The Nation May 13, 2014

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CHIBOK GIRLS’ ABDUCTION

•A screengrab taken yesterday from a video of Boko Haram obtained by AFP shows girls, wearing the full-length hijab and praying in an MORE PHOTOGRAPHS AND STORIES ON PAGES 2-6 undisclosed rural location. Right: Shekau in the video

Boko Haram chief: we’ll attack Abuja, refineries

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WHERE ARE THE CHIBOK GIRLS KIDNAPPED ON APRIL 15?

Govt rejects deal to swap prisoners for abducted girls

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By Our Reporters

OKO Haram leader Imam Abubakar Shekau has made another video appearance, daring the United States and others.

He said none of the world powers could locate his whereabouts, no matter how Continued on page 4

It is unfortunate that Boko Haram is giving conditions ...No government will yield to this.

No matter the pressure, no government will bow to this —Minister

These girls would be taken not just as hostages, but as their human shield. It means you can’t fight the group without you getting these girls out —Shehu Sani

Apart from the president’s rhetorical stumbles, we have also witnessed some of the president’s lieutenants who have weighed in but not with logic —Editorial Page 15

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THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

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NEWS CHIBOK GIRLS’ ABDUCTION

Borno set t

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•Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam (left), National Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande and APC's National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu at a meeting in Lagos.

• From left: Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Dr Godknows Igali, Chief Executive Officer, Standard Bank Group, Mr. Sim Tshabalala; Chairman, Stanbic IBTC, Mr. Atedo Peterside and Mission Director, USAID Nigeria, Mr. Michael Harvey during the Power Forum Breakfast at the World Economic Forum in Abuja.

•From left: Chairman, Board of Directors, Chams Plc, VRevd Ayo Richards, former Central Bank Governor Chief Joesph Sanusi, Chairman, Honeywell Group, Dr. Oba Otudeko and Group Managing Director, Chams Plc, Sir Demola Aladekomo at the post-AGM stakeholder and investors engagement forum organised by Chams PLC in Lagos.

• From left: Finance and Control Director, Nestle Plc, Mr Martin Kruegei, Managing Director, Mr Dharnesh Gordhon,Chairman of the company, Mr. David Ifezulike and Company Secretary MrBode Ayeku at the 45th Annual General Meeting of Nestle Nigeria Plc held in Lagos... yesterday.

ARELY few hours after the release of video clip of abducted 276 girls by Boko Haram, the Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, yesterday ordered mass production of the visual for the parents to assess.

The governor also directed the Chairman of Chibok Local Government Area to show the video clip to distraught parents to ascertain whether the girls were actually the ones.

These disclosures were made in a statement by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media/ Communication, Alhaji Isa Gusau.

The statement said: “The Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima has watched with very keen interest a video clip shown on the BBC world service, said to have been released by members of the Boko Haram sect.

“Governor Shettima has directed transfer of the video into mobile storage devices under the care of some officials, including the Chairman of Chibok local government area, who have been given an immediate task of showing the videos to parents, some of the freed students who know their abducted colleagues, teachers and management staff of Government Secondary School, Chibok, so that the girls in the video can be identified to ascertain if they are part of the abducted students or otherwise.

“He is, however, optimistic about the video. Already, some concerned individuals in Maiduguri and Abuja are on the request of the governor, making efforts to contact parents and relations of some of the abducted girls, who might be within reach to get feedback regarding the video.

“Governor Shettima views the development as encouraging especially given the fact that some of the girls said they were not harmed. The governor hopes that the girls did not speak under duress.

The governor, however, tasked Borno indigenes not to desist from praying for the release of the girls.

The statement added: “While awaiting the confirmation, Governor Shettima calls on citizens of Borno State, most of whom commenced another round of fasting today, to seek divine help, in response to appeal by the Governor, to intensify prayers for the safe release of the schoolgirls who are very precious not only to Borno but to the entire world.

“Shettima expresses appreciation to President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan for their concerns and concerted efforts towards the release of the schoolgirls.

The Governor also expresses appreciation to other Nigerians, world leaders and citizens around the world, whose pressures have been of tremendous help so far.

“The governor particularly thanks all security agencies and volunteers engaged in search and rescue efforts with an appeal that the efforts are intensified till all the girls safely return home.

The Governor once again commiserates with families of the abducted girls and assures that the Federal and Borno State Governments with the support of the international community are collaborating towards the freedom of the girls who are also his daughters.

“Shettima also extends appreciation to media establishments and journalists, local and international for their efforts so far.

“He enjoins citizens with relevant information to forward such directly to security agencies using phone lines that have long been public or should send the information through community leaders in respective local

From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

‘

Already, some concerned individuals in Maiduguri and Abuja are on the request of the governor, making efforts to contact parents and relations of some of the abducted girls, who might be within reach to get feedback regarding the video

‘

government areas or to send to him directly through his phone numbers that are of public knowledge in Borno State.”

THE NATION TEUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

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CHIBOK GIRLS’ ABDUCTION

et to identify girls in video

•A screengrab taken yesterday from a video of Boko Haram obtained by AFP shows girls, wearing the full-length hijab and praying in an undisclosed rural location.

•A screengrab taken yesterday from a video of Boko Haram obtained by AFP shows girls, wearing the full-length hijab in an undisclosed rural location. At the back are girls holding a banner with the inscription La illa illa llahu

•Another screengrab showing another girl, wearing the •A screengrab taken yesterday from a video of Boko Haram full-length hijab in an undisclosed rural location.

A screengrab taken yesterday from a video of Boko Haram obtained by AFP shows PHOTOS: AFP/BOKO HARAM girls, wearing the full-length hijab in an undisclosed rural location. In front of them obtained by AFP shows girls, wearing the full-length hijab and praying in an undisclosed rural location. is a man holding a gun

News Analysis

A short film written, produced and directed by Shekau

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RIFLE dangling from his shoulder to rest on his tummy, a man holds a camera, recording. He faces a large group of girls. About 100 of them dressed in Islamic robes or hijabs.

Many of them sitting. A few standing. Barefooted. The floor has dried grasses around, signifying that the area was recently cleared. Two of the girls hold a banner, with the inscription La illa illa llahu, which means there is no God except Allah. Some of them wear a frown on their faces. Others are expressionless. And one or two pose as though they have resigned to fate. Some others display their hands as though they are praying to Allah.

They look like teenagers. Two whose close shots are presented look 15. No smiles. No tears. Just blank looks that really make one wonder what is on their minds.

It is all a tale of confusion written and directed by Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, who also features as the narrator in the flick shot on a location with tall, green

By Olukorede Yishau

trees around it. The flick has the logo of the group boldly displayed on it to authenticate its ownership.

The logo and the inscription under it tell of contradiction. The logo is an open Quran placed on top of two rifles that look like AK-47s. And the inscription under it: La illa illa llahu, Muhammadu Rasulullahi, which means there is no God except Allah.

Muhammad is His messenger.

The narrator, whose head the world is asking for, erases doubts about the identities of the girls when he announces that the “actresses” are the abducted Chibok girls. What the hell are they doing in Islamic robes? Aren’t they supposed to be mainly Christians? Shekau provides the answer: they have converted.

Who wouldn’t, with guns to their heads? How did they come about the hijab? Shekau provides no answer. He perhaps has a standing tailor who willingly sewed the robes.

Sitting in a room with a green backdrop, dressed in a military fa-

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If I catch Jonathan, Obama and others, I am going to sell them. If you (Obama, Jonathan, others) seek God’s forgiveness, He forgives. He is a merciful God. If you don’t seek forgiveness, I am going to cut you into pieces

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tigue, a rifle that seems to have seen days hung on his neck, Shekau says none of the world powers can locate his whereabouts. His facial expression depicts a man under some in-

fluence. His voice pitch goes up and down and he drags or scratches his head warmer intermittently.

He speaks Arabic, Hausa, English and Kanuri. He renews his threat of selling off the girls, taunts U.S. President Barack Obama and others, declaring: “If you bring three trillion troops, we will not release the girls. We stand to deal with infidels.”

Shekau adds that with a $50million prize on his head, he is more important than Obama and President Goodluck Jonathan. He declares his readiness to kill until he is tired. Everybody but only believers in his weird Islam deserves death. He also expresses willingness to give up the girls in replacement for Boko Haram members in prisons.

“If I catch Jonathan, Obama and others, I am going to sell them. If you (Obama, Jonathan, others) seek God’s forgiveness, He forgives. He is a merciful God. If you don’t seek forgiveness, I am going to cut you into pieces,” he says.

Throwing his hands up, he writes off Saudi Arabia, which many believe to be the global headquarters of Islam. He says Saudi Arabia is peopled by unbelievers and white men who he cannot follow. He says he follows only Allah and not man.

Shekau says his own form of government is the government of Allah by the Allah and for Allah.

But the authorities do not seem to believe that the Boko Haram chief is alive, despite his bloody exploits.

The spokesman of the Directorate of State Security (DSS), Mrs Marilyn Ogar, said yesterday: “Boko Haram has become a franchise. Anybody can assume and lay claim to any name; what I know is that the original Abubakar Shekau is dead; the person claiming to be the national leader now is not the original Abubakar Shekau. If security sources tell you that somebody is dead, you don’t have to come out and doubt that.”

Well said, but the question remains: when will the Shekau mystery be resolved?

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THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

NEWS CHIBOK GIRLS’ ABDUCTION

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•Suspected Boko Haram members (from left) Ahmad Rufai Abubakar, Muhammadu Sani Ishaq, Adamu Yusuf, Yau Saidu and Anas Isah, suspected mastermind of the April 14 El.Rufai Motor Park Nyanya blast paraded by the security at the DSS headquarters in PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE Abuja...yesterday

Falana: Why govt cant trade girls with prisoners

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AGOS Lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) said yesterday that the over 200 abducted girls should not be exchanged with Boko Haram’s prisoners as demanded by the sect.

He said the abducted girls were not prisoners of war, adding that they were abducted from their school.

Falana spoke to reporters in Abuja after meeting with protesting women.

He said arrangements were being made to assist parents identify the missing girls in the video released.

The protest to rescue the kidnapped girls will move to Borno State Governor’s Lodge today.

The campaign team is expected to meet at the Roman Catho-

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From Gbenga Omokhunu, Faith Yahaya, Grace Obike and Frank Ikpefan, Abuja

lic Church, Asokoro by 3pm. A procession will be led to the Governor’s Lodge by a former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, Falana and others.

The women said they would embark on a vigil if the girls were not released before Wednesday to mark one month of the girls in captivity.

Falana said: “It is very disturbing that these criminals called Boko Haram sect are demanding that these girls be exchanged for prisoners.

“This is terrible because our girls are not prisoners of war; they were illegally abducted, and they are not Nigerian sol-

diers; so, there is no basis for the demand.

“The video; what we have tried to do is to get the parents of these abducted girls to see if they can identify their daughters in the video; arrangements are being made to do that.

“What is important is that the global pressure is paying off and that is why this cowardly organisation has come out to assure the world that the children are safe and that they have not killed them.”

Falana dismissed the need to obtain a police permit before any protest, assuring the women of legal support in their demands for the government to rescue the girls.

“As far back as December

2007, we won that battle against the colonial policy of asking for police permit to protest in Nigeria and we cannot go back. So, I have come to assure the protesters that the law is behind them .

“So the pressure will have to be intensified so that the world can make a case. We can make an example of this situation so that we are not going to succumb to the intimidation of criminals; those who have committed crimes against humanity have to be brought to book. They cannot - and it is illegal and immoral to - use innocent children to bargain with the government of Nigeria.

“The protest has to go on all over the world and leaders have Continued on page 59

Shehu Sani to govt: negotiate girls’ release

ivil rights activist Shehu Sani advised the Federal Government yesterday to consider the condition laid down

by Boko Haram sect to secure the release of the abducted school girls.

The sect, in a video released yesterday, said it would free the school girls if the government agreed to release its members being detained across the country.

He cautioned that Boko Haram had different levels of members in detention. He said if the government must agree on the condition,

By Wale Ajetunmobi

it should release the militants’ family members in detention.

He spoke with the CNN last night.

He said: “The Boko Haram members have shown how much they are in control of the situation and they have made an offer to exchange those girls for their own comrades been in detention since three years now. I think this is an offer we should take very serious.

“When he (Abubakar Shekau) said he would sell them, I made it

very clear that selling the girls is impossible. Impossible in the sense that you cannot trade them off without the girls finding their way back home wherever it is in Nigeria or in those countries that share borders with Nigeria.

“When he said he was going to swap them for their own comrades, I knew it was going to happen that way because they have been used to abduction and taking hostages. I believe this is one of so many and the difference between this and other abductions is the number of the girls. I think

we should take the offer seriously because it may not last so long.

Sani added: “It is difficult for anyone, even the authorities themselves to give accurate number of Boko Haram fighters that are in detention now. But the arrest of the sect members have been going on for three to four years.

These Boko Haram detainees can be categorised into three groups.

You have their top leaders, you have their foot soldiers, and you have their families, which include their children and their wives. I Continued on page 59

Nyanya blast: DSS parades five suspects

HE Department of State Security (DSS) yesterday in Abuja paraded five suspects allegedly linked to the April 14 bombing at Nyanya on the outskirts of the Federal Capital Territory in which over 75 persons were killed and more than 100 injured.

Also yesterday, the DSS placed a N25 million reward on two fleeing suspects, Rufai Abubakar Tsiga and Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche, who were alleged to have masterminded the attack.

Disclosing this at a joint briefing held at the headquarters of the security agency, its spokesperson, Ms. Marilyn Ogar, said Tsiga, assisted by Ogwuche, drove the explosive laden car to the scene of the blast a day to the incident.

Tsiga was said to have left the car at the Nyanyan bus station

From Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

and went back to detonate the explosives early in the morning of April 14.

The DSS spokesperson said Tsiga ran a patent medicine kiosk as a decoy at Utako in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), from where he allegedly recruited other sect members who disguised as his apprentices.

Ogwuche was described as a British born Nigerian from Benue State who was in November 2011 arrested at the Abuja airport on his arrival from the United Kingdom, in connection with terrorism.

Ogar, however, said the suspect was released on bail to his father, Col. Agene Ogwuche (rtd), in October 2012, following intense pressure from the human rights community who alContinued on page 59

Govt rejects swap of girls with prisoners

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HE Federal Government rejected yesterday conditions set out by Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau for the release of the more than 200 schoolgirls held hostage by the sect.

The Directorate of State Security (DSS) also yesterday, insisted that Shekau is dead. The man who has been speaking is another person, it said.

Asked if the government would reject the suggestion by Shekau in a new video that the girls may be released once Nigeria frees all militant prisoners, Interior Minister Abba Moro told AFP: “Of course. “The issue in question is not about Boko Haram… giving conditions,” he said.

Shekau made the claim in a video obtained by AFP yesterday, claiming to show about 130

From Vincent Ikuomola, Gbenga Omokhunu and Bukola Amusan, Abuja

of the 276 girls abducted from their school in Chibok, Borno State, on April 14.

“We will never release them (the girls) until after you release our brethren,” he said. The militant leader, who made prisoner exchange demands in the past, said some of the teenagers had converted from Christianity to Islam.

The International Crisis Group said in a report published last month that Boko Haram had written an open letter in 2011 to the Kano State governor, demanding the release of detainees.

Shekau repeated the demand in a video released last week in Continued on page 59

Shettima: I’ve passed information on girls to security

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ORNO State Governor Kashim Shettima has said: “We have reports of them being sighted.”

He said he had information on the whereabouts of about 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram.

Governor Kashim Shettima said he had passed reports of the sightings of the girls to the military for verification.

Mr Shettima added that he did not think the girls had been taken across the border to Chad or Cameroon

Boko Haram chief: we’ll attack Abuja, refineries Continued from page 1

hard they try. Besides, Shekau

vowed that the sect would attack Abuja – the seat of the government and the refineries – the symbol of Nigeria’s economic power.

In a 56-minute video in which Shekau mixed Arabic, Hausa, English and Kanuri, he declared war against those he described as infidels, including Christians.

He also spoke on the fate of the girls, who have been converted to Islam.

He said: “I am going to marry all these girls off; you cannot see them again. We will sell them in the market; there is a market where I will sell them.

“If you bring three trillion troops, we will not release the girls. We stand to deal with infidels.

“If they catch me, it does not stop me from what I am doing.

They said anybody that catches me will be given $50million. So I am important; Obama and Jonathan are unimportant.

“You are looking for who? It is not a new thing that they are catching children and selling them. It is the owner that puts them in the market.

“We are stronger than America anywhere they are. If you want to defend do so because I

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26 U.S. personnel ‘finding the girls’

HE White House said yesterday it is providing 26 United .States personnel to the Nigerian government to help find more than 200 girls kidnapped

by Boko Haram.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said the administration had assembled a team consisting of 17 Defence Department employees, five State Department officials and four FBI officials to aid in the search for the girls who were taken last month.

Many of the personnel were already in NiFrom Yusuf Alli, John Ofikhenua, Tayo Lawal and Mariam Ogbe, Abuja

am ready.

“Where do you say you will come and look for me? Do you know where I am since all these days?

“You are just searching in vain by looking at every nook and cranny.

“I don’t have a land; anywhere I find myself is my land because all land belongs to God.” Shekau likened the sect’s campaign to the one in Afghanistan signposting a link with Al-Qaeda.

He said: “The war we are fighting is like the ones in Afghanistan and Iraq, it is the war against

geria, he said.

“President Obama has directed his team to do everything it can to support the Nigerian government’s efforts to find and free these girls,” Mr. Carney said. “I can report to you that our interdisciplinary team … is up and running now at our embassy in Nigeria, helping to support the Nigerian government by providing military and law enforcement assistance as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support.”

First lady Michelle Obama gave a Moth-

Christians and infidels.

“Those fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq, Indonesia, Pakistan, Yemen, Mali are my brothers.

We will do Jihad. This is my message.”

Shekau took on many countries and world leaders.

The list includes the US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China, Israel and Italy He said: “Some of you (like Germany, Russia, China, Italy) think because we do not mention your names, you think we don’t know you people are involved.

“If I catch Jonathan, Obama and others I am going to sell them. Don’t think I am joking.

God, you are my witness.

“If you (Obama, Jonathan,

er’s Day recorded address last weekend highlighting the incident and has posed for a photo while holding a sign that stated #BringBackOurGirls Mr. Carney said the president and first lady “believe that we ought to be doing everything we can to assist the efforts of the Nigerian government to find and free these girls, and we are.”

But he cautioned that the task is difficult, saying the search area in Nigeria is as large in territory as New England.

others) seek God’s forgiveness, He forgives. He is a merciful God. If you don’t seek forgiveness, I am going to cut you into pieces.”

He went on: “You Jonathan, you are watching me. If you like, go and bring everybody all over the world, you cannot do anything. Bring up human rights issue, you don’t know anything.

Do Nigerians know their rights?

“I am the President; there is no President in Nigeria; there is no President in the world. I am the President in Islam and in the world.”

Shekau vowed that the spate of killings by the sect would continue in any part of the country.

He added: “We will kill until we get tired. We will kill all infi-

dels until we get tired. We will kill unbelievers like chicken. We will tie them. We have decided what we will do.

“Any amount let them spend; we will bring this country down.

We are stronger than America anywhere they are.

“We will open a killing pool for all those who have insulted us like George Bush, Obama and even Jonathan.

“I pledge to Allah my God to be faithful, loyal and honest.

And you to your country. We will know who God will answer between you and I. “There is no government existing in Nigeria. Do you think you have government?”

On the sect’s recurring attacks on FCT, the Boko Haram leader

•Dr. Jonathan said the sect would also not ceasefire.

He added: “We are in Abuja, we will cause havoc. We will do Jihad. We are all Abuja residents.

Very soon, we will come to Abuja.

“We are going to the refineries. We are going to the unbelievers. We won’t go to your (Jonathan’s) state; we will go to where there are refineries.”

Shekau listed the sect’s grouses against some world powers, including opposition to western education, democracy and homosexuality.

Continued on page 59

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THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

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NEWS CHIBOK GIRLS’ ABDUCTION I’m not tired of talking, says Okonjo-Iweala From Nduka Chiejina Assistant Editor, Abuja

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HE Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said she is not tired of talking about the abduction of the Chibok school girls.

A statement from her spokesman, Paul Nwabuikwu said: “The minister is certainly not tired of an issue which has been a nightmare to families involved and all Nigerians for the past one month. She urges that we all focus on the girls themselves and how we bring them back.”

Nwabuikwu said Mrs Okonjo-Iweala had also tweeted that “Our commitment to #BringBackOurGirls does not end with World Economic Forum on Africa (WEFAfrica). It’ll continue. It is our task. We must do it until we bring them back!”

He said the minister had previously stated during WEF that “as a mother of four children, including a daughter, I cannot imagine the agony the parents of these children must be experiencing. We understand the anger and sadness that is shared

by Nigerians at home and abroad.”

Nwabuikwu said online claims that Okonjo-Iweala has said she was tired of talking about the abduction “is a distortion of her comments to a reporter from ABC News of the US. Such a distortion is contrary to numerous and consistent comments by the minister which underscore her pain and concern over the issue.”

We’re committed to freeing girls, says China

By Precious Igbonwelundu

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HINA’s Defence Attaché to Nigeria, Colonel Ku Hang Li, yesterday said his country was committed to helping Nigeria in the rescue of the abducted Chibok girls.

He spoke during a visit to the headquarters of the Western Naval Command in Lagos.

He declined comment on details of the assistance to be rendered.

Li, who said he was in Lagos to intimate the command of the visit of its Frigate 546 to Lagos between May 24 and 27, said the People’s Liberation Army Naval Taskgroup would engage in joint sea exercise with Nigerian Navy personnel.

He disclosed that the vessel has been in Syria to assist in the chemical weapon destruction exercise, adding that Nigeria is the first African nation it would visit during its diplomatic tour to about six countries.

The Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Sanmi Alade, said the military of both nations have a long lasting cooperation.

Alade said one of two vessels purchased from China, NNS Centenary, which has been launched, is expected to arrive Lagos in July.

He said the second vessel, which is already being constructed in China, would be completed at the navy’s Ship building yard in Port Harcourt.

•Members of the Law Students Society of the University of Lagos matching through the college in protest of the abduction of Chibok girls in Lagos...yesterday PHOTO: RAHMAN SANUSI

Mark urges China to document military hardwares sales

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HINA got another role yesterday in the fight against Boko Haram.

Senate President David Mark yesterday urged the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress (NPC), Mr. Zhang Dejiang, to initiate laws that would ensure the documentation of all buyers and sellers of military hardwares and uniforms from China.

China is one of the countries helping Nigeria to locate the Chibok girls.

Mark spoke during an interactive meeting with Dejiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Kola

From Sanni Onogu, Abuja

Ologbondiyan, in Abuja.

The statement quoted the Senate President to have said that “because of our country’s (Nigeria) current challenges, every interface between our countries’ parliaments should centre on military training and strategy, technology transfer, poverty reduction and job creation.

“We also ask that to further assist our fight against terrorism, buyers and sellers of military uniforms and hardwares from your country should be properly documented. This will enable us trace the sources of military uniforms and hardwares available to these terrorists.

“We want to reassure you that we are doing everything possible to rescue the over 230 girls abducted by the terrorists.

“We also appreciate the assistance that has been promised and made available by the international community including China.

“We believe that the terrorists and insurgents in our country have connections with other terrorists and possibly with some international terrorists groups.

“We also believe that China with her experience in strategies and tactics can help in intelligence gathering to enable us halt the murderous acts of the Boko Haram.”

Dejiang described terrorism “as a common enemy,” stressing that “China is a victim. We

EU promises Nigeria support From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

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•Mark

will stand firmly with Nigeria.”

He added that “China has been following the abduction of the girls and we will help to the best of our abilities and we hope the girls will return home as soon as possible.

“We condemn the abduction of these girls in the strongest terms. China will also give active support in ensuring that the girls are brought back home.”

Boko Haram waging war against Christians, says CAN

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HE Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has said the Boko Haram sect is waging a war against Christianity.

Boko Haram claimed in a video released yesterday that the girls hadbeen converted to Islam.

CAN National Secretary Rev Musa Asake said the conversion was unacceptable and called on the government and the international community to act fast to save the situation.

He said the reported forceful conversion of the girls was a confirmation that the Boko Haram sect has a religious agenda, adding that it was clear that they were waging a war against Christians and Christianity.

The Christian umbrella body rejected the demand by Boko Haram for the release of their detained members as a condition for freeing the girls, stressing that the Boko Haram members being detained were criminals who committed heinous crimes against humanity and they should face the wrath of the law.

It accused the Cable Network News (CNN) of downplaying the fact the majority of the girls kidnapped are Christians, say-

From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

ing: “We condemn the forceful conversion of abducted Christian girls from Chibok into the Islamic fold by the Boko Haram terrorist group.

“Our Muslim brothers told us that Islam is not by compulsion and we are surprised that our girls who were abducted in school by the terrorists have forcefully converted them to Islam.

“This is a confirmation that the Boko Haram is waging a war is against Christianity.

We are calling on the federal government and the internationally community to know that there is no ambiguity in what the Boko Haram actually wanted – they are waging a war against Christians and Christianity.

“We also want to urge that the CNN reporter in Nigeria should be called to order be-

cause he is down playing the reality of what is going on.

Majority of the girls kidnapped are Christians, but he is downplaying this fact and misleading the world. We don’t know whose agenda he is executing but we are calling on him let the world know the truth.

“Those girls are not Muslims and we are urging the terrorists to return them to their parents”.

IGP okays Bring-back-our-girls protests

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HE Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has given the green light to individuals and civil society groups to stage peaceful protests to demand the release of the 234 girls abducted from the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State on April 15 The Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group complained that their sustained peaceful protests in Abuja were being disrupted by policemen.

In a statement yesterday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, the IGP restated his commitment to providing security for the protesters anywhere in the country.

The statement said in recog-

From Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

nition of the rights of the protesters, as enshrined in Chapter 4 of the Nigerian Constitution, the IGP ordered the police to give protection to the protesters.

The IGP was quoted to have insisted that the law enforcement agencies are duty bound to enforce the rights of the protesters.

“To this end, the IGP has charged his zonal and state command officers to ensure that citizens embarking on rallies and other peaceful demonstrations are provided adequate security in line with the standard operational practice

of the Force.

“The IGP, however, called on leaders and organisers of such rallies to work in concert with the police to ensure the safety of participants and orderliness of the exercise. He further urged them to take measures to deter hoodlums from hijacking the assemblies.

“While calling on the citizens to provide the police and other law enforcement agencies with useful information in the fight against terror and other related crimes, the IGP reassured them that all necessary steps are being taken towards ensuring that the abducted Chibok school girls are rescued and returned to their loved ones.”

HE European Union (EU) Foreign Affairs Council yesterday assured Nigeria of its support in the search for the over 200 girls abducted by Boko Haram in Chibok, Borno State.

The council, at the end of a meeting, promised to assist in ending what it called the culture of impunity.

According to an extract from the meeting made available to reporters in Abuja, the EU called for the immediate release of the girls and urged the United Nations (UN) Security Council to consider appropriate measures against Boko Haram.

“The European Union is deeply concerned about the recent terrorist attacks in northern Nigeria and appalled by the suffering caused to the population.

“The Council strongly condemns the indiscriminate killing of hundreds of civilians and the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls in Borno State. These acts represent an attack against human rights and dignity.

“The European Union calls for the immediate and unconditional release of the school girls and for those responsible to be brought to justice.

“The European Union and its Member States offer their support to Nigeria in the resolution of this despicable crime and its ongoing efforts to protect its citizens and defeat terrorism in all its forms, in full respect of human rights.

“The EU will work to end the culture of impunity for the use of sexual violence both as a tool and a side effect of conflict worldwide. The EU supports the intention of the UN Security Council to consider appropriate measures against Boko Haram.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

6

NEWS CHIBOK GIRLS’ ABDUCTION Why govt can’t trade abducted girls with prisoners,

by Falana From Gbenga Omokhunu, Faith Yahaya, Grace Obike and Frank Ikpefan, Abuja

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AGOS Lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has said the over 200 girls abducted by Boko Haram in Chibok, Borno State, should not be exchanged for the sect’s prisoners.

The exchange is among the demands of the sect’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, in a new video released yesterday to the public.

Falana said the abducted girls are not prisoners of war, adding that they were illegally abducted from their school.

The frontline lawyer addressed reporters yesterday in Abuja after a meeting with some protesting women.

He said arrangements were being made to enable parents identify the missing girls in the video.

The protest to rescue the girls will move to the home of Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima today for the governor’s answers on the abducted girls.

The campaign team is expected to meet at the Roman Catholic Church, Asokoro, at 3pm today and a procession will be led to the governor’s lodge by a former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, Mr Falana and some women’s leaders.

The women said they would start a vigil, if the girls were not released before tomorrow, a month after their abduction in captive.

Falana said: “It is very disturbing that these criminals called Boko Haram members are demanding that these girls be exchanged for prisoners.

“This is terrible because our girls are not prisoners of war.

They were illegally abducted and they are not Nigerian soldiers. So, there is no basis for the demand.

“On the video: what we have tried to do is to get the parents of these abducted girls to see if they can identify their daughters in the video. Arrangements are being made to do that.

“What is important is that the global pressure is paying off and that is why this cowardly organisation has come out to assure the world that the children are safe and that they have not killed them.”

The activist dismissed the need to obtain a police permit before any protest.

He assured the women of legal support in their demand to rescue the schoolgirls.

Falana said: “As far back as December 2007, we won that battle against colonial policy of asking for a police permit to protest in Nigeria and we cannot go back. So, I have come to assure the protesters that the law is behind them and on their side. But if anybody comes to disturb them, they should let me know so that we can take appropriate actions under the law. This is because their cause is just and they have been very peaceful in demanding that the criminals bring back our girls unconditionally.

“So, the pressure will have to be intensified so that the world can make a case. We can make an example of this situation so that we are not going to succumb to the intimidation of criminals. Those who have committed crimes against humanity have to be brought to book.”

This is a defining period for our nation, says Fashola L AGOS State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) has said the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, by the Boko Haram sect is a dark experience in the nation's life.

The governor was, however, optimistic that the period could usher in a new dawn for Nigeria and Nigerians.

Fashola spoke yesterday in Ikeja, Lagos, when he received groups of women, men and youths who protested the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls.

The governor hailed the protesters for their solidarity with the girls and their parents.

He, however, reminded them that information on the efforts to secure the girls may not be made public.

Fashola said: "Sometimes, there may be a sense of safety in managing more information more closely, as the rescue operation goes on, in order not to compromise the safety of the people we are seeking to rescue.

"This, for me, is the general global practice. But I don't know what the situation is currently. As we ask for in-

•More groups protest for girls' release

By Miriam Ekene-Okoro

formation, we must have that at the back of our minds.

"I should just add that the Chibok incident is a very dark experience for our nation. It is a difficult time for our nation but it may yet be our most defining moment. It will be defining, if we can find the children. It will be defining, if after that happens, we can keep this sense of brotherhood and sisterhood alive.

Many nations have turned for greatness when they are faced with dark times.

"The sense of brotherhood, the sense of commitment where ethnicity and religion do not matter anymore - is a sense that we should go forward with, after Chibok. That is why I said it may yet be our most defining moment."

Another group, Women Arise Initiative, led scores of women to mount pressure on the Federal Government to secure the release of the girls.

Afrobeat king Femi Kuti said there was need to put

pressure on the Federal Government to rescue the innocent girls.

He said it was sad that it took the government about three weeks to come to term that over 200 girls had been kidnapped.

Kuti said: "It is sad that our government took three weeks to act. The government has failed. This is why we have a government: to deal with this kind of issue. I am here to support Women Arise in this protest.

"The President should stop corruption and act fast to bring back the girls. And if he cannot do it, he should step down. Boko Haram is a monster that is becoming uncontrollable. Jonathan has to let the nation know what is happening in Borno State."

Yoruba actor Jide Kosoko said it was sad that the schoolgirls were kidnapped while the government was looking helpless.

He begged Boko Haram to release the children.

Kosoko said: "They should

release the children now, if actually they believe in God. If the government is serious about this, it should have devised ways to stop this act. We need to pray for the release of the girls."

The protesters' spokesperson and President of Women Arise Initiative Dr. Joe OkeiOdumakin said it was alarming that the abduction took place at all, despite the state of emergency in Borno State.

She said: "It is equally horrifying that this wickedness was carried out for hours without interruption by security forces. And it is appalling to read the alleged statement credited to Amnesty International that intelligence reports were given to the security forces four hours before the incident."

Her consternation is contained in the letter to President Jonathan.

Other groups of protesters yesterday included the Ikeja branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN); Realm of Glory International Church, Isolo and Victorious Army Ministries, Acme Road, Ikeja.

They urged the government to ensure the safe return of the schoolgirls.

•A cross section of Christians in Ikeja during a prayer rally for the abducted schoolgirls at the Lagos House, Ikeja, PHOTO:OMOSEHIN MOSES Lagos...yesterday.

Fix education to stop insurgency, APC tells Jonathan

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EADERS of the All Progressives Congress (APC) spoke yesterday at the second Progressive Governance Lecture Series in Kano on the need to use education to end insurgency.

They identified lack of an effective education policy as the cause of poverty, insecurity and political unrest in the country.

Party leaders at the event included APC National Leader, General Muhammadu Bbuhari; former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir El-Rufai; former Kwara State governor, Senator Bukola Saraki; Senator Abdullahi Adamu, Senator Aisha Alhasan, Senate Minority Leader George Akume, Senator Mohammed Bingo, Senator Ibrahim Kabiru Gaya, Governors Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto), Senator Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), Ibrahim Gaidam (Yobe), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), former House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Masari.

Gen. Buhari, a former Head of

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

State, urged the Federal Government to provide free and qualitative education for Nigerians.

He said such a step would reduce insecurity in the land, adding that the nation's security challenges might worsen, if the Federal Government fails to fix the Education sector.

Buhari said: "Until the falling

standard of education in Nigeria is fixed to engage out-ofschool children, the incessant attacks on innocent Nigerians, particularly in the Northeast, may get worse."

The former Head of State called for increased budget to education to raise its standard in line with global best practices.

He said: "When we came to government in the 1980s, we

called for education review, led

by Prof. Babs Fafunwa, to review all the recommendations on education and identify critical points for immediate implementation. We must draw a clearcut road map on our education to achieve the desired success."

Gen. Buhari, who regretted that no solution was sight to rescue the abducted Chibok schoolgirls, called for concerted efforts to return them to their parents.

Yobe women urge leaders to fight Boko Haram

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OBE State women have urged the Federal Government to bring back the schoolgirls abducted by the Boko Haram sect from Chibok in Borno State.

The women stressed that “our leaders need to put politics aside and join hands to defeat our common enemy”.

They said time was running out for the rescue of the girls.

The state president of National Council for Women Society (NCWS), Hajia Halima Joda, led the women in a peaceful but sad protest to the Ministry of Women Affairs.

From Duku Joel, Damaturu

She said: “We call on all other leaders to put aside their political differences and join hands with the Federal Government to act responsibly and decisively to defeat our common enemies.

“Time is running out and Nigerians are becoming impatient...

The innocent girls must not be left to their fate or their grieving parents to be left in their tears.

They have the right to be protected, as enshrined in our constitution...”

The women were received by the Commissioner of Women

Affairs, Hajiya Asmau Kabir Kolo, on behalf of Governor Ibrahim Gaidam.

The commissioner, who showed serious emotion, urged the women to continue to pray for the girls’ safe return.

According to her, Allah’s ways are different from humans and He will surely hear the cries of the parents and everybody across the world to ensure the girls’ safety.

Hajia Kolo stressed that evil would never triumph over good.

Girls, parents risk psychotic problems, says expert

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

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PROFESSOR of Pathology and VicePresident of Rhesus Solution Initiative (RSI), Adekunbi Banjo, has said the abducted schoolgirls from Chibok, Bornio State, and their parents could suffer neurotic or psychotic complications, or both, if proper therapy is not given to them.

Prof Banjo spoke with our reporter in Lagos during the 2014 Rhesus Factor Day Walk for Life, organised by RSI. Scores of people participated in the 20-kilometre trek from Maryland to Mile 12 and back to Maryland. It was meant to create awareness for the Rhesus factor.

The organisers called for the release of the abducted schoolgirls.

“As parents, not knowing what is happening to your children is enough to create psychological/emotional trauma. You don’t know the children’s state of health, and we all know that many evil things happen in the forest.

“For some people who are not emotionally balanced, they could become neurotic or psychotic; many would be afraid of going out for the fear of being abducted. And the stigma may stick on the affected children. That is where clinical psychologists need to work on the children when they are rescued,” Prof Banjo said.

RSI founder/President, Mrs Funmilayo Banire, described the girls’ abduction as a saddening and emotional torture, especially for their families.

“What type of country are we living in, whereby a group of girls would just be gone in a day like that? What happens to those on the streets? These are the future leaders of this country we are talking about. We cannot just sit back and watch these to go like that. Something has to be done,” she said.

Mrs Banire chided the government for budgeting millions of naira for security without anything to show for the money.

According to her, the Chibok abduction is an indication that no one is safe in Nigeria.

She said: “Aside being a mother, our organisation works more with teenage girls. We send our awareness programmes to them on regular basis. So, it is sad and disheartening for such a thing to happen and for over three weeks the girls are yet to be freed from their captors. We appeal to the Federal Government and leaders of the world to come to the children’s aid and free these girls for us. It could be anybody tomorrow.

We want them back in good condition.”

Vice-Chairman of MosanOkunola Local Council Development Area, Princes Opeyemi Akindele, wondered what future holds for the girls, if they are violated.

Prncess Akindele, the Chairman of Association of Vice-Chairmen in Lagos State, said some of the girls could have contacted deadly diseases either from being violated or from the unhygienic condition they find themselves.

She wondered why the Boko Haram insurgents were against the female gender and young girls in particular.

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

7

NEWS

No budgetary provision for lecturers’ salary arrears, says ministry T HE attempt by the House of Representatives’ Committee on Education to resolve the dispute between the Academic Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and the Federal Government experienced hiccups yesterday.

The Ministry of Education told the committee that the salary arrears of polytechnic workers, one of the demands of the striking lecturers, were not captured in the 2014 budget.

The Permanent Secretary, Mr. McJohn Nwaobiala, who represented Minister of Education Nyesom Wike, said the Federal Government will release the white paper

From Victor Oluwasegun, Abuja

on the visitation panel to federal polytechnics in two weeks.

He said: “In this year’s budget, we do not have a provision for settling the arrears. The minister requested for a special budgetary intervention to enable us settle the arrears. I cannot say that I will or that the ministry will release these funds in April or July. What I can say is that the minister needs to consult with the Secretary to the Govern-

ment of the Federation (SG) and Minister of Labour on how we can get the funds.”

On the white paper, he said: “It contains issues specific to each polytechnic and there are issues that are generic. It is for the government to say whether it endorses or rejects the recommendations. I assure you that the white paper will be released soon and when that is done, the next problem will be how to pay the arrears.”

Nwaobiala said the long strike occurred because ASUP refused the govern-

ment’s proposal on how the arrears would be paid, adding: “ASUP rejected that proposal officially in writing.

On the day the minister wrote to the President that they had reached an agreement, before we were informed that ASUP rejected the proposal.

“The Head of Service gave approval in 2013 and details of how we got the over N22 billion was only gotten this year. I believe that was an opportunity that was lost. If they had accepted March and September payment, we would have worked very

Mimiko’s wife’s mother’s funeral May 30

From left: Chairman, Oyo State Stakeholders Committee on State Creation, Chief Bayo Oyero; Representative of Ibadan Zone Chief Bola Doherty and representative of Oyo Zone Mr. Adebiyi Odekanyin at a news conference in Ibadan…yesterday.

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HE remains of Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s mother-in-law, Mrs. Felicia Adeniyi (75), will be buried on May 30 in Ondo.

A Christian Wake will hold on May 29 at the Oba Adesanoye Civic Centre in Ondo.

A funeral service will hold on May 30 at St. Stephen’s Cathedral Church, Anglican Communion, Oke Aluko, Ondo.

The deceased’s remains will be interred after the service and this will be followed by a reception at Oba Adesanoye Civic Centre.

Yesterday, the Head of Service, Toyin Akinkuotu; Chairman of the State’s Waste Management Board Shina Fadamitan and Pastor Segun Ayerin visited Mimiko and his wife, Olukemi, and expressed their condolences to them.

APC chieftains back Aregbesola

By Sina Fadare

A

LL Progressives Congress (APC) leaders in Irepodun Local Government Area of Osun State have pledged to work for Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s victory in the August 9 election.

Chairman of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Otun Jagun of Ilobu Chief Dauda Ademola Alabi spoke at a meeting of APC members.

He said APC leaders in the council were mobilising support for Aregbesola.

Alabi hailed the party chairman in the council, Mr. Abayomi Oyedeji, for his doggedness amid intimidation by various interest groups.

He said the Oyedeji-led executive council’s efforts resulted in the mass defection of people from opposition parties to the APC. Alabi lauded the governor’s reforms, saying the reorientation, infrastructural upgrade, school reforms and peaceful atmosphere, have attracted many coverts to the party.

hard to ensure that it was implemented.”

On the allegation by ASUP President Chibuzo Asumogha that the government refused to implement the union’s condensed fourpoint demand, which would have led to the re-opening of polytechnics, he said the white paper had not been passed from the office of the SGF. The Chairman of the House Committee on Education, Aminu Suleiman, said the Federal Government cannot give lack of funds as an excuse for not paying salary arrears.

He urged both parties to negotiate and end the strike.

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Probe arms proliferation in Ekiti, rights group urges IG

HE Inspector-General of Police (IG), M o h a m m e d Abubakar, has been urged to probe the source of illegal weapons in the hands of non-state actors in Ekiti State.

In a statement yesterday, the Nigerian Human Rights Community (NHRC) said rallies held by some parties were characterised by open display of weapons by young civilians.

The statement was signed by the NHRC’s Southwest Coordinator, Mr. Habib Falua.

The NHRC, a coalition of 136 civil rights groups drawn from across the country, has been in Ekiti for three weeks to monitor processes leading to the June 21 governorship election.

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

The group described the situation as a “red alert” and urged the IG to investigate the alleged arming of young people by politicians.

It said: “We have received several reports from residents and locals who are alarmed at the rate of proliferation of arms in rallies organised by political parties linked with the Federal authorities.”

NHRC said armed young men recruited by politicians torment the local population with arrogance and contempt for the democratic election, adding that the non-collection of over

250,000 voter cards by locals may not be unconnected with the growing public resentment against the election “because its outcome seems predetermined by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)”.

It said the armed gangs move from town to town, dropping the name of President Goodluck Jonathan as their godfather and boasting that the election has been worn by the PDP before the contest.

The group said: “This is a dangerous trend. The President needs to distance himself from this display of open horror. It is worrisome. It may be easy to win an election, but politicians should worry more on how

to sustain the peace.

“The country cannot end the orgy of violence when democratic expressions are suppressed at gun point by officials expected to defend the people.”

The group said VicePresident Namadi Sambo’s description of the election as war has compounded the situation, adding: “Parents are complaining that their wards are being armed by the ruling party in Abuja.

The youths display these weapons openly.”

It said while the President is mobilising the international community to stem terrorism, some of his critics think his domestic policies appear to encourage state-sponsored terror against Nigerians, “which is certain to fuel rage and bitterness”.

would have taken the nation out of the woods.

Asiodu said: “In the 1975 economic plan, there was a plan to look at agricultural processing, functional educational system, agrochemicals and many issues.

But before we could get started, we derailed and abandoned the plan. Our current problem can be traced to the inability to keep to such plan that would have helped us build an industrial vibrant and agricultural independent society.

We started assembling cars before Korean. But we failed

to communicate our plan for the future into action. At a time, our power generation was more than that of Taiwan. But where are we today?”

On how to fast-track the growth of the Nigerian economy, he urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor to look at the efficiency of regulatory system to encourage investors and long-term savings.

He urged the government to create an enabling environment for business owners to be globally competitive.

‘Nigeria needs rapid economic development’

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FORMER presidential adviser, Chief Phillip Asiodu, has expressed concerns about the nation’s slow economic growth.

He spoke in Lagos at the inaugural meeting of the newly established Philip Asiodu Economic Initiative (PAEI).

On the objective of the initiative, Asiodu, who is the Chairman of the initiative’s Board of Trustees, said the need to create a platform to communicate with the nation’s decision makers informed the establishment of PAEI.

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

The former permanent secretary said PAEI’s objectives include the promotion of good economic initiatives through lecture series, seminars and workshops.

He said the failure of successive governments to implement the economic roadmap designed between 1975 and 1978 towards rebuilding Nigeria was responsible for the country’s inability to break through.

According to him, between 1970 and 1975, the economy was growing at 11.5 per cent, a development that

Ondo police: stop killing destitute From Damisi Ojo, Akure

ONDO State Police Commissioner Isaac Eke has warned residents to stop killing mentally-ill people on the suspicion that they are kidnappers.

He said anybody caught involving in jungle justice would face the consequences.

At an emergency stakeholders’ meeting held at the Police Officers Mess in Akure, Eke said the “mass attack, lynching and barbaric burning of the destitute” in Akure and other towns in the state was worrisome.

He said: “Many mentallyill persons were rescued and some were killed by mobs last week. I summoned this meeting so that people can carry the message to various segments of the society that nobody has the monopoly to take another person’s life.”

Eke said four policemen, who were injured while rescuing a destitute in ObaIle, were still receiving treatment in hospitals.

He urged residents to report suspected criminals to the police.

Hajj: Ogun sets deadline THE Ogun State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board has set June 20 as the deadline for prospective pilgrims to pay for this year’s hajj to Saudi Arabia.

Executive Secretary of the Board Alhaji Shefiu Rasheed, in a statement, said anyone who fails to meet the deadline will not be part of the pilgrimage.

Prospective pilgrims are to submit their e-passports to the board after fulfilling all requirements.

Space science clubs land in Lagos

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

THE African Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in English (ARTSSTE-E) will inaugurate the first set of Space Science clubs in 23 primary schools in Lagos today at the MD School in New Oko-Oba, Agege.

Director of ARTSSTE-E Dr. Omowunmi Alabi told reporters yesterday that the clubs will expose pupils in upper primary classes (primary four – six) to satellite communication technology, weather monitoring, remote sensing and other space technologies.

She said ARTSSTE officials from the Obafemi Awolowo University, IleIfe, will read a book, Max goes to the Moon, to the pupils to stimulate their interest in space technology.

Alabi said the centre will train teachers who will coordinate the clubs.

Proprietress of MD School Mrs. Omolara Adedugbe said her school offered to coordinate the catch-themyoung initiative to give the young ones a head start in science, technology engineering and mathematics (STEM).

THE NATION TUESDAY MAY 13, 2014

8

NEWS

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HE National Conference Committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government yesterday recommended that membership of the proposed unicameral legislature be based on equality of state and population.

The committee said all states are equal but have different population figures.

On April 30, the committee voted for a unicameral legislature in a modified Presidential system of government as opposed to the current bi-camera legislature of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Yesterday, the delegates weighed options between population and the equality of states, with arguments following the North-South divide.

Most northern delegates argued in favour of 60 per cent representation at the National Assembly based on population and 40 per cent based on equality of states; but most of their southern

Conference panel endorses scrapping of Senate From Onyedi Ojiabor,

Assistant Editor and Dele Anofi, Abuja

counterparts wanted it other wise.

Some of the southern delegates said 60 per cent representation by equality of states and 40 per cent by population would serve the country better.

Some delegates canvassed for 10 per cent representation for special groups, such as women, youths and people living with disabilities.

The committee’s CoChairman, Mohammed Kumaila, said: “We agreed that there should be a unicameral legislature with one House of Parliament.

“In taking this decision, we took cognisance of the

fact that the Senate, as we have it today, with equality of states as the guiding factor while population is what determines representation at the House of Representatives.

“We have to reflect the two factors so that no segment of the state would feel neglected or undermined.

“The decision was based on the need to be fair, futuristic and building the country on a solid foundation because the issue of population is critical.

“For instance, there is no way we can compare Yobe and Kano when it comes to population, so if we pick 100 per cent representation on the basis of population, states like Kano would be disadvantaged as all would have the same number of repre-

sentatives notwithstanding the number of their population.

“That is why we say the other half of 50 per cent should be based on population because the parliament is about representing the people. Moreover, we are also of the opinion that the 50-50 option would be easier to adopt at the plenary as all interests would have been taken care of.”

Thanking members who dropped their positions in favour of the popular option, Co-Chairman Gen. Ike Nwachukwu (rtd.) appealed that the committee should not be embarrassed by those whose opinions were not accommodated.

He said the country’s interest should be paramount in delegates’ minds at all times.

Akeredolu hails Ondo APC chair

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N Ondo State All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) has congratulated Mr. Isaac Kekemeke on his election as the party’s chairman.

In a letter to Kekemeke, Akeredolu wished him success in the discharge of his duties.

The former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president said: “I am confident that we will represent together the interest of our party and look forward to using our concrete and targeted cooperation in all areas of signifi-

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

cance to our party in Ondo State.

“I look forward to working with you in projecting the interest of our party, as I believe we need to unite our efforts for new initiatives to promote unity among members and position our party for electoral victories.”

Kekemeke said the new leadership’s mission was to harmonise all factions and build a politically viable party.

He said: “We will ensure that substantial votes accrue to the APC in the 2015 Presidential and National Assembly polls.”

Akure LP members join PDP

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From Leke Akeredolu, Akure

OME Labour Party (LP) members in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State defected yesterday to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The defectors, led by Mr. Kunle Adeloye, said they dumped LP because Governor Olusegun Mimiko “failed to fulfil his electioneering promises to Akure people in 2012”.

Adeloye said Mimiko allegedly told them before his reelection that the number of votes from each local government would determine how much the council would benefit from his administration.

He said the governor promised to appoint an Akure indigene as the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), if he got maximum votes from Akure, but reneged on the promise.

Adeloye said: “I am interested in what will benefit Akure people.

Ondo people are angry with the government because it has failed them. Those who were not around when we were struggling to retain Mimiko are the ones benefiting from his administration.

“We invested in the LP. Akure people have always supported Mimiko, but his recent attitude towards us forced us to turn against him. We have an Akure agenda, whether they like it or not. Since Akure is the state capital, we should be given priority.”

He said he joined the PDP to have a platform where the yearnings of Akure indigenes would be met.

Court reinstates caretaker committee

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•Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola (third left); President of I Believe Ogbeni Rauf Aregbsola (IBORA) Olusola Okiki (third right); the National Vice-Chairman, Afolajuwonlo Foluso (second left); Mr. AbdulHakeem Wisdom –Oni (left); Prince Anselem Udoka (second right) and Alhaji Elegunde Taiwo (right) at the inauguration of the group and its endorsement of Aregbesola for second term at the Mandela Freedom Park in Osogbo, the state capital.

Bayo Onanuga shows interest in Ogun senatorial seat

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HE Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of Independent Communications Network Limited (ICNL), publishers of P.M. News and The News, Mr. Adebayo Onanuga, has urged the Federal Government to create a social security scheme to cushion poverty.

Onanuga spoke yesterday in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, while declaring his intention to contest the Ogun East Senatorial District seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 elections.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that social security was fundamental to economic stability.

Onanuga said the United Nations Development

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Programme (UNDP) statistics revealed that about 70 per cent of Nigerians live below one dollar daily, adding: “With a welfare programme in place, Nigerians can wake up without thinking about where the next meal will come from. It should not be a problem for any Nigerian who loses his job to pay his house rent.

“A man who has worked for 35 to 40 years serving his country should not have to worry about life after retirement.

Health delivery services are still generally expensive as many Nigerians cannot afford basic healthcare. Our country should look into instituting welfare programmes that would have positive impacts on our people.

“Frustration and desperation force youths into vice

and the first way to cushion the effects of unemployment is through social support.”

He said his desire to contest the poll was driven by his passion to tackle poverty, unemployment and infra-

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structure deficits.

Onanuga said: “Politics is not a do-or-die affair for me, but I believe that our nation is condemned to more decades of poverty until we put the right people in the right positions.”

HE Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos, reinstated yesterday members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Southwest Caretaker Committee.

The committee members earlier resigned their positions to enable them contest in a zonal congress, which did not hold.

They are Ishola Filani (Ekiti); Pegba Otemolu (Ogun), Adedeji Doherty (Lagos), Rasak Akanni (Oyo), Bolaji Jeje (Lagos), Orimolade Olanrewaju (Ondo), Olawunmi Yuba (Ogun) and Banji Obasanmi (Ekiti).

The rest are Shola Oludipe (Ondo), Lawal Olatunde (Oyo), Emmanuel Oladejo

Oyo extends council bosses’ tenure

HE Oyo State House of Assembly approved yesterday extended by three moths the tenure of interim local government chairmen.

At a special sitting presided over by the Speaker, Mrs. Monsurat Sunmonu, the House ratified the list forwarded to it by Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

Twenty-five of the 33 transition committee chair-

•Residents protest From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

men were re-appointed and eight dropped.

Opeyemi Salami, Akinyele Local Government; Oyeleke Simon, Ogo Oluwa Local Government; Lord Balogun, Oorelope Local Government; Adekunle Bankole, Orire Local Government; Kayode Obisesa, Egbeda Local

Government; Ladi Oluokun, Ibadan North East Local Government; Yinus Gbadamosi, Saki West Local Government and Aworinde Lasisi, Surulere Local Government; were nominated to replace those dropped.

They are to report at the Assembly with their credentials today for screening.

Also yesterday, people from - Oyo West, Oyo East,

INEC: 800,000 Osun voters registered more than once

O fewer than 800,000 eligible voters registered more than once in Osun State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said yesterday.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Ambassador Rufus Akeju, spoke at a Southwest Stakeholders’ Forum on Advocacy for Inclusive and Accessible Electoral Process for Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria.

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

The forum was organised by the State Accountability and Voice Initiative (SAVI) and held at the Premier Hotel in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Akeju said people who registered more than once would be prosecuted, adding: “Anyone who engages in double registration will be detected by INEC machines and his/her name will be

By Joseph Jibueze

(Oyo), Olalekan Abubakar (Lagos), Seun Adesanya (Ogun), Semiu Babatunde (Ogun), Tope Ademiluyi (Ekiti), Tunde Olowofoyeku (Osun) and Omoniyi Alo (Ondo).

Justice Okon Abang held that the plaintiffs can remain in office until a valid congress is held.

The committee members earlier urged the court to hold that they remain the valid Caretaker Committee members and cannot be replaced.

Justice Abang awarded N30,000 to the plaintiffs.

He said the plaintiffs were tricked into resigning their positions under the guise of conducting a zonal congress.

deleted from the Commission’s data for a long time, in addition to prosecution.

“These people will automatically miss the opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choice in the coming governorship election and those to come after it, because they are the ones creating problems for us.”

He warned registered voters against selling their voter cards to parties, adding that

anyone caught with another person’s card will be jailed.

Akeju said the legislative and executive arms of government must provide blue prints for structures, scope and resources to provide a friendly environment for persons with disabilities to participate in elections.

He said: “Although the Federal Government expressed its desire to protect the rights of people with disabilities by ratifying the United Nations

(UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its accompanying optional protocols in 2007 and 2010, the country is yet to fully domesticate the provisions of the convention by giving legal backing to the international instrument.”

Akeju said INEC lacks the power to redesign the voter card or reserve a quota for people with disabilities, adding that only the National Assembly could do that.

Atiba, Afijio and Ogbomoso local government areas - led by Alhaji Bisiriyu Ajisope and Fola Anifaloba, stormed the State Secretariat Complex to protest against the extensi on of t he i nt er i m chairmen’s tenure.

Ajisope said: “We oppose the imposition of Prince Akeem Adeyemi, Timothy Ogunkunle, Adekunle Muktar Adegboye and Ojoawo Adesoji on the four local governments in Oyo again. They have refused to relate with us. We never enjoyed the dividends of democracy under their reign.”

The protesters urged Governor Ajimobi to rescind his decision on the appointments.

Deputy Governor Moses Alake and the Secretary to the State Government, Ismail Olalekan, praised the protesters for being peaceful and promised to deliver their message to the governor.

THE NATION TUESDAY MAY 13, 2014

9

NEWS

EKITI 2014

Teachers assure Fayemi of re-election

•Governor approves 27.5% teachers allowance •Cancels TDNA

F

ROM teachers across the primary and secondary schools in Ekiti State came yesterday a promise of ensuring another term of four years for Governor Kayode Fayemi, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in June 21 election.

Gathering at the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, the teachers in their thousands, led by Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Chairman, Kayode Akosile praised Fayemi for approving immediate commencement of the payment of the 27.5 per cent pecuniary allowance “despite the meagre resources that accrue to the state”.

The governor, whose administration pays 16 per cent of the allowance, based on negotiation with the teachers, announced the immediate payment of 27.5 per cent while addressing the teachers at a sensitisation programme on the new State Education Programme Investment Project (SEPIP) in Ado-Ekiti yesterday.

Besides, governor cancelled the Teachers Development Needs Assessment (TDNA) test and its replacement with well-structured capacity building programmes for the teachers and administration of questionnaires to students.

These developments are

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

coming barely two months after the state began payment of car loans to primary school teachers, a move said to be the first in the country.

Fayemi, at the forum, directed his deputy, Prof. Modupe Adelabu, to liaise with the leadership of the various teachers’ unions to ensure prompt implementation of the allowance.

Fayemi said: “I want to thank all the teachers for their understanding in accepting the negotiated 16 per cent of this allowance. In our various meetings, they were made to appreciate the lean resources of the state but saw our genuine willingness to meet their demands if we were in a position to do. I am happy to inform you that you will now have the remaining 11.5 per cent.”

After the announcement, the teachers sprang up and, for about 10 minutes, continued shouting “Ko duro soke (stay at the top)”, the governor’s reelection slogan – a metaphor for an admission of the governor’s qualification for leadership position.

Attempts to calm the apparently joyous teachers were futile as they were overwhelmed by the announcement which they least expect-

ed.

Commenting further on the abolishment of the TDNA, the governor hinted that the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology would embark on capaacity building of teachers through cluster school training programmes, local and overseas training, seminars and workshops.

“The governor stated that the committee on the advancement of graduate teachers in public primary schools had recommended a parallel career scheme as obtainable in the civil service so as to enable NCE and degree holders have different career progression.

While reacting to a rumour that his government was compiling the list of workers for disengagement, Fayemi assured his administration nursed no plans to sack teachers, some of whom had spent over 30 years in service.

He said he was not unaware of the politics being played by one of the candidates in the forthcoming election with the state’s performance in the last WAEC result, stressing that the 34th position claimed by the candidate is a farce which had no evidence.

He also presented an 18-seater bus to the state chapter of the NUT as earlier requested by the union.

Speaking on behalf of the teachers, the Chairman of NUT, Mr Kayode Akosile, commended the governor for acceding to implement the 27.5 per cent pecuniary allowance despite the state’s meagre resources.

Thanking the governor for fulfilling the promises he made to teachers on the provision of the bus and the upgrading of the status of teachers from level 16 to 17, Akosile assured Fayemi that teachers were resolute about ensuring the reelection.

To Akosile, teachers have never had it so good since the creation of this state and would never turn to ingrates when the time comes to repay the governor’s gesture towards them.

The NUT chairman recalled that the state had in 2012‚ begun the payment of rural teachers allowances to teachers posted to rural areas as well as a special allowance to teachers teaching core science subjects, in a bid to motivate them for better performance.

At the sensitisation programme were the deputy governor, Commissioner for Education, Mr Kehinde Ojo, Chairman of the State Teaching Service Commission, Chief Bayo Adeniran, and teachers from schools across the state.

‘Fayose’s choice re-assures PDP of victory’

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From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

ORMER Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief Paul Alabi has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was determined to reclaim the state as it had picked former Ekiti State governor, Mr Peter Ayodele Fayose as its candidate.

Alabi reportedly stated this when Fayose paid him a courtesy visit at his residence in Ijesa Isu Ekiti during PDP candidate’s ward to ward campaign tour of Ikole Local Council Area of the state.

According to a statement by Fayose’s spokesman, Mr Idowu Adelusi and made available to reporters in Ado-Ekiti at the weekend, Alabi, who welcomed the PDP candidate warmly, said he remained a loyal and committed member of the PDP and as a disciplined party man, he would support Fayose to win.

Alabi said that Ekiti people are now regretting allowing the All Progressive Congress (APC) to come to power because it did not profit them.

While addressing the people of Ijesa Isu earlier, Fayose said the incoming PDP government would address the problem of unemployement, power and water supply in the state.

He also promised to make primary healthcare the focus of his administration on heath, stressing, “ this area is critical. “There should be comprehensive health contres closer to the people in the interland which must be properly equipped with drugs and medical personnel.

Accord to tackle unemployment

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CCORD candidate in the June 21 governorship election in Ekiti State, Mr Kole Ajayi, has said his administration would tackle unemployment through what he called “a complete holistic policy”.

Addressing members of the Nigerian Youth Movement, Ekiti State chapter yesterday, Ajayi said his administration’s education curriculum would focus on technical vocation and skill acquisition.

Under this policy, according to him, Vocational Technical Education would be given a boost while the already existing technical colleges will be upgraded with modern equipment, adding that technical education shall be free in Ekiti.

Ajayi said his government would establish skills acquisition centres in each local government.

He said interested youths in skills acquisition and vocation would be sponsored to high rise technology inclined companies outside the state for requisite exposure while a legislation would be passed to ensure that all labour and skilled works within Ekiti State both in public and private sector shall be indegenised.

NGO denies PDP candidate’s bribe claim

A

•Wife of Ekiti State Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi (second right); Special Adviser to the Governor on Millennium Development Goals and Development Relations, Mrs. Bunmi Dipo-Salami (right) with beneficiaries of the MDGs’ Village Health Workers Scheme, Ogunmola Yetunde (Oye Local Government); and Olaleye Sade (Ikole Local Government), during the launch of the scheme in Ado-Ekiti... yesterday.

T

By Seun Akioye

CIVIL society organisation, Democracy Vanguard (DV) has said there is no truth in the allegation leveled against it by Ayo Fayose Campaign Organisation .

In a statement made available to our correspondent in Lagos by its National Coordinator, Adeola Soetan, Democracy Vanguard denied recruiting volunteers to bribe voters ahead of next month’s elections in Ekiti.

The group said statements credited to Mr. Gboyega Aribisogan, the director of Information of the Ayo Fayose Campaign Group that the All Progressive Congress (APC) was using it to train 200 volunteers to bribe voters during the election was false. It described it as cheap blackmail.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Democracy Vanguard, as a non-partisan, non-political organisation, has no organic or political relationship with the All Peoples Congress (APC), or any other political parties and candidates in Nigeria,” it said.

The group said it was founded to promote and mobilise mass participation in the democratic process, saying it’s main campaign towards the gubernatorial elections in Osun and Ekiti states have been to mobilise mass participation in the election.

Fayemi accuses INEC, PDP of plot to rig poll

HE Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Federal Government, through the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), of planning to declare Ayo Fayose winner of next month’s governorship election in Ekiti State.

“As part of the rigging plot, the party (PDP) plans to lock down most of the communities in the state with soldiers and policemen who would be ordered to scare residents thus preventing them from exercising their right to vote,” the Fayemi group claimed.

A national leader of the party was quoted to have said: “The APC is just wasting its time by campaigning around the state. By the time we mobilise

•Allegation suspicious, says Fayose’s group soldiers and policemen to those communities, many would run into the bush.”

But the campaign organisation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Mr. Ayo Fayose, has described as suspicious, allegation by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that the PDP and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) plan to rig the June 21 governorship election.

In a statement made available to reporters in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, the Fayemi campaign organisation further alleged that as soon as Fayose is declared, the presidency would then deploy soldiers to silence ensuing protests by

threatening to shoot dissents at sight.

“What the PDP is seeking to create in Ekiti is a war situation to have its way at all costs. They have perfected plans in Abuja to declare Fayose and damn the consequences. They are, however, not taking into consideration the impeccable history of Ekiti people at resisting external forces. The PDP should dust its history books and read up how Ekiti people dealt with external impostors during the Ekiti parapo war against imperialism and poll-riggers in 1965, 1983 and 2007 to 2010. It is said that people study history so as not to repeat mistakes of the past. But the PDP is certainly showing that it is a bad student of histo-

ry.

“Both Ayo Fayose and Iyiola Omisore were chosen as PDP candidates in Ekiti and Osun despite their lack of credibility.

This clearly shows that the PDP is not banking on votes, but on the use of force and federal might.

“The recently released NOI Poll, conducted by Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala (NOI), was to confuse Nigerians and give legitimacy to the PDP’s grand rigging plot.”

According to the spokesperson of the campaign organisation, Dimeji Daniels, who signed the statement, the organisation is shocked that INEC suddenly developed cold feet and made

a moral u-turn on the use of card reader for the conduct of the Ekiti and Osun States governorship election.”

The organisation is more shocked that the electoral umpire has maintained the silence of the grave-yard despite allegations against the PDP that it is copying the VIN numbers on people’s voter’s cards for use in cloning several fake voter’s cards.

“We call on INEC to ensure that the Ayoka debacle of April 2009 is not rehashed on June 21.

We also urge President Goodluck Jonathan to act like a true statesman by ensuring that the Ekiti election is free,fair and credible.

“We equally urge the Nigerian Army not to allow desperate power-thirsty politicians to drag its name in the mud, while we

call on civil society organisations and the international community to beam its searchlight on Ekiti State during, before and after the election to prevent agents of darkness from sending the state back to the dark days.

“We also urge all well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the PDP from carrying out its devilish act in Ekiti State.”

The Ayo Fayose Organisation (AFCO) said in a statement by its director general, Chief Dipo Anisulowo that it was the tradition of the APC to accuse others of what it is planning to perpetrate.

While calling Ekiti people, especially supporters of the PDP to be vigilant before and during the election, AFCO said: “It is obvious that Governor Kayode Fayemi and his APC are planning to manipulate the election.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

10

CITYBEATS

Lagos tackles noise pollution

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie

THE Lagos State Government has vowed to seal off churches and mosques found culpable of noise pollution.

Commissioner for the Environment Mr. Tunji Bello said yesterday that religious institutions should refrain from noise pollution.

He said the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) had been directed to halt proliferation of churches and mosques in residential quarters as part of efforts to reduce noise pollution.

Bello said officials of the ministry would soon meet with religious organisations in the state, adding: “We all worship God and He listens to us; it is not by making noise.”

•Bello

CITYBEATS LINE: 08023247888

Policeman ‘kills’ contractor

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33-year-old building contractor, Oyoma Edewor, has allegedly been killed by a police sergeant in Lagos. Sergeant Otene Goodwin, with Force Number 355272 is attached to the Area ‘E’ Command in Festac Town.

Sources said the late Edewor, who was with his friends, was dragged out of his Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), which was being towed, and shot by the policeman when he tried to assert his right.

It was alleged that the late Edewor had an accident with the vehicle around Lekki and got a towing van to move it to his Festac home.

On getting to Festac, it was learnt that three policemen flagged down the towing van, but the driver did not stop.

When the policemen pursued the van, the driver fled, leaving the deceased and his friends to handle the situation.

Angered by the driver’s action, the policemen allegedly forced the late Edewor and his friends out of their vehicle, beat them up and ordered them to sit on the ground.

The deceased was said to have told the officers that he was helpless since

By Precious Igbonwelundu and Jude Isiguzo

he was being towed by the van and could not stop.

But Goodwin, who is believed said to have been drunk, allegedly shot Edewor, who died on the spot.

After the shooting, the policemen fled the scene.

Passersby, who identified the deceased as a resident of the area, reported the matter to the police following which the suspect was arrested.

A friend of the deceased, identified as Manuwa, while expressing anger over Edewor’s death, accused the police of “twisting the story.”

He berated the police for claiming that it was the van’s driver that was shot, adding that he is pained that the police shed the blood of the innocent.

Manuwa said: “Someone I grew up with was killed by the police. He was raised in Festac and was killed in Festac by the same people who swore to protect us. They were asked to sit on the floor which they did.

While explaining to the officers what had happened, one of them opened fire on Oyoma.

“A crowd got involved.

• The victim’s vehicle with the towing van

‘... the circumstances surrounding the shooting incident are being investigated ... The Nigeria Police is a disciplined organisation and will not tolerate any act of indiscipline from its men and officers’ The policeman said he suspected that Oyoma stole the vehicle. If you know Festac, you would know it is a small community. Passersby identified him as an innocent citizen. When the police realised a mob was growing, they fled the scene.

“The word spreading now is that the policeman was drunk and off-duty.

This is not the first person being killed by the police.

It is very sad that this is still happening. Oyoma cannot die in vain. Now they are claiming it is the van’s driver that was shot; that is a bloody lie.

• The late Edewor

They shot Oyoma; he is not a van’s driver but a building finishing contractor.”

A senior police officer at the Area E Command said the Area Commander, Dan Okoro, an Assistant Commissioner (ACP), was the one who rushed Edewor to the hospital, where he was confirmed dead by doctors following excessive bleeding.

Goodwin, who is now in police custody, was arrested immediately after the incident by Okoro, on the orders of the Commissioner of Police Alhaji Umar Manko.

Police spokesperson Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP),

said Goodwin abandoned his duty post as Station Guard at the Area ‘E’ Command and left for Alakija area where the incident occurred.

She said: “The sergeant is already in police custody and the circumstances surrounding the shooting incident are being investigated.”

Braide added: “The Nigeria Police is a disciplined organisation and will not tolerate any act of indiscipline from its men and officers. The Commissioner of Police Umar A. Manko wishes to use this medium to appeal to the public to remain calm and maintain peace as justice will definitely be done. He also assures the deceased’s family that investigations will be concluded in good time.”

During a condolence visit to the bereaved family, Manko, represented by Okoro, promised that the killer would face the law.

He said: “We are assuring you that justice must be done. We won’t say because he is our own and cover him; no way! We must do the right thing and we will carry the family and the public along with our investigations”

Two police officers die in accident

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WO police officers lost their lives in an accident yesterday.

Two others were injured while escorting seven suspected armed robbers from Kaduna to Lagos.

Four of the suspects escaped; three others were injured.

The incident occurred about 2.30 pm at the Onigare Village on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Operatives of the Special

T

•As four robbery suspects escape

By Ebele Boniface

Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Lagos State Police Command, were coming with the suspects, who were arrested in Kaduna.

A source said the vehicle somersaulted four times, leading to the death of two policemen.

Evbouan Aighakhai, an Inspector with AP No.

100445 from Edo State, and Sergeant Nuru Aliyu Sanni, with Force No. 210849 from Katsina State, died at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, where they were rushed to.

Their bodies are at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja morgue.

The injured were also taken to the hospital.

Govt appeals judgment against LASTMA

HE Lagos State Government has appealed the N10 million judgment against it by an Ikeja High Court.

Last week, Justice Doris Okuwobi ordered the Lagos state Traffic Managment Authourty (LASTMA) to pay a commercial motorcyclist N10 million compensation.

The judgment is for the in-

By Jude Isiguzo

juries sustained by Samson Diebie, which led to the amputation of his arm.

General Manager of LASTMA, Babatunde Edu, an engineer, said the appeal became necessary because neither the authority nor its staff was responsible for Diebie’s injury.

Edu, who expressed optimism that the judgment would be reviewed in favour of LASTMA at the Appeal Court, said: “The issues of jurisdiction, nonprovision of police investigation and medical reports, among others, would swing the decision in favour of the authority at the Court of Appeal”.

BUSINESS

11

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

CBN urges policies to address inequality From Nduka Chiejina,

T

(Asst. Editor)

HE Central Bank of Ni geria (CBN) has urged the federal Government to come up with policies to address the issue of inequality and unemployment to complement the success of its reforms.

Represented by the Deputy Governor, Corporate Services, Mr Suleiman Barau, the CBN Acting Governor Mrs Sarah Alade appealed to the Federal Government to focus on diversifying the economy from oil dependence to agro and industrial based economy.

“The successes achieved over the years could not have been possible without the right legal framework,” Mrs Alade said in Abuja while speaking at the first national seminar on Banking, Finance and Matters for Legislators.

Sshe canvassed for the strengthening of the autonmy of the CBN to enable it enjoy full independence as currently obtains around the world.

Senate President David Mark who also spoke at the event said a situation where banks declare huge profits while the sectors they are supposed to finance are suffering under what he described as “harsh and unbearable terms” must be addressed.

Represented by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Planning, Senator Barnabas Gemade, he said: “A lot has been said in financial sector reforms but much needed to be done to arrive at the desired destination.”

He said the Senate president will help to bring about an all-inclusive growth for the benefit of all.

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

NLNG is one of the biggest success stories in our country. From what I am told, the company has invested $13 billion so far since inception, and has become a pacesetter in terms of revenue generation for the government.

-Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr Olusegun Aganga

PIB passage: Reps blame Presidency, NNPC for delays T

HE House of Repre sentatives yesterday accused the Presidency and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) of delaying the passage the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) into law.

The lower legislative chamber which spoke through its Committee on Commerce, said the bill would have long been passed were it not for the constant reviews it has been subjected to by both the Corporation and the Presidency.

The Committee chair, Hon. Sylvester Ogbaga (PDP, Ebonyi) who spoke in Abuja at a one-day interactive session on investment in the oil and gas sector, tagged, ‘Enhancing The Oil and Gas Value Chain,’ said the legislature would have passed the bill if not for its incessant reviews.

From Victor Oluwasegun, Abuja

He said: “People always think that the delay being experienced in the passage of the PIB is caused by the National Assembly which is very wrong. The bill would have been passed if not for the way both the Executive and the NNPC kept recalling it for content update and modification in line with current trends, so it’s not solely on the part of the National Assembly as Nigerians are being made to believe.”

He explained that Nigeria as the largest market in Africa, offers unique investment opportunities in refining, storage, transportation

and marketing of petroleum, petrochemicals and allied products and this would be enhanced with further reforms by the government.

“The Nigerian oil and gas value chain is undergoing a radical transformation following government’s commitment towards the key legislative reforms and aspiration by gradually becoming the undisputed regional hub for gas based industries such as fertiliser, petrochemical and ethanol,” he added.

Also speaking, an official of the NNPC, Dr. Soala Ariweriokuma, said in order to encourage investors, the Corporation has always pushed for due legislation for enhancement of the oil and gas

value chain in the country.

He said there is need for lawmakers to expedite action by enacting relevant legislations that would minimise losses and maximise economic gains, adding that recent discoveries in the sector have brought about a shiff in competition and the review of the tax regime to serve as an incentive in that direction.

Dr. Soala said: “Nigeria may be a major producer of oil and gas in the world, but the world is not waiting for Nigeria to arrive. The recent discoveries of shale oil and shale gas in the US, Europe and China has adversely affected the market for Nigerian cargoes, especially to the US. Before now, Nigeria was shipping about 13 cargoes

of gas to the US per annum, but that has been reduced to one due to the discovery of shale gas.”

Another contributor, Chris Kaka of the Chartered Institute of Financial Investment of Nigeria (CIFIN), called for the review of the tax administration in the country, particularly with respect to the period of tax holiday investors get. “ The indiscriminate giving of tax incentives to investors in the sector needs to be reviewed to favour the nation’s economy if we must correct the incidence of running our budgets on deficit which has been on since 2002.”

He said a situation where a company such as the Nigerian Liquefied Vatural Gas (NLNG) would be given a tax holiday up to the period of ten years, is not healthy for the economy.

• President Goodluck Jonathan, (6th from left) Vice President Namadi Sambo (7th from left) Aganga (4th from right) Alade (3rd from right), Dangote(5th from PHOTO AKIN OLADOKUN. left) and other members of the Committee at the Presidential Villa Abuja...yesterday.

Jonathan inaugurates Advisory Committee on NIRP

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, inaugurated the President Advisory Committee (PAC) on the implementation of the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP).

Speaking at the event, the president said the NIRP PAC is expected to, among other things, discuss the quarterly progress of the NIRP and provide feedback and advice on how to maximise the programme’s impact.

He said the Committee will also provide input into the NIRP work plan for subsequent quarters, and bring international perspective on industrialisation based on the experiences of other countries.

He said the members will also serve as ambassadors to the larger private sector and the international community, adding that Nigeria is on the path of economic reform and industrialisation.

Jonathan also noted that members were carefully selected from strategic sectors of the economy, adding that the NIRP would fast-track the nation’s march towards industrialisation.

The Committee, which comprises mainly repre-

• Over 100m Nigerians to go above poverty line From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

sentatives from strategic Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the government, as well as leading private sector industrialists, will be chaired by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, with foremost industrialist and Africa’s richest man Alhaji Aliko Dangote, serving as Alternate Chairman.

Other PAC members from the public sector include the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr.Samuel Ortom; Minister of Works, Mike Onolemenmen; Minister of Power, Prof.

Chinedu Nebo and his Transport counterpart, Idris Umar, as well as the Acting Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Sarah Alade.

The private sector representatives include the President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Chief Kola Jamodu,Chairman, Honeywell Group, Oba

Otudeko; President, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Alhaji Mohammed Abubarkar and the Nigeria Country Head of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Dr. Patrick Kormawa, among others.

The President reffered to members of the Committee as “our best minds and the most dauntless investors in Nigeria’s Industrial sector,” saying they represent the best of the Nigerian Industry.

He said they have been carefully selected across strategic industrial sectors of the NIRP, including cement, basic steel, cocoa processing, petrochemicals, textiles, foods and beverages, among others.

He explained that the selection also ensured adequate national coverage, North, South, East, West, and International; and we have representation from key stakeholder groups.

He said” “I am embold-

ened by the achievements we have already recorded while implementing parts of the NIRP over the last three years.

“The NIRP is a journey Nigeria must undertake. I am confident that this plan will industrialise our great country and that it will create the jobs and wealth. We can, and we must Industrialise Nigeria. No country has become rich by only producing and exporting its raw materials. This is an economic policy that leads nowhere.”

He said NIRP is aimed at building a strong manufacturing base and to lift more than 100 millions Nigerians out of poverty.

The 25-man Presidential Committee, chaired by the Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr Olusegun Aganga and alternate Chairman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has majority of its members from the private sector.

According to the President, Nigeria is taking after China with the introduction of NIRP, which he claimed has successfully trans-

formed to a global player through industrialisation.

He said: “China has effectively through its industrial and manufacturing sector becomes the largest economy in the world. Nigeria can also do the same not necessarily be the largest economy in the world but our target is to be among the top 20.”

“From the information I gathered, manufacturing and services in China has lifted over 500 million people out of poverty. With industrialisation, at least we can lift less than 200 million people out of poverty.”

With half a trillion dollar economy, which is the largest in Africa and the 9th largest workforce in the world, he said that Nigeria possesses the entrepreneurial spirit.

He stressed that the Industrialisation Revolution Plan is the agenda of the government to achieving the goal.

“If China can do it I believe we can also do it. To accomplish this however, we must do things differently; we must begin to add value to our resources through research development. We must industrialise.” He added

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

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BUSINESS NEWS SON sets standards for cement • Group warns of jobs loss cement sector

T •From left: Director General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Muda Yusuf, Supervisor, Africa Group 1, Kenji Kuriyama, Project General Manager, Africa ! and Project Manager, Africa 1, Masahide Sekiguchi, both of Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Tokyo, President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Alhaji Remi Bello, Deputy Head of Mission, Nigerian Embassy in Tokyo and Leader of Delegation, Ambassador Inalegwu Victor Ogar, Representative, Eko Tokyo Catalyst Partners, Tokyo, Katsunori Hirai and Minister, Embassy of Nigeria in Tokyo, Mr. Isiaka Imam, during the visit of a Japanese Trade Mission to the Chamber recently.

Court bars FRCN from probing Sanusi

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USPENDED Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Sanusi Lamido yesterday won another major legal battle against the Federal Government.

The Federal High Court in Lagos restrained the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN) from probing him.

Justice James Tsoho held there is clear evidence that FRCN’s bid to investigate Sanusi’s tenure at CBN is tainted by bias and motivated by bad faith.

He said while FRCN Act empowered to conduct such an enquiry, it cannot do so without recourse to due process.

Justice Tsoho held that FRCN’s declaration in a Briefing Note dated June 7 and submitted to President Goodluck Jonathan were ultra vires (outside) their powers as contained in the FRCN Act, 2011.

He said the defendants, including FRCN’s Executive Secretary, having reached a conclusion as to Sanusi’s culpability as Governor of CBN, as indicated in the briefing note and newspaper publications, can no longer conduct any investigation on the same matter.

The judge resolved all the

By Joseph Jibueze

issues for determination in Sanusi’s favour, saying the suspended CBN boss was right not to honour FRCN’s invitation.

“I don’t accept the arguments of the defendants that they acted in line with the law. They did not or have not respected the spirit of the enabling provisions of the Act,” the judge said.

Justice Tsoho said defendants went against the principles of natural justice by not giving Sanusi the chance to defend himself before they issued a report on the basis of which he was suspended.

“The defendants have acted ultra vires their powers.

They can not investigate the plaintiff’s tenure at CBN for the simple reason that the defendants have acted in breach of the principles of natural justice,” the judge held.

According to Justice Tsoho, FRCN was the accuser, prosecutor, judge and jury in its own case.

He said had Sanusi accepted FRCN’s invitation to appear before the probe panel, it would have amounted to going to enemy territory.

“Submitting himself to the

panel would have been like a cockroach finding itself in the midst of fouls,” Justice Tsoho said, to the amusement of the packed courtroom.

He held there was “unequivocal evidence of bad faith” by FRCN. According to the judge, Sanusi was not called upon to make representations at any panel before his suspension.

“Paragraph one of his suspension letter is based on the Briefing Notes. The defendants have continued to act malafide (in bad faith),” he held.

The judge added there is “glaring evidence” that the defendants are biased and are unlikely to conduct a fair inquiry into Sanusi’s tenure.

“They are consequently disqualified to carry out such investigation,” the judge held, adding that should they be allowed to do so, they would only reach a “jaundiced and skewed” conclusion.

Justice Tsoho further held that the plaintiff sought judicial intervention, and there was, therefore, need “to call the defendants to order by restraining them from overreaching themselves.”

“The whole questions are answered in favour of the plaintiff and all his reliefs

are granted,” the judge held.

Sanusi had also sought the following: “A declaration that the defendant’s recommendation regarding the plaintiff in briefing note date June 7, 2013, that he be removed from office as CBN Governor, were ultra vires their powers under the FRCN Act 2011.

“A declaration that the proposed investigation as advertised in the Punch newspaper of March 24, in the circumstance of having reached a conclusion in the briefing note of June 2013, before embarking on the investigation, is tantamount to a breach of natural justice.

“A declaration that the defendant do not have the power to conduct investigation as advertised in the newspaper.”

The CBN governor asked for an order restraining the defendants or any person, body, agent, or privies, under its authority, or pursuant to the FRCN Act, from conducting and continuing any investigation or inquiry as advertised.

He also prayed for an order setting aside or nullifying any report, conclusion or recommendation, based on any purported investigation conducted by FRCN.

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HE controversies sur rounding the right quality of cement has been laid to rest with the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Olusegu Aganga reported to have approved new cement standards in the country.

Earlier, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Governing Council recently met in Abuja and approved the recommendation on the new cement standards before it was sent to Aganga for final approval A top official of SON confirmed in Lagos yesterday that the approval which is already being conveyed to the manufacturers, showed that the new grade-strengths of cement production in Nigeria NlS 444-1, which automatically becomes the new composition and conformity criteria for common cement in the country.

The SON official said however that the industry operators will be given few months to enable them time to implement the new rules.

Said he: “The standards were reviewed because the existing ones had attained five year mandatory period for review as well as due to concerns over the quality of cement in the Nigerian markets.

There are also fears over misapplication of the different strength classes of cement which was allegedly attributed to the frequent collapse of buildings in Nigeria.

“All the relevant stakeholders and experts in the cement sub-sector such as cement manufacturers, universities, research institutes, consumer associations, Block Moulders Association of Nigeria, non-governmental Organisations, Ministries, Departments and Agencies, among others, fully participated in the activities leading to the review of the standards.”

According to him, the review incorporated information on the application of the various grades of cement as well as additional information and fea-

By Toba Agboola

tures on the bag of cement.

He stated further that the features/information include: colour code for proper identification according to strength class and the coloured part of the bag with the labelling information is to take one-third of the bag surface on both sides.

Again, the location address of manufacturer, batch number and expiry date shall be stated under the new regime on cement.

Following the new order, the information on application of the product are as follows: CEM I 52.5R and 52.5N for use in the construction of bridges; CEM II 42.5R, 42.5N for use in the casting of columns, beams, slabs, block moulding; CEM I & II 32.5R, 32.5N for plastering of buildings only.

However, the Chemical and Non Metallic Product Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (CANMPSSAN), an affiliate of Trade Union Council (TUC), has warned the Federal Government that thousands of its members may lose their jobs in the cement sector if the government continues with its policy inconsistencies.

Addressing newsmen over the weekend in Lagos, its President, Comrade Mohammed Abdul Gafar said the cement sub-sector had been inundated with new strategy of monopolising the entire industry, warning that any efforts to ban the use of 32.5 cement grade will lead to thousands of job loss because most of the factory will have to shut down.

“If the government comes out with a policy that 32.5 grade of cement should not be used, we will reject such policy.

“We as labour union will support any effort that will stop the incidence of building collapses. We are prepared to partner with relevant governmental agencies to see that building collapses become a thing of the past.

Electricity pensioners protest alleged non-payment of salaries

ORMER workers of the Ibadan Electricity Dis tribution Company (IBEDC) Plc acting under the aegis of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Kwara State chapter yesterday protested against alleged nonpayment of their salaries and other entitlements.

The protesters thronged the Challenge Office of the company in Ilorin, wielding different placards.

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

They urged the Federal Government and the Board of Nigeria Electricity Liability Management, GTE/LTD to address their plights.

The protesters however did not obstruct human and vehicular traffic within the company as they did not block the entrance to the IBEDC, Challenge Unit of-

fice.

Some of the placards read: ‘FG & NEMCO please pay our monthly pension and gratuity and other benefits.’

‘FG, let your agreement of 2012 prior to privatisation of PHCN stand; We are old people. You too will be old.’ ‘FG be sympathetic and pay us our entitlement and other benefits; NELMCO/FG, we are old people. Don’t let us die.’

‘Funding, insecurity bane of aviation

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HE Aeronautic Infor mation Service Asso ciation of Nigeria ( AISAN) has identified inadequate funding and insecurity as some of the major challenges facing the country’s aviation industry.

In a bid to resolve the challenges and make Nigeria compliant with international best practices, the association has called on the Federal Government to invest more on state-of-the-art air navigation equipment.

Speaking to reporters yesterday at the headquarters of the Nigerian Airspace Man-

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

agement Agency ( NAMA) in Lagos, its President, Mr. Babatunde Shittu, said the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), has set October, 2016 as deadline for all contracting states to migrate to the latest technology in aeronautical information management which he said, is divided into three phases.

The three phases are: consolidation, digital and information management stages.

He said Nigeria is still in the first stage of the automation process and emphasised that

the contract for the automation of aeronautical information service has been contracted since 2007.

He said at least 95 per cent of the contract sum has already been paid to the contractor.

He added that 11 sites would be connected with the automation, which includ the headquarters of NAMA, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Maiduguri, kano, Jos, Sokoto, Ilorin, Wukari, Lagos Airport and the headquarters of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

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TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

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THE NATION

BUSINESS PROPERTY/ENVIRONMENT

* The Environment * Mortgage * Apartments * Security * Homes * Real Estate Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.com 08062722507

property@thenationonlineng.net muyiwalucas2002@yahoo.com

With the launch of the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company on January 16, there are hopes that the estimated 17 million housing gap may soon be filled. Will NMRC deliver on its mandate or will it go the way of others before it? Assistant Editor, MUYIWA LUCAS reports.

•Housing Estates: How many of these can NMRC provide?

Mortgage Refinance: Hope rises for mass housing Firm introduces

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OR many Nigerians, accommodation is a problem. From Lagos to Abuja, Kano, Calabar, Benin, Ilorin, Port Harcourt, Warri and Yenagoa, housing is a challenge. Many do not have a home despite working for years. Their hopes of getting houses through mortgage have also not been met. As things are, there is a 17million housing gap which needs to be filled. Can government address the problem.

President Goodluck Jonathan launched the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC), which is an initiative targeted at addressing the 17 million housing deficit raising the hope of many home seekers. With the NMRC, the President is convinced that his administration is creating the “enabling environment for primary mortgage banks and other financial institutions to offer real mortgage facilities to Nigerians at affordable rates.”

Jonathan’s conviction is premised on the mandate given to the NMRC- to provide mortgagelending institutions with access to long-term finance at an affordable interest rate, which in turn will enable mortgages to be issued by these institutions to Nigerians at longer tenors and affordable rates.

By implication, the provision of mortgage loans at longer tenors will provide the average working Nigerian citizens an opportunity to buy a home and conveniently pay for it. Simply put, NMRC is government inspired but a private sector-led effort to provide affordable housing for Nigerians through loans accessed from mortgage and commercial banks.

It is being implemented as a component of the Nigeria Housing Finance Programme, an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Finance in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development (FMLHUD) and the World Bank / International Finance Corporation (IFC).

Experts in mortgage financing say that the scheme is a vehicle set up to bridge the funding cost of residential mortgages and promote the availability and affordability of good housing to working Nigerians by providing mortgage lending banks with increased access to liquidity and longer terms funds in the mortgage market. It is designed to be an integral part of the country’s financial system, with special focus on housing finance and / or the mortgage system, with the primary aim of resolving access to affordable housing finance and, more importantly, as a focal point for creating an enabling environment for housing finance by playing a strong developmental role in supporting the improvement of land, legal framework, housing development and construction. Thus, it is the latest hope for low-income earners who currently cannot afford the cost of a mortgage loan. As a takeoff for the scheme, the World Bank has approved a concessional US$300 million 40-year interest free International Development Association (IDA) loan, which is obtained to facilitate the execution of the Housing Finance Programme. About $250 million of the IDA loan will be disbursed in instalments to NMRC as Tier 2 Capital based on key performance indicators – it will be retained on NMRC’s balance sheet to provide credit support for NMRC’s bond

issuances. The balance of US$50 million will be allocated to other components of the Housing Finance Programme as follows: $25 million for the establishment of a Mortgage Guarantee Facility for lower income borrowers and $25 million to support the development and piloting of Housing Microfinance Products. This is where the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), will benefit a $25 million facility from for the purpose of improving on its mass housing programme and also to use same to empower some of its microfinance partners in the housing scheme. This measure is also believed to be a major step that will reposition the Federal Housing Authority (FHA).

While both the NMRC and FMBN are working to achieve the same housing solution, a clear cut distinction exists between the two bodies. Both are working on different aspects of providing affordable housing for Nigerians. Primarily, FMBN is a public sector institution focused on providing mass housing and mobilisation of housing funds for the needy in the society. Here, loans are directly accessed by the citizens through the National Housing Fund (NHF) in accordance with the provisions of the NHF Act. The NHF fund is also to service the non-salaried informal populace. This is in contrast to the NMRC, which acts as a secondary mortgage refinancing institution that will inject liquidity from the capital market to support mortgage loans accessed through

respective financial institutions.

These institutions include mortgage and commercial banks.

NMRC does not provide mortgage loans directly to individuals because it serves as a wholesale financial institution which refinances portfolios of mortgage and commercial banks rather than originating individual mortgages; hence, it will cater for financial institutions rather than individual borrowers.

It is hoped that the introduction of NMRC will bring down the cost of mortgage loan by improving market efficiency, lowering cost of funds and allowing for longer repayment tenor period by financial institutions. NMRC as an intervention medium will encourage access to mortgage loans from financial institutions at currently approximately 2.5 per cent above where the Federal Government borrows.

Already, 14 states of the country have expressed support towards implementation of the housing finance programme. The pilot states are Abia, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Ekiti, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Ogun, Ondo and Abuja.

Barring any delay, the scheme, which promises so much hope for Nigerians will begin operation by the end of the second quarter this year. However, how well it will achieve its desired impact is what Nigerians await.

‘It is hoped that the introduction of NMRC will bring down the cost of mortgage loan by improving market efficiency, lowering cost of funds and allowing for longer repayment tenor period by financial institutions NMRC as an intervention medium will encourage access to mortgage loans from financial institutions at currently approximately 2.5 per cent above where the Federal Government borrows’

machines

CFAO Equipment, a subsidiary of the CFAO Group in Nigeria, has introduced a range of multipurpose machines called Bobcat into the market. According to the Managing Director of CFAO Equipment, Mr. Francois Saget, Bobcat will change the way people work in building, construction sites and many other industries in the country.

As the exclusive distributor of Bobcat machines and the sole provider of its genuine parts and maintenance services in Nigeria, CFAO Equipment would be aiming at contributing to the pace of infrastructural development, agricultural cultivation, environmental landscaping, mining development and drainage maintenance using only one Bobcat machine, SAGET said.

Bobcat machines , he explained, are small machines acting as tool carriers that do a lot of different jobs depending on the accessory fitted to them at any given time; the tool can go for another within a couple of minutes. Saget described the equipment as a single equipment with 100 and one functional possibilities and a hard worker that does not occupy too much space.There is no need to block a road during the job or expensive truck to transport a Bobcat machine and its accessories.

“The machine was made to provide multi-dimensional business solutions and opportunities in the various areas of the Nigerian economy including, mining, agriculture, construction, material handling, landscaping, leveling, demolition, wall works, sand clearing, farming and electrical feeder network, among others,” he explained.

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

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COMMENTARY EDITORIALS

FROM OTHER LANDS

#Bringbackthegirls •The president and his team must rise to attention and spare us the agonies and international disgrace

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T is no more news that we have at- far on security, since we are in the sectracted, like many other times, atten- ond quarter of the year.

Yet with all that humongous outlay, tion to our dear country for the wrong reasons. We have attracted attention not we do not justify that generous eye on only because 200-plus young girls were our money with the stature and capacferreted away by dedicated rascals who ity of our military. In his presidential called themselves God’s disciples. We chat, President Jonathan said the milihave attracted attention not just because tary lags in equipment and training. In we have a military that stumbled at spite of over N2 trillion? That is why we every turn at a formidable opponent. We need the Jonathan administration to have, more tragically, drawn the world’s render account to Nigeria on how we ridicule because of a bumbling presi- have expended such a sum of money dency that has exposed a naiveté and and we cannot see any form of surveillack of understanding of governance in lance technology to monitor and track an age of expectation. In the midst of it, the hoodlums who have roamed, with we suffer pain, tensions, apprehensions, leonine defiance and damage, plundered lives and property in the Northfantasies of tragedy.

That explains why the president, east of the country, complete with rapGoodluck Ebele Jonathan, reacted only ine and ruin.

Yet, last week, during the World Ecothree weeks when the vulnerable citizens were already ominously secure in nomic Forum that Nigeria hosted for vanity, former British prime minister anthe arms of their predators.

That explains why the president displayed a stunning disbelief that the young girls were missing when, in the last presidential chat, he thrust the onus of responsibility on the parents, and asked them to cooperate by providing pictures.

His wife, Patience, demonstrated no virtue when she chided protesters and even ordered the arrest of those who expressed not only their inalienable rights in a democracy but also showed open emotions.

She shamelessly quipped that no girl was missing. We are sure she saw the pictures now virile in the world media. If, of course for her, seeing is believing.

When such unfortunate incidents such as the kidnap of many girls happen, it is time not only for action but also accountability. One of the cries of the past half year since the escalation of the violence of the Boko Haram insurgents is the call for accounting for the • President Jonathan budget allocated for security since the Jonathan presidency started prosecuting its war against the nounced a $10 million donation to promilitants. The budgets of 2012, 2013 and tect the schools in the area. This is small 2014 have been especially high. money in comparison but it is money For 2012, the budget allocation was already accounted for at N3.3 million per N921.91 billion. In 2013, the sum budg- school in a year. We need such clinical eted was N950 billion. This year’s numbers from the presidency and the budget is N845 billion. For the three National Assembly should not play coy years, the Federal Government has in this matter. They ought to step in budgeted N2.7 trillion for security, and since they approved this meaningless this covers the armed forces, police, the jamboree in the name of the people’s office of the national security adviser, safety. and other operational costs. We are still It is this failure to account for the in the throes of 2014, so we cannot say money that leads to foreign countries that all N2.7 trillion have been spent on promising to provide equipment that we security in the past three years. ought to have bought with our money Yet, we can say that with 2012 and 2013 and implemented to prevent the tragbehind us, at least N1.8 trillion went to edy we live through practically every security in the past two years. But this is day as a people. not early days in 2014, so we can surely We still wonder why the president utsay that at least the Federal Government tered with confidence the untruth that can say it has spent at least N2 trillion so he had called the United States Presi-

‘Yet, we can say that with 2012 and 2013 behind us, at least N1.8 trillion went to security in the past two years. But this is not early days in 2014, so we can surely say that at least the Federal Government can say it has spent at least N2 trillion so far on security, since we are in the second quarter of the year. Yet with all that humongous outlay, we do not justify that generous eye on our money with the stature and capacity of our military’

dent Barack Obama to help with equipment and soldiers. He was exposed by both British and American governments when they announced that offers to help came but his government rebuffed the overtures. That was disingenuous governance and failure to connect with the people who voted him into office.

How can the president have been serious about the fight against terror in the eyes of the Americans and other western countries when the same presidency fought furiously against even the Christian Association of Nigeria when the clamour came to brand Nigeria a place of terror. The presidency balked at such branding because top brass of the administration would fail to enjoy travel privileges and visas. Their private vanities trumped national interest. They lived in denial and expected Boko Haram and its murderous scourge to, in line with the president infamous quote, somehow quietly and providentially disappear.

Amnesty International reported that the army was informed hours before the Boko Haram onslaught on Chibok, but the military failed to act. Yet, the Nigerian army had fought back that they had no such forewarning. If such documented evidence can be denied by the military brass, it only confirms what Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka described as the government’s sense of denial about the crisis. They have not been able to explain why several trucks could ram through the streets of Borno State to the now mythicised Sambisa forest.

It is amazing that apart from the symbolic changing of the service chiefs, Jonathan has not demonstrated seriousness by sacking or asking for the firing of men down the military and political chains who have failed in critical moments of Boko haram tragedy. Merely changing service chiefs only shows that the problem lies with the commanderin-chief who has failed to provide the vision and the discipline of example. In more organised climes, President Jonathan would either have been impeached or resigned.

Apart from the president’s rhetorical stumbles, we have also witnessed some of the president’s lieutenants who have weighed in but not with logic. They have proffered inelegant untruths like Doyin Okupe’s assertion that 200 sorties had been executed in the area at a time the president said they were advised by the military not to go into the Sambisa forest. Okupe who is the president’s spokesman also said two battalions had been unleashed. A battalion is a subset of a brigade which is a subset of a division. Yet we have a division deployed in the area at the time of the onslaught at Chibok.

It is the string of inelegances that has turned the president and his team into a laughing stock not only in the diplomatic circles and international press but also in the bursting temper of the social media. The president must wake out of his lethargy and show leadership. It must also do that by giving us daily, if periodic, updates of reports and words that inspire rather than the insipid air that sterilises our hope.

The Rise of Antibiotic Resistance

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HE World Health Organization has surveyed the growth of antibiotic-resistant germs around the world — the first such survey it has ever conducted — and come up with disturbing findings. In a report issued late last month, the organization found that antimicrobial resistance in bacteria (the main focus of the report), fungi, viruses and parasites is an increasingly serious threat in every part of the world. “A problem so serious that it threatens the achievements of modern medicine,” the organization said. “A post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries can kill, far from being an apocalyptic fantasy, is instead a very real possibility for the 21st century.”

The growth of antibiotic-resistant pathogens means that in ever more cases, standard treatments no longer work, infections are harder or impossible to control, the risk of spreading infections to others is increased, and illnesses and hospital stays are prolonged.

All of these drive up the costs of illnesses and the risk of death. The survey sought to determine the scope of the problem by asking countries to submit their most recent surveillance data (114 did so). Unfortunately, the data was glaringly incomplete because few countries track and monitor antibiotic resistance comprehensively, and there is no standard methodology for doing so.

Still, it is clear that major resistance problems have already developed, both for antibiotics that are used routinely and for those deemed “last resort” treatments to cure people when all else has failed.

Carbapenem antibiotics, a class of drugs used as a last resort to treat life-threatening infections caused by a common intestinal bacterium, have failed to work in more than half the people treated in some countries. The bacterium is a major cause of hospital-acquired infections such as pneumonia, bloodstream infections, and infections in newborns and intensive-care patients. Similarly, the failure of a last-resort treatment for gonorrhea has been confirmed in 10 countries, including many with advanced health care systems, such as Australia, Canada, France, Sweden and Britain. And resistance to a class of antibiotics that is routinely used to treat urinary tract infections caused by E. coli is widespread; in some countries the drugs are now ineffective in more than half of the patients treated. This sobering report is intended to kick-start a global campaign to develop tools and standards to track drug resistance, measure its health and economic impact, and design solutions.

The most urgent need is to minimize the overuse of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture, which accelerates the development of resistant strains. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has issued voluntary guidelines calling on drug companies, animal producers and veterinarians to stop indiscriminately using antibiotics that are important for treating humans on livestock; the drug companies have said they will comply. But the agency, shortsightedly, has appealed a court order requiring it to ban the use of penicillin and two forms of tetracycline by animal producers to promote growth unless they provide proof that it will not promote drug-resistant microbes.

The pharmaceutical industry needs to be encouraged to develop new antibiotics to supplement those that are losing their effectiveness. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society, which represents pharmacists in Britain, called this month for stronger financial incentives. It said that no new class of antibiotics has been discovered since 1987, largely because the financial returns for finding new classes of antibiotics are too low. Unlike lucrative drugs to treat chronic diseases like cancer and cardiovascular ailments, antibiotics are typically taken for a short period of time, and any new drug is apt to be used sparingly and held in reserve to treat patients resistant to existing drugs.

Antibiotics have transformed medicine and saved countless lives over the past seven decades. Now, rampant overuse and the lack of new drugs in the pipeline threatens to undermine their effectiveness.

- New York Times

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

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THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

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CARTOON & LETTERS

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IR: It was Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler’s propagandist-inchief who made the infamous statement that “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it”.

It is this same infamous path that Iyiola Omisore, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP) in the August 9, election, has been threading, with his repeated call for the removal of Ambassador Rufus Akeju, Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner.

He has been making this inane call since 2012 and has heightened it since he emerged the flag bearer of his party. The allegation is actually a twoin-one. The first is that Akeju is biased because, according to Omisore, he had a relationship with APC leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. The second is that a court had ordered the removal of Akeju, which INEC refused to carry out, thus retaining him in flagrant disregard for the court.

The unsaid implication of this allegation is that Akeju is an APC mole in Osun ready to do the bidding of the party with INEC’s tacit approval.

Omisore in his characteristic recklessness threatened solemnly at his party secretariat in Osogbo that he would never allow Akeju to conduct the coming governorship election.

How he would stop the election is still not known. He might as well have it in mind to violently disrupt the election and I hope the security agencies have taken note of this threat to the election and should call him for questioning. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. He could also have

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IR: Mohammed Haruna’s piece in The Nation of April 24 titled “As we crucify Nyako…” is a resource material for the dustbin.

I have nothing against Nyako and his friend, Mohammed Haruna but I urge those close to them to always admonish them with the mantra of Martin Luther King Jnr, that ‘’we must learn that to passively accept an unjust system is to co-operate with that system and thereby become a participate in its evil’’.

While the editorial of The Nation unequivocally condemned in strong terms Nyako’s needless and reckless memo, Mohammed Haruna wrote

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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

Omisore’s ranting on Osun REC

meant that he would crash Abuja’s power on INEC to have Akeju thrown away from Osogbo. Whatever is in the dark recesses of his mind, he did not mean well.

However, the truth of the matter is that there is no subsisting court order on Akeju. PDP had gone to court and obtained an injunction against INEC for the conduct of the 2011 elections. Strangely, the same PDP went back to court ask for ‘stay of execu-

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tion’. The judge, Babs Kuewumi, was alarmed, and told them pointedly that normally, it is the defendant whom judgement was awarded against, that seeks ‘stay of execution’ and not the plaintiff who won the relief he sought from the court. He then granted PDP the ‘stay of execution’.

It is therefore the height of mendacity for Omisore to turn around to allege that INEC is disobeying court order. I ask again, which order?

When the PDP at the meeting of political parties with INEC chairman in Osogbo asked for the removal of Akeju, Prof Attahiru Jega told them that they should bring credible evidence of Akeju’s bias or any allegation they might have against him.

They have not done this; instead, they have continued on this Goebbelian path of repeating a lie so often with the false hope that people will believe it.

Interestingly, the defeated Osun PDP candidates in the 2011 elections did not challenge their defeats. Even Omisore who was roundly thrashed and humiliated by his opponent, Senator Babajide Omoworare, even in his ward, did not challenge the result at the tribunal or the regular courts. Only Honourable Wole Oke went to the tribunal and the appeal court and came back empty-handed.

Osun PDP did not boycott the elections conducted by Akeju and no election conducted by him has been upturned by any election petition tribunal, appeal court or the Supreme Court. What then is the basis of the vilification of this man by Omisore and his gang? Is he looking for the fall guy for his inexorable defeat in the coming election, as always?

• Femi Igbayilola, Osogbo, Osun State

Resolving the LASU crisis

IR: The unfortunate situation at the Lagos State University, Ojoo, Lagos State has unnecessarily dragged on for too long. This should not be. All stakeholders should wade into the matter to avert further harm to the students, parents, academic life and the image of the university. Over the years, critical stakeholders in the university had called for an overhaul of the institution. In a bid to resolve the crisis, various unions in LASU, including the Student Union Government, once stormed the Lagos State House of Assembly with the main demand that the state government should set up a Visitation Panel to look into the various challenges that have

reduced the ivory tower to a ‘glorified secondary school’.

That was the origin of the panel which proposed an increase in tuition fees, replacement of the then vicechancellor, intervention of the government in the upgrade of infrastructural facilities and the intensification of efforts towards the accreditation of courses being offered, among other recommendations.

A major component of the union’s demands is for the state government to totally reverse the fees being charged students, which currently ranges from between N197, 000 to 350, 000. The union and others are also demanding the cancellation of the ‘no

Re: As we crucify Nyako to coat the devilish memo with silent and conspicuous approbation.

This man could not even condemn the lugubrious and devastating trade of those who kill in the name of education and religion in his piece. To him nothing is wrong with the satanic trade but something is wrong with government’s intervention to end terrorism. All he could do is to manipulate stories to paint ‘MEND’ as the real terrorist invading part of northern Nigeria.

I can’t understand why he wrote – ‘’instead of support, Nyako… has been suffering from splendid isolation – indeed worse’’.

What type of support was he talking about; to sink Nigeria in the ocean of disintegration or support to spread the content of the malicious memo?

Nigerians want to know what he meant.

It is shocking to note that the man could not find space to vehemently deprecate the on-going transmutation of northern Nigeria into a huge slaughter slab by men whose heart belong to the devil. To the likes of Mohammed and Nyako, the antiterror war is geared towards depleting the numbers of voters in the north. Both men want the federal government to fold its arms and

vacancy, no promotion’ policy of the institution and decried the non-implementation of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provision) Act already operational in other universities.

No doubt, the problems affecting the education sector are enormous.

The major one, which is adequate funding has become a mirage. No level of education in the country is an exception. This was what informed by fee hike by LASU authorities.

However, public institutions are not designed to charge fees like the privately-owned counterparts because of their perceived primary role of providing affordable education for all, as basic social and constitutional

watch with amusement while the children of Sodom and Gomorrah have it all to themselves.

His call for ‘sincere dialogue’ at the end of the piece is laughable.

Perhaps he was not in town when government made several attempts to dialogue and the offer was rejected by those agents of doom. As a lover of peace, I urge him to carry on with his own ‘sincere dialogue’ for peace to reign in the north.

As we crucify Nyako, we must do so with ruthless and brute conscience; we must do so, not on cross but with chains of odium.

Ehi G. O. Benin City.

responsibility.

Unfrortunately, in this part of the world, it is still not easy to get the people to buy into the culture of endowment and huge private investment in education. That is where LASU is caught-up in a fix of reality.

As it is, there is urgent need - more than ever before - to create internal, effective funding mechanisms to augment the dwindling government allocations and subventions, attracting endowments, engaging in impactful and profitable research for the corporate world that could in turn be used to generate capital for the economy.

The way out of the crisis is for the Lagos State Government to immediately reduce the new regime of fees by 50 per cent, suspend the anti-labour and discriminatory ‘no vacancy, no promotion’ policy, and implement the provisions of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provision) Act. It should engage all the stakeholders in a comprehensive discussion on the need for slight adjustment of fees. The deployment of hard-line tactics, unnecessary propaganda and official arrogance will be of no help at all in this case. Sincere dialogue by simply laying the facts bare as it were will be imperative. The time lost to industrial unrests in the university over the years should not be allowed to continue. This is a big challenge for LASU authorities and the Lagos State Government to surmount without further delay.

• Adewale Kupoluyi Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

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things are structured now, will HE Chibok girls kidnap crisis (unnot likely end — with Goodluck planned negative publicity) and Jonathan. For all his fierce prothe World Economic Forum (WEF) jection of power, former Presifor Africa held in Abuja (planned for huge dent Olusegun Obasanjo is public relations mileage) have combined hardly made of more stellar to show the vacuity in Nigeria’s public quality than President Jonathan. space.

Still, it is to Jonathan’s eternal Until global outrage took the Chibok discredit that Nigeria under his affair from their effete hands, the Jonathan charge suffered the ignominy of power family would not be bothered Olakunle surrendering its sovereignty to about what the hullabaloo was all about. lordbeek1@gmail.com, 08054504169 (Sms only, please) Abimbola foreign powers because of At the very genesis, when the girls had creeping state failure. What just been kidnapped, President Goodluck Nigerian students gained in the Jonathan was busy dancing Azonto in anti-Anglo-Nigerian Defence Kano. For all he cared, his own repeat Pact protests of 1962, Jonathan presidential quest was all that mattered, not some allegedly missing girls. has gleefully surrendered in 2014!

At mid-plot, the president was at his clueless worst, telling a That is Nigeria’s good luck of giving power to Goodluck! In hurting country that he had no idea where the girls were, in his no time, Uncle Sam would hoist his flag here, with the triumlatest presidential (mis)chat. phant message: “Nigeria, latest bastion of global sodomy, unWith the permanent grimace on his face, even with the paddyder curious universal human rights guaranteed by America”! It Even then, that was not the most damning. It was rather Mrs paddy questions thrown at him, even the president seemed emwould be a hefty price to pay for freeing the missing girls of Jonathan’s crass presumptuousness that having authority flows barrassed by how simplistic he sounded and how watery his Chibok! from being authoritarian. On what law, in the Constitution or grasp of issues appeared.

Though no price should be too severe to pay for freeing those outside of it, is the office of the First Lady founded?

Indeed to parody James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Chibok innocents, for they have no hand in the manoeuvre that And if that office is founded on the genteel convention of honMan, it was, with all due respect to the man and his high office, has landed Nigeria in this sorry pass, whoever is in charge must ouring a presidential or gubernatorial spouse, what part of that a highly embarrassing portraiture of a president as simpleton! take the can. convention empowers the beneficiary to summon fellow citiNo wonder: The Economist, high brow but highly chauvinistic Still, from the WEF for Africa, which Nigeria just hosted, has zens to summary TV trials?

Western voice, just declared: “Jonathan is hurting Nigeria.” It come impressive vignettes of Nigerian excellence. Ngozi Or order arrests of fellow citizens because Her Royal Majesty, hurts, but it is the bitter truth!

Okonjo-Iweala, minister of Finance and coordinating minister the First Lady disagrees with their constitution-guaranteed right True, at his best, President Jonathan’s forte is not analytical for the Economy, showed impressive grasps of issues. So, did to assembly and protest, as Mrs Jonathan was alleged to have rigour. But the Chibok crisis, vis-a-vis his obsession with a presiOmobola Johnson, Jonathan’s minister of Communications Techdone to two Chibok female protesters, on the excuse that neither dential encore, has brought to the fore his low emotional intelnology, and former Accenture country managing director for was the biological mother of the missing girls? ligence. How can a personage lack both rigour and compassion, Nigeria.

And Dame Jonathan’s stentorian tone on her TV show, someyet insist on retaining power — power for what?

Even before, Akinwunmi Adesina, minister of Agriculture, thing to the effect that the First Lady has summoned you to help But apparently, all of these are a mere claptrap to the Jonathan the one of designer suits, designer eye glasses, designer rings, you find your missing girls! So, it’s their girls now? power ensemble, even with its female wing. designer moustache and even designer elocution, has proved Whatever happens to the presidential duty of protecting every For starters, Kema Chikwe, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) his mettle, even if not a few think his suave policy showmanNigerian, which has gifted her the privilege of First Lady? Or is national women leader, let it slip that she doubted the authenship does not quite equate robust policy implementation. it a case of privilege without responsibility? Indeed, Wole ticity of the claim that the girls are missing. Interpretation: it’s On the media front, Reuben Abati had proved himself a patriSoyinka’s laconic quip that you must first be a lady, before beall politics to discredit Goodluck and his future power endeavcian when the issue is public intellect, with his commentaries in coming first lady, is pregnant with meaning! our.

The Guardian corralling rave reviews; and millions of readers If the presidential spouse believes the Chibok girls were a First Lady, Patience Jonathan, pushed this claim to an abject lapping them up as the de-rigueur in progressive thinking.

Borno, not her husband’s problem, what would she say of the nadir with her tragi-comic circus on television, making herself You might not agree with each and every one of these Jonathan global clamour for the girls’ release — sympathisers howling a butt of global jokes. The lexical challenge of the First Lady is aides; but in their individual capacities, you somewhat felt they louder than the bereaved? well rumoured. Still, her lexical anarchy on that TV show concould hold their own against the very best in the world.

Of course, Dame Jonathan’s ill-fated show would appear defounded not a few, especially those who, like Ripples, had alSo, how does such excellence cohere with the unbridled medisigned to shield her husband from the charge of culpable lethways thought Dame Jonathan’s reported lexical hiccups were ocrity that is the Jonathan presidency? argy, but put the Borno Governor Kashim Shettima on the spot, satanic exaggerations.

The tragic paradox of Nigeria is that leaders lag behind their to make inviolate her husband’s presidential re-run. Just as well, followers; yet are expected to offer direction. When a laggard is it blew in her face! captain, how can the team compete?

President Jonathan, of course, has re-found his voice and is ‘The tragic paradox of Nigeria is that lead- brimming again with Dutch courage, since more serious govBut this structured mediocrity is no accident; and Jonathan, et al, will probably not be the last power guinea pig, ers lag behind their followers; yet are ex- ernments, and the global community, have mercifully decided Chibok served as the latest new deal. to do his job for him. But let the one with the child-like glee be pected to offer direction. When a laggard informed that there are always serious fallouts from surrenderTo avert Nigeria collapsing under its own violent contradictions, it is time to look beyond the power puppets and gun for ing your sovereignty because of sheer incompetence. is captain, how can the team compete?’ the puppeteers.

Still, presidential incompetence did not start — and the way

epublican ipples

Chibok and power sans responsibility

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F you watched Labaran Maku’s encounter with the ace CNN journalist, Isha Sesay, last week, you will understand why the Information Minister, and even more, the Jonathan administration on whose behalf he purports to speak, deserve neither our empathy nor understanding on the handling of the insurgency. Not that anyone ever doubted the handling of the insurgency as anything but flawed. Certainly not with the serial misjudgements and endless dithering that has defined its approach to the crisis.

But rarely does one find an official spokesman of a government so pathetic and flatfooted before a global audience as we saw of Labaran Maku on CNN last week.

Asked to respond to the finding by Amnesty International that the federal government actually had prior warnings before the abduction of the Chibok 276, the minister described the charge as “incredible”. When confronted with the statements from eyewitnesses which suggest something to the contrary, he could only stutter and waffle; at some point, he would attempt to blame the “regional government” for the initial “misinformation”. And when prodded further, he could only mumble something to the effect that the crisis area was far-flung from the seat of the administration something that made it nigh impossible for it to get first-hand reports. In a fit of exasperation, he even dared to ask the CNN correspondent whether the administration was on trial!

For all its unfortunate twists and turns, there is at least some good that this latest tragedy has taught us all.

First is that the administration is incapable of guaranteeing the safety and security of lives and property of citizens.

From the midnight hacking to death of 59 hapless pupils of Federal Government College Buni Yadi in Yobe State on February 25, the spectacular attack in the Abuja suburb of Nyanya on Monday, April 14, followed by the daring comeback barely two weeks after on May 1, all of which left their

‘A commander-in-chief who opted to play the victim while his homestead was literally on fire obviously deserves more scorn than the outraged world can ever pour. Nigeria may not have qualified for the pariah status as yet, or its current leaders among the unwanted guests in global capitals, they are unlikely to remain on the A-list of leaders that really matter after this episode’

Policy Sanya Oni sanyaoni@yahoo.co.uk 08051101841

Absentee Commander-in-Chief trails of broken dreams and shattered lives; and now the abduction of 276 girls from the dormitories on April 14 in spite of a blanket of emergency rule; it seems only a matter of time before the entire nation unravels under the watch of its absentee commander-in-chief. The administration would appear to have resolved that the problem was best kicked down the road having long persuaded itself that the insurgency has come to stay.

Second, aside the episodic mouthing of the we-are-top-ofthe-situation refrain, the administration does not even pretend to any understanding of the complexity, let alone the enormity of the problems on the basis of which it could proceed to solve them. Nigerians are simply asked to accept the fact of the existence of safe havens for the Boko Haram– in the vast and un-governed mass on the Nigerian territory – inaccessible to the security forces – as the reality we must live with perhaps till kingdom come.

Now, this is an insurgency that is known to have gulped something in excess of three trillion naira from the exchequer in the last three years.

That is why I believe the global spotlight has done a lot of good. First, no longer is the traditional indifference to the farcical motions described as governance in Abuja. A commander-in-chief who opted to play the victim while his homestead was literally on fire obviously deserves more scorn than the outraged world can ever pour. Nigeria may not have qualified for the pariah status as yet, or its current leaders among the unwanted guests in global capitals, they are unlikely to remain on the A-list of leaders that really matter after this episode. Imagine US Senator John McCain telling his countrymen and women: “we shouldn’t have

waited for a practically non existing government to give us the go ahead before mounting a humanitarian effort to rescue those girls”.

That is what President Jonathan’s absentee government has cost us; loss of respect and pride as a nation. Next time around, expect the US Marines to come with their raiding party and stunts before the fiddling somnambulist manages to make up his mind.

We are a long way from when the official tale was that the insurgency was a scheme to hobble the Jonathan administration; and while there is no shortage of the cynical exploitation of the tragedy by different actors in the political spectrum, the truth is that the terror machine actually festered because one man the country elected to get the job done couldn’t figure things out.

Now, the story is out: a government so quick to accuse local authorities of not cooperating in volunteering vital intelligence to security agencies could not maintain a vestige of security anywhere near the vast theatre of insurgency.

Before, it was the governors of the three states under the state of emergency shouting themselves hoarse over the near absence of ground troops; today, it is the villagers making their voices heard over the international networks that the government, sworn to protect them, has never been there for them. Between the absentee field commanders and the revellers of Abuja on one hand, and the hapless villagers on the other, the world now knows whose tale to believe.

Today, Sambisa Forest, the 60,000 square kilometres swathe south of Maiduguri is supposed to be no man’s land, well beyond the reach of the security forces. Not even the 200 aerial sorties mounted by the Nigerian Air Force, according to Doyin Okupe, the President’s spokesman could find the trace of Boko Haram in the thick Sahelian jungle! The villagers couldn’t find any aircraft hovering over them not to talk of the show of air power that a sortie is supposed to be. And not even the two battalions said to have been put together by the Nigerian Army appears to be in hurry to get the job done.

No doubt, everything about this war, stinks. We are not even talking about the money poured into the insurgency and the fledging industry that it has spawned; we are talking about government’s pathetic indifference to the sufferings of its own people – the human dimensions to the terrible tragedy.

The current global attention has hopefully changed that.

By the way, my sympathy goes to the amorphous group – the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria. The Abuja machine may have transformed their pockets; from the look of things, their man may have become a damaged good. As for the prospects of their man carrying the PDP flag in 2015, I wager to say that it is no longer done deal. That should be pricey enough for the absentee C-I-C.

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

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ATCHING Aisha Sesay the other day interviewing President Goodluck Jonathan’s propagandist, Dr Doyin Okupe and Information Minister Labaran Maku on CNN over Federal government’s lackluster response to the Chibok school girls abducted by Boko Haram left one wondering whether these agents of the government know that the world is a global village and no country is an island.

Spewing blatant lies and falsehood, Maku and Okupe tried unsuccessfully to hoodwink the CNN correspondent into believing that Jonathan and indeed the Nigerian government was on top of the situation and would soon bring the perpetrators of the dastardly acts to book, as they often tell us here after every terror strike by Boko Haram.

Pointedly they were asked why it took our president three weeks to appear on camera to talk about the abducted school girls. And like a thief caught in the act, they were incoherent, particularly Maku, in their defence of the Commander-In-Chief. Sesay asked such probing questions that the authorities here would have berated the reporter over if the questions were being asked by a Nigerian journalist.

The CNN woman was a reporters’ delight, forget about whatever prejudice the American network or any other western media might harbor against Nigeria, our government gave them the opportunity to lampoon us, and that they did, justifiably so, to their satisfaction.

I wonder what the hired defenders of the Jonathan administration here at home would say now. The truth has no duplicate; the federal government messed up as always in situations like this, on this Chibok school girls abduction and every attempt to put up a defence or explain why it did not act on time would only infuriate Nigerians the more. May be the president should apologise to the rest of us, I mean the parents of the girls and other Nigerians, draw a line under the matter and we move ahead with the search and rescue operation.

Prior to the global outrage that followed the abduction and the less than impres-

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Now that the world is watching sive handling of the matter by the Federal Government, intelligence sources had indicated that Nigeria was not willing to accept offer of foreign assistance, especially military assistance in order to protect the nation’s sovereignty.

Which sovereignty you might want to ask? Is it the sovereignty that is being gradually taken away by Boko Haram under the president’s watch? The sovereignty that our government appears so incapable of defending?

Well, thank God that doesn’t seem to be the position any longer following President Jonathan’s acceptance of military/ intelligence assistance from the United States and a host of other friendly countries. And I think our president has done well here.

And now that the world has offered to assist and we have accepted, no effort should be spared to bring the girls home. Thanks to Madam Oby Ezekweseli, the #BRING BACK OUR GIRLS, campaign has gained such support around the globe and prompted the avalanche offer of assistance that even Boko Haram has been forced into a rethink. Now the terrorists are showing a softening of position, offering some sort of unilateral ceasefire albeit with conditions.

And just yesterday they released a group photograph of the girls against the backdrop of series of reports that they might have been sold into sex slav-

ery somewhere in the Central African Republic. The photograph, with a couple of armed hooded terrorists on guard, I believe was Boko Haram’s way of saying the girls are ‘safe’ but don’t attempt to come and rescue them militarily; let’s talk if you want them back. Uhmmmmm, what a dicey situation. Meanwhile there are reports that our soldiers are combing the Sambisa Forest where the girls are presumably being kept. So what do we do?

In rescuing the girls efforts should be made, by our military to utilize whatever superior technology, weapons and intelligence our friends are offering.

Casualties, especially on the part of the girls should be minimized as much as possible if they cannot be avoided totally. There is no point in going it alone if we cannot do it safely. The example of the botched rescue of kidnapped foreigners in Sokoto sometime ago is still fresh in our memory.

In whatever operation to rescue the girls, the Nigerian military would be on trial and the focus of attention by all the militaries of the world. If we do it well, then we would be making a statement that we are up to it in terms of protecting our people and rescuing them wherever and whenever they are in danger.

But can we really do it?

With the attention of the world firmly on Nigeria and Boko Haram, the international community should use this op-

portunity to help rid our country and by extension the West African sub region of terrorism; and France in particular has a big role to play here. The bulk of the ECOWAS is dominated by French speaking countries and the lack of cooperation between these countries and the few Anglophone West African nations is very glaring, especially in terms of security.

Though not a West African country, Cameroon for instance borders Nigeria to the east and south east and is known to be a haven for Boko Haram. The reluctance of the authorities in Yaounde to help Nigeria fight this terror is well known in spite of appeals from Abuja.

It does appear that nobody except France can push or cajole Cameroon into taking action against Boko Haram, even if only in its territory. France could lead a joint military operation involving Nigeria and Cameroon to get these terrorists out of our sub region. Recall that with France leading and an African military contingent comprising mainly of Nigerian troops, went into Mali not too long ago to rid that country of elements linked with al Qaeda. Same can be done here and Boko Haram would become history.

Our people have suffered enough in the hands of these sons of the devil and if the international community truly wishes Nigeria well and desirous of the good health and wellbeing of West Africa, then they would crush Boko Haram and all such terrorist groups threatening the peace of our continent. Don’t forget the al Shabab in Somalia threatening to throw the whole of the east African region into disarray.

It is not enough to help us BRING OUR GIRLS HOME, but the international community must help us make our region safe and create a conducive atmosphere for economic prosperity. By doing this they would also be helping themselves by not only destroying the sources of supply of terrorists in their countries, but also stemming the tide of economic migrants from Africa to Europe. As the Yoruba would say, Irorun igi, ni irorun eye; the comfort of the tree, is the comfort of the bird.

Between Mimiko and Akure youths

HURSDAY April 17, would for sometime remain unforgettable by the sons, daughters and residents of Akure. It was another day their ‘beloved’ governor, (sorry, sole administrator) Olusegun Mimiko successfully undermined the interest of the people. This expectedly, was not the first time the Ondo State governor would do that but he has always played smart and the people have always allowed the sleeping dog to lie.

But that Thursday, the youths resisted, protested on the streets and briefly exposed the antics of the governor.

The state governor had suddenly cancelled a carnival which would have brought so many people, the young and old of the town together to enjoy themselves, garner resources for the development of the town. The youths became so worried because preparations had been concluded and the musician to thrill on the occasion was already in Akure. Beside this, Ondo youths (from where the governor hailed from) had their own carnival, a week to that time without the governor stopping it. Yet, Akure youths that had earlier sought and got permission of the state government were teargassed and harassed by the state government.

Governor Mimiko’s activities and style of administration since he took over in Ondo State February 2009 are beginning to be clearer to the people particularly the people of Akure, the state capital. Shortly, after he took over, he cancelled all the people-oriented projects already embarked upon by the late Dr Olusegun Agagu’s administration in Akure. Some of the projects included the Alagbaka GRA intra estate roads, Odo-ikoyi street road, Ajipowo-Abe cocoa road, Akure-Igbatoro-Ala electricity resuscitation and so on. This is not to mention the way he always humiliates any Akure indigene aspiring to the position of governor or senator. A good example is Honourable Ifedayo Abegunde, whose political machinery he crushed with state apparatus. All the SUBUB primary schoold under Agagu administrator from Akure to Ikare Akoko and from Ore to Igbokoda were abandoned since then. The most painful aspect of it is that primary schools that have been roofed or those at roofing stage were never attended to by his government till date. Notable examples are Etioro Primary School Akoko and Anglican Church Primary School, Akungba Akoko. Even two faculty complexes (science and education) embarked upon by Agagu’s

By Ola Williams administration at the state university, Akungba Akoko were promptly thrown overboard. His younger brother, Professor Femi Mimiko who has been shouting 21st century university, has not thought it fit to reactivate the complexes not to talk of constructing hostels and staff quarters on the campus for students. One therefore wonders in whose interest the governor is serving?

Akure people have a political culture and belief. The culture is the number of physical and beneficial projects you can do in the town to aid her development. So far, the governor has only constructed a three- kilometre Arakale road in Akure which took him three years. His claim to street light along Oba-Adesina road is not new. There have always been street light on the road since the time of Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin. What Mimiko can rightly lay claim to all over the state is market. There is modern market everywhere and the markets are always constructed in conspicuous places where visitors entering any town could see them. Akure is currently suffering from intra city roads. Granted that water is now a luxury, Mimiko also cancelled the second phase of the multi-billion naira Owena dam project which Agagu had paid counter part fund for. If that project had been completed, there would have been pipe borne water for the six local government namely Akure South, Akure North, Ondo East, Ondo West, Idanre and Ifedore.

The second term of Governor Mimiko was spearheaded

by Akure people particularly, Chief Sanya Oyinsan. Where is the man today? After the controversial election, Oyinsan and his group were never remembered for any good thing by sole administrator Mimiko. All the appointments promised Akure indigenes before the election never came to passs. Everything is not for Ondo people. Even the only major street laid with asphalt in Akure after hhis second term election is named after his younger brother, Femi Mimiko.

Every where in Akure and other parts of the state, residents are groaning over bad intracity roads. The road projects cancelled at the wake of his assumption of office in 2009 have not been revisisted. Alagbaka GRA which is a stone throw to the Government House in now in a terrible shape. Drive to any street, you will his and ask if there

is government in the state. To show his disgust for other sections of the state, the tree nominees of Ondo State to the National Conference are all from his (the governor) area.

The governor nominated his vice-chancellor younger brother, two serving commissioners, one a woman who is married to an Ondo indidgene and another one from Irele.

The same thing he did when he was to nominate people to the federal government for appointment as minister and special adviser to the president. The two nominees are from his home town, Ondo and Ile Oluji, a suburb of Ondo township. What stops an Akure indigene from being a minister when the governor is from Ondo and his deputy of from Akoko? Whereas, there are three senatorial districts in the state. There was no slot for Akoko and the already forgotten people of the copastal area. The governor’s siblings are in charge of contract, government parastatals and agencies. The governor has neglected it to put tangible infrastructure on the ground. Only God knows millions of naira he took to Ilaje-Ese Odo during the last inconclusive House of Representatives election.

Local government administration is no longer in existence in Ondo State. We don’t know how much goes to the local government council areas. How on earth isit that a so-called democratic government hates to entrench democracy at the local government? There has not been election at the local government council areas look famished, unkempt and helpless. In January when I visited three local government in Oke Ogun area of Oyo State, I wept for Ondo State. Every street in the headquarters laid with asphalt. That is one of the reasons why I will forever support autonomy of the local government. This is not obtainable in Ondo state and development os far away from all the 18 local government. I just hope one day the president, Dr Jonathan will, just as he did in Kano State recently, announce how much money has accrued to local government in Ondo State since 2009.

We understand that our state ‘sole administrator’ has been taking sides with the president so as to cover his tracks. As a matter of fact, Ondo State is not in darkness, the state is suffering. It is high time we began to tell the governor that enough of market, enough of tricks, enough of egoism.

• Williams sent in this piece from Akure.

TUESDAY, MAY 13 , 2014

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It has been shown that the National Assembly did not get it right.

The decision of Egbo Egbo J (as he then was) on the matter preceded the compilation of the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004

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See page 27

E-mail:- law@thenationonlineng.net

Ahead of the 2015 elections, the debate is on: Should Section 285 (5)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, which stipulates that election petitions be determined in 180 days, be retained? No, say some lawyers, who argue that the provision is unjust. To others, it should be retained to avoid a return to the past when election petitions dragged on for years. A former Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), is championing the crusade for its amendment. He spoke at a lecture in honour of former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president the late Chief Alao Aka-Bashorun, as part of activities marking the NBA Ikeja Branch law week. JOSEPH JIBUEZE examines both sides of the coin.

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HEN the National Assembly re viewed Section 285 of the 1999 Constitution in the First Alteration Act 2010, it was hailed by many. Subsection 6 provides: An election tribunal shall deliver its judgment in writing within 180 days from the date of the filing of the petition.

Before the amendment, it took several years to decide election petitions. For instance, it took Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola over three years to reclaim his mandate. He won the election held in April 2007, but he did not assume office until the Court of Appeal ordered that he be sworn in on November 27, 2010 after a long legal battle.

The section was designed to regulate the long time it took to determine who actually won an election, but has it met its objectives? Some lawyers do not think so.

They argue that the section should be reviewed or deleted. However, others think the section should be retained to avoid a return to the past.

While delivering the Seventh Annual Chief Alao Aka-Bashorun Lecture organised by the Ikeja branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), a former Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), called for a review of the 180 days time-line required to determine election petitions.

Speaking on the topic: “Electoral justice as a panacea for peaceful transition, “he said the restrictive time-lime results in electoral injustice for the petitioner, adding that it is contrary to the principles of fairness. According to him, the section is “a deadly virus that kills electoral justice.”

The 180 days is the period allowed for parties to present their evidence and call their witnesses. It includes Saturdays and Sundays when the Election Petition Tribunal does not sit. The tribunal must also review the evidence and give judgment within the 180 days.

“The chances of a petitioner getting a fair hearing are very slim,” Osinbajo said.

To him, a lot is involved in proving fraud in an election, including preparing mathematical and forensic evidence. “To do so in a state within 180 days is impossible.

To do so for the whole country in 180 days is a joke.”

According to Osinbajo, the matter is made worse where sometimes the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) makes things even more difficult for the petitioner by withholding electoral materials needed to prove fraud in an election. “The umpire sees itself as the adversary of the petitioner,” he said.

“It is my recommendation that Section 285 (6) and (7) of the Constitution should be either amended or interpreted in a way that the 180 days requirement can be extended by the court,” he said.

Osinbajo said the Supreme Court could also subject the provision to further interpretation that would make it fair, by for instance, issuing a practice direction on how the section should work. The direction, he said, should also make it mandatory for INEC to produce Certified True Copies of the election documents for the petitioner use.

“There should be no need for an order of court for INEC to provide the basic requirements for a trial. The Supreme Court should rectify that flaw to ensure that 2015 does not become the beginning of terrible things in our country,” Osinbajo said.

The ‘unfairness’ of Section 285(6) Some analysts have argued that Section 285 (6) is unjust. Its unfairness, they said, became apparent in the Supreme Court’s decision in the consolidated cases of ANPP

?

Should there be time frame for election petitions? v. Alhaji Mohammed Goni and four others; and Alhaji Kashim Shettima and one other vs Alhaji Mohammed Goni and three others.

In the judgment delivered on February 17, 2012, the Supreme Court held that in line with Section 285(6), an election petition tribunal must deliver its judgment within 180 days from the date of filing of the petition, failing which the tribunal would no longer have jurisdiction to continue further hearing of the petition.

The court further stated that the section

covers situations where an order for a retrial is made. The implication is that where such an order is made, it can only be valid if the retrial is held before the expiration of the originally stipulated 180 days. Once the 180 days expires, the retrial becomes a nullity.

The Supreme Court had chastised tribunals which extended the time, saying: “Do the courts have the vires to extend the time assigned by the Constitution? The answer is obviously in the negative.”

Analysts say the Supreme Court could

‘

The section is a deadly virus that kills electoral justice. The chances of a petitioner getting a fair hearing are very slim. To do so in a state within 180 days is impossible. To do so for the whole country in 180 days is a joke

‘

have erred in its interpretation of the section, as it is not infallible. The court had held: “For the avoidance of any lingering doubt, once an election petition is not concluded within 180 days from the date the petition was filed by the petitioner as provided by section 285(6) of the Constitution, an election tribunal no longer has jurisdiction to hear the petition, and this applies to re-hearings. 180 days shall at all times be calculated from the date the petition was filed.”

A former NBA President Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), who chaired the Alao Aka-Bashorun lecture, said it is not fair that the Supreme Court would order a retrial without jettisoning the 180 days that had already started counting.

“When the court says a case should start de novo, it presupposes there was no election,” he said, adding that in such a situation, 180 days should begin to run afresh.

Following the Supreme Court judgment, election petitions that had exceeded the 180 days all suffered abrupt deaths across the states. Even petitions in which the Supreme Court ordered retrials at reconstituted Election Tribunals were not spared. They were all dismissed on technical grounds.

Judicial watchers say the provision has not solved the problem for which it was created. It is feared that election riggers may get more emboldened. All they have to do is waste as much time as possible at the tribunal, file all manner of objections, make deliberate mistakes, so that the 180 days either expires, or a retrial is ordered.

At the last NBA conference in Calabar, Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) argued vehemently that the section violates fair hearing and denies petitioners justice.

The governor had urged the National Assembly to remove the section because not only does it unjustly limit the time for adjudicating cases but also creates the rush to their conclusion, often without the benefit of a full trial.

Fashola said the provision has made election riggers to believe that they can steal mandates, get into office and frustrate trial from being started and concluded within 180 days. According to him, while the delays in the determination of election petitions were inordinate and increased cost of judicial time, the question is whether the section is the right remedy.

He wondered whether it could have been that the party in the majority simply “bulldozed” its way through parliament in order to preserve further ‘losses’, or might have sought to prevent a retrieval of mandates that it had stolen at the polls.

The way out While dismissing an interlocutory appeal filed by Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) challenging the striking out of some paragraphs of his petition against the election of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko as Ondo State governor, Justice Mahmoud Mohammed said the Supreme Court is almost helpless and can do little to avoid injustice until the section is amended.

Akeredolu had appealed to the Supreme Court after the election tribunal struck out some paragraphs of his petition, which were found to be defective. His appeal to the Court of Appeal in Akure allowed his appeal in part, a situation that forced him to file a further appeal at the Supreme Court, while Mimiko filed a cross-appeal.

But while the appeal was pending, the 180 days lapsed.

The court held that Akeredolu’s appeal was caught by the section. Justice Kumai Akaahs who delivered the lead judgment said: “It had been 192 days from the day of filing the petition. The tribunal no longer •Continued on page 26

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

26

LAW COVER CONT’D

‘

Should there be time frame for election petitions?

I believe that one of the reasons for the limited period is to ensure definite and speedy determination of election petition. The aim is to avoid a situation where whilst litigation is prolonged on the election to a seat, the person whose election is petitioned against is busy enjoying the benefits of he seat for a long time

•Continued from page 25 exists having delivered its final judgment.

This court can no longer make any order that will be binding on a non-existing tribunal.”

Sensing the disappointment among Akeredolu’s legal team, Justice Mohammed said: “There are a lot of complaints. There is nothing we can do unless the Constitution is amended. We have delivered many judgments on these issues. Please bear with us. It is not our own making. It is extremely difficult to hear interlocutory appeals because of these provisions. We don’t have legislative power to amend the provisions of the law.”

Some lawyers have argued that the court has itself to blame for interpreting the section in a way that did not accord with a ‘community reading’ of other provisions of the Constitution. They believe the court should not have ‘extended’ the section to interlocutory appeals, which is a right guaranteed by the Constitution.

Akeredolu told our correspondent at the weekend that Section 285 would be adequate for a developed and modern judiciary where judges have a full grasp of pactice and procedure and are guided only by the dictates of justice and not otherwise.

“We are certainly far from this. Increasing the time for trial would certainly not change much for as long as we continue to use the same judges guided by consideration other than justice. We may wish to start considering injecting into the election petition panels one or two senior lawyers from the rank of SAN,” he said.

The former NBA President said the Supreme Court should have insisted that petitions be decided on their merit. “There is clear absurdity arising from the interpretation by the Supreme Court on the effect of the 180 days following a successful appeal.

“The only judicial and judicious interpretation should only have been founded on the hallowed maxim: where a wrong is found there must be a remedy.

“If a party succeeds on appeal, there was certainly in law no trial so called and 180 days must start counting from when the retrial commence minus the days already used for the settlement of the pleadings.

“The decision of the Supreme Court on the interpretation and application of Section 285 is an invitation to anarchy as litigants have no business pursuing appeals in most petitions haven exhausted 180 days at the trial,” Akeredolu said.

According to him, the best solution is for the electorate to defend their votes. “The above notwithstanding, I remain of the firm view that there is no amount of court decisions that would put an end to electoral fraud.

“The people must be prepared to do all they can to prevent the fraud, failing which they must by their overt act deny the beneficiary of the fraud the benefit,” Akeredolu said.

Lagos lawyer Emeka Nwadioke said the law could indeed be unfair to a petitioner in a situation where INEC seems to see every election petition as a challenge to its reputation and works hand-in-glove with the respondent to frustrate a petitioner by practically refusing to avail the petitioner with election materials to enable him speedily file his petition.

“The tribunals are also not helping matters. Some do not sit from day-to-day as prescribed by the Electoral Act while others waste so much time on preliminary matters, with at least one tribunal even adjourning for a whole week to enable panelists (and litigants) attend the wedding of a panelist’s child.

“This leaves little time for the trial proper and puts the petitioner in a quandary. Some tribunals even issue disingenuous rulings that border on splitting hairs merely to disorient petitioners,” Nwadioke said.

He called for attitudinal change by all stakeholders to make the limitation period workable. Alternatively, he said the law may be amended to allow the tribunals to extend time. He suggested that the extension should not exceed 30 days where necessary, and when a retrial is ordered, the period should not be

‘

•Senate President David Mark

•Chief Justice of Nigeria Aloma Mukhtar

•Fashola

•Olanipekun

•Osinbajo

•Akeredolu

‘

We are certainly far from this. Increasing the time for trial would certainly not change much for as long as we continue to use the same judges guided by consideration other than justice. We may wish to start considering injecting into the election petition panels one or two senior lawyers from the rank of SAN

more than 90 days (or 120 days for presidential election disputes).

“INEC should be made to issue certified copies of election materials along with election results. Indeed, the onus of proving electoral malfeasance should be laid on INEC. The Supreme Court should also revisit its decision on proof of electronic evidence to

‘

make it less burdensome on litigants.

“New Practice Directions on electoral disputes should be issued to obviate further mischief, even as precedents must be clear-cut and deviation from same punished swiftly.

Ideally, electoral disputes should be concluded before assumption of office to avoid the spectre of ‘Rogue Governors’ among oth-

ers,” Nwadioke added.

Constitutional lawyer Ike Ofuokwu said the 180 days timeline is inadequate and that Section 285 should be amended. “The existing provision of 180days is ab initio programmed to frustrate the petitioners’ case especially since the onus of proof is on the petitioner.

“In as much as I am an apostle of quick dispensation of justice, 180 days is grossly inadequate. Otherwise, I posit that electoral courts should be established strictly for election petitions.”

Rights activist Theophilus Akanwa said where the Supreme Court or in deed an appellate court orders for a retrial, a fresh time should begin to run for the retrial, “as the appellate’s order for a retrial presupposes that the earlier trial and time frame was null and void.

“Ample time must be allowed for the tribunal to do justice in all election matters following the rigging, manipulations and fraudulent acts of some of the politicians,” he said.

But other SANs, including Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama, Editor-in-Chief of Election Petition Reports, Dr Alex Iziyon, Dr Onyekachi Ikpeazu, Ndukwu Nnawushi and Lanke Odogiyon had argued that the section should be retained with further modifications to it.

Gazama said the section should be retained because it makes petitions less expensive to prosecute; petitions are now more precise, and election winners or losers can be determined in a short time.

He, however, admitted that the section could be subject to abuse, as a respondent with a bad case can put a hurdle on the way, especially in high profile cases.

As a way out, Gadzama said the section should be further amended so there can be an extension of the 180 days if circumstances call for it.

Iziyon said there is the need to fine-tune how to make the six months workable and practicable rather than deleting it.

He said lawyers handling such cases can engage more hands and not corner the briefs to themselves alone; briefs should be frontloaded so the judge does not need to write everything, and credible people should be employed to man the registry.

“If we want to add more months to the six months, we’ll go back to where we were before. It is like a pot of soup; so many things go into it. So we need to work out how it will succeed,” Iziyon said.

Nnawuchi suggested having more panels of an election tribunal; adoption of alternative dispute resolution for noncontentious petitions to pave way for only troublesome ones to go to trial.

Odogiyan said the sub-section should be amended so that in a situation of force majore (unexpected natural event), the time should not count.

Mr Mike Igbokwe (SAN) said rather than tinkering with the section, effort must be made by parties to a suit to ensure speedy resolution.

“I believe that one of the reasons for the limited period is to ensure definite and speedy determination of election petition. The aim is to avoid a situation where whilst litigation is prolonged on the election to a seat, the person whose election is petitioned against is busy enjoying the benefits of he seat for a long time.

“If later he loses the seat, he would have unduly and wrongly enjoyed a portion (sometimes substantial portion) of the winners’ tenure.

“So, the provision should not be further amended but left as it is whilst effort should be made by the tribunal, petitioners/respondents and lawyers to work within the timeframe,” Igbokwe said.

27

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

NATIONAL BAR

•Agbakoba

•Okocha

•Ochoga

•Nwaugo

NBA presidency: Agbakoba clarifies position on zoning

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IDWEST is yet to be formally ap proved as part of the West in the zon ing arrangement of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidency, former NBA President Dr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) has said.

In a May 9 letter to NBA President Okey Wali (SAN), Agbakoba said his first letter was misrepresented, with some lawyers claiming that he is aware that the Midwest is part of the West.

According to him, while it is true that discussions on how to incorporate the Midwest into the West had reached advanced stage, no final decision was taken.

The letter reads: “I agree that the Midwest is entitled to present a candidate for President.

But I also feel bound to preserve our zoning arrangements. My credentials will show that I have always supported our zoning arrangements.

“In 2008, when the presidency was zoned to the West, I supported the candidate of the West.

In 2010 when it was zoned to the North, I supported the candidate of the North. In 2012 when it was zoned to the East I supported the candidate of the East. I have given this support without prejudice to my preferred candidates which indeed I had.

“You recall that in 2006, when I ran for President and was endorsed by the Eastern Bar, the Western Bar failed to endorse me. The Western Bar even failed to dissuade a candidate from their zone from running. Now that it is turn of the Western Bar, it would have been easy not to support them. But my commitment to our zoning arrangements has not changed.

“The real issue for me is how we can resolve the Midwest issue so they are adequately ac-

By John Austin Unachukwu and Joseph Jibueze

commodated in the NBA zoning arrangements.”

A former NBA Legal Adviser and an Aba Branch leader, Mr Victor Nwaugo, has faulted a former NBA President Onueze C.J Okocha (SAN) on his position on the zoning.

Okocha, in his reaction to Agbakoba’s letter to Wali, said the Midwest is part of the West in the zoning arrangement, a position shared by Midwest Bar Forum’s chairman Chief Ferdinand Orbih (SAN), who stated that “both parties have already agreed that they belong to the West.”

Nwaugo said: “First, Okocha stated clearly that Midwest Bar Forum is part of Western Bar Forum but my question to him is: When was this marriage foisted or consummated? Going by his own statement, he claimed that during Joseph Daudu’s presidency, it was agreed that Midwest was part of the West; he did not tell us at what meeting the agreement was reached.”

The lawyer said the Midwest Bar Forum, in a communiqué issued on February 11, 2012, signed by R.O Isenalumhe (Acting Chairman) and Edward Aibangbe (Secretary), stated that the NBA National Executive Committee (NEC) had set up an elders’ committee to look into Midwest’s agitation to be part of the zoning.

“Has the so acclaimed elders committee submitted its report, and to whom? Has NEC deliberated on their report? Please, may we be referred to the NEC meeting in question as I can find none having kept all the NEC meetings from 2010 till date.

“If the Midwest Bar Forum is part of the West, what did they go to do as a group on July 11, 2012 at Chief Bandele Aiku’s residence?

“Are Okocha and Orbih telling us that the Midwest Bar did not go to Aiku’s residence as stated by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) with a request to be considered as part of the Western Bar Forum? The Midwest Bar cannot foist their wish on existing and established fora like Eastern Bar Forum, Arewa Lawyers Forum and Western Bar Forum.

“Chief Orbih in his misunderstanding of what transpired in 2012 presidential election with regard to the Eastern Bar Forum wrongfully believed that Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN) contested the election because the presidency was zoned to East to which he belongs. Let me properly educate Chief Orbih that Ngige ran as an independent candidate against the wish, desire, advice and decision of Eastern Bar Forum.

“In 2006, Funke Adekoya (SAN) was advised not to run against the zoning formula, but she defied the advice. In 2008 Western Bar Forum and Eastern Bar Forum advised Dele Adesina (SAN) not to run against Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and he listened. We owe him a return.

“If Midwest Bar feel that 2020 as promised them by their brothers in the Western Bar forum is eternity, let them field that their candidate. A recalcitrant fly is often interred with the corpse,” Nwaugo concluded.

A member of the Middlebelt Bar Forum, Chief John Ochoga said he has no sympathies for the West “because they are now caught in the web of their own intrigues.”

“They refused to release the Midwest long ago; they refused to give them independence long ago.

If they had released the Midwest, if the inclusion principle is being implemented, we would have told the Midwest to forget it, but for now, we still remain in the old arrangement and Midwest is part of the West.

“I remember what happened at Warri NEC when the inclusion issue was being discussed.

Adekoya resisted it. She said that it would breed mediocrity at the Bar. How can mediocrity be enthroned at the Bar? “The Yorubas shot themselves in the foot and they will keep suffering for it. In NBA 2010 election, only one or two Yorubas were elected and in 2012, none of them was elected at all. That is the price for their inconsistency.

“What happened at Maiduguri NEC is still fresh in my memory. Agbakoba set up a committee to set out the modalities for inclusion at the Bar. The Southwest, which never liked inclusion, frustrated the whole thing.”

On the way out, Ochoga said: “I sympathise with Adesina because he would have defeated Akeredolu hands down if he had contested the election in 2008. I expect the entire Yoruba race to rally round him now, but true to their type, I learnt that they are not supporting him now.

“Their total support for him would have made the race easier for him and this present situation wouldn’t have risen at all.

“My view is that Midwest is part of the West in the current tripod zoning. If the West had embraced the Inclusion Report of the six zones today, Midwest would be resting in the Southsouth. However, of all the candidates, may be the best win.”

Lawyer to police: Free detainee

ICPC Act of 2000 valid, subsisting, says court

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HE Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences (CPC) Act, No.5 of 2000 is still valid and should be included in laws of the federation, Chief Judge of Anambra State, Justice Peter Umeadi has held.

He said the CPC Act No. 6 of 2003 (purported to have been amended) is null and void and should be expunged from the laws.

Justice Umeadi held: “Pursuant to the meaning at Section 318 of the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), I hereby make a recommendation that the Hon. Attorney-General and Minister of Justice should (i) include the CPC Act No. 5 of 2000 in the compiled Laws of the Federation of Nigeria forthwith and (ii) to expunge the CPC Act No. 6 of 2003 from the compiled Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, forthwith.”

The judge was ruling on a preliminary objection by three defendants in a criminal charge brought against them by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The Federal Republic of Nigeria, through ICPC, filed the corruption charges against Dr Okechukwu Odunze, Asuzu Ogochukwu, Alhaji Y.A. Sule, Dr Ifeanyi Okoye, Benjamin Passa, Hon. Moses Gbende, Chief R.O. Derex-Tanor and A.N Nkwonta at the Anambra State High Court, Awka.

But Odunze, Sule and Passa filed a notice of preliminary objection praying for an order striking out or

By Joseph Jibueze

quashing the charges contained in charge number A/1c/2013 for being incurably defective.

Their ground is that the charges are founded on a repealed law; that CPC Act 2000 has been repealed by Section 55 of the CPC Act No. 6 of the 2003; and that the alleged offences were committed after the abrogation of the CPC Act No. 5 of 2000.

Justice Umeadi had invited two amici curiae (friends of the court) – Dr A.I Layonu (SAN) and ICPC’s Director Legal Mrs C.I Onuogu – to further address the court on the issue.

Layonu and Onuogu submitted that the Supreme Court had held that the ICPC Act 2000 is still valid.

He said the defence of the amici curiae “laid much store” on the cases of Attorney-General of the Federation vs Chief Anyim Pius Anyim and three others; Senator Adolphus Wabara and two other vs FRN, and Yahaya vs Federal Republic of Nigeria (2007) (23, WRN, 127 @146).

The judge said a consideration of the cases and decisions on them shows that CPC Act No. 6 of 2003 “suffered a stillbirth and was never delivered.”

Justice Umeadi said there is no evidence in writing that the President has given his assent to CPC Act No. 6 of 2003, adding that it should not have been included as part of the country’s laws, having been held to be invalid.

The Chief Judge held that the mere fact that CPC Act No. 6 of 2003 is contained in the laws of the

federation does not stop it from being null and void.

“The horrifying situation is that the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2010 omitted the CPC Act No. 5 of 2000 which the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the highest court in the land, had adjudged the extant law on the matter.

“It had been said earlier that the National Assembly had the power to repeal that CPC Act No. 5 of 2000 if she had properly enacted CPC Act No. 6 of 2003 with the presence of Section 55 therein.

“It has been shown that the National Assembly did not get it right. The decision of Egbo Egbo J (as he then was) on the matter preceded the compilation of the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

“Certainly there is no excuse for the same CPC Act No. 6 of 2003 to be included and the CPC Act No. 5 of 2000 which is valid excluded in the compiled Laws of the Federation by the Hon. Attorney-General of the Federation or the Law Revision Commission.

“I agree with Dr Layonu that the mere fact of such omission does not amount to a repeal of the omitted enactment. It is a cardinal principle of the law that statutes are not repealed by inference or implication but by direct provision of law,” the Chief Judge said.

Justice Umeadi held the CPC Act 2000 “continues to exist”. “The President of Nigeria wrote to the National Assembly saying why he could not assent nor withhold assent

A

•Justice Umeadi

on the bill leading to CPC Act No. 6 of 2003. There should be no talk then that the President later assented to the Bill,” he said.

He added: “It is an irony, therefore, that CPC Act No. 5 of 2000 is not contained in the Laws of Federation of Nigeria 2004 while the CPC No. 6 of 2003 is. That anomaly should be corrected immediately.”

The judge said the greatest pointer that the validity of the CPC Act No. 5 of 2000 is that the Federal Government continues to deal with the commission’s membership as contained in that Act, which is radically different from what is stipulated in the 2003 Act. The 2003 Act, he said, stipulates that the ICPC chairman should be a serving Justice of the Court of Appeal, which the current chairman, functioning under the 2000 Act, is not.

LAGOS lawyer and rights ac tivist, Mr. Nurudeen Ogbara has urged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar, to order the release of a detainee, Mr. Toba Ajiboye.

In a statement, he said his client was arrested by policemen from the Lagos State Command at his residence on April 24.

“It will interest you to know that no allegation or offence has been disclosed against Mr. Toba Ajiboye, yet the police have refused his wives, children, brothers, cousins, friends and colleagues access to him in the nearly three weeks of his arrest and detention.

“Of particular interest is that Ajiboye was taken from Surulere to the Mushin Police Station, state CID, Panti and currently being detained illegally at the Badagry Police Station,” the lawyer said.

He said when he and other lawyers went to see the detainee on April 29, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Badagry Police Station, Ibrahim Al Hassan, denied knowing Ajiboye, and denied his lawyers access to him, which is a violation of Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“We, therefore, implore all Nigerians to help us urge the Nigerian Police authorities to release our client, who is obviously the bread winner of his family, because we firmly believe that he has not committed any offence otherwise the Police would have charged him to court since the past three weeks they abducted him from his home,” Ogbara concluded.

28

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

LAW & SOCEITY The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch has elected new officers to run its affairs for the next two years. The new Chairman, Mr. Yinka Farounbi, speaks with ADEBISI ONANUGA on his vision.

‘Members’ welfare our focal point’

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HAT is your agenda for the next two years?

Before the election, we met with members during the manifesto night and we presented our programmes to them. I am assuring them that we would to stick to every project listed in our manifesto. We are not going to deviate from any of them, but do more. That is the key word.

We would do more.

For instance, we want to make the practice of law more conducive for members. There are certain areas we want to look at - the service of process; the filing of process; the welfare of members, particularly, young lawyers; our activities at the national body; resuscitating abandoned high courts and the issue of the N1,000 default fee.

All these we are going to do and more to ensure that our members have a conducive atmosphere to ply their trade. Where necessary, we would meet with the relevant agencies, legal authorities and ensure we pursue this agenda. But, in doing this, the welfare of our members would be paramount in all strata of the economy. We would collate the names of our members within Ikeja catchment area and ensure that once you browse our website, you find the list of members so as to lay to rest the controversy on membership once and for all.

How do you intend to handle your opponents and others that lost elec-

tions?

In my message after the election, I appreciated everyone who came out to vote and contested the elections. I saluted the courage of all the contestants and told them that NBA is greater than any of us and that now that the election is over, we should unite. That there is no winner takes all or losers take nothing; we are all winners in the process. I have only one agenda in mind, to lift up the NBA particularly Ikeja Branch. So that is our agenda. My advice is that we should all come together, close our ranks and move the bar forward. A lot of those who contested election have sent goodwill messages. Some have even come personally to congratulate us and pledge their loyalty to the bar, not to me or any of those who won election. Some have even given useful advice to us. We are going to look at all these holistically and where necessary, adopt some of them.

What would happen to the legacies of your predecessors? l salute my predecessor in office. I want to say that he made some giant strides while holding office as chairman of the branch. But I want to say that, that is what is expected of any chairman of a branch like Ikeja . There is no way you are expected to leave the bar the way you met it. You are expected to leave the bar higher than you met it and I am happy that he left the bar higher than he met it. Take for instance the bar centre, it was during

the tenure of a particular chairman that we got that land, another renovated the bungalow we met on the land, which first served as our secretariat; another laid the foundation of the present day bar centre; another set the blocks of the building and so on and so forth. Like I promised during our manifesto night, by the special grace of God, by the time we shall be completing our tenure, we would present a wholly completed bar centre. That is just a part of what we are going to do. In other areas, we intend to excel beyond the present government. What is expected of us is to leave the bar better than we met it. That is the driving force.

At the end of your tenure, what would you like to be remembered for?

By the special grace of God, by the time I would be leaving office, I want to be remembered as someone who came and fundamentally lifted the bar beyond all imaginations, beyond the level he met it. That would be my desire.

To who do you dedicate your victory?

First of all, I am dedicating it to God Almighty, who made it possible. I am •Farounbi also dedicating it to the wonderful members of the Ikeja Branch, who The weather was not too friendly at a defied the rain to come, from far and stage, but they weathered the storm near, and cast their votes for me. I and ensured that they cast their votes. feel humbled and I am grateful to I thank them all. I am also grateful to them for that, particularly, for defy- my campaign team, who traversed ing all the odds to ensure my victory. the area covered by Ikeja branch,

campaigning and mobilising members to come and vote to ensure that I emerged the winner. I also thank the people in the Ministry of Justice, the OPD and the various parastatals and agencies.

Firm’s chief seeks to quash N82.8m theft charges

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•From left: Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforij; Ogun State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Mrs. Abimbola Akeredolu and former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Isa Ayo Salami, an awardee, at the 2014 Bar Dinner of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch

Residents sue ASCON over filling station

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ESIDENTS of Lekki Phase One have gone to a Lagos High Court, to stop ASCON Oil Company Limited from building a petrol station in the area.

They are praying for an interlocutory injunction against the firm.

In a motion brought before Justice Kazeem Alogba, the claimants, Rasheed Williams, Kayode Aderinokun, Alhaji Useni, Malachy Ezeoke, Mrs. Ogunmokun and Olujide Kuti, are praying the court to mandate ASCON to stop work on Block 36, Plot 10, Lekki Peninsula Scheme I in EtiOsa Local Government Area of Lagos State, pending the determination of the substantive suit.

Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority and the Commissioner, Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development are other defendants.

In their statement of claim, the claimants through their lawyer, Osaro Eghobamien (SAN) said the petrol station will pose a great environmental danger to the residents.

They argued that, despite protests by residents, ASCON has fast-tracked

•‘It’s abuse of court process’

By Precious Igbonwelundu

work on the property based on a development permit purportedly obtained from the Ministry of Physical Planning.

“The first defendant has intensified the construction of the petrol station both day and night with a view towards completing same and commencing operation of the station in a bid to frustrate any opposition to the petrol station.

“It is the claimants’ contention that the construction and operation of the petrol station on the particular land have serious environmental impacts which cannot be adequately mitigated.

“The environmental consequences of the situation of the petrol station on the land in issue range from environmental degradation, pollution, fire outbreaks and explosions, health hazards, huge traffic congestion and increased insecurity,“ they argued.

According to them, an

environmental impact assessment ought to have been carried out on the land before the development permit was granted by the authorities for the construction of the petrol station, with a comprehensive report produced to the same effect.

In its notice of preliminary objection to the claimants’ suit, ASCON said the suit was premature, adding that the court lacks the jurisdiction to hear the matter, because it is an administrative issue.

ASCON averred that the case was an abuse of court process since another suit it instituted against the claimants was pending before the same court, urging the court to strike out the matter.

“There is a strong likelihood of judicial embarrassment if the action in this suit is allowed to co-exist with the action in Suit No: M/83/13.

“In the premises, the instant action constitutes a gross abuse of judicial process which this Honourable Court lacks jurisdiction to entertain,” the firm stated.

HE Managing Director of Cross Country Limited, Mr Bube Okorodudu, has asked a Lagos State High Court to quash the N82.8 million theft charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Okorodudu made the request in a preliminary notice of objection filed by his counsel, Chief Robert Clarke (SAN) before the court presided over by Justice Lateef LawalAkapo.

Similarly, a co-defendant, CarLink Limited, also filed an application through its counsel, Chief Ladi Williams (SAN).

The defendants are facing an eight-count charge of conspiracy, stealing, forgery and altering.

The EFCC alleged that they stole the money through the fraudulent sale of 17 units of Volkswagen transporter buses belonging to AG Moeller Limited and Mr Adeloye Olukemi.

Moving the application at the resumed hearing of the matter last week, Clarke argued that the EFCC had no power to prosecute offences under laws enacted by state Houses of Aassembly.

Clarke said the eight-count charge was brought under the Lagos State Criminal Code.

According to him, ”Section 70 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State 2011, mandates the EFCC to obtain a fiat from the attorney-general of Lagos State before it can prosecute matters before the state high court.”

He submitted that the failure of the anti-graft agency to obtain the fiat made the charge against the defendants a nullity.

He, therefore, asked the court to quash the eight-count charge listed in the information and discharge the defendants.

Car Link counsel Williams also argued that the charges were absurd as the defendants had already

By Adebisi Onanuga

paid for the buses.

Williams said: ”The proof of evidence does not disclose a prima facie case against the defendants requiring them to stand trial.”

He submitted that the dispute was purely a civil matter, which was being heard before a Federal High Court in Lagos.

Reacting to the development, EFCC counsel Mr Rotimi Oyedepo urged the court to dismiss both applications and order the defendants to take their pleas.

Oyedepo cited the Court of Appeal decision in the case of Erastus Akingbola and Federal Republic of Nigeria, where the appellate court held that the EFCC had the power to prosecute cases at the state high court.

“It is now settled that the EFCC does not need a fiat from the Attorney-General of Lagos State to initiate criminal proceedings at the state high court. In the interest of justice, I urge your Lordship to dismiss these applications and call upon the defendants to take their pleas,” he said.

Justice Lawal-Akapo adjourned the matter till May 26, for ruling.

•EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Lamorde

Newspaper of the Year

AN 8-PAGE PULLOUT ON NORTHERN STATES

TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

PAGE 29

Jang lifts patients on birthday

•PAGE 30

A community in need of bridge •PAGE 31

•Kids displaced in the crisis Uja

Orphaned, homeless in Benue

T

HEY are probably the worsthit in the Fulani-Tiv crisis in Benue State. How young they are; some only five years old; others between two and three. At that age, they need the love and care of their parents, but many of them have none. Some have just one of their parents alive. But one thing is certain: all are victims of the needless conflict between Fulani herdsmen and farmers.

Their villages were attacked and set ablaze by the herdsmen. Some were lucky to escape with their parents; some others were killed. The survivors are now homeless, to boot.

Like kids everywhere, they play football with other displaced peers and even manage to cook for themselves. Watching them run around kicking football, you wonder how much they know of what the future holds for them.

Kwara farmers get N214m loan •PAGE 33

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

For three months, these orphans lived on alms and donations from good-spirited individuals, who visit and donate foodstuff for their upkeep.

Primary school blocks have become their temporary home, no thanks to the long primary school teachers strike embarked upon to press home their demand for the National Minimum Wage.

The orphans squat on the bare floor. They are also vulnerable to typhoid fever and other diseases.

Where will they go? Who will care for them?

The Fulani-Tiv crisis has claimed many lives.

How long will they find shelter in those primary school buildings?

•Continued on page 30

Health insurance for Abaji residents •PAGE 35

•Making meals for themselves

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

30

THE NORTH REPORT It was a day of joy and sober reflection when Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang went to the hospital to celebrate his birthday with the patients. It was a day that coincided with World Kidney Day. YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU and EMMANUEL KWAPYEL captured the atmosphere and reports

Jang lifts patients on birthday T

HE 2014 edition of World Kidney Day fell on March 13, 2014, the same day Plateau State Governor Jonah David Jang clocked 70. The governor used the day to lift up the spirits of the less privileged in the state.

Jang, since his assumption of office on May 29, 2007, has never celebrated his birthday. No one in the state expected he will do so on his 70th anniversary after seven years in office, with just a year to leave office.

He took his political associates, friends, relations and citizens of the state by surprise when he began to send cards out notifying them of his birthday programme.

It was hard to believe Jang had friends and well-wishers to invite for his birthday. A lot of people across the country and in Plateau state in particular thought that he was too hard and strict to keep friends.

But the high and mighty were there. The most memorable aspects of the one-week party was Jang’s decision to start programme with the poor, the sick and the aged in the society. And he got more than enough of such people to celebrate with. He dedicated a whole day to them. The hospital was the aprty scene.

A week to the day, Governors Jang went into partnership with one of the private hospitals in Jos, Dee Medical Centre to register citizens of the state for free medical services.

The state media launched a campaign calling on anyone in the state who has one ailment or the other to come for free treatment at the hospital. The public invitation was also open to everyone for free medical check-up.

The response was unprecedented.

The old, young, women, children, school children, among others, trooped to the hospital. It was difficult to manage the crowd. So, before the date, thousands of the citizens had enrolled for the free medical services.

Dee Medical Centre, a private hospital owned by the Da Bulus Dareng family, specialises in renal (kidney) ailments. It is located in Bukuru, near Jos. The hospital is believed to be the largest private dialysis centre in Africa.

The hospital management also used that day to enlighten healthy individuals to donate blood for the benefit of ailing people who need blood but cannot afford it.

An emergency centre was created

‘I’m supposed to be celebrating today being my birthday, but the population of people I am seeing scrambling for medical services has made me too weak to jubilate. I am really touched, I never knew there are so much people who could not afford medical services’

•Jang celebrates birthday

•A student at Jang's birthday

to collect safe blood from willing donors, and hundreds of donors volunteered and the empty blood bank of the hospital and that of Plateau State Specialists Hospital were stocked.

On his arrival at the hospital, the crowd went agog shouting “Sai Baba, Sai Baba! It was as if he came

to launch a political campaign for a third term. But while the crowd were jubilating and singing birthday songs for him, Jang looked a little bit downcast. As he went round the canopies to see the patients assembled, he merely responded with a wave of the hand. Then, he began to speak.

“I’m supposed to be celebrating today being my birthday, but the population of people I am seeing scrambling for medical services has made me too weak to jubilate. I am really touched, I never knew there are so much people who could not afford medical services. I know there is high level of poverty every where

Orphaned, homeless in Benue •Continued from page 29 When The Nation visited the St Mary Primary School camp, which accommodates over 150 children, most of the orphans were seen playing freely like other children.

Terna Uzenda, who spoke to The Nation in Tiv is three years old from Guma Local Government Area, said he could not explain what happened and how he found himself living outside his home.

Uzenda said that he got to know of Fulani attacks on their ancestral home through those who visit the camps and donate relief materials.

He said through some people from the same village with him, he got to know that Fulani herdsmen shot and killed his parents.

He said he didn’t know where to go but he admitted being very sure that God was in control and would

see through the journey of his life.

For another five-year-old orphan, Terzungwu Uzua, told The Nation he was a Primary 4 pupil in Ayilamo, Tombo ward, Logo Local Government Area in Benue, before Fulani militia stormed his community and killed his parents.

Uzua stated that even though he lost his parents, his prayer is that God should bring those who carried out the act to justice.

He also called on the Benue State government not to abandon them, urging the Suswam administration to keep supporting them in the camp and even after.

For children in Daudu camp, Guma Local Government Area in the state, where the attacks were more devastating, Kaase Ugande, 4, and Peter Iormba, 6, told The Nation that without their parents life has since lost its meaning and fulfilment. The Fulani onslaught has left them without hope and life

‘Children in Daudu camp, Guma Local Government Area, where the attacks were more devastating said that without their parents life has since lost its meaning and fulfilment. The Fulani onslaught has left them without hope and life will never be the same’ will never be the same.

Ugande and Iorba noted that the death of the parents and the burning of their home is a great setback in their education career.

They said their ambition is to join

the army and serve the country, but all hope is now dashed, though there is some glimmer of optimism that their elder brother would take up the role their parents would have played.

in the country, but I never thought I could be this poor.

“This medical programme is not all about my 70th birthday; it is about World Kidney Day which comes every year. But the question is, as it comes and goes annually, what do patients stand to gain each year? I am proud a private individual could establish a medical centre like this, fully equipped with dialysis facilities. The centre was described by Gen.T Y Danjuma (rtd) as the largest privately owned medical centre in the whole of Africa when he came to commission it last year. Plateau State and the Middle Belt are proud of this private investment in the health sector.

“I will rather use a day like this to plead with people of Nigeria who are in privileged positions of authority to remember the poor in our society. There are so many wealthy people in this country who do not •Continued on page 32

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

31

THE NORTH REPORT

O

F all their needs, a bridge appears to be the most urgent.

So much depends on it, but it is in bad shape.

Karatudu and Ungwan Romi are two fast-growing settlements located side by side in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The two communities are on the outskirts of Kaduna metropolis.

Karatudu is behind the Federal Housing Estate along the KadunaAbuja Highway. The community lacks basic amenities such as access roads, schools and even a police post. As the rains begin to set in, the worries of the community mount.

They will have to raise money for their children’s school, and for them to do that, they must go to the market.

The road to the market sinks the heart. Why? The Karatudu Bridge, which is yet to be completed almost two years after a fresh contract was awarded. Work on the project has stopped because, according to officials of Tiger Cat, the firm handling the project, there is no money to go ahead with it. The people are also concern because according to some of them, the contractors have started trimming their staff because of lack of money.

Contract for the construction of the bridge and access road linking the Federal Housing, Karatudu and Ungwan Romi was awarded in November 2012 by the Kaduna State government with a 25 percent mobilisation fee paid by the government.

Before the award of the contract, residents of Karatudu had suffered untold hardship especially during the raining season as they had to made do with a make shift structure which served them as a bridge and was often washed away whenever there is a heavy rain fall. Then came the Chikun local government who awarded contract for the construction of a bridge across the Romi river to serve the communities.

After erecting two pillars, the contractors abandoned the project allegedly for lack of money. But residents of the area accused the contractors of sharing the money meant for the project with politicians and cried out to the late governor, Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa for help.

Their cry yeilded result in 2012 when the government awarded the contract for the bridge. Sarkin Karatudu (Village Head), Daniel Karatudu told The Nation that the community is unhappy that the bridge has not been completed and appeal to the government to do everything possible to ensure that it is completed before the rains sets in fully. he said the community was very happy when the contract was awarded because they felt that at last, government has remembered them.

“When the contract was awarded by the Yakowa administration, we

AMAC staff alarmed over incessant car theft From Gbenga Omokhunu

A

•Part of the old bridge used by the community

A community in need of bridge From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

heaved a sigh of relief. You can see that Ungwan Romi where our children attend school is only a stone’s throw from here. But during the rainy season, our children spend close to N300 daily to attend school because they have to travel through the Federal Housing to Gonin Gora before going to school. As you can see, going through these places is like taking us back and that journey takes nothing less than twenty minutes. But with the bridge, that will only take us less than five minutes and the children will not have to pay transport fare to school.

“So, our joy knew no bounds when the work started. But for a long time now, the work has stopped and the contractors are telling us that they have not been paid by the government and so, they cannot continue with the project. We are at a loss because the rains are coming again and yet we don’t have any bridge to use.

If they knew that they will not complete the project, they would have left the old one we were managing so that we don’t have under go much suffering. But now, we don’t even have any to manage. If you go to the

•Orphans of Tiv crisis

‘When the contract was awarded by the Yakowa administration, we heaved a sigh of relief. You can see that Ungwan Romi where our children attend school is only a stone’s throw from here. But during the rainy season, our children spend close to N300 daily to attend school because they have to travel through the Federal Housing to Gonin Gora before going to school’ place, you find out that the community are trying to put up a make shift there, but once it rain, it will be washed away”.

The traditional ruler said they have been appealing to the youths to be calm as he believe that something will be done about the project and appeal to the governor to come to their aide. He said “God used Yakowa to award contract for this project in order to put a smile on our

face. The same God has called him.

We appeal to Governor Yero not to abandon us now. God has made it possible that he is the one on the seat now. He should hear our cry and pay the contractors so that the project will continue before the rains so that we can always send our children to school. We know that he is a listening governor”.

•Continued on page 32

•The Tsiv orphans

STAFF of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) has raised alarm over incessant stealing of workers’ cars parked at the car park of the council secretariat.

Mr. Salisu Kabiru, who was a recent victim said he parked his car in the usual secretariat’s car park which was provided by the council. He said after he had closed for the day’s work, he was surprised to discover that his car has been stolen.

According to him, he had always been parking his red Saloon, one door, 92 model car, with registration number BS 211 RSH and chassis no. JHMEG 43400SO30708, at the secretariat’s car park since he started working at the council secretariat, but did not think that he will become a victim.

He further said there have been over four reports of stolen cars at the council secretariat, which made the management to issue a directive for vehicle pass to be designed to vehicle owners, adding that since the directive, nothing has been done towards the design of the vehicle pass.

“The fact is that we have different security personnel in the secretariat. But I can not really say what they are doing to ensure the safety of lives and property here.

“The car park has one way that serves as entrance and exit, but somebody will just come and steal cars without any security personnel noticing it.

“They have been stealing cars there. Cars belonging to a staff in administrative department, an SSS woman’s car and one Civil Defense man’s car, were stolen. When management suggested that vehicle pass tags should be made, they did not do it. If the pass were made, thieves will not be able to come here and steal cars any how.

“I also blame it on the carelessness and lapses on the part of the security personnel at the secretariat. Whenever you come to the council, you will see them concentrating at the entrance gate, without surveying other parts of the premises. The leadership of the council should do something about this development. It is not good at all,” he said.

‘They have been stealing cars there.

Cars belonging to a staff in administrative department, an SSS woman’s car and one Civil Defense man’s car, were stolen. When management suggested that vehicle pass tags should be made, they did not do it. If the pass were made, thieves will not be able to come here and steal cars any how’

32

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

THE NORTH REPORT

A community in need of bridge

‘An elder in the community said the non-completion of the bridge is frustrating them as they are forced to spend heavily to get to the market for their children to go to school. He claimed that often, people fall into the river and die while trying to cross’

•Continued on page 31 Another elder in the community who would not disclose his name, said then non-completion of the bridge is frustrating them as they are forced to spend heavily to get to the market for their children to go to school. He claimed that often, people fall into the river and die while trying to cross. He accused the government of abandoning them in the community. He said “look at us here.

We have a large number of voters in this place and more people are moving into this place. Unfortunately, we don’t have a secondary school for our children, we don’t have a market and we don’t even have a police post here. Our road is bad and the bridge we have been managing has been pulled down to pave way for the one the government says they are constructing for us. But for the past one year, the work has been abandoned and the contractors complain of lack of money. As I speak with you, they have started laying off their staff and moving their equipment away from here. That is a clear sign that they work has been abandoned. We don’t know what we have done to deserve this kind of treatment”.

One of the youths in the community who operates a commercial motor cycle, John Idris said the only condition for them to participate in the forthcoming elections is for the government to complete the bridge for them. He said “we are tired of this kind of treatment from the government. We are tired of promises that are not fulfilled. Look at this place, we are suffering here and nothing is being done about it. Go and tell the governor that if he does not complete this project, he should not expect our votes come 2015. We will give the vote to another person”.

Project Manager of Tiger Cat, the construction company handling the project, Engr, Khalil Iyad told The •Continued from page 30 know there is poverty anymore.

There are so many privileged Nigerians who prefer to stock their wealth in foreign accounts rather than investing in areas that benefit the poor masses. I consider those Nigerians who took Nigerian money and hid it in foreign banks as people with mental problems. If not, the country is looking for money to develop its social infrastructure and somebody will pack billions of Naira and take it to countries that are already developed to keep for them; it is a senseless idea, and I think those who do that must be mad.

“I belief the world is becoming a global village, if you steal money and hide it abroad, it will be discovered. If all Nigerians that stock their money in foreign accounts will bring half of it home and invest it here, this country will become a developed nation in less than 10 years.

“God deliberately gave people positions and wealth so as to serve God’s people on earth, but some people, rather than serve people of God, they took all the monies away and stocked them in foreign accounts, and hide it from the people you are meant to serve with your wealth. So I am using this opportunity to beg Nigerians that we should love our nation and love our people.

Jang spoke further, saying, “You all know the issue of health of citizens is one of the 10-point agenda of my administration right from the beginning. That was why I made it

•Pupils crossing the old bridge

•The new bridge under construction Akowe

Nation that the delay in the completion of the project is basically that of finance, pointing out that once money is available to remaining work on the entire project will be completed

within four months. He said “the major project is basically finance. We have actually forwarded so many certificates to government for payment and we have been soliciting

pleading with the government for payment so that we can move on fully with the project. We have done 75 percent of the project and have placed certificates for payment since June

2013, but none have been cleared”.

However, there seems to be some ray of light at the end of the tunnel for the project as according to Iyad the governor has assured them of payment saying “the governor has assured us that he has taken some loans just to pay contractors and consultants. So, we believe strongly that Insha Allah, within a week of two, we will be paid and the work will continue. What is remaining on that bridge is just the slap decking which is the final phase of the bridge”.

A visit to the site of the bridge revealed that there is still much work to be done on the bridge to make it usable by the benefiting communities. But Iyad said this is not so, pointing out that the only work remaining on the bridge is the slap decking which he said is the final phase of work on the bridge. What about sand filling the approach to the bridge on both sides which has not been done?

He said “when our certificates are cleared, we have to pay compensation for some of the buildings there and run them down before we sand fill the area. When the finance is there, the bridge is just two months work, but the project as a whole might take four months to finish”.

Jang lifts patients on birthday

•Cue of attendants at the Gov Jang free medical services on his birthday Idegu health

as a policy to renovate and expand at least five hospitals in each of the three senatorial zones, apart from the referral hospital in each of the zones. Now that we have local government chairmen in place, I have directed that each local government should construct a clinic in each polling ward in that local government.

There should be no local govern-

ment headquarters without a general hospital. I will also do more to encourage private investors in the health sector for the well-being of our people.

“I want to encourage everyone of us gathered to treat one health problem or the other to have faith in God, sickness is never a portion of children of God, it is the devil that is

trying our faith with God, so we should remain committed to God in spite of our individual health challenges. God is aware of your condition. And particularly the kidney patients, the cost of treating renal patients is huge, I will not stop at assisting the patients on my birthday, I will discuss with my commissioner of health so as to come up

with a program that will subsidies the cost of dialysis of these patients.

“I am looking forward to seeing more private individual invest in public service sector, so that they can use parts of what God has blessed them with to benefit the less privilege in our society, that will go a long way in complementing government efforts in service delivery

ay

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

33

THE NORTH REPORT

Kwara farmers get N214m loan T

HE Kwara State government has disbursed N214, 709,490 to no fewer than 172 farmers in loans to boost their farming in the state.

The aim is to strengthen agri-business and enhance the welfare of the people. Governonor Abdulfatah Ahmed said this in Ilorin, the state capital, during the disbursement of the funds.

“Our 172 lead farmers are at the core of our model of 10 out-grower farmers per local government who, having demonstrated their capacity for agribusiness and whose farms have been verified, are receiving funds to expand their businesses,” teh governor said.

“The Off-taker Demand Driven Scheme ensures farmers growth by creating partnerships with large farming concerns that will guarantee a steady demand for crops planted by the lead Farmers even before they are harvested.

Speaking further, Abdulfatah said, “Each of these farmers is attached to an off-taker commercial farming concern with which they have signed memoranda of understanding to ensure a ready market for their produce.

“These funds are therefore provided to enhance the capacity of these lead farmers to expand their businesses to meet their obligations to the off-taker farmers under the MOU arrangement while significantly boosting their earnings.

“This administration’s approach to agriculture views it as a business that requires meticulous planning especially through facilitating private sector investment along the value chain of crops in which we have comparative advantage.

“About eight years ago, the benefits of this approach were demonstrated when we initiated bold commercial agriculture reform in the state with the establishment of Shonga Farms.

“In the process, we have not only put our state on the global map, but also started a gradual transformation in the nation’s agricultural sector with 13 pioneering Zimbabwean farmers as the nucleus of our plans to supplant subsistence farming with planned agribusiness.”

The governor admitted that the journey has been challenging, but that the determination of his team has kept them going.

Community honours Yobe APC chair From Duku Joel, Damaturu

T

•Abdufatah hands over a cheque to a beneficiary From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

He said: “As we empower a new set of commercial farmers using the lessons learnt from that experience, the business case for that innovative intervention by the previous administration in the state remains as strong as it was eight years ago.”

Governor Ahmed added that: “Our aim is to extend agribusiness to other parts of the state by empowering a new generation of commercial farmers to ensure our people are food secure while establishing agribusiness as the pivot of our economy and regenerate agro-allied industrial development.

“You are expected to be change agents that will train the next generation of commercial farmers in the state in your various communities. I urge you to judiciously apply the funds that have been made available to you and contribute towards establishing agriculture as the pivot of our economic prosperity.

“Let me remind you that this programme is semi-cashless. To avoid the lapses of previous interventions in the country, only a small proportion of the funds are provided to the farmers in the form of cash.

“The rest will be paid directly to

•Civil society coalition, Bring Back Our Girls, at a rally in Abuja.

‘Our aim is to extend agribusiness to other parts of the state by empowering a new generation of commercial farmers to ensure our people are food secure while establishing agribusiness as the pivot of our economy and regenerate agro-allied industrial development’ identified suppliers who will then provide goods and services such as farm inputs, chemicals, equipment, extension and other services to the farmers when and where required.

“The benefits of this approach are numerous. Apart from reducing leakages and ensuring proper utilisation of funds, the off taker- demand driven approach enables farmers to make concrete plans for their businesses by creating a ready market for their produce.

“With this approach, the problems of post-harvest loss or wastage will be minimized if not eradicated as the farmers have concrete arrangements to sell their produce.

“The approach also expands the opportunities along the crop value chain such as storage, processing, packaging, haulage, marketing and distribution leading to the creation of allied business opportunities and jobs for our youths.

“Finally, the process is transparent because it allows the farmers to promptly repay the loan as the funds and the farmers’ proceeds are channelled through the same bank.

It is my hope that the success of this scheme will translate into greater prosperity for the farmers, our state and its people, thereby attracting others into agribusiness, especially our youths.”

PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yobe State has elected ward, local government and state officials, and Alhaji Mai Mala Buni, Special Adviser to Governor Ibrahim Gaidam on Political and Legislative Affairs is the state chairman of the party.

The state congress was held under a peaceful atmosphere at the Cultural Centre along Maiduguri Road in Damaturu. Thirty-four other elective positions were also filled at the event.

A former governor of the state Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim who moved the motion for the adoption of all the candidates informed the gathering that all the stakeholders were involved in the consensus process. He describe the motion as a “big responsibility with few words of expression”. His motion was seconded by the Speaker of the Yobe State House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Adamu Dala Dogo and wild acceptance from the delegates.

In his remarks, Gaidam expressed happiness over the maturity of the stakeholders in Yobe, describing them as “law-abiding”.

“All our previous congresses have been done on consensus without any problem. I am confident that this will not be an exception. We have always achieved our consensus in Yobe because all of us are law-abiding and loyal party members. I am happy with this internal democracy that our dear state is always imbibed.

“I want to put on record that all these would have been achieved without the involved and wide consultation of all the stakeholders involved. I call on all to give out new leaders the desired cooperation to succeed so that together we can push out PDP out of Aso Rock Villa.

The returning officer of the APC Usman IYA Abbass praised the consensus initiative of the state stressing that his work in the state became easier with the consensus, describing it as a model for the country.

After his was unanimously elected as the new chairman of the APC in the state, Dogo’s his community comprising of Gujba/Gulani gathered in Damaturu, the state capital to honour one of their own for attaining such an exalted position in the hierarchy of the state.

Though such honours are expectedly done on home soil, however the volatility of Gujba/Gulani Local Government areas at the moment due to Boko Haram attacks forced the people to move to Damaturu to honor their son, Alhaji Mai Mala Buni.

Speaking at the occasion Mr. Ahmed Mustapha Goniri who is also the Commissioner of Justice in the state, noted that it was such a day of joy for the community for one of their own to be elected in such an exalted position in the party in the state.

While extolling the sterling leadership qualities of the Yobe APC chairman, Barr. Ahmed took time out to commend Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam for the peaceful conduct of the election which brough Mai Mala Buni to the position.

In his views, the Director General of Yobe Islamic Centre Dr. Zaji Bunu called on the new chairman of use his position to make more enemies than friends, stressing that leadership comes from Allah and the same Allah can strip one off from it.

Dr. Zaji Bunu also admonished the the chairman not to forget the trust of the people that elected him into the office, while calling on him to imbibe an all inclusive government and consult widely before taking any major decision so as to avoid mistakes.

TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

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Page 34

Website: http://www.thenationonlineng.com

Rotary cash for women

HE Rotary Club of Asokoro has empowered women in Wumba Community in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

This it did by disbursing cash to them to help them start up a trade.

Speaking during the event, the club’s secretary, Francis Bekey stated that the club embarked on the project because of its belief that sharing with and empowering the less-privileged ones will go a long way in reducing the level of poverty among the people.

Bekey further revealed that the Rotary Club of Asokoro has outstanding record of empowering women in the FCT, adding that the focus of the club was economic development, especially for women and the indigent people in the society.

“This micro-finance scheme will encourage the women to expand their businesses and contrib-

From Gbenga Omokhunu

ute not only to the well-being of their families but also to the society,” she said.

Bekey, who is the Coordinator of the micro-finance scheme, advised the women to use the money given to them wisely to ensure that they don’t disappoint the club.

“The micro-finance scheme started with 30 members and has grown to over 100 in the FCT. Our concern is to empower women because we believe that empowering a woman translates to empowering a nation,” she said.

She further stated that women were the targets because they are the vanguard of everything move towards development of the home and managers of families.

Also speaking, the Director of International Service of the club,

‘This micro-finance scheme will encourage the women to expand their businesses and contribute not only to the well-being of their families but also to the society... This is really encouraging because what we have received today will boost our business. We call on benevolent Nigerians to support the activities of Rotary Club of Asokoro’ Nikky Uchime said the micro- finance scheme by the club is a programme designed to empower women in order to help contribute to the well-being of the society.

“Our coming to Wumba Village is another achievement of the Ro-

tary Club of Asokoro in its efforts to empower women through this kind of gesture. A total of 20 women were selected to participate in the micro-finance scheme.

“After series of training, 16 were selected and nine people re-

ceived cash. Rotary does not give money by proxy; they will have to wait for next time.

“I encourage them to be ambassadors of Rotary Club of Asokoro. My prayer for them is that, through this micro-finance scheme, they will boost their businesses,” she said.

Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Chidinma Uche expressed her appreciation to the club for remembering and identifying with them, adding that though a lot of women were looking for such opportunity to grow their businesses, they have not been blessed with such opportunity.

“This is really encouraging because what we have received today will boost our business.

We call on benevolent Nigerians to support the activities of the Rotary Club of Asokoro,” she said.

Resident doctors urged to end strike T HE Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr Peter Alabi, has appealed to resident doctors in the hospital to call off the strike they embarked upon two weeks ago.

While speaking with journalists, the CMD explained that although government approved the new salary structure, the hospital was await-

From Gbenga Omokhunu

ing financial backing from the government in order to pay the aggrieved doctors.

Alabi said that the new salary scheme was not captured in the 2014 budget and so the government was looking for a means of ‘cash-backing’ it.

“Government has not released the money for the new salary scheme; the strike is uncalled for. So, I ask the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to call it off. NARD

could confirm this from the Budget Office, Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health.

“You have an approval from the government, but this has not been cash-backed. Some hospitals went on this same strike, but when it became obvious that the money was nowhere and no CMD was empowered to pay the money, they all ended the strike,” he said.

He expressed dismay that, in spite of this explanation, UATH resident doctors remained adamant and were yet to call off the

strike, which has entered its third week.

“The strike, which is supposed to be a national action has, however, been localised and local action, will not help the situation,’’ he said.

Recall that the National Association of Resident Doctors embarked on an indefinite nationwide strike on April 18, to press home their demand that government should implement a new salary structure which it approved for them but was yet to pay them.

•FCT Minister, Balla

•Women for Justice and Peace Nigeria led by wife of Adamawa State Governor, Hajia Zainab Nyako, protesting over the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls, in Yola

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THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

ABUJA REVIEW

•Chairman, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Peter Atedo (right); Managing Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Seni Adetu; Director, Arrow Park, Tunji Abdul; Head of Sustainability, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Adrianne Nwagwu and Head of Sales, Abuja, Ayobami Aiyedogbon at a dinner for participants of the World Economic Forum in Abuja PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

•Host chairman, Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly, Chief Edwin Clark flanked by coChair, Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi (right) and Dr Dozie Ikedife, with Dr Cairo Ojougboh at the PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE emergency joint meeting of the Assembly in Abuja

•Executive Director, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Olusegun Awolowo (left); Private Sector and Trade Officer, US Agency for International Development, James Lykos and Executive Director, International Trade Centre (ITC), Mrs Arancha Gonzalez at the ITC and Stakeholders on Non-oil Exports breakfast meeting in Abuja PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

•CEO Stanbic IBTC Bank, Sola David Bora (middle); Managing Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Seni Adetu, and Director Technical, Guinness Nigeria Plc Greg Udeh at a dinner for participants PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE of World Economic Forum in Abuja

Health insurance for Abaji residents

A

S part of its efforts to provide affordable healthcare delivery for the people, The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Community Based Health Insurance Scheme (CBHIS) has flagged off Health Insurance Scheme at Yaba Community in Abaji Area Council of the FCT. While flagging off the health insurance scheme and presentation of health insurance cards to registered residents of the community, the Coordinator of the scheme, Dr Grace Aganaba, advised them to avail themselves of the opportunity of the scheme to stay healthy at all times, so that they can contribute to the development of the community and entire council.

According to Dr Aganaba, the FCT Administration, through the Minister of State, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, has recognised the importance of healthcare delivery and therefore mandated that by 2015, every Nigerian must have a health insurance card, adding that it informed CBHIS taking it as a priority to ensure that every resident in communities of the FCT should have the health insurance card.

“I must commend the motherly role of the FCT Minister of State, Oloye Olajumoke Akinkide, who has never relented in supporting this course, because of the impor-

•Participants at a rally for the Chibok girls in Abuja From Gbenga Omokhunu

tance she placed on health of people in the rural communities. We believe that, through this health insurance scheme, people in rural communities will live more healthy and improved lifestyle,” she said.

Mrs Theresa Adah, Programme Officer Community Health, Christian Aid Nigeria, said it has been a common fact that many Nigerians, especially the rural dwellers, lack access to healthcare delivery because of lack of fund, saying that was the reason the community health insurance is the way forward for the people.

PHOTO: AKIN OLADOKUN

‘Whenever any one is sick, he or she can have access to healthcare at a very low cost.

Today, we are happy the FCTA has made community-based insurance possible in our communities. We are committed to supporting any organisation that wants to replicate this scheme in any community across the country’ “Whenever any one is sick, he or she can have access to healthcare at a very low cost. Today, we are happy the FCTA has made communitybased insurance possible in our communities. We are committed to

supporting any organisation that wants to replicate this scheme in any community across the country.

“So, I urge any one that has not registered to do so and benefit from this affordable healthcare,” she said.

Hajiya Zenab Mamam, in charge of Yaba Health Centre who explained that the health centre was inaugurated in January last year, said immediately the facility started functioning, most of the ceilings and the roofs started falling off.

“When it rains, the entire clinic would be flooded. All the patients would stand up and sit on their beds, pending the time the rain stops. We also do not have electricity. When there is emergency in the health centre at night, we use lantern which is not ideal and safe. If we have electricity generating set, it would be better. We need the intervention of the FCTA in this regard,” she said.

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

36

ABUJA REVIEW

T

HE abduction of over 200 secondary schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State is exactly four weeks today and the indescribable hardship, sufferings and psychological trauma the parents and relatives are undergoing cannot quite be imagined by those not affected.

The situation has led to many Nigerians taking to the streets in many states to protest the abduction.

Worried by the situation, the chief of the Chibok community in Abuja, Hosea Sambido, said the uncertainty had made mothers in his home town lose appetite and had forced fathers into the bush in desperate search for their daughters.

Some Nigerians have pushed for negotiation with the insurgents towards securing the girls’ release, while some security experts have warned the government to be very tactful in handling the issue in order not to anger the terrorists to harm the school girls.

It is believed that the insurgents may not only use the girls as shield but demand the girls’ exchange for some members of the insurgents being held by the government.

Even as the security agencies believe they were doing their best in the circumstances, many Nigerians believe more can still be done to urgently rescue the girls alive.

To investigate the issues, the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, governors’ wives and other stakeholders had summoned some key actors in the Chibok abduction saga to the Presidential Villa. The meeting, at the end, doubted whether any schoolgirl was abducted and declared that the issue was being politicised.

This did not go down well with the Northeast Forum for Unity and Development, led by its Chairman Board of Trustees and former Finance Minister, Adamu Ciroma. He had to pay a visit to President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday last week to accuse the President’s wife and some highly-placed government officials of treating the issue with disdain insensitivity.

He said during the closed-door meeting: “The abduction of the over 230 Chibok school girls and the way this dastardly appalling act is being handled with callousness and disdain by some highlyplaced officials of the Federal Government, the ruling party and even the wife of the President, is a matter of surprise and worry to the generality of Nigerians.

“One begins to wonder how this real tragedy has been perceived with high degree of official doubt and ambivalence that it is taking the Federal Government over three weeks to set up a committee

Jonathan, Chibok girls and the world to authenticate this.”

He stressed that the insurgency is not about religion, ethnicity or politics, but an extension of international terrorism on Nigeria.

To tackle the insurgency among other security challenges in the country, the group made nine recommendations to the government.

These, they said would include “Government re-examining its capacity to tackle this tricky and deteriorating security situation by recognising it correctly for what it is, discarding the idea of renewing the state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states and to put in place more efficient and stringent security measures, effective intelligence gathering and analysis, and the introduction of high-technologies in nipping the crisis in the bud.

“Meanwhile, the reports of the following should now be seriously studied and implemented as soon as possible: The Gaji Galtamari Committee; the Sheik Ahmed Lemu Committee; and the Alhaji Kabir Turaki Dialogue and Reconciliation Committee, ensuring robust community relations and participation in the security, rescue and rehabilitation operations in the area.

“Government should ensure that the abducted Chibok school girls are quickly and safely rescued, re-

From the Villa

By Augustine Ehikioya habilitated and re-united with their families within a pre-determined timeframe.

In order to raise the confidence and morale of the citizens, the President should lead a high-powered delegation of his Cabinet and security operatives and visit Chibok/ Izge, Buni Yadi, Bama and Gamboru Ngala as soon as possible in the manner that he visited Nyanya.

He should make strong positive statements there with regard to the rescue operations and government’s plans for rehabilitation/compensation and re-integration.

“Government should genuinely investigate all cases of human rights

abuses, extra-judicial killings, tortures, slippages/escapes from detention, and so on and bring the culprits to justice.

The Federal Government should consider and assist the state governments strongly in the immediate rehabilitation and securing of the affected schools, colleges and critical infrastructure in the area, so that our children will safely and confidently go back to school.

“The state governments in the subregion, particularly the three states under emergency to be offered some respectable and reasonable monetary compensation to offset their expenditure on security operations which is primarily a Federal Pre-

serve.

“While acknowledging the constitution and the reconvening of government’s Dialogue Committee, we urge the government and the committee to seek and utilise various civic and civil ways to achieve comprehensive solution to the insurgency.”

Apart from the security agencies’ efforts in the past three weeks to rescue the girls, the government, on Tuesday last week, also inaugurated a Presidential Committee to unravel the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the girls.

Many Nigerians, on Tuesday last week, welcomed the news that President Jonathan had accepted the offer of the US President, Barrack Obama, to assist the Nigerian troops with security personnel and assets in their efforts to rescue the Chibok girls.

Other countries and international organisations including China, Britain, France, United Nations; Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have also pledged their support towards rescuing the abducted girls.

With the rising global supports, the affected families, and indeed, all well-meaning Nigerians, are anxiously waiting for the news that the abducted Chibok girls have been rescued and re-united with their families.

Save my son, pleads widow From Gbenga Omokhunu

A

WIDOW, Mrs. Lami Onoja has pleaded with well- meaning Nigerians to help her financially so that she will be able to foot the bill for her son’s treatment.

The widow, who lives at Area 8, Block 62, Nyanya, Abuja, stated that her 16-year-old son, Hamza Onoja has suffered kidney problem for two years.

Onoja said she has no money to foot the bill. She therefore pleaded with government, public-spirited individuals and corporate organisations for financial assistance so that her son will not die.

Mrs. Onoja, who said her husband died about five years ago, added that all relations have deserted her and her two children.

“Life has not been easy for me and my two children since my husband died about five years ago. We have nobody to assist us and all our relations have distanced themselves from us.

“We have been feeding from hand to mouth because I don’t have anything doing. I need a job to assist my family. We were told at Nyanya General Hospital about two years ago that my son has kidney problem and we need a huge amount of money to treat him.

“The hospital later referred us to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital in Gwagwalada where we were asked to pay the sum of N 43, 700 just to carry out a test,’’ she said.

Mrs. Onoja further stated that she has been able to raise N30, 000, hence the appeal with the public to assist her.

“He is my only hope. I do not want him to die. Please help us. I am also ready to do any job to keep the family going; even if it means sweeping the streets to enable me to feed my family,” she said.

Niger State commodity and export promotion, Director general , Mohammed Kontaora (left) Director, Commercial, NBTI, Isa Maikanwa and Director general, NBTI Dr Mohammed Jibrin at Stakeholders on non-oil exports PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE breakfast meeting in Abuja

37

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

LAW & SOCEITY The Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) has held a three-day training on Alternative Dispute Resolution. The keynote speaker, Justice Opeyemi Oke of the Lagos State High Court said ADR should be taught in the universities and the Law School to help de-emphasis litigation. JOHN AUSTIN UNACHUKWU reports.

‘Include ADR in university, Law School curricula’

A

LTERNATIVE Disputes Resolution (ADR) mechanisms should be taught in the universities and the Nigerian Law School to build capacity in disputes resolution.

This was the thrust of discussions at a threeday training on ADR mechanisms organised by the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies ( NIALS) at its Akoka, Lagos Campus.

The Head Judge, Fast-track Division, High Court of Lagos State, Justice Opeyemi Oke, said legal education in the past had not helped ADR. This, she said, is because students were taught the inevitability of learning the law through legal principles and obita dicta from cases.

She gave a keynote address entitled: “Legal education in conflict resolution: How can the legal profession best train lawyers, judges and policy makers to enhance conflict resolution process?”

According to her, for long, legal education in the common law, with its adversarial tradition, has stressed the law as litigation, and produced practitioners who zealously pursue litigation.

ADR in the conflict resolution processes, she said, is down-played as legal education foists on students the inevitability of learning the law through legal principles.

Core legal courses such as Torts, Contract, Land Law, Law of Evidence, Labour Law , Criminal Law, Medical Law, Energy, Environmental, and the list continues, are taught with great emphasis on case studies.

The procedural aspects of the law such as criminal and civil, she said, are not spared in an approach that esteemed litigation as the mono means of advocacy.

“Law students participate in intense national and regional moot court competitions, which are designed to educate and shape their mindset as ‘zealous advocates’ as they grow to assume responsibilities as lawyers, judges and policy makers.

“The above traditional approach towards legal education has, however, come under serious scrutiny, and is giving way to a new model referred to as ‘conflict resolution advocacy’ which focuses on the broader conflict resolution processes including ADR. “Enhancing the conflict resolution processes, therefore, deserves a legal education that imparts the necessary skills that can prepare practitioners including Lawyers, Judges and Policy Makers for their tasks,” Justice Oke said.

Justice Oke said ADR can be made more popular by teaching it in the law schools and and making it part of continuing legal education; ensuring that the right persons teach ADR, improving content of law courses and training events to cover ADR and de-mystifying the language of law.

“I will like to take the view that it is obvious that with the encouragement of the conflict resolution process, a para-

digm shift has occurred in the dispensation of justice.

“Consequently, the practitioners in modern times must fall in line with this reality or face a total fall out with the system.

“In order to ensure professionals, who are on the cutting edge of this new dispensation, legal education should be shaped and designed in a way that will produce practitioners who are well equipped with skills in the conflict resolution processes.

“When this is done, the conflict resolution processes will have a positive effect on our justice delivery system in terms of service that will be provided by conflict resolution practitioners not only to their clients, and users of ADR, but most importantly to the society at large.”

NIALS Director-General Prof. Epiphany Azinge (SAN) said in spite of efforts by all stakeholders, the wheel of the administration of justice is still grinding slowly.

According to him, experts have come to the conclusion that ADR, which comprises arbitration, mediation, conciliation, negotiation is the faster and cheaper way to go.

“Ultimately, the consequences of going through ADR is well known to all and sundry in the sense that it is easier for the parties to be reconciled to one another as opposed to litigation or adjudication as the case may be.

“So the emphasis on the whole gamut of the judicial system is to ensure that we sensitise people sufficiently, both lawyers and the stakeholders including the potential litigants to come to the realisation that unless you want protracted adjudicatory process, your best method of arriving at a compromise and also achieving results and settling your disputes amicably is through the ADR “We have used this medium, as we have always done in the past, to ensure that we teach the participants, sensitise them and educate them on the processes, the nuances and the nitty-gritty of ADR. “We introduced them to the fundamentals as well as prepared them to be able to navigate through the whole process; to make them good arbitrators, make them good negotiators and mediators, teach them all the elementaries that are required,” Azinge said.

The NIALS boss said ADR would also help decongest the court docket.

“It will also help the judiciary because instead of being over burdened with very long cause lists, some necessary and some not necessary, you will find out that this becomes another avenue of pushing out some of those cases that are not being deserving of going before the courtroom.

“So, the institute is making it a policy and we hope that this process, which we commenced over a period of time now will continue and that more importantly, participants would carry the news, embrace the principles and make sure that they are implemented to the letter wherever they come from.”

•From left: Prof Lanre Fagbohun, Justice Oke and Prof. Azinge

•From left: Former Director of Research NIALS, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, Institute Secretary, James Bathnna and Acting Institute Librarian, Mrs Uwem Eteng

•From left: Mutairu Haruna, Chinwe Okhomina and Akinjide Adeyemi

•From left: Dr. Chinyere Ani, Chukwuemeka Nwabuzor, Gary Amadi and Dr Adebisi Arewa.

Group tasks police on criminal law implementation

A

HUMAN rights group, the Access to Justice (AJ), has urged the police to effectively implement the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State (ACJL) 2011.

The law imposes responsibilities on the police, but AJ, in a report released on November 27, last year, said only 29 per cent of officers in Lagos are familiar with the law or have received any training on its provisions.

To get more policemen acquainted with the law, the group held a seminar at the Area ‘B’ Police Command Headquarters, Apapa, Lagos, with the theme: ‘’Effective Implementation of Lagos State Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2011.’’

AJ’s Project Officer Mrs Chinelo Chinweze

By Emmanuel Udodinma

highlighted the duties of the police under the law, including notification of cause of arrest; information of rights to remain silent and right to counsel; notification of right to free legal counsel; no arrest in lieu of suspects; taking inventory of a suspect’s belongings; making video recordings of confessional statements; police reporting obligations; and women as sureties for bail, among others.

On notification of cause of arrest, the only exception is where the person is apprehended in the actual course of the commission of the crime or where pursued immediately after the commission of the crime or while escaping from lawful custody.

The police should also inform the person being

arrested of the legal right to apply for free legal representation from the Office of the Public Defender (OPD), Legal Aid Council or any such agency.

Chinweze said the police violate the law if any officer arrests a suspect’s relative or any person in place of the suspect, adding that where there is no video recording facility, the law requires that such confessional statement should be in writing in the presence of a lawyer chosen by the arrested person.

The police is also make a report of all persons who are arrested with or without warrants under state offences to the office of the Attorney-General within one week, while Section 20 provides that officers in charge of police stations are obligated to report cases of all persons arrested without

warrant to the nearest Magistrate.

Area ‘B’ Police Commander ACP Ndubueze Michael Anene praised AJ for organising the seminar, saying police officers would work to implement the law effectively.

He added that the seminar gave room for officers to express their challenges, as solutions were proffered on how to comply with the law.

Senior Special Assistant to the governor (Legal Matters) Mr. Akingbolahan Adeniran urged the police to apply the law especially in confessions, as defence lawyers always raise issues as to whether they are voluntary, which further cause trial delays.

He said since anyone who has been arrested get nervous during interrogation, police officers should interview them calmly and “allow them relax.”

38

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

LAW PERSONALITY Mr. Seni Adio is the Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Section on Business Law (SBL) Committee on Consumer Protection and Products Liability. He is also chairman of SBL’s 8th Annual Conference Planning Committee. In this interview with Legal Editor JOHN AUSTIN UNACHUKWU, he speaks on challenges facing commercial lawyers, the judiciary’s working conditions, and alternative dispute resolution.

‘Judges’ working conditions must be improved’ Y

OUR father is a retired Chief Judge of Oyo State.

Your mother, Justice Busola Ogunlesi-Adio, of blessed memory, was on the High Court in Ogun State, and your late uncle, Justice Y. O. Adio was in the Supreme Court. Why have you remained at the Bar? Well, it would be rather presumptuous to think it’s a natural or inevitable progression to go to the Bench.

Moreover, being a judge anywhere, particularly in Nigeria, is what I describe as a self-less sacrifice because the conditions in which a lot of our justices and judges work are very tough. I am not stating anything new here.

Certainly, a lot of progress have been made over the years, but often times, too late for many. Here, the justices and judges conduct their research themselves and also write their judgments and rulings themselves, often times doing so late into the night and early mornings of the following day. Many times, if there is no power they have to resort to battery powered lamps and, sometimes, even more rudimentary illuminating devices. Just imagine that?

Now, transpose what I have justdescribed with the other experience I have had where judges sometimes have two or three young lawyers working with them as law clerks.

And I must tell you for young lawyers it’s a very huge deal to clerk for a judge – any judge. However, by the time you have clerked for a Justice of the Court of Appeal, you must be exceptional, and a Supreme Court Justice would mean you practically walk on water. In sum, the judges abroad have very able young lawyers to lighten their work load. Not here.

What do you consider to be the greatest challenges facing commercial law practice in the country?

Well, I am sure that if you pose that same question to 10 lawyers, you are going to get 10 different answers depending on the area of commercial law which they practice. Even the law firms that do a lot of commercial law litigations are facing different type of challenges but I think that one of the issues that one faces some times is in terms of sustaining foreign direct investment and making potential investors too comfortable about the way of risking their capital in this environment. They need some kind of predictability in terms of outcome when disputes arise, that they would get a fair stakes in getting those disputes resolved promptly. That is one area and a degree of progress has been done in that area by through various bodies including Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, UK and the Lagos Court of International Arbitration ( LCIA) and even the Lagos High Court now has a Multi Door system, so there is an orientation now towards trying to get disputes resolved justly and quickly and also resolved promptly.

Can you give us a little insight into your educational background?

Well, yes. I attended Queens College, Taunton, Somerset for my A-Levels and from there I proceeded to the University of Buckingham in the United Kingdom (UK) where I got my law degree LL.B (Hons). Upon obtaining my law degree I came back to Nigeria and attended the Nigerian Law School from 1987 to 1988. Thereafter, I served in the National Youth Corps program. I served at the Ministry of Justice, Jos, Plateau State. I stayed with my uncle, Justice Yekini Olayiwola Adio, JSC, of blessed memory, who was at the Court of Appeal, Jos Division.

Upon completing my NYSC program I proceeded to the United States to obtain a Master of Laws degree. I obtained my Master of Laws in Taxation from Boston University School of Law, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. I had intended to spend only one year, but ended up being there for many more years.

How were you able to adjust having spent an extended period practicing abroad?

You have already made a point which I should underscore. I was in private practice abroad. By no means am I saying that it’s been a walk in the park – it has not.

However, quite fortuitously, the not-so-new anymore practice of “front-loading” is a procedure that I was quite used to so that made things relatively easier when I returned to practice here. Moreover, even while I was away, I was in regular contact with colleagues, attended various law events and to the extent possible, just tried to stay keyed into the legal trends and developments here.

You practiced abroad for many years. Were you involved in any Nigerian cases in those years?

Not directly. I did provide some consulting advice though. I suppose that’s not surprising given that I was based in Boston where the mainstay in terms commercial law practice comprised of Biotechnology, Healthcare, HiTech, Renewable Energy, Tax and Financial Services (with a bias towards Europe, South and Latin America).

I if I had been in Houston, I’m sure I would have been involved in many Nigeria bound transactions and vice versa.

What should we expect from the forthcoming SBL Conference?

Suffice to say, it should not be missed. We are having a cocktail on the evening of May 25, for our colleagues and the resource experts. The Conference will kick-off in earnest on the morning of May 26 with key note speeches and welcome remarks in the morning and the First Plenary in the afternoon. Some of the dignitaries scheduled for the first day include the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mukhtar, Lord Mark Malloch Brown,Former Deputy Secretary General, United Nations, and Vice Chairman of the Soros Investment Funds, NBA President, Okey Wali (SAN).

The Conference will be declared open by the Governor Babatunde Fashola, (SAN) of Lagos State.

Why did you choose the conference topic?

The theme for this year’s Conference is quite topical.

The theme is: “Exemplary governance Enhancing economic development in Nigeria” This theme was derived, in part, taking into consideration the fact that the Conference is being held in the penultimate year to Nigeria’s general elections. Therefore, it presents a unique opportunity for stakeholders to address the imperatives of exemplary governance as a platform for enhancing economic development in the country. Plainly speaking, we have very eminent experts as resource persons on the panels of the various Committees that have organized break-out sessions. The Conference is not intended to be a forum for back-slapping or just networking. Sure, people are encouraged to net-work.

However, the Committees will be providing very substantive seminars and interactive discussions and also provide written materials that attendees will jealously guard and take away with them. The SBL has approximately 21 Committees. These include Banking and Finance, Capital Market, Intellectual Property, Insurance, Sports and Entertainment, Tourism and Hospitality, Mergers, Acquisitions and Restructurings and, of course, my committee - Consumer Protection and Products Liability.

How do you determine the sub-themes?

The Council provides guidance certainly but for the most part, the decisions are left to the Committee chairpersons. Usually, the chairpersons take a cue from the over-arching theme and derive sub-themes that dovetail with the main theme. As far as I know, there has never been a case where the Council threw out a topic from any given Committee. Well, it’s gone very well so far. I can tell you though that it’s a lot of work, very time consuming. I have to say I can’t play any naivety about what I was stepping into when I accepted the honour because it is a tremendous honour to have been asked but I knew I was stepping into very large shoes because my more recent predecessors include Mr. Soji Awogbade and Dr. Gbolahan Elias, (SAN). So it’s a lot of work, there’s no question about it but it’s been a lot of fun too, particularly because the Council has been very supportive, every single member of the Council has been extremely supportive and I have to even say that it’s been a delight working with Mr. Gbenga Oyebode, Asue Ighodalo and Olu Akpata. And going back to one of the questions you asked me about my sojourn in the States, Asue Ighodalo for example, is some one I met at different speaking events. I remember very vividly on one occasion both of us were on a panel at the Harvard Club in New York. So it’s been very refreshing working with the Council. Though I can’t name every member of the Council I wish to publicly thank each and every one of them for their support. We also have a very amiable, resourceful, endearing and enduring, Mr. Endurance Uhumuavbi, who is in charge of the SBL Secretariat. He is extremely resourceful, a lot of high energy, always thinking, has a very “can-do” attitude, he doesn’t take

‘We know that people pay attention to what the Nigerian Bar Association says in general; we also know that as a result of the efforts of this particular committee and as I mentioned earlier, it has caused a lot of human capacity development, the quest for excellence, expertise...’

•Adio

no for an answer, so having someone like that to work with at the Secretariat has also been tremendously helpful.

Clearly over a two-day period, we’re going to have all the committees present various programmes in different sessions. And they are all topical, based on the very theme that has been selected.

So we have committees such as banking and finance, capital market, intellectual property, insurance, sports and entertainment, tourism, I have to mention my committee-Consumer Protection and products liability.

There are different committees and each committee has a very robust presentation populated with experienced practitioners and experts in their different fields. The Consumer protection and Products Liabilitycommittee, which is my committee may not be presenting programme this year, except at the Annual General Conference of the NBA. So this year’s conference promises to be the best that we’ve had so far. We have lots of eminent legal practitioners, business leaders and government dignitaries who would be attending the conference with indigenous practitioners as well as those coming from various parts of the globe.

How do you think the outcome of this year’s conference would affect Nigeria?

As a developing topic from last year, we touched on security challenges because we had a lot of security issues going on at the time, and then we touched amnesty, power, economic development, how has the SBL moved up from all that were discussed? What happened after the discussions that were had last year, what has happened afterwards? Has anything been done about the resolutions and discussions, has there been any policy change that was actually influenced by the SBL Conference? Let me deal with the first questions, part of the ways that the SBL has impacted locally on Nigeria, is that at the threshold, we raise awareness about different issues. We know that people pay attention to what the Nigerian Bar Association says in general; we also know that as a result of the efforts of this particular committee and as I mentioned earlier, it has caused a lot of human capacity development, the quest for excellence, expertise and part of what it has done for example; the issue of privatisation, part of what has come out of making the whole privatisation exercise, the strides that have been achieved is that we have a lot of people hopefully who are willing to carry the ball and move the ball forward.

How do you think the programmes of the SBL have impacted government actions and policies?

Now on the scale of impacting on the government, the government too has on occasions tapped into the resources provided by the SBL and I can say that my committee, Consumer Protection and Products Liability has contributed in this regard. Moreover, I know that at the federal level, for example, there’s a legislation of the National Assembly that is going through several readings to bring the current Consumer Protection Act to make it up to today’s standards in terms of addressing various issues that are not addressed in the current statutes, particular prospect to “encouraging” service providers to be good cooperate citizens and in the rare circumstances that they are not, for there to be adequate remedies for people who are victims of those wrong doings.

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

39

LAW REPORT

When parties may invoke original jurisdiction of Supreme Court IN THE SUPREME COURT OF NIGERIA HOLDEN AT ABUJA ON FRIDAY THE 11TH DAY OF APRIL, 2014 BEFORE THEIR LORDSHIPS: MAHMUD MOHAMMED, J.S.C. JOHN AFOLABI FABIYI, J.S.C. NWALI SYLVESTER NGWUTA, J.S.C. MARY UKAEGO PETER ODILI, J.S.C. MUSA DATTIJO MUHAMMAD, J.S.C. KUDIRAT MOTONMORI OLATOKUNBO KEKERE-EKUN, J.S.C. JOHN INYANG OKORO, J.S.C. Between : The Attorney-General of Lagos State …. Plaintiff And The Attorney-General of the Federation & 35 Ors …. Respondents

B

Y an Amended Originating Summons dated 10th August, 2009 and filed at the Registry of this Court on 12th August, 2009, the Plaintiff Lagos State through its Attorney-General, invoked the originating jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and sued the 1st Defendant, the Federation of Nigeria through the Attorney-General of the Federation and claimed that the House of Assembly of Lagos State of Nigeria is the body entitled, to the exclusion of any other Legislative Body to enact Laws with regard to the imposition and collection of tax on the supply of all goods and services within the Lagos State of Nigeria and that the Lagos State of Nigeria or any agency of the State, is the body entitled, to the exclusion of any other body, to assess and collect such tax, and that the revenue of Lagos State Government has been and continues to be affected by the enforcement of the provisions of the Value Added Tax Decree No.102 of 1993, now Value Added Tax Act Cap VI Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2004, for the determination of the following questions.

1. Whether upon the coming into effect of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, the said Value Added Tax Act is an existing law within the meaning of Section 315 of the said Constitution, being a Federal Legislation which is deemed to be an Act of the National Assembly?

2. If the answer is in the affirmative whether the combination of the provisions of Section 2, 4, 6 and 7 of the said Value Added Tax Act which empowered a Federal organ to impose and collect taxes on the supply of all goods and services other than those goods and services listed in the First Schedule to the said Act amount to an imposition of tax on the supply of all goods and services within the Lagos State of Nigeria and within other States of the Federation?

3. If the answer to question 2 is in the affirmative, whether Sections 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the said Value Added Tax Act are within the contemplation and competence of the powers conferred on the National Assembly under Section 4 of the 1999 Constitution.

The 1st Defendant, the Attorney General of the Federation, upon being served the amended Originating Summons, filed a No-

tice of Preliminary Objection pursuant to Order 2 Rule 29 of the Supreme Court Rules, 2002 and Section 232 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 urging the Court to strike out and/or dismiss the Plaintiff’s suit on the grounds set out in the schedule to the preliminary objection.

Before considering the issues, the Court stated that a judgment given without jurisdiction creates no legal obligation and does not confer any rights to any of the parties.

The Court further stated that being a challenge to the jurisdiction of the Court to entertain Plaintiff’s action, therefore, 1st Defendant’s preliminary objection has to be determined first. Having been raised, all proceedings must abate until the issue is resolved.

The two issues the 1st Defendant considers to have arisen for the determination of his preliminary objection as distilled at paragraph 3 of his written brief thereon read:“1. Whether the Supreme Court’s original jurisdiction can be invoked where the Acts and Allegations constituting the main dispute are Acts of an Agency of the Federal Government.

2. Whether the present suit filed during the pendency of several suits between the main parties on record or their agents does not constitute an abuse of court process.”

On the 1st issue arising from the preliminary objection, Mr. J. B. Daudu ( SAN), 1st Defendant’s learned senior counsel, submitted that the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court is provided for under Section 232 (1) of the 1999 Constitution. And for the original jurisdiction of the court to be invoked, it was contended, the Plaintiff’s claim must disclose a dispute between the federation and a state or states as constituent unit or units or between the states inter-se. The dispute, 1st Defendant’s learned senior counsel further submitted, must be one on which the existence or extent of a legal right of the parties in their capacities as such is involved.

Learned senior counsel relied on AG Bendel State v. AG Fed (1982) 3 NCLRI, AG Federation v. AG Abia State (2001) 1 NWLR (pt.625) 689 at 728, AG Federation v. AG Imo State (1993) 4 NCLR 178 and more particularly AG Kano State v. AG. Federation (2007) 3 SC 59

at 1.

Counsel further contended that the affidavit in support of Plaintiff’s originating summons, only disclosed a dispute between the Plaintiff and an agency of the 1st Defendant.

Plaintiff’s complaint, it was further argued, centres squarely on the collection of Tax on supply of goods and services by the Federal Inland Revenue Services which Act makes it tremendously difficult for the Plaintiff or any of its agencies to collect taxes from those sources. He submitted that the Plaintiff’s claim is about restraining 1st Defendant’s agent from imposing and collecting taxes on the supply of goods and services within Lagos State and no more. Being a claim pertaining to the acts of an agency of the 1st Defendant rather than a dispute between the federation and the Plaintiff or between the states themselves as constituents of the federation, the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court under Section 232 (1) of the 1999 Constitution cannot be invoked by the Plaintiff/Respondent. Further relying on the decision of this Court in AG Benue State v. AG Federation and 35 others (supra), learned senior counsel urged that the Plaintiff’s suit as presently constituted be struck-out for want of jurisdiction.

On the 2nd issue, learned senior counsel for the 1st Defendant contended that the Plaintiff’s suit which seeks to re-litigate afresh issues that had been tried and decided by courts of competent jurisdiction other than the Supreme Court is an abuse of the process of this Court. Learned senior counsel inter alia relied on AG Ondo State v. AG Ekiti State (2001) 7 NWLR (Pt.743) 706, CBN v. Ahmed (2001) 11 NWLR (Pt.24) 369 and Ogoejofo v.

Ogoejofo (2006) 22 NWLR 183 and contends that the suit constitutes an abuse of the process of this Court. Learned senior counsel further submitted that the Plaintiff and the 1st Defendant were the principal parties in suit No.ID/105/01 wherein the Plaintiff obtained a decision in his favour. The nominal parties and the 1st Defendant being dissatisfied with the decision filed appeals CA/L/23/04 and CA/L/727m/05 respectively. The two appeals are still pending. It is the same subject matter, contended learned senior counsel that the Plaintiff raises in the present suit. Again, suit No FHC/L/205/04 between the Plaintiff and the agents of the 1st Defendant as

well as Plaintiff’s appeal No. CA/L/428/05 on the same subject matter instantly raised by the Plaintiff, have all been determined against the Plaintiff. The Plaintiff is yet to appeal against the decision of the Court of Appeal. On the whole, Plaintiff’s claim, learned senior counsel to the 1st Defendant submitted, should be struck out and/or dismissed.

Responding to the 1st issue for the determination of the preliminary objection, Mr. Sofunde (SAN) for the Plaintiff submitted that it is the claim of the Plaintiff that determines a court’s jurisdiction. Learned senior counsel relied on AG Federation v. AG Abia State (2001) 11 NWLR (Pt.625) 689 at 740 and Izenkwe v. Nnadozie 14 WACA 361 at 363 from which the former decision drew.

Learned senior counsel submitted that a dispute is clearly shown to exist between the Plaintiff and the federation. Learned Plaintiff’s counsel concedes that on the authorities, particularly AG Kano v. AG Federation (2007) 6 NWLR (Pt.1029) 164 at 182 the existence of a dispute between the federation and a state or the states inter-se as constituent units is an essential requirement for the invocation of the original jurisdiction of this Court.

By the reliefs the Plaintiff seeks and the facts as contained in the relevant paragraphs in his supporting affidavit, Plaintiff’s learned senior counsel contended that the Plaintiff’s suit is challenging the constitutionality of the Value Added Tax Act and the illegality of the collection of tax pursuant to the Act. Plaintiff’s grouse in the suit is not really about the act of the collection of these taxes by the F.I.R.S., an agency of the 1st Defendant, but rather on the legality or otherwise of the legislation on which the acts of the F.I.R.S. are founded. The Plaintiff, it is submitted, has no dispute with the Federal Board of Inland Revenue which remains a mere agent but with the legislative competence of the 1st Defendant vis-a-vis the taxes collected by the Board.

Were the Plaintiff’s quarrel to be in relation to the act of collecting this tax by 1st Defendant’s agent without more, it would have been impossible to bring Plaintiff’s claim within the purview of Section 232 (1) of the 1999 Constitution that provides for this Court’s original jurisdiction.

Learned senior counsel cited the cases of

Legal Jokes •You’ve heard of the car that runs on methane gas from chicken shit? They have made it into a perpetual motion machine by giving free rides to lawyers.

•A woman was being questioned in a court trial involving slander. “Please repeat the slanderous statements you heard, exactly as you heard them,” instructed the lawyer. The witness hesitated. “But they were unfit for any respectable person to hear!” “Then,” said the attorney, “just whisper them to the judge.”

•A doctor told his patient that his test results indicated that he had a rare, incurable disease and that he had only six months to live. “Isn’t there anything I can do?” the patient asked.

“Marry a lawyer,” answered the doctor. “It will be the longest six months of your life.”

•She: You just don’t care anymore!

He: You’re just upset. Why don’t I buy you something to make you feel better?

She: Like what?

He: How about a trip to Europe?

She: No. He: What about a new Jaguar?

She: No. He: Well, what DO you want?

She: A divorce.

He: (Pause) I wasn’t planning on spending that much.

•The reason that law schools have been described as “a place for the accumulation of learning” is that first-year students bring some in, and third-year students take none out—so knowledge accumulates.

•What are the three questions most commonly asked by lawyers?

1. How much money do you have?

2. Where can you get more?

3. Do you have anything you can sell?

•Tadbury was an entrepreneur with a reputation for dishonesty. One day, he went to Smythe, a new but talented attorney. He told Smythe that he wouldn’t pay any fees unless there seemed a clear cause of legal action. Smythe agreed to evaluate the case. After a lengthy discussion, Smythe told Tadbury, “Your case is absolutely airtight. The other party is dead wrong, and cannot hope to win the case. I will be happy to represent you for a retainer of $10,000.” Tadbury then got up to leave. The attorney protested, “But I told you that your case was good, and you agreed to pay me if you had a claim! You have to pay me my fee!”

Tadbury replied, “Absolutely not. I’m leaving town. I told you the other guy’s side.”

•The day after a verdict had been entered against his client, the attorney rushed to the judge’s chambers, demanding that the case be reopened. He said that he had new evidence that made a huge difference in his defense. “What new evidence could you have?” said the judge. The attorney replied, “My client has an extra $10,000, and I just found out about it!”

•From left: Mrs. Nwinyi Chinelo, Mr. Emmanuel Otobo, former welfare Secretary, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Ikeja Branch, Mr. Samson Omodara and Secretary, Law Week 2014 Committee, Mr. Richard Komolafe during a visit to Ikoyi Prisons by the NBA.

•Taylor was desperate for business, and was happy to be appointed by the court to defend an indigent defendant. The judge ordered Taylor, “You are to confer with the defendant in the hallway, and give him the best legal advice you can.” After a time, Taylor re-entered the courtroom alone. When the judge asked where the defendant had gone, Taylor replied, “You asked me to give him good advice. I found out that he was guilty as hell, so I told him to split.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

40

FROM THE COURT

Manager refuses agency’s out-of-court settlement offer

A

MANAGEr with the Oil & Gas Free Zone Authority (OGFZA), Omosule David Funmilayo, has rejected the company’s offer of payment of his salaries and allowances from April 2011 (when he was suspended) till January this year as a condition for an out-of-court settlement of their dispute.

Omosule argued that the company’s resolve to pay him his outstanding salaries and allowances, without being prompted, was an admission that he was wrongly suspended. He also refused the company’s demand that he voluntarily retires, describing the condition as absurd.

Omosule was the company’s Abuja branch manager until his suspension because he allegedly refused to carry out the management’s directive. He denied the allegation and sued the company before the Federal High Court, Abuja.

He claimed to have been unlawfully suspended without pay, shortly after he discovered a fraud in the company’s Abuja office and insisted that the management must move against those involved.

At the last hearing on March 27 this year, Justice Gabriel Kolawole advised the parties to explore an out-of-court settlement option and adjourned to June 16, for report of settlement.

It is in line with the judge’s advice that the company purportedly made its offer contained in an April 29, 2014 letter signed by its Head of Administration, C. O. Maduekwe and addressed to

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

Omosule through his solicitors, Leslie Vera & Associates.

OGFZA admitted in the letter that Omosule “was suspended from office from April 20, 2011 till date.” It accused Omosule of not exploring “internal mechanisms of settling disputes before proceeding to the court.”

It stated that “in view of the above, the board and management hereby make the following offers as full and final settlement: • That you be paid your salaries and allowances from the April 2011 to January 2014 respectively.

• That you should voluntarily tender your letter of resignation and withdraw the matter you instituted against the Authority before the Federal High Court, Abuja.

• Indicate the acceptance of the offer within one week from receipt of the offer.”

Upon receiving the letter, Omosule, through his solicitors, said though he was not averse to amicable resolution of the dispute, the company was not being sincere in its offer.

He noted that the company, in its letter, vaguely stated that he was suspended from office on 20th April, 2011 till date, thereby undermining the severity of his unlawful suspension by the company’s board since 2011.

Omosule denied the company’s claim that he did not explore internal measures for dispute resolution before heading for the court. He stated that his efforts to make the company’s management

From left: Alabi, Justice Ogala and Malik at the event.

and board understand his position were rebuffed, a development that prompted his petitions to the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offence Commission (ICPC) and the Attorney general of the Federation (AGF) before institution the court action.

“Our client is however disposed to settlement of this matter out of court, in the circumstance of which our client makes the following proposal: • Payment of his salary arrears and entitlements from the date of suspension (20th April, 2011) till date.

• Our client maintains that there is no reason for calling for his resignation from his employment.

Our client wishes to serve out the duration of his employment as guaranteed under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

• Further to the above, our client demands that he be reinstated to Grade Level 17 by virtue of the Administrative Manual guiding promotions in the Authority. Recall that as at 2011 when he was unlawfully and unjustifiably suspended by the authority he was due to be elevated to GL 17 having been over 17 years post NYSC. • Our client hereby demands the sum of N10 million as damages for the untold hardship, trauma, embarrassment and ridicule occasioned by the unlawful suspension from his gainful employment by the Authority.

• Our client intends to withdraw this suit from Court if the above proposals are met by the Authority,” Omosule’s solicitors said.

PHOTO: SOLOMON ADEOLA

‘Don’t expose identities of kidnapped girls’

A

FORMER Lagos State House of Assembly member, Mr Babatunde Ogala, has urged the Federal Government not to reveal the identities of the abducted school girls in Borno State.

He said doing so would contravene the Child Rights Law, which forbids exposing identities of children who are victims of crimes.

Ogala spoke in Lagos during the launch of the Eastern Book Company, India, in Nigeria. The company, said to be India’s leading law publisher, partnered with a Nigerian publisher, The Book Company Limited, to distribute its products and services.

Highlighting one of the books, Law Relating to Women and Children, Ogala said the girls’ abductors are known, as opposed to when a child gets lost.

Ogala urged EBC “to do an aggressive marketing” of its “good titles”, some of which are: A debate over rights; Administrative Law;

•Firms launch Indian law books

By Joseph Jibueze

Business Law; Code of Civil Procedure (Volumes 1-6), Company Law; Competition Law; Constitutional Law; How to frame a charge under Penal Code and Criminal Acts; Law of Arbitration and Conciliation, Law of Insurance; Contract Law; Jurisprudence and Legal theory; Criminal Law and Procedure, among others.

EBC’s Managing Director Mr Vijay Malik said Nigeria and India have a lot in common and could learn from each other.

“The foundation of both our legal systems is the common law of England, and therefore the case law of both systems has precedent value in the other country.

“EBC also has as its objectives the development of legal thought and jurisprudence in Nigeria, through the publication of books authored by local writers.

“To this end, we welcome all those who would like to author books on Nigerians laws, to work with us and make this possible.

“EBC also looks forward to empowering legal professionals and contribute to the continued development and strengthening of the rule of law in Nigeria,” Malik said.

The Book Company’s Managing Director, Mr Dayo Alabi, said with the reputation of both companies, “provision of legal materials, information and services is definitely set to experience a positively drastic revolution within the shortest period.”

Justice Oyindamola Ogala of the Lagos State High Court said she hoped the ‘marriage’ between EBC and The Book Company would be long-lasting, adding: “I’m sure their books will be of immense value to us here.”

LAW AND PUBLIC POWER

with gabriel AMALU email:gabrielamalu1@yahoo.com

2015 Elections: Competency or sympathy

P

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan deserved our sympathy to climb to the Presidency in 2010, after the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua. That was understandable, considering the bad-testing cookies from the staple of the late President’s kitchen cabinet, shortly before his death. Again, in 2011, the tale that Jonathan was a shoeless boy from a minority national, in Nigeria, sold like a hot pancake.

That again was understandable, as he represented a David, staking against the Goliaths. But as 2015 approaches, I canvass that competency instead of sympathy should be our common guide, in our country’s best interest.

Indeed if it were possible, the position of the president and the vice should be advertised on the international wire service, as Nigeria desperately needs a competent leader more than ever before. Were it not down to a constitutional requirement, that position ought to be given to any person considered most competent, regardless of his or her nationality. But that will be an anathema, so we have to make do with Nigerians, and luckily there are a handful of competent players.

This step is key, to give our best shot, to the intractable crises facing our country, in security, infrastructure, education, and energy among others, after the 2015 presidential election.

Nigerians going to the 2015 elections must ask themselves, who among the gladiators has the best competence to solve our numerous security challenges. While no doubt, the Boko Haram insurgency, mainly in the north-east is the most arduous task, it is certainly only a part of the problem. There is kidnapping, armed robbery and the cattle herdsmen killing and maiming all across the other zones in the country. While I agree that political and economic mismanagement by the ruling elite constitute a major cause of these problems, it is not correct to seek to pin it, to the northern political opponents of President Jonathan. That argument is a lame blackmail, by the beneficiaries of the Jonathan presidency, sold to the ignorant.

The Boko Haram insurgency is a greater malaise, than fallout of the political disagreement, between the northern political elites and the Jonathan presidency. As many have correctly argued, the armed insurgency is an attempt by very dangerous international forces, spanning across the Arab countries, the North Africa and now sub-Saharan regions seeking swaths of political empire across these regions. That explains the sophisticated weaponry and financial resources available to these incendiary elements. While many countries across these regions, including now the Central African countries, are really in trouble arising from this insurgency, our own country’s challenge is compounded by decades of incompetent political leadership.

So, to really attempt to solve our challenge in this respect, we earnestly need very competent hands at the highest level. And the honest question should be, whether Jonathan’s presidency has shown such competency or even the potentials in the past four years? The same competency needed in solving the Boko Haram insurgency is also required to solve the other security menaces like kidnapping, armed robbery and now the strident Fulani cattle rustlers and armed attackers. While I concede that President Jonathan is not the major cause of these security challenges, it is his primary responsibility to solve them.

And if he lacks the capacity to deal with the challenges, then we need a change.

With respect to infrastructure, it is also fair to ask whether the Jonathan presidency and indeed his party, the PDP, which has ruled Nigeria for 15 years, have been fair to our country. Starting from President Obasanjo’s years, to Yar’Adua’s interregnum, and the four years of President Jonathan, have Nigerians been given a fair result from the resources expanded over the years on our physical infrastructure. We must not hurriedly forget the billions of naira spent under the party’s political leadership since 1999, to provide the roads that are still death traps to Nigerians. Also, we can not fail to take into account the billions of dollars spent to resuscitate our electricity, without any measure of success. Recently, I watched in utter humiliation, the celebrated contraption running at about 20 kilometers per hour, on our antiquated rail lines in a 21st century; when other third-world nations were travelling on more modern rail lines at above 200 kilometers per hour.

While the Jonathan presidency is touting the privatization of the electricity generation and distribution companies, as one of his major achievements; we must do a simple arithmetic to determine what our nation was able to realized from the sale of our electricity infrastructure to mainly PDP party members, in comparison to the humongous sums that President Obasanjo’s regime expended on the same infrastructure that his protégé, President Jonathan, gleefully sold few years down the line. If we have suffered the deprivation of electricity, despite the huge sums expended over the years, and now we have sold the same infrastructure at a loss under President Jonathan, would it be fair to expect Nigerians to give fresh four years tenure to the same political cabals.

While we may not begrudge President Jonathan, his tact in rebasing our GDP, to place us first in Africa, we must keep our eyes on the main issue. Which is; what has changed in the quality of our lives, since PDP took over political power in 1999? If our lives have become worse, under the PDP leadership, would the celebration of a rebased GDP save our souls from the perdition, arising from a mismanaged economy? If under President Jonathan, corruption and ineptitude has become a permanent feature of political leadership, must we continue on the same road to Armageddon? I encourage those with the requisite competence to run, regardless of religion or tribe. For me, Jonathan must not win again, on mere sympathy.

POLITICS

43

TUESDAY MAY 13, 2014

THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

PLATEAU 2015 Politics is in the air in Plateau State. Ahead of the next governorship election, politicians across the three zones are agitating for power shift? Which zone will produce Governor Jonah Jang’s successor? YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU examines the politics of zoning in the Northcentral state.

Plateau politicians in cold war over 2015 N

EXT year’s governorship battle in Plateau State will be fought in two phases, considering the nature of politics in the state. The first phase is the zonal politics. The three geo-political zones - Plateau South, Plateau Central and Plateau North - have to compete among themselves for the slot.

That has been the style of politics in the state since 1979. It is “an unwritten political law” in Plateau State that the number one seat is filled by the zoning. That principle has been religiously followed for 14 years. However, politicians seem to be divided on that age-long arrangement. Some agree that, based on zoning, the three zones have enjoyed the slot.

Others say the slot has not gone round the three zones. Some want the process to start all over again. Others insist it should start anti-clockwise. Some even want the zoning to be discontinued so that the contest could be thrown open.

Observers have described the succesion battle as a “cold war”. The prevailing political situation in the state is unprecedented. It is like sitting on a time bomb; if it is not diffused on time, it may explode.

The zonal politics is threatening to tear the state apart. A Jos political analyst, Professor Ahmed Zakari, said: “Plateau politicians are in serious dilemma; they have been in serious and intensive succession battle. The way and manner the prevailing cold war is resolved would determine the future of the state. It is a moment of decision. If care is not taken, that decision may mar Plateau State.

“The dullness on the political field now, I can tell you has to do with the cold war.

Plateau politicians are in the political laboratory all these while; when they are done with their research, they will come out with the new found political theory that will shape the way forward,” said Prof Zakari.

Politicians in the state are in fierce succession battle over who will take over from Jang. Politicians from Plateau North, which produced Jang are claiming that all the three zones have produced one governor each beginning from 1979. They are said that the South produced the first two civilian governors: Chief Solomon Lar (1979-1983) and Sir Fidelis Tapgun (1992-1994). Then, in 1999, power shifted to Plateau Central, and Chief Joshua Dariye served a two term of eight years, which terminated in 2007. The last zone in that arrangement is Plateau North, which produced Jang who would be completing his second term of eight years in 2015.

The Plateau North took the last turn in the original zoning arrangement. Now, politicians from the zone want it to go round again anti-clockwise.

The South has objected to this. Its leaders said that the zone is yet to produce a governor in this dispensation. Their argument is that Lar and Tapgun were governors in an earlier dispensation in the old Plateau State before Nasarawa State was carved out from it. They argue that since Nasarawa State was carved out of the state, Plateau South has not produced a governor. They maintained that the zone should be given a chance to produce the next governor.

However, the people of Plateau Central are also laying claim to the governorship. They pointed out that the major ethnic groups in the three zones have governed the state. The ethnic groups are the Tarok and the Goemai (Southern Zone), the Berom (Northern Zone). They

• Jang

• Longjam

‘Plateau politicians are in serious dilemma; they have been in serious and intensive succession battle.

The way and manner the prevailing cold war is resolved would determine the future of the state’ • Mrs Talen

said the only major ethnic group that is yet to enjoy the slot is the Angas of the Central Zone. They insist that although Dariye, who governed the state between 1999 and 2007, is from the Central Zone, he hails from a minority ethnic group. So, since the major tribes have taken their turns, they argue that the new zoning arrangement should start from their zone to give room for the Angas tribe to produce the next governor in 2015.

The governor is conscious of these agitations. But, he has been evasive.Jang has kept quiet on the succession battle. He has asked the people to wait until his successor is revealed by God. The governor told a gathering in Jos, the state capital, that the next governor will be ordained by God. However, this has not doused the suspicion that Jang haa an aspirant in mind.

Sources said that the governor is buying his time. In fact, some PDP chieftains have alleged that the governor was schemeing to retain the slot in his zone.

A group, the “Redemption Integrity Group” has challenged the governor to anoint a successor and risk the chance of his party at the poll. The spokesman of the group and former Commissioner for

Information, Nuhu Gagara, said “Citizens should rise and reject any attempt

by Jang to impose his successor on the people.” He said there is zoning, which he benefited from, warning that any attempt to tamper with the arrangement could lead to doom. “It is the turn of people of Plateau South to produce the next governor for the state,” Gagara said.

The people of Plateau South are working to get the slot. They have asked other zones to step down for a candidate from the zone. A group, the Plateau South Democratic Watch, is coordinating the agitation in the South. In a statement by its spokesman, Nimpai Dombin, the group said: “We will resist any attempt to deprive our zone the opportunity to produce the next governor.”

Dombin added: “The agitation by some individuals and interest groups to thwart the zoning of the governorship to deprive the South of its turn is not only in bad faith, but repugnant and unacceptable. If it were to be so, then, Plateau South Senatorial District would have been denied the governorship for 31 and half years.

“Equity and good conscience dictate that Plateau South Senatorial District is next in line to produce the next gover-

nor. Ee shall refuse, reject and repeal forthwith any further act designed to subsume and suppress us as a people under any guise whatsoever. We recognise that it is the prerogative of the political parties to decide where a governorship candidate should come from. Therefore, we call on them to beam their searchlight on Plateau South Senatorial District for their candidates for the 2015 election.

“Plateau South is blessed with human and material resources by God. We shall, for the avoidance of doubt, put forward for the consideration of the people of Plateau State, experienced and quality sons and daughters from the district, knowing that the position of governor is not for all comers. We pledge our unalloyed loyalty to the high performing, dynamic and untiring efforts of the Governor of Plateau State, Jonah David Jang, whose judgment and wisdom we trust”.

Observers contend that the South has a good case. But, power is not got on a platter of gold.

In the begining, the founding fathers of Plateau State from the Jos Division, Pankshin Division, Lowland Division and Wase sub-Native Authority agreed to cohabit in a state.They envisioned a state that would thrive in an atmosphere of brotherhood, equity and fairness.

The people of the Lowland Division and Wase Sub-native Authority, which is the Plateau South Senatorial District, comprising Wase, Langtang North, Langtang South, Shendam, Qua’an Pan and Mikang Local Government Areas, agreed to be in the same state with Jos and Pankshin Divisions.

Reflecting on the agreement, Gagara said: “We willingly subscribed to the agreement to come together in good faith. The governorship has rotated among the divisions, leaving the South in the cold. Lar and Tapgun, who are from this division were governors in the pre-1999 period, when Nasarawa State had not been carved out of Plateau State.

“The next equitable thing to do is to let Plateau South Senatorial District produce the next governor . If Plateau South is denied the chance to produce the next governor, it would have been denied for waited for 31 and a half years.

The former commissioner warned that, if the slot elude the district, the people will lose a sense of belonging.

Sources said that the agitation, based on zoning, has polarised the ruling party.

Jang, they said, has been holding meetings regularly with leaders across the districts to douse the tension. But, the pressure on him to make a categorical statement has not abated.

Feelers from Jang camp suggest that the governor is being cautious on the sensitive issue. There are speculations that Jang is grooming his deputy,Ambassador Ignatius Longjan, who hails from Plateau South, to succeed him. But, some chieftains have doubted the move, saying that the governor is rooting for an aspirant from the North so that the district can retain the slot beyong 2015.

Apart from the deputy governor, there are other contenders. They include Sir Fidelis Tapgun, Dame Pauline Talen, John Alkali, an engineer, Jimmy Cheto, also an engineer, Senator Victor Lar, and Prof. Longmas Wapmuk. They are from the South.

The three zones are locked in battle for the slot. Which zone will produce the next governor? Time will tell.

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THE NATION TUESDAY MAY 13, 2014

POLITICS At a press conference in Lagos, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, reflected on the insecurity in the land, and the Federal Government’s ineptitude. To end the Boko Haram insurgency, which has claimed thousands of lives, the former Osun State governor emphasised that military action should be complemented by strategic peacebuilding, including negotiation and economic development plan for the troubled Northeast.

‘Nigeria on auto pilot’ I

T is exactly 26 days after over 200 of our daughters in Chibok, Borno State, were abducted

by Boko Haram insurgents. We neither know where they are nor are we any close to knowing it, going by available information. Yet, 11 more girls have been abducted in Warabe.

Since 2009, when Boko Haram launched its terror campaign, thousands of our citizens have either been killed or maimed, while the economic and social activities in a whole section of the country have been paralyzed. Since January 2014, Boko Haram has killed over 1,500 people, mostly civilians, and that figure does not include the 95 people who died in the two bombings in as many weeks at Nyanya in Abuja, nor does it include the over 150 who were killed in Gamboru, Borno State, last week.

Nigeria is at war. And Nigerians are asking: How did we get to this sorry pass? Could we have averted the situation in which we have now found ourselves, a situation in which Africa’s most populous nation, and one said to have the largest economy on the continent, is now lying prostate, begging the world for help? How did a country that has been at the vanguard of maintaining peace in other countries since 1960 now become something of a panhandler? How can we restore peace to our country and provide safety and security for our people?

It is in the search for answers to these questions that we have called this world press conference, not to apportion blame, but to take a critical and non-partisan look at the situation we are in and also to offer suggestions on the way out of what has now become a quagmire.

We are on top of the situation Gentlemen, you will recall that 2011 marked a dangerous turning point in the history of Boko Haram’s terror attacks, when the insurgents bombed the UN Complex and the Police Headquarters, both in Abuja, with deadly consequences. That same year, the INEC office in Suleja was bombed; churches were bombed in Jos, Plateau; Suleja, Niger State and in Yobe State, among others.

All through these attacks and thereafter, all the federal government did was to issue tepid statements commiserating with the victims and their families, vowing to hunt down the culprits and bring them to justice, and then telling a bewildered nation: ‘We are on top of the situation’.

Of course they are not on top of anything. It was an empty rhetoric! Because, the following year, 2012, the insurgents, emboldened by the fact that they have gotten away with past terror attacks, launched even more vicious attacks, killing over 160 in one day in Kano alone and 40 in Kaduna on another day, launching another church attack in Jos and attacking the police headquarters in Maiduguri, among a horde of other attacks. The reaction from the government? ‘We are on top of the situation! Boko Haram will soon become history’ 2013 was not any better, with the attack in Bama claiming 55 lives, and that in Yobe 42 lives, among many others.

Realizing that its retort, ‘we are on top of the situation’, was not working, the government shifted gear and started blaming the opposition, specifically our party, the APC, for the attack.

Statements made by our key leaders, including Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, were distorted and taken out of context to justify their claim that the APC is the sponsor of the attacks. They say a party that has 35 interim officials, 18 of them Muslims and 17 of them Christians, is an Islamic party that is in cahoots with Boko Haram. No amount of disclaimer by the APC impressed the

•Chief Akande

accusers.

Then, 2014 came and the terrorists simply went mad. Waves of attacks on Bama, Buni Yadi, Maiduguri, Kala Balge, Dilkwa and Abuja claimed hundreds of lives, to such an extent that by March ending, the death toll has hit 1,500! Then the worst atrocity of all: Our daughters were abducted from the school and taken to an unknown destination.

All through this, the government kept waffling, mouthing meaningless ‘we are on top of the situation’ cliche and engaging in blame game. With his eyes set firmly on 2015, the President, as well as his party, ratcheted up the finger pointing and blame game.

Amidst all this, valuable time was lost to deal with the insurgency. And now we have reached a sorry pass. The government has lost the initiative to the terrorists.

The role of the military We hail our gallant men and women in uniform, who have risked their lives to battle this insurgency and keep our country safe. We do not share in the pessimism being expressed in certain quarters about the ability and capability of our military to tackle the insurgency. We believe that, given the necessary support and provided with the required wherewithal, our military can surmount this insurgency.

However, stories emerging from the front in the battle with Boko Haram have been saddening: Low morale among our troops, obsolete equipment, including guns that fail to fire and armoured personnel carriers that won’t move, given to our troops, and cases of deserters.

When Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno called the attention of the nation to the fact that the insurgents’ morale was higher than that of our troops and that they were better armed than the soldiers we are sending to battle, he was roundly pilloried and shouted down.

To ensure that our military is not being saddled with responsibility without empowerment, we have therefore called on the National Assembly to institute a probe into how the huge allocations for security in the recent years have been spent, whether the men and women we are sending to battle are properly equipped and whether funds meant for the prosecution of this war are being judiciously spent.

The abductions After wasting valuable time on finger pointing and senseless politicking, the Jonathan Administration finally overreached itself following the unfortunate, dastardly and atrocious kidnapping of our girls from their school in Chibok, Bormo State.

First, the Administration was in denial, believing the girls were indeed not kidnapped and that the whole abduction story was choreographed to embarrass the President and dim his chances for re-election in 2015, which is the only thing that matters to the President and his party, the PDP, now In fact, on the same day the girls were abducted, our President was dancing ‘azonto’ at an illegal campaign rally in Kano, not minding that a few hours earlier, 75 innocent citizens were bombed into smithereens under his watch in Abuja!

When the reality dawned on the Administration that this was not a fluke, it reacted by doing nothing! It took all of 19 days before President Jonathan

made any public statement acknowledging the abductions. That is almost three weeks of lost opportunity to engage in a hot pursuit of the abductors and rescue our girls.

That public outing by the President in itself was forced, by the World Economic Forum on Africa which was just a few days away then and the focus by the global community on the terrorist attacks in Nigeria and the abduction of the girls.

Then a tragicomedy ensued: While the President again pulled into his shell after summoning a few meetings here and there and setting up a ‘fact finding’ panel.. akin to shutting the pen after the chicken has bolted...his wife, the First Lady, took over the whole issue and turned it into a theater of the absurd, summoning officials of state in a clear unconstitutional act and subjecting them to untold and humiliating treatment, as if they were behind the abductions.

Apparently dissatisfied with the panel set up by her husband, she set up her own, and even ordered the arrest of the women who have daily been protesting on the streets to force the government to act to rescue the girls.

They blamed everyone but themselves. Even the dumbstruck parents and guardians of the abducted girls were not spared, as the President kept insinuating on his Media Chat last Sunday that they have refused to cooperate with the authorities to find their daughters!!!

In the midst of all these, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau claimed responsibility for the abduction of the girls of Chibok and 11 more girls were kidnapped in Warabe. Only then did the distracting, obscene and shameless grandstanding in Abuja on the issue stop.

Realising that he has now reached the end of his tethers and that he was facing a challenge far beyond his capability and installed capacity, the President made a belated request for assistance to the world. All through this, his party, the PDP, went silent and the world took over the battle!

Oh, lest we forget, the National Women Leader of the PDP, Mrs. Kema Chikwe, perhaps holding brief for his party, raised doubts that the girls were indeed missing and asked for their names and pictures to be published, not minding the stigma that will be the girls’ lot when they return home.

Offer of assistance by foreign countries We welcome and commend the offer of assistance by Britain, Canada, China, France, US, ECOWAS and the UN, among others to help find our girls. We welcome the British and American experts who have already arrived on our shores to assist us to find our girls and return them safely to their parents. This confirms our stated belief that the war against terrorism is a global battle.

We thank all the friendly nations and global organizations that have expressed solidarity with our dear country in her hour of need, and urge those that have offered assistance to ensure it extends beyond finding our girls to dealing a crushing blow to the terrorists and defeating them once and for all.

But we submit that ultimately, the security and safety of our citizens are the primary responsibility of the Nigerian Government, led by President Jonathan, and the government must not abdicate this responsibility simply because some nations and organizations have offered to assist Our stand and recommendations Fellow Nigerians, these are times that try the souls of men. Our nation faces a most severe and unfair test. The decisions and actions taken in the next few weeks and months may well determine whether we emerge from the pit into which violent terrorism has pushed us or shall we sink deeper still into lawlessness and disorder. The challenge we face is much bigger than the pursuit of office or individual ambition.

Even without the Boko Haram crisis, the nation ran itself as if on auto-pilot. The Jonathan Administration did little and depended on the ingenuity of the Nigerian people to fend for themselves and cover up governmental shortcoming.

However, a crisis has come which no amount of private ingenuity can resolve. Only government can answer this call. The time has come for strategy and action. The time has come but government has been found sorely wanting. Just as they have left the girls in the forest and at the mercy of armed terrorists without mercy, this government has left the nation in the cold.

We must acknowledge that the nation has been brought low. We now suffer more violence and destruction than many places that are formally at war. For too many, Nigeria has become not a place to live but a place to die. We must change this evil equation.

‘At moments like these, Nigeria needs a leadership that is bold, coherent, sincere and focused. Unfortunately, that is not the case right now for our dear nation’

At moments like these, Nigeria needs a leadership that is bold, coherent, sincere and focused.

Unfortunately, that is not the case right now for our dear nation.

Given what is at stake, people of goodwill must speak up to offer suggestions on how Nigeria can pull itself from her present security quagmire.

As a party, the APC has watched with great trepidation the deteriorating state of our country and its security institutions. We have consistently offered suggestions on how to resolve this crisis. We have said only a non-partisan approach can help resolve the huge crisis we face, even though the Jonathan Administration has pointedly ignored this. But we remain undaunted.

Today, we call on President Jonathan to earn his epaulet as the Commander-in-Chief and stop passing the buck. We remind him that as the Chief Security Officer of the nation, he cannot and must not pass the buck. We remind him that having imposed a state of emergency on Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, he has assumed full responsibility for the security of those states, and that it is disingenuous of him to point accusing fingers at the Governors of those states, who cannot even move around their states freely without clearance.

Because we in the APC remain resolute that Nigeria can overcome this evil group, if only we all come together to fight the common enemy, we hereby advocate a multifaceted strategy, the outlines of which we now place before the Nigerian people for discussion and comment: The government’s response against Boko Haram has reached a strategic stalemate – a situation of parity in impacts. This strategic stalemate is to Boko Haram’s advantage for it wins as long as it exists and continues to disrupt and terrorize. Government policy needs to reform in a few important ways viz: Develop and/or Publish a Counter-Terrorism Strategy:Presently there is poor coordination between and integration of military means and political and economic objectives. There is currently no publicly known counter-terrorism strategy guiding the response to BH, and the impact of this can be seen in at least three ways: first is the chaos and confusion surrounding the government’s intention to explore a negotiated settlement by dialoguing with BH. One minute the government favours and seeks to dialogue and grant amnesty to BH, the next minute government rules it out. There are mixed signals from the government. Second is the lack of use and coordination of military, political and economic means, yet successful counter-insurgency requires close coordination of military, political and economic means and objectives.

Build a new Intelligence Gathering Infrastructure – In 2012, Nigeria announced plans for a new intelligence fusion centre to coordinate, improve and integrate intelligence gathering and sharing across agencies. We need to obtain more timely and actionable intelligence from local sources in the areas affected by Boko Haram. We would also establish an office of the Special AntiTerrorism Coordinator.

Improve Contingency Planning: Most major militaries around the world have plans for the major challenges they are likely to face. We need to begin to create plans and conduct training exercises that reflect the challenges we will face.

In this manner. Our security apparatus will be better prepared if and when a situation arises.

Pursue and Align military with political (negotiated) solutions: Boko Haram is unlikely to be defeated militarily. Most insurgencies are ended through some form of negotiation. Government must develop a strategy along the lines of the policy followed by President Yar’Adua (over the MEND insurgency in the Niger Delta) at least to the extent that we use employment and other rehabilitative incentives to separate the rank and file from Boko Haram’s leadership.

Economic Development Plan for Northern Nigeria: The proposed recovery fund for the Northeast is grossly inadequate window dressing. A real and massive effort is needed. Clearly more financial resources are needed. Economic revival goes beyond providing substantial funds – it has to be guided by clear objectives, roles of public and private sectors and civil society groups, and must include social (education, health, religion, culture and traditional institutions), environmental, and political aspects, in addition to economic issues.

Conclusion Our nation stands on the rim of crisis. A stupendous national disaster beckons. But, this current leadership can help avert disaster if they wake up to what true governance is. The time for excuses and half-measures is long past. The well being of the nation hangs in the balance. If we do not act decisively, the demands of the moment will find us wanting and history will issue a terrible verdict against us.

HEALTH

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

45

THE NATION

E-mail:- health@thenationonlineng.net

Seven years ago, her life was saved by blood transfusion. Today, the Country Group Head of Novartis Pharma Services, Mrs Vera Nwanze, is an advocate of blood donation. Last week, she led 120 others to donate blood at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA reports.

Pushing the frontiers of blood donation I N Nigeria, voluntary blood donation has not become a culture.

People are not used to donating blood because they do not know its importance. As human beings, we need blood to live. In times of emergency, doctors need blood to save lives. They can only do so when there is blood in the bank.

Many public hospitals run a blood bank where people voluntarily donate blood after undergoing some tests.

In most cases, the blood banks are empty because there are no donors.

The essence of blood in the handling of emergencies was brought to the fore after the April 14 suicide bombings at the Nyanya Park in Abuja where scores were killed.

The hospitals where the injured were rushed to were short of blood.

Faced with such a situation, they called for voluntary donation.

Among those who came forward were the British High Commissioner in Nigeria, Dr Andrew Pocock, and House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal.

But, must it take an emergency to get people to voluntarily donate blood? In most cases it does. The good thing is that some beneficiaries have come to see the need to be champions of blood donation and are encouraging others to do so.

One of such persons, who is pushing the frontiers of blood donation, is the Country Group Head of Novartis Pharma Services, Nigeria, Mrs Vera Nwanze.

Mrs Nwanze is alive today, thanks to blood transfusion. She was transfused with blood seven years ago to save her life.

She said: “My life was saved by a stranger in a 20-minute exercise prior to my distressed situation.

The blood donor came to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), as a routine and it turned out that part of the donated blood, platelet, and later the whole blood were crucial for my survival.”

Mrs Nwanze said she was preparing for work, when she felt a pain in her abdomen. “The pain was indescribable; it was such that even whenever my arm rubbed slightly against my stomach, it was as if someone was pricking me with multi-pronged needles.

“I also noticed that my stomach was distended. And though my husband is a medical worker, both of us were at a loss as to what might have gone wrong all of a sudden,” she said.

Unknown to her, she was pregnant and although she felt “funny” a few days earlier, she could not identify the problem.

At the hospital, a doctor diagnosed the possible cause of her condition, and with a simple test confirmed that Nrs Nwanze had ectopic pregnancy; which had caused severe internal bleeding.

“The doctors confirmed that by the time I reached the hospital, I had bled approximately threequarters of my blood into my abdomen,” she stated.

Well, by this time, she had lost consciousness; and the doctors battled to save her life, the platelet was handy. She was supported with

oxygen mask.

“In all,” she said, “I took four pints of blood, which saved my life.

The implication is that if someone, somewhere, had not done that charitable deed called blood donation, perhaps I would have died.

And that is why physicians urge us to donate blood because it saves lives.”

Mrs Nwanze said she didn’t need much persuasion before she volunteered to become a blood donor.

Last Friday, she led no fewer than 120 persons to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) to donate blood.

Dressed in white T-shirts and caps with red designs, they marched round Idi-Araba, Lagos, enroute to LUTH. On their way, they shared IEC (information; education and communication) materials to encourage others.

It was the firm’s Community Partnership Day )CPD) to commemorate the merger that created Novartis in 1996. This year’s initiative was aimed at driving awareness on blood donation, where staff across the country in partnership with key hospitals to donate blood voluntarily.

Receiving the donors, the Head of Haematology and Blood Transfusion Medicine, Prof Sulaiman Akanmu, explained the significance of blood donation.

Akanmu said their contribution was important for a healthy and reliable blood supply for the hospital, adding: “And you’ll feel good knowing you’ve helped change a life. Most Nigerians don’t donate blood because of their ignorance.

What obtains mostly are blood-replacement donations.”

He said there could be no transfusion medicine without blood donors.

“This is because hospitals at all levels need blood for short and long term use. Nigeria currently operates below World Health Organisation recommendation, which stipulates that in order to meet the blood need of a community, five per cent of the population must have donated blood at least once a year.

“For a population of over 160 million, the nation needs between seven and eight million units of blood per annum. Nigeria is currently grossly underserved, as the nation only has between one and 1.7 million units of blood for its huge population.”

For those who nurse fears about blood donation, Akanmu said the donor’s body immediately begins to replenish the lost blood; hence, there are no negative consequences from the exercise.

According to him, donations are the only way of obtaining blood because, despite medical and technological advances, blood cannot be made.

He said:“The only way of getting hold of it is via blood donations.

Blood can be defined as the fluid we have in our bodies that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. It also carries waste to be eliminated from the body. We have between four and six litres of blood in the adult bodies.

“Each donation may help up to

•Chief Donor Officer, LUTH, Mrs Mercy F. Onofomi bleeding a voluntary blood donor at the event

•Some of the participants donating blood

•Prof Akanmu

•Mrs Nwanze

save three different people, because each blood donation provides three different blood components, each with its own role in treating patients.

Red blood cell concentrates which can be kept for 42 days. Plasma; can be stored for a year and Platelets that can be kept for five days. Blood and its components have a limited life.

Blood is used everyday.”

He told the prospective donors that it is not everybody that can donate, that they must undergo some checks.

He said: “We have to ensure the wellbeing of both potential donors

and recipients, especially in the age of HIV, Hepatitis B and other bloodrelated diseases. For instance, anybody that had collected money in exchange for sex before cannot donate.”

Akanmu explains why: “We have the responsibility to ensure that all blood being transfused is safe and free of all diseases. There are only few conditions in which donors are permanently excluded. The donor with history of epilepsy, psychotic disorders, abnormal bleeding tendencies, severe asthma, cardiovascular disorders, and malignancy are

permanently unfit for blood donation. Donors suffering from diseases, such as hepatitis, malaria, measles, mumps, and syphilis, may donate blood after full recovery with three to six months gap. Also people who have undergone surgery, blood transfusion may safely donate blood after six to 12 months.

For woman donors who are pregnant or lactating, blood is not taken as their iron reserves are already on the low side. Donors should be between 18 and 55 years with a weight of 50 kg or above and pulse rate, body temperature and blood pressure in order.”

A worker, Mr. Arun Raj, an Asian, said donating blood was one area of duty he doesn’t joke with. Raj, who works with WWCV Ltd, a partner institute of Novartis, said he had made it a habit to donate blood wherever providence takes him.

“I’ve donated blood so many times in India, and now I’m here doing the same thing. I love humanity; and this is my own little way of helping someone in need, even when I don’t know that person,” he said.

For 20-year old 500 Level pharmacy student of the College of Medicine University of lagos (CMUL), Innocent Ijeoma, who turned out as the youngest blood donor at the event, his participation is purely for medical reasons.

“As a pharmacist in the making, I am conversant with the scientific fact that when you donate blood, you are inherently helping yourself. To start with, donating blood improves your overall cardiovascular health, because when the level of iron in your blood is high, it increases your risk of heart disease.

“What this translates into is that when you are a regular blood donor, especially as a male, it helps remarkably in reducing the amount of iron in your blood; and this can reduce your risk of heart attack by 88 per cent; or the risk of severe cardiovascular events such as stroke by 33 per cent,” he stated.

Ijeoma said he had been a regular blood donor since his late teens, which is his own way of contributing to the drive for universal health care delivery in the country.

The firm donated blood register, index and IEC materials on blood donation to the hospital. The donors’ pulse; blood pressure; body temperature and haemoglobin were checked before the exercise.

L

46

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

HEALTH DENTAL TALK with Dr Samuel Awosolu 08108155239 (SMS Only); email- samawosolu@yahoo.co.uk

Surgery bites

T •From left: The Registrar, Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN), Mrs Gloria Abumere; Dean, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lagos (UNILAG) Prof Olukemi Odukoya and Provost of College of Medicine Prof Folasade Ogunsola at the Induction/ Oath Taking of graduating pharmacists.

A

Lawyer seeks sickle cell policy

LAGOS lawyer, Chief Andrew Otokhina, will never forget the years 2009/2010 when he lost two of his children to sickle cell anaemia within six months.

His first son Anthony died on the eve of his 29th birthday. His daughter Mary died barely six months later.

Anthony had just graduated in Biochemistry from the Ambrose Alli University in Ekpoma, Edo State, and was preparing to study Medicine when he died. Mary died a week to her resumption at the Nigerian Law School in Abuja.

The lawyer believes his children would not have died had there been a comprehensive policy on sickle cell anaemia in Nigeria.

“Nigeria has no policy on sickle cell. The United Kingdom and the United States, to mention a few, have,” he said.

Otokhina said he got married to his wife out of love, but unfortunately, due to lack of a sickle cell policy, there was no information on the need for a genotype test before marriage when they were courting.

Having seen firsthand the

T

excruciating pain sickle cell patients go through, he would not wish even his enemy the experience.

“Let no couple out of love marry a person with AS genotype when they also have AS. I don’t wish my enemy the pain. It is nonstop pain for 36 hours during crisis, pain you can do nothing about. It is a very horrendous experience which nobody should pass through,” he said.

Otokhina believes that a deliberate policy on the medical problem would ensure that information gets everywhere that everyone must get a genotype certificate before getting married “With proper information, it can be better managed.

This information needs to be disseminated. Presently, the information flow is very limited,” the lawyer said.

To tackle sickle cell, Otokhina and his wife set up the Tonymay Foundation to immortalise their children and as a way of helping others. “We have lost our children, but we want to en-

•Otokhina

sure that others don’t lose theirs,” he said.

Otokhina, who was appointed the head of his village, Ihevbe-Ogbe in Edo State last year, won the Global Leadership award along with eight others by the International School of Fundraising, Wellington College, United Kingdom.

He led a group which made a presentation on “The scourge of Sickle Cell in Nigeria” while attending the course organised by the Leadership Institute,

Virginia, United States.

“The three key principles of fundraising – getting the attention of donors, presenting your challenge and doing the asking – are what we presented, which earned us the first position and ultimately my award as a Global Leader.

“I am using this medium to ask good spirited Nigerians to join us in this fight against the scourge of sickle cell disease by either contributing financially to the foundation or joining the advocacy group to press for a health policy on sickle cell, which is predominantly a black man’s disease,” Otokhina said.

He said Tonymay Foundation, despite its limited resources, organises a monthly clinic where drugs and lectures are given at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Kirikiri Town on the third Thursday of every month.

Otokhina has been in active legal practice for 29 years, and is one of those championing the abolition of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), because, according to him, it is unconstitutional.

US FDA validates Anti-Retroviral drugs

HE United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Tyonex brand of Anti-Retroviral (ARv) drugs as safe and devoid of any substance capable of causing injury or death to HIV patients.

The FDA Case/Sample Report, issued from its Forensic Chemistry Centre, in Cincinnati, Ohio and dated March 3, was signed by Adam Lanzarotta, and four others.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been sent a copy of the result of the analysis, at the instance of the HIV/AIDS advocacy group, Treatment Ac-

L

By Joseph Jibueze and Busola Odugbesan

By Oyeyemi GbengaMustapha

tion Movement (TAM).

The definitive clearance from the US FDA, which is the world’s most respected food and drug regulatory authority, is a major boost to Nigerian Government’s fight against HIV/AIDS. It also vindicates Tyonex Nigeria Ltd, the manufacturer and marketer of the ARvs, which has always maintained that its products were safe.

Tyonex Managing Director Emmanuel Tyohemba Agba, welcomed the FDA result, saying: “To God be the glory; it is the Lord’s

doing and it is marvelous in our eyes.”

He added: “I am delighted that no less a body than the FDA has waded into this matter and the results of its report validates what NAFDAC did; it authenticates what LASUTH Lab did, and it also confirms what the Independent Public Analysis Laboratory in Lagos did.”

Agba expressed surprise that samples of Tyonex ARV products were collected from treatment centres across Nigeria and sent to FDA Laboratories but hastened to add that he wasn’t surprised by the results. He described FDA processes as

“the most stringent in the world” and WHO, the UN Agency, which is in possession of the report, as the “final global authority in healthcare.”

He noted that this was the first-ever FDA clearance for a Nigerian-manufactured ARv. “This is a clear indication that local manufacturers are committed and on top of their game. This sends a sharp message to Government and stakeholders that we need to be encouraged.

With such encouragement, we can do more and our country and its healthcare systems would be the better for it.”

Lagos AIDS control increases assistance

AGOS State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA) has scaled up its HIV counselling and testing to prevent new infections, AIDS- related deaths and stigmatisation, according to its Chief Executive Officer, Dr Tokunbo Dabiri.

The agency’s main objective, she said, is to reduce the

By Wale Adepoju

disease’s prevalence in the state.

Dr Dabiri said the state was determined to get to zero new infections, zero AIDS-related deaths and stigmatisation.

She said LSACA has scaled up community outreach campaign of HIV counseling

and testing (HCT) for early detection and treatment.

Dr Dabiri, who is a Senior Special Assistant to Lagos State Governor, said people living with HIV may not show any symptom for more than 10 years but it does not mean they do not have the disease. “They will continue to infect others if not checked

and treated,” she said.

She said: “Being a positive person doesn’t translate to death with appropriate medication. That is why knowing one’s status is important”.

She said the initiative would allow people to know their status early to take appropriate steps to prevent transmission.

HE Sunday was cool, church service enlightening. The society is currently beset with an enormous volume of negative news, chiefly the beastly face of corruption.

There was a subtle lesson for me, a lesson on the folly of stereo-typing I had previously zoned specific crime to specific parts of the country, please apologies, what we experience sometimes makes our view jaundiced.

The baby factory madness has now transcended all zones in the country....wonders will never end. In which case I feel those sayings, “one man’s mean being another man’s poison” is misplaced. Poison for all intents and purposes remains poison, end of story.

I am trying to find some pro bono project viable, Is that not what some purpose we all have in life, The smiling school project started in Sweden and very much planted in Namibia seems very appealing.

To the business of the day, the toothy smiles of a beaming child is so infectious and easily melts the stoniest of hearts...Please smile to someone today and hug someone.

I had a health retreat recently in a school and pupils seen where given a mini report to see the dentist when they are examined and they needed treatment armed with the report, the parents sauntered with the pretty angel, the parents complained the problem retained baby or milk teeth have not fallen off for some time and the adult ones were coming out just behind it and she was having too many teeth.

I had the opportunity to explain to the parents the sequence of teeth exfoliation and eruption. The several reasons lack of space , vitamin deficiencies, obstruction for the deciduous teeth. The baby girl had a the mouth examined, the oral mucosa checked , the tongue , the floor of the mouth , the roof of the mouth the palate, the bite/occlusion and how the patient bites and closes the mouth , any nutritional deficiency , investigate, count the number of teeth for any deficiency.

A similar situation may occur and in this case the permanent teeth are not erupted or visible into the mouth. Investigations with a radiograph, x-ray, will determine the presence or absence of any successor teeth.

X-rays are harmful rays when they is an exposure in large doses, hence the need to protect oneself as the there are some tissues in the body that are highly sensitive to Xrays, like the reproductive tissues, the thyroid, the bone cells are susceptible to radiation and x rays. The dentist and the radiologist has a duty to protect the patient from unusual exposure to radiation, for this reason a lead apron to absorb excess scattered radiation is necessary.

The radiograph will show the tooth and the surrounding tissues in bone. Retained or un-erupted teeth are also common in adult especially the third molar or wisdom tooth it can be the source of excruciating pain. Should there be unerupted teeth the x-rays will confirm their absence or presence.

The causes for un-erupted teeth are sometimes not local they can be part of a generalised body imbalance. Such as Metabolic diseases including Ricketts, which can lead to low growth spurts, cretinism.

Hereditary swollen gums, known as fibromatosis, the gums are overgrown and the teeth appear sunken in the gums.

The dentist is in a position to help treat this situation when present .It may be necessary to treat with a couple of extractions or use of wire (braces) to move the teeth called orthodontics.

This will help prevent the formation of cysts etc. Additional teeth may be removed to make way for the regular teeth to erupt, a cooperative girl had her treatment and yours truly was greeted with the very innocent thank you

The tongue THE tongue is a structure that occupies a sizeable portion of the oral cavity. It has some roles carried out solely and others in conjunction with other structures in the oral cavity.

Chiefly amongst its roles are speech, taste using structures called taste buds, production of saliva, there are salivary glands below and on the surface of the tongue it is a tactile organ too. The tongue is mobile and attached in places, floor of the mouth and the sides by a fibrous structure known as the frenulum.

There are muscles attached within the tongue and to the sides and other location of the tongue.

The tongue colour and pathology may be a sign of more localised or generalised conditions in the body.

A few conditions of the tongue will be discussed below •To be continued next week

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

47

THE NATION

BUSINESS MARITIME

e-mail: maritime@thenationonlineng.net

NIMASA acquires surveillance platform to check piracy, terrorism

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HE Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has acquired a Maritime Surveillance System (MSS) to tackle piracy and oil theft.

The platform, a source said, is expected in the country before the end of next month.

The platform will protect legitimate businesses in the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), territorial waters, rivers and lakes against piracy, terrorism, sea robbery, resource plundering, smuggling and illegal immigration.

The source said: “It would assist NIMASA in tackling the challenges of large and unrestricted navigational areas, small and non-cooperative objects taking advantage of dense maritime activity to conceal their actions and it would also protect the ports and ships against attacks.”

NIMASA, it was learnt, will begin the first leg of the pilot tests on the MSS in Lagos.

“This equipment is from the United States. The US used the

Stories by Oluwakemi Dauda Maritime Correspondent

equipment for land-based operations in Afghanistan. It is an integrated state-of-the-art border surveillance system for coastal and terrestrial supervision. The effectiveness of the equipment in maritime domain is high and that is why NIMASA has gone for it to monitor activities on our waters,” the source said.

With the equipment, NIMASA would be able to monitor even the “unusual movement of vessels” at sea and keep their records, the source said, adding that the MSS will help in NIMASA’s maritime safety operations, search-and-rescue (SAR) mission and environmental protection.

The MSS, it was learnt, draws on the latest technology to provide a reliable, round-the-clock monitoring solution for the agency. With it, NIMASA will equip the waters with radar, camera, and visual sensors to ensure a comprehensive coverage of the territorial waters.

When a vessel is detected, the

source said, its images would be transmitted directly to a control centre.

NIMASA’s Director-General Patrick Akpobolokemi said it was important in the changing security environment in the North to have an accurate and up-to-date picture of the situation at sea.

The agency, he said, was striving to ensure the government and security agencies have access to accurate, comprehensive and up-tothe-minute situation data of the vessel traffic at sea.

Akpobolokemi said the system for collecting, processing and distributing this data would involve the co-operation of some government agencies at the ports.

NIMASA, he said, was taking proactive steps to keep the waters safe, and partnering with the Nigerian Navy because the country is highly dependent on shipping for its foreign trade.

The Navy, the NIMASA boss said, has the responsibility for the surveillance and protection of the nation’s territorial waters.

Ports record drop in Roro ships

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HERE was a drop in the number of vessels laden with imported vehicles to Lagos seaports in March compared to what was recorded in January and February.

It was revealed that fewer Roro vessels sailed to the PTML and Five Star Logistics terminals at the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, compared to previous months.

In February, 7,400 units of used and new vehicles were recorded.

January recorded 11,563 units of new and used vehicles at the terminals.

Some port users attributed the reduction in RoRo vessel traffic to the ongoing construction at the terminals while others said the government policy on vehicles had

deterred vehicle carriers from calling at the PTML and Five Star Logistics terminals.

However, statistics obtained from the NPA has revealed that in the last three weeks, only three vessels laden with vehicles called at the terminal.

At Five Star Logistics Terminal, there was also a drop in the number of vessels that berthed with vehicles.

Reports of the daily berthing meeting of the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) also revealed that no car carrier berthed at the PTML and Five Star Logistics terminal in March.

It was also confirmed that Standard Flour Mill (SFM) handled quite a number of vehicles in March. It received 975 units of vehicles that came aboard two vessels, MV Hoegh Kunsan and Hoegh Masan.

NIWA to restrict canoe operators

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HE National Inland Water ways Authority (NIWA) has said it will soon restrict the activities of canoe operators in Lagos State.

The Lagos State Area Manager of NIWA, Mr Muazu Sambo, told reporters that safety measures on waterways had become necessary following the recent boat mishaps in the state.

“The management has moved to restrict activities of canoe operators to fishing or other personal uses, rather than movement of passengers.

“We have discovered that some of the mishaps recorded in recent time, not only in Lagos, but across state

were caused by canoes.

“Most of the operators are very young and inexperienced to operate the canoes,” he said.

Sambo said NIWA had the power to ban the use of canoes as a means of moving passengers.

He said NIWA had commenced full enforcement of safety rules on waterways and ferry operators without prerequisite safety precautions would not be allowed to operate.

NIWA has posted permanent staff at jetties in the state to enforce compliance with safety measures.

Its management has also introduced passenger manifest to trace passengers in the event of any mishap.

Operators urge govt to move tank farms

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HE Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) has urged the Federal Government to relocate petroleum tank farms around the Apapa ports in Lagos.

The association said it was dangerous to locate petroleum tank farms within port environment.

Chairman of the group Princess Vicky Haastrup said the activities of the tank farms were affecting the inflow and outflow of cargo from the ports.

She warned about the danger that the continuous operation of the tank farms

pose to the port system, even as she appealed to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council to use its new regulatory powers to relocate the tank farms which, she said, are owned by very powerful Nigerians.

“It is only in Nigeria that you have tank farms located within the port environment. This is very dangerous and those tank farms should be relocated,” she said.

She lamented the delay experienced by trucks in accessing the ports due to bad roads and congestion caused by the activities at the tank farms.

‘Private maritime academies illegal’

•From right: Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Mallam Habib Abdullahi, Executive Drector, Finance and Administration Olumide Oduntan and Executive Director, Marine and Operations, David Omonibeke PHOTO: OLUWAKEMI DAUDA during a facility tour.

Lagos, Onne ports to host big vessels

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• 4,500Teu vessel for Onne tomorrow

HE Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has dredged the Lagos and Onne ports to accommodate big vessels, The Nation has learnt.

The ports were dredged to between 13.5 and 14.3-metre depth from the former seven to nine-metre depth before the joint venture contract for their dredging was entered into by NPA and the dredging firms.

The dredging may have started yielding results.

Sources close to NPA told The Nation that a container vessel, West African Maximum (WAFMAX) with a capacity of 4,500 twenty-foot equivalent unit (Teu) will call at Onne Port tomorrow.

The ship is 37.4 metres wide and 249 metres long. It is the largest vessel that can be be accomodated at West Africa’s major container ports.

The vessel is the largest ship to

visit the Eastern port.

A source said the coming of WEFMAX to Onne shows the Bonny Channel has been dredged to accommodate big vessels.

The source also said NPA had removed all shipwrecks on the Lagos and Bonny channels to boost operations.

A dredging firm, Lagos Channel Management Limited (LCM), it was learnt, has a venture agreement with the NPA, in which the latter is the parent company with 60 per cent stake.

LCM is responsible for the dredging and removal of certain shipwrecks along the Fairway Buoys.

It also operates a marine operation centre where data is processed for port operations.

Fairway Buoy covers the region from the entry point of the Atlantic Ocean into the Lagos Ports, Tin Can Port and Badagry.

NPA’s Managing Director Mallam

Habib Abdullahi confirmed that the WAFMAX vessel would call at Onne port tomorrow.

“Not only are our navigational channels now safe and navigable, but they have also started attracting bigger vessels who thereto do not call on our shore.

“It is in fulfillment of its commitment to Nigerian customers that Maersk line, operated by AP Moller Terminal (APMT), is bringing its WAFMAX vessel to call at Onne port on May 14 (tomorrow).

“Already, all preparations are on top gear to receive the vessel and to ensure that its calling at Onne is safetly handled,” he said.

Abdullahi said the benefits derivable from the economies of scale in the deployment of the vessels to the country is a prelude to the attainment of hub port status as enunciated in the transformation agenda of President Godluck Jonathan.

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HE Nigerian Association of Master Mariners (NAMM) has described private maritime academies and training institutions in Nigeria as illegal because they are not recognised by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

Its National President, Capt. Ade Olopoenia, said only the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron in Akwa Ibom State, was recognised by IMO because it is the only training institution registered by Nigeria at the world’s apex maritime regulatory body.

Olopoenia said the academies were profiting from the desires of hapless and uninformed Nigerians to gain academic qualification.

“Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron is the only recognised nautical college in Nigeria because that is the only academy the country submitted its name to IMO but we know that there are so many other maritime schools in Nigeria and sometimes it is so sad that unsuspecting students go to all these schools because they have nowhere to go after their graduation,” Olopoenia, who recently retired as the Director of Maritime Safety and Seafarers Standards of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), said.

He said his association would meet with the management of his former employer, NIMASA and other relevant stakeholders to discuss ways to tackling the unrecognised training institutions.

“They train people, collect lot of money from them and when they graduate, these students have nowhere to go because the schools that trained them have no requisite knowledge or teaching and academic staff to teach the students.

“The schools take the students for a ride. Because everybody wants to go to school, they rush into it,” he said even as he flayed the siting of the so-called nautical schools in non-coastal areas.

Olopoenia also said Nigeria deserves to be a maritime trade hub for the West and Central African subregion.

He said over 70 per cent of ships come destined for the sub-region come end up in Nigeria.

“Because of the conducive nature of our ports, many vessels arrive into the country. Also our transport corridor is very good so we have what it takes,’’ he said.

The master mariner said that port concessionaires were making efforts to invest in the development of port facilities.

He also said that there was the need to have maritime professionals in government agencies to develop and contribute to the development of the economy.

“We appeal to the government to appoint maritime professionals in its various agencies so that those who have the knowledge in maritime issues can contribute to the economy,” Olopoenia added.

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

48

THE NATION

BUSINESS AVIATION

Security reports fault merger of NAMA installs air field lighting system T NCAA, NAMA, NIMET

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ECURITY reports have faulted the planned merger of three aviation agencies by the Federal Government, The Nation has gathered.

The reports, sources said, warned that the planned merger of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) to become the Federal Civil Aviation Authority (FCAA) could have adverse effect in the industry.

The observation, it was learnt, could force the government to jettison the planned merger.

A source hinted that reports from security agencies in Lagos and Abuja, indicated that the planned merger, no matter how well intentioned, may not augur well for the sector because it would breach standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

In view of this, the government may have opened communications with aviation unions, opposed to the merger.

The unions said the merger would amount to taking the sector back. They argued that ICAO regulations prescribe that civil aviation regulations should be separated from air navigation.

Last month, the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), and Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor Nigeria ( ATSSSAN), warned that the government might be sanctioned by ICAO if it merges the three outfits.

A spokesman of the unions, Comrade Benjamin Okewu, who is the president of Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), said the planned merger violates ICAO rules.

“We strongly support the model that makes for the autonomy and independence of the NCAA and feels it should not in any way be diluted, as doing so would attract dire consequences from ICAO and the FAA.’’ Last month, Supervising Minister of Aviation, Dr Samuel Ortom, told reporters in Lagos that the government has considered all options to implement the planned merger.

Ortom said: “The Steve Oronsaye Committee, I believe considered all options and consulted widely with the

MMM

relevant stakeholders in the aviation sector before making the recommendations.

“Government has also looked critically at the proposal and considered it in the interest of the sector to approve the proposal.

“The merger I believe will improve efficiency and reduce waste and overhead cost in the aviation sector.”

He continued: However, the president has set up an implementation committee to see to the merger process. I do not believe the government would go all out to implement policies that would hurt the aviation industry.

“The government considers the aviation industry very critical to transforming the economy, thus it would not jeopardise that with hurting policies.

“Let us trust the government to do what is right. This government is a listening one, if at any point the government considers the merger detrimental, it would not hesitate to rescind its decision.”

‘Let us trust the government to do what is right. This government is a listening one, if at any point the government considers the merger detrimental, it would not hesitate to rescind its decision’

HE Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has installed a solar airfield lighting system at the Lagos and Port Harcourt International airports.

NAMA Managing Director Ibrahim Abdulsalam said it was part of NAMA’s drive to upgrade airfield lighting.

He said the lights could be controlled from the tower.

NAMA spokesman Mr Supo Atobatele said the system, produced by Avlite Systems Pty Limited, Australia, was certified by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the United

States’ Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), adding that it is in use at various airports across the globe, particularly in Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and South America.

Atobatele said: “With the installation at these two major airports, the tempo of night/low visibility is expected to increase and reduce operational cost to the airlines through less taxiing and long wait for take-offs and landing,”adding: “NAMA is also expected to benefit in areas of low maintenance and running cost as power generation and cabling are totally eliminated.”

Arik alerts on new security measures

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RIK Air has alerted air travellers of new security measures at the airports.

The spokesman of the airline, Mr Banji Ola, has advised travellers to set out early for their flights to avoid loss of time in view of the security measures.

He said the extra measures could cause snarl on the roads leading to the airports which could make travellers to miss their flights.

The measures being implemented by the government have led to the presence of more security personnel at the airports.

He said: “Passengers are also advised to familiarise themselves with check-in procedures. Arik Air check-in counters open two hours

D

before departure for domestic flights, three hours for regional and four hours for international flights.

“All passengers must have completed check-in for their flights prior to check-in closure, which is 30 minutes (for domestic flights), 45 minutes (regional flights) and 90 minutes (for international flights) before the scheduled departure time.”

Ola said the measures were designed to provide passengers with the ability to check in and choose seats 24 hours before the scheduled departure of the flight to five hours before International flights and three hours before domestic and regional flights.

Group honours Oduah

ESPITE the controversies which trailed her tenure, former Minister of Aviation Princess Stella Oduah was at the weekend in Lagos honoured by Ogbako Ndigbo, a socio-cultural group.

She got an award, which, according to the organisers, was in recognition of her transforming the sector.

The President-General of the group, Prof Anya O. Anya, described Oduah as a pride of the Igbo, for facilitating the completion of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, among other projects.

According to Anya, Ndigbo regard this as an achievement because of the long period it took to be realised and the economic growth it would engender in the region.

Former Anambra State Governor Mr Peter Obi said Princess Oduah turned around the sector, despite the controversies over the purchase of bullet-proof cars.

Princess Oduah said she was excited by the award. Her words: “I am extremely elated. I am very, very happy. It is a confirmation that truly there is dignity in labour and that we should all strive wherever we find ourselves to ensure that Nigeria is properly developed.”

NAHCo gets EU validation on safety

T •From left: Mr Johnson Odionu, lawyer of the Associated Aviation Limited, and Mr Alex Emode, a Director, at a meeting with relatives of victims of the airline’s crashed Embraer 120 aircraft in Lagos.

Bristow Helicopters invests $6m in Port He listed challenges in the RISTOW Helicopter has Harcourt hangar helicopter business to include invested over $6 million in the

B

construction of a hangar in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, the Managing Director, Captain Akin Oni, has said.

He also said the helicopter firm invests over $5million yearly in the training of helicopter pilots and engineers at the Bristow Academy in the United States.

Oni, who spoke at a briefing on the activities of the airline in Lagos, said Bristow has over 35 per cent of the market share in the logistical rotary wings sector in the country, adding that the firm will invest in domestic capacity in the sector by supporting the training of helicopter pilots and engineers at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria.

He said the airline has the capacity to carry out major maintenance on its 31 aircraft at its hangar in Lagos with indigenous engineers.

He said five years ago Bristow commenced the repairs of its helicopter fleet in Nigeria using its indigenous engineers, adding that it has saved over $1.5 million on freight of the helicopter spares, taxes and duties and other associated costs.

He spoke of plans by the airline to acquire a micro gas turbine to provide power for its operations to reduce costs of diesel.

He said the micro turbine, which cost the firm about $1.5 million would arrive Nigeria soon.

inadequate infrastructure, epileptic power supply, which he said, constitutes a major barrier to its operations.

He said: “Infrastructure at the airports, especially power supply, is a major headache, forcing most companies to run on generators.

This has huge impact in our operations. Another major challenge is the huge cost of training our pilots and engineers outside the country.

“We need to develop local capacity in the training of such key personnel. If we train such personnel in Nigeria, we would save a lot of money,” he added.

He denied insinuations that Bristow was dominated by expatriate pilots and engineers.

HE Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (Nacho Aviance) has emerged the first ground handling firm in the country to receive the Regulated Agent Third Country Validation Process (Ra3 Validation) in compliance with the European Union’s (EU) regulatory requirements.

With this validation, NAHCo Aviance has also become the ground handler for major airlines flying into EU countries, thereby reducing the cost of conducting air cargo, or mail carrier into the Union from a third Country Airport (ACC3).

The status allows NAHCo Aviance’s shipments to be directly accepted in EU countries. The validation further endorses client and potential airlines’ confidence in the firm’s competence, security management system/processes and safety.

According to Adewale, for the client airlines, there would be a reduction in acquisition for the airlines as they can now use Nahco Aviance’ Ra3 for desk processing of ACC3 without recourse to bringing Ra3 Validator from Europe, adding that the firm is the first ground handling company to achieve this feat.

EASA proposes new requirements

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HE European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has announced new proposals for flight data and voice recorders and underwater locating devices (ULDs) in the wake of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines’ Flight MH370.

No trace of the aircraft has yet been found despite extensive multinational on-going search efforts.

If adopted by the European Commission, the new

requirements would include extending the transmission time of ULDs fitted on flight recorders from 30 to 90 days. EASA is also proposing that large aircraft flying over oceans, should be equipped with a new type of ULD that has a longer locating range than existing models.

Alternatively, aircraft may be equipped with other means to determine the location of an accident within six nautical miles’ accuracy.

TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

49

THE NATION

BUSINESS

ENERGY Brazil firm yet to leave Nigeria

E-mail:- energy@thenationonlineng.net

IPMAN president seeks constant supply of products

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HE Brazilian state oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) is still in Nigeria, one year after it said it was leaving, it was learnt.

Last May, Petrobras said it was divesting its interests in Chevron’s operated Agbami oil field in oil mining lease (OML) 127 and Total operated Akpo field in OML 130. It has eight per cent in Agbami and 20 per cent stake in Akpo, where it invested about $2.4 billion. Its divestment is expected to yield about $5 billion.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani AlisonMadueke, said in Houston, United States that the oil firm is yet to divest the assets.

Last year, Petrobras said it decided to sell its Nigerian assets to enable it to concentrate on oil assets in Brazil, to realise the government’s self-sufficiency goal in energy.

According to the report, “Petrobras is divesting from its Nigeria’sassets and redirecting investment towards higher-return activities, such as exploration and production to finance a five-year $237 billion capital spending plan, the world’s largest corporate investment programme, which it hopes to tripple its oil and gas

•Mrs Alison-Madueke

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

production by the start of the next decade to about 5.2 million barrels of oil equivalent a day, and also help Brazil become selfsufficient in refined products as well.

‘Petrobras is divesting from its Nigeria’sassets and redirecting investment towards higher-return activities, such as exploration and production to finance a five-year $237 billion capital spending plan, programme’

•Petrobras CEO Maria das Gracas Silva Foster

“Therefore, it has started the process to auction off its stakes in Nigerian oil fields to raise cash for domestic projects, a deal that may fetch it up to $5 billion (£3.3 billion pounds). The state-controlled company has hired Standard Chartered to run the process, which will kick off in the next two months.

Oil production from the Agbami fields began in 2008. Output from the block is about 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) and holds estimated reserves of 900 million barrels.

Akpo began production in 2009 and has output of 175,000 bpd of crude and condensate and nine million cubic metres of gas with reserves of about 620 million barrels of crude and condensate and more than 28 billion cubic metres of gas.

Schneider, Mikano to boost DISCOs’ activities

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wo energy solution firms Schneider Electric and Mikano International Limited have signed an aggrement to boost activities of the 11 power distribution companies (DISCOs).

The firms, at the signing of the deal in Lagos, said they are leveraging on their successes to make equipment, such as transformers, circuit breakers, panel builders and voltage regulators available for the power companies.

The Vice President, Retail Business, Schneider Electric, Tonye Briggs said the partnership would help in strengthing the relationship with the DISCOs. Briggs said his fim has partnered with the Federal Government to ensure stable and reliable distribution of power at the national grid, adding that partnership would help a lot.

He said Mikano has a wider reach in Nigeria, adding that the idea would help in improving electricity distribution and transmission in Nigeria.

He said: “While Schneider Electric is a global specialist in energy management, Mikano has a wider reach in Nigeria where it provides power solution apparatus to homes and industries. We are leveraging on Mikano’s huge presence in Nigeria to provide equipment to energy service companies. ‘’Schneider Electric is a global specialist in energy management, Mikano has a wider reach in Nigeria where it provides power solution apparatus to homes and industries.

We are leveraging on Mikano’s huge presence in Nigeria to provide equipment to energy service companies, especiallythe new power investors. Through this, we would impact more on the ector. It is a case of two of the major players coming together to chieve mutual growth.

The partners, power firms and con-

By Akinola Ajibade

sumers would benefit.

Also, the Managing Director, Mikano International Limited, Christiane Farine said the partnership is timely, giving the on-going privatisation of the power sector.

Farine said: “Through the partnership, we want to provide a afer, reliable and economical energy services to consumers.This ould boost the activities of the ower Holding Company of Nigeria’s (PHCN) successor compan s and the 10 National Independent Power Plants (NIPPs) when they are eventually privatised son. Gas is not the only problem facing the power sector. There istribution and transmission challenges. Transmission should be given due consideration by the power regulators.

“No matter the volume of electricity generated from the turbine and hydro plants, it is of no use if the transmission mechanism is not in place. Electricity must bedistributed to the consumers at

‘Through the partnership, we want to provide a safer, reliable and economical energy services to consumers.This would boost the activities of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria’s (PHCN) successor companies and the 10 National Independent Power Plants (NIPPs) when they are eventually privatised’

the right time for growth,’’ he added.

Farine said the firm deals in ower generation, solution, steel fabrication and heavy constru ion equipment, adding that the four areas are critical to the growth of the sector.

He said the partnership ensures that Mikano supply critical electricity components to homes and industries for growth. He explained that high power voltage s destroyed many appliances because consumers do not have means of controlling it.

He said the partnership was on distributorship, adding that Schneider Electric plans to establish offices in 15 cities in the country to grow the scheme. According to him, the idea would help in complementing the partnership the Schneider Electric has with the Federal Government, especially in ensuring stable and reliable distribution of power at the grid level.

. Chief Executive Officer, NERC, Sam Amadi

HE newly elected president of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo has urged the members to work, as a team to ensure regular supply of fuel at the filling stations.

He said he would engage all aggrieved members in a dialogue to bring sanity to the downstream petroleum sector.

Okoronkwo, who spoke after the election of the new executives in Abuja, said under his leadership, IPMAN will improve members’ capacity for product delivery, and as well build on the achievements of his predecessors, urging members to freely relate with him to register their complaints about any misgiving.

He said the days when the body was ridden with crisis are over, especially now that members are concerned about ensuring free flow of petroleum products such as kerosene from depots.

He said with the cooperation of members, the association would ensure that IPMAN’s stations are always wet with products, pledging that he will partner with the Minister of Petroleum Resources,

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Resources Andrew Yakubu and Chief Executive of the Pipeline Products Marketing Company, Prince Haruna Momoh and other officials to deliver products to the door steps of end-users.

Other elected national officials are: Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi Shettima, as Deputy President, Alhaji Danladi Pasali National Secretary, Mr Bola Adeleke National Treasurer, Alhaji Hammed Fashola, Assistant Secretary and Dr. Leo Nkameme National Organising Secretary.

Others are: Alhaji Yakubu Dimka National Auditor, Alhaji Umar Baba Kano National Legal Adviser, Chief Ezekwesili Madogana Chief Whip, Alhaji Yakubu Sulaiman National PRO and Chief Joseph Obini as Financial Secretary.

The elections which took place at the Command Guest House, Abuja, witnessed high turnout of IPMAN members from the 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory.

Electricity cable thieves jailed

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WO electricity cable thieves, Hope Sukuma and Samaila Choji (both aged 23) have been sentenced by a Tinubu Magistrate court to jail terms of four years and one year respectively.

According to the Assistant General Manager, Public Affairs, Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Godwin Idemudia, the jail sentences were passed on the duo for stealing and receiving 72 metres of electricity armoured cable valued at N1,400,000 belonging to EKEDC. He said the thieves committed the offence in December 2013 at Alaba Oniru and Jide Oki 500KVA distribution sub-stations in the Victoria Island area of Lagos.

The presiding Magistrate, Mrs. Y. R. Pinehero, in her judgment found Sukuma guilty of the twocount charge of felony and stealing.

He was sentenced to four years imprisonment, which will however, run for a concurrent term

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

of two years.

Samaila Choji was found guilty of dishonestly receiving from Hope Sukuma, the stolen cable even after knowing that it was a stolen item. He was subsequently sentenced to one year imprisonment. The judgment was without options of fine.

Commenting on the judgment, the Assistant General Manager, Idemudia said it was a welcome development that would serve as a good deterrent for other perpetrators of such criminal acts of theft and vandalism of electricity equipment.

He also described the judgment as a vindication of workers of the company who were usually wrongly accused by some members of the public of being the brain behind vandalism of electricity equipment. He added that none of the two convicted persons was ever a member of staff of the utility firm.

Board, PTDF urged to build operators’ capacity

W

ORRIED by weak capacity building mechanism and the attendant jobs’ loss among indigenous oil and gas operators, stakeholders have advised the Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board(NCDMB) and Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF) to collaborate to train players in the industry.

The stakeholders said the level of participation by Nigerian firms in the sector, particularly in contract service retention, would be in excess of $10 billion per year, if the right capacity building programmes were in place.

The stakeholders, amongst them, the President, International of Association Energy Economics (IAEE) Nigerian Chapter, Prof Adeola Akinnisiju and President, International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), Mr Sola Falodun, said billions of dollars can be generated from oil and gas services.

Akinnisiju, said the Board is into advocacy through which it is seek-

By Akinola Ajibade

ing local participation in oil and gas, while PTDF empowers stakeholders to achieve results. When they work together, they would be able to compliment each other well. This would build the capacity of local operators and further give them the opportunity to compete with their foreign counterparts, he said. ‘’ There are huge opportunities in the sector, but that can only translate to capital gains for local operators when they equip themselves.

With the right training in place, local companies should be able to handle big-ticket jobs hitherto given to foreign companies.’’

Also, Falodun said the drive by the Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board will attract investments to the petroleum industry if it is sustained. He said capacity building is the gateway to success in the industry, adding that the association is planning to organise skills acquisition programmes for drilling operators for growth.

50

TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS

TRANSPORTATION

E-mail:ynotaderibigbe@gmail.com

Why toll in Lagos boat mishap was high, by panel •Authority begins campaign to curb accidents T

HE Ikorodu, Lagos boat mishap probe panel has indicted the State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA) over the high casualty figure.

The Olajide Tairu-led panel said the authority’s slow response to the boat operator’s distress call led to the death of eight of the 20 passengers when it capsized.

It said the boat was not overloaded, which many thought initially led to the mishap, pointing out that 20 passengers, including the quarter master and the decker, were on board.

Its report came amid plans by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to flag off an an enlightenment on the use of life jackets by passengers and operators.

The campaign begins, with a town hall meeting at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) jetty in Igbokoda, Ondo State, tomorrow. It will continue at the NIWA Ferry Terminal in CMS, Lagos, on Thursday.

Submitting the panel’s report to the Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, the panel’s chairman Mr Olajide Tairu, said the death toll of the April 2, accident could have been less if rescue operations had been spontaneous.

Tairu said: “We affirmed through our findings as well as claims by survivors, that the boat was not over loaded as it carried only 20 passengers in addition to the quarter master and the decker. We, however, found out that rescue operations could have been better, as much havoc was caused by the delay in responding to the distress call from the boat operator.”

Tairu, who observed that water transportation is a major part of the public transit system being developed by the government, said the panel came up with recommendations that could prevent future accidents on the waterways.

Receiving the report, Opeifa said government is committed to zero accidents on its waterways.

He said life jacket is a must for all

•Opeifa, standing (second left) receiving the report from Tairu. With them, from left are the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Transportation Mr Oluseyi Coker (MNI) and Lagos State Safety Commission’s representative Mr Hakeem Liadi.

Stories by Adeyinka Aderibigbe

operators, noting: “You must ensure that all your passengers make use of life jackets. On our part as government we are making sure that we distribute enough life jackets to all boat operators. Life jackets will be a compulsory thing on our waterways, and we are appealing to all operators and commuters to use life jackets anytime they want to travel on water.”

Opeifa urged the operators to take weather reports from the Ministry of Transportation and other agencies seriously especially during the rainy season to avoid being caught unawares by the unpredictable tidal waves.

He said while accidents are largely unpredictable, operators must co-

Govt releases new guidelines for commercial vehicle operators

A

LL inter city commercial passenger vehicles without the state’s number-plates will not be allowed to operate in Lagos State henceforth, the Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Kayode Opeifa has said.

At a meeting with leaders of all transport unions in his office in Lagos, he directed security agencies to apprehend vehicles that flout the order.

He said all commercial passenger vehicles, yellow buses, danfo, taxis and tricycles not yet registered on the state’s data base as licensed commercial passenger vehicles, would no longer operate in the state.

Opeifa advised operators that wish to continue their business to either comply or move elsewhere.

This, according to him, is not only to ensure safety of road users, but a continuation of the implementation of the state’s transport management system policy.

The commissioner added that all commercial passenger vehicles also not painted in the state approved yellow colour with black stripes would not be allowed to

operate in any motor parks, garages or on the roads.

Opeifa tasked leaders of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RETEAN), Tricycle Workers Association of Nigeria (TWAN) and Taxis operators to ensure strict compliance with the directive, adding that LASTMA, VIS and the Police have been directed to demand for all necessary documents from the operators and violators would be penalised in accordance with the law.

He advised owners of vehicles who are yet to comply with the state commercial passenger’s vehicles accreditation to go to any of the 21 Vehicle Inspection Service Offices in the state with their vehicles for documentation.

The commissioner also urged drivers and conductors who have not visited any of the five centres of the Lagos State Drivers Institute (LASDRI), for their documentation to do so or risk sanction if caught.

The Lagos State government began commercial passenger vehicles documentation on November 1, last year.

operate with the government to ensure that they are reduced.

Government had started the sweeping of the lagoon to clear the waterways of all floating objects that might pose danger to the lives of boat users, whether in the day or at night.

Appealing to commuters not to shun the waterways because of accidents, Opeifa assured the public that the government would act on the recommendations to ensure that the waterways are safer for commuters.

The state, he said, is presently moving about two million people monthly on its waterways, adding that there are plans to move this up to five million before the end of the year.

“We are currently moving two

P

RIME suspects in the N1 billion pension scam at the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), arrested last week by the Nigeria Railway Police Command, have been transferred to the Federal Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in Abuja.

Their movement may have been at the instance of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).

Among those flown to Abuja were Mr. Celestine Chukwu, Mr. Euna Igbe, Mr. Olumide Lawal and Ms. Ifeoma Onyeabo, who are all top management staff.

The NRC Board of Directors on April 16, mandated the management to fire all those involved in the fraud as recommended by a panel set up to probe the scam.

Some arrowheads of the scam have been rounded up, but the workers are complaining that some of those involved in the scam are being shielded.

When The Nation visited the Ebute Metta, Lagos head office of the corporation, the workers were seen discussing the development in hushed tones.

A worker who refused to be named, said the scam had been

million people and we intend to move this up to five million by year end. This recommendations which I believed had inputs from relevant stakeholders as well as experts on the area would help boost our response capacity to making our waterways safer for all operators and commuters. We would ensure that all the interventions which are making our roads safer would be duplicated on the waterways for the benefit of our people. We are committed to a safer means of transportation and we would not rest on our oars till we achieve this,” he said.

NIWA said the enlightenment slated for Ondo and Lagos States is similar to that held in Niger State following the boat mishaps in Malele and Nupeko.

Its spokesman, Mr. Tayo Fadile said the campaign is part of efforts to stem the frequent boat mishaps in these states.

He said: “During the town hall meetings, the Marine Department of the Authority will educate waterways and boat users on the need to always wear a life jacket and how to make use of it.

“Other safety rules and regulations will be explained to the stakeholders at the event, while hundreds of life jackets and other informative materials will be given out free to boat users by the Authority,” he further said.

NIWA had earlier explained that the on-going awareness campaign would be carried out in all the six geo-political zones of the country.

Prime suspects in NRC fraud moved to Abuja ‘One thing that is very sure is that the fraud has been going on for a very long time. Three years ago, one top official was sacked by the management for stealing about N3 million’ going on for long. “One thing that is very sure is that the fraud has been going on for a very long time. Three years ago, one top official was sacked by the management for stealing about N3 million. This one is, however, mind boggling and you can see the calibre of people involved. I am very sure if a keen investigation is conducted, more revelations would be unravelled.”

He said the workers were miffed that while about 70 persons were indicted by the panel, only a handful were being quizzed, giving the impression that the others were being protected.

He called on the security operatives to do their job without fear and assist the corporation in getting to the root of the scam.

Contacted on phone, the corporation’s spokesman, Mr. David Ndakotsu, said he was not aware of the suspects’ movement.

“I have been away from the office since Easter and I am just resuming, I am not aware of that development (the arrest and transfer of the suspects to Abuja) yet, when I get any information on the matter I will reach you,” Ndakotsu said.

He, however, said he would not deny the development as the police can investigate a fraud case.

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

51

52

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

53

MONEYLINK

Banks used for money laundering, says CBN

W

EST African financial watchers have expressed concern that banks are being used to perpetuate money laundering.

Delivering the keynote address yesterday at the opening ceremony of the regional course on combating money laundering and other financial crimes organised by the West African Institute For Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM) in Abuja, the Acting Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Dr. (Mrs) Sarah Alade stated that “bank facilities are used knowingly and unknowingly to further the act of money laundering and in most cases to retain the proceeds of such crime.”

Represented by the Director, Research of the CBN, Mr. Charles Mordi, Mrs Alade revealed that “over 80 per cent of the proceeds of

From Nduka Chiejina (Asst. Editor)

money laundering are associated with banks, one way or the other, all over the world.”

Examples of financial crimes and money laundering activities, which are executed through banks include round-tripping, financial fraud, capital flight, fake cheques, fake currency minting, advanced fee fraud and insiders’ abuse.

Mrs Alade said: “ The effects of money laundering and related economic and financial crimes cause distortions in the financial markets through misallocation of investment.”

She added that such unwholesome acts have “deleterious macroeconomic consequences such as inexplicable changes in money demand, prudential risks to banks’ soundness, contamination effects of

any nation.

The activities of money launderers and terrorists were described as borderless and form part of a large network operating across agencies and across borders. This, she said, has exerted more pressure on governments in the sub-region to put in place adequate measures to combat this menace.

In view of the growing menace of money laundering, law enforcement, she said, “appears a needlein-a-haystack effort” but this should neither deter nor dampen their enthusiasm.

Speaking earlier, the Director General, WAIFEM, Prof. Akpan Ekpo described money laundering

legal financial transactions and increased volatility of international capital flows and exchange rate due to unanticipated cross-border asset transfers.”

She warned that money laundering also has a dampening effect on foreign direct investment (FDI) when a country’s commercial and financial sectors are perceived to be associated with incidence of organised crimes.

One of the most valuable assets of a financial institution, she said, is integrity which on its part depends on the perception that it functions within a framework of high legal, professional and ethical standards.

She lamented that concentration of economic power by organised crime spells doom and could all too easily infect the political terrain of

F

S

the investment signified a deliberate drive into West Francophone Africa due to Ivory Coast’s membership of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), which includes Benin, Burkina Fasso, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Togo.

“It’s fair to say that we’ll be using the Ivory Coast office as a launchpad into the rest of the region. Francophone West Africa is less well-known to South Africans but it cannot be ignored due to the economic potential,” said Mr Greg Goeller, Executive for Client Coverage Africa at Standard Bank’s Corporate and Investment Banking unit. “The region has all the components to benefit from the

next global mining and infrastructure boom, which in turn will lead to economic growth in other sectors as well. Our clients are increasing presence and exposure to West Francophone Africa and we plan to follow them.”

Ivory Coast has emerged from two decades of civil war as one of the fastest growing economies in Africa thanks to public investment in infrastructure, natural resources, the commercialisation of its agriculture sector and its rapidly emerging consumer market.

The country remains the largest and most diversified economy in Francophone Africa and is also the ninth largest in all of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year

35m 35m

11.039 12.23

19-05-2014 18-05-2016

FirstBank supports SMEs

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM Amount Amount Offered ($) Demanded ($) 400m 400m 400m 400m 400m 400m

MANAGED FUNDS

NIDF

Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33

OBB Rate

Price Loss 2754.67

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

Amount 30m 46.7m

Rate % 10.96 9.62

Date 28-04-2012 “

O/PRICE 1.80 4.41 68.50 82.00 5.07 0.82 9.50 155.35 2.36 1.90

C/PRICE 1.89 4.63 71.91 85.80 5.28 0.85 9.82 160.00 2.43 1.95

NGN USD NGN GBP NGN EUR NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N) (S/N) Bureau de Change

Year Start Offer

Current Before

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

147.6000 239.4810 212.4997

149.7100 244.0123 207.9023

150.7100 245.6422 209.2910

-2.11 -2.57 -1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

(S/N)

GAINERS AS AT 12-05-14

SYMBOL CUTIX PORTPAINT JBERGER 7UP NAHCO NEM BERGER TOTAL FIDSON FIDELITYBK

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 Currency

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10%

CHANGE 0.09 0.22 3.41 3.80 0.21 0.03 0.32 4.65 0.07 0.05

DISCOUNT WINDOWx Feb. ’11

July ’11

July ’12

MPR

6.50%

6.50%

12%

Standing Lending Rate ,, Deposit Rate ,, Liquidity Ratio Cash Return Rate

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00%

LOSERS AS AT 12-05-14

SYMBOL NASCON AGLEVENT CADBURY LIVESTOCK ROYALEX CUSTODYINS SEPLAT RTBRISCOE AIRSERVICE UAC-PROP

O/PRICE

C/PRICE

12.45 11.82 1.60 1.52 71.32(71.32) 67.80 3.47 3.30 0.62 0.59 2.93 2.79 682.33 650.11 1.19 1.14 2.24 2.15 23.00 22.10

CHANGE -0.63 -0.08 -3.52 -0.17 -0.03 -0.14 -32.22 -0.05 -0.09 -0.90

Folake Ani-Mumuney, said: “we believe that the SMEs are at the heart of national development, contributing greatly to the gross domestic product of our country.

“It is on this premise that we introduced the Open Seminars, which will be conducted in partnership with the Enterprise Development Center (EDC) of the Pan Atlantic University, a center renowned for the development and entrepreneurial skills acquisition of small business owners, budding entrepreneurs as well as reskilling of established entrepreneurs.

“As Nigeria’s leading SME bank, we are focused on empowering SMEs and SME entrepreneurs towards capacity building and development to contribute to the growth of our economy in providing employment to people, adding to our GDP and repositioning the national economy for sustained growth,” she said.

DATA BANK

FGN BONDS Tenor

as a key threat to financial stability in any economy, especially to small and fragile economies like the ones in the sub-region.

IRSTBank of Nigeria Limited has taken its SMEConnect campaign to Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

During a seminar to promote the lender’s commitment to development of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector of the Economy, the bank expressed its commitment to continue to support small businesses.

The Seminar titled “We can help with that” will also be held in Kaduna, Abuja, Enugu, Ibadan, Kano, Jos and Lagos in subsequent months.

FirstBank said the programme was designed to assist small businesses overcome consistent challenges they face especially in the areas of business plan writing, marketing products and services as well as accessing bank loans and documentation.

The bank’s Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, Mrs.

Standard Bank expands African presence

TANDARD Bank has disclosed plans to use its presence in the Ivory Coast to expand its service offering across the rest of Francophone Africa.

The lender said in a statement that it is poised to experience an investment boom as foreign companies are lured by the region’s mineral wealth and economic growth.

Africa’s largest lender opened its Ivory Coast representative office in the capital city of Abidjan in November last year to service its 145 clients with operations in Francophone Africa in sectors ranging from mining, oil and gas, infrastructure, power and energy to fast moving consumer goods.

Standard Bank said at the time that

•CBN Acting Governor Sarah Alade

NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days

Rate (Previous) 4 Mar, 2012 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917

Rate (Currency) 6, Mar, 2012 10.17% 11.46% 11.96%

Amount Sold ($) 399.9m 399.9m 399.9m

Exchange Rate (N) 155.75 155.8 155.7

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

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX

NSE

6-2-14

28-10-11

% Change

CAP Index

N13.07tr 40,766.16

N6.617tr 20,903.16

-1.44% -1.44%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name Offer Price AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND 153.82 ARM AGGRESSIVE GROWTH 9.17 BGL NUBIAN FUND 1.06 BGL SAPPHIRE FUND 1.17 CANARY GROWTH FUND 0.72 CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST 1.39 CORAL INCOME FUND 1,637.31 FBN FIXED INCOME FUND 1,070.14 FBN HERITAGE FUND 115.47 FBN MONEY MARKET FUND 1,087.30 FIDELITY NIGFUND 1.67 INTERCONTINENTAL INTEGRITY FUND 1.05 KAKAWA GUARANTE ED INCOME FUND 143.11 LEGACY FUND 0.78 NIGERIA INTER DEBIT FUND 1,916.66 PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND 12.72 STANBIC IBTC ETHICAL FUND 1.07

Bid Price 153.13 9.08 1.05 1.17 0.71 1.33 1,634.46 1,069.86 114.69 1,087.00 1.62 1.03 142.62 0.76 1,909.29 12.40 1.04

• UBA BALANCED FUND • UBA BOND FUND • UBA EQUITY FUND • UBA MONEY MARKET FUND

1.2889 1.3313 0.9405 1.1729

Movement

1.3005 1.3313 0.9583 1.1729

OPEN BUY BACK

Bank

Previous 04 July, 2012

Current 07, Aug, 2012

8.5000

8.5000

Movement

54

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 12-05-14

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 12-05-14

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

55

EQUITIES

Union Bank wraps up divestment deals on Union Homes, Union Assurance, Union Capital Markets

U

NION Bank of Nigeria (UBN) Plc has entered the final stage for the full divestment from three of its subsidiaries-Union Homes Savings and Loans Plc, Union Assurance Company Limited and Union Capital Markets Limited, according to the management of the bank.

In a regulatory filing made to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), the management of Union Bank said it has reached a stage of making formal applications to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), NSE, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and National Insurance Commission (Naicom) for final approvals of the share purchase agreements that had been executed

by UBN and preferred bidders for the three companies.

According to the bank, the share purchase agreements were sequel

•Winds up Union Pension •Seeks investors for Union Registrars, UBN Property Stories by Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

to in-depth due diligence and rigorous bidding processes, during which the preferred bidders were selected.

Union Bank had earlier received preliminary and “no objection” approvals from the regulatory bodies.

The bank stated that it has also started preliminary steps to wind up Union Pension Custodian Limited.

The bank outlined that it would undertake the same rigorous and in-depth selection and bidding processes for other subsidiaries that have been earmarked for sale in-

cluding Union Registrars Limited and UBN Property Limited.

The bank stated that it had appointed financial advisers for the purpose of obtaining guidance and direction on the best option for complying with the directive of the CBN regulation for all banks to divest from their non-banking subsidiaries and focus on their core areas of expertise.

The board of Union Bank had resolved that the bank should divest its shares in its subsidiaries, with the exception of Union Pension Custodian Limited, which the board resolved should be wound up and Union Bank UK Plc, which will be retained as the only subsidiary of the bank.

Market sources said Aso Savings and Loans Plc was the preferred bidder for Union Homes. Impeccable sources in the know of the talks said that Aso Savings has made known its intention to acquire Union Homes.

Sources confirmed that Aso Savings has filed preliminary notice of intention to notify the NSE. Both Aso Savings and Union Homes are quoted on the NSE. As part of the listing requirements, NSE requires all quoted companies to inform it of any information ahead of its release to the public and before the party takes any action on it.

Group managing director, Union Bank of Nigeria (UBN) Plc, Mr Emeka Emuwa, said the bank is on track with the divestment of its investment, associate and subsidiary companies.

On the outlook for the bank,

Emuwa said the focus in 2014 will be on executing key elements of its corporate growth strategy which will yield immediate results.

According to him, the bank is repositioning its business to reflect a more balanced retail, commercial and corporate banking model with a view to making significant contributions to financial inclusion in Nigeria.

“As the bank looks to expand its customer base, we will continue to roll out our bank of the future branches, which will rely on technology and innovation to simplify the banking experience for our customers. We plan to double our ATM footprint and enhance our mobile banking platforms, while significantly upgrading our use of technology to enhance our customer experience at all touch points,” Emuwa said.

28‐Day Pricing Trend at NSE (All Share Index) 39400 39200 39000 P o 38800 i 38600 n t 38400 s 38200 38000 37800 Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Mon Tue Wed Thurs Fri Mon Tues Wed Thurs Tue Wed Thurs Fri Mon Tues Wed Fri Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Mon Timeline: March 31‐May 12, 2014. Source: The Nation

Oando, ConocoPhillips extend assets acquisition deal to June 30

O

ANDO Energy Resources (OER), the upstream subsidiary of Oando Plc, has reached agreement with ConocoPhillips (COP) to extend the outside completion date for the acquisition of COP’s Nigerian oil and gas business by Oando till June 30, 2014.

A regulatory filing submitted to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and obtained by The Nation stated that the extension of the outside date for completion was necessary to enable the companies to satisfy all closing conditions including the anticipated consent of the Minister of Petroleum Resources in Nigeria.

According to the filing, pursuant to an amendment agreement executed on April 30, 2014, OER and COP agreed to extend the outside date for completion of the COP acquisition from April 30, 2014 to June 30, 2014.

Under the terms, OER also agreed to increase its deposit by $25 million on May 30, 2014, if the consent of the Minister of Petroleum Resources is not received on or before May 23, 2014.

Oando had technically concluded the momentous acquisition as it pooled the final financial considerations to complete the $1.55 billion agreement with COP in January 2014. The completion of the financial considerations sealed the deal for Oando, although the two parties will still have to wait for the final approval by the Federal Government.

In December 2012, Oando, through its subsidiary Oando Energy Resources (OER), entered into an agreement with COP to acquire COP’s Nigerian businesses for a total cash consideration of US$1.55 billion. Oando confirmed at the weekend that it has raised the balance of funds and attained financial closure for the deal, pending the approval of the government.

Oando had made an initial deposit of $450 million to COP. It subsequently undertook many capital raising exercises through a combination of equity and debt including $200 million from a special placement of two billion shares, $100 million through the sale of its subsidiary East Horizon

P

Gas Company and debt from financial institutions totaling $800 million.

While Oando had duly completed all financial commitments regarding the acquisition, closing of the COP acquisition remains subject to satisfaction of closing conditions, including approval from the Minister of Petroleum Resources.

COP was said to have already submitted an application to the Minister of Petroleum Resources to approve the transaction.

Speaking recently during a visit to the NSE, group managing director, Oando Plc, Mr. Wale Tinubu, confirmed the financial closure and said the group’s acquisition of COP Nigerian assets

would dramatically impact on the fortunes of the group going forward.

According to him, Oando will more than double its pre-tax profit to some N100 billion as the integrated energy group looks to unlock immense potential of COP acquisition.

He said with the conclusion of the acquisition of COP, Oando’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) will rise from the current annual average of N45 billion to N100 billion.

He said the increase in earnings would also lead to improvement in dividend payout to shareholders going forward.

He earlier noted that the

audacious acquisition is a game changer for Oando as it will immediately position the company as the largest indigenous oil producer in Nigeria.

“We are immensely pleased to have secured all funding to complete our.

We are tremendously excited about the future of our organisation as this acquisition will not only provide significant growth in size and scale; but will substantially strengthen our position in the upstream sector,” Tinubu said.

Oando through OER currently produces 4,500 barrels of crude oil per day from two producing fields, with this acquisition it will start producing circa 50,000 barrels per day from six producing fields.

performance and ability to attract capital on a sustainable basis.

He noted that improved corporate governance among quoted companies would also positively impact on the national economic growth adding that corporate governance will enhance transparency and accountability.

He pointed out that the primary duty of board members and managers is the efficient use of the company’s resources to create value and achieve the objectives of the company for its stakeholders and the realisation of those objectives depends on how well the company is governed.

He also urged the stockbrokers

to focus on transparency and accountability in carrying out their activities on the NSE noting that there has been commendable improvement in corporate governance in the capital market in recent years.

“There has being quite an improvement in corporate government at the Exchange in the last few years and we will continue to build on it. The Stock Exchange is benchmarking itself against global best practices. The new management has come out with a lot of rules and regulation in place to help companies to imbibe the tenet of corporate governance,” Osunkeye noted.

He said the SCGN would continue to promote initiatives that will entrench sound governance practices and global best practices.

In his remarks, chief executive officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema said the level of compliance by listed companies and operators on the exchange has increased tremendously following the zero tolerance policy for any infraction put in place by its current management.

He assured that the NSE would collaborate with SCGN in improving corporate governance at the stock market.

Osunkeye harps on good corporate governance

RESIDENT, Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria (SCGN), Chief Olusegun Osunkeye, has underscored the importance of good corporate governance as bedrock for sustainable corporate growth.

Speaking yesterday during a courtesy visit by SCGN to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Osunkeye said the society would be partnering with the NSE to improve on corporate governance and best practices among quoted companies and market operators.

According to him, corporate governance impacts on the operations of a company, its economic

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

56

NEWS

Charles Okah fit for trial, says court

J

USTICE Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday declared Charles Okah medically fit to undergo trial.

The judge’s decision followed the receipt of the report of the psychiatric evaluation carried out on the accused by experts at the National Hospital, Abuja.

He directed lawyers yesterday to choose a date for commencement of trial.

Okah is being tried with Obi Nwanbueze for treason, following their alleged involvement in the 2010 Independence Day bombing in Abuja.

They are charged with 22 particulars of overt acts of treason and another eightcount charge of terrorism.

Their trial had been stalled, owing to the Federal Government’s inability to ascertain Okah’s mental health status.

Justice Kolawole had, in

S

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

view of Okah’s strange behavior, ordered the government to present him before experts at the National Hospital, Abuja for psychiatric evaluation.

Okah once urinated in open court during proceedings.

His lawyer, John Ainetor of the Festus Keyamo Chambers, had consistently claimed that Okah was too ill to stand trial.

The judge handed the medical report to the prosecution lawyer, Alex Izinyon (SAN) and Ainetor to read.

When Ainetor tried to react, the judge stopped him on the ground that a person’s medical report was not what should be made a public issue.

Justice Kolawole later asked both lawyers to pick a date for the commencement of trial.

Ainetor told the court about his pending application dated January 13.

He said his application is

seeking an order of the court granting leave to Okah to be examined by an independent medical practitioner to ascertain his mental and physical health status.

The lawyer added that the application is also seeking an order granting leave for independent private medical practitioner to produce a medical/ scientific analysis/report on the side effects of Epilim Sodium Valproate (ESV) on Okah.

“There is need for the accused, Charles Tombra Okah, to be examined by an independent private medical practitioner, for an impartial neutral confirmation of the medical reports from both the Kuje Prisons Clinic and National Hospital Abuja, to ascertain his mental and physical health status,” Ainetor stated.

The judge directed parties to file the necessary processes and adjourned till May 16.

PROGRESSIVES GOVERNORS’ FORUM IN KANO

•Senator Bukola Saraki (right) greeting former Vice President and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar at the second APC Progressives Governance Lecture Series in Kano...yesterday. With them are Gen. Mohammadu Buhari and Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi

936 teachers seek reinstatement

OME 936 primary and secondary school teachers who were disengaged from the services of the Edo State Government last December have appealed to be reinstated.

Their names were deleted from the government’s payroll after a staff audit.

They were found to have falsified their age and presented false documents.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole said the teachers were not sacked but their salaries were only stopped.

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

The affected teachers yesterday marched on the House of Assembly, calling for lawmakers’ intervention.

Their spokesperson, Osagiede Omoruyi, said: “We are appealing to the government to please reinstate us because the same exercise was carried out in other ministries and the same problems found there were rectified.”

“For six months now, our names have been removed

from the pay roll. The government should help us we are dying. We are begging. It has been like hell all these months.”

Speaker Uyi Igbe urged the teachers to forward a petition and state reasons why they should be considered.

He said: “As soon as you send it to me, I promise you we will work on it.

“We will deliberate on it.

If you were unduly and unnecessarily disengaged, we will ensure your reinstatement.”

•Atiku (right) and Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole

‘Appoint Edo NDDC commissioner’

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DO State House of Assembly lawmakers have expressed their disappointment in President Goodluck Jonathan’s delay in the appointment of a state commissioner on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The new NDDC board was inaugurated last December but the nominee from Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Henry Okhuarobo, was not approved due to political

N

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

manouvering.

Ms Elisabeth Ativie, who moved the motion under matters of urgent public importance, said several NDDC projects have been abandoned.

She named a water project at her village that has been stalled due to non-appointment of a commissioner.

"As we speak, eight other states that make up NDDC have representatives but our state

has been left out.

“Most NDDC projects in this state have been abandoned.

“We cannot fold our hands and watch this continue. The people have been subjected to undue hardship.”

Majority Leader Philip Shaibu said it was unfortunate that the state was yet to get a representative on the NDDC board.

The lawmakers passed a resolution calling on the President to appoint Edo Commissioner into the NDDC.

Polo boss for Mexico talks

IGERIA’S John Obayuwana will address the Financial Times Business of Luxury summit 2014, which started yesterday in Mexico City.

Obayuwana, who is the Managing Director of Polo Limited, will speak on the evolution of the luxury

industry in Nigeria.

The summit will take a deepdive into the markets of the future, from the geographic to the virtual, and the value systems that make the difference. Other speakers are: Christian Louboutin, Robert Stern, Stella McCartney and William Lauder.

Deaconess Azeez for burial

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EACONESS Beatrice Tanimose Azeez is dead. She died on April 25 at 104. Madam Azeez is survived by children, grand children and great grandchildren, among who are Adeoye Hassan, Anthony

•The late Deaconess Azeez

Bamidele Azeez, Mrs. Risikat Sanni and Olaonipekun Azeez.

There will be a service of songs tomorrow at Treasure Hall, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos, from 4pm.

Her body will lie in state on Thursday with a wake at the Christ Apostolic Church, Odogbolu District Headquaters, Ikosa Area, Odogbolu, Ogun State.

Her remains will be buried after a funeral and outing service on Friday at Enuwawa, Ijebu Abigi, Waterside Area Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Guests will be entertained on Saturday at Obaruwa MultiPurpose Events Centre, Hall, Itamogiri, Ijebu Imushin, Ogun State.

Obayuwana is a pioneer in the luxury industry in Africa.

He has played a significant role in shaping and defining the landscape of the luxury industry in Africa and particularly Nigeria.

Obayuwana founded Polo Limited in 1991 out of the desire to create a company that enriches people’s lives with products of the finest quality and craftsmanship.

Church programme CHRIST Apostolic Church Mount Zion (a.k.a Zion Transformation Ministry) will hold its three nights of prophetic transformation on May 21 to May 23.

Tagged ‘Operation Change My Story’, the programme will hold at the church auditorium, 4, Adegbola Street, opposite Ikeja Local Government, IkejaAlong, Lagos.

The host, Pastor Emmanuel Ayodele, said there will be intercessory prayers for Nigeria, salvation, healing, deliverance and breakthrough.

•Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha (left) greeting his Kwara State counterpart, Alhaji Abdulfattah Ahmed. With them is Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi

Mob attacks FRSC secretariat in Bayelsa

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CORES of angry commercial tricycle operators attacked the secretariat of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, yesterday.

The mob hauled stones and other objects at the building, breaking its windows and doors.

They torched some patrol vans and damaged a generating set.

The conference hall, the office of the Sector Head, Operations, Faustus Kalu and the Duty Office, were destroyed.

Pieces of broken doors and glass littered the surroundings.

The mob was protesting the alleged involvement of a patrol team in an accident that killed two children and injured another.

The victims, children of Magnus Dike, were being conveyed home after school in a tricycle by their father on Friday.

Tricycle operators claimed that some corps marshals pursued the tricycle, thereby caus-

From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

ing the accident that led to the children‘s death.

The victims -a two-year-old girl died on the spot, her fouryear-old brother died in the hospital; their elder sister, 14 - is recuperating in the hospital.

It took the intervention of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) officials and the police to stop the violence.

The Sector Commander, Vincent Jack, said the FRSC’s Chief Executive, Chidoka Osita, has set up a team to probe the incident.

Jack said he was out of the state when the incident occurred; he noted that it was an offence for any patrol team to pursue a fleeing vehicle.

The sector commander asked residents to remain calm and wait for the report of the investigation, adding that everybody involved in the incident would

be called to testify.

He said the patrol team, which allegedly caused the accident, was led by a seasoned corps marshal.

Narrating his men’s side of the story, Jack said: “The tricyclist was speeding so he would not be arrested by the patrol team.

“At that point, a Toyota Matrix was making a u-turn. The tricyclist ran into the vehicle but the driver did not stop. The patrol team members decided to go after the vehicle.

“At that point, other tricyclists blocked the patrol van. They accused the team of killing the victims.

“The protesters were brandishing weapons and this made the patrol team flee.

“The next report l got was that tricyclists came here and started destroying government property.

“They shattered glasses and patrol cars and were threatening to kill my men.”

THE NATION TUESDAY MAY 13, 2014

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‘We want to return home’

•The girls ...yesterday

Palliatives for motorcyclists From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

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ADUNA State Governor Ramalan Yero has said the government was taking steps to provide tricycles and other palliatives for motorcyclists, as the government plans to ban commercial motorcycles on May 21.

Receiving a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) delegation in his office, Yero said the government will buy additional tricycles and was ready to provide skill acquisition training for motorcyclists willing to change trade.

The governor said his administration was committed to human capital development, noting that there was need for the apex bank to review its Trust Fund Model (TFM) aimed at assisting small scale farmers and businesses with funds.

“I am ready and the state is ready to revive the TFM but the CBN needs to come up with a reviewed model. The present model needs to be looked into critically so that it can work for Nigerians.”

The governor blamed commercial banks for the challenges being faced by the TFM, lamenting failure by beneficiaries to pay back loans.

“You know we are in a democratic period and people see government money as free money. The beneficiaries hardly pay back.”

The governor suggested that the CBN should come up with a TFM that will take care of the peculiarities of each state.

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PHOTO: NAN

Obasanjo: Lamido can rule Nigeria

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ORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo has said Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido can rule the country in 2015.

Obasanjo spoke in Dutse, the state capital, yesterday when he visited the state to adopt a primary school and a junior secondary school in Kudai, Dutse.

The former President said his visit to the state was to fulfil a promise he made during the Jigawa Economic Summit to adopt a school and transform it to a model school.

He said given Lamido’s background and pedigree he is capable of ruling the country.

His words: “Given his background, performance and credibility, he is competent. With his exposure, he can stand shoulder to shoulder with anybody.

“If it is the wish of the

•Ex-President condemns girls’ abduction From Ahmed Rufa’I, Dutse

people, it is okay. He did not tell me he is wishing but being the wish of the people let’s wait and see.

Based on his track record, would you say he is not competent?”

The former President s ai d t h e s c h o o l w i l l b e adopted under the Obasanjo Foundation.

Obasanjo said the gesture was to complement the governor’s efforts in promoting girl-child education.

Obasanjo said the rationale behind supporting girl child education in Jigawa is to train and bring them up with ideals needed for good leadership.

“Our hope is to produce

future leaders who would grow up with one Nigeria in their subconscious, committed and patriotic, those who understand that self is not good enough.”

Obasanjo praised Lamido for building the “best international airport” in the country within a short time.

Lamido thanked Obasanjo for his support and cooperation for the development of the state.

The former President condemned the abduction of schoolgirls in Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.

He appealed to the abductors to release them without any condition because the girls were innocent and should not be

made to suffer.

"Whatever the grievances, objectives and anger of this group of people who are behind this abduction, they should not have acted on these innocent girls.

"We condemn their action and also appeal to them to release these girls unconditionally because they have important contributions for the future of this country," Obasanjo said.

He said Nigerians should see what happened as a stumbling block and not a fall and be challenged to give their girls good education.

Obasanjo prayed and hoped that the girls would be found and delivered to their parents safely.

Court refuses to review judgment on Suswam’s election T HE Supreme Court has refused a motion asking it to review its earlier decision in the dispute over the victory of Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam in the April 2011 election.

The court, in a judgment yesterday, held that the motion brought by the candidate of the now defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Prof Steve Ugba, was incompetent.

From Eric IKhilae, Abuja

The five-man panel, led

by Justice Muntaka Coomasie, further held that the appellant failed to file before the court, its last year’s judgment, which the appellant sought to reverse.

The apex court allowed the appellant’s motion seek-

ing to change the name of one of his party, ACN to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The court, in the earlier judgment, upheld Suswam’s election and dismissed Ugba’s appeal.

Ugba had prayed the apex court to order the governor-

ship election tribunal to hear his petition against Suswam’s election, which the tribunal had rejected on the ground that it had exceeded the 180 days provided by the constitution.

The Supreme Court held its last year’s judgment, that the constitution has prescribed that election petition at the tribunal should be heard and concluded within 180 days of filing such petition.

SEVEN Nigerian girls currently stranded in Abidjan, the Cote d’ Ivoire capital, have called on the Nigerian embassy to assist them return to their families.

Speaking to the News Agency of Nigerian (NAN) at the embassy on Monday, the girls said they were brought to Cote d’Ivoire by three persons they identified as Dele, Rose and Cynthia.

They claimed that they were provided accommodation in a brothel in Sikensi, an outskirt of Abidjan, and made to serve as sex workers.

Narrating their ordeal, one of them, Blessing Elohor, 18, from Delta State, said they were rescued by leaders of the Nigerian community.

“I was showed a picture of a ‘white man’ who, they said, owns a shop in Abidjan; they said I will serve as a waiter in his shop.

“I was surprised when they showed me a room and gave me condoms. They refused us making calls or even discussing with people,’’ she said.

Tracy Ekuagbe, 17, said she was told that she was being taken to Germany, and was promised a paid job on arrival.

She described her current experience in Cote d’Ivoire as a case of slavery and intimidation.

Others stranded Nigerians in Cote D'Ivoire gave their names as Esumei Blessing, Joy Omojevwe, Tessy Obawangi, Esther John and Daivy John.

‘Terrorist’ arrested in Jos From Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos

A MAN suspected to be spying for terrorists has been arrested in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

The suspect was spotted loitering around Mobile Police Barracks on Rayfield Road on Sunday.

Residents of Jos have been on the alert since March when they received a letter allegedly sent by Boko Haram.

The letter reportedly contained some notable spots to be attacked.

On the list are the House of Assembly complex, police barracks, hospitals, federal establishments etc.

No explosive was found on the suspect.

Police spokesperson Felicia Aslem confirmed that a man was arrested at the Mopol 8 police command.

The suspect is being interrogated by the police to ascertain his mission in the city. He was said to be detained for trespassing.

Kwara PDP plans five-point agenda for 2015

HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State said yesterday it will pursue a five-point agenda, if elected into office in 2015.

The Chairman, Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, said this in Ilorin, the state capital, while presenting what he termed the “rebranded PDP” to reporters.

He listed the agenda as education, agriculture, health, economic empowerment as well as rural and infrastructure development.

Oyedepo called on other parties to eschew violence as critical stakeholders in the build up to the 2015 election saying his party shall subject programmes and policies to debate to get the best outcome.

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

The PDP chairman said: “On April 16, a new PDP was born in Kwara State. The purpose of this briefing is to explain to the public the significance of the emergence of a new leadership for our party.

“It should be clearly stated that the PDP in Kwara State is now fully democratic in all ramifications.

“The great assignment of the rebranded PDP is to democratically capture political power in this state in the 2015 election. We are on a rescue mission and the vision is to provide good governance for the depressed and oppressed people of Kwara State.

“We equally have a mission to use the instrument of gov-

ernment to provide a platform of unity, love, fairness and justice in the heterogeneous community of Kwara State.

“The party shall have as its core values, integrity, honesty, character, selfless service and hard work. We know what is lacking in the present system that is unacceptable to all civilised societies. It is now that the people of Kwara State will know that the party is truly for the people.

“A good number of experts in various fields of human endeavor are working on the domesticated manifesto of our party which shall address the REAL NEEDS of the people of Kwara State.

“When the work on the document is ready and ratified by the leadership of the party, it will be presented to the public.”

THE NATION TUESDAY MAY 13, 2014

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ROPER coordination among relevant security agencies can minimise casualities during operations, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Sanmi Alade said yesterday.

It was at the closing of a fourday training on maritime crisis response in Lagos.

The Nigerian Navy (NN), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Police (NP) attended the training.

Organised by the Officer of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the training which was done in collaboration with the European Critical Maritime Routes in the Gulf of Guinea (CRIMGO), proferred solutions on how to maximise time and ensure efficiency during water crisis.

Addressing reporters after a joint simulation exercise, Alade said the eight minutes used in rescuing victims of the improvised boat collusion was much.

He also noted that the reception desk during emergencies must be equipped with medical facilities and nurses or paramedics to give victims treatment and keep them conscious, while speedy efforts are made to take them to the hospitals.

Alleged $620,000 bribe: Farouk Lawan, Emenalo lose bid to stop trial

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•Rear Admiral Alade and China’s Defence Attaché to Nigeria, Ku Hang Li, when Li visited the command in Lagos...yesterday.

PHOTO: PRECIOUS IGBONWELUNDU

Tips on how to handle emergencies, by Naval chief

By Precious Igbonwelundu

“The exercise scenario was deliberately made simple because this is the first time in the series of planned joint trainings of this nature, “It is part of the national strategy to enhance national response to disasters and it is hoped that as we go along, the objectives of this partnership will be greatly enhanced,” he said.

Special Assistant to the NSA, Karounwi Adekunle, said the training which held between May 8 and 12, was aimed at building a common understand-

•Navy, NEMA, others get training on Maritime ing of the scale of piracy threats in the Gulf of Guinea.

“We want to assist governments of the Gulf of Guinea region build robust institutions, maritime administrations and multiagency capabilities to ensure maritime awareness, security and the rule of law.

“Strengthening cooperation between the countries of the region and the regional organisations to enable them to take the necessary actions to mitigate the threats at sea and on land.”

Commenting on the capabil-

ity of NEMA to handle emergency situations, the agency’s Training Director, Daniel Gambo said there is no disaster NEMA cannot handle, because it personnels are trained on post-disaster management.

“We did bomb simulation in Abuja International Airport and Wuse Market a few weeks ago. The main goal of this training is to test our preparedness to real life disasters and how our personnel react to disasters.

“On June 5, we will do an air crash simulation and one on the sea as well,” said Gambo.

Conference committee fails to reach consensus on derivation principle, others

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HE National Conference rose on Devolution of Power failed yesterday to reach consensus on the twin issues of derivation principle and resource control.

Members of the committee emerged from over seven-hour closed door session without a decision on the contentious issues.

The committee also failed to resolve the differences among geo-political zones on whether onshore-offshore oil dichotomy should be reintroduced in states whose minerals are located off the coasts of their states.

Most of the delegates declined to comments on the issues that have attracted intense debate for three days.

Insiders said that Northern delegates insisted on reduction in derivation principle while their Southern counterparts, especially those from the Southsouth wanted increment.

Our correspondent gathered that some delegates from the Southwest zone also backed the reintroduction of onshore/offshore oil dichotomy.

It was learnt that delegates from the oil-bearing states argued that re-

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Dele Anofi, Abuja

introduction of the onshore-offshore oil dichotomy will take the country many years backward.

It was said that Southsouth delegates said the North’s demand for scrapping of the Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC), the Presidential Amnesty Programme and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs could reintroduce the same problems those agencies were created to solve.

Co-Chairman of the Committee, Obong Victor Attah had informed reporters after the morning session that each of the committee members had opportunity to state their positions on the issues and was optimistic that the committee would arrive at a decision by the end of the day.

This, however, did not happen at the close of sitting yesterday.

Attah said the committee had completed debates on the issues and that by today, he was confident that a decision that would not rob any part of the country of its rights would

be taken.

He noted that after every member had spoken on the issue, it was decided that they should all go and ponder over the issues raised by individuals and come back today for a final decision.

Committee members were advised not to take any decision in the direction that would create disequilibrium in the system.

They were admonished to think beyond oil and gas as the only mineral resources in the country.

Northern delegates had in a 47 page position paper marked “Key issues before the Northern delegates to the 2014 National Conference” with a sub-title “Northern Nigeria the back bone and strength of Nigeria” resolved to reject all claim to oil by Niger Delta.

The position paper was articulated by a think tank constituted by NorthernGovernors,theArewaConsultative Forum and the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation.

The position paper which was described as “highly provocative” by some Southern delegates, detailed the position and demands of the North from the Conference.

It specifically asked northern delegates to reject all claims to oil resources by oil producing areas which the document claimed led to the cancellation of the onshore/offshore oil dichotomy.

It said that abrogation of onshore/offshore oil dichotomy gave away a national resource to littoral states, “seriously eroding revenue available for distribution to all parts of the country.”

“The North demands a reversal to status quo ante. All mineral resources should remain under the exclusive rights of the Federal Government as provided for by the International law (1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea UNCLOS, Article 76 on territorial waters/boundaries which stipulated that 200 nautical miles off the continental shelves belongs to the central government exclusively,” it said.

It said that the Federal Government since 1999 has taken steps which negated the principles of justice and equity to the federating units, clearly threatening the balance development of the country for the common good of all.

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

HE Court Appeal in Abuja has dismissed an appeal filed by former Chairman, House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy Regime and its ex-Secretary, Farouk Lawan and Boniface Emenalo.

They had challenged the decision of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to the effect that they both had a case to answer in relation to allegation that they received $620, 000 as bribe from the Chairman, Zenon Oil and Gas, Femi Otedola, ostensibly to exclude the names of Otedola’s companies - Zenon Petroleum and Gas and Synopsis Enterprises Limited - from the list of companies found to have allegedly defrauded the Federal Government of billions of naira.

The appellate court, in a unanimous judgment yesterday, held that the appeal by Lawan and Emenalo was unmeritorous and consequently dismissed it.

Progress had been halted in the case lately owing to the elevation of the trial judge, Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi to the Court of Appeal.

The court’ Chief Judge is expected to reassign the case to a new judge before whom the case will begin afresh.

Prosecution lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) said he would do a letter to the Chief Judge asking him to re-assign the case.

Lawan and Emenalo are being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Commission (ICPC) for allegedly receiving $620, 000 as bribe from the Chairman, Zenon Oil and Gas, Femi Otedola, ostensibly to exclude the names of Otedola’s companies - Zenon Petroleum and Gas as well as Synopsis Enterprises Limited - from the list of companies found to have allegedly defrauded the Federal Government of billions of naira.

We must see Boko Haram’s end, says Aliyu

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From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

HE Chairman of Northern States’ Governors’ Forum (NSGF) and Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu has said all the nation’s arsenal should be deployed to fight the Boko haram

sect.

The governor urged the Federal Government to expose the sponsors of the sect, which has killed thousands of people and destroyed property worth billions of naira.

Aliyu spoke yesterday when he received the 2013 Christian Pilgrimage report at the Government House in Minna.

The governor noted that ending the sect’s activities would lead to the exposure of its collaborators.

The NSGF Chairman noted that despite the assistance from the international community on the fight against insurgents, “what we really need to win the war is the political will”.

He added: “We must fight them (Boko Haram members) to the finish. I hope in the process of fighting them, we will be able to know who originated, those who sponsor, those who collaborate and those who assist the Book Haram and, by extension, it behoves on us to fight extremism in any form, whether in religion or in politics or in our culture.”

The governor stressed that those who kill in the name of a Jihad have totally missed it.

He said the concept of Jihad is not about killing one another or kidnapping people.

Aliyu said: “We must fight extremism. Anyone who is an extremist is not good for us. We must bring such people back to the path of sanity.

“We should (also) fight extremism in politics. You cannot keep quiet when things are not going right, if you can change it; if you cannot report to the authorities.”

The governor added that Nigerians should not allow those who are jealous to take over the society.

Union chief hails Accountant2015: Southwest youths demand working manifestos General for workers’ welfare

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OUTHWEST youths have called on political parties to present a working manifestoes rather than deceiving Nigerians.

The youths resolved to challenge politicians on the implementation of their manifestoes after next year.

Leaders of different groups and associations converged on the Youths Centre in Badagry, Lagos yesterday to deliberate on next year’s general elections.

The Convener of the event, Comrade Kehinde Adeyemi said the era of mere promising of different projects by political parties without actualising any is over. He urged youths

FromJeremiah Oke, Abeokuta

to rise up and fight for their right.

His words: “The era of promises by politicians is over and I want to urge you all to shun any politician who intend to bribe you to find his way”.

He said the initiative is to bring the youths across the country together regardless of their ethnic background,gender, religion and political affiliation.

Comrade Adeyemi noted that youths should rise up against electoral or political impunity that undermines Nigeria’s progress as a nation ahead of 2015 elections.

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THE National Vice Chairman of the Association of Senior Civil Servant of Nigeria (ASCN), Bola Audu, has said the cordial industrial relation between the management and workers of the Office of Accountant General of the Federation, OAGF, is made possible by the leadership style of Mr. Jonas Otunla, the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF).

Audu said that the peaceful industrial relation in OAGF is made possible by unparallel and numerous welfare packages from the AGF to the workers which have been a benchmark for various ministries and parastatals.

By Innocent Amomoh

“I think every other federal ministries should emulate what is happening at OAGF, which is made possible by Mr. Otunla. Our workers have enjoyed a lot under the administration of Mr. Otunla since he resumed office, and I believe this will be a motivation for the workers to deliver their best. I also want to commend the management team for their support to the AGF,” said Audu at a forum to mark the Workers’ Day at OAGF put together by the Nigeria Civil Service Union, NCSU, Federal Branch, OAGF Unit headed by Comrade Orisamuyiwa Oladele.

•President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Chief Chinedu Okoronkwo (left) presenting a document to Chairman of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) Mr Ezekiel Adeniji during a visit...yesterday.

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

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Nyanya blast: DSS parades five suspects Continued from page 4

leged violation of his human rights.

The DSS spokesperson added that Ogwuche deserted the Nigerian Army in 2006 after serving in the Intelligence Unit at the Arakan Barracks, Lagos.

He was said to have absconded when he was posted to the Nigerian Defence Academy, , Kaduna, in 2006. Ogar gave his service number as SVC 95/104.

Ogwuche is said to be studying Arabic Language at the International University of Africa, Sudan.

Ogar pledged that “Nigerian security forces shall not rest on their oars until every individual or group of persons involved in the Nyanya bombings are brought to book.”

The other five suspects in the custody of the DSS who were also paraded are: Ahmad Rufai Abubakar (43); Muhammadu Sani Ishaq (30); Yau Saidu (28); Adamu Yusuf (43); and Anas Isah (22).

They all confessed to having played various roles in preparations before the bombing of the Abuja bus station.

Before bringing out the five suspects to be photographed and questioned by reporters, Ogar said the suspects were told the bombing was in retaliation for the killing of a Boko Haram member the week before at the bus station.

She added that no member of the sect was killed.

But she revealed that lower level Boko Haram militants were still hiding in Abuja.

“Terrorist elements are disguising daily by taking up various businesses and menial jobs in Abuja and its environs. There-

fore, security awareness of the public and prompt response to information sharing will continue to play a pivotal role in the war on terror,” said Ogar.

Boko Haram has killed thousands of people in five years of insurgency, in attacks on churches, mosques, schools, markets, villages and the government.

Also at yesterday’s briefing were: Director of Defence Information Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade; Director of Army Public Relations Brig.-Gen. Olajide Laleye and Force Public Relations Officer Mr. Frank Mba.

Omeri, who spoke alongside heads of various security agencies said the Federal Government was considering all options to rescue the girls and unite them with their parents.

“All options are on the table and open; we are interacting with the military and intelligence experts who are already on surveillance in the Northeast. We will adopt all available options to get the girls out but we will not negotiate with the sect.

Responding to a question on the security agencies’ claim that Shekau had died, DSS spokesperson Ms Marilyn Ogar, said: “ Boko Haram has become a franchise. Anybody can assume and lay claim to any name. What I know is that the original Abubakar Shekau is dead; the person claiming to be the national leader now is not the original Abubakar Shekau.

“If security sources tell you that somebody is dead, you don’t have to come out and doubt

that,” she added.

Ogar also said no sovereign country can negotiate with terrorists. We are not considering that for now,” she said.

Also yesterday, a French official said President Goodluck Jonathan had agreed to attend a security summit on Saturday in Paris to focus on the Boko Haram terrorist network.

France is still awaiting confirmation from leaders of the four countries bordering Nigeria: Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

Representatives of Britain, the EU and the United States will also be invited.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because details on the summit were yet to be finalised. French President Francois Hollande proposed the meeting.

The failure to rescue more than 200 girls who remain captive has attracted international outrage.

Experts from the United States, France, Britain, China, Israel and Spain are in Nigeria to help the

authorities.

The presidential fact-finding committee on the abduction of schoolgirls has slated a meeting with security agencies.

According to a statement by Mr. Kingsley Osadolor, member/spokesperson for the committee, the “ committee is scheduled to have further interactions with defence and Security agencies, with a view to ascertaining the veracity of speculations making the rounds since the abductionof the girls”.

Osadolor said: “The global response to the abduction is a reflection of our common humanity. In response, the officials expressed their enthusiasm in joining the search for, and freedom for the schoolgirls.”

He also noted that the representatives of Borno State Government, who were unavailable at the Committee’s inauguration last week by President Goodluck Jonathan, attended the committee’s session yesterday.

Govt rejects swap of girls with prisoners

Continued from page 4

which he claimed responsibility for the mass kidnapping that has sparked global condemnation and calls for action.

Moro described the demand as “unreasonable”.

Moro said terrorists could not give government conditions on the abducted girls.

“It is unfortunate that Boko Haram is giving government conditions to release the girls they abducted. This deal can never work. No government will yield to this. No matter the pressure, no government will bow to this.

“Government is doing everything possible to rescue these girls and we are deploying all we have to record success. No terrorist group can hold government to ransom.”

The Federal Government is reviewing the video, Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) Mike Omeri, said, also ruling out of negotiation with the sect for now.

Continued from page 4 think in an event of a swap, the third category should be considered in the interest of those girls.

In fact, the lives of those girls are far more important than keeping the insurgents in detention. After all, they have nothing to lose; it is we that have something to lose because our own daughters are with them.”

Shehu Sani to govt: negotiate girls’ release Can the sect be trusted with the offer? The activist said: “For me, I have never been a hostage but I have been a political prisoner that once lost my freedom. Once you lose your freedom, what comes to your mind is how you can get out of captivity. What is supposed to be done at this very time is for Nigeria to set up credible panel to reach out to the group and open a

channel of communication, and then listen to them and look at the possibility of getting this girls. Because, we have two things here; we have over 280 girls in captivity of the Boko Haram and also, we have an insurgency that has been rising for the past three years. First of all, we need to get these girls out; we cannot engage, we cannot contain and crush the group with

those girls still embedded. These girls would be taken not just as hostages, but as their human shield. It means you can’t fight he group without you getting these girls out.

Would he be willing to act as mediator? Sani said: “It is not about me offering to mediate but it is about the kind of team that can be set up. And I believe that if

Shekau dares US, others Continued from page 4

He said: “The war we are fighting is against democracy, constitution, Christianity and Western Education.

“I don’t have any relationship with Saudi Arabia, they are nothing. They are also unbelievers. I don’t follow white men. I am not going to follow anybody except God. I won’t have any relationship with anybody than God.

“You say you want to use democracy to cheat us or to deceive us. You are talking of government of the people by the people for the people. I am talking of the government of Allah by the Allah for the Allah “What is the essence of allowing a female to marry a female?

I don’t understand what they are saying. They said it is about freedom which I do not understand.”

Falana: Why govt cant trade girls Continued from page 4

to join to protest so that these criminals can know that a violation of any child anywhere around the world is a violation of the right of the entire world. I am sure in a matter of days these criminals will release these girls.”

He criticised the government for the poor handling of the matter, adding that the government needs to reassure Nigerians of their safety.

“The Nigerian government’s way of handling this is very disappointing, particularly for the parents of the abducted girls. I can imagine the agony they must have been sentenced to in the last weeks in particular when some highly-placed individuals in the society attempted to give the impression that these girls might not be missing after all and for me, that is the unkindest of them all.

“How a gang of criminals would have collaborated with parents to have their children abducted and I ask, to make what point? So, I think the government will have to go the ex-

we can have a team that comprises some respected Northern Islamic clerics, with some of the insurgents that are in detention, and some monitors, I believe actual line of communication can be opened for these girls to be released. Certainly, if I am invited and I am convinced that the resolution of that committee would be taken seriously, then I can be part of the team.”

tra mile of assuring Nigerians that the security of lives and welfare of our citizens - in line with Section 14 of the Constitution - is paramount and that never again will the government of Nigeria play with the life of any individual in this country.”

A former House of Representatives member, Dino Malaye, described the police disruption of the protest as “brutality”, adding that they were unstable in their behaviour.

He said: “What happened yesterday is what I call police brutality. The police were very unstable; the gathering here is not only stable but peaceful. There have been protests in the United Kingdom, United States, and China, the first lady of America protested.

“I am a father and one of them could have been my daughter, so we are here to see that we are with this people and will continue to pressurise government to do that which is needful and we will continue to see that the battle is of no retreat, no surrender and we cannot be intimidated by the police.”

One of the parents of the abducted girls, Mr. Hosea Tsambido, said he had not seen the new video released by the sect.

The emotionally distraught father said he was sure he could identify his daughter when he had access to the released video.

“I have not seen the video. Arrangements are being made to make sure we have access to the video. All I want is to see my girl returned to me safe and sound.”

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

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ello everybody. We have a whole new set of new products to tell you about. Although Zee Virtual Media has researched and introduced a wide range of novelties to the adult public over the years, new novelties continue to be manufactured. So the list of what is available out there continues to grow with adults bound to benefit from the increasing variety and improved quality of these products.

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smoothens out wrinkles and attracts men to the woman who applies it. It is not magic. It is down to the science of pheromones, a powerful sexual attractant. This is one novelty that will interest a lot of women for different reasons.

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For enquiries email us at custserv@zeevirtualmedia.com-Uche Edochie, MD, Zee Virtual Media.

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

60

NEWS (SHOWBIZ)

•Terry G

Terry G set to produce career documentary

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IGERIAN singer Terry G is currently shooting a career documentary and minimovie titled Fans Assembly season 1.

Reports claimed that Nollywood actors, Charles Awurum and Ken Erics are on the set of the production.

Both actors are said to be playing major roles in the documentary that will unveil Terry G’s career influence in the industry.

The production, an initiative of Fun-Code Media Limited, a film company known for production of comedy skits on television and YouTube, will parade a number of Nigerian mu-

By Ovwe Medeme

sicians in the different seasons.

However, TGP Entertainment’s hit maker, Terry G, takes the lead in the first season, as he brings on comedy skits for the viewing pleasure of his fans.

Fans Assembly also stars a number of comedians, including Senator, Mc Ash, Egbeigwe, Elvis Ogbonna, Fountain and Christy Ozioma Ijele.

Ugochukwu Favour-Mayor, a media professional, is the anchor of the documentary. He was spotted sitting side-by-side with Terry G during recordings at Nigezie’s Studio in Lagos.

•Ini Edo

•Benjamin

Joseph Benjamin, Ini Edo, Gloria Young dazzle in The Perfect Plan

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RODUCERS of The Perfect Plan, a Nollywood movie, have revealed plans to ensure its release online soon.

The Perfect Plan tells the story of a blind mother who gives

By Mercy Michael

her son an ultimatum to get married, so she can “hear the voices of her grandchildren before she dies.” Not being able to get his ever-busy girlfriend

to spend time with his mother, he comes up with a perfect plan that will change the course of destiny. The unfolding event sees four people (Toks, Beatrice, Rain and Ogey) entwined in a love quadrangle.

The movie, which was directed by Kabat Esosa Egbon, stars Joseph Benjamin, Ini Edo, Gloria Young, Frankincense Eche-Ben, Keira Hewatch and Kehinde Olorunyomi, among others.

Dowry makes debut on EbonyLife TV

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ARRING any lastminute hitch, Dowry, a five-episode drama created by Victor Sanchez Agahowa, will make its debut on EbonyLife TV on May 31.

Dowry tells the story of two feuding families who are being forced into an uneasy truce by the impending marriage of their children. When the groom disappears about five hours to the wedding, many seek answers to a lot of questions.

In the process, some se•Udoka (right) and cast members

Living Funeral for screening at Cannes

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OLLYWOOD production, Living Funeral, has been selected for screening at the Cannes Film Festival in France later in the year.

Living Funeral centres on creating awareness on breast cancer. It will be screened while the festival lasts at the Short Film corner.

It is about a young girl who battles with breast cancer in the last days of her life. She arranges a farewell for her family to help ease their pain.

According to the producers, Applegazer and Karma Cause Productions, the flick, which recently screened at the 2014 Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles, is also an official

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

selection at the ongoing New York African Film Festival.

The film, which had eight nominations at the 2014 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards, has been nominated in the Best Short Film Category for the 2014 Africa Movie Academy Awards. It has also been selected for screening at the 2014 Durban International Film Festival.

Director of the movie, Udoka Oyeka, graduated with an accounting degree from the University of Texas, Arlington. He later attended a drama school to enhance his acting skill.

It stars Nollywood veterans like Liz Benson, Norbert Young and Stephanie Wilson.

crets hitherto buried come to the open.

The series stars Oreka

Godis, Kate Adepegba, Keira Hewatch, Udoka Oyeka and Amaka Anioji, among others.

In 2003, the director of the

•Ivie

•Ukeje

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

flick, Victor Agahowa, created his first TV show, Bachelors, where he worked as Head Writer for three seasons.

In 2006, he joined the writing team for MNET’s soap opera, Tinsel. Then, in 2007, he served as a screenwriter and assistant director for the feature film, Letters to a Stranger. He has also served as associate producer/director on The Apprentice Africa. Even now, he still works on the directing team of the soap opera, Tinsel.

July date for Durban International Film Festival

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HE organisers of the South Africa’s largest and longest-running film festival, the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), have announced that the 35th edition of the festival will hold between July 17 and 27.

Hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts, as special project of the Deputy Vice Chancellor and Head of the College of Humanities, Prof.

Cheryl Potgieter, the festival, which parades the best of African films, made headlines last year when the movie, Of Good Report, was purportedly banned.

The Film and Publications Board (FPB) of South Africa had outlawed the flick on the grounds that a sex scene between a school teacher and a pupil amounted to child pornography.

Although the ban was later overturned by the Board’s ap-

peal tribunal as well as a 28 million Rand damage suit against the FPB, the profile of the movie has been on the rise, with its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September of the same year; and later, at

•Prof. Potgieter

the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) in Nigeria, where it opened a debate on artistic expression and won the Best Film laurel.

This year, the 10-day celebration will involve screening of new films from South

Africa, the continent and the world.

This festival, according to the organisers, will reflect on South Africa’s 20 years of democracy with a focus on films that explore the diverse facets of the nation’s history over the past decades.

Other themes and events of interest include focus on African cinema and British cinema, the Wildtalk Africa Film Festival, Wavescape Surf Film Festival and a programme of cinema centered on architecture, in anticipation of the International Union of Architects Congress taking place in Durban later in the year.

Industry initiatives include seminars and workshops with notable industry figures, the 7th Talents Durban (in cooperation with the Berlin Talents) and the 5th Durban FilmMart co-production market (in partnership with the Durban Film Office).

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

61

FOREIGN NEWS Libya rescues 450 migrants on Europe-bound boats

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LIBYAN naval forces rescued 450 migrants off its coastline who were aboard a vessel making an illegal journey to Europe on Monday, a naval official said.

Mahmoud al-Akhsham says the migrants were rescued early hours on Monday in Libyan waters near Zwara, about 110 kilometers (70 miles) west of Tripoli. He said most of the migrants are from Eritrea and Syria, and some are Palestinians.

He added that women and children were among the Syrians.

Al-Akhsham’s remarks came

the same day Italy announced it rescued hundreds of migrants sailing from Libya aboard two vessels. Last week alone, over 4,000 migrants reached Italy’s shores. Many of the boats set out from Libya’s loosely patrolled coast packed with migrants fleeing wars or hardship.

On Saturday, Libya’s interior minister threatened that his country would help migrants reach Europe if the European Union does not do more to help his country deal with a flood of migrants using Libya as a transit point.

Mexican troops ‘kill Zetas cartel founder Mellado’

M •Rebel leader Denis Pushilin during a press conference in Donetsk...yesterday.

PHOTO: AFP

East Ukraine separatists seek union with Russia

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UKRAINIAN separatist leader is calling on Russia to “absorb” the eastern region of Donetsk after Sunday’s unofficial vote on its status.

Denis Pushilin, leader of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic, said Moscow should listen to the “will of the people”.

Russia has called for dialogue and “implementing” the result, but Ukraine and the EU declared the poll illegal.

The EU is imposing further sanctions over Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

Separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk regions say 89% and 96% respectively voted in favour of “self-rule”.

Earlier the head of the rebel Donetsk election commission, Roman Lyagin, said joining Russia “would probably be an

P

appropriate step”.

Russia has called for dialogue between the militants and Kiev with the participation of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. n Russian TV yesterday, a prominent pro-Russia Ukrainian called on parts of eastern and southern Ukraine to form an independent state called Novorossiya (New Russia). Such a ‘state’ would inevitably be loyal to Moscow.

So, is Novorossiya part of the Kremlin’s long-term plan to retain influence in a large part of Ukraine? Or does Moscow’s shorter-term strategy have more to do with derailing the upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine?

With less than two weeks to go before those elections, if it does have a plan, the Kremlin may soon reveal it.

India: Polls close on final day of voting

OLLS have closed on the final day of voting in India’s marathon election, with the first exit polls predicting early gains for the opposition BJP. Led by Narendra Modi, the BJP has dominated the campaign but analysts warn exit polls have a mixed record in India, having proved wrong in the past.

The main contest in the vote is between the ruling Congress and the BJP. Votes will be counted on 16 May. Election Commission officials say voter turnout is a record 66.38%. The figure beats a previous record set in 1984.

Yesterday, millions voted on the final day of the election, with crowds turning out in the sacred city of Varanasi, a key battleground, where Mr Modi is being challenged by anti-corruption campaigner Arvind Kejriwal.

Voting was also held in 40 other seats in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal states.

The battle in this holy city is now being seen as a straight fight between Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist BJP and Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party.

Mr Modi is still expected to win but many have been inspired by Mr Kejriwal’s antiestablishment message and his party’s determined door-todoor campaign.

After being bombarded by all the parties for weeks, it’s hardly surprising that many voters were being coy in admitting who they were choosing.

But there were some signs of nervousness among BJP workers manning a stand near one polling station. At one they were telling people ‘to vote for anybody, just don’t waste it on the Broom’ - short-hand for Mr Kejriwal The election began on 7 April and has been held in nine phases for security and logistical reasons. With 814 million eligible voters, it is the world’s biggest exercise in democracy.

Mr Modi is being given a spirited fight by Mr Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party, whose army of volunteers has been engaged in extensive door-todoor campaigning.

There are a total of 42 candidates in the fray in the seat, including the Congress party’s Ajay Rai, a local political leader.

Two Crimean companies and 13 individuals have been added to the sanctions list - the names are likely to be announced officially within the next 24 hours, reports the BBC’s Chris Morris in Brussels.

The sanctions impose travel bans and asset freezes. EU ministers are also discussing what might trigger a broader package of sanctions against the Russian economy.

In a brief statement, the Kremlin described the referendums as “the will of the people” and noted the “high turnout”.

The Kremlin denounced what it claimed had been “attempts to disrupt the votes, with the use of force, including the use of heavy weapons, against civilians”, says the BBC’s Steve Rosenberg in Moscow.

The Russian authorities said they expected the results of the vote to be implemented in a civilised manner, without any repetition of violence and

•Putin

called for dialogue between Kiev, Donetsk and Luhansk.

Later Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, said there were no plans to hold fresh international talks on the crisis he accused the West of an “information blockade” over events in Ukraine and of “shameless lies”.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is to travel to Kiev today to promote “dialogue” between the different parties.

Russia’s Sergei Lavrov: “We respect the will of the population of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions”.

EXICAN security officials say one of the founders of the Zetas drug cartel has been killed in a gun battle in the north-eastern state of Tamaulipas.

Galindo Mellado Cruz is accused of being one of the original members of the Zetas, which first emerged as a group of enforcers for the Gulf cartel.

The two groups later split and became bitter rivals, their fights accounting for much of the violence in the area.

He is believed to be among five gunmen shot dead by the army on Friday.

A Tamaulipas state official told the Associated Press news agency that while Mellado no longer held a command position within the Zetas, he had been one of the 30 ex-special forces members to found the group.

Analysts say the Zetas now control more territory than any other criminal gang in Mexico.

Mellado was on the run after escaping from prison where he had been jailed after being accused of armed robbery, rape and murder, the official said.

He was killed in a raid on his hideout in the city of Reynosa along with four other armed men. One soldier also died in the fire fight.

It is not clear how the security forces tracked him down.

Search for wreckage in deadly U.S. hot air balloon crash

O

FFICIALS are searching for the wreckage of a hot air balloon crash near Richmond, Virginia, after a third victim was found.

Two figures in women’s basketball at the University of Richmond, as well as the balloon’s pilot, were killed.

On Friday, the balloon hit a power line and burst into flames in front of a horrified US crowd.

Two passengers jumped or fell from the gondola as the pilot attempted to control the balloon, police say.

It had been one of 13 that took off from Meadow Event Park as part of a preview for the Mid-Atlantic Balloon Festival.

Recovery crews are still looking for the wreckage of the balloon. The balloon rapidly drifted upwards after the crash, being propelled by the intense flames beneath, witnesses said.

One witness told the Associated Press news agency those watching on the ground were in “complete silence”.

“There were people praying.

It was horrible,” spectator Nancy Johnson said.

62

FOREIGN NEWS

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

South Korea: North Korea “must disappear soon”

A

RHETORICAL battle between the rival Koreas intensified yesterday with a South Korean official saying North Korea “must disappear soon.”

The comments, which will likely draw a furious response from Pyongyang, followed a series of sexist and racist slurs by North Korea against the leaders of South Korea and the United States.

Pyongyang’s state media likened South Korean President Park Geun-hye to an “old prostitute” and U.S. President Barack Obama to a “monkey” in recent dispatches.

South Korean Defense Minis-

try spokesman Kim Min-seok told reporters at a briefing in Seoul that North Korea isn’t a real country and exists for the benefit of only one person, a reference to dictator Kim Jong Un. He said the North has no human rights or public freedoms.

South Korea has been highly critical of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, including recent rocket and missile tests and apparent preparations for a fourth nuclear test. But the comments from Seoul on Monday are stronger than normal.

South Korea tries to avoid publicly talking about anything that could be interpreted as a collapse of the North Korean gov-

ernment because of worries that Pyongyang would raise tensions.

Pyongyang has been ramping up its rhetoric against Seoul and Washington since Obama and Park met in Seoul last month. During that visit, Obama said that it may be time to consider further sanctions against North Korea and that the U.S. will not hesitate to use its military might to defend its allies.

South Korea has called the North’s verbal insults against Park immoral and unacceptable.

The U.S. State Department described the North’s racist slurs against Obama as “disgusting.”

PUBLIC NOTICE FIDELIS

PUBLIC NOTICE SIDEEQ I, formerly known and addressed as MISS SIDEEQ BASHIRAT ADEPEJUOLA, now wish to be known and addressed asMRS. MUDASHIR BASHIRAT ADEPEJUOLA, All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE ODUNLAMI I formerly known and addressed as Miss Odunlami Sherifat Omobimbola, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ayedun Sherifat Omobimbola. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS CHINYERE GIFT FIDELIS, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. CHINYERE GIFT CHIMECHETAM, All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE MUOKA I formerly known as Miss Muoka Adaobi Doris now which to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ohagba Adaobi Doris. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

LOSS OF DOCUMENT

I, Mrs Generosa Olayinka Ajayi,a Female Nigerian of Block 582 Flat 2 Abesan Estate,Ipaja Lagos hereby declare that I am the rightful owner of the above property.

That the original receipt and allocation paper were issued to me dated 11\11\1982 by LBIC. But these got lost in transit and all effort aimed at locating these had prove abortive. LBIC and general public please take note.

THE NATION TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

63

TODAY IN THE NATION

TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL.9

NO.2847

‘The tragic paradox of Nigeria is that leaders lag behind their followers; yet are expected to offer direction. When a laggard is captain, how can the team compete?’

OLAKUNLE ABIMBOLA

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

I

T is just as well that President Goodluck Jonathan has not formally announced that he will be seeking re-election next year.

He should not. In fact, he should go one step further and declare, today, in the manner of former U.S. President William Sherman, that he will not be a candidate for the 2015 presidential election; that if nominated, he will decline, and that if elected, he will refuse to serve.

More than any other incident in his accidental presidency, his shambolic handling of the abduction of more than 200 girls from the Government Secondary School, Chibok, in Borno State by elements of the nihilistic terrorist organisation Boko Haram, has called into serious question his fitness for the job It is not that he had shown the mental alertness and sure-footedness his office demands in handling many crises that have rocked his administration. But the Chibok abduction and his manner of dealing with it has exposed his inadequacies as never before, and not just to his compatriots who always had their doubts. Now, the whole world has a good idea of the leader of Africa’s most populous country and largest economy, home to the largest aggregation of black humanity.

Several days after the abduction, a spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, of which Dr Jonathan is commander-inchief, announced to the relief of a traumatised nation that the girls had been freed. Only when challenged a few days later did the spokesperson take back the claim. The army, he said without remorse and without shame, has been “misled.”

The spokesperson is still at his post. So, for that matter, is Abba Moro, the cabinet minister responsible for a recruitment test in which 16 job-seekers were trampled to death and scores suffered significant injury. So also is Diezani Allison-Madueke, who presides over the scandal-infested Ministry of Petroleum Resources. But that is another matter.

From the time the military said it had been misled, it has been one miscue after egregious miscue for the Jonathan administration.

For three weeks, Dr Jonathan could not rouse himself to make a national broadcast or even hold a news conference. He did not meet with the distraught parents of the abducted girls to offer solace.

RIPPLES

OLATUNJI DARE

AT HOME ABROAD olatunji.dare@thenationonlineng.net

JEG: No second term

‘

But it would be selfish and unpatriotic of him to seek to continue to preside over the destiny of Nigeria when his term ends next year. If the ruling PDP loves and cares about Nigeria, it should urge Dr Jonathan not to seek another term.

If he refuses, it should reject him decisively.

Nigeria deserves better.

•Dr. Jonathan

Instead, administration officials went into clumsy denial. They questioned whether the girls were actually abducted.

They sought to pin responsibility on the school’s authorities and the governor of Borno State.

When the President finally bestirred himself to address the public on the issue, it was through a staged Presidential Chat, with four handpicked journalists doing the questioning. The outing was a fresh disappointment.

Dr Jonathan said nothing that the public did not already know; no insights, only bland assurances that the government was doing “everything” to secure the release of the girls. The assurances rang hollow, especially when he admitted that the government had no idea where the girls were being held, nor indeed how

NIGERIAN MEN TURN AWAY WHEN YOU TELL THEM YOU NEED MONEY-Nollywood Actress

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Why won’t they RUN? They know when it’s LOVE FOR SALE

HE Goodluck Jonathan administration is peopled by half-empty grandiloquent popinjays. That is Hardball’s well-considered opinion and you could quote that freely. Now let us proceed to uphold our proposition. First the leading lights of the regime are people who have sojourned abroad. They were shipped home with the high expectation that they were some kind of technocrats who had answers to at least some, if not all the developmental pains bedeviling a fledgling country like Nigeria.

But as it has turned out, or as it has been revealed, they really don’t grasp it. In fact they are miles away from the reality of Nigeria’s situation.

Sometimes Hardball cannot help but have sympathy for them. They really cannot help themselves. They have their heads permanently screwed to an angle so that they are forever looking up towards the ceiling or the West if you prefer; (if only they are looking up to heaven). In other words, they are stiff-necked if you catch Hardball’s drift. They fancy themselves belonging to some rarefied Western clubs. They are jetset – meaning that they are more airborne than on Nigeria’s humble roads. They love the luxury hotels of New York and Washington and London more than the seedy

’

many of them were in Boko Haram’s infernal custody.

So did subsequent claims that the government was “on top of the situation.”

How can you be on top of the situation when you are, by your own admission, utterly clueless as to what is going on?

It was Dr Jonathan’s opportunity to speak directly to the parents and relations of the girls, to empathise with them, to play comforter-in-chief.

He blew it big-time, before the attentive global audience. He kept appealing to the parents to “co-operate” with the government in its effort to secure the release of their children. It was as if the parents somehow stood in the way of the effort.

Jide Ajani’s excellent reporting on the recent Presidential Chat and the atmosphere in which it was held (Vanguard, May 11)

HARDBALL

WEF: the prodigal and his N4b are separated terra-firma of Abuja and Lagos. They cherish the company of some white-skin topnotch who humour them with some sexedup ratings; some wangled ‘global’ awards and who convince them that they are the miracles out of Africa.

But they are only adept at the current global economic slangs and jargons. At every turn they speak their hocus-pocus with so much relish and bravura. When we muster enough courage to ask questions or point at blinding incongruities littering our landscape, they browbeat us with more economic arcana and will only stop short at calling us illiterate. Such is our predicament in the last decade or so that we have had a quake of a motion yet we remain in situ.

They know they have failed us woefully, they can see the house crumbling all around them yet they dig in stubbornly – as stubborn as that snout-mouthed creature often

could not have reassured anyone looking for evidence that Dr Jonathan is indeed up to the task. It shows a president overwhelmed by the office, disengaged, and tentative, not exactly basking in the fawning adulation and saccharine glorification of his retinue of court jesters, but not averse to it either.

It is an alarming portraiture. It provides some understanding of the abject incoherence of the Jonathan administration’s response to the atrocity that reverberated around the world.

And it confirms what a senior adviser to Dr Jonathan told me shortly after Dr Jonathan took office as acting president.

Was Dr Jonathan up to the task, I had asked the adviser, a discreet man not given to rash judgment or hyperbole.

“Without hesitation, No,” he had responded.

Dr Jonathan, he told me, would come to meetings without having mastered his briefing papers, and would sometimes doze off.

One of the worst-kept secrets in Abuja is that Dr Jonathan’s quarters in the Villa is a den, where he and a coterie of revelers carouse far into the night. This kind of routine leaves little time for serious reflection on issues of state, and for cultivating the mind and the intellect, and may well account for the detachment, the lethargy, that is the hallmark of his style.

Nor has his meddlesome wife, Dame Patience Faka, helped matters. She staged a “public inquisition,” as a retired ambassador who brought the video of the event to my attention called it, during which she harassed and bullied officials and others in her inimitable way to blame everyone except her husband’s administration.

No matter how this crisis is resolved, Dr Jonathan is unlikely to emerge as a president who can be trusted to lead Nigeria through the challenges that lie ahead. To be fair, he never sought the position; he knew his limitations. It is not entirely his fault that he has proved unequal to the task.

But it would be selfish and unpatriotic of him to seek to continue to preside over the destiny of Nigeria when his term ends next year. If the ruling PDP loves and cares about Nigeria, it should urge Dr Jonathan not to seek another term. If he refuses, it should reject him decisively.

Nigeria deserves better.

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•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above dead to its mucky forays. There is nothing doing but they live in abject denial of glaring facts, concocting fantabulous tales of ‘transformation’. But facts and reality keep haunting us all. For instance, no new jobs are being created; in fact the job space shrinks resulting in deathly scramble for a few dozen openings in our old colonial bureaucracy.

In a country of over 150 million people, not one million can boast of clean, potable water. Cholera still ravages many parts of the country; leprosy rages, diabetes, kidney failure and even polio. All the diseases that have been eradicated in other climes seem to have found solace here. And what does the Ministry of Health do for instance: serial summitry as well at venues far removed from our diseased environments.

Public awareness is a major weapon against diseases but not so in Nigeria. Pupils still sit on bare floor to study. All basic things of life elude us.

Yet we would burn N4 billion in three days hosting ‘the world’ in a locked down ghost city. They gloat about pledges in million dollars as if we are a beggarly nation.

It’s eerie isn’t it? In fact it’s so spooky Hardball wagers we must be in a ghost land.

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