is still a sub nation in Nigeria but it is the fourth largest economy in Africa. It is not a sovereign state, but many of the things that Lagos wants to do, many sovereign states in Africa cannot do.

It is a matter of choice. If Osun has a vision of building a state that is self sufficient, that has food security, that can respond to the needs of the people and you then find that difficult, then it is not secession that you are worried about. You are worried about what the performance level will do to the fortune of your own party, if he was to achieve all of those elements. It is the same old age battle between the reactionaries and the progressives. That is what is happening. Don’t let us kid ourselves. I dare say it has some level of Abuja connection in it. We are not worried. We have no issue with the Federal Government. The issue that we have with the Federal Government, we have put them on the table, the lopsidedness of the relation between the centre and the state. That is open; people know our position on that. We want our regional bloc to serve the people of this region. We are unapologetic about that and nobody can accuse us of going into our siloh because that is a model that is being represented everywhere. As we speak some people are gathered in Asaba called BRACED meeting on South South agenda and working on the South South development. Let us not mix development with politics. They are not meeting on South South sharing of money, they are meeting on how to bring development to the region.

Peter Obi, my brother and his colleagues gather time to time to

organise in response to the economic challenges in the South East and unless we do that how am I going to access the N3 billion food market in Lagos, if I don’t work within the regional hub and discourage Lagos from even venturing into Agriculture so that I can bring the food here? That, for us, is the issue. The time for governance is for governance. It seems to be in their own views which are being parroted by the media, Aregbesola is the most recalcitrant of the law. If you can crush him, Fayemi is easy, Amosun used to be with us we can get him back, Ajimobi is a nice man, Fashola is a technocrat.

That is their own estimation and that is what is driving what they are doing. Unfortunately for them they are on the wrong track.

How will you describe what happened at the venue of the botched Adebayo Adefarati Memorial lecture in Ondo?

It is a worrisome development. I hope, it is not yet an ugly event. If it is an ugly event, I hope it is not going to become a process; that it will remain an event. I was surprised by what happened. I want to be as frank as possible. I found it strange because I regard the governor of Ondo State as my brother and I have said this to many of you on many occasions that in my party, I am seen as the closest link to him, even when some of the leaders in my party are not necessarily very cordial in their relationship with the governor. I have always maintained that the relationship that I have with him goes beyond the personal. We have very strong personal bond. We were in the trenches together. We fought together, even though, he was on the other side, (the Labour Party) but were both the underdogs when we went into our elections and necessarily, we exchanged notes. We did many things together, even now, particularly developmentally. He was one of the first people that I spoke to when the Adefarati

family came to me that I should come and give a lecture. I told the family when they came that since this was not a partisan matter; it was a memorial of somebody who had been governor of a state, who had been a leader of the progressive movement. I don’t think it should be partisan, and I asked the family pertinent questions: who are the people that are coming?

Have you told the governor of the state? What role will it play at the event? The family members made it clear to me that they had informed the governor, even though they had difficulty in seeing him but they handed over the letter to his Chief of Staff.

About two days to the event, I called him and confirmed to him that I would be coming to deliver Baba Adefarati’s 5th Memorial lecture. He said that he didn’t like the way the lecture was being handled, that he felt that there was a political undertone and all that, which is natural. Any of us could come with any impression of this matter and I said to him, well as far as I am concerned, this is an important thing to do. It is the 5th anniversary of a man in whose administration he himself was very much involved as a commissioner, even more than someone like me. I told him that I would come over to him and we would go together to the event which. But, before I left AdoEkiti, I received the first warning shot because my advance team was already there, and, they informed me that there was problem, altercation between the Labour Party supporters and those of the Action Congress of Nigeria, (ACN) at the venue of the event, but at that time they had not attacked Dr. Olaiya Oni. It was the early period of the day.

Did you at that point get in touch with him again?

Again, I called my brother and said this is what I was hearing about the place and I hoped it was proper for me to come and he said that he too had heard that there were problems, they were not allowing members of the Labour Party to come in. that was his own perspective. By the time I got to Akure, I discovered that it was really pointless going to the place because the feedback I was getting was not palatable. I went to the house of our party leader; the former Secretary to the State Government under Chief Adefarati; Omo Ekun, Chief Wunmi Adegbonmire. I was there with our National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande and some other chieftains, watching the development whether things would calm down or not. We eventually got a message that the situation was yet to abate. My own security team actually wanted to go, but I felt that it wasn’t proper. If I had gone, those who had been shooting and throwing all sort of things, my own security team would have found it necessary to respond and that would have escalated the entire thing beyond what later transpired. So, I decided that I was leaving town.

Again I called my brother that given what had transpired, I couldn’t go to the event, I was returning to AdoEkiti and he said that he was in Ile Oluji at the time. We agreed to see subsequently.

Do you think this could foretell what to expect during the campaign?

•Continued on page 44

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

44

POLITICS

Senate releases agenda on

constitution amendment

D

EPUTY Senate President Ike Ekweremadu yesterday spoke of plans to unfold the agenda for a fresh round of constitution review in the next few days.

He noted with the commencement of the process of fresh amendment, necessary information would be released to the public to ensure full participation Nigerians.

Ekweremadu, who doubles as Chairman, National Assembly Committee on Constitution Amendment, spoke to reporters in Abuja as part of activities to mark his 50th birthday on May 12.

He said: “You are aware that we have started the process of constitutional amendment and it is going to require a lot of information to be passed across to the people.

“The only way we can do

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

that is to partner with the media.

“In the next few days we are going to publish the list of the issues we intend to tackle in this round of constitution review.

“Once we publish it, well hold elaborate press conference to add flesh to the bones that we are going to enumerate.

Ekweremadu sympathised with the media over the unfortunate attacks on some media houses last week.

He said: “I sympathise with you and I send my condolences to those who lost their lives.

“I am aware that this is part of the risks associated with your profession not only in Nigeria but also internation-

ally.

“We have seen many journalists lose their lives in lines of duty in war zones and conflict situations.

“I like to appeal that the attack should not deter you from doing your work.

“We are with you at this time of mourning and we are prepared to join other well meaning Nigerians to ensure that you do your work in an atmosphere of freedom and total security.

“Once more, please accept my sympathy and that of the entire Senate for the attacks that took place both in Abuja and Kaduna .”

Ekweremadu commended the press for supporting the first constitution amendment which he also chaired and solicited the support for the current amendment to ensure its success.

Fayemi: My worries about the Nigerian polity •Continued from page 43

What I found surprising was that an event of this nature could be turned into a redress rehearsal for the shape of things to come in Ondo State. I really do hope it is not the shape of things. It was also more shocking to me, naturally, when matters like this happen, security people will do their investigation and Ondo and Ekiti are like Siamese twins, there is very little you can do in one angle that will not filter to the other.

I was surprised when I discovered from evidence shown to me later that elements close to the party and government in Ondo State were central to everything that happened. I don’t know if my brother was aware of the role they played because it is also possible as governors often find themselves in a situation where their supporters and their key actors may do things that they are not privy to. It is not impossible that he may not even know the activities of some of his men but I have it on very good authority that at least three of the drivers of the fracas are key officials in his party. It was not spontaneous. It was not accidental. It was organised and they had been there since 7am.

In fact, some of the people they used had effrontery to go to an event where the governor was presented an award same evening to lodge a complaint that the money they gave to them was not enough and I don’t think that is something I really want to associate with the governor of Ondo State. I feel very strongly as earlier said that I am almost regarded as umbilical cord between my party and himself because we have close relationship. I respect him, I discuss a lot of things with him, particularly in relation to our states because hardly can one do anything without the other.

Beyond the Fayemi/Mimiko personal relationship, what about the two states?

We are closely tied, not just because of our shared history, but also because of the practicality. There are many of my

people who live in Akure and come to Ado-Ekiti, including senior functionaries of my government. I wouldn’t want a situation in which Ondo State citizens in Ekiti and Ekiti citizens in Ondo will find themselves in the line of fire which they had not caused which is driven by political machination rather than any objective animosity on the part of both states, particularly, the two of us really have nothing but I also know that in politics, friends easily becomes enemies and I will hate a situation in which that will be the case. I have seen a lot of reports in newspapers, attributing what happened to all sorts of funny things like ACN aspirants fighting among themselves, Labour people not being allowed to come into the venue.

Do you agree with those expressing fear that we may be sowing the seed that could consume the Republic?

What is much more fundamental and which I think should worry us collectively and, as leaders in the media and society I will like all of us to reflect on it together, is the potential that this holds even for the survival of our democracy. The West has a history in this country, and more often than not, the West is always the trigger of crisis. There are those, particularly conservative elements in this country who always find it necessary to arrest development in the West without considering the full implications of that on the country and more often than not when that thrives, it ends up destroying the very fabric of this fragile democracy called Nigeria and I hope we are not going down that route again with Ondo State becoming Achilles heel in our country.

There are those who will even see some of the things that I have jokingly talk about with you on development in Osun. I am an unapologetic advocate of regionalism and many of you have read my interview or comment that I do not nec-

essarily believe that we all must belong to the same political party for regionalism to take root. I used to give example that in our lifetime Chief Kehinde Sofola came from the same community as Chief Obafemi Awolowo and he was Attorney General of the NPN, the party in government in the Second Republic.

There is nothing that says that we cannot even belong to the opposing side. Let us market ourselves to the people. Let us sell our idea to the people and it is on the basis of that that we should ask for their votes and for legitimacy.

None of us should be indulged in any attempt to force ourselves on our people. Once there is a legitimate product of legitimate process, the ownership comes automatically In my state I make bold to say that some may say Fayemi is a passivist. Governor Ayo Fayose was with me to greet me on my mother’s passage. When former Governor Oni’s mother died, I was one of the first people that went there, in spite of our political differences and I was at her funeral. Politically, many of you may know that Chief Afe Babalola is not exactly on my side of the divide, but at every opportunity because I recognise that he is an icon, we have a state calendar, he is one of the first people on the Ekiti state calendar as a brand ambassador for my state. That is me. I don’t see why I cannot disagree with you politically and still share bread with you.

Call it naivety, lack of readiness to play politics the way it is meant to be played in our setting. I think this is an intellectual process and we can have an intellectual approach to disagreement which does not impair my personal relationship with you. That is why I am saddened by what happened in Ondo State. The lecture did not make a single reference to the impending election in Ondo State, neither did it talk about the relationship between my party and the Labour Party. It focused on how we could rebuild this society on the basis of equity, fairness and justice.

Ex-militants join ACN

M

ORE than 1,000 former Niger Delta militants at Igbokoda, in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, joined the Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN) through the Omoluabi platform of the ACN . The militants, led by Mr Willie Ayerin, declared at the ceremony that though they have dropped their guns, rockets, bows and arrows to embrace peace in the area through the amnesty programe of the Federal Government, but they are determined to fight for their ancestral heritage by ensuring that the outgoing Labour Party (LP) government in Ondo State is swept out of existence.

The former militants who are now members of a democratic reform group, said the resources of their people have been plaundered by the Mimiko administration, they alleged, who has not done anything in the riverine areas in the last three years.

The group said it is painful to note the goose that lays the golden egg suffer in the midst of plenty. It observed that nothing concrete had been done since Dr Olusegun Agagu left office in 2009.

• Omojuwa

By Emmanuel Oladesu

According to Ayerin, not a kilometer of road has been added to what Agagu did in the riverine communities since he left while all developmental programes embarked upon by the former regime had either been suspended, stopped or cancelled outrightly.

Some of these projects, he said, include the now epileptic University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa.

The group enjoined all

indegenes of the riverine commnities to support the Dr Olu Agunloye project to rescue the state from the claws of kleptomanias who have made looting of the peoples treasury their past time.

Also at the rally, the former chairman of Ondo State Oil Producing Development Commission (OSOPADEC) Chief Adewale Omojuwa, left the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) with thousands of his supporters accross the state to join the ACN. Omojuwa said it was time to rescue his people from the claws of senseless leaders whose main purpose in government was to loot the treasury.

He recalled his days in OSOPADEC when most major projects in the riverine communities were flagged off with some completed within the stipulated period.

He lamented nothing concrete had been done since he left office.

He promised his followers that the incoming ACN government in the state will put smiles to their faces again and vowed that never will a cosmetic government of deceit like the outgoing LP goverrnment be allowed to manage resources accruable to the state again.

Arewa youths back Azazi’s comments on insecurity

T

HE Arewa Youth Con sultative Forum (AYCF) has urged Nigeria to look beyond politics in tackling the allegations of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Andrew Owoye Azazi, against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the state of insecurity in the country.

Azazi on Friday at the South south Summit in Asaba, Delta State, said the PDP should be partly blamed for the increasing destruction visited on Nigerians by the Boko Haram sect, noting that the ruling party had not acted responsibly in taking the decisions that had security implications for the country.

Addressing reporters in Lagos yesterday, AYCF President, Alhaji Yerima Shettima said that rather than raising

By Emmanuel Oladesu

eyebrows over the comments, security agencies should try and look at the fundamental issues raised by Azazi.

His words: “Azazi’s office is not political. He owes a duty to Nigeria. The security issue makes the survival of the nation more important than a political party. Nigerians are all aware of comments made during elections by some politicians who felt that because they lost their chances for the presidency will make the nation ungovernable “We cannot continue to run the nation like a Banana Republic. In other climes, people who make such inflammatory political comments would be first to be picked for investigations and questioning.’’

Yerima said that rather than

castigate Azazi, security agencies should go back to the drawing board and take a new look on where and when it all began with a view to nibbing the ugly scene in the bud.

“Azazi was appointed by a PDP led government. For him to boldly make such allegations knowing the implications is enough reason for the nation to support him in doing whatever it takes to bring those involved to book,” the youth leader stated.

The AYCF president, however warned that nothing should happen to the NSA who he said was doing his best to bring an end to terrorism.

He pointed out that ‘’Azazi’s responsibility is not to wage war but to advise and he must therefore be allowed to excel.’’

• Abia State Governor Theodore Orji in a handshake with state Speaker Udeh Oko-Chukwu after the signing 2012 Budget into Law, in Umuahia. With them is Clerk of the House John Irokansi.

45

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

NATURAL HEALTH CLINIC DAY

QUESTION

A natural practitioner and Managing Director, LAMDEBS Clinic, Lagos, Dr Lambo Adebisi, answers the question.

How to manage anxiety

Gbenga Adekunle, 52 year old Security Operative,Kano State

Tips on anxiety

I

T’S normal to feel anxious, but if you’re exhibiting symptoms of anxiety such as excessive worry, restlessness, fatigue, irritability, difficulty in concentrating and insomnia every day for months, you may have an anxiety disorder that needs treatment.

Severe anxiety disorders are often treated with medications such as antidepressants, SSRIs and MAOIs, but people with mild to moderate anxiety symptoms can often find some relief through natural anxiety treatments. Even though these methods are “natural,” it’s important to check with your doctor or care giver to determine if these treatments are safe for you, especially if you’re taking antidepressants or other medications, which can react dangerously with some herbal and natural supplements. If your doctor gives you the go-ahead, try these natural ways to treat your anxiety symptoms.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) This is one of the most effective ways to reduce or eliminate anxiety symptoms. CBT works by helping patients use new thinking skills to modify negative behaviors and thought patterns.

Natural and Herbal Supplements Studies show that some natural and herbal supplements can significantly reduce feelings of anxiety. Many of these natural supplements are safe alternatives to prescription medications. However, you should always consult a doctor or care giver before taking herbal and natural supplements because they may cause dangerous interactions with certain medications. Some of the most effective herbal supplements for treating anxiety symptoms are St. John’s wort, ginkgo biloba, passion flower, rhodiola (or roseroot) and valerian root. Kava is another herb that helps alleviate anxiety, but recent studies show it can produce liver damage if taken in large quantities. L-glutamine and L-histidine are two amino acids that help reduce stress and irritability, and the amino acid GABA has shown to positively affect the brain in relation to anxiety. There are also two occurring compounds called 5-HTP and SAMe that studies have shown to be just as effective as many

Of late, I have been under intense pressure and I do not know what to do.

Can you tell me how to manage my anxiety?

•Passion flower

prescription antidepressants, making them some of the most popular natural antidepressants.

Exercise Exercise is more than just good for your body; it’s also good for your mind. Exercise helps to boost your mood by stimulating various feel-good brain chemicals that leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. Exercise also takes your mind off worries, boosts your energy level, promotes better sleep, and even improves your sex drive.

Diet Studies show that a healthy, balanced diet improves your mood in numerous ways.

Anxiety symptoms can by greatly reduced by eliminating caffeine and alcohol and reducing your intake of sugar, refined carbohydrates and foods with additives and chemicals. Increase your consumption of foods rich in omega-3s, an extremely healthy oil found in salmon, walnuts, flaxseed and other foods that has been shown to boost mood. Foods high in vitamin B, magnesium and calcium also help the nervous system to function properly. Also, try adding foods high in folic acid,

•Verbena

which some studies suggest helps improve the effectiveness of antidepressants. Folic acid can be found in many vegetables, beans and whole-wheat products.

Yoga and meditation Yoga is a great way to quiet your mind and relieve stress. Simple meditation techniques can also help you control your breathing and thoughts to help ease panic attacks.

Massage and acupuncture Many studies have proven the healing power of touch. Both massage and acupuncture help restore the body’s emotional balance by stimulating the flow of energy through specific points on the body. Both treatments are widely used to relieve stress, diminish muscle tension and improve sleep.

Holistic anxiety treatment Anxiety can be a debilitating disorder that disrupts your life. I believe in treating anxiety and other mood and mental disorders with traditional treatments such as therapy and medications, but I also believe in a holistic approach that uses the healing power of natural anxiety treatments.

From Tai Chi to meditation to exercise, follow these suggestions for ways to strengthen the connection between your mind and body to reduce anxiety.

Yoga: An excellent way to get exercise, centre your mind and find calm.

Yoga is a great choice for beating anxiety.

Tai Chi: This popular body movement exercise is excellent for anxiety and depression and is gentle enough for people of any age to enjoy.

Self-hypnosis. Try this simple technique to see if it reduces the anxiety in your life.

Sleep: Getting enough good quality sleep each night is important to help manage anxiety. Be sure you follow a routine with consistent bedtime and waking times and don’t drink caffeine or alcohol before bed.

Meditation: Set aside a few minutes every day for quiet meditation. The negative thoughts that accompany anxiety are quieted through meditation.

Breathing: The deep, relaxing form of breathing used during yoga practice can bring benefits to your mental health.

Exercise: Getting regular exercise is not only good for your body, but it also helps keep your brain in good shape.

Many professionals recommend getting regular exercise each day to combat anxiety and stress.

Qi Gong: This ancient Chinese practice can help you reduce anxiety.

Isolation tank: Those who have undergone the remarkable experience of floating in an isolation tank report a huge reduction in stress and anxiety.

Guided imagery: Learn how to engage your senses to bring about a feeling of calm and promote healing with this powerful technique.

46

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

NATURAL HEALTH

How the Law of Balance keeps us healthy

T

HE fear of thunder is the beginning of wisdom for many people. I know of some people who shiver to the bone marrow and seek hiding places under their beds or perhaps under a carpet. Ironically, it is such people who are loudest when it comes to invoking "Holy Ghost Fire" to consume their real or imagined enemies. Ironically, too, what frightens them is an occurence in the atmosphere of the earth, incomparable in magnitude to the power they seek, power which devours all cleanliness, even themselves.

Since the beginning of Time, man has wondered what lightning and thunder are. My forebears asked the oracle man. I asked my high school teacher. When my children asked me, I referred them to the Children's Encyclopedia. I am sure they will ask their children to check the internet. It is in the course of everyone wondering what these phenomena are that cell salt health practitioners concluded that people who fear the thunder are deficient in one of the 12 biochemical salts, NATRUM MUR (sodium chloride). This is not table salt but, like all cell salts, triturated homeopathic varrants of it, which makes it medicinal. The 12 cell salts are believed to be basic constituents of every one of the adult body's 100 or so trillion calls, in various ratios based on their nature and functions. The NATURM MUR personality presents not only the symptom of the fear of thunders, but many others. If I seem to have highlighted the thunder, it is, perhaps, because we are in the rainy season during which we have to live almost everyday with lightning and thunder.

Maybe I should strike the nail on the head. I do not like lightning and thunder. I've heard of thunder bolt but hits, and I am sure one must have torn through my neighbour's window. In the nation of many 'fake' people that Nigeria has now become, you can't trust the lightning catcher the electrical people fix in your house for your protection. One rainy day last year, I was awakened from deep sleep by a sudden bright lighting of my bedroom which I didn't light up before I went to bed. For a moment, the lighting seemed like the flood lightning of a stadium at night. Instinctively, I knew it was lightning and that thunder was coming. Sure enough, it came almost before I jumped out of bed seeking refuge nowhere. The following day, many people in Lagos spoke about that thunder which was loud enough to have been heard almost everywhere. But weren’t we all near illiterates or illiterate? For it isn’t the sound the hurts, but the lightning. It was in the course of researching nutritional supplements that could steel the heart against such fear that I stumbled on Natrum mur as a remedy. Before I come to Natrum mur and the importance of the Law of Balance in the building and maintenance of radiant health, I wish to quickly travel on memory lane to my high school physics class.

• Thunder is caused by lightning bolts.

• Lightning is produced in thunder storms by the collision of ice and liquid particles above a freezing level in a cloud traveling downwards. The collision creates electric fields which leads to giant sparks when they become large enough.

• This causes atmospheric discharge of electrons, which leads to storms in the clouds • A lightning bolt travelling downward on the storm compresses surrounding between 10 and 100 times, raising atmospheric pressure.

• At some point, the compressed air explodes in a loud bombing burst we call thunder.

So, why are we afraid of thunder, when the explosion may have occured about 500 kilometres away, if it came just a few seconds after the lightening? I haven't a clue as yet,except to imagine the lack of a ‘shock absorber’ and for a personal experiment with Natrum Mur which has worked substantially for me.

I took my cue from the experiences of homeopath Sir John Neir, a physician of Queen Elizabeth II and one of England's most reputable homeopathic doctors. He often described himself as a typical Natrum Mur personality. He was riven with headaches and became blind in one eye. Only drugs and coffee seemed to give him relief. It was when he turned to homeopathy and tried Natrum Mur at a very high dosage that the headaches disappeared. That is over 40 years now! According to Nigey Lennon and Lionel Rolfe in their HOMEOPATHIC CELL SALTREMEDIES: "He went on to describe the person for whom Natrum Mur is a good constitutional tonic. This person becomes irritable over trifles, especially small noises such as the sound of people fussing or of a clock ticking.

He or she is intense by nature, sensitive, and prefers to be alone. Music rouses feelings of great emotion. The Natrum Mur person prefers sorrowing alone, and if a well-meaning comforter tries offering consolation, he or she is rejected with scorn. A marked symptom is a headache that feels like a thousand little hammers pounding in the head.”

Before Sir John, many leading European homeopaths had described Natrum Mur deficiency symptoms to include dejection, depression hypochonria and tiredness of the brain. Other classical symptoms often mentioned in persons who need Natrum Mur include, say Lennon and Rolfe.

• "... free watery discharges, which flow far a easily from the mucous membranes • "Natrum Mur ... is also indicated in cases where the vagina is excessively dry • "Natrum Mur subjects also tend to be sensitive to light and heat, and they have poor circulation , they are often chilly and their condition appears to be aggravated by the seashore.

• "They are often melancliodylic ... fear of thunder is a symptom. Sir John Neir said that during the air raids in London during World War II, a need for Natrum mur was indicated in cases of shock.

•"Natrum mur people suffer from constipation, hard dry stools which tend to cause anal fissures and diarrhoea, sometimes alternating with constipation.

Enough of Natrum Mur for now.

Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus

A

S a young man fascinated by the study of Man, Na ture and Matter, the Law of Balance always caught my fancy. It holds the world together, we were taught. But I

W

didn't see it beyond my nose, that is beyond easily observable body systems and the society. I learned that there must be healthy balance between giving and taking. Thus, when I take in air (inhale), I must let it out (exhale). If I take more than I give up, I merely court trouble with gluttony. The same applies to eating and defecating, drinking and urination. Even in human relationships, a friendship or marriage soon collapses where one party sponges on another, without anything to offer. In the great nations which have collapsed, that was a seed of decay. In the Old Germany, Otto Von Bismarck, the Iron Chancellor, pushed out Prussia and Hungary from the Union. Hasn't Russia done the same in the former Soviet Union? This Law is universal and affects even the internal peace of the human body. One of the areas we encounter this every day is in the balance or imbalance among calcium magnesium and Phosphorus. Calcium is important for the bones, teeth, blood, fertility, the heart. A normal blood pressure, prevention of colon cancer, enzyme activation, digestion of fat and proteins, muscle contraction and nutrient absorption, including Vitamin B12, among many other uses.

Magnesium MAGNESIUM is a remedy for muscle spasms such as in "muscle pulls", period pains, leg cramps and heart palpitations and glaucoma. When calcium flows into muscles, they contract. Magnesium causes a relaxation of these muscles when it flows into them. Where there is too much calcium flow and less of magnesium flow, the Law of Balance is breached and distress follows. I wondered for many years what the aim of the eye doctor was in always prescribing for my father special eye drugs, especially TIMOPTOL, for glaucoma. I was to learn that it blocks calcium from settling into the soft muscles of the eye drainage.

If this happens, the "gutter" contracts and less fluid flows through, causing a fluid accumulation or backlog which damages critical structures. Glaucoma may be a subtule body message that calcification may be going on in other parts of the body as well (heart, blood vessels, joints, brain etc). This would imply that the Law of Balance has been breached with a gross deficiency of Magnesium. It is no wonder that, like Vitamin C, Magnesium, antagorust of calcium, has been known to reduce ocular (eye) tension in the right dosages. The five phosphate cell salts, of which magnesium phosphate is a star anti-spasmodic, member, have in this context, been certified for brain and eye health Dr. Shari Lieberman and Nancy Bruning report in their THE REAL VITAMIN & MINERAL BOOK that "low magnesium appears to be associated with psychiatric problems", citing a study of 165 boys in which those deficient in magnesium showed evidence of brain and sleep disorders. Magnesium does much more than can be written here. It prevents heart disease and is involved in the production of energy. Thus, magnesium deficient people are likely, in addition to other symptoms, to be fatigued and listless, and experience premature labour. A few years ago, this column reported the case in Shomolu, Lagos, of a woman who had four habitual abortions about the fifth month but carried the fifth pregnancy term on Calcium and Magnesium supplemtation in the diet.

Phosphorus, like calcium, stregthens the bones and teeth. It helps the body use fats, protein and carbohydrates. In combination with fats, it makes phospholipids with which cell wall is made. Phosphopids also act as vehicles for fat circulation in the blood.

The Balance

For the Calcium /Magnesium/Phosphorus tripod to stand well, they must combine in the following ratios: • 2 atoms of calcium to 1 atom of magnesium • 1 atom of calcium to 1 atom of phosphorus • 2 atoms of phosphorus to 1 atom of magnesium Often, diet and lifestyle breach this natural order. Stress and acidity of the blood lead to more calcium being pulled out of this union for rescue alkalinising work in acidic blood. The situation is worsened when the right calcium is not consumed. Still, more trouble comes because the phosphorus consumption in the modern diet is abnormally high. There is too much phosphorus in soft drinks, and other carbonated drinks, for example. With more phosphorus entering the body through these and other sources, calcium is lost and osteoporosis takes its toll. In a study of female athletes, those who drank carbonated drunks found twice as likely to suffer fractures than those who did not.

I gave up on cashew fruit about three seasons ago when I related bone pain I was experiencing to a gluttonous intake. I had wished to enjoy cashew that season. When I checked for the bonus it was adding to my health account and I found there were about 70 parts of phosphorus to one of calcium, I gave it up immediately.

Cheap Calcium

e-mail: www. olufemikusa@yahoo.com

HEN it comes to buying calcium supplements, many people go for the cheapest ones, believing that cal cium is calcium. The pity is that such people may be consuming lots of calcium but are not getting much out of it. Even the little they get may be poisoning them for all calcium is not good calcium. Producers of cheap calcium products are business people who know what such people want and give them in good measure. American gynaecologist Dr. Catherine Northrup says it all in her NATURAL ALTERNATIVE TO HRT: "When it comes to taking supplements, you should be aware that some are much more easily absorbed than others. Some are so poorly absorbed, you are wasting your money and possibly doing more harm than good. So when you buy supplements, look very carefully at the labels. Calcium Carbonate is one of the cheapest and most available form of calcium supplement. It is otherwise known as chalk. It is an inorganic mineral, is mined from the ground, and is not present in this particular form in any plant or animal. It can increase the risk of kidney stones and chalky lumps in the breasts and can be deposited in the joint, contributing to arthritis. Its efficiency as a supplement is highly questionable since research demonstrates that in this form calcium is not well absorbed into the system".

Dr. Northrup, author of many books, writes with passion on women's health. She adds: "Indeed, there is some evidence that calcium carbonate supplements cause more calcium to be excreted in the urine when taken by women with adequate levels of stomach acid. They might even have been losing calcium than they were taking in. Calcium citrate, on the other hand, was found to be absorbed well by women with low stomach acid. In the study, 500 mg of calcium citrate was absorbed better than even 2000 mg of calcium carbonate".

Dr. Northrop advises women to cut down on cola and fizzy drinks and meat to reduce an increasing presence of phosphorus in the blood.

An elevated phosphorus blood level triggers release of calcium from the bones and teeth to match the blood pretence of phosphorus. Thus, people with bone or teeth problems who consume calcium hoping to solve these problems, may be unable to overcome their problem if they do not have enough stomach acid to digest the calcium , if they are consuming the wrong type of calcium and, if they are increasing their phosphorus load in ignorance. That's why this column always suggests caral calcium, iron calcium brands such as IONITE and calcium cell salts ... calcium phosphate, calcium sulphate.

Vitamin A, Zinc and Copper

T

HIS is another nutrient relationship governed by the Law of Balance. We all sense this law. Women in particular balance the colours of their dress. Architects design pillars and beams to balance all the forces acting on a building. And motorists?

Don't they inflate the car tyre to the right gauge and send the vehicles to the mechanic for wheel balancing?" The planets and the solar systems of this greatUniverse are not colliding simply because they have achieved through mutual attraction and repulsion of one another the state of balance or equilibrium which they must produce to locate themselves. The grantational forces which make this happen are like the pillars and beams of the architect.

In our bodies, nutrients also respect this universal law in relation to their activities where they serve a joint purpose. An example is the function of Vitamin A and Zinc in the eye. Both are antioxidants which protect the eye against oxidative and free radical damage. Many people are aware of the role of Vitamin A for this purpose, but not of Zinc.

Now, there is no amount of Vitamin A one may take, it may not be absorbed by the eye if a certain amount of zinc is not present. Many people with failing vision may be Zinc deficient. Zinc is needed for about 250 en-zyme reactions in the body, and about 80 per cent of the body's stock of zinc is stored in the prostate gland in men. In this gland, zinc helps to check the activity of an enzyme named 5-Alpha Reeductase.

In the presence of an adequate amount of zinc in the prostate gland, this enzyme behaves itself. But it misbehaves in a deficiency status of zinc.

Zinc deficiency may occur due to many reasons, ranging from poor stomach acid to digest it and poor dietary intake to excessive loss through ejaculations.

In the prostate, zinc also acts as an antioxidant to protect the sperm against antibodies in the female reproductory tract. Sexual explosion has led many men to having sexual dealings with women too often than is healthy for them or recommended for their ages. Every ejaculation means loss of zinc. It is like a bank account which is going red but is not replenished. Without antioxidant protection from zinc, the sperm are damaged and infertility may occur, the sperm count is low. In the prostate gland, 5- Alpha Reductase begins to misbehave, converting testosterone, the male hormone, to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Like fertiliser, DHT stimulates prostate cells to over grow, and this may be the cause of prostate enlargement for some men. Zinc loss also means poor absorption or deficiency of Vitamin A in the eye, and this may promote continued visual impairment. Of course, many enzymes may suffer in the absence of zinc. One area that is often over looked by many people is that zinc and copper combine in a ratio of about four parts of zinc to one of copper. Some enzymes depend on copper for their work, some of which is involved in the healing process. Copper, an essential part of Super Oxide Dismutase, one of the antioxidant complexes made by the body to fight free radicals, plays a significant role in the immune system. When experimental animals were given oral contraceptives their blood copper levels rose significantly. In humans, elevated blood copper levels have been found associated with diseases such as "rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, anky losing spondylitis, rheumatic fever and sciatica" among others. It is not known if the elevation caused the conditions or was apartoftheorigin,orifitsignifiesanattemptbythebodytousecopperasahealing agent. There is no doubt, however, that a copper deficiency causes anemia, skeletal defects, degeneration of the nervous system, pigmentation problem and other problems. Copper supplementation has helped lower total cholesterol and raise HDL, the good cholesterol. In copper deficiency- induced anemia, hardly will any "blood tonic" help, if it doesn't offer copper.

The Law of Balance affects the entire Creation, of which the health of the human body is a microscopic part. Thus, the relationship of this Law to health building cannot be a subject of only one column. As time permits, these relationships will unfold.

Tel: 08034004247, 07025077303

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

47

DISCOURSE •Being the text of a speech delivered at the second Southsouth Economic Summit on April 26 in Asaba, Delta State •Continued from yesterday

I

N the end, the mystery was solved.

His condition was a heart tumour, but not just any tumour. It was that uncommon type which has a habit of sinking back into the wall tissues of the heart, and then pulsing outwards, so that sometimes the instruments showed only one, but at other times, two or three growths.

Evidently these extrusions would sometimes impede the regular flow of blood, which had led to his passing out in the first instance. In one of these sophisticated machines, one could actually watch the tumour change shape and contours, flattening back invisibly into the wall. The option had already been decided upon open-heart surgery – but it was necessary to do a thorough study of the behaviour of this pulsating growth before embarking on the drastic process.

That decision was only the beginning.

The surgical team had to go back to school – that is, they were compelled to look up prior cases, consult surgeons who had carried out similar operations. Video recordings were exchanged. Finally, D-day. It was, I must confess, an unnerving experience to see your son’s heart taken out of his body while he was attached to an artificial heart that kept the blood pumping to his system. As if that was not enough, we learnt that, after the heart was re-attached and resuscitated, it suddenly stopped beating. Injections, administration of electric shocks – the surgeons did what they were trained to do and he survived.

Now, why have I bothered to go into details? Simply to ensure that you do not overlook the mission that has – I presume – brought us here today. The realities that compelled you – again, presumably – to demand of yourselves what is missing from the delivery of responsible governance and thus, seek strategies for their fulfillment. You know that if that youth had been in our part of the world, he would be long dead. And that applies to many deficiencies that your citizens face – not merely in terms of the quality of life they lead, but even the very threats to survival in numerous fields of routine activities.

That is Lesson One. Many here have at least one such story of deliverance, of an extract from real life that barely escaped tragedy. Others were not so lucky. The stories they have to tell did not have such a happy ending. We must not however lose sight of the analogy, which goes deeper than the incidental vagary of the health of one individual, but concerns the corporate body. Even the greatest pundits can be wrong about the health of any organism human, institutional, or national. I am speaking here of the deceptiveness of appearances – those of you who are soccer addicts would have read recently of the collapse and death of an Italian player – my eye caught the news because the story reached backwards to refer to similar tragedies, sudden deaths of other athletes who had evinced no sign whatsoever of a weakness in their anatomy. It happens all the time. This nation must surely recall the shocking case of Kanu. Institutions are no different – just see how the banking system in the most advanced countries suddenly collapsed, creating a domino effect that saw seemingly robust economies collapse one after the other. But here again, we are still speaking simply of parts of a functioning totality, not the entirety. A deep malaise may defy the most astute diagnostic minds, leading to a complacent reading of its state of health. If however, there is a sound, fundamental structure that holds the totality together, that totality will override flawed mechanisms of the parts – this is what is pulling many European nations out of the rut. Lucky, therefore, is that entity that is urged from time to time to examine and re-examine the very walls, tissues and muscles of the heart that pump blood into its system. That it is beating sturdily does not mean that there are no tumours embedded within its very interstices, waiting its moment to strike while bounding confidently from one field of undertaking to the next, overriding one hidden trauma after another, but progressively weakened by each trauma inducing experience.

Most mortals do need to be left alone to

OPEN FORUM By

WOLE SOYINKA

Mission-the future

•Annan

find their feet after any traumatic experience. The nation is no different, the most enfeebling traumatic experiences in the Nigerian instance being both the civil war and years of military rule. There is also the affliction of illegitimacy –the dubious legitimacy of a large percentage of representatives of the people’s supposed political will at the centre, at the federal and national assemblies and even in the lodges of executive governors. The percentage of occupational illegitimacy did admittedly decrease over the last elections but, we still do know, and they know that we know, that even in a seventy-five percent perfect election, properly conducted, a vast number of the present ‘honourables’, senators and governors, could never have caught the sheerest whiff of the wood varnish on the seats they now occupy. Some of these are the most vociferous, most assiduous in their denunciation, indeeed demonisation of the very notion of a genuine convocation of peoples, that is, a convocation outside the sanctuary, privilege and self-interest of the homes of illegitimacy, the convocation of a people who wish to examine their present and decide their future.

Let me declare here that I have taken a decision never again to add my voice to that call, having joined with others - two of whom are now dead – to let the judiciary pronounce, at the very least, a symbolic judgment on whether what now passes for a ‘people’s constitution’ is indeed any such product of a people’s will, or yet another product of illegitimacy hung around the nation’s neck like a noose.

That I shall no longer add my voice to that call however does not mean that I abandon the right to examine, even if only as a contextual exercise, the antecedents of that call, its provocation, the distortions it has endured, and continues to endure, the potential consequences of its rejection, and perhaps the true motivations of its opposing or evasive voices.

Northwards from this very spot where we are gathered, a daily decimation of our humanity pronounces its diabolical judgment on the structure that still struggles to deserve the name nation, calling in question, through its fiery monologues, the very legitimacy of our nation being. Let me take this opportunity however to stress to us all within the nation that this ongoing catastrophe is not the burden of any one part of the nation by itself, but a fight of survival for the totality of its humanity.

The antecedents of the present national crisis may seem particularised, the carnage concentrated on a geographical sector – at least for now - the solution nonetheless remains the responsibility of the entirety of the constituent parts. There is an immeasurable gulf between taking up arms against the state and declaring war against humanity.

I recall a cry from a stricken heart – metaphorically speaking this time – when the

United States of America invaded Iraq under the pretext of looking for weapons of mass destruction. The Arab League happened to be holding its session at the time, and its Secretary-General was reported to have exclaimed: “the inhabitants of hell have been let loose”. Several members of that League thought he was merely being alarmist. The US president, George Bush certainly thought so too, especially once he had overrun the defences of the deluded tyrant Saddam Hussein. Several years after, not merely the Middle East, but the entire world is still attempting to cope with the rampages of the successors of those fiends from hell, unleashed through past global defaults admittedly, but also ministering to their own innate demonism, determined to drag the rest of the world down into their own private and collective hells.

What applied to Iraq is both pertinent to, and apparent in Nigeria – evade it how we will. The rejects even of hell have indeed been let loose, but many prefer to shy away from the question: who let them loose? How long was the present scenario in preparation? For how long was the mind-set of its direct perpetrators nurtured, for how long were impressionable minds doctored, warped and then homicidally re-focused? Was it through secular ideological indoctrination – let us say, a Marxist revolutionary orientation?

Or was it through the theocratic, serving however the power obsession of a minority? This is a basic enquiry that should precede all else. However, the nation has elected, in the main, to climb aboard the conveyance of evasion, bound for the bunker of denial. Those who unleashed the denizens of hell are among us, they did not come from outer space, they are known, and they know where their myrmidons retreat while they prepare their next outrage on the populace. I invite you to take a hard look, for instance, at the photos of those killers of the Italian and British hostages, finally trapped in Kaduna. Do you seriously think that they – and hundreds like them - are independent actors in the ongoing rampages? Does anyone still believe that they sponsored themselves to training grounds, on this continent or outside, in some infernal regions, for their deadly mastery of weapons of human evisceration? Their sponsors are not phantoms. They are real. They exist among us. But, phantoms or not, today, they are afraid. Their own agents of destruction have turned upon them, demanding evidence of preparations of the theocratic utopia that was dangled before them, a utopia founded on theocratic myopia that nerved them to acts of total disregard for fellow humanity and a passion for self-immolation.

How do we disable such forces? Let me insist on the negative – not by appeasement. Not by utterances or gestures of appeasement. Those who seek to dominate others do not understand the language of appeasement. To them it translates as endorsement, multiplies their selfrighteousness and urges them to even greater acts of contempt for humanity.

Dialogue is a cultured, always commendable device – in principle. However, I must call attention to a fervent contradiction – within this general field of dialogue - that appears to have escaped certain among our pundits of dialogue at all costs.

Here it goes: On the one hand, those very voices are on their knees urging dialogue on the assailants. On the other, those whose call for dialogue – but on a wider, national scale - holds out the possibility, at the very least, of a holistic apprehension of the farreaching causes and prescriptions for remedial action for the guarantee of a future, are told to go and have their heads examined. Therein lies the contradiction.

A force for blind violence comes to the fore, a force that manifests utter contempt for that very civilised facilitator of co-existence called Dialogue, yet, hardly has the first prickle of blood been drawn before the chorus goes up - let’s invite them to sit down and talk. Tell us what you want and we’ll see what can be done. And even before that, there were already calls for Amnesty. The sequence is important – let us keep this in mind. Now, what is this supposed to indicate? That only through the language of terror can one make oneself heard?

One side says, let us sit down peacefully, as free people, and work out a new order of internal relationships and overarching governance. The other says, I already have my own unilaterally concluded order of internal relationships, divinely ordered, beyond questioning by mere mortals, subject to no tests of rationally, equity or experimentation. To the first, the response that hits their ears is – nothing doing. To the other however – at least from those responsible for the health and survival of the nation, the response is, ‘please, come and talk to us.’ And for their pains, what has been the constant reward? A few hundred souls in their daily routine of scraping a living from the sales of basic, life sustaining products of farm and manufacture, and yet a hundred more, gathered on their okada motor-cycles, waiting to transport those market men and women to their farmstead and homes, workers to their factories and homes, are unconscionably blasted to eternity. Thus comes into being the ordination of two competing sovereign states, one pleading for dialogue, the other contemptuous of the very word.

Yes indeed, ‘sovereignty’. The sovereignty of the nation, we are lectured, is non-negotiable, and that mystic possession – sovereignty - would be imperiled if the constituent parts of the nation do indeed embark on a dialogue of free peoples. It’s a very portly word – sovereignty – mouth-filling, and chest expanding. It is designed to stop all arguments. Merely pronounce that a form of action is a threat to the illusionary banquet called sovereignty and the world is supposed to go into seizure from sheer surfeit. One can only marvel at what happened to this patrimony of ‘sovereignty’ when a Buhari, a Babangida or a Sanni Abacha terminated preceding sovereign claims with a mere radio announcement accompanied by a martial tune. Some of the more hysterical among our current voices, opposed to a people’s dialogue, did not wait for the military spittle to dry out on the air-waves before they vanished into the obscurity of their villages. In this case, however, today, Dialogue as a voluntary undertaking, an operative stage in nation-being, as an expression of collective will, increasingly voiced even in hitherto unexpected sectors, is being derided.

Sadly, one can sometimes understand causes for the vilification of this recourse.

Only a few days ago, the clamour for Dialogue – the genuine kind that is – was joined by one of the most nauseous and obsequious, self-ingratiating servitors of the repellent dictatorship of Sanni Abacha. Such incidental bed-fellows make one despair but, as we say, this is a democracy, and even those who seek to sanitise their past by a cynical revision of a history through which we all lived and survived – thank goodness - must be given a hearing. The message, not the messenger – that must be our meager consolation.

I merely play the devil’s advocate. I have lost all interest in the call for a National Conference and, at the very end, my prescriptions shall be made plain. For now let us also offer a material solace to those who are morbidly afraid of a national dialogue. In the highly unlikely event that such a mythical National Conference concludes its work with a rational agenda that garners the approbation of an overwhelming majority, leading to a clamour for instant implementation, such demurrers would only be bowing to the clearly articulated will of the people, as opposed to a bunch of adventurist individuals in uniform. This, of course, is only an extreme speculation, designed to douse the dismissive, unreflective, more sovereignthan-thou, what-we-have-we-hold, whatexists-is-holy mentality that has corrupted the reasoning of some of these opposing voices.

•To be continued

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

48

INDUSTRY Given the fact that the budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development is too meager to sustain the desirable projects already established by the World Bank Sustainable Management of Mineral Resources (SMMRP) that is due to wind up on May 30, the Federal Government needs to quicken its process of securing another credit facility for the project to continue, writes JOHN OFIKHENUA.

Sustaining World Bank’s mining project T

HE mining sector is counting down to May 30th, 2012, when the World Bank Sustainable Management of Mineral Resources Project (SMMRP) is expected to close its activities in Nigeria.

The journey that it commenced in 2005, with the $120million concessional loan for the development of the mining sector has lifted it to a reasonable extent. In preparation for the closure of the project’s activities, the SMMRP Task Team Leader and Senior Mining Specialist, Sustainable Energy, Oil, Gas and Mining Department, World Bank, Ms. Ekatrina Mikhaylova last week came into the country on a stock- taking mission.

She toured the projects sites, had discussions with the beneficiaries and received the inputs of stakeholders. She submitted that it was obvious that the SMMRP exceeded the expectation.

Ms. Mikhaylova, who admitted that it was not her responsibility to grant a second SMMRP to Nigeria, however, assured that should the Federal Government get the approval of the Regional Director and that of the World Bank, there will be another phase of the project. She explained that securing fresh funds could culminate in value addition through generation of more revenue for Nigeria.

Her words: “It is closing on May 30th. And this is the preparation to close all the project’s activities. During the visits we will have discussions with some of major the beneficiaries and also get the stakeholders’ inputs.

I took over as a task team leader a couple of years ago and what I see, I will say from the technical point of view that the project is justified. You know it is not my decision. I will say that once it receives approval from the Regional Director, we are optimistic that if everything is put in place there will be a second project.

This is one of the ways to ensure value addition and that more revenue comes to stay in the country. I am happy to say that this is one of the best. We consider it the best.

Overall, I will say it has been very successful.”

Also speaking, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Architect Musa Sada noted that government was working with the global development bank to ensure the continuity of the project. He said the other phase of the project would assist to consolidate the present gains and other areas that the $120million was unable to cover. The minister however, dropped the hint that fund is at the point of getting President Goodluck Jonathan’s approval for the board to run it.

He said: “We are looking at four areas - strengthening our data acquisition capacity, updating the mineral titles administration, providing fund for mid-tier miners and the steel sector, which was not captured when the grant was given. It is my hope that this evaluation is not to close the programme because there are a lot to be done in the sector.

We have been working very hard to set up the solid mineral development fund, which we have modelled after the SMMRP especially in the empowerment of small miners to participate in the sector”.

A flashback at the years prior to the establishment of the SMMRP is an indication that mining was almost forgotten in the country. This is so because the sector was dominated by poor, informal operators known as the artisanal miners. Similarly, the

•Some of the enduring legacy projects

ministry and agencies saddled with the responsibility of regulating the sector were replete with administrative staff and lacked the know-how required for a technical sector. Rarely would any investor find mining a lucrative business. Besides, most of the mining firms in Jos and other cities had long winded up to seek greener pasture in the oil and gas industry. The abandonment, according to Provost, Nigerian Institute of Mining and Geosciences (NIMG) Prof. Idowu Odeyemi , was due to the discovering of oil which “aroma set Nigerians to sleep.”

But following the Federal Government’s decision to diversify from oil, the nation considered mining a major alternative. Therefore, there has been a target for the sector to contribute 20 per cent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Consequently, the SMMRP kick-started its assistance with a baseline study on the entire mining sector.

For a smooth administration and supervision of the operators, the ministry was restructured. In an interview with The Nation, the SMMRP Project Coordinator, Mr Linus Adie recounted: “ At one time about 80 per cent of staff of the ministry were administrative staff, 20 per cent were technical, we reversed that and introduced new departments to make the ministry strong enough to meet the challenges we intended to introduce.”

Since the baseline study had also unveiled the illegal operation by poor miners in the sector, the SMMRP set aside $10million for the assistance of Artisanal and Small Miners (ASM). Due to the project’s advice, the miners organised themselves into 240 cooperative societies nationwide. These societies have received grants ranging from N4million to N7million for community development or for equipment to boost their mining activities.

Having been comatose for several years, manpower became one of the greatest challenges. As brilliant as the graduates from Nigerian universities could be, they lacked mining skills. With this, the few foreign miners that emerged to embrace the re-

•Power and Steel Minister, Sada

form in the sector resorted to importation of skilled manpower.

In order to bridge the manpower gap, the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, according to Sada, was given the target of achieving enhanced capacity to supply 50 per cent skilled manpower required for all segments of the minerals and metals sector. In its bid to produce the requisite manpower, the Federal Government had recourse to the SMMRP, which had been saddled with the responsibilities of establishing the Nigerian Institute of Mining and Geosciences (NIMG).

The project also got the mandate for developing the infrastructure, recruitment and payment of the salaries of all staff, as well as the procurement of the laboratory equipment. Incidentally, the institute held its second stakeholders forum in Abuja recently. The Provost, Prof Idowu Odeyemi spoke gloriously about the World Bank’s intervention.

He said: “ As the (SMMRP) winds down in less than a month’s time, I consider it apposite at this juncture to express the deep appreciation of Management of the NIMG to the PMU and the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development. The baby is now ready to walk!”

The SMMRP also assisted to re-

•Ms Mikhaylova

organise the Mining Cadastre Office.

Now, there is a modern cadastral system for the administration of mining titles. Indeed, since the creation of the Mining Cadastre Office in 2005, there has been generation of database covering all mining titles and permits in the record of the ministry. Following the computerisation and liberalisation of the process, granting of mining titles has leaped to 10,000. Prior to this, the highest record of mining titles in the ministry was about 300.

In terms of airborne geological survey, Nigeria has completed airborne geographical survey covering 100 pr cent of the country landmass, measuring magnetic and radiometric parameters. In this case, besides the 44per cent of the coverage, which the Federal Government sponsored through the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) the SMMRP footed the bill for the rest survey coverage. These were carried out by a Canadian firm, Fugro Airborne Surveys and another firm Paterson, Grant & Watson Limited.

The Nigerian mining sector had operated for decades without a mining regulatory framework. As there were no regulations, the rule of the game was not clear. Therefore the investors were reluctant to develop their titles and banks were unwilling

to grant aids to miners. But with the assistance of the SMMRP, the ministry was able to launch the Minerals and Mining Regulations in Abuja on May 27, 2011.

In continuous intervention in critical areas in the mining sector, the SMMRP awarded a contract in February 2010 for the supply and installation of state of art laboratory equipment at the National Geosciences Laboratory (NGRL) Kaduna for the analysis of both rock and medical/pharmaceutical samples. The upgrading followed the fact that the ministry and the NGSA yearly spends fortunes in carrying out laboratory analysis in Canada, South Africa, France, England and the USA. Therefore, to reduce the costs, the SMMRP undertook to sponsor the purchase of those critical laboratory state of the art equipment for the NGRL Kaduna.

The following equipment were purchased and have been installed in NGRL Kaduna to serve Nigerians and indeed the African scientific community. Of the seven equipment procured for NGRL Kaduna, three are very critical for scientific data analysis. These are Espilson five XRD, Empryean XRF and Scanning Electrons Microscope (SEM).

Despite this incessant list of the SMMRP performance, there are worries in some quarters that the federal Government may not sustain the legacy project. The fears basically sprang from the fact that the budgetary allocation of the ministry is still very unbecoming of a sector that is targeted to lift the country from poverty by year 2020.

Adie said: “My greatest challenge, I shout out from top to bottom, from bottom to top; sustainability.

And this is directed mainly at the government. Government is not assisting mining at all. Mining is capital intensive.

“Therefore, it is of paramount importance for the Federal Government to raise its allocation to the ministry. Besides, it has become a necessary evil that the government has to conclude another loan as an intervention for the sustenance of the SMMMRP enviable projects.”

49

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

e-Business Matters e-Rising Segun Oruame segun@segunoruame.com

O

NE of the important but least explicit exemptions to the copyright laws, used to attempt to strike a balance between the rights of publishers and the needs of the public and which allows users of the Internet the use of materials thereon without authorisation from the owners, is the fair use or fair dealing test. However, there is really no objective test of what constitutes fair dealing or fair use nor are such words as fair and reasonable objectively defined and interpreted, though some uses have been accepted as constituting fair use or fair dealings. Limited use of works for public interest such as for educational, scholarship or to generate public criticism for the advancement of society have all been accepted as constituting fair use, while uses which generate income or interfere with the income of the owner do not. It is further assumed that fair use would mean that the original author of the work is given credit with very limited use of the work, which should not be for commercial purposes. Similar to the doctrine of fair use is the notion of consumer protection and benefit in the unauthorised use of materials on the Internet. What constitutes consumer protection has been given very strict interpretation and does not include unauthorised distribu-

Copyright and the Internet (2)

tion of copyrighted music on the Web though demanded for by the public.

As stated earlier, works on the Internet are not considered to be within public domain and so protected by copyright.

However, materials in the public domain on the other hand do not come under copyright. In this regard, such materials could also be on the Internet, the only difference being that they are expressly stated to be within the public domain and available for all kinds of use by the public. Also, nearly all pre-20th century works whether they have been digitised and posted on the Internet or not are subject to copyright laws. No copyright exists in works such as those of Shakespeare for example, so they can be copied by anyone. These works can be accessed and even copied by anyone if posted on the Internet. The issue that arises is whether what happens when the digitised version put on the Internet is copied and posted on the Internet bearing in mind that independent effort is sometimes a valid defence to copyright violations. It must be noted that since the works are not protected by copyright, anybody has the right to digitise them and post same on the Internet. It will be nearly impossible to prove that such digitised work is not an independent effort but copied.

As we know, Web pages and emails enjoy copyright protection but in this vein, only original expressions and not facts and ideas are protected. Future works similar or even sometimes identical to earlier works, do not infringe on copyright if such works are independently-created.

Telephone directories on the Web have been held to lack sufficient originality for copyright protection.

Approval or authorisation by the creator of works protected by copyright can either be express or implied. It is express where such approval has been sought and received either unconditionally or otherwise or where the copyright has been expressly waived as in when such works are placed within the public domain. Implied approval on the other hand can be inferred from surrounding circumstances.

When works or messages are posted in a public email list for example, it is implied except expressly stated otherwise that copying, forwarding or archiving is allowed. Where any of this use is done, the original meaning must not be altered, as a person cannot be imputed with any message he did not intend. A person that does not want his work in a public list to be otherwise dealt with can mark his work as confidential or request that the list owners be contacted before such works

are forwarded or copied. It is best not to put any information, which can be misused or abused, in a public list. Works and messages can also be put on a private list on the Internet with those who sign up agree not to deal otherwise as agreed with them. In this case, access can be limited with the use of password for example. With private lists, use of works posted is defined by the agreement entered into upon joining and not necessarily by copyright laws.

Copyrights exist except where they are waived to protect Web pages and emails once they are created and do not ordinarily require registration to take benefit of this protection; though in some jurisdictions, the right must be registered before they can be enforced. Also such works do not require formal copyright notices though it is best to provide such notices. (www.piercelaw.EDU/ TFEILED/copyNET.HTM).

Finally, copyrights are not absolute rights and creators of original works cannot sell or distribute libelous emails and other materials whether online or off line or they will be liable. They also cannot post works that invade other persons’ rights.

•Akpan is an Abuja-based legal practitioner and telecoms lawyer.

Glo launches in Ghana with 1.5m subscribers G

LOBACOM has commenced commercial telecommunications services in Ghana on the numbering code, 023, bringing to three, the number of countries in which the Telco operates.

At a press conference in Accra to announce the launch of the network, Glo Mobile Ghana, the Telco assured it would address the yawning gap in telecommunications services in the country by offering world-class innovative products and services, which will improve the way Ghanaians live and work.

Already, about 1.5million subscribers have specially reserved lines on the network, which has the capacity to handle over 10 million lines, the Telco said.

Glo Mobile Ghana is kicking off its services with a service, ‘Good Day Ghana,’ which enables subscribers on the network to enjoy unique offerings such as free airtime daily for 100 days; free midnight calls; bonus on received calls as well as recharges and Sweet Number which enables subscribers to call one special person at reduced rate.

According to the Chief Operating Officer of Glo Mobile Ghana, Mr George Andah, “Globacom has rolled out the most modern tel-

Stories by Adline Atili ecommunications network and is introducing into the market, abundant, superior and attractive value offerings in the 10 regions of the country from day one, a feat that other telecoms operators in the country could not achieve.

“From the day we won the operating licence, we promised Ghanaians that we would replicate our success stories in the West African region as market leaders in innovation, consumer loyalty reward and excellent service delivery. We are proud that we have kept that promise today.”

He assured that, like its parent company, Globacom, Glo Mobile Ghana would be guided by core brand values: transparency, value for money, world-class service offerings and a ‘never-say-die’ attitude.

He said Glo Mobile Ghana operations would receive a major boost from the Glo 1 international submarine cable, which landed in the country in 2009. He said the facility will open up a vista of unprecedented opportunities for businesses, government institutions and individuals and will usher in a new era of prosperity by giving Ghanaians access to better and affordable broadband connectivity.

Lagos creates regulatory agency for masts, towers

T

HE Lagos State government, through the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, has established a new agency that will regulate the activities of telecommunications operators and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the installation of masts and towers in the state.

The new agency, known as Urban Furniture Regulatory Unit (UFRU), to be headed by Mr Joe Igbokwe, will address anomalies created by persons and organisations who erect masts and towers indiscriminately without regard to the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law (2010) and other regulations made in respect of the law.

The state’s Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Olutoyin Ayinde, who gave the information in a statement, said UFRU had been mandated to immediately commence its regulatory functions. He called on telecoms operators, ISPs and other organisations involved in the use and installations of masts and towers in the state to comply with regulations by the agency.

The commissioner, however, stressed that UFRU does not regulate telecoms activities in the state and as such cannot grant licences or

allocate frequencies, but backed by law to regulate masts and towers installations in the state and ensure compliance with Lagos State Laws and Regulations on Physical Planning and Urban Development.

Part of the mandate given UFRU includes regulation of placement of urban furniture, including telecoms antennae, masts and towers on land and buildings in the state; approval and supervision of location, positioning, dimensions, appearance, display and manner in which urban furniture shall be affixed to land; implementation of rates and fees chargeable for permits to erect all outdoor telecoms infrastructure, including masts, towers, base stations and parabolic antennae, as may be prescribed by the ministry, in line with the provisions of the law setting up the unit.

The Commissioner called on owners, users and operators of masts and towers, including parabolic antennae like VSAT and other types of antennae and similar structure, to register with UFRU for the purpose of sanitising the environment. “UFRU will among other things, monitor continuously, all parts of the state to ensure that infrastructure are of high quality materials conforming to international standards and are maintained appropriately,” he added.

Chairman, National Media Commission, Ghana, Ambassador Kabral Amihere (middle), making the first call on the Glo Mobile Ghana network. With him are Executive Director, Globacom Nigeria, Mr Adewale Sangowawa, (left) and Chief Operating Officer, Glo Mobile Ghana, Mr George Andah (right) at the launch.

Buyright Africa to deepen ICT penetration

I

N order to deepen penetration of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and empower Nigerians digitally, a technology conglomerate, Buyright Africa DotCom, is set to launch its services in the country.

In partnership with reputable international finance entities, the company aims to fast track development of ICT on the continent through intervention in acquisition as well as use of ICT equipment.

At an interaction with journalists in Lagos, Managing Director of Buyright Africa, Mr Mukoro Emomine, said organisations, educational institutions, as well as government Ministries, Departments and Agencies are challenged by adequate funding to finance deployment of ICT infrastructure, in the face of increasing credit squeeze.

He said with the backing of international financially-sound organisations, Buyright Africa can intervene by providing all manner of ICT equipment, such as computers, printers, scanners, projectors, consumables, software applications, mobile phones, VSAT equipment and electronics, as well as lifestyle digital equipment, to organisations, either by way of leas-

ing or outright purchase, with payment options spread across three years.

He said with Buyright Africa, organisations can save costs to finance other ventures by way of leasing ICT equipment and services from various vendors such as HP, Dell, Samsung, Toshiba, Zinox, Microsoft, Cisco, APC, Mercury, for training, seminars and retreats.

“The bane of technology development in Africa, especially Nigeria is under funding and high interest rate. Buyright Africa is being launched to assist Africans realise their technology dream and enjoy the benefits of emerging technologies and build technology strength that would allow citizens, governments and businesses compete favourably with other strong economies of the world.

“We have a mandate to fund and deliver major ICT projects in the public and private sectors as well as work with manufacturers to reduce total cost of ownership of ICT equipment in Africa, with structured payment scheme that could last up to three years,” Emomine said.

He said Buyright Africa website, www.buyrightafrica.com would go live on May 7th while other divisions are expected to be launched before the end of 2013.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

50

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 2-5-12

Nigerian Breweries links performance to efficient management ANAGING Director, Nigerian Breweries (NB) Plc, Mr Nicolaas Vervelde, has attributed the stellar performance of the company in 2011 to efficient management of its costs, human resources and brand potential.

Speaking at an interactive session with the media in Lagos yesterday, Vervelde said the volume and revenue growth in 2011 were reflections of the continuous improvement in the supply of the company’s products as well as the increased investments in its brands.

He added that the company’s effective cost management and enhanced human resource development further contributed to its impressive performance.

According to him, innovation played a key part in driving the achievements in 2011 as the launch of Heineken Magnum, Legend in cans and Fayrouz in PET bottles contributed to volume and market share growth.

He explained that the 2011 result included the consolidation of the three-month figures of Sona Associate Business Management Limited and Life Breweries Company Limited, acquired in the last quarter of 2011 with those of Nigerian Breweries Plc. He said that with this development, the brewing, packaging, marketing and sale of Goldberg lager beer,

M

•Market recovers N97b

By Taofik Salako and Tonia Osundolire

Malta Gold and Life Continental lager beer, formerly owned by the two companies, will now be done by the enlarged Nigerian Breweries.

He pointed out that with an operating profit of N56.6 billion and a turnover of N230.1 billion for the 2011 financial year ended December 31, Nigerian Breweries Plc has reaffirmed its leadership position of the brewing industry in Nigeria.

Vervelde said that turnover of the company grew by 23.8 per cent to N230.123 billion as against N185.863 billion in 2010, while operating profit rose by 26 per cent to N56.647 billion over the figure of N44.967 billion in 2010. The company also recorded a profit after tax of N38.026 billion as against N30.332 billion in 2010, representing a 24.4 per cent growth.

The board of the company has recommended the payment of a total dividend of N22,687,687,020 or N3.00 per ordinary share of 50 kobo each for the 2011 financial year.

This is an increase of 25 per cent over the N2.40 kobo paid in 2010.

Meanwhile, key market indicators at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday recovered as market capitalisation added N97 bil-

lion to close at N7.128 trillion while the index improved by 305.34 points to close at 22,351.00 points.

Market performance was strengthened with three gaining stocks over one loser at 31 advancers to 11 decliners.

This, operators said gives a positive outlook, at least, for the rest of the week.

GTBank led the gainers with an increase of N0.80 to close at N16.82 followed by Cadbury with a gain of N0.75 to close at N15.87. Others on the table were Zenith Bank, Access Bank, First Bank, RT Briscoe, UBN, Skye Bank, UAC-Property and Paint Company.

On the flip side of the table, Gold Insurance led with a drop of N0.03 to close at N0.57 followed by Cement Company of Northern Nigeria with a drop of N0.24 to close at N4.81.

Also on the list were May & Baker, Continental Insurance, Japaul Oil, Julius Berger, Presco, WAPCO, Oando and UACN. Specifically, total volume transacted dropped to 496.27 million, valued at N4.87 billion in 4,147 deals, compared with 669.37 million shares, worth N6.30 billion, exchanged in 4,143 deals posted on Monday. Volume and value dipped by 25.9 per cent and 22.7 per cent respectively.

First City Monument Bank maintained lead on actively traded stocks’ log for the second time this week with 107.92 million shares, valued at N608.99 million in 137 deals. Zenith Bank, Skye Bank, Access Bank and GT Bank were other active volume pullers in the top five logs.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 2-5-12

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

51

MONEY LINK

Interest rates to remain high, says RenCap

I

NTEREST rates will remain high, Renaissance Capital (RenCap), an investment and research firm has said.

In an e-mailed statement, the research firm stressed that the preemptive policy to sustain a stable naira would edge up towards the upper band of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) N150 to N160 to the dollar target band towards year end.

The average lending rate in the

By Collins Nweze

banking is about 25 per cent, while prime borrowers – blue chip companies such as Cadbury and Mobil pay less than 17 per cent interest per annum.

It also said that the corruption that has attended the fuel subsidy fund and over payments to beneficiaries, have exerted pressure on the nation’s foreign reserves and placed a

However, it said the petroleum import bill has fallen by 40 per cent since the partial removal of the petrol subsidy.

“Since the partial removal of the subsidy, petroleum imports have fallen by 40 per cent. If we go by the latest trade numbers for the year to September 2011, and assume a 40 per cent reduction in total fuel imports, which were equivalent to 16 per cent of total imports, this implies a six to seven per cent decline in the value of total imports,” it said in an emailed statement.

RenCap admitted that the partial removal of the subsidy partly explained the $4.1 billion increase in reserves year to date to $36.5 billion and the naira stability, compared with the 2011’s depreciation trend.

It further explained that the drop in the value of petroleum imports, may also partly reflect the impact of oil marketers holding off fuel imports with the intention of observing how the subsidy issue would unravel.

“This implies that as import de-

significant burden on fiscal resources.

The firm said it expected the decline of the petrol subsidy in January, from about N75 per litre to N32 to the litre, to have reduced arbitrage opportunities in the oil-marketing sector. This by implication would allow for a build-up of reserves, following near zero growth in 2011.

CBN to banks: keep customers’ records for five years

T

HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has directed banks to keep records of local and foreign transactions for at least a minimum of five years to encourage good customers’ due diligence.

CBN’s Deputy Director, Consumer Finance Protection, Nwaoh Ifeanyi, said this during a customers’ due diligence forum in Lagos. Ifeanyi said the development would enable banks to deal with any problems that may arise between the banks and their customers.

He said: “As a matter of fact, banks are required to maintain all records of transactions (local or foreign), (ongoing or terminated) for at least a

By Akinola Ajibade

minimum of five years, following the completion of transactions. The idea will help in tracing records of transactions when there is any problem.”

He said enough measures or actions of customer due diligence must be proved, before a case can be instituted on the issue. He said some banks are making efforts to update the information of their customers, stressing that such records must be kept over a period of time to avoid problems.

Ifeanyi said the apex bank expects

nothing less than full compliance on the issue, claiming that issues that concerned depositors are paramount to it. He addedg that banks that fail to comply with all known regulations on the issue of customers’ due diligence, stand the risk of being sanctioned. “ In the area of non-compliance with the Customers Due Diligence, appropriate measures or sanctions are available. We have consulted with the National Intelligence Unit in order to establish areas where banks have failed to comply. We have taken measures to implement CDD as outlined in the guidelines”, he stated.

MasterCard restructures

M

ASTERCARD has announced a new structure for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) business.

This followed moves spurred by continuous economic development, steady population growth, stable outlook and large pool of young consumers entering the workplace each year.

The firm said in a statement, that MEA business will comprise three divisions, Middle East and North Africa (MENA),

IMF unveils institute for capacity development

T

HE International Monetary Fund (IMF) , yesterday, launched the Institute for Capacity Development to spearhead its enhanced strategy for capacity-building services for its member countries.

These capacity-development efforts are aimed at helping member countries develop their skills’ base and build more robust economic and financial institutions.

The global financial firm, said the Institute, a new department incorporat-

ing the former IMF Institute and Office of Technical Assistance Management, will enable stronger synergies and better coordination between its technical assistance, training, and other elements of capacity development.

It would also assist to better adapt to member countries’ priorities and facilitate fund raising. “Technical assistance and training are a core mandate of the Fund, along with surveillance and lending,” IMF Managing Director, Christine

Lagarde, stated.

She expressed confidence that the new institute will take the lender’s activities in this area to a new level, making the best use of “our own resources and those contributed by our donor partners.”

The IMF announced its decision to launch the new department in January 2012, following the Executive Board’s discussion in November, 2011, of the report of the Task Force on the Fund’s Technical Assistance Strategy.

FGN BONDS Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year 5-Year

35m 35m 35m

11.039 12.23 13.19

19-05-2014 18-05-2016 19-05-2016

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM Amount Amount Offered ($) Demanded ($) 150m 150m 138m 138m

MANAGED FUNDS

NIDF NESF

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

7.9-10% 10-11%

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

Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2011 “ 14-04-2011

GAINERS AS AT 2-5-12 SYMBOL

GUARANTY CADBURY ZENITHBANK ACCESS FIRSTBANK RTBRISCOE UBN SKYEBANK UAC-PROP PAINTCOM

O/PRICE

16.02 15.12 14.16 5.87 9.98 1.44 3.95 3.96 10.71 0.88

C/PRICE

16.82 15.87 14.86 6.16 10.47 1.51 4.14 4.15 11.21 0.92

113m

NGN USD NGN GBP NGN EUR NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N) (S/N) Bureau de Change (S/N) Parallel Market

Current Before

O/PRICE 0.60 5.05 1.99 0.75 0.56 30.99 11.85 40.90 16.20 32.75

C/PRICE 0.57 4.81 1.90 0.72 0.54 30.00 11.50 39.80 16.12 32.59

CHANGE 0.03 0.24 0.09 0.03 0.02 0.99 0.35 1.10 0.08 0.16

29-2-12 27-2-12

113m

155.7

22-2-12

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

147.6000 239.4810 212.4997

149.7100 244.0123 207.9023

150.7100 245.6422 209.2910

-2.11 -2.57 -1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

153.0000

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

DISCOUNT WINDOW Feb. ’11

July ’11

Dec ’11

MPR

6.50%

6.50%

12%

Standing Lending Rate ,, Deposit Rate ,, Liquidity Ratio Cash Return Rate Inflation Rate

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00% 12.10%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00% 12.10%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00% 12.6%

NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

NSE CAP Index

27-10-11 N6.5236tr 20,607.37

Date

Rate (Previous) 4 Mar, 2012 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917 12.1250

Rate (Currency) 6, Mar, 2012 10.17% 11.46% 11.96% 12.54%

28-10-11 N6.617tr 20,903.16

% Change -1.44% -1.44%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

LOSERS AS AT 2-5-12

SYMBOL GOLDINSURE CCNN MAYBAKER CONTINSURE JAPAULOIL JBERGER PRESCO WAPCO OANDO UACN

Exchange Rate (N) 155.8 155.8

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Year Start Offer

CHANGE

0.80 0.75 0.70 0.29 0.49 0.07 0.19 0.19 0.50 0.04

113m

Amount Sold ($) 150m 138m

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 Currency

INTERBANK RATES OBB Rate Call Rate

Sub Sahara Africa and South Africa, clustering a total of 69 markets stretching from Afghanistan to South Africa and from Morocco to Pakistan.

This change, it hinted, would enable it to get closer to its customer banks, merchants and consumers in the region. Also, a new team has been established to support the MEA business.

The MEA team will be reporting to Michael Miebach, President, Middle East and Africa, MasterCard Worldwide.

DATA BANK

Tenor

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

•CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido

mand picks up, the growth of reserves may slow, which is negative for the naira. We think there is a risk that a pick-up in petroleum import demand may slow the build-up of reserves in the short term, but not reverse it,” it said.

“We think spending pressures, including the petrol subsidy, will undermine plans for fiscal contraction and slow domestic borrowing to N500 billion by 2014, from N745 billion in 2012

Offer Price

Bid Price

ARM AGGRESSIVE 9.17 KAKAWA GUARANTEED 1.00 STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE 122.59 AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND 102.03 THE LOTUS CAPITAL HALAL 0.74 BGL SAPPHIRE FUND 1.08 BGL NUBIAN FUND 0.89 NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL DEB. 1,701.51 PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND 8.13 CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST 1.39 CENTRE-POINT UNIT TRUST 1.87 STANBIC IBTC NIG EQUITY 7,259.48 THE DISCOVERY FUND 193.00 FIDELITY NIGFUND 1.67 • ARM AGGRESSIVE • KAKAWA GUARANTEED • STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE • AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND

9.08 1.00 122.48 101.48 0.72 1.08 0.88 1,695.51 7.74 1.33 1.80 7,071.36 191.08 1.62

Movement

OPEN BUY BACK Previous 04 July, 2011

Current 07, Aug, 2011

Bank

8.5000

8.5000

P/Court

8.0833

8.0833

Movement

52

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

53

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

54

NEWS Cross River shuts palace From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

T

HE palace of the monarch of Calabar South Local Government Area, Muri Munene Efiong Mbukpa, has been shut by the Cross River State Government, following its alleged invasion on April 25.

Some youths allegedly sponsored by another contestant to the throne attacked the monarch, removed his cap, cell phones, carted away documents and destroyed the royal stool.

It took the intervention of the State Security Adviser to the Governor, Rekpene Bassey, to arrest the situation.

Chairman of the Efut Combined Assembly Ndabo Obo Obo said instead of sealing off the palace, the government should have used the security drafted to the place to secure it.

NDDC partners women

M

ANAGING Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Christian Oboh has said the commission will partner with the Federal Government on the involvment of women in politics.

He spoke in Umuahia at a workshop entitled: “The Role of Women in the National Transformation Agen-

From Ugochukwu Eke, Umuahia

da”.

Oboh said: “Your role in nation building is indispensable. Therefore you need to rise up against evil and insist on due process and accountability wherever you find yourselves, as it is the only way we can move forward.”

Man ‘throws step-daughter into well’

T

HE police in Edo State are investigating why a man, identified as Monday, allegedly threw his step-daughter, Favour, into an underground storage tank.

The attempted murder was allegedly carried out in a forest at the Agricultural Development Programme grounds on the outskirts of Benin.

Favour, an eight-year-old pupil of Ukhegie Primary School, was in her uniform when she was rescued.

It was gathered that the suspect took his stepdaughter away under the pretence of going to buy her confectionaries before taking her to school.

But, Monday took the victim to the forest and allegedly threw her into the well.

A ‘Good Samaritan’, Festus Aimebinomo, said he

Two killed in Delta

O

VWIAN in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State has been deserted, following the killing of a man identified as Erite on Tuesday.

Several vehicles and houses were burnt.

It was learnt trouble started when some suspected cultists trailed the victim to Jubilee Road at about 7:30pm and hacked him to death.

A source said the attackers poured acid on Erite to ensure he was dead.

According to the source, the suspects later burnt the home of another man, identified as Biggy, at Owhase before escaping.

The community’s youths, angered by the incident, went on the rampage, burning several houses and cars.

Police spokesman Charles Muka confirmed From Osagie Otabor, Benin

was passing by when he heard a faint voice calling for help and was shocked to find someone struggling inside the well.

Dickson signs seven bills into law

From Polycarp Orosevwotu, Warri

the incident, saying five suspects have been arrested.

A cyclist was killed yesterday in an accident on the Bomadi/Gbaregolor Road, Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State.

An eyewitness said a car, marked XA 411 REL, coming from the opposite direction, lost control and ran into the cyclist, killing him instantly.

The source said the cyclist, popularly known as Akpalado, was in his early 50s.

The driver was handed over to the police.

A police source confirmed the incident.

He said the little girl was saying: ‘I dey die o.’ Aimebinomo said he jumped inside the well to rescue her.

Favour’s mother Christiana Monday said she was at a loss over the dastardly act.

Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development Mrs Inumidun Idehen said the suspect has been handed over to the police.

The victim has been taken to a hospital for treatment.

From Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa

B

AYELSA State Governor Seriake Dickson has warned cultists to renounce their membership or be prepared for prosecution.

Dickson gave the warning while assenting to seven bills presented to him by the House of Assembly.

The Governor, who noted that by the signing of the Secret Cults (Prohibition) Law 2012, all cult groups have been proscribed.

The other bills are the Administration of Small Estate (Payment of Exemption) Bill 2011; Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (Establishment) Bill 2012; Government and Local Government Compulsory Savings Bill 2012; the Thanksgiving Day Bill 2012, the Income and Expenditure Transparency Bill 2012"; the Fiscal Responsibility (Amendment) Bill 2012 and Local Government Amendment Law 2012 The governor explained the delay of salaries in the state.

He attributed the delay to the staff verification.

Dickson said a cartel of public officers in the Treasury Department have been identified as being behind a financial fraud in the state.

The governor spoke when he addressed workers at the May Day rally in Yenagoa, the state capital.

Anxiety over broken pipeline in Arepo

R

ESIDENTS of Journalists Estate (Phase II) Arepo, on Lagos Ibadan-Expressway, Ogun State, fled their homes Tuesday night following the leakage of Petroleum Product from the pipeline belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in the area.

The pipeline was allegedly vandalised at about 10pm by oil thieves.

An eye witness said the

spilled petrol which took over the area constitutes a threat to residents who fear it could lead to an outbreak of fire.

He said since the withdrawal of security agents from the Estate two years ago, residents have been living in fear.

Although, the broken pipeline was fixed by NNPC officials, many residents were yet to return to their homes.

Edo Speaker accuses PDP of ethnicity From Osagie Otabor, Benin

S

PEAKER of the Edo State House of Assembly Uyi Igbe has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of brewing politics of ethnicity and inciting a group of people against other groups.

Igbe said the PDP, in its desperation for power, is creating a gulf between ethnic groups in the state.

He said the people would not concede “this democracy to masters of falsehood” because it is clear to us all that the chains of mediocrity were broken in 2007, the dark days are behind us.”

The Speaker , who spoke at a briefing yesterday, said it was acceptable and often respectable to disagree on issues or ideas but to play the ethnic card was clearly an indication of the “drowning man syndrome.”

Igbe said the PDP stayed away from revolutionary politics of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to stick to politics of the past.

He said: “Rather than engage in tribal warfare and mudslinging, the PDP leadership should channel their energies towards a constructive debate based on issues that will benefit the populace.

“I make no apology, it is criminal and barbaric to engage in bigotry or incite a group of people against the other, and in the name of politics ….that is the PDP politics, the politics of the past”.

•Uduaghan greeting the monarch at his palace ...yesterday

Olu of Warri challenges Itsekiri on development

T

HE Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse, yesterday urged the Itsekiri to remain undaunted.

The monarch spoke at Ode-Itsekiri, Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, as part of activities marking his 25th coronation anniversary.

He said: “In spite of the fierce winds of opposition which we did not initiate, God has preserved us and kept us going.

“Although we had a lot of wicked acts of aggression and oppression directed against us, we are standing,

•Celebrates 25th anniversary Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

not with our heads bowed in shame and defeat; loss of hope and credibility, but with confidence that God is with us.

“There is also the need to preserve our land for the benefit of our people. By the grace of God, no part of our land shall be ceded to other people, no matter how we may be attacked.”

The Olu said the government released N200 million six years ago to rehabilitate

those displaced during the fratricidal wars of 1999.

According to him, the committee he set up has completed houses for 40 communities.

He lamented that natural resources exploited from his domain have not benefitted the people.

The monarch said the Itsekiri will do their utmost to share in the benefits accruing from the exploitation of the resources in Warri Kingdom.

He commended the people for heeding the call to con-

tribute to their development.

The monarch said he had strengthened the Warri Council of Chiefs by the recent conferment of titles on some individuals.

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan said the occasion was nostalgic His words:” Coming back here today for this ceremony is full of nostalgia for many of us .Those who were here 25 years ago will understand what I am saying.

“But in all this, we thank God that you directed that the 25th anniversary should be held on these grounds.”

Edo gives N25m to reporter’s widow

T

HE Edo State Government has approved N25 million for the widow and children of the late African Independent Television (AIT) reporter, Fidelis Okhani, who died in an accident involving the convoy of Governor Adams Oshiomhole, last weekend.

Oshiomhole said the late Okhani has worked with him since 2006.

He said: “This death will not break our fighting spir-

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

it. The best tribute we can give them is to use public resources to address the challenges of the people.

“The government has an obligation to support those who need help.

“We have done it for those we don’t even know, because that is the purpose of governance.”

The governor said the government will deposit N5 mil-

lion in the name of each of the deceased’s four children for their education.

N5 million will be given to the widow.

Bishop of the Auchi Catholic Diocese Rev. Gabriel Dunia condemned the recklessness of drivers of heavy duty vehicles on the highway.

He spoke at the funeral for the late Okhani, 41, at the St. Mary’s Parish, Iviukwe, Etsako East Local Governement Area.

•Oshiomhole

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

55

56

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

57

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

58

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

59

NEWS EKSU gets two deputy VCs

P

ROFESSOR James Olugenga Aribisala and Professor Esther Yetunde Aderibigbe have been appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellors of the Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti.

Aribisala is Deputy ViceChancellor (Academic) while Mrs. Aderibigbe is Deputy ViceChancellor (Development).

Aribisala, a Professor of Civil Engineering, has held various positions in the university.

He was a Head of Department, Sub Dean and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering; Dean of the School of Post Graduate Studies; and Chairman of the Committee of Deans before his appointment.

Born on May 29, 1963, in Ikole-Ekiti, Aribisala has received numerous awards and is a member of several professional bodies, including the Nigerian Society of Engineers and COREN. Aribisala has over forty five well publications in local and International Journals.

Mrs. Aderibigbe was born

in Zaria, Kaduna State, into the family of the late Justice Emmanuel Adewuyi on March 2, 1960.

In June 1980, she graduated from theObafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, with a Second Class (Upper Division) degree in Microbiology.

Mrs. Aderibigbe got her M.SC. degree from the University of Ibadan (UI) in 1983 and her Doctorate degree in Microbiology from the same university in 1988.

She assumed duty as an Assistant Lecturer in the Faculty of Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University (now EKSU), on March 1, 1985 and has remained an academic staff in the Department of Microbiology.

She is a member of several professional bodies including the Nigerian Society of Microbiologists and the American Society for Microbiology.

Mrs. Aderibigbe has won many academic laurels and has published many articles in local and international journals.

Court sacks Obasanjo’s man Mustapha as PDP National Auditor

A Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos, has nullified the appointment of the candidate of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr. Bode Mustapha, as the National Auditor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mustapha was appointed into the office on March 24, this year, at the last National Congress of the party held in Abuja.

In his judgment, Justice Charles Achibong said: “ Mustapha is not a valid nominee and could not have been validly elected for the Office of the National Auditor of the PDP zoned to Ogun State , because he is not qualified as an accountant and was not nominated at the party’s state congress conducted by the Dayo Soremi-led Harmonised Executive Committee.”

In his place, the court ordered the PDP; its National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur; and National Secretary Olagunsoye Oyinlola to appoint Alhaji Fatai Adewole Adeyanju, a chartered accountant, who was nominated for the office at the state congress.

The court said based on its

•15 ousted zonal officers seek to be joined in suit

By Eric Ikhilae

judgment of January 27 declaring the Soremi-led Executive as the authentic leadership of the PDP in Ogun State, the party officials that emerged form the congresses conducted by the Soremi-led Executive were validly elected.

The court’s judgment was on a suit filed by Chief Adebayo Dayo and Alhaji Semiu Sodipo for themselves and on behalf of the Ogun State Executive Committee of the PDP. The PDP, Tukur, Oyinlola and Mustapha are the defendants.

Justice Achibong, who granted all the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs, ordered the party to accord the necessary recognition stipulated by the PDP’s Constitution to the officers, whose names were submitted by the Soremi-led Executive.

The court ordered the party,

Tukur and Oyinlola not to deal with the party in Ogun State except through the Executive Committee led by the first plaintiff, Chief Dayo.

It restrained the defendants from taking any step to prevent the officers that emerged from the state congresses from concluding their four-year term.

Justice Achibong ordered the nullification of the last Southwest zonal congress of the party.

He ordered the party, Tukur and Oyinlola to give access and right of participation at a fresh congress to the delegates elected by the Soremi-led executive and to accept only the nominees of the Soremi-led Executive for offices zoned to the Southwest.

Another Judge of the Federal High Court, Lagos, Justice Okon Abang, has elected to entertain an application filed by 15 zonal officers of the PDP in the Southwest, who are seeking to

be joined as defendants in committal proceedings pending against some national leaders of the party.

The 15, led by ousted Ekiti State Governor Segun Oni, are those whose emergence the court voided last week by nullifying the Southwest congress of the PDP. Named as defendants in the committal proceedings are the PDP, former PDP Acting National Chairman Abubakar Kawu Baraje, former Southwest Zonal Chairman Tajudeen Oladipo, former Organising Secretary Uche Secondus, Former National Adviser Olusola Oke and former Publicity Secretary Prof. Rufia Alkali.

Justice Abang fixed May 15 for hearing of the application for joinder, following which he will hear the defendants’ preliminary objection and the substantive case.

Saka Lawal joins Ondo governorship race

F

ORMER Special Adviser to the Ondo State Governor on Planning and Strategy Mr. Saka Lawal yesterday declared his intention to unseat Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

Lawal, who dumped the Labour Party (LP) late last year, was the Coordinator of Mimiko’s Media and Strategic Group when the governor was pursuing his case at the Election Tribunal and Appeal Court in Benin.

Addressing his supporters at BTO Hall in Akure, the state capital, Lawal said public office holders should conduct themselves as servants of the people, not their lords, masters or bosses.

If its candidate is elected, he said the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) will enthrone a code of ethics for all public office holders, which will boost the public’s

T

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

confidence in government.

Lawal said he would reduce the cost of governance if elected.

He said: “All our political officeholders shall be encouraged to share in the benefits as well as in the consequences of public policies and programmes formulated and implemented by them.

“The civil service will undergo orientation and we shall provide policy direction, quality leadership, necessary tools and the motivation that would enable civil servants perform their duties to the best of their abilities.”

On government revenue and expenditure, Lawal said: “We will remove secrecy from the decision-making systems and openly declare major projects in order to determine their cost-benefit and implication on the

Osun disburses N60m to FADAMA community

HE Osun State government has million loan disbursed to the a N60 FADAMA Community Association.

Disbursing the loans to the beneficiaries yesterday at the State FADAMA Coordinating Office in Iwo, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security Wale Adedoyin said the Rauf Aregbesola administration has paid the state’s counterpart fund.

Adedoyin said: “The payment of the counterpart fund is the key that opens the door for accessing the World Bank’s fund.

“I hail the governor and the 20 local government councils that are participating in the FADAMA III project for the timely payment of theN2 million yearly counterpart fund.”

Adedoyin praised members of the project implementation unit, the FADAMA Technical committee and the local

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

government desk officers for the success of the project.

He urged the beneficiaries to use the money for the intended purpose.

The National Project Coordinator, Mr. Tayo Adewumi, praised Aregbesola for taking the project seriously.

T

•Lawal...yesterday.

public.”

The aspirant said his government would not concentrate power in sole authorities, but would share it across the levels of authority”.

He said: “We shall administer the state as a team, with the honour of sportsmen, and make our local government councils

The event was attended

by ACN governorship aspirants, including Chief Tayo Alasoadura; representatives of Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN); Mr..

Olayato Aribo; AwodeyiA k i n f e h i n w a Apata,represnted by Mr. Gbenga Omole; Chief Segun Ojo; Mr. Ifedayo Abegunde; Mr. Wale Akinterinwa; the

representative of Dr. Segun Abraham, Abass Aidi; and Saka Lawal’s wife,Deaconess Oluranti.

Members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) ; the Motorcycle Riders Association and the Progressive Farmers Association were also at the event.

Youths protest arrest over rapport with ACN

O

VER 1000 youths in Oba-Ile, Akure North Local Government Area Of Ondo State, yesterday marched to the Palace of the Oloba of Oba-Ile, Oba Joseph Agunbiade, to protest the arrest and detention of some youths.

They said the youths were arrested for associating with the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and alleged that their detention was sponsored by

Church holds synod

HE Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Ijebu Southwest Diocese, will hold its 2012 Synod tomorrow at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Omu-Ijebu.

It is the first time the Synod will hold outside the diocesan headquarters at Odogbolu, since the inauguration of the diocese in 2010.

According to a statement by the Bishop, Rev. Babatunde Ogunbanwo, the theme of the

•Lawal’s supporters at the rally...yesterday.

autonomous to ensure effectiveness, women empowerment, renewed overhauling of the State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), social development and welfare programmes.”

He urged the people to give him their mandate, adding that he would not dissapoint them.

meeting, “Until Christ be formed in you”, is drawn from Galatians 4: 19.

The bishop’s address will be preceded by the Synod Lecture, which would be delivered by the treasurer of the Anglican Diocese of Lagos West, Toyin Okeowo.

Two other bishops, Rev. Emmanuel Adekunle and Rev. Akin Odejide, will preach during the Synod thanksgiving Holy Communion service on Sunday.

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

Labour Party (LP) chieftains.

In a letter to the monarch, the Oba-Ile Youth Platform (OYB), said: “Oba-Ile is known to be a peaceful community.

The politics of enmity is never the practice of people in this ancient town, as both indigenes and non-indigenes live together in peace.

“However, political thugs, led by a chieftain of the LP, have

been beating up youths, who dumped LP for ACN. The group alleged that despite these attacks, the said LP member has orchestrated the continuous arrest and detention of many youths identified with ACN in Oba-Ile. They alleged that efforts to secure the bail of those arrested were thwarted, as the “cabals in the government” have vowed not to make their release possible unless they return to

the ruling party.

OYB urged Oba Agunbiade to call the LP chieftain to order and assist in securing the unconditional release of its members.

It said individuals have the right to belong to any political party of their choice.

The youths urged Governor Olusegun Mimiko to call his party members to order and ensure the release those detained.

Hoodlums destroy community property

T

HE only source of water supply has been destroyed by hoodlums in Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State.

It was gathered that about 20 hoodlums stormed the community about 3am on Sunday night with guns and cutlasses and destroyed the community’s borehole and water tanks situated at the council’s secretariat and other property.

From: Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

This is coming on the heels of an alleged threat to the life of the council’s Chairman, Professor Joseph Olowofela shortly after the attack on the community bore-hole on Sunday night .

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) council Chairman, Professor Olowofela had earlier made a report accusing one Mr. Adigun Adesina of sponsoring propaganda in

the media against his person.

But, Adesina denied the allegation.

He asked Olowofela to prove his allegation beyond reasonable doubt, if he was sure of his case.

When this reporter visited the scene of the incident , all the five pumps of the borehole were destroyed and the water tank was broken into pieces .

The council toilets were also vandalised by the hoodlums.

A woman who identified herself as Iya

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

60

NEWS

Fulani herdsmen invade Plateau village •Lawmaker, reporters escape death From Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos.

•One of the villagers crying at the scene of the attack

A

LAWMAKER representing Riyom Constituency in the Plateau State House of Assembly, Daniel Dem and a team of reporters yesterday narrowly escaped death at Kak village when armed Fulani

herdsmen invaded the community.

Kak is in Riyom Local Government. The council has been under Fulani attack in the last three weeks and the lawmaker from the area led a team of journalists from Jos for an on-the-spot assessment of the crisis.

The Fulani men struck again at about 10:30am when the reporters were interviewing the victims and cross-checking facts with the Nigeria Red Cross personnel. They hid behind rocks from where they shot sporadically.

The reporters included Yusufu Aminu Idegu of The Nation, Yemi Kosoko of the Channels Television, Hilary Kasmir of Nigeria Standard,

Samson Omale of Silverbird Television and a reporter and cameraman with the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) and Plateau State Radio and Television Corporation (PRTVC).

The lawmaker and the reporters abandoned their vehicles and ran.

He later said: “I have witnessed the crisis live. I thought it was a joke, I never knew this is what my people have been passing through. I had a close shave with death. You reporters have seen it yourselves that my people are not telling lies.

“I’m happy no journalist was injured, but my people are living in danger. There is no security. The Federal Government should provide security in this local government and restore peace.”

•Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) pastor’s residence at Bangai, Riyom Local Government of Plateau State after it was torched

Air Force aircraft crashes in Kaduna

N

IGERIAN Air Force F7-Ni single seat fighter jet yesterday crashed in Kaduna. The jet, which was on a routine training flight, crashed at a spot close to the Kaduna International Airport.

A statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Y. Anas, said the pilot of the jet ‘ejected’ successfully.

From Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja

Anas added that a search and rescue team from the Nigerian Air Force 301 Flying Training School, Kaduna was on hand to rescue the pilot.

“The pilot, who is in a stable condition, is currently receiving treatment at the Nigerian Air Force Aero Medical Hospital, Kaduna.

No fatality on the ground

was reported,” Anas said.

The statement added the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal M.D. Umar, had ordered a preliminary investigation to ascertain the cause of the accident.

In a related development, the Air Force has announced the death of Air-Vice Marshal John Yisa-Doko (rtd), a Chief of Air Staff from 19751980. He was said to have died yesterday after a brief illness.

•Fleeing Kak villagers...yesterday

A

PHOTOS: YUSUFU AMINU-IDEGU

Kwara varsity shut indefinitely over UTHORITIES of the students’ protest done anywhere in the world.

Kwara State Univer“I guess they want to force

sity (KWASU), Malete, in Moro Local Government of the state yesterday shut the institution indefinitely over students’ protest.

The students protested that their tuition fees be reviewed downward and their registration reopened even when the semester examination is expected to begin on May 5.

Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed in the wake of the fuel subsidy crisis slashed the fees payable by students from Kwara State by over 30 per cent (from N150,000 to N90,000).

Giving reasons for the closure of the institution, the ViceChancellor, Professor AbdulRasheed Na’Allah, said: “We have to do that because we want to make sure that there is peace on the campus.

“There are some students

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

who did not register for this academic session. As you know, in any university, when you come in, the first two weeks or so are for registration. And if you register then, you take courses.

“We have students who have not registered. We, however, continued to reopen registration many times. I also opened communication with them and encouraged them to register. We started on Janaury 9,

by March after we reopened registration, many times, we had to end it.

“Unfortunately, those who have not registered, now that the examinations are around the corner, they want the university to allow them write the examinations which is not

their ways. Initially, they protested peacefully, which was okay because we feel students must be active.

“We should know what they think. But this morning, some of them made bonfires at the nearby bypass and later entered the campus and went to the hostels, trying to force their colleagues to join them.

“So we realised that the best thing to do is to let them go home so that there will be peace.

“We have always been in dialogue with them. It is not the entire students. It is just those who have not registered and all they wanted was for us to reopen portal. We are a university that is breeding new set of Nigerians that understand laws and regulations and want the country to grow.”

Suswam’s alleged certificate forgery: Case adjourned till tomorrow

T

HE man who alleged that Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam forged his West African Examinations Council(WAEC) result, Terver Kakih, yesterday told a Federal High Court in Makurdi he learnt about the alleged certificate forgery through series of court cases.

Kakih was cross-examined yesterday by counsel to Suswam, Jubrin Okutepa (SAN), at the resumed hearing of the alleged certificate forgery case.

He contested the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primaries against the incumbent governor but

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

lost.

Kakih later brought the governor before the court in Makurdi over alleged certificate forgery.

During cross-examination, Kakih said that though he was not there when Suswam allegedly forged his certificate, he got to know of it through series of court cases instituted against the governor.

On why he did not attach his certificates to his PDP nomination form, the governorship aspirant told the court that they were detached and given back to him

to present to the screening committee.

Also under cross-examination by the WAEC counsel, Kakih admitted that he did not report Suswam to the police over the alleged forged certificate because there was no need, just as he agreed that WAEC did not keep forged results.

He said he went to the WAEC national office in Abuja and met a man who claimed to be the WAEC Result Certificate Officer (RCO) to inquire more about the alleged forgery.

Justice Marcel Awokulehin adjourned the matter till tomorrow for continuation of hearing.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

61

FOREIGN NEWS ACN petitions CJN, Jega over Adamawa governorship litigation

A

LAWYER, Charles Edosomwan (SAN), who is counsel to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate in Adamawa State, Markus Gundiri, has petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, over what he called “deliberate frustration of the electoral

CHANGE OF NAME ALAGBA I formerly known and addressed as ALAGBA OKECHUKWU EMMANUEL , now wish to be as RAPHEAL OKECHUKWU EMMANUEL . All

known

former documents remain valid. The general public please take note

CHANGE OF NAME ODUNLAMI I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Elizabeth Fadekemi Odunlami, now Mrs. Elizabeth Fadekemi Adeyemo. All former documents remain valid.

TASUED, Ijagun, NYSC and general public should take note.

OSIDEKO I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Osideko Deborah Olufunke, now Mrs. Osisanya Deborah Olufunke. All former documents remain valid.

TASUED, Ijagun, NYSC and general public should take note.

ABODUNRIN I, formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Abodunrin, Oluwakemi Opeyemi, now Oluwakemi Opeyemi Idowu. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

documents by INEC officers” in the state.

He alleged INEC officers had colluded with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to truncate the inspection of the core electoral materials ordered by the tribunal.

Edosomwan urged the CJN to intervene to preserve the sanctity of the due process and rule of law, noting that there is no other civilised way of ventilating electoral grievances than through court litigation.

The counsel also enjoined the electoral umpire to shun partisanship by discharging its duty without bias, fear or

favour.

Edosomwan’s letter to the CJN reads: “We are counsel to the petitioners in the governorship election Petition No. EPT/ADS/GOV/1/2012 between Markus Natina Gundiri & 2 Ors. v. Rear Admiral Murtala Nyako & 5 Ors pending before the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Yola, Adamawa State.

“This is to petition your lordship’s exalted offices about the conspiratorial activities of the officers of INEC in Adamawa to deliberately frustrate the inspection exercise ordered at the instance of the petitioners by the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Yola, Adamawa State”.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

By Emmanuel Oladesu, Deputy Political Editor

OWOLABI

OKEKE

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Owolabi Temitope Mojirola now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Nlemchukwu Temitope Mojirola. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Chinagorom Sylvia Okeke, now wish to be known as Mrs Chinagorom Sylvia Ogwudile. All former documents remain valid. The general public please take note.

MISSING DEED OF ASSIGNMENT The general public is hereby informed that a deed of assignment dated the 26th day of June 2007 and registered as 91/91/2177 of the register of deed, Land Registry, Alausa, Ikeja in respect of property belonging to Mr. Kehinde Adebanjo and Mrs. Dorothy Adebanjo at Ojomu Chieftaincy Family Layout Ajiran, Eti-Osa LGA, Lagos State is missing. All efforts to locate the deed of assignment have been unsuccessful.

The general public is hereby warned not to deal with any person in respect of the said property except the undersigned:PETER OYADONGHA ESQ OBAFUNKE AKINKUGBE & CO 110 BAMGBOSE STREET (1ST FLOOR), LAGOS

OYO STATE GOVERNMENT MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

2012/2013 SCREENING/PLACEMENT EXERCISE INTO JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL ONE (JSS1) This is to inform the general public especially the parents, guardians, primary six pupils, headteachers and all stakeholders that the screening/placement forms into Junior Secondary School One (JSS1) of Oyo State Public Secondary Schools is available in the offices of the Local Inspectors of Education in all the 33 Local Government Areas at the sum of Four Hundred and fifty (N450:00) Naira only.

2. On no account should any head teacher collect more than the stipulated amount of Four hundred and fifty (N450:00) Naira as any erring headteacher will be severely dealt with.

3. The Screening Exercise is mandatory for all the eligible pupils seeking admission into Public Secondary Schools in the State.

4. All headteachers and teachers of Public and Private Primary Schools are therefore, enjoined to allow pupils to take their forms home so that parents and guardians will choose schools nearest to their residence.

Signed MRS. ADETOKUNBO FAYOKUN HON. COMMISSIONER, EDUCATION

62

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

63

TOMORROW IN THE NATION

www.thenationonlineng.net

THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL. 7, NO. 2114

‘Did anyone ever hear our President talk tough not to talk of acting tough since 2009 that this scourge came upon us? Even as these miscreants and their sponsors are about taking control of the country from him yet he can’t as much as raise his voice.

How can he deign to do anything with a security adviser like Owoye Azazi?’

STEVE OSUJI

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

T

HE script sounds familiar. A big man conceives an idea, which he thinks could be reprehensible. Then, he sends a key official to leak it for the inner caucus to guage the public’s reaction. The haughty official mounts the podium at a well attended public event, brings out a piece of paper from his Oxford Street suit pocket, adjusts his goldrimmed glasses and delivers the message.

And so it was the other day when Andrew Owoye Azazi , a general and the President’s National Security Adviser (NSA), opened his mouth – some said too wide – at the Southsouth Economic Summit in Asaba to lay the blame of the Boko Haram insurgency at the door step of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). I knew he had stirred the hornet’s nest.

Now, the summit is not remembered for its recommendations on how to turn the Southsouth into an economic giant; nobody is talking about its huge potential in agriculture. But the world remembers that Gen. Azazi dropped a bombshell. (?) He said the ruling party “got it wrong from the beginning by saying Mr A can rule, Mr A cannot rule…according to PDP’s convention, and regulations and not according to the Constitution … .”

It was a brief speech, which has remained stuck in the memory of many, not because it was colourful, either in its form or content, or moving in its eloquent delivery, but it remains indelible for its pungency. The reactions came swiftly and in torrents. The President, in a tongue-in-cheek comment – so many believe –told the public to ask Azazi what he meant. “I don’t believe that it is undemocratic practices in the PDP that gave rise to Boko Haram or any other group,” Dr Goodluck Jonathan said, adding: “People need to ask the NSA to explain what he really meant.”

The PDP came down hard on the NSA, describing his views as a “comment in grave error, a fatal diagnosis of facts”.

But, wait a minute, is Azazi really wrong?

How altruistic is this cantankerous speech?

Was he a mere messenger doing the bidding of a wily principal who would not want his hand seen in any contentious venture? Was the NSA flying a kite ahead of the 2015 elections? Could he have made such a weighty allegation against “the biggest party in Africa” without the consent of his boss and still sit comfortably at his desk? Why is this coming just one week after the withdrawal of the court case about Dr Jonathan’s eligibility for the 2015 election, a case that began with a bang and ended with a whimper?

Let us agree that Gen Azazi spoke from the bottom of his heart. Is PDP, which has been in the saddle for 13 years, not culpable for some of the violence in the land? Consider the Boko Haram madness. The sect is angry that its leader, Mohammed Yusuf, was killed in police custody. It vowed to attack people in uniform. It has since expanded its fiendish operations to include churches and public places, harvesting deaths and pains on its way. What this points to is the fact that the police, under

GBENGA OMOTOSO

EDITORIAL NOTEBOOK

gbenga.omotoso@thenationonlineng.net

Azazi’s prognosis

•Gen Azazi

the PDP, have been lawless. If they had taken Yusuf to court, perhaps, the sect would not have felt driven to the wall.

The party has been accused of imposing candidates – it is not the only party guilty of this undemocratic conduct – and, thereby, causing disaffection. But, it is not only through its internal politics that the PDP has sparked and fuelled tension in the land; it has mastered the evil act of rigging elections, arm-twisting and influencing the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), particularly under Maurice ‘wuruwuru’ Iwu, to give the prize to losers, turning them into winners.

When people are not allowed to choose their leaders, there is bound to be discontent with the system. Mix this with extrajudicial killings and spice it up with corruption and its offspring – poverty, hunger and disease – then you have a huge cauldron. As we now have.

Despite the seeming helplessness of the Nigerian situation, the PDP keeps threatening to rule for 60 years, in the first instance. To achieve this scary end, it has attempted to muzzle the Judiciary and disgrace some of its leading lights, such as Appeal Court President Justice Isa Ayo Salami, whose suspension under controversial circumstances has become an albatross for the administration.

Considering the rancour and bitterness that

RIPPLES OBASANJO CANNOT DENY THIRD TERM –ACN chieftain

Is he denying?...500million Nigerians are witnesses

heralded the Jonathan presidency, one would have expected it to make hay while the sun shines. But the President prepared the ground for the nauseating seven-year single term debate, almost immediately after he took the oath of office for a four-year term. Any need for that?

There is nothing wrong for a party to aspire to rule ad infinitum, but the problem is that the PDP and its lead actors see power as an end in itself and not as a means to an end, which is the goodness of all. To them, elections are no mere tests of popularity and democratic undertaking; they are wars that must be approached in a do-or-die manner.

To many, the PDP is the predatory mother hen that kills her chicks, rather than jealously guarding them under her wide wings.

Aminasori Dokubo. Ayo Daramola. Funsho Williams. Andrew Agom. Kehinde Fasubaa.

These were some of its best, mowed down by yet unknown killers.

Nowadays, the PDP sees treason and tension everywhere, in a doomed attempt to forge a state of emergency that will paralyse a legitimate government and pave the way for – as it is the case in the State of Osun - its return to power. But dreams are dreams; dreamers are free to dream. In a show of infantile desperation, the opposition concocted a puerile security report in which the Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, is accused of planning secession and Islamisation of the state, among other laughable allegations. To residents of Osun, the matter, thankfully, never went beyond being subject of beer parlour jokes and market gossip. Peace reigns.

But Senator Iyiola Omisore, a PDP chieftain, is threatening to ”stop”, “search” and “disarm” Aregbesola’s convoy. Security agents are, perhaps, waiting for the horse to escape before shutting the stable. They are yet to question the Senator.

The popular thinking is that the PDP is behind attempts to rock the boat in the Southwest. Strikes, security challenges, jobs crisis, infrastructural decay and disenchantment. Yet the party seeks to return.

In Edo State, the PDP has been threatening to retake the Government House, which it lost after eight years of ineptitude. So repul-

HARDBALL

I

N its latest video posted on the Internet, the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, again tried to justify the bombing of This Day newspaper office in Abuja and Kaduna, without any remorse for the collateral damage to other newspaper offices in Kaduna. The sect dredged out old animus and opened old wounds in its hostility against the target newspaper. Then it draped the whole affair with an unpersuasive theological explanation that denies man that unsullied and incomparable ability to forgive and forget, arguing that only God had that quality and had never delegated it. But the real substance of the video was the threat to media establishments, with instant punishment to deter what the sect described as their professional waywardness.

It in fact went ahead to list a number of media establishments which it believed had run afoul of professional and religious ethics, but more so the latter. The sect distributed them into three groups and indicated that it had claimed the legitimate right to avenge God upon them. Said Boko Haram: “The first group is the likes of This Day whose

Boko Haram and the media offences are big. The second group we will also attack soon are Punch, Daily Sun, Vanguard, Guardian, Nation, Tribune and National Accord, which are all newspaper houses.

There is also VOA Hausa radio. All these media houses we will attack them, including their staff and offices, by God’s grace…The next group on the verge of joining this list who, if they are not careful we will attack very soon, include, Leadership, Daily Trust, Peoples Daily and RFI(Radio France international).”

Even before this latest extraordinary justification of its anger against the media, newspapers on their own had begun to be wary of reporting the Jihadist group. They had stopped attributing all terrorist attacks in the North to Boko Haram – notwithstanding the fact that nearly all attacks bore the same signature – preferring to wait until the group

sive was the Lucky Igbinedion era that his father, the Esama of Benin’s campaign speech became the subject of jokes at pepper soup joints and obito parties. The big chief was said to have told a second term campaign rally: “Una say Lucky fail, Lucky fail. If your pikin fail for school, e no go repeat the term?”

Many were wondering how the party would achieve the seemingly impossible feat. A damn good candidate who will beat incumbent Comrade Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who has been widely hailed as a performer? Hauling out mountains and mountains of cash for distribution, in Robin Hood manner, to the electorate? Sending in troops and the police to keep vigil as thugs shoot into the air before snatching ballot boxes? Or simply writing the results? Puzzles.

Nobody ever thought that the “final solution” would be the weapon, but Oshimhole has claimed that the accident he had the other day was an assassination attempt. The police are investigating the crash in which three journalists – Olatunji Jacob, George Okosun and Fidelis Okhani – and a driver, Samson, died.

The PDP denied having a hand in the tragedy, lashing Oshiomhole for not waiting for the police investigation before accusing the party of organising the crash. Edo State PDP Chairman Dan Orbih , in a puerile reaction, told reporters: “ The police should find out whether or not Oshiomhole has a valid driver’s licence and whether he was not under the influence of alcohol while driving.”

So long as the PDP continues to cause tension in the land by its ravenous appetite for power just to grab the treasury and hurt our common humanity, Boko and all the other harams will continue to thrive. So long as our leaders do not know the difference between governance and politics, the vast canvass of blood and bullets will keep hunting our sight.

So long as good men are persecuted, there will be no harmony. No. But, will they listen?

What do you read?

FRIEND has asked me the books I have been reading recently. I haven’t been reading as much as I would have loved to because of my deadline-driven job, I told him. “How about you?” I asked him. He reeled off a list of what he called “bestseller books just released”: • “How to live in peace”, by Boko Haram • “The value of family planning”, by Tuface • “Tips for long lasting marriage”, by Kim Kardarshian • “Winning soccer trophies”, by Arsene Wenger • “ABC of free, fair election”, by Maurice Iwu • “Humility pays”, by D’Banj • “My love for America”, by Osama bin Laden •”How to enjoy constant electricity”, by PHCN

A

•For comments, send SMS to 08057634061

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above claimed responsibility. They are likely to be even warier as the threats against them grow in severity. This was what Boko Haram wanted – to indirectly censor the press in such effective and dramatic ways that the government could only have dreamt of.

The Boko Haram threats probably constitute the lowest point in the proud history of the Nigerian press. Even then it is suspected that after this initial shock of encountering an unorthodox group that has become both jury and judge at the same time, the media will recover their wits and begin rediscovering the courage, passion, brilliance and ingeniousness that have stood them well through colonialism, military dictatorships, and civilian subterfuges. They know too well that whatever violence is offered them today can only be temporary. Like the country that gave birth to them and weaned them, the media, in ways not too dissimilar to the resilience of the country, has also proved to be the enduring symbol of our civilization, conscience and hope for a greater and brighter future. The country survived its pestilential overlords; the media will also outlast its enemies.

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